EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S UPDATE By Craig Wrotniak
National Conference
The TAEA National Conference was a major success, with over 250 teachers attending, to learn advanced teaching skills from master teachers, artists and teaching artists, from across Canada. However, we were also happy to stand in solidarity with striking Alberta drama educators, by postponing our conference gathering in Calgary, to some point in the (we hope) near future.
Our current STAR Fest season
Our current season began with events in Halifax, N.S. and Prince George, B.C. We have many more such events taking place throughout December, January and February. These events will be coming up across Canada, and if your school is not situated near one of our locations, you might want to consider submitting student performances for adjudication on our online portal. In any case, we encourage you to join the STAR movement for School Theatrical Arts
Recognition!
Drama Teacher Support System
We have been updating our member resources in the DTSS (Drama Teacher Support System) and look forward to continuing to add more resources throughout the school year. If you missed attending the conference, we encourage you to register for your annual TAEA Professional Membership HERE. The cost is only $50.00, and for most teachers it is reimbursable under P.D. Funding as a professional membership.
More News in Future Updates
We have been connecting with post-secondary theatre programs and theatre companies across Canada to support the entire sector and will have some exciting news to share in future updates!!
Cheers – Craig Wrotniak
Executive Director – Theatrical Arts Education Association (TAEA)
Serving Teachers – Helping Students
Meet Some of the TAEA Staff!
Here are some members of the staff that keeps TAEA going:
Craig Wrotniak is the Executive Director of the Theatrical Arts Education Association (TAEA) of Canada, a national non-profit dedicated to strengthening drama education and elevating student theatre across the country. Based in British Columbia, Craig leads TAEA’s rapidly expanding portfolio of programs and staff. He oversees national partnerships, government relations, sponsorship development, and cross-country teacher networks that now reach hundreds of drama educators from BC to Atlantic Canada.
With a background as a drama teacher, director, professional IATSE technician and community arts organizer, Craig brings to the work a deep passion for equity-minded arts education and for fostering belonging through theatre. Under his leadership, TAEA has grown into one of Canada’s most vibrant education-theatre organizations, promoting collaboration, professional learning, and accessible opportunities for students and teachers alike.
Kyle Collins is the National STAR Director and Membership Manager for TAEA. He has 30 years of experience as a professional actor in theatre, film, and television, and has spent the last 20 years directing stage productions across British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. A passionate theatre educator for 15 years, Kyle currently heads the theatre department at an International Baccalaureate school in Winnipeg. Beyond the classroom, Kyle is deeply committed to the arts. He has served as the theatre representative on the Winnipeg School Division’s Arts Council and as President of the Manitoba Drama Educators’ Association. For the past five years, he has been an integral part of TAEA, initially starting as a festival adjudicator in BC and establishing the first STAR Troupe in Manitoba. Beyond his role as the Winnipeg Regional & National STAR Central Festival coordinator, he also proudly leads Troupe 10336, which has been recognized by the Manitoba Legislature for its cultural impact in the community and has achieved National Gold Honour Troupe status twice. You can follow and connect with Kyle on Instagram @MrCollinsDrama.
John Lazarus is the Editor of “Theatrics,” the TAEA newsletter that you’re reading right now, and has also worked for TAEA as an adjudicator, workshop leader and playwriting competition judge. John has been a proud Canadian playwright since 1970, and is a retired drama teacher: he taught at Vancouver’s Studio 58 for 10 years and at Queen’s University for 21 years, and also, less extensively, at Vancouver Film School and at his alma mater the National Theatre School. Over 40 of his plays have been produced across Canada and around the world, and at the age of 78 he will see the premiere of another new play, in the 2026-27 Vancouver season. John was born and raised in Montreal, moved to Vancouver in his 20s, then moved back east to Ontario in his 50s to teach at Queen’s, and then last year, with his wife Lin, moved back again to Vancouver, where they have children and grandchildren. He is the author of Two Ways About It: The Inside and Outside of Playwriting – which we plug among the ads in this newsletter – and has a website at johnlazarus.ca.
Bolatito Babalola is excited to have joined TAEA as a Business Analyst Co-op Student just last month. She is currently studying Business Analysis at the University of Manitoba, and is looking forward to applying what she has learned in a real-world environment. She is particularly interested in learning more about data and feedback analysis for audience engagement, stakeholder collaboration between creative and administrative teams, and project management for performances or educational programs. She is eager to contribute to the team and support its ongoing projects in any way she can.
Sean Lam is the Web Manager for the Theatrical Arts Education Association of Canada and a coordinator for the TAEA Newsletter. He wears several different hats but is all about helping out in any way he can. He is currently studying linguistics and modern languages, in pursuit of a future career in education.
A WORD FROM OUR FABULOUS SPONSORS
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Two Ways About It: The Inside and Outside of Playwriting
A playwriting master class with John Lazarus
Pro-D Day Stagecraft Workshops at Arts Umbrella
Arts Umbrella offers Pro-D Day Workshops where students ages 13-19 learn about behind the scenes aspects of stage and screen productions. The next workshop will take place on January 18 and focuses on Costume Design. Learn more and register here!
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JOIN, SUBSCRIBE, AND CONTRIBUTE!
Want to see your thoughts printed in “Theatrics Canada”? So do we! We need your expertise, so send us stuff! We welcome news of your school’s theatre work, advice on teaching and theatre, reviews and criticism of current work that might be of interest, essays, photos – we love photos – short plays, cartoons, Letters to the Editor – anything related to theatre and teaching. Send it to John Lazarus at theatricscanada@educationaltheatre.ca. Please make it up to 1,250 words long, and include name and position of author(s), the section of “Theatrics” you’re submitting to, and the name and location of your school. The copyright to all material remains
with the author(s).