Deneh’Cho Thompson (he/they) is a director, actor and playwright and displaced and dispossessed member of the Pehdzeh ki Nation. As Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan Deneh’Cho oversees the wîcêhtowin Theatre Program, one of few Indigenous theatre programs at a Canadian university. Deneh’Cho’s research focuses on the development, naming, and centring of Indigenous pedagogies, new play development, and modes of collaboration while centering the values of reciprocity, respect and reflexivity. Deneh’Cho is also engaged in the (re)storying of personal family archives focusing on healing, resilience, and Indigenous storywork as a pathway towards the creation of new works of theatre.

Ken has been a freelance designer/creator and educator for the past 15 years. Ken’s award-winning set, lighting, costume, and video designs have appeared on stages across Canada, the United States and Europe. Ken has been a resident artist at Soulpepper Theatre company as well as the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Ken's most recent credits include the set design for Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan's Hamlet & Done/Undone, Persephone Theatre's Native Gardens, Crows Theatre's  The Wrong Bashir, and The Shaw Festival's Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart.

Ken is a past president of the Associated Designers of Canada and is currently the president of the IATSE local ADC659. 

Since the fall of 2021, Ken has been a faculty position at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon teaching in the School for the Arts.

Jane is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist and all-round creative person from rural Saskatchewan. She studied at the University of Regina and graduated from George Brown College's Theatre School in 2020. She returned home to the prairies where her heart sings the loudest, and has since founded Correction Line Productions, which has successfully produced its first show. Jane has roots in community theatre, and is a strong advocate for emerging artists and the challenges they face.

Kaydence Banga (she/her) is a graduate from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance and Media, Art, and Performance (Music Concentration) with a minor in Psychology. Since the completion of her degree, Kaydence has gone on to compose a wind quintet titled “Letters From The Ocean” for the Strata Festival in Saskatoon (2022) and compose a soundscape titled “The Cave” for the SK Design Festival (2022). Regarding theatre, Kaydence has stage managed multiple productions such as Night Sweats (2023) and Rites of Passage (2023) with On Cue Performance Hub, Innocence Astray (2023) with Third Draft Theatre for the Regina Fringe Festival, assistant stage managed The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon (2024) with Regina Little Theatre, and once again stage managed Night Sweats for the Regina Fringe Festival and Saskatoon Fringe Festival (2024). Most recently, Kaydence has started to explore playwrighting where she had the opportunity to co-produce, co-write, and co-star in her two person show Koping Mechanisms (2024) with Hope Van Vliet and their company Task Van Theatre as well as write two short plays: Historical “Friends” for 25th Street Theatre for their Behind Closed Doors Program (2025) and A Job to Do for Tic Toc Ten (2025). 

Outside of theatre, Kaydence uses her love for the arts in her new role as the Southwest Coordinator for Visitor Experience and Public Programming with the Saskatchewan Provincial Parks where she has the opportunity to work with organizations in the province to bring art and culture to the Southwest Region of Saskatchewan.

Nathan is a Mad/Crip actor, musician, puppeteer, playwright, producer, budding music director, and founder of In The Headlights, a theatre company focused on creating and presenting neurodivergent art. His play, I Have No Idea, recently played to sold out audiences as part of Live Five’s 2023/24 season and just finished a provincial tour. He has worked with Dancing Sky Theatre, Globe Theatre, the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre, Souris Valley Theatre, Dumb Ax Productions, Live Five, Wide Open Children’s Theatre, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, and Persephone Theatre, among others. Nathan also recently completed filming Season 2 of The Feather News, which is planned to air on APTN Lumi in the coming months. He is a graduate of the University of Regina Theatre Department and the Globe Theatre Conservatory, and has recently studied clown under John Turner. You can follow In The Headlights on Instagram @intheheadlightsyxe and on Facebook @In The Headlights YXE.

Dr. Shannon Holmes is an actor, singer, theatre-maker, intimacy director, educator and scholar. Currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Theatre Department at the University of Regina, her scholarly and artistic practice spans the disciplines of music and theatre, with voice as the primary medium. As a classically trained singer with an extensive background in theatre, she seeks pathways in which her art can thrive within the liminal spaces between spoken and sung expression. 

