Our tEaM
Dian Marie Bridge
Artistic Director
Dian Marie Bridge is an award-winning writer, director, dramaturge and creative producer who seeks to open spaces, provide platform, enrich community-bridge building. She was previously Associate Artistic Director at Luminato Festival Toronto, Artistic Director intern at Obsidian Theatre, Artist-in-Residence at Necessary Angel Theatre, Founding Artistic Producer of Cric Crac Collective, and 4LargeHeads multi-arts Collective, and a member of Stratford Festival’s Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction.
Dian holds a degree in Theatre Arts and Dramatic Literature from Brock University and was enrolled in the University of Minnesota’s Theatre Arts and Dance program (Twin Cities).Previous work includes Our Place; Vierge; Every Day She Rose (BTW), Beloved: A Celebration of Toni Morrison and Black Women Writers; Guided By Starlight; Golden Hour (Luminato Festival Toronto), The Mountain Top (Persephone Theatre), Made In Congo (Theatre Row United Solo Festival), Aneemah’s Spot (Cric Crac Collective /Motion Live), Geometry; Domesticity; Fuzz; Cotton Comes Home (4LargeHeads Collective)
Adjani Poirier
Assistant Artistic Director
Adjani Poirier is a playwright and theatre artist who was born and raised in Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal) and has been deeply inspired by the city’s vibrant theatre community from a young age.
She is interested in fostering creative spaces that centre diversity, integrity and artistic risk taking, and is excited to lead with these values in her role as Assistant Artistic Director.
Previously Adjani worked as the literary/dramaturgical Associate Artist with Imago Theatre. They are a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada where they studied Playwriting, have a BFA from Concordia University in Theatre and Development and studied Acting at Dawson College’s Professional Theatre Program.
Pays include: Scorpio Moon, Sinkhole (or six ways to disappear) and flight of fancy, hold me close.
Keith Trevor Fernandez
AMP Program Manager
Keith Fernandez is an interdisciplinary theater director, performer and drag artist. He founded Berlin Musicals in 2018, providing opportunities for emerging performers and produced three full-length musicals. A graduate of Concordia University’s BFA in Performance Creation & Grant MacEwan’s Theatre Arts Program, Keith has directed productions such as Uncomfortable Dinner Party (Montreal, Fringe, 2025) Sinkhole (Infinitheatre, 2025), Hedwig & the Angry Inch (Montreal Fringe, 2024), Sustainable Opulence (2024/2025), and Landings (Montréal Arts Interculturels, 2023). Other directing credits include Would Virginia Woolf Contemplate Suicide if She Were Filipino? (Infinitheatre, 2022) and Songs for a New World (Berlin Musicals, 2019). In Montreal, Keith has worked with organizations like the Segal Centre, Imago Theatre, Infinitheatre, Festival Accès Asie & Montreal Arts Interculturels to name a few. With his drag persona, KAJOL, he merges theatricality and activism, with a focus on sustainability and climate action.
Laurie-Anne Jean-Baptiste
Marketing Manager
Laurie-Anne Jean-Baptiste is an experienced marketing professional with a demonstrated history in the telecommunications and IT industry. Her love for performing arts has kept her involved on the Montreal musical theatre scene for many years, as a performer and as a board member (VP Promotion) for The Lyric Theatre. Her studies in Cinema & Communications and Creative Writing only reinforced the creativity she discovered and fostered in her youth. Her career and creative projects have made her an inspired and passionate storyteller.
Shannon Corenthin
Producer
Shannon is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist focused on uplifting the voices of women of color on stage. After earning her BFA in Theater Performance at Chapman University in Southern California, she moved to New York City where she worked for various arts organizations such as The Vineyard Theatre, The Drama League, Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre and Dancewave.
During her tenure at Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre, from 2020 – 2023, Shannon grew from ensemble member to Director of Production and curator of the Expand the Canon project (ETC) (a program aimed at incorporating female identifying playwrights into the theatrical canon).
