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Founding GM and AD Gay Hauser and Mary Vingoe at the opening of Alderney Landing in 1999. Photo by Ken Kam.
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Current AD and GM Kat McCormack and Elsa Pihl upon returning EFT to Alderney Landing in 2021. Photo by James Arthur MacLean.
Eastern Front Theatre was founded in 1993 as a Dartmouth based company supporting the work of Atlantic Canadian playwrights. The original founders, Gay Hauser, Wendy Lill, and Mary Vingoe, brought a wealth of experience and nationally recognized talent to the company. They led the organization for nearly 10 years. Eastern Front Theatre was the resident theatre company at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth from 1999 to 2009. In 2009, Eastern Front Theatre relocated to Halifax where Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Stage became its home performance venue before moving home to Alderney Landing in 2021.

​Over the last 28 years, the company has championed countless Atlantic Canadian artists and stories through commissions, workshops, our annual theatre festival, and our playwrights unit. Eastern Front Theatre has produced or presented over 200 original Canadian plays, 32 of which were World Premieres. Eastern Front has four Governor General Award nominations, one Nova Scotia Masterworks nomination, and 16 Robert Merritt Awards (out of 68 nominations).

Our Staff
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Kat McCormack and Elsa Pihl at Alderney Landing. Photo by James Arthur MacLean.
Artistic Director - Kat McCormack (she/they)
A Merritt-nominated performer and five-time winner of The Coast’s Best Theatre Actor Award, McCormack has co-created fifteen new Atlantic Canadian works with local companies including Zuppa Theatre, Shakespeare by the Sea, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, and others. She has collaborated with EFT a number of times, including as director, co-creator, and performer with The Perfection of Man at the 2013 Stages Festival and most recently on tiny, a co-production with Zuppa Theatre Co. 

"I feel so strongly about the talent and creativity of Atlantic Canadian theatre artists, and am very much looking forward to facilitating and supporting the creation of new and exciting Atlantic Canadian work."
​​General Manager - Elsa Pihl (she/her)
​Growing up just outside of Stratford, Ontario, Elsa was exposed to theatre at a young age (Hamlet in Grade 5). It was no shock to her parents that she decided to pursue Theatre Studies for her post-secondary education, but choosing Acadia University was a bit of a surprise. After graduation, she moved to Toronto and began a career as a Stage Manager. Twelve years, four moves and two children later, the East Coast called her and her family back. Having spent a lot of time behind the scenes (four seasons at Carousel Players, four at Soulpepper, two at Stratford), Elsa is happy to be at Eastern Front Theatre and is excited to be back in the theatre industry in this new capacity.

Our Board of Directors

Chair - Rooks Field-Green
Rooks is a trans and nonbinary theatre artist from the scruffy outback of eastern Ontario, he now calls Halifax home. Rooks recently completed a combined-honours degree in Psychology and Theatre Studies from the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University. Rooks has worked behind the scenes with Zuppa Theatre Co. (City Ditties, This is Nowhere, F.I.S.H.), 2b Theatre (The Bridge), DaPoPo Theatre in association with Shakespeare by The Sea (Queer Theatre Ensemble, and Shakesqueer).  He has also worked as a performer with Zuppa Theatre (F.I.S.H.) Villain's Theatre (M: The Berlin Murders, Isolate Nights), Neptune Theatre TYA (Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures, Jabber) and Ship's Company Theatre (Good Grief). 
Rooks is the co-creator of Circle Back Theatre, a new company that has many exciting new developments coming to Halifax soon. Rooks produces, writes and directs queer children's radio plays with Frod and Troag Productions (Frog and Toad are Together, Ice Cream, A Swim, Cookies).