Shannon holds a BFA in Theatre and Music from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College USA, and a PhD in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of Birmingham, UK. Trained in a wide range of voice, acting, and dance methods, she has appeared in Opera, Musical Theatre, Shakespeare, Contemporary Theatre, and Devised projects. She has performed, presented her research, and taught across Canada, the US, the UK, and Europe. She has published articles in the Voice and Speech Review, Critical Stages, co-authored a book chapter in Applied Theatre: Voice Performance and Social Justice (Bloomsbury) and co-edited special issue No. 196 of Canadian Theatre Review “Voice Work in Canada”.  

A mother of six (mostly grown) kids Shannon is happy to call the Cathedral neighbourhood of Regina home. When not engaged in scholarly or artistic pursuits you can find her reading, following her favourite NBA teams, and walking her dog along Wascana Creek.

Catherine Hui is a multiple disciplinary artist specializing in theatre production and performance. She has worked or performed in the areas of choral concerts, plays, musicals and operas. Catherine served on a non-profit board for 10 years and has experience in project management. 

Selected performance credits include Carmen (Saskatoon Opera), The Addams Family (Saskatoon Summer Players), Avenue Q (Ppl r Ppl Productions) and Hagenberg: Illuminare at the Carnegie Hall. Selected production credits include Set Design & Costume Design in The Medium (Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra), Co-Set Design in Spring Awakening (Ppl r Ppl Productions), Apprentice Design in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Persephone Theatre), Set Design & Head of Scenic Painting in Heathers: The Musical (Sparrow Theatre Company), Set Design in Hand to God (Ppl r Ppl Productions). 

Sola John is an experienced coach and mentor with over 15 years of experience working with various groups of people, from young people to leadership teams in the development space to Business start-up entrepreneurs. His clientele includes the GIZ, PEF, NMDPRA, Aiducation Int’l, Eramet, and others across Nigeria, Africa, Europe, and North America.

His focus on problem-solving in leadership crisis management, change management, and emotional intelligence has led to significant results, even in some African countries. Sola John is a coach, workshop facilitator, conference speaker, and leadership and organizational skills development trainer. 

He is a certified Emotional Intelligence, Career Coach, and NLP Coach. Sola John is an aviation professional with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency. He got a PhD in Arts Management from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Nigeria. He is currently a Postdoc Fellow at the Media Arts and Performance, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Derek Klassen is a double graduate of the University of Regina, holding both a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Stage Management, and a Bachelor of Administration - Marketing. He has many years of administrative and managerial experience, as well as working hands-on in the theatre field for the past 15 years. He has worked for Regina Little Theatre as their Mainstage Producer and Marketing Manager; in various technical capacities for theatre organizations such as On Cue and Do It With Class Young Peoples’ Theatre; and most recently served as the Technical Director for Souris Valley Theatre in Estevan.

Craig is a graduate of the Theatre Production Program at Grant MacEwan University. He worked as Technical Director for Spark Theatre. Credits with Spark include Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad, And Then There Were None, The Rez Sisters, Macbeth, Mary’s Wedding, Marg Szkaluba (Pissy’s Wife), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Calendar Girls, and Woman in Black. He also worked as Technical Director with Odyssey Productions. (Dracula and Noises Off). He is the current Head Theatre Technician at The E.A. Rawlinson Centre For the Arts, where he has had the pleasure of being part of Broadway North Theatre Company’s Little Mermaid Jr.(2013), Beauty & The Beast Jr.(2014), Peter Pan Jr(2015), Shrek Jr(2016), Elf Jr.(2017), Bugsy Malone Jr.(2018), Mary Poppins Jr.(2019) as TD and Lighting Designer. Craig’s Most Recent work has been with Broadway North Theatre Company’s Summer Program Credits include Mamma Mia(2019),Clue On Stage(2021),Rocky Horror Show(2023). He has also worked as a volunteer with the Centre and has done many shows which include Cabaret, Annie, Willie Wonka Jr.

Dillon Person (he/him) is a Saskatoon-based artist-teacher dedicated to creating aesthetic experiences for learners to investigate, inquire, and create! Dillon is currently a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan in the department of Curriculum Studies while also working full time as a high school theatre, music, and arts education teacher with Saskatoon Public Schools. Dillon has directed 8 large scale high school musical productions, has facilitated 3 inter-collegiate one act festivals, and has developed study materials for various plays, most notably Mustard by Kat Sandler (25th Street Theatre) and Reasonable Doubt by Joel Bernbaum, Lancelot Knight, and Yvette Nolan (Concentus). 

