Heidi Taylor completes her tenure at Playwrights Theatre Centre
After 12 years as Artistic and Executive Director of Playwrights Theatre Centre, Heidi Taylor will be leaving her role at the end of the year. She will participate in the leadership transition through Fall 2024 and will officially leave her post on December 31st, 2024. PTC’s board of directors will announce a new leadership model in August.
I am honoured by the trust that so many artists have placed in me during my time at PTC. To have such creative freedom has been a privilege. I am also endlessly delighted by the number of artists I have mentored that have returned to become my colleagues and heroes. PTC’s strength has always been in its people, and the board and current team are beautifully prepared to lead PTC’s next act.
– Outgoing Artistic & Executive Director, Heidi Taylor
Heidi began her career at PTC as Associate Dramaturg in 2005 and became Dramaturg in 2008. In 2012 she was appointed Artistic and Executive Director upon the retirement of Martin Kinch. As Artistic and Executive Director, Heidi Taylor established the company’s community hub and studio on Gore Street in 2013, and led the move to Progress Lab 1422 in 2019. When many theatres and arts organisations had to shut down their doors during the pandemic, PTC co-hosted The Digital Dramaturgy Initiative, offering research and development for online creative experiments.
Heidi has continued PTC’s history of developing new works, creating the Unscripted program to stimulate public engagement in new plays, and the WrightSpace residency to invest in deep creative research. She represented PTC nationally and internationally as board member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), and chaired their conference at SFU in 2013.
During her 19 years with PTC, she also dramaturged over 20 world premieres, including plays by Pedro Chamale, Derek Chan, Carmen Aguirre, Tetsuro Shigetmatsu, Ziyian Kwan, Kendra Fanconi, Mindy Parfitt, and Amber Funk Barton amongst many others.
I had the pleasure of working alongside Heidi, as a Director and latterly Board Chair, for over a decade. Throughout that time, I was consistently impressed by both her leadership acumen and depth of artistic practice. Heidi grew and expanded PTC’s reach while maintaining authenticity as a core value.
– PTC Past Board Chair, 2019-2023, Director 2013-2019, Natasha McEwen
On paper, board members are meant to provide financial oversight. Heidi took PTC beyond
“reimagine theatre”, to “reimagining board engagement.” Heidi’s calm leadership guided us through the rough seas of the pandemic (and its subsequent recovery period) to solid ground. She faced every challenge with humility and an unparalleled determination to do all that she could to make it right.
It was a joy and an honour to lead PTC alongside Heidi. I truly wish her every success as she embarks on her next chapter.
Heidi is currently process dramaturg for Mermaid Spring, created by Barbara Adler and Kyla Gardiner (The Public Swoon). She was a co-founder and co-artistic director of Proximity Lab/Arts from 2003-2016, and taught acting as a sessional at Simon Fraser University from 1999-2013. Heidi is the secretary of the board for C-Space, PTC’s shared home.