Our Team
In the Office
Lisa O’Connell, Artistic Director
lisa@patthedog.org
Lisa O’Connell is the founder and Artistic Director of Pat The Dog Playwright Centre, which was awarded the KW Arts Award in 2010. In 2008, Pat the Dog became the tenth member of the Playwrights’ Development Centres of Canada and is the only Ontario playwright Centre open to both emerging and established playwrights. Selected writing credits include Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, The Toronto Star and The Record. Most recent dramaturgical credits include: Aftershock by Evan Tsitsias, Bungalow by Vern Thiessen, Dissocia by Adam Cowart, Receiver of Wreck by Matthew Heiti, Differend: The Caledonia Project by Gil Garratt, Edna’s Archive, MT Space Theatre, CAFKA and the Canadian Centre of Arts and Technology.
Charmian Christie, Media & Communication
charmian@patthedog.org
Charmian Christie is Pat the Dog’s Media and Communications contact. With degrees in English Literature and Education and a Master’s in Journalism she’s all about communication no matter what form it takes. Her writing appears in a wide range of national and regional publications including The Globe and Mail, Canadian Gardening, Edible Toronto and More. Her essays have been broadcast on CBC Radio and she makes regular appearances on CKCO-CTV. She’s currently working on a full-length play, Kate’s Kitchen, an excerpt of which ran at last year’s Cobblestone Festival. When she’s not at The Button Factory, she’s interviewing people for The Barrel Project, blogging about food, or is holed up in her office working on the next greatest iPhone app.
Myriam Léger, Artistic Administrator
myriam@patthedog.org
Myriam Léger is Pat the Dog’s Artistic Administrator and newest addition to the team. She keeps things organized around here and enjoys getting her hands dirty. Knowing her happiness lies with being part of connecting the community to all things artistic, Myriam loves to exchange ideas about film, theatre, literature, photography, music, and architecture. As a PhD candidate in German Literature, she also spends much of her time thinking, writing, speaking, and publishing about literary imaginings of contemporary culture. When she crossed the Atlantic Ocean seven years ago to spend some time exploring a new country, she didn’t expect that, one day, she would call Canada her home away from home.
Laine Newman, Dramaturgical Associate
laine@patthedog.org
Laine Newman is one of Pat the Dog’s Dramaturgical Associates. She completed her Masters in Drama at the University of Toronto in 2010. In addition to dramaturging numerous productions during her degree, Laine produced a Masters Student Showcase in June 2010. Following her degree, she assistant directed The Proust Project at the Festival of Ideas and Creation in May 2011. Laine had a brief stint working at a Talent Agency and in Marketing and Development, before deciding to return to school and pursue her creative endeavors. This fall, she is starting the Masters of Fine Arts Program in Documentary Media at Ryerson University. Laine has a keen interest in multidisciplinary work and queer women’s performance.
Reid Vanier, Dramaturgical Intern
Reid Vanier is a Dramaturgical Associate with Pat the Dog. A graduate of the University of Waterloo with a Joint Honours degree in Drama and French Studies, Reid is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Standard Deviation Theatre. Since graduating he has worked in as many different facets of theatre as he can get away with. His work as a director, dramaturge, actor, designer, and producer has allowed him to get involved with some of KW’s most talented theatre artists and companies. Reid was accepted into the Master’s Theatre Studies program at the University of Guelph to work on his thesis regarding the dramaturgical significance of the director’s role in devised creation, but left to pursue his true passion: practical, hands-on work with creators of theatre.
Photos of Lisa and Charmian by Mark Walton Photography. Photo of Reid by David Metcalfe Photography.
