Dance Me
Music by Leonard Cohen
April 10-11, 2026
Lead partner
Photo credit: Marc Montplaisir
About TO Live
TO Live is one of Canada’s largest multi-arts organizations, operating three iconic venues: Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Arts Centre. In addition, TO Live presents a full range of performing arts, theatrical, and concert events at these venues in both downtown and uptown Toronto. With these two hubs of creativity and content creation, TO Live has a unique place and perspective to activate creative spaces by inspiring local and international artists, connecting audiences, stimulating new ideas, and elevating artistic potential, becoming a catalyst for creative expression that is reflective of Toronto’s diversity. In 2026, TO Live marks 10 years as an organization—a decade of building a better city through the arts.
TO Live would like to acknowledge Tkaronto (TKahr-on-dOnH), which is a Mohawk word meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.”
We live and work on the traditional territory of Haudenosaunee (HODE-en-ohshow-nee)-speaking nations, including the Wendat, Seneca, and Mohawk. Haudenosaunee-speaking nations have been here since time immemorial, and were more recently joined by the Mississaugas of the Credit.
This place has many Indigenous ports, including where the Humber and Rouge rivers meet other waterways such as Lake Ontario. Ancient longhouses, typical Haudenosaunee housing structures, have been found along both rivers and in the north of Toronto as well (near modern-day York University). This territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) Confederacy and the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and the relationships around the Great Lakes.
What this means is that by living and working here, we all have a responsibility to the environment and to each other, to treat each other and the environment with peace and respect. This means we have responsibilities to honour, renew, and consistently uphold the values and relationships outlined in the ancient agreements.
Today, Toronto is home to Indigenous peoples and settlers from around the world. Let us all come together in an atmosphere of respect and peace to do Good Work together with Good Minds. Let’s start building stronger and healthier relationships with each other, and the spaces which we inhabit in Tkaronto, Ontari:io (on-dahr-EE-yo), Kanata (Gan-AH-dah).
Let’s hold our minds together in kindness.
Nia:wen. Thank you.
©Dawn T Maracle
Welcome letter from TO Live
Welcome to Meridian Hall and thank you for joining us for Ballets Jazz Montréal: Dance Me - Music by Leonard Cohen.
Tonight’s performance is a powerful celebration of Canadian artistry, bringing together one of our country’s leading dance companies with the music of legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen. It’s a moment to recognize the extraordinary talent that continues to shape and define our cultural landscape.
Dance Me transforms Cohen’s iconic songs into movement that is both intimate and expansive, blending precision, emotion, and storytelling into a deeply immersive experience.
At TO Live, we are proud to support and amplify artists here at home. Through initiatives like Making Space and explorations, we invest in Toronto’s community, fostering creating opportunities for artists to develop, collaborate, and share their work on our stages.
It’s been almost a decade since TO Live first brought Dance Me to Toronto audiences. Next season, we are proud to celebrate 10 years of bringing arts and culture to life across our city. Thank you for being here, for sharing this moment, and for championing Canadian artists.
Finally, we’re thrilled to announce that a new dance series for 2026–27 is on the horizon, further deepening our commitment to this vibrant art form. Watch your inbox for details on the innovative performances, world-class artists, and exciting experiences we’ll be bringing to our stages.
Clyde Wagner President & CEO TO Live
About Ballets Jazz Montréal
Ballets Jazz Montréal is an internationally renowned contemporary dance company founded in 1972. With Alexandra Damiani as General and Artistic Director since 2021 and its troupe of high-calibre dancers from around the world, the company continues to pursue its original mission while collaborating with celebrated contemporary dance choreographers that push boundaries and explore new ways of moving and expressing emotion. Ballets Jazz Montréal is one of the most prolific dance companies in Canada and a major force in the Montréal cultural scene.
To date, Ballets Jazz Montréal has presented over 3,250 performances in 60 countries, reaching a total audience of nearly three million spectators.
Photo credit: Michael Slobodian
Dance Me
Music by Leonard Cohen
Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen is an exclusive creation inspired by the rich and profound work of Montréal-based poet, artist, and songwriter, Leonard Cohen.
Approved by Cohen during his lifetime, this riveting homage to the famed artist evokes the grand cycles of existence, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems.
