- Kate Ann Vandermeer – General Manager
- Kawa Ada – Interim Artistic Director
- Nina Lee Aquino - Artistic Director Emeritus
- Justine Yim – Metcalf Foundation Intern
- Jiv Parasram – Administrator
- Sarena Parmar – Volunteer HotHouse Coordinator
- Joseph Recinos – Young Artistic Intern
- Derek Kwan – Associate Producer Emeritus
- Twitter Signatures (@CahootsTheatre)
- Kate Ann – KV
- Kawa – KA
- Nina – NLA
- Justine – JY
- Jiv – JP
- Sarena – SP
- Joseph – JR
- Derek – DK
Kate Ann Vandermeer
General Manager
Kate Ann is delighted to be joining the talented team at Cahoots Theatre Company. Most recently, she worked as Assistant Production Manager at Canadian Stage. Prior to that, she was the Production Coordinator for the Canadian Opera Company. Over the last six years, Kate Ann has also worked in a Production Management capacity for various independent theatre companies in Toronto. Although an actor/singer her whole life, she has found her true passion in the Production and Management of Theatre.
Kate Ann is a graduate of Queen’s University’s Drama and Music program.
Kawa Ada
Interim Artistic Director
Kawa joined Cahoots this year in the capacity of Associate Artistic Director*/Playwright-in-Residence**. However, most recently the Board of Directors has appointed him as the Interim Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre Company.
Educated at The Boston Conservatory, Kawa has performed on stages in Canada and the US, including being cast on Broadway in Bombay Dreams. Other credits include shows at Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre and three seasons with The Shaw Festival. He performed in Cahoots’ premiere production of paperSERIES in Toronto, which was a part of the 2012 Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Calgary. A past recipient of the Emerging Theatre Artist Award from Canadian Actors’ Equity, Kawa is privileged to be working on his play, Aman and Roshan, each in 2 times with Cahoots. A national keynote speaker on issues of diversity, inclusion, leadership and motivation, he is also a freelance Personal Management Coach and a part-time faculty member at Sheridan College. Kawa was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. www.KawaAda.com
* This position is made possible through funding from the Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program and the Ontario Arts Council’s Access and Career Development grant.
** This position is made possible through funding from the Ontario Arts Council’s Playwright in Residence grant.
Nina Lee Aquino
Artistic Director Emeritus
Nina Lee Aquino is a director, dramaturge and playwright. She has stepped down as the Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre Company to accept the Co-Artistic Director position at Factory Theatre, alongside Nigel Shawn Williams. Nina will be continuing until the end of our current season in an advisory role.
She is also the editor of Canada’s first Asian-Canadian 2-volume drama anthology titled love & relasianships (Playwrights Canada Press, Spring 2009) and the co-editor of the award winning New Essays on Canadian Theatre Volume One: Asian Canadian Theatre (Playwrights Canada Press, Spring 2011). Nina co-wrote Miss Orient(ed) and her monologues have been published in Beyond the Pale (Yvette Nolan, ed.) and She Speaks (Judith Thompson, ed.). Her second play, Every Letter Counts will have its World Premiere at the Factory Theatre in January 2013. Other credits include awards for directing: the Ken McDougall Award 2004, the Canada Council John Hirsch Prize 2008, a Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding direction 2011 (paper SERIES, Cahoots Theatre Company); and 4 consecutive Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations (Singkil, fu-GEN Theatre Company 2007; People Power, Carlos Bulosan Theatre 2008, lady in the red dress, fu-GEN Theatre Company 2009, The Making of St. Jerome, eastBOUNDtheatre, 2010).
Justine Yim
Metcalf Foundation Intern*
Justine Yim was born in Toronto as a second generation Canadian-Korean. Her love for performance began in middle school when she was encouraged by an invested and inspirational teacher to cultivate her vocal talent. She was immersed into an artistic community during her high school years at the Etobicoke School of the Arts and the experiences she had at ESA extended her fascination with how diverse, yet inclusive, the arts community could be. Justine’s passion for the arts has remained present throughout her life and she is an active volunteer within the Toronto theatre community. She is currently completing a post-graduate certificate in Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Management at Ryerson University in order to strengthen her career in non-profit arts management.
*This position is made possible through funding from the Metcalf Foundation.
Jiv Parasram
Administrator, New Harlem Productions in partnership with Cahoots Theatre Company*
Originally hailing from the salty shores of Halifax, Jiv is now a Toronto based theatre practitioner who works in various capacities. Some of these include: director, writer, actor, producer, technician, administrator, and dramaturge. Jiv attended the UC Drama program at the University of Toronto where he earned the first ever HBA with a dual focus in Drama and International Relations. He is currently an MA candidate at York and Ryerson universities in Communications and Culture researching performative resistance. Jiv is an administrator for Cahoots and New Harlem Productions, and is a founding member of Pandemic Theatre.
*This position is made possible through funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation
Sarena Parmar
Volunteer HotHouse Coordinator
Sarena is an actor and emerging playwright.
A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Sarena made her Toronto debut as Cobweb in A Midsummer Nights Dream with The Canadian Stage Company in 2007. Other stage credits include work with Summerworks, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and Theatre Direct. Sarena is best known for her role as Chandra Metha on the Gemini nominated series, How To Be Indie. She has gone on to guest star on Degrassi, Flashpoint and The Border.
As a playwright, Sarena was accepted into the Diaspora Dialogues mentorship program. Since then her work has been read at Summerworks, Playwrights Guild of Canada, and Masala Mehndi Masti. Sarena was also a member of the Cahoots’ HotHouse 2011/2012.
Currently she can be seen co-starring in the Disney Channel movie, Radio Rebel. Follow Sarena at www.twitter.com/sarenaparmar.
Joseph Recinos
Young Artistic Intern
Joseph is a recent graduate of the theatre performance program at Humber, and alumnus of the 2011 SummerWorks S.L.I.P. program. His film and television credits include Mayday and Dual Suspects. Joseph was also the recipient of the Mark Schoenberg Award for Outstanding Achievement. Joseph will be mentored by all Cahoots staff, and will be fully immersed in the world of theatre creation. He has the makings of an artistic leader, and we hope his time with us will help him serve future generations of culturally diverse artists and art.
Derek Kwan
Associate Producer Emeritus
Derek Kwan an actor, classical singer and administrator. He was previously a Metcalf Foundation Intern with Cahoots. Career highlights include- theatre: Head à Tête (Theatre Direct), A Synonym for Love (Volcano), Unspoken (Native Earth Performing Arts), Red Snow (Red Snow Collective), A Fool’s Life (Ahuri Theatre), Banana Boys (fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company); opera: Tapestry New Opera’s New Opera Showcase, Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins (Against the Grain) Mozart’s The Impresario (Bangkok Opera); TV: XIII Season 2, Cracked; Upcoming: Red Snow in Shanghai, The Lesson of Daji (Toronto Masque Theatre)
