Producer Lab Café: April

elena (or eli) belyea is a queer/trans playwright, performer, and producer from treaty 6 territory (colonially known as edmonton, alberta). they’re artistic director of tiny bear jaws (theatre with teeth) which they run with their creative partner tori morrison. elena’s work has been produced across turtle island and internationally (including hungary, austria, berlin, new york, montreal, toronto, & quebec city). more at elenabelyea.com. / @elenabelyea + @tinybearjaws

Gina is a proud Filipino-Canadian based in Amiskwacîwâskahikan on land referred to as Treaty 6 colonially known as Edmonton Alberta. She is always trying to expand the relation space on the venn diagram of Community, Workers’ Rights, Arts Practice, Social Justice, and Basic Life Needs. Currently, Gina is the Artistic Director and Program Coordinator for the Alberta Workers’ Health Centre’s Work Plays Schools Program which brings the important message of Work Place Safety and Workers’ Rights wrapped in a professionally sculpted live theatre production to students and new workers.

Rainier Pearl-Styles (she/her) is a many-hats-wearing theatre creator and recent transplant from the coasts of the United States. She is driven by community engagement and education, and has been the Operations Associate for Ballet Edmonton, served on the education workgroup for San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and is a proud co-founder of the Fork & Shoe Theatre Co-op, a patchwork production company focused on accessible self producing and resource sharing. As an educator, Rainier has worked across the U.S. as a guest teaching artist, administrator, performer, classroom teacher, and even gym coach. Rainier is also a producer, collaborating with Boston Theater Company, Small Matters Productions, Edmonton Fringe and more!

Rainier’s personal artistic work focuses on embodied practice as a tool for social justice, community engagement, and deconstructing “classical” texts through clown and storytelling. As a queer, Jewish clown, her work blends cultural practices with reconstructing processes to create and deepen community. Outside of theatre, she enjoys fibre arts, being outside, and making a fool out of herself in everyday life. rainier-pearl-styles.com

Mac Brock (he/him) is your friendly neighbourhood queer prairie playwright and producer. He loves big events and wild ideas: Mac has been the Events & Production Coordinator for Nuit Blanche Edmonton, the Market Director for Edmonton Christmas Market, and an Event Producer for Regina’s Cathedral Village Arts Festival alongside his own personal theatre work. As an administrator and consultant he has supported organizations like Edmonton Fringe Theatre, Rapid Fire Theatre, the Edmonton Heritage Council, Concrete Theatre, and more.

His play Boy Trouble was nominated for Outstanding Fringe Production and Outstanding Independent Production at the Sterling Awards, he is currently working on a love letter to prairie queers in a new commission from the Citadel Theatre, and he’s written a bunch of other gay nonsense too. He has written public art tours, produced podcasts, curated cabarets, and many weird jobs in between. Basically, he’s a big words and numbers (and lists) guy.