TAEA 2026 National Drama Teachers’ Conference
Manitoba

Re Parsons (they/them) is a neurodivergent dance artist and educator currently living in Moh'kinstsis/Calgary. Re comes from an extensive background in dance and art education, having held roles with the Agnes Etherington Art Centre and the Kingston School of Dance – and curating multiple visual arts shows and various programming at multiple galleries and institutions in Kingston, Ontario. Re has held multiple educational roles as a preschool teacher, educational assistant, and has worked in both curriculum and program development. They hold two Bachelor of Arts degrees with distinction in both Dance and English from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University where they studied decolonial forms of dance pedagogy. Re is currently the Manager of Performing Arts at the National accessArts Centre, where they support inclusive arts training, programming, and professional development opportunities for artists living with disabilities and/or neurodivergence.

Prather Rehm is a NYC based actor, director, intimacy/movement director and a Senior Lucid Body teacher. NYC theatre acting credits include: Boeing, Boeing, The Slave, Through the Cracks, Birdgirl and Machinal. Recent TV/Film credits include: Dressed As Girl (part of HBO’s NewFest, Portland Film Festival, LA’s Outfest, and New Filmmakers Film Festival, NYC), and a guest star on Por Amar Sin Ley (Televisa). Prather teaches/directs movement and intimacy at Marymount Manhattan College, The Lucid Body Institute, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The New School, Brooklyn College, The Studio New York and Long Island University. Recent intimacy credits include Alien 8 at Bucks County Playhouse, Twelfth Night at AADA and Five Times in One Night at HB Studios. Prather holds a BA in Theatre Arts from The University of the South, Sewanee and an MFA in Acting from The Actors Studio at Pace University. When not on the proscenium deck, Prather can be found on deck sailing across oceans on a 42 ft. Marconi rigged sloop named HELLBOUND.

The Sales and Marketing Manager of Playwrights Canada Press, Brandon is multi-faceted theatre artist with over twenty years of experience specializing in new play development in Canada.

Kimberly (Kim) Shire is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Theatre at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, where she teaches acting, directing, creative dramatics, puppetry, dramaturgy, Shakespeare and other theatre courses. She holds an MFA in Directing Theatre for Young Audiences and Costume Design from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Kim has worked extensively as a director, teaching artist, designer and arts leader, including serving as Executive Artistic Director of Christian Youth Theatre Vanport and working with Honolulu Theatre for Youth. With more than 25 years of experience training actors, she is passionate about Theatre for Young Audiences, Shakespeare, musical theatre and theatre education.

Kim Shire is the author of A Beginner's Guide to Acting Methods and is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Carroll College in Helena, MT where she
has been teaching, designing, and directing since 2015. She has an MFA in costuming and directing for young audiences from the University of Hawaii.
Prior to her academic career, Kim worked professionally as an artistic director, theatre educator, director, stage manager, and designer. All told, she has
more than two decades of experience working with developing actors, helping them find the strategies that unlock their potential.

Liz Davis is Head of Secondary Curriculum & Partnerships at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, where she develops and leads theatre education programs, school partnerships, and professional learning for secondary educators. A former English and Special Education teacher, Liz previously worked in the Education Department at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She holds a BA in English from The George Washington University and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Maryland.

Second City's creative process traces back to improv pioneer & acting educator Viola Spolin's theatre games, built on a simple premise: give people the right conditions and they will discover the material together. In this hands-on virtual session, we introduce some core principles behind our stage work (abundance, discovery, and agreement) and show how they unlock creativity for students far beyond the improv classroom. Educators will practice these principles firsthand, then explore how they scale into collaborative, iterative creation: a group-built alternative to the blank page that turns spontaneous ideas into original sketch material. Participants leave with an adaptable framework and a handful of exercises ready to bring back to their own students.

This session is led by Julie Dumais Osborne, Vice President of Training Centres for Second City, who has spent decades working with young people through the Canadian Improv Games, and PHATT al, Artistic Director of the Second City Toronto Training Centre and an alumnus of five Mainstage revues. Built on more than 65 years of world-class comedy and innovation, Second City: PLAY invites audiences, organizations, educators, and partners to engage in experiences that are interactive, human, and unforgettable.

