Russell Martin President Ontario Email	Autumn Coppaway Vice President British Columbia	Andrea Lundy Secretary Québec	Joshua C McIntosh Treasurer Alberta

Crystal Lee Director at Large Ontario	Debbie Richardson Director at Large Nova Scotia	Daniel Bennett Director at Large Ontario
Brianne Gwartz Director at Large Ontario	Peter (Spike) Lyne Director at Large Ontario	Matt Lamarche Director at Large Ontario

Learn more about our Board Members! Click here to read their biographies.

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Join our Board

As the organization charts its course in the post-pandemic era, CITT/ICTS is, now more than ever, committed to welcoming new perspectives and diverse voices to our Board. Joining the CITT/ICTS Board is a unique opportunity to become an integral part of an organization dedicated to the advancement of the Canadian live performance community.

If you are passionate about driving change in our industry, fostering growth in representation, and amplifying voices to propel us into the future, we invite you to consider nominating yourself to serve on the board of CITT/ICTS.

A call for nominations shall be emailed to the membership in November of each year for a two-year term beginning in August of the following year. CITT/ICTS members in good standing who are interested in seeking election may be nominated by themselves, by another member, or by other members in good standing. Spontaneous nominations may also be accepted throughout the year if there are vacancies on the current Board. Please contact the Nominations Committee for more information.

For more information about CITT/ICTS, visit our website HERE.

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CITT/ICTS Regional Section Chairs

• British Columbia - Jody Burkholder
• Prairie - John Dyck
• Alberta - Kevin Humphrey
• Ontario - Emma Alderman
• Quebec - Sandra Matte

Fore more information on the CITT/ICTS Regional Sections, visit our website HERE.

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Board Retreats

Board Retreat 2024

March 2024 | Montreal, QC

Pictured on the right, from back to front and left to right:
Jacquie Lazar, Sandra Matte, Crystal Lee, Eric Mongerson, John Dyck, Jody Burkholder, Autumn Coppaway, Joshua C McIntosh, Kevin Humphrey, Russell Martin, Emma Alderman (via Zoom), Andrea Lundy, Debbie Richardson.

Facilitator: Kim Fuller

To learn more about the 2024 Board Retreat, we invite you to read the President's message featured in our March 2024 Newsletter.

Board Retreat and Strategic Planning 2020-25

February 2020 | Montreal, QC

CITT/ICTS Board Retreat working on the Strategic Plan with Roger Gaudet.

Board Retreat and Strategic Planning 2012-2015

February 2013 | Calgary, AB

CITT/ICTS Board Retreat working on the Strategic Plan with Cheryl Ewing.

August 2012 | London, ON

CITT/ICTS Board Retreat working on the practical visions with Cheryl Ewing in August 2012 in London ON.

For more information and to read the CITT/ICTS Strategic Plans, visit our website HERE.

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Board Member Biographies

Russell Martin, President
Russell has 30 years of experience as a Production Manager, and Stage Manager, and has worked and lived in British Colombia, Manitoba and Ontario. He toured and produced across North America and Europe, and has also been a General Manager, Lighting and Sound Operator, Carpenter, and Technical Director. Currently, Russell is the Director of Production at the Shaw Festival and serves as the President of the National Board of Director at CITT/ICTS.

Autumn Coppaway, Vice-President
Originally from the Oshkiigmong (Curve Lake) area, Autumn Coppaway is an Anishinaabe Production Technical Director and Producer.  Currently residing on the unceded homelands of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ Nations, Autumn is the Vice President of the National Board of Directors at Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology/Institut canadien des technologies scénographiques (CITT-ICTS). Autumn holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University and works on a master’s in public safety from Wilfred Laurier University. Her past credits include Director of Production for Vancouver Opera; Program Technical Director for the Banff Centre for the Arts; Assistant Technical Director for the Canadian Opera Company; and Production Manager for Against the Grain Theatre.  Autumn is a member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Circle of Artists and sits as the Board President for Lucky Penny Opera. She has been involved in consulting and production execution for major collaborations such as Luminato, Edmonton Opera, and various corporate events and galas. She continues to work as a leadership mentor through a variety of educational, cultural and community projects.

Andrea Lundy, Secretary
Andrea is an award-winning Lighting Designer and Production Manager as well as the Director of the Production Design and Technical Arts Program at the National Theatre School of Canada. As a lighting designer she is the recipient of 9 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and 2 Montreal English Theatre Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design. She has worked extensively with Necessary Angel Theatre, the National Arts Centre, Shaw Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Soulpepper Theatre, Canadian Stage, Centaur Theatre, Geordie Theatre, among others. Andrea is the Secretary on the National Board of Directors at CITT/ICTS and Vice-President of the SMarts Board of Directors.