Dillon has also founded Saskatoon's first in-school theatre company, called Out of the Blue Theatre Company, that is dedicated to providing student-led theatrical experiences through curricular and extra-curricular programming. Some of this programming includes a local Drama Club that is focused on growing the live theatre audiences in the Saskatoon theatre scene, as well as the Drama Travel Club, that provides an opportunity for curious theatre students to learn about theatre in other major cities across Canada. 

Dillon is working as an emerging scenic and visual artist, and is keenly interested in the intersection between visual art and theatre.

I am an aspiring, Metis female artist from Chitek Lake, Saskatchewan. Since 2023, I have worked on short films, being mentored by artists from Wapikoni Mobile (based out of Montreal). I have created three short films to date, and am currently working on a fourth. My goal and purpose I believe in life has been given to me by the Creator, to shed light on the darkness of Indigenous peoples stories, and become a truth teller, delivering those truths through art. Art is a power that can not ever be taken away from me, like other things have due to injustice, and I have dedicated my life’s work to shedding light on injustice and singing our people home to themselves, and to healing. I am highly motivated as per past experiences that resulted in C-PTSD becoming part of my life. I choose to use this not as a negative thing, but as a springboard to get me to my artistic future.

Through poetic imagery, archives and soulful narration, I aim to share my harrowing journey of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing after enduring years of pain and trauma, in order to bring hope to my people.

There is always an end to suffering, but we have to choose when. I have been able to harbor resilience and make it shine through my short films as I delve into the mind-body connection and the importance of land-connection in my healing process.

Despite facing systemic injustices and the heart-wrenching loss of my daughter, I find solace in embracing my identity as a sensitive and creative soul, akin to the selkie of folklore. My stories explore themes of trauma,motherhood, societal expectations, and the power of self-acceptance. It lays bare the systemic injustices that Indigenous women like me face, navigating a world fraught with discrimination and neglect. Yet, amidst the darkness, there are glimmers of hope, moments of profound connection, and the unwavering resilience of the human spirit.

As I grapple with the loss of my daughter, torn from my arms by a callous system, and through realities of anguish, my hope is that viewers are compelled to confront their own biases and assumptions, fostering empathy and compassion for those who have walked similar paths. I will never cease to create art, and short films are my healing path. These issues that we as Indigenous peoples face are just as real today as they were in the past, and to quote Louis Riel, “My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.”

I also work for the Government of Saskatchewan as a municipal advisor.

Judith Schulz (she/her) is no stranger to SATP and has been working with us as our Communications & Engagement Coordinator since October of 2021. She is based in Saskatoon with roots in Rosthern, SK where she grew up and developed a hearty love for theatre and the performing arts. Judith holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design from the University of Saskatchewan and has a passion for making stories come to life through lighting, video design, abstract sets, directing, or support roles like stage management.

Judith also has a great love for building community and relationships. She is excited to step into the very big shoes that Mark Claxton left behind and carry on the work of supporting and advocating for you and the theatre and live performing arts community here in SK. She would love to meet with each one of you and chat about how SATP can better support you as an artist, arts administrator, or organization.

Liz (she/her) is is a queer singer, actor, coach and dramaturge born and raised on Treaty One Territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg Honours: Acting Program, her work has taken her across the Prairies, to Toronto and back again. Her ultimate goal is to craft a creative career that aligns with her personal values of intersectionality, accessibility, joyful engagement, and empowerment.

Liz has a great deal of experience in theatre administration and social media marketing, as well as a passion for connecting artists and supporting community growth.

Jen Fong (she/her) is a mulit-disciplinary artist working between the theatre and visual arts industries throughout the country. Originally from Regina, Jen is a proud prairie-grown artist. She holds her BA in Visual Art from the University of Regina and is a graduate from Randolph College for the Performing Arts. She is now based between Saskatchewan and Toronto and is immensely grateful for organizations like SATP for keeping her connected to the Saskatchewan arts community, even when she’s away from home.

Forever curious (and often restless), Jen has worked across the country as an actor, exploring classical, contemporary, and musical theatre, along with devised and movement-based work. She is also a visual artist and designer. She loves all things art, as long as they are rooted in connection, curiosity, and creativity. She is passionate about building strong, kind, and diverse artistic communities (and she probably wants to be your best friend).