Alice Nelson is a Canadian-American theatre educator, director, playwright, performer, deviser, improviser, clown, puppeteer and mask maker. She has taught theatre at the University of Windsor, Mount Royal University, Red Deer University, Ambrose University and Rosebud School of the Arts, with courses including Drama in Education, Applied Theatre, Theatre for Social Action, Improvisation and Theatre for Young Audiences. Alice holds a BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge, a BEd in Fine Arts from the University of Calgary, and an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International. She is currently an Assistant Professor and Area Head of Theatre Arts with Teaching Certification at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Jonathan Dorf has authored over 60 plays, including 4 A.M., Declaration, Dear Chuck, Harry's Hotter at Twilight and Me, My Selfie & I, with 3000+ productions worldwide. He co-founded publisher YouthPLAYS and is chair emeritus of the Alliance of LA Playwrights. He taught in the Playwright's Lab at Hollins University, served as US Cultural Envoy to Barbados, created Playwriting101.com, authored Young Playwrights 101 and serves on the Dramatists Guild Education Committee. A member of the Teaching Artist Alliance, he has taught writing workshops from Florida to Singapore. BA in Dramatic Writing and Literature, Harvard University; MFA in Playwriting, UCLA. https://jonathandorf.com

Luke Reece is an award-winning playwright, poet, producer, and arts leader whose work explores identity, community, Blackness, and the power of storytelling. He is the Associate Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto and has become an influential voice in Canadian theatre and spoken-word performance.

Luke’s plays include Notice, Black Boys, Cassius, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – A Musical Thriller adaptations and other works developed and presented across Canada. As a poet and spoken-word artist, he has represented Canada internationally and has performed on stages across North America.

In addition to his work as a writer and performer, Luke has held leadership and producing roles with organizations including Obsidian Theatre Company and the Toronto International Festival of Authors. His work is deeply rooted in creating opportunities for emerging artists and expanding whose stories and voices are represented on Canadian stages.

Through his writing, performance, producing, and arts leadership, Luke brings a dynamic perspective on storytelling, identity, representation, and the future of Canadian theatre.

Eric Grapatin is an Amateur Licensing Representative with Music Theatre International (MTI), where he works with schools and theatre organizations across Canada. A graduate of Syracuse University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, Eric has worked as an actor in plays, musicals and film and spent several years working in Front of House Management on Broadway. His Broadway experience includes On the Town, Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Game and Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour. Eric joined MTI in 2017 and brings his lifelong passion for school and community theatre to helping organizations navigate theatrical licensing and bring musical theatre to their communities.

Omari Newton is an award-winning actor, playwright, director, and educator who serves as Head of the Acting for Film & Television department at Vancouver Film School. His acclaimed voice-acting credits include Black Panther in several Marvel animated projects and Corvus in Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. An accomplished theatre artist, Omari has written celebrated works including Sal Capone and Redbone Coonhound. He is also a compelling public speaker whose TEDxWhistler talk, The Essential Service of Art, explored the transformative power of creativity.

Dana Taylor is a USITT Fellow, nationally recognized technical theatre educator, and leader of the USITT BACKstage Exam initiative. He spent 30 years as Director of Vocal Music and Technical Theatre at Mt. Vernon Senior High School Fine Arts Academy in Indiana and currently serves as adjunct faculty in theatre and music at the University of Evansville.

Through USITT, Dana has served as Vice-Commissioner for Education (Secondary Schools) and has been a leader in developing the BACKstage Exam, a comprehensive assessment of technical theatre knowledge and work readiness for high school students. A frequent conference presenter and author on technical theatre education, Dana has contributed to publications including Dramatics Magazine, Teaching Theatre Journal, PLSN, and High School Today.

His contributions to theatre education have been recognized with the Stage Directions Technical Theatre Educator of the Year Award, the Educational Theatre Association Founders' Award, and USITT's Distinguished Achievement Award in Education. In 2026, Dana was named a USITT Fellow.

Craig Wrotniak is a drama educator, theatre practitioner, and Executive Director of the Theatrical Arts Education Association of Canada (TAEA). He teaches Drama and Theatre at North Surrey Secondary in Surrey, British Columbia, where he has spent many years directing productions and developing opportunities for young people through theatre education.

Craig holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Production from Central Washington University, as well as Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Human Kinetics degrees from the University of British Columbia. His graduate work focused on the direction and production of musical theatre.

