Studio 180's Vision
People engage more fully in the world through the experience of live theatre
Studio 180's Mission
To produce socially relevant theatre that provokes public discourse and promotes community engagement
Joel Greenberg
Artistic Director
A co-founder of Studio 180, Joel is a Chalmers and Dora award–winning playwright and director who has directed and/or choreographed more than 100 professional productions across Canada in the past 35 years. For Studio 180 he has directed and co-produced The Laramie Project, The Passion of the Chris, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, Stuff Happens, Blackbird and The Overwhelming (upcoming). Joel taught at Humber College Theatre School from 1984 to 1989 and has taught at the University of Waterloo since 1991, also serving as the chair of each theatre department (at Humber for five years, and UW for nine).
Kesta Graham
General Manager
Kesta joined the Studio 180 team as Education Coordinator for Offensive Shadows, and now combines her experience as an actor, script coordinator and project coordinator in her new position of General Manager. She has been Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Theatre Columbus since 2005 and is the administrator for the Renaissance Collective (The Language of the Heart, by Andrew Moodie). As an actor she has worked with such distinguished theatres as Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Carousel Players, Theatre Direct and Theatre Columbus. Kesta can also be seen in numerous Canadian short films and most recently in episodes of Murdoch Mysteries and B.J. Fletcher: Private Eye, and lends her voice to a variety of television and radio commercials. She is a graduate of the Acting Program at Ryerson Polytechnic University.
C. Derrick Chua
Core Artistic Team Member
A co-founder of Studio 180, Derrick is an entertainment lawyer and award-winning theatre and film producer. He is currently President of the Toronto Fringe Festival and past-President of the Toronto Theatre Alliance, and sits on the boards of Cahoots Theatre Projects, fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre and Shakespearience. As an entertainment lawyer, his clients have included a number of theatre companies, independent film and television production companies, bands, publishers, multimedia/ high tech companies and artists/performers of every kind. He holds an Honours BA from the University of Waterloo and an LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario, and is called to the Bar in Ontario and New York.
Jessica Greenberg
Core Artistic Team Member
Jessica is a Toronto-based actor and producer who has worked on and off stage with Studio 180 since 2004. As a member of the Core Artistic Team, she coordinates the company’s education and community outreach activities, creates production Study Guides and contributes to fundraising and board development initiatives. Her experience in education and childhood development ranges from work at the Upper West Side Jewish Community Centre Nursery School in Manhattan to running gymnastics, drama and music programs for children of all ages in Toronto and NYC. In 2004, she served as Education Coordinator for ARCfest: Toronto’s Human Rights Arts Festival. As an actor, Jessica has performed throughout Canada and the United States, most recently in Hana’s Suitcase and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown for the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Studio 180’s productions of Offensive Shadows and Blackbird and The Middle Place for Project Humanity at SummerWorks/09. She holds an Honours BA in political science and women’s studies from McGill University and completed her classical acting training at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York.
Mark McGrinder
Core Artistic Team Member
A co-founder of Studio 180, Mark is a Toronto-based actor, writer and producer and a veteran of the Shaw Festival and The Second City. As a member of Studio 180’s Core Artistic Team, Mark coordinates the company’s new play development initiatives. His past experience as a producer and theatre creator involves several independent ventures, including a national tour of the Fringe hit Alexander Bell I Want to Have Your Love Child and the Australian premieres of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine and George F. Walker’s Tough. His directing credits include the issue-based comedy Power Play and a workshop production of the musical Parade at the Shaw Festival. Mark was Assistant Director for Studio 180’s production of Blackbird, thanks to a Metcalf Foundation Internship grant. He has been head- or co-writer on several collective creations (Single and Sexy, That Artz Show and The Berlin Show) and his play MacHamlet was presented as part of the Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival. Mark holds an Honours BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Waterloo.
Kimwun Perehinec
Core Artistic Team Member
A co-founder of Studio 180, Kimwun is a Toronto-based actor and producer. As a member of Studio 180’s Core Artistic Team, she coordinates many of the company’s communications, from the website to print production, and contributes to fundraising and board development initiatives. As an actor, Kimwun has performed with such companies as Roseneath Theatre, the Stratford Festival, Theatre Direct, Eldritch Theatre, Absit Omen and Collective Architecture, and frequently participates in new-play-development workshops. She has also freelanced as a proofreader for graphic design firms, done communication and sales coaching with E-Roleplay.com, won awards for technical documentation and been a copy editor for Prentice-Hall Canada. She holds a Joint Honours Co-op BA in English and Theatre Arts from the University of Waterloo and is a graduate of the actor-training program at George Brown College.
