Staff

Theatre Passe Muraille
16 Ryerson Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M5T 2P3

Phone: 416.504.7529
Fax: 416.504.8980
Email: info [at] passemuraille.on.ca

Andy McKim
Artistic Director

Andy McKim has been the TPM Artistic Director since June 2007. He is a nationally renowned director and dramaturge who has worked in theatre for over 30 years. He has spent most of his professional life developing, dramaturging and directing new Canadian plays.  Early in his career he worked in PEI, in Halifax at Neptune Theatre, in London (UK), but the bulk of his career has been in Toronto where from 1985 to 2007 he was the Associate Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre.  Andy has directed more than 50 different productions. Nearly all of them were world premieres. Most outstanding amongst them is 2 PIANOS, 4 HANDS . He sat on the Dora Awards Board, the Toronto Theatre Alliance Board (TTA), served as the TTA President, sat on the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) board and served as the PACT President. Andy has taught in a variety of contexts and is serving on the Theatre Department Advisory of both Sheridan and Humber Colleges. He has also received the George Luscombe Award for mentorship.
andym [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2124

Hugh Neilson
General Manager
Hugh Neilson arrived at TPM as General Manager with more than 20 years’ all-round experience in the arts as a manager, administrator, director, producer, trainer, writer and performer. From 2001 to 2007 he was the Deputy Director of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). His tenure there saw him successfully guide negotiation teams through six collective agreements with other artists associations. He was also in charge of the Professional Development portfolio for PACT and was therefore influential in setting national standards and conditions for both theatre artists and administrators across Canada.
hughn [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2123

Martin Idyamat
Business Manager
Martin is the Business & Finance Manager and joined TPM in August 2006. His previous experience was in Commercial and Reserve Banking. He currently manages the financial reporting and complementary business/finance aspects of TPM including: financial accounting operations, co-ordinates information for senior management & TPM Finance committee. His recreational interests include: Music, comedy, leisure reading, hiking, camping and he is an avid tennis player. He is proud to be part of the dynamic TPM team that is continuously bringing new stories onto the stage that are reflective of our community fabric, challenges, aspirations and values that we hold dear. TPM is engaging, financially stable, expanding valuable partnerships/relationships and is ever promoting artistic creativity. Come “Rediscover Toronto” at Theatre Passe Muraille in this seasons exhilarating show line up. He thanks all the patrons and donors for the remarkable support.
martini [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2126

Liz M. Janzen
Producer
Liz is thrilled to be at Theatre Passe Muraille for her third season. Liz started volunteering and working in theatre when she realized that a university student’s theatre budget was non-existent! Liz has called Kitchener and Vancouver home and is now enjoying working with all the wonderful people who make TPM a fantastic home. She periodically attends Ryerson University, expanding her knowledge in Business Management and Human Resources Management, although she admits she much prefers working to attending class. When she’s not at the theatre, you can locate Liz in the Muskokas or Rome or perhaps NYC. Special thanks go to all the volunteers who help bring smiles to every face, to all supporters of theatre for their desire to propel the expansion of imaginations, and to her buddies Ben & Alex who bring never-ending love and laughter to the world.
lizj [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2133

Ryan McDougall
Production Manager
Graduated from the Fanshawe College Technical Theatre program in 2004 and began as a stage carpenter at Blyth Festival. From there his contacts led him to engage in a nine month Production Management apprenticeship at Opera Atelier where he was Technical Director for four productions at the Elgin Wintergarden Theatre. During this period Ryan acted as a freelance Production Manager for theatre companies all over Toronto including Pleiades Theatre Company, Theatre Passe Muraille, Platform 9, Theatrefront, Drunk and Brilliant, among others. Continuing as a freelancer he started taking calls as the Backspace Technician at Theatre Passe Muraille. From there he moved to the Mainspace Op/TD position mounting two seasons worth of productions before becoming Theatre Passe Muraille’s Production Manager in November of 2007
ryanm [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2138

Aviva Armour-Ostroff
Associate Artistic Director Metcalf Foundation Intern
Aviva has been involved with Passe Muraille for many years: as an actor, producer, photographer, party-goer and friend. This year she was lucky enough to receive a Metcalfe grant to work directly with the company for one year. Aviva co-ordinates the tri-annual BUZZ Festival of works-in-progress and is involved in creating new events and projects for TPM.
aviva [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2130

Catherine Hernandez
Associate Producer and Marketing coordinator
Catherine is the Dora-nominated playwright behind Singkil, produced by fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company in association with Factory Theatre. She is now the Artistic Director of Sulong Theatre Collective, the creators of this year’s Future Folk and playwrights-in-residence at Carlos Bulosan Theatre. She was thrilled to be TPM’s playwright-in-residence last year, but this season, she is over the effing moon having one foot onstage for Future Folk and one foot in Andy McKim’s office, imagining amazing things for the company. She looks forward to launching Sulong Theatre as its own company, to produce theatre by and about women of colour. Check out Sulong’s website at www.sulongtheatre.webs.com
theloudlady [at] gmail.com 416.504.7529 ext.2144

Peter Eaton
Mainspace Technician
Peter Eaton has been with Theatre Passe Muraille since January 2008, working in the capacity of Mainspace Technician. Prior to this he split his time between the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, and Leah Posluns Theatre where he filled a variety of technical roles. Recent extra-curricular credits include festival lighting designs for the Toronto Fringe Festival and Summerworks Festival at Theatre Passe Muraille.
To reach Peter, please contact Ryan at ryanm [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2138

David DeGrow
Backspace Coordinator
David is a designer, technician, actor, production manager, and Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Jones Roy. Last year, David designed the lighting for Theatre Passe Muraille’s remount of Theatre Jones Roy’s Pyaasa, Calvert Dance Production’s Home, and was production manager for McGill University’s “Playing in the Streets” Festival. This year, he created the lighting and sound design for Theatre Jones Roy’s Letters to my Grandma, was the technical director and assistant lighting designer for Small Wooden Shoe’s Dedicated to the Revolutions and is managing Theatre Jones Roy’s tours to Victoria, Ottawa, London and Vancouver. The TPM Backspace has been integral to David’s development as an artist, and was the incubator for the creation of Pyaasa and Letters to my Grandma, as it has been for dozens of artists, plays and productions over the years. It is one of the most visually interesting, intimate and audience-connected theatres in the city and David can’t wait to see what you create in it.
To reach David, contact Ryan at ryanm [at] passemuraille.on.ca 416.504.7529 ext.2138

Taylor Birt
Associate Producer Patron Services
Taylor is “passé” thrilled (Get it?) to be working at the theatre for her second season. Having recently graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Drama, she feels like one lucky girl to have found such a wonderful place to work in Theatre Passe Muraille and doesn’t think life could get much better. As the associate producer of patron services, she’s always happy to talk to other theatre lovers. And as a graduate of Humber College’s comedic script writing program, she’s also always happy to share a good joke. The one at the beginning doesn’t count…
taylorb [at] passemuraille.on.ca ext. 2127