On behalf of the SIR Board of Directors, I am delighted to share the exciting news that we have selected our new Managing Director, Adam Jennings, who starts with us on October 20.

When we interviewed Adam, we saw in him what we see in you, our community members – a passion for the arts, a love for Shakespeare, and a deep excitement to experience the work of our community of artists on our stage at the St. Norbert Trappist Monastery Ruins. He is the right person to step in and manage the company at this moment in time, and we can’t wait to start working with him.

Adam has roots in theatre, having studied with our Artistic Director Rodrigo at The University of Winnipeg’s theatre program – in fact, the two of them acted in a Fringe play together back in 2005! He has worked in the financial sector for 18 years, with experience in banking, investments, and insurance. His roles have included manager, coach, and most recently, administrative assistant. Alongside his professional career, he spent many years in ‘showbiz’, involved as an actor, student, director, and producer. He considers theatre his first love, and is excited to bring both his financial expertise and passion for the arts to Shakespeare in the Ruins.

Adam is joining SIR at a critical time in our evolution. This summer we cancelled 7 shows during our season – a record we never imagined we would set. The reality of our changing environment has placed pressure on us to manage risks in new ways and plan contingencies that can help us weather the unpredictability of storms, smoke, and other unplanned challenges.

So as he steps into his role with us, we will be working together with Adam and Rodrigo to develop proactive and strategic approaches to delivering the experiences you love, in ways that are safe for artists and audiences. To that end, we will be developing a new strategic plan this winter, which will help guide us forward. Keep your eyes on your inbox, because we will be asking for your input as well.

Before I sign off, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the heavy workload that Rodrigo has assumed over the past few months. If your only experiences with SIR have been at the Ruins during our season when we are working with a full team of cast, crew, volunteers, and seasonal staff, you may not know that we operate with just two full-time team members during the rest of the year: the Artistic Director and the Managing Director.

The end of a season comes with a wave of administrative work – reports, reconciliations, and many, many, many bills to sort through and pay. But it also is the opportunity for the Artistic Director to envision next year’s season – in other words, take a beat and dream a little. With the Managing Director role vacant, Rodrigo filled all of these roles and more. We were able to bring in some wonderful temporary support from Erin McGrath, and the Board and I stepped in to help where we could. But Rodrigo has truly kept the heart of SIR beating over the past few months. We are deeply grateful for his commitment, his professionalism, and the care and kindness he brings to his work every day.

We have so many exciting updates to share with you, and I promise that SIR will be in touch more frequently as we bring Adam on board. In the meantime, the final thank you I have to share is with you – the person who comes to our shows, reads our newsletters, and donates to support the art we love so much. We don’t exist without you (it certainly wouldn’t be much fun without you there), and we are so delighted that you are part of our community. To that end, we can’t wait for you to meet Adam – we think you’re going to love him!

Joanne Zuk

Chair of the Board of Directors