Gabrielle Cole
Office Coordinator
Gabrielle Cole is a writer originally from Southern Ontario and now residing in Montreal. She holds a B.A. in English literature from McGill University and is pursuing an M.A. in Creative Writing at Concordia University. Inspired by her grandfather, a notable Jamaican poet whose work cemented him as a leading voice of West Indian/Caribbean literature, Gabrielle is interested in fresh voices, and stories from elsewhere.
Her experience in customer relations, marketing, and publicity roles have lent themselves to a deftness in communication and administration and building strong relationships with those she works with.
Board of directors
Join our Board of Directors!
Black Theatre Workshop is currently seeking innovative board members to support the organization’s mission, strategic direction, and long-term operations.
Interested candidates who are passionate about the performing arts are encouraged to fill out this application form. If you have any questions, please contact board@theatrebtw.ca.
Andréa Springer
President
Andréa is a Public Relations professional with over 20 years experience in corporate communications, media and investor relations, as well as project and event management. She is currently the Programmes & Communications Director at the World Design Organization where she works directly with municipalities to develop strategies that communicate the value and impact of design on quality of life. As one of the newest members to join the Black Theatre Workshop in 2019, she hopes to contribute to the growth and appreciation of the performing arts within the local community.
Allison DaCosta
Board Member
Ms. DaCosta has a Master of Business Administration with concentration in Marketing and International Business as well as a B.Arch and a B.Sc.(Arch) from McGill University. She is currently a Co-op program coordinator at Concordia University and has career experience in business development support and marketing for leading Canadian and international professional service firms. Following her avid interest in the performing arts, Ms. DaCosta joined the Black Theatre Workshop Board of Directors in 2015.
Danielle Fortas
Treasurer
Ms. Fortas has over 35 years of experience focused on technology implementations at BMO. With an emphasis on enterprise wide initiatives in Finance and Data Analytics, she has held multiple senior IT roles. Her latest management position has been in Back Office Operations where she has enabled process change within business units. Danielle immigrated from France to continue her university studies. She holds a degree in Economics from Paris X and a Bachelor of Commerce (Option MIS) from Concordia. She followed the University of Waterloo Program for BMO Technologists and the Project Management Program from York University. She is a member of the BMO Alliance for Women in Canada and the Black Professional Network. Danielle is passionate about arts, the development of black culture in Montreal and the sustainability of black community institutions within Quebec and Canada.
Yvonne Greer
Board Member
Ms. Greer has a B.A. in English and Psychology from Concordia and a M.Ed. (Counselling) from McGill. Currently retired after 30 years in Education as a teacher/Guidance Counsellor, she has worked just as long within the Black community with the Negro Community Centre (NCC) and the Black Community Central Administration of Quebec (BCCAQ). She has been on the Boards of Elizabeth House, Women on the Rise, the Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC) and is currently a member of the Rev. Dr. Charles Este Scholarship Committee. She has a strong interest in theatre going back to the Negro Theatre Arts Club and has been a long-time supporter of BTW. She has been a member of the Black Theatre Workshop Board of Directors since 2015.
Carolyn Griffith
Board Member
Carolyn Griffith is the director of finance and operations for a Quebec organization committed to serving the needs of the legal community and has her CPA designation. Carolyn is native Montrealer. Carolyn has over 20 years of progressive experience as a compliance professional within the financial services industry. She is a believer in being proactive rather than reactive. Carolyn is a proud graduate of both Concordia University and McGill University. She brings to the board extensive experience in identifying, evaluating and mitigating risk in a heavily regulated industry. She comes with a proven track record within the compliance function in analysis, implementing and testing controls. Carolyn recently joined the board of directors of the Black Theatre Workshop in 2022. She is delighted to be part of the board and is excited to contribute to the living legacy of the Black Theatre Workshop.
Cheryl-Ann Lilieth
Board Member
Ms. Lilieth began her theatre training with BTW’s inaugural Summer Workshop Program. She went on to major in voice performance at McGill University and is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Ms. Lilieth has performed in both classical and musical theatre works in Canada and the United States, and has previously worked with Opéra de Montreal, The Montreal Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Classique de Montréal, and Tapestry Opera. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from McGill University.