Joshua C McIntosh, Treasurer
Academic Department Manager for Production & Operations - for the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. He serves in a range of support and leadership capacities for the Drama, Music and Art & Design departments, including serving as the chair of the Fine Arts Safety Committee and offering guidance/mentorship covering all things live production. Prior to coming to Academia (and Canada) Josh worked throughout the USA in a wide array of technical production capacities. Most recently Josh was the Technical and Safety Director for Houston Grand Opera. Having previously worked for such producing entities as: Disney Theatrical, Hudson Scenic Studios, HBO, 101 Productions, Chelsea Studios, Seattle Opera, Aurora Productions, the National Dance Institute and others. Josh also spent many years as a contract stagehand on Broadway, National Tours and in Las Vegas on productions including Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Le Reve, Drowsy Chaperone, 13 the Musical and many others. Outside the University Josh offers direct technical consulting services, as well as serving on the National Board of Directors for CITT/ICTS - as Treasurer, on the Board of Directors for the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, and on the Technology Commission of OISTAT - as Vice-Chair for the America’s. Josh has also been a proud card carrying member of IATSE for nearly 25 years.

Crystal Lee, Director at Large
Crystal Lee (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian theatre practitioner originally from northern New Brunswick. She graduated from The National Theatre School in their Production, Design and Technical Arts program and has since worked at the National Arts Centre on their management team.  Crystal broke into her independent career as a freelance Production Manager in Toronto where she received a Harold Award for her contributions to the community, and passion for mentorship.  Crystal is also a member of Means of Production and currently works full-time with Why Not Theatre as their Director of Production and Technical, leading their large-scale, international projects.

Debbie Richardson, Director at Large
Debbie is a member of IATSE Local 680 since 1991. She is currently serving as its Vice President and Call Steward. She is the District 11 Co-ordinator for the IATSE International Women’s Committee and is a member of the IATSE Canada Health Plan committee. Debbie is currently the President of the Halifax Dartmouth and District Labour Council, General Vice President representing Unions with Membership under 1000 with the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour and sits on the Canadian Council of the Canadian Labour Congress representing Labour Councils in Atlantic Canada. Debbie is the Board Chair of the Mayworks Halifax Festival and serves on the board of the Halifax Workers Action Centre.

Daniel Bennett, Director at Large
Daniel Bennett is the Director of Production and Facilities for Canadian Stage. He has also worked as a Technical Director at the Grand Theatre in London Ontario, the US Tour of Why Not Theatre's Prince Hamlet and international tour of Mahabharata. In addition, he has worked as the Head of Festival Production and Operations for the SummerWorks Performance Festival and as a freelance Production Manager in Toronto. Daniel is the Associate Artist at the National Theatre School in the Production Design and Technical Arts Program of which he is also a graduate. He dabbles in Producing with his company Curveball Creative and as a lighting and sound designer. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Toronto. When not in a theatre, he can be found on a spin bike.

Brianne Gwatrz, Director at Large
Brianne’s passion for theatre began at a young age. She was captivated by the razzle dazzle of going to musicals with her family. Brianne began a co-op in high school at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. This was the foundation of Brianne’s direction in technical theatre, she continued to work at OC4PA for over 11 years while she studied at George Brown Collage and Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly RTS: Ryerson Theatre School). For most people watching theatre is the most exciting part, for Brianne it is the magic we make backstage. Brianne believes every single person is a cog in the machine to keep it operating. Brianne’s past experience as Production coordinator at Canadian Stage lead her to the big lights as Assistant Production Manager at Mirvish in 2018. This is where her dream of working in musical theatre blossomed. It was no small challenge to work in the biggest and most historic theatre in Toronto. Brianne also worked hard to bring shows back to the stages after the pandemic, the experience was one-of-a-kind. The reward of sharing the stage with shows that had been put on hold such as: Boy Falls from Sky, 4 Hands 2 Pianos, and Room. In the summer of 2022 Brianne decided to move towards her next big challenge as Production Manager of the prestigious Centre In The Square. A state of the art 2000-seat theatre in the middle of “small” town Kitchener-Waterloo. This busy road house is very versatile and flips the theatre for various live events: Symphony Orchestra, Big rock shows, cirque, dance, Broadway musicals, multi-cultural events, community groups, and so much more. This opportunity allowed Brianne to tackle big shows, observe capital projects such as replacement of all theatre seats in 2024. The position also allowed Brianne to connect with the Kitchener Arts community and getting back into her roots of working with community theatre groups as a professional. Recently Brianne has stepped back from working at Centre In The Square to spend more time with her daughter, Sammy. Brianne is looking forward to new adventures in 2025. Brianne is looking forward to making a difference in the theatre community by joining the CITT National Board, Director at Large. She believes that in times of struggle and success we search for our community to lean on for support and to celebrate. It is the foundation of the theatre community and theatrical art form that has sustained her passion to guide her successful career to great heights. Strength in Community.

Peter (Spike) Lyne, Director at Large
Peter (Spike) Lyne (he/him) is a Métis Production Manager, Technical Director, Lighting Designer and Educator. Highlights of his four-decade career include 25 years as PM, TD and Designer for the Just for Laughs Festival, PM for comedian Russell Peters, and designing lights for many theatres across Canada. He has coached/taught at McGill, Concordia and Windsor Universities, as well as the National Theatre School of Canada. He currently works as PM for Theatre at the National Arts Centre, as well as TD for their Indigenous Theatre Department. Spike actively seeks ways to encourage more individuals (especially from under-represented communities), and fosters an inclusive environment, in the arts. He upholds that mentorship extends beyond its designated period: it marks the start of an enduring relationship and commitment. Spike believes that mentorship serves as both catalyst for the growth of up-and-coming creative minds, and an opportunity to open doors on their behalf.