Three internationally renowned choreographers were entrusted with putting movement to Cohen’s legendary songs: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Ihsan Rustem. Their powerful and profound choreographic world reflective of Cohen’s singular work is brought to life by Ballets Jazz Montréal’s 14 artists and the strong, bold dramaturgy of Eric Jean.
Surrounded by a team of celebrated designers, Dance Me combines scenic, visual, musical, dramaturgical, and choreographic writing to pay tribute to Montréal’s greatest ambassador. Dance, music, lighting, scenography, and videography all come together in this unforgettable show.
Songs in the show include (in program order):
Here It Is (2001)
Lover, Lover, Lover (1974)
Dance Me to the End of Love (Live in London, 2009)
Boogie Street (Live in London, 2009)
Steer Your Way (2016)
Everybody Knows (2001)
Tower of Song (1988)
So Long, Marianne (1967)
A Thousand Kisses Deep (poem)
Suzanne (1967)
Famous Blue Raincoat (1971)
Nevermind (2014)
First We Take Manhattan (1988)
It Seemed the Better Way (2016)
Hallelujah (1984)
String Reprise / Treaty (2016)
Ballets Jazz Montréal would like to thank the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for the support given to the creation of the show.
Dance Me was supported by the CCOV—Centre de Création O Vertigo.
Photo credit: Michael Slobodian
Credits and creative team
Ideation Louis Robitaille
Dramaturgy and stage direction
Eric Jean
Choreography Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ihsan Rustem
Music direction Martin Léon
Sound design Alexis Dumais
Set and prop design
Pierre-Etienne Locas
Set technical direction Alexandre Brunet
Lighting design and production Cédric
Delorme-Bouchard, Simon Beetschen
Video design HUB Studio - Gonzalo Soldi, Thomas Payette, Jeremy Fassio.
Costume design Philippe Dubuc
Costume production Anne-Marie Veevaete
Assistance stage direction Elsa Posnic
Sound engineer Guy Fortin
Technical director Marco Vargas
Navarro
Head carpenter Daniel Ranger
Head of sound Maxime Lambert
Head of lighting Claude Plante
Head of video Roderic Dyon
Artists
Zoey Anderson, Troy Atamanuk, Gustavo Barros, Millie Brinck-Dubuc, Yosmell
Calderon Mejias, Marcel Cavaliere, Kyle Davis, Jasmine Heart Cruz, Shanna Irwin
Calderon, Miu Kato, DaMond LeMonte
Garner, Zack Preece, Madelaine Salhany, Silje Vereide, Austin Lichty
Vocalist (So Long, Marianne): Zoey Anderson
Vocalists (Hallelujah): DaMond LeMonte
Garner and Zoey Anderson
Photo credit: Marc Montplaisir
Biographies
Andonis Foniadakis (he/him)
Andonis Foniadakis, born in Crete, trained at the State Dance School of Athens before receiving the Maria Callas Scholarship to study at Rudra Béjart Lausanne. He went on to dance with Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Lyon Opera Ballet, Saburo Teshigawara/ Karas Co., and his own company, Apotosoma, performing works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, and others. As a sought-after choreographer, he has created works for leading companies worldwide, including Martha Graham Dance Company, Sydney Dance Company, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and many more. He has served as director of the Greek National Ballet and remains its resident choreographer. Foniadakis has also choreographed for opera, film, and exhibitions, and received Italy’s Danza & Danza Award for best choreographer in 2012.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (she/her)
Colombian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa trained at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders and enjoyed a 12-year career as a dancer, including as a soloist with Scapino Ballet. In 2003, she turned her focus to choreography and was quickly recognized as a “rising star of the Dutch dance scene.” Since then, Lopez Ochoa has created works for more than 40 companies worldwide, including Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet, Ballet Hispánico, New York City Ballet, and more. Her choreography has earned wide acclaim and multiple awards. Zip Zap Zoom (2009) was named one of the year’s best dance works by critics in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Montreal. In 2012, her A Streetcar Named Desire won the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for best classical choreography.
Ihsan Rustem (he/him)
Ihsan Rustem was born in London and trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. He has performed with Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, Ballett Theatre Munich, Introdans, Bern Ballet, and as a founding member of Tanz Luzerner Theater. Rustem has worked with renowned choreographers including Mats Ek, Jiří Kylián, and Wayne McGregor. In 2010, he created State of Matter for Northwest Dance Project, winning the 2012 Sadler’s Wells Global Dance Contest and the Hannover International Choreography Competition Audience Choice Award. Since 2015, he has served as resident choreographer of NWDP, and continues to create for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Istanbul State Ballet, the U.K.’s National Youth Dance Company, and more.
