Staff 

Our theatre facilitators and support workers are integral to the artistic aims and success of the company. They are knowledgeable and sensitive to the particular needs, abilities and circumstances of our actors, blending their own specific experience and expertise with the actors’ to create our uniquely inclusive company of artists.

We often employ guest artists with specializations ranging from clown to improv to creative movement. This diverse exposure encourages our actors to explore their creativity and develop their skills in theatre and performance. It also provides professional theatre facilitators in our community the opportunity to work with disabled people and to advance their own facilitation skills.

Dhana Cartmell: Artistic Director 

Dhana is a community-based arts facilitator and teacher. She has worked extensively as an administrator and artistic associate with intergenerational company GeriActors & Friends. She has also produced and developed community arts projects and festivals in collaboration with the City of Edmonton, the University of Alberta, and non-profit organizations around Edmonton. Dhana holds a diploma in music from MacEwan University, a bachelor’s degree in Drama and Music from the University of Alberta, and a master’s in Applied Theatre from the University of Manchester. She is currently developing a multi-phase theatre project for older adults with dementia.

Jozel Lemire: Assistant Director 

Jozel is a stage and film actor, singer, theatre director and theatre producer who spent her youth busking the streets of Amsterdam & Paris as part of a family band. Since graduating University, she has worked in the Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax independent theatre scenes and facilitated drama workshops with seniors and children of all ages in both English and French. Companies she has worked with include: The GeriActors, Nextfest Arts Company, Mischief & Mayhem Theatre, L’Unithéâtre, Running in Heels Productions, the U of A MFA Theatre department, and Firething Theatre Collective. Jozel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Anthropology from the University of Alberta, and a Lecoq Performance Certificate from the Hunter Gates Physical Theatre Academy in St. Albert. 

Megan Verbeek: Rehearsal Assistant 

At the University of Alberta, Megan is completing the last year of her philosophy degree, with a minor in drama. Megan has been an active member of the clown community for 2 years, training with Jan Henderson, Christine Lesiak, and Mike Kennard (of Mump and Smoot). She has also trained with Toy Guns Dance Theatre, and performed as Rosaline in “Romeo and Juliet…” in the 2017 Edmonton Fringe Festival. In addition to theatre, Megan has also worked in health care as a respite worker and chiropractic assistant.