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Chris O'Neill

Co-CEO of CoastArts Association
Executive Director and Co-Founder of the
Ross Creek Centre
Co-Founder of
Two Planks and a Passion Theatre
chris@artscentre.ca

Ms. O’Neill is a professional actor and playwright who co-founded the organisation and was the driving push to build the Centre, acting as the fundraising and programming locus for the past ten years. She has taught writing and acting, served on both provincial and national boards of arts organisations as well as serving on community boards. She continues to work as a theatre artist, with four plays co-written with husband Ken Schwartz to her credit, along with many acting roles. She was most recently seen with Two Planks in Jerome: the Historical Spectacle, Our Town and was Athena in The Odyssey in 2007. She was awarded the Golden Jubilee Medal for contribution to her community and Canada in 2002.

Ken Schwartz
Co-CEO of CoastArts Association
Co-Founder of the Ross Creek Centre
Artistic Director and Co-Founder of
Two Planks and a Passion
artisticdirectors@twoplanks.ca

Ken Schwartz is a co-founding artistic director of Two Planks and a Passion Theatre since 1992. A two-time graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Ken is an award-winning director, educator and dramaturge. He has directed over 30 productions for the company, including The Odyssey by Rick Chafe, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Rockbound by Allen Cole and Jerome: the Historical Spectacle by Ami McKay. In 2009 he collected Merritt Awards for outstanding achievement in Nova Scotian theatre as both director and producer of Our Town. In 2008 he was awarded the Established Artist Recognition award by the Nova Scotia Arts and Culture Partnership Council and collected the Merritt Award as producer of The Odyssey. In 2002 he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the art form.

Victoria Cheung

Programs
programs@artscentre.ca

Ms. Cheung was born in Hamilton, but raised in the Greater Toronto Area. With a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts from Western, and an MFA from Guelph, Ms. Cheung has an established art practise along with many years of teaching experience at all levels, from elementary to post-secondary students.

She has travelled extensively, done outreach work and guided tours through the ROyal Ontarion Museum, been an art intern at Walrus Magazine, among many other credits. She is responsible for professional artist programs, including galleries and residencies, outreach, school and community programs.

Roxy Peterson
Camp and Education Director - education@artscentre.ca
Mr. Peterson was born and raised in London, Great Britain, and comes to us with honours in design and semiology studies from the London Metropolitan University. He has been involved with Summer Camping, youth and community work for 15 years in London GB, Franklin PA, and Okeechobee FL. He has lived in Canada for 2 and a half years and has worked for Ross Creek for 2 years as the Education Director and Camp Director, managing March Break, SummerArts Camp, Youth Art Enrichment programmes, Positive Action Project, Anti-Bullying and the Ross Creek Youth Council among other things.

Emma McQuaid

Visitor's Services and Box Office
mail@artscentre.ca

Emma McQuaid was born and raised on Prince Edward Island. In 2009, she made the jump across the Northumberland Strait and headed to the Annapolis Valley where she began studying at the Acadia University F.C. Manning School of Business. In the past two years, Emma has grown to love the charming Annapolis Valley, with its welcoming people and beautiful scenery making her feel right at home.

Andrew Barnard

Accounting
accounts@artscentre.ca

Andrew Barnard comes to us as a co-op student who is working towards his Honours Business Administration degree at Acadia University. Andrew is originally from Hamilton, Ontario and is delighted to be a contributing member of the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts team. After spending the majority of his life in a big city, Andrew is looking forward to spending his summer surrounded by the natural beauty of Blomidon Country.

Rodney Weisner

Go-to-Guy for Ross Creek! events@artscentre.ca

Mr. Weisner was born in Wolfville and spent most of his life in the Annapolis Valley. He attended the Culinary Institute of Canada (part of the Holland College Campus in PEI) where he earned a degree in Culinary Arts in 1997. In 2000 he moved to Banff AB for 5 years then to Calgary for another 3 years. He moved back to the valley in 2008 and is very happy to have found a job in the area and in such a positive environment with good people to work with.

Mike McMahon
Mr. MacMahon is a carpenter, musician, and property manager. He was 18 years timber framing and was co-owner of a timber frame business, He has lived all over Canada, and came to Wolfville in 1972. He plays bodrahn in the Paddy’s Session Band. At Ross Creek he shares his years of experience prop and stage building with Two Planks and Passion Theatre, managing the 186 acres of field and forest, maintaining the building’s systems, and taking care of all the Centre’s building’s construction projects.

Property Manager and Set Man - property@artscentre.ca

Two Planks is thrilled to have volunteers from Katimavik with us through 2011-2012.

DIRECTIONS/How to Find us

The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts is a multi disciplinary arts education and development centre based on 186 acres of farm and forest in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Our facilities and programs are designed to serve the artistic and cultural communities of Nova Scotia, of Canada, and of the world, with a focus on professional artist development, youth education and Aboriginal arts programming. For more information, click here

Cast in Our Town, 2008. Photo by Rene Pierre Allain