Theatre Collingwood Team - Theatre Collingwood

Erica Angus

Executive Director

Anne Raciunas

Associate Producer & Office Manager

Valerie O'Brien

Business Development Manager

Linda Milthorpe

Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

Mary Beth Sharpe

Bookkeeper (Volunteer)

Ginny Gilbert

Development Assistant (Volunteer)

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Meet our Board!

Erica Angus

Executive Director

Since 2013 Erica has given her creative “all” to Theatre Collingwood as Executive Director. Prior to working for Theatre Collingwood, she was the Associate Producer for Theatre by the Bay in Barrie. She brings with her a wealth of experience in the arts and culture sector. Erica was a board member for Tourism Barrie for 6 years, with an emphasis on marketing and collaborating with hoteliers, restaurants and the arts community. She was a founding member of Barrie’s “Lawn Chair Luminata” (arts festival) and was on the Downtown Community Theatre Advisory Group where she played a key role in the development and build of Barrie’s Five Points Center for the Performing Arts.

She coordinated a highly successful program that toured the region to over 25 schools each year, teaching students about the works of William Shakespeare. Collingwood has really become Erica’s second home, and she is passionate about creating an Arts & Culture Hub in Collingwood in a purpose-built new arts & culture centre. She is currently on the Town of Collingwood Steering Committee to see that project to fruition. Erica has been involved with The South Georgian Bay Institute and was a contributor to their report: THE POWER OF ARTS AND CULTURE: A Strategy for Southern Georgian Bay and Beyond. She is a founding member of the South Georgian Bay Arts Network and the Collingwood Arts, Culture & Entertainment group. During the pandemic she curated an outdoor festival called The Porchside Festival, which is now in its fourth year, bringing top entertainers to Collingwood to perform on porches in the month of July. Erica is thrilled to have such a great team to work with at Theatre Collingwood, including the staff, volunteers and board members. It is her belief that the arts is not just ” the icing on the cake”, rather it is the whole cake! It plays a pivotal role in all our lives and our economy. Ask her why at [email protected].

Anne Raciunas

Associate Producer & Office Manager

Anne Raciunas has been a part of the Theatre Collingwood team since 2014.

A graduate of the University of Guelph, in her spare time Anne works as an independent actor, director, and producer. She is a member of the Theatre Georgian Bay Shakespeare Collective (which has become known for its presentations of the works of William Shakespeare at the Collingwood Amphitheatre in the summertime), and has been the director of Gaslight Community Theatre’s ‘Page to Stage’ program for the last three seasons. Anne spent the summer of 2007 as Theatre Collingwood’s summer student employee. This may be why she is so dedicated to our summer student employment program now, and to our youth and adult education programs. Anne has always looked back at her time spent in that “railcar” box office with great fondness, and is grateful to be an established part of the current Theatre Collingwood family.

Valerie O'Brien

Business Development Manager

Valerie joined Theatre Collingwood in 2018, a few years after relocating from Waterloo Region where she spent several years in the role of marketing manager for Drayton Entertainment, a prominent live theatre company in South Western Ontario with seven performance venues.

Currently serving as the Business Development Manager at Theatre Collingwood, Valerie is dedicated to fostering community relationships and leading fundraising initiatives. She specializes in establishing connections with individuals and businesses eager to showcase their community support for the performing arts.

Originally from Alberta, Valerie has also lived and worked in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, immersing herself in the arts communities of each city. While Valerie is deeply passionate about arts & culture, she is also a strong advocate for recreational activities. During her youth, she was active in dance, gymnastics, swimming, track & field, and skiing. Today, she maintains a healthy lifestyle through activities such as Crossfit, running, and skiing in Ontario’s Blue Mountains—just a short drive from her home!

Valerie holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a Master of Arts in Communication and Culture. She also volunteers with South Georgian Bay Tourism Association and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors.

Linda Milthorpe

Box Office, Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator

Since 2011 when Linda moved to Collingwood, she has been part of the Theatre Collingwood team, first as a volunteer and since 2019 working in office and in the field, wearing many hats.

Linda has enjoyed spending time in Collingwood all her life, on the ski hills and at her family cottage in Wasaga Beach. After graduating in Civil Engineering she chose to work with her parents in the health and wellness industry. As aunt to 8 nieces and nephews, her gift of choice was to take them to a theatre performance or send them to drama camp.

In her free time, Linda enjoys gardening, walking her dog Lucy, reading & travelling.

Mary Beth Sharpe

BookKeeper (Volunteer)

Mary Beth has been Theater Collingwood’s Bookkeeper since 2007! In her career, she managed her own bookkeeping business for over eighteen years, representing a variety of clients in Toronto. Having spent many years as “weekenders”, Mary Beth and her husband Peter left their sons in Toronto to retire and become full time residents of the Town of the Blue Mountains in May 2006. Both Mary Beth and Peter now give so much back to their new community by volunteering for Theatre Collingwood and several other local charitable organizations. We thank Mary Beth for her expertise and commitment to TC!

Ginny Gilbert

Development Assistant (Volunteer)

Ginny has been a lover of theatre since she was a teenager, hanging out at the Stage Door of the O’Keefe Centre! While living in Niagara, she worked with Garden City Productions for seven years as a member of their Production Team. She has a BA in Psychology and Sociology from McMaster University and completed a Certificate in the Fund Raising Program at Humber College while Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs at Brock University. She moved with her husband to Collingwood and has since volunteered with Theatre Collingwood, Gaslight Community Theatre, and Thornbury Community Theatre. She feels very privileged to be a part of Theatre Collingwood’s Admin Team, helping to support theatre in her community.

Meet our Theatre Advocates

We recognize and celebrate our Theatre Advocates! Theatre Collingwood is forever grateful to those that have dedicated their skills, passion, talent and time over the past four decades to ensure that the Performing Arts have a place to thrive and evolve in our community! With gratitude and sincere appreciation, we honour our late Founder, Barbara Weider alongside our dear friends and Theatre Advocates Hella Sandberg and Katherine Huycke.

Join our Theatre Collingwood Team!

Become a Volunteer

…then you are a PERFECT candidate to work with Theatre Collingwood as a volunteer! Reach out today to become a representative and advocate for Collingwood’s established professional theatre company!