Staff & Board
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Rachel is a multifaceted theatre artist born and raised in various parts of the Greater Vancouver area, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh (Squamish), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh (Stó:lō), Stz'uminus, Qayqayt, sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ (Tsawwassen), Kwantlen and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) Peoples. As a performer, she has appeared on stages across Western Canada in a wide range of productions from new works, to classics, to musicals. As a playwright, Rachel strives to explore complex issues with humour and curiosity. In 2018, she was recognized with the Sydney J. Risk Prize for Outstanding Original Script by an Emerging Writer, for her second play, The Code. As a director, she strives to cultivate an environment that prioritizes fun and excellence in equal measure. Favourite directing credits include the world premiere of Like It or Not and co-directing the digital live-stream adaptation of Cranked for Green Thumb, and the collective creation I Know What I Saw at her alma mater, Studio 58. Rachel was selected for the 2017 Playwrights Lab at the Banff Centre, the 2020 Caravan Farm Theatre National Playwrights Retreat (sadly cancelled due to Covid-19) and was one of only 15 international artists selected for the ASSITEJ Next Generation Program at the 2018 ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering in Beijing. All training and resume credits aside, Rachel’s favourite and most important job is being a Mom to her daughter Elliot, who challenges and inspires her every day.

For more than a decade Shannon has worked for non-profit arts and culture organizations, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh (Squamish), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples – very happily behind the curtain, and usually with a spreadsheet or two at her fingertips. She comes to Green Thumb Theatre from WISH Drop-In Centre, but prior to then she was the General Manager of the Granville Island Theatre District. She has worked with organizations such as The Improv Centre, the Vancouver Fringe Festival, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and Carousel Theatre for Young People. As a volunteer, she served on the Board of Directors for the Killjoy Theatre Association.

In her downtime, Shannon enjoys almost anything that takes her outdoors, taking in live-performance events, spending time with her friends and family, exploring places that are off the beaten path, and buying plants she doesn’t need.

Madelaine is a theatre director and producer based on the traditional, ancestral, and stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, who strongly believes in the power of storytelling and theatre as an effective medium for understanding our world, each other and ourselves. She has worked in the Vancouver theatre community since graduating from UBC in 2017, most recently as the Venue Manager of Performance Works with the GITD. She is also the Co-Producer for Wunderdog Theatre, and can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons in her spare time, telling queer and fantastical stories about friendship.

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Miku was born and raised in Japan, from the beautiful prefecture of Gunma. She moved to Canada 14 years ago and has been in the Calgary theatre community for about 10 years as an actor. She was in the last graduating class from the theatre program at Mount Royal University in Alberta. After the program got cut from the university, she became passionate about encouraging and supporting theatre/art in the community to keep it alive.  She strongly believes in the power of laughter and a contagious smile and positivity. That is why she was super excited / wanted to be a part of Green Thumb Theatre, to move young people, and bring awareness of the current world we live in.

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Aliya Griffin (she/her) is an arts administrator, facilitator, creator, and performer residing on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. She has a keen interest in political and socially engaged theatre, and extensive experience working with and for youth. She is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Troika Collective, a multi-disciplinary performance collective that uses Eastern European history and culture as a lens to explore universally resonant stories and themes. In her free time, she performs with her vocal group Vostok, specializing in music from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Aliya holds a BA in theatre performance and political science as well as a M.Ed. in Arts for Social Change from SFU.

Susan has been an accountant for over 15 years, and with Green Thumb since 2011. She makes her home in Richmond, BC, with her husband and two twin boys.

Patrick McDonald served as Artistic Director of Green Thumb Theatre from 1988 to 2020; prior to that he was the Artistic Director of Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. He has directed over 75 productions for Green Thumb and has overseen the commissioning and development of more than 50 new plays for children, teens and young adults. He has commissioned work from emerging writers like Dave Deveau and Michelle Riml and established writers Morris Panych, Joan MacLeod and George F. Walker. During his tenure Green Thumb productions have won numerous Jessie Richardson Awards, several Betty Mitchell Awards, and three Canada Council Awards for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences. McDonald has been nominated for many awards and has received Jessie Richardson Awards for both directing and “Continued Excellence in the Field of Theatre for Young Audiences”. In 2009 he received the Jessie Richardson Award for Career Achievement, and in 2013 he was a recipient of the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award. He has directed across the country at theatres including The Belfry, The Grand Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, National Arts Centre, Vancouver Playhouse, Gateway Theatre, Manitoba Theatre for Young People and Arts Club Theatre. He has been a two time member of the Canada Council’s Theatre Advisory Committee and has sat on many peer juries at the provincial and federal levels.