Rooks is excited to give back to the community and support other emerging artists through Eastern Front Theatre!
​Treasurer - Irteza Hassan
Irteza did most of his growing up in Truro, Nova Scotia. Currently he works as a finance professional in Halifax. His first theatre experience was at small local venue. Where he showed up for quiet anniversary dinner and show only to find out the show was based around singing Nova Scotian folk tunes with audience participation. Lots of songs were sung that evening. Since then he has supported many small local productions. When he first heard of the mission of EFT, in promoting local artists and writers, he wanted to help in any way possible. His experience in financially advising clients will be an asset to EFT.
​Secretary - Zach Faye 
Zach is a performer, designer, and maker based in Dartmouth, NS. Over the years, he has worked with many Nova Scotian theatre companies such as Neptune Theatre, Eastern Front, Zuppa Theatre, Festival Antigonish, Ships Company, Forerunner Playwrights’ Theatre, and DaPoPo Theatre. Zach is thrilled to have a seat on the board of EFT, alongside so many talented and hard working people. He's particularly excited to see Kat in the Artistic Director position, and can't wait to assist this organization in amplifying the voices of our region.
Jessica Barry
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Anne Carlos 
Experienced District Manager with a passion for driving results and growing people. Skilled in Leadership, Facilitation, Customer Service, Retail, Inventory Control, Retail Sales, and Team Building. Strong leader looking for an opportunity to share with a great company.​
Kimberley Cody
​Chelsea Dickie
Chelsea is a teacher, arts administrator, and stage manager based in K’jipuktuk / Halifax. She is one of the founding members and the Managing Director of Matchstick Theatre, the Provincial Coordinator of the Nova Scotia High School DramaFest, the Office Manager for 2b theatre company, the Chair of the Board for the Bus Stop Theatre Co-op, and the proud recipient of Neptune’s Chrysalis Emerging Artist Award for the 2019 Merritts. She’s spent her past few years as both a Drama teacher within the HRCE, and working as a freelance Stage Manager around the province; having managed many shows with a wide range of different wonderful companies such as Neptune Theatre, The Doppler Effect, Villain’s Theatre, Workshirt Opera, Festival Antigonish, TAG, Side-by-Side productions, TNTS, and Terra Novella Theatre. Chelsea is very excited to be joining Eastern Front’s board of directors and supporting the organization to foster the great work and amazing artists of Atlantic Canada!
Luciana Silvestre Fernandes
Luciana is a Brazilian-Canadian theatre artist, primarily a director, though also a dancer and actor. Luciana graduated from Dal and obtained an MFA in directing from UBC, she was part of Neptune's Chrysalis program in 2019 and is now 2b theatre's Emerging Artist in Residence. Luciana is very excited to support Kat's vision for Eastern Front.
Laurie Fleet
​Karen Gross 
Karen is a queer theatre producer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is the Artistic Co-Director of Keep Good (Theatre) Company (Let’s Try This Standing, The Children), and the resident producer for the Accidental Mechanics Group (Let’s Not Beat Each Other To Death, The Unfamiliar Everything). Karen is a board member with HomeFirst Theatre and has previously worked with Live Art Dance and the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. She is the co-founder of the StART Festival, an interdisciplinary festival of art by emerging artists at the Bus Stop Theatre. Karen is committed to EFT's mandate to support the development, production and promotion of Atlantic Canadian theatre artists. 
Keith Morrison
​Lee-Anne Poole
​Lee-Anne is a Queer writer & arts producer living in K’jipuktuk/Halifax. The author of seven plays; her work has toured Canada and Europe. Her first full-length play, Splinters, has been adapted into a feature film. Most recently Lee-Anne was featured in Hustling Verse: An Anthology of Sex Workers’ Poetry. Lee-Anne is the Executive Director of the Halifax Fringe Festival. 
Olivia Rankin 
Olivia is a stage manager, film producer and lighting designer based in K'jipuktuk/Halifax. She moved here in 2010 from the Okanagan, BC and received her BA in Technical Scenography from Dalhousie. Over the past decade she has made Nova Scotia her home, working with theatre companies around the province. Many of her shows have received recognition such as Merritt Awards, re-mounts and tours, as well as national and international acclaim. She is so thrilled to be joining Eastern Front Theatre at such an exciting time, and is very much looking forward to supporting and championing positive new developments for the local arts community. 
Julie Wilson

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