Executive Director - One Yellow Rabbit
Managing Producer - High Performance Rodeo
Erin O’Connor is the Executive Director of One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre, where she is responsible for strategic and business planning and provides leadership and management of the organization. She is also the Managing Producer of the High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts. The recent 27th edition of the High Performance Rodeo featured 109 performances with 546 artists from 12 countries.
Erin has an extensive background in the dance milieu in Canada as a performing artist, choreographer and arts administrator. Prior to joining One Yellow Rabbit, O’Connor performed with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and was the Executive Artistic Director of eko dance projects and has managed not-for-profit and for-profit commercial business. She brings a strong creative industry background and astute management skills to bear in her work with One Yellow Rabbit.
Development Manager
Johnny is a long time member of the One Yellow Rabbit Management Team having worked in Front of House and Festival Operations.
As Development Manager, Johnny is responsible for leading both Annual Giving and Major Gift Campaigns. Johnny enjoys cultivating life long relationships with both individual and corporate donors.
Business Manager
Steven Gallant is One Yellow Rabbit’s Business Manager. With a focus on finance and administration, he supports the Executive Director, Board of Directors and other Managers in their roles. Steven also acts as industry and artist liaison for the High Performance Rodeo, facilitates contracts, manages the day-to-day accounting and takes care of the office.
Business and arts minded - Steven brings a mix of skills and experience from various sectors including government, retail, design and media.
High Performance Rodeo Co-Producer
We're thrilled to welcome our new Festival Co-Producer, Ann Connors. Ann first came into our office as the Managing Director of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, when the city-hopping festival landed in Calgary in 2012, and she's already proving to be a powerhouse addition to Team Rodeo.
Welcome aboard, Ann!
Box Office and Patron Services Coordinator
Noree brings her Box Office and Patron Services experience to the High Performance Rodeo after working for the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival and the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. She is a creative generalist and arts administrator with a background in program development, human resources, communications and special event management. Noree is also an amateur baker and cookie artist.
The fact that One Yellow Rabbit has been thriving for thirty years is a testament to Rabbit tenacity and fearlessness in the face of evolution. The company has seen many changes over three decades, developing from a band of young theatre rebels to one of the country’s best known and respected creative ensembles, and throughout this evolution there has been a dedication not to mere survival, not to mere sustainability, but to thrivability.
As we enjoy our 30th year, One Yellow Rabbit is proud to present our organizational vision to the Canada Council for the Arts, knowing that our company has more to offer the regional and national arts community now than ever before.
Through planning sessions in Spring 2012, One Yellow Rabbit developed a new Strategic Plan for 2012-16. It is designed to provide the infrastructure and inspiration necessary to allow our artists and key management to think dynamically and work towards a big vision.
Our artists are the company’s greatest assets. When one hears the words “One Yellow Rabbit”, the names Blake Brooker, Denise Clarke and Michael Green leap immediately to mind. We quickly recognized that, in order to increase our successes at every level of the organization, these founding artists needed to be central to our planning.
Under the renewed business model, consisting of six business units, each of our founding artists leads an individual program area while remaining connected and motivated by a common vision and mission. This simple approach has opened up growth areas for new creative initiatives and community outreach, and signals a bright future for One Yellow Rabbit.
- Performance Creation (Blake Brooker): At any given time, the OYR Performing Ensemble will have two plays in production and two new plays in development, with a renewed focus on national and international touring.
- Festival Production (Michael Green): Our main presenting platform, the High Performance Rodeo, is one of Calgary’s signature events - curated, multi-disciplinary and international in scope. In this plan, the festival will continue on its path of growing excellence.
- Education & Workshops (Denise Clarke): Building on the success of the Summer Lab Intensive, new directions in education will include the Big Secret Theatre School (a semester-long performance intensive) and a new book project, First Canvas, detailing One Yellow Rabbit’s creative processes.
- Community Outreach: With our core activities each bundled into its own business unit, we have resources available to intentionally reach out to ever-broader communities. These initiatives could resemble our partnership with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra to commission Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation, free public programming like Snowblower or the +15 Art Parade, or outreach to our corporate neighbours in downtown Calgary with events like Wine Stage and Naked West.
- Creative Initiatives: Maintaining the flexibility, agility and responsiveness that has been a staple of One Yellow Rabbit’s evolution, this business unit allows our Performing Ensemble to branch out and explore diverse creative ventures, like the recent co-production of Schlachter-Tango with Germany’s Theaterlabor.
- Big Secret Theatre: Our home in the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts will remain the incubator for new Ensemble work and host inspiring rental productions throughout the year.
A large component of our propensity for success is the idea that success is not an end place but is an on-going exploration. One Yellow Rabbit is poised to leverage the creative and intellectual capital of their 80+ creation/productions, which have changed the landscape of Canadian theatre. We are poised to create, produce, present, incubate and educate in masterful Rabbit fashion for the next four years and beyond. One Yellow Rabbit is on fire.
One Yellow Rabbit enriches society through stimulating, provocative and life- affirming performing arts.
Create and present vital, surprising performance experiences that engage and reward our community.
Executive Board Members
- Chair - Cameron Webster
- Vice-chair - Chris Ollenberger
- Treasurer - Paolo Odorico
- Secretary - Greg Forrest
Directors
- Mona Dallman
- Paddy-Jo Davis
- Steve Eichler
- Peter Kufeldt
- Colin Logiss
- Trevor McConnell
Ex-officio
- Erin O'Connnor
Honorary
- Blake Brooker
- Denise Clarke
- Michael Green
Associate
- Alderman John Mar
EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts
Centre Court area - 2nd level
Address: #21, 225 8th Avenue SE - Calgary, Alberta T2G 0K8
Landmarks to guide you: One block west of Calgary City Hall on the Stephen Avenue Pedestrian Mall (8th Avenue SE). Across from Olympic Plaza ( we're on the south side)
General Inquiries Tel: (403) 264-3224 EXT 1
Fax: (403) 264-3230
Maps to find us
An image map showing our location in downtown Calgary:
Google Map showing our location in downtown Calgary:
The Big Secret Theatre is the creative working space of One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre. Because of our busy producing schedule, which includes ensemble rehearsals, performances, the Annual Summer Lab Intensive and the annual High Performance Rodeo, the Big Secret Theatre is available to renters for a limited number of weeks in the year.
Specific information on the BST
The Big Secret Theatre seats a maximum of 245, contains a cocktail bar (The Laycraft Lounge), and a Lobby Box Office area. It is located on the 2nd floor of the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts in Calgary, Alberta.
For more information please contact One Yellow Rabbit.
Telephone: (403) 264-3224 Ext 6
Important - please note
The maximum legal capacity of the Big Secret Theatre is 245 seats. The Theatre is normally configured to seat 180 people. Arrangements must be made in advance to reconfigure the Theatre to accommodate more seating.