In addition to his work as an educator and director, Craig is a member of IATSE, bringing professional live-entertainment production experience into his teaching and theatre practice. Through TAEA, he works to strengthen educational theatre across Canada by connecting teachers, students, professional artists, theatre organizations and post-secondary programs through STAR Fest, professional development and national theatre-education initiatives.

Alice Nelson is a Canadian-American theatre educator, director, playwright, performer, deviser, improviser, clown, puppeteer and mask maker. She has taught theatre at the University of Windsor, Mount Royal University, Red Deer University, Ambrose University and Rosebud School of the Arts, with courses including Drama in Education, Applied Theatre, Theatre for Social Action, Improvisation and Theatre for Young Audiences. Alice holds a BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge, a BEd in Fine Arts from the University of Calgary, and an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International. She is currently an Assistant Professor and Area Head of Theatre Arts with Teaching Certification at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Yvette Dudley-Neuman is a Canadian actor, writer, director, producer, acting coach and theatre educator. A graduate of the University of Calgary with a BFA in Acting and a BEd, she trained in improvisation with renowned TheatreSports creator Keith Johnstone and toured internationally with Up with People. Her stage and screen career includes Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Van Helsing, The Flash, Motive, Once Upon a Time and Fringe. Yvette is currently Artistic Producer of Pacific Coast Stage Company and the Nanaimo Fringe Festival and continues to work as a teaching artist, adjudicator and advocate for emerging theatre artists.

Dean Bareham is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Green Fools Theatre in Calgary. A proud Métis artist, Dean is an internationally recognized performer, master puppeteer, director, designer, and theatre creator with more than 35 years of experience in puppetry, circus, clowning, stilting, and physical theatre. He has performed and taught across six continents and has worked as a puppeteer on Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and Joe Pickett. Dean has also performed with Cirque du Soleil and collaborated with orchestras, theatres, zoos, and arts organizations across Canada and internationally. Through Green Fools, he continues to create original work and mentor artists through puppetry, physical theatre, and Social Circus programming.

Chilton Crane is a Canadian actor, director, and educator with more than three decades of experience across stage, film, and television. Her screen credits include The X-Files, Supernatural, The 4400, The L Word, Final Destination 2, and 50/50. Alongside her professional acting career, she has taught and mentored emerging performers for many years, including work with VanArts and Capilano University.

Yvette Dudley-Neuman is a Canadian actor, writer, director, producer, acting coach and theatre educator. A graduate of the University of Calgary with a BFA in Acting and a BEd, she trained in improvisation with renowned TheatreSports creator Keith Johnstone and toured internationally with Up with People. Her stage and screen career includes Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Van Helsing, The Flash, Motive, Once Upon a Time and Fringe. Yvette is currently Artistic Producer of Pacific Coast Stage Company and the Nanaimo Fringe Festival and continues to work as a teaching artist, adjudicator and advocate for emerging theatre artists.

Alice Nelson is a Canadian-American theatre educator, director, playwright, performer, deviser, improviser, clown, puppeteer and mask maker. She has taught theatre at the University of Windsor, Mount Royal University, Red Deer University, Ambrose University and Rosebud School of the Arts, with courses including Drama in Education, Applied Theatre, Theatre for Social Action, Improvisation and Theatre for Young Audiences. Alice holds a BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge, a BEd in Fine Arts from the University of Calgary, and an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International. She is currently an Assistant Professor and Area Head of Theatre Arts with Teaching Certification at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Glen Pope is an experienced drama educator, director, and theatre practitioner with more than two decades of experience in secondary theatre education. He currently teaches at Frank Hurt Secondary in Surrey, BC, and serves on the executive of the Surrey Drama Teachers’ Association.

Glen began his teaching career in Alberta and holds a Master of Arts from Western Washington University, with graduate work focused on theatre theory, acting, directing, lighting design, and production management. Over his career, he has served as a drama and theatre teacher, Head of Performing Arts, Performing Arts Coordinator, and technical theatre specialist. He has taught at schools including Langley Fine Arts School, Mulgrave School, and Southridge School and has directed and produced numerous student productions.

Glen brings extensive experience in directing, technical theatre, production planning, and developing successful theatre programs for secondary students.