IATSE Roundtable: A National Converstaion

IATSE Roundtable: A National Discussion

Join us for a roundtable discussion, centered around IATSE negotiations, the realities of working in an IATSE house, and engage in the invaluable insights from leaders in production from around the country.

The roundtable hosted by PACT, features recognized guests, Christopher Dennis (Director of Production, National Ballet of Canada) & Lyndee Hansen (Executive Director, The Grand Theatre), Mark Lavaway (Director, Labour Relations & Business Development, Mirvish Productions), Elissa Horscroft (Director of Production, Stratford Festival).

Moderated by Lisa Li (Executive Director, Tarragon Theatre & PACT Labour Relations Committee Chair), our guests will bring a wealth of expertise, practical advice, and experience to the session.

The roundtable will be a faciliatated discussion, with questions welcomed from registrants during the sessions to engage directly with the panelists. 

This session is a foundational discussion that will be a part of future training sessions and opportunities for deeper learning and growth in mastering negotiations. 

 

DATE & TIME

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

1:00 - 2:00 pm ET. 

 

REGISTRATION

Register above. A zoom link will be sent the day of the event.

If you haven't received a zoom link, please contact Program Manager, Patricia Cerra at patriciac@pact.ca

 

GUEST BIOS

Christopher Dennis (Director of Production, National Ballet of Canada) is currently the Director of Production for the National Ballet of Canada (NBOC), after spending 14 seasons as the Director of Production with the San Francisco Ballet (SFB). He also served as NBOC resident lighting designer and lighting coordinator from 1995 –
2009. Chris’ lighting designs are in the repertoires of ballet companies across the globe, including San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and West Australia Ballet. In addition to his work in dance, Christopher has designed lighting for the Shaw and Stratford Festivals as well as other regional, theatre, throughout Canada. He holds a B.F.A. from Toronto Metropolitan University and Executive Leadership Certificate from eCornell, Ithaca New York 

 

Lyndee Hansen (Executive Director, The Grand Theatre), is an arts leader and mentor who has worked as a general manager, producer and arts administrator for the last 25 years. For the last nine years, she has worked first as the Production Manager and subsequently Producer of the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Prior to this tenure, she worked in three different provinces and held senior leadership roles at Crow’s Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, and Geordie Theatre. Lyndee holds a degree in Theatre Production from Toronto Metropolitan University and is a recipient of the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award, and Victor C. Polley Award.

 

Mark Lavaway (Director, Labour Relations & Business Development, Mirvish Productions), oversees all day-to-day labour relations with IATSE (55, 822 & B-173) and the Toronto Musicians Association (TMA). As a producer & presenter he is the main point of contact for union negotiations and human resources for the production department of Mirvish Productions. Mark has also worked for Clear Chanel/Live Nation/Key Brand and oversaw the day-today operations for the 700-seat theatre, where he also negotiated the original IATSE CBA’s w/Local 58 & 822. He was also the General Manager of the Ticketmaster Pacific northwest office and was responsible for operations in Seattle and Portland. In 1994 he was the original Director of Ticketing for the Toronto Raptors when the franchise started over 30 years ago.

 

Elissa Horscroft (Director of Production, Stratford Festival) returned to the Stratford Festival as Director of Production, after five years at Canadian Stage in this same role. Previous to this she spent 16 seasons as Technical Director at Stratford working in each of their theatres at some point and touring productions to numerous locations in both Canada and the US.  She currently employs over 400 IATSE employees and finds the hardest part is remembering everybody’s name, not to mention the nuances of seven different IATSE contracts…work in progress.

 

Lisa Li (Executive Director, Tarragon Theatre) is a theatre producer and non-profit theatre executive, who was born in China and raised in Toronto. She is the current Executive Director of Tarragon Theatre and a faculty member of Sheridan college. She was previously the Managing Director of Prairie Theatre Exchange from 2021 to 2024, and a Producer at Soulpepper Theatre from 2016 to 2020 where she produced over 65+ Soulpepper productions and concerts, including Soulpepper on 42^nd Street (New York, NY). Lisa Li has project-managed for the Shaw Festival, juried for the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and Manitoba Arts Council, and freelanced-produced for various indie theatre companies in Toronto. She is an active board member: from 2019 – 2023 Lisa Li was the chair of Actors’ Repertory Theatre, she is currently the Chair of Labour Relations for the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre, and also sits on the board of the Toronto Alliance of Performing Arts.