Gustavo Barros (he/him)
Millie BrinckDubuc (she/her)
Born in Brazil, Gustavo began his professional path as a dancer in his hometown, Goiânia. He then joined some of the best contemporary dance companies in the country such as Deborah Colker cia and Balé da Cidade de São Paulo. He continued his career in Germany, where he danced for Ballethagen and Staatstheater Augsburg. Over the course of his career, Gustavo has performed the work of many renowned choreographers including Alexander Ekman, Mauro Bigonzetti, Crystal Pite, Cayetano Soto, Marco Goecke, and Peter Chu. He joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2020.
Millie Brinck-Dubuc is a movement artist from Montréal, Canada. She began her journey in a competitive dance studio, where she trained in jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary. At the age of 12 old, Millie joined l’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, where she graduated in the spring of 2022 from the professional program in classical and contemporary dance. After graduation, Millie took part in the 10th edition of the Big Bang program and worked with various choreographers through summer intensives such as Propulsion, TransFormation, Rubberband, Arts Umbrella, and Orsolina28. She is excited to start her second season with Ballet Jazz Montréal.
Yosmell Calderon Mejias (he/him)
Russian-born Yosmell Calderon graduated as a dancer and teacher of both contemporary and folk dance from Cuba's National School of Dance (ENA) in Havana in 2005. He also received a diploma from the University of Arts (ISA) in 2014. Yosmell has collaborated with such outstanding figures in the world of dance as Rafael Bonachela, Mats Ek, Itzik Galili, Carlos Junior Acosta, Jan Linkens, Juan Cuz and Ana Laguna. He has performed as a principal dancer for Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and the Pal Frenak Company, as well as in over 22 works by Cuban and foreign choreographers, touring major festivals and theatre venues around the world. Yosmell is a choreographer for the Cuban National Ballet School and its performances at the International Ballet Festival of Havana. Thanks to his background in Olympic gymnastics, he also choreographs for circus performances. Yosmell joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in July 2016 and was promoted to Principal Artist in 2019.
Marcel Cavaliere (he/him)
Marcel Cavaliere was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana where he danced competitively and trained in various styles at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). He continued his studies at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a concentration in Choreography for the Stage and Cinematic Arts. Throughout his training, Marcel has had the privilege to perform works by Jiří Kylián, Hope Boykin, Bret Easterling, Paul Taylor, Dwight Rhoden, and Justin Peck. He has also collaborated and performed with renowned companies such as A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham and Doug Varone and Dancers. Marcel joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2024.
Kyle Davis (he/him)
Kyle Davis, a Chicago native, began his training at the Sammy Dyer School of Theater before continuing on at Pacific Northwest Ballet. He began his professional career as a corps artist with Ballet West, where he performed soloist roles, and was nominated for The Princess Grace Award in 2019. He joined The Saarländisches Staatstheater in Saarbrücken, Germany, as a solo dancer in 2021. He has performed principal roles in works by Jiří Kylián, David Dawson, Marco Goecke, Nacho Duato, Mauro Bigonzetti, and George Balanchine. He was the recipient of the Deutschland 2023 Sponsorship Club Prize for his outstanding performance in the role of "Death" in Kurt Jooss' The Green Table. Kyle joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2024.
Shanna Irwin Calderon (she/her)
Shanna Irwin grew up in New Jersey, where she began training as a competitive dancer. She later switched her focus to ballet when she was accepted into The New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Nancy Turano. Shanna went on to continue her studies at Marymount Manhattan College and began touring with Complexions Contemporary Ballet during her senior year. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in May 2014. Shanna completed five seasons with Complexions and joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019. Her career has led her to perform in opera houses across five continents, where she has danced the works of Crystal Pite, Dwight Rhoden, Aszure Barton, Itzik Galili, Andonis Foniadakis, and Juliano Nunes, among others. This is her seventh season with Ballets Jazz Montréal.
