Davey Samuel Calderon, Joanna Garfinkel, and Melanie Yeats take on shared leadership of Playwrights Theatre Centre
September 9, 2024
Originally founded in 1970 (as the New Play Centre) PTC has gone from script reading service, to new play festival, to a year-round theatre-making company. More than 50 years on, PTC’s unique focus on dramaturgical practice has made an outsized impact in the Canadian theatre landscape.
Stewarded by outgoing Artistic & Executive Director Heidi Taylor and operating from PTC’s values of deep inquiry and innovation, the board and staff collaborated to develop a model of collectively-held decision-making, deeper artistic development with company collaborators, and more meaningful connections to diverse communities.
From PTC Board President, Fei Shi: “PTC has meticulously planned an innovative collaborative leadership model that will continue to serve our collaborators, projects, and communities with integrity, care, and enthusiasm.Throughout the leadership transition process, we, the board members, have been informed and involved every step of the way in exciting conversations and planning of the future of PTC. The board and management team feel an intuitive trust and commitment and share a sense of synergetic thoughtfulness that will sustain us through the transition. We give our enormous gratitude to Heidi Taylor and warmest welcome to the incoming new co-leaders: Davey Calderon, Joanna Garfinkel, and Melanie Yeats. We share the same confidence as our donors, partners, and collaborating artists – that PTC is moving forward successfully and smoothly to its new iteration – a dramaturgical renewal with precision and elan.”
Invaluable to the design of the new leadership model were contributions from consultant Jeanne LeSage and GVPTA’s Kenji Maeda. Thanks to this, and with the support of PTC’s extraordinary community of theatre makers, Davey, Joanna, and Melanie are ready to embark on realizing their vision for the future of the organization.
From Davey, Joanna, and Melanie: “We approached the creation of a new leadership model as dramaturgs, because that’s who we are! At its core, PTC is a singular company in the Canadian theatre ecology, collaborating with a truly diverse range of theatre makers to develop extraordinary work. The individuals who make up our team also bring a wealth of talent, skills, and perspectives to the table. From the start of this process design, we committed to developing a leadership model that could respect the capacity and curiosity of us all. Wow, did we ever use a lot of spreadsheets (and lists and graphs and diagrams).
We also talked it out. A lot.
We examined the micro and macro of PTC operations to figure out what to keep, what to shift, and what to retire. We wanted to make space for a possible future where abundance meets ambition, knowing that the only way to achieve this goal is through sustainable, humane, and innovative work practices.
The leadership model we arrived at will necessarily evolve responsively to the opportunities and challenges we face. We’re excited to continue the work that has established PTC as a trustworthy place where extraordinary new theatre can emerge. We’re honoured to carry PTC’s legacy forward, while challenging ourselves to be better.”
How we got here & where we’re going:
Davey – Artistic Producer & Dramaturg
Davey first joined as a volunteer, and was so inspired by the values and the possibilities of dramaturgy, that he became an intern in 2016. He continued on to be a frequent collaborator with PTC in various capacities and was able to make PTC his home in 2020, when he took on the role of Dramaturg, Public Engagement. Davey has led at PTC – and in the broader arts sector – in deepening community engaged creation practices.
Joanna – Artistic Director & Dramaturg
Beginning in 2010, Joanna served as a frequent dramaturgical contractor for the organization, shepherding the Fringe New Play Prize from 2017-2020. Joining the PTC staff as Dramaturg, Creative Engagement in 2021, Joanna has reinvigorated the curriculum for PTC’s dramaturgy training initiative, Block D, and is welcoming its second cohort this year. Joanna continues to represent PTC’s dramaturgical practices on a local, national, and international scale.
Melanie – Creative Managing Director
Drawn to PTC’s innovative and compassionate work across performance genres, Melanie began as Operations Manager at PTC in 2016, building to dramaturgically informed Creative Managing Director in 2020. She has since worked to refine how the organization approaches governance, human resources, and strategic planning. Melanie continues to lead on developing anti-oppressive contracting and administrative practices throughout the entire breadth of PTC’s working relationships.
Next Steps:
Refining the shared leadership model as values-driven individuals and a company with a shared vision will centre artist agency and socially engaged playwriting and theatre making. PTC views equity and inclusive practice as a foundational necessity; the company leads with a dramaturgical process that advances the theatre and performance we want to see on our stages. “Rigorous and cutting-edge art is only facilitated with ethical and sustainable practices for artists,” says Joanna, “PTC is trusted amongst our local milieu for our genuine daily practice of artistic innovation combined with advocacy”
Throughout the restructuring process, the PTC team focused not just on building a new leadership model, but on setting the organization up for subsequent succession processes; laying the groundwork for future leadership innovation.
“The board and I are excited for the organizational change at PTC and we enthusiastically support the new leadership team to carry on our amazing legacy and move forward successfully to its new iteration!” – Fei Shi, PTC Board President
In celebration of this new phase in PTC’s history, Heidi Taylor has initiated a fundraising campaign to support the incoming cohort of Associates: Undaunted Creation.
From Heidi: “Davey, Joanna, and Melanie are so ready to steer the future of PTC. I can’t wait to see how their vision unfolds.“
More About the Co-leaders:
Davey (he/they/siya) cut his teeth in theatre practice, producing, and dramaturgy around community-forward and collaboratively centered values, leading him to work with companies and artists such as Neworld Theatre, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Alley Theatre and Paul Wong Projects. He brings that community-led perspective to the already welcoming space PTC cultivates. “PTC has become my home as an artist, where I can be seen, grow, and practice. I am so thrilled to become the Artistic Producer & Dramaturg because it allows me to bring artists together in our community. With Joanna and Melanie, I envision PTC to always be that welcome space, an artistic home.”
Joanna (any) specializes in new play development, site responsive, and multidisciplinary work. Joanna cofounded Universal Limited with Yoshie Bancroft, and their collectively created work has been seen from Victoria to Toronto. Other recent accomplishments include leading the dramaturgy of the National Queer and Trans Playwriting Unit, and a thriving freelance practice of collaboration and dramaturgy for dance and theatre. Joanna works hard to bring new audiences, artists, rigour, and contexts into PTC.
For decades, Melanie (she/they) has stubbornly insisted on approaching arts administration work with the same creative rigour she uses in the studio. Her background in embodied, consent-based performance practice grounds her passion for innovation in sectoral change, governance, and management. “PTC encourages folks to bring their whole selves to their work here. I love the way this allows me to apply learnings from my work outside – in performance, dramaturgy, or intimacy direction – to my work as an administrative leader.”