Miu Kato (she/her)
Born and raised in Japan, Miu Kato has been training in classical ballet since childhood at the Kaneta Kono Ballet Academy. She has received numerous awards at both the national and international level including 2nd place at the Japan Dance Competition in 2014 and 3rd place at the Youth American Grand Prix New York Final in 2016. Since 2018, she has been actively involved in the activities of La Dance Contrastée. In 2019, she served as a choreographic assistant to Megumi Nakamura for the production of Huis clos at KAAT. Miu has also performed in works by Ayuko Kaneta, Megumi Nakamura, Mari Nakahara, Masahiro Yanagimoto, Kaoru Kagaya, Naoko Ikegami, Harumi Takeuchi, Yuya Yoshizaki, Travis Clausen-Knight, Paul Julius, and others. Since 2021, she has been a member of The Choreographic Center of Japan’s artistic team. In recent years, she has also been actively involved in choreography and teaching. Miu joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2023.
Damond Lemonte
Garner (he/him/ they/them)
Charlotte, North Carolina native, DaMond LeMonte Garner attended Point Park University, where they received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, with a concentration in Modern Dance. While at Point Park, they performed the work of choreographers Alexandra Damiani, Sidra Bell, Lucinda Childs, Lar Lubovitch, Jessica Hendricks, and Anthony Tudor with the Conservatory Dance Company. DaMond has also continued their training and artistic development at Springboard Danse Montreal, Movement Invention Project, and Northwest Dance Project’s LAUNCH. After graduating, DaMond joined METdance in Houston, TX and performed works by Kyle Abraham, Christian Denice, and Kate Skarpetowska. Garner has worked as a guest artist with The Francesca Harper Project, The Black Iris Project, Texture Contemporary Ballet, and The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Upon moving to New York City, DaMond joined Parsons Dance Company, where they collaborated with choreographers Rena Butler, Chanel DeSilva, and Matthew Neenan and performed the work by David Parsons. In addition to their work at Parsons, DaMond was a Principal Dancer with The Metropolitan Opera and a freelance artist in New York City. DaMond joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2023.
Zack Preece (he/him)
Zack Preece was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He did most of his training at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon, where he had the opportunity to work with various world-renowned choreographers. He has performed works by Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, Sharon Eyal, Méhdi Walerski, and many more. He graduated the Arts Umbrella Post Secondary program in 2021. He then joined Ballet BC as an emerging artist for the 2021-2022 season, under the direction of Méhdi Walerski. Following that, Zack joined Cas Public productions for one season. He was then a guest artist with Ballets Jazz Montréal for the 2023 season and is very excited to start his second full season with the company for the 2025-26 season.
Madeleine Salhany (she/her)
Madeleine Salhany, born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase (New York). While at SUNY Purchase, she has had the pleasure of performing works by Sidra Bell, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Ohad Naharin, and Loni Landon. She went on to begin her dance career as an apprentice with Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and since has been dancing in Germany at Stadttheater Gießen, under the direction of Tarek Assam and is currently with Ballett Theater Trier under the direction of Roberto Scafati. Throughout these years she’s performed works by Fernando Melo, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Andonis Foniadakis, Mauro Astolfi, Georg Reischl, Itzik Galili, Liam Francis, and Vittoria Girelli, among others. She has also attended the NDT Summer Intensive, Arts Umbrella’s International Summer Dance Intensive and has performed at several dance festivals/galas across Europe. Madeleine rejoined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2024.
Silje Vereide (she/ her)
Born in Texas and raised in Norway, Silje Vereide began dancing at the age of three. She initially focused on gymnastics before deciding to dedicate herself to a career in dance. She pursued professional studies at Oslo National Academy of the Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Dance. After graduation, Silje joined Valencia Dancing Forward, performing in works by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Philip Taylor, Alba Castillo, Bryan Arias, and Jose Carlos Blanco. As a freelance artist, she has collaborated with companies such as the
Troy Atamanuk (he/him)
Norwegian National Ballet, Snorkel Rabbit Company, Show de Vida, Dans5, Oslo Jazzdans Festival, and På Tå Hev. In 2023, she joined Ballet Ireland for their spring season and later performed in the Electric Picnic Festival with them. Silje has had the honor of working with and performing pieces by renowned choreographers like Aszure Barton, Ohad Naharin, Jo Strømgren, Samantha Lynch, Douwe Dekkers, Brandon Collwes, Simone Charete Grøtte, Paul Blackman, Knut Arild Flatner, Karl-Erik Nedregaard, Christopher Arouni, Masja Abrahamsen, Tine E. Aspaas, Christer Tornell, and Inés Belli, among others. Silje joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in August 2024.
Troy Atamanuk began his dance training in Markham, ON, where he danced competitively before joining Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in 2021. In 2022, he moved to Vancouver to attend Arts Umbrella’s PostSecondary Graduate Program under the direction of Artemis Gordon. During his time there, he performed works by Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Marco Goecke, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Roy Assaf, Fernando Hernando Magadan, among many others. While at Arts Umbrella, Troy had the opportunity to choreograph in the Young Choreographers Mentorship Project directed by Crystal Pite. Troy also had the opportunity to perform alongside Ballet BC as a guest in Shahar Binyamini’s Bolero X in various cities, including Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. Troy is very excited and grateful to be dancing with Ballets Jazz Montréal this year.
Zoey Anderson (she/her)
Originally from Utah, Zoey Anderson trained at Center Stage Studio before graduating cum laude with a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College. After her studies, she danced with Parsons Dance Company, touring the world and performing for over ten years in iconic works such as Caught and Balance of Power by David Parsons, and Takedeme by Robert Battle. She was a soloist at the Titas Gala, Stars of American Ballet in Santa Fe, and the Berliner Bar Gala in Germany. Zoey appeared in the Academy Award–winning film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and in web episodes of Dancing with the Stars. She has graced the cover and been featured multiple times in Dance Spirit and Dance Magazine.
Jasmine Heart Cruz (she/her)
Zoey was nominated for the 2018 Bessie Award in the “Outstanding Performer” category and received the prestigious Clive Barnes Dance Artist Award in 2019
Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Jasmine Heart Cruz began her competitive dance training at the Westlake School for the Performing Arts. She has received numerous awards at the regional and international level from organizations such as ADCIBC, NYCDA, Tanzolymp, and the Youth America Grand Prix. After being accepted into the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, she completed one year of study at the University of Southern California before moving to New York to begin her professional career, where she danced for three seasons with Complexions Contemporary Ballet. As an independent artist in New York, Jasmine has collaborated with choreographers such as Roderick George, Rena Butler, Loughlan Prior, and Houston Thomas. She also trains closely with Preston Miller and Jacqueline Green Miller at The Dance Artist Prep in Chicago. Additionally, Jasmine is regularly invited to teach and choreograph at various schools in the Philippines.
Austin Lichty (he/him)
Austin began dancing at the age of four, and continued through the competitive dance circuit up until finishing high school. He was accepted into Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Dance Program (formerly Ryerson University), where he graduated with a BFA in dance under the direction of Vicki St. Denys. Upon graduating, Austin continued his studies with Arts Umbrella Dance company under the direction of Artemis Gordon. Throughout his years of studies, Austin continued to facilitate his training by attending summer intensive programs with Springboard and TransFormation Danse Montreal. After Graduating from Arts Umbrella in 2020, Austin joined BJM — Ballets Jazz Montréal, where he continued dancing for the following four years. In 2024, Austin took a step away from the company and travelled to India where he received his Hatha Yoga certification, and is currently completing his comprehensive classical Pilates certification under the guidance of Monica Plewes and Core Academy in Toronto. Austin is thrilled to join BJM as a guest artist.
Want to know what it’s like performing in this show? Scan the QR code to watch our interview with company dancer Madeleine Salhany.
Photo credit: Thierry Dubois Cosmos
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Artists Gustavo Barros, Millie Brinck-Dubuc, Marcel Cavaliere, Kyle Davis, Shanna
Irwin Calderon, Miu Kato, DaMond LeMonte Garner, Zack Preece, Madeleine Salhany, and Silje Vereide
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Director of Capital Projects
Luke Belfontaine
Senior Project Manager
Bruce Bennett
Project Manager
Patron and event services
Sean Tasson
Director of Patron and Event Services
Andrew Fong
Executive Chef
Juliana Fay
Senior Manager, Food and Beverage Services
Lisa Lattanzio
Beverage Manager
Saba Resaei
Food & Beverage Duty Manager
Akshar Patel
Food & Beverage Duty Manager
Jai Bittles
Sous Chef
Natalie Ireland
Senior Manager, Events
Yuki Daloste
Events Manager
Fiona Alexander
Events Manager
Corey Palmer
Senior Manager, Patron Services
Amy Myers
Haley Watson
Lina Welch
Ryan Lambersky
Patron Services Manager
Agnesa Voloshyna
Food & Beverage, Duty Manager
Rishik Buttan
Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage
Corrine Engelbrecht
Assistant Patron Services Manager
Bruna Pisani
Hugo Ares-Gonzalez
Michelle Alderson
Tiffin Shing
Patron Services Duty Manager
Facilities
Abiodun Ojekunle
Director of Facilities
Jarryd Fish
Facilities Manager
Rab Nawaz Khan
Facilities Coordinator
Evan Ramdin
Chief Building Operator
Robert MacLean
Roderick Padasdao
Building Operator
Hamid Rabbi
Electrical Operator
Ehsan Rahman
Ryan Nerona
Marciano Ramos
Junior Building Operator
Eduardo Costales
Everton Holt
Handyperson
Omar Nurse
Stage Door Security Supervisor
Caleb Osei
Colin Dyble
Dokun Agbeniui
Henry Fernandes
Mitchell Langley
Mohammad Amaan Vohra
Mohammed Shaikh
Pema Lakshey
Rayyan Shaikh
Sangay Lhamo
Tushar Somani
Stage Door Security
Mohamed Zuhair
Maintenance Supervisor
Ahmed Akinpelu
Aturuchi Joshua
Ihsan Ismath
Mizrah Mohemed
Roger Alves
Robert Bischoff
Rosalina Silva
Rosa Victoria
Sibten Vhora
Sultan Nuyanzi
Vivian Hije
Maintenance
John Vickery
Housekeeping Supervisor
Alicia Surujbally
Andre O’Hare
Elliott Lewis
Harrison Eales-Estrada
Ian Romero
Jacob Jebadoss Asirvatham
Karrie Smith
Lauren Smith
Mabel Liwag
Mary Siroki
Nathan Papp
Patricia Samuel
Housekeeping
Programming
Leslie Lester
Vice President, Executive Producer
Max Rubino
Director of Programming
Ariana Shaw
Zac Mansfield
Senior Producer
Kafi Pierre
Shannon Murtagh
Producer
Spencer Coker
Indigenous Associate Producer
John Kiggins
Programming Manager
Ayse Barut
Programming Coordinator
Corporate and private events
Scott North
Director Corporate & Private Events
Michaela Aguirre
Social Media Specialist
Thompson Michael
Administrative Assistant, Corporate Events
Communities and outreach
Tasneem Vahanvaty
Director of Communities & Outreach
Dani Lantier
Naomi Stokes
Communities & Outreach Coordinator
Rental events
Paul Gagnon
Director of Rental Events
Alex Whitehead
Katie Uchimaru
Bookings Coordinator
Production
Zoë Carpenter
Director of Production
Anthony (TJ) Shamata
Chris Carlton
Senior Production Manager
Peter Suchostawski
Manager, Theatre Systems and Special
Projects
Armand Baksh-Zarate
Charissa Wilcox
Paul Dolan
Susanne Lankin
Morgandy McKinnell
Production Manager
Emma Pressello
Assistant Production Manager
Meridian Hall stage crew
IATSE Local 58
Richard Karwat
Head Electrician
Steve McLean
Head Carpenter
Marcus Sirman
Head of Properties
Colton Stang
Lead Sound Technician
Michael Farkas
Lead Video Technician
Zsolt Kota
Assistant Sound Operator
Jason Urbanowicz
Assistant Electrician
André Ouimet
Assistant Carpenter
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
stage crew
IATSE Local 58
Wes Allen
Property Master, Bluma Appel Theatre
Jackson Sayliss
Head Carpenter, Bluma Appel Theatre
Giulia D’Amanzo
Head Electrician, Bluma Appel
Theatre
Benn Hough
Head Technician, Jane Mallet
IATSE Local 822
Susan Batchelor
Wardrobe Head, Bluma Appel Theatre
Meridian Arts Centre stage crew
IATSE Local 58
Aaron Dell
Head Technician, George Weston
Recital Hall
Finn Browne
Head Technician, Greenwin Theatre
Ian Parker
Head Technician Lyric Theatre
TO Live staff and board list as of March 2026. For the updated version, please visit tolive.com.
The TO Live Foundation is committed to creating a future where art engages and inspires all Torontonians. A future where all the creative voices of our diverse communities are heard and celebrated. A future where artists have the support they need to experiment and grow.
Visit tolivefoundation.com to learn more about how our Foundation is committed to building a better city through the arts.