Artists

Erin Shields – Artistic Director - is a playwright, actor and founding member of Groundwater Productions through which she creates and develops most of her work including If We Were Birds which received a workshop production at The Summerworks Festival 2008 and a full production at Tarragon Theatre in 2010. The production received five Dora Mavor Moore nominations and won for Best Actress and Sound Design. Other Groundwater highlights include The Epic of Gilgamesh (Summerworks), The Unfortunate Misadventures of Masha Galinski (Canadian Tour) and Goblin Market (in association with Belltower Theatre).

As an actor/creator Erin has toured extensively with Small Wooden Shoe’s Dedicated to the Revolutions, devised Dance of the Red Skirts with Theatre Columbus and Be Wearing Wolf with Suitcase in Point. Erin is currently developing new work with The Shaw Festival, Theatre Direct Canada, Nightwood Theatre and Suitcase in Point. Erin is also writing a new play for the Tarragon Theatre at which she is a playwright in residence.

Erin trained as an actor at Rose Bruford College in London, England and graduated from the University of Toronto with High Distinction for her Honours BA in English Literature.

Gideon Arthurs – Artistic Producer – is also the Executive Director of the Toronto Fringe Festival and an independent director and producer. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts as Chair of the Media Relations Committee and is an active member of the Indie Caucus. He is a former member of the board for Pleiades Theatre as Secretary, Public Recordings as Treasurer, and the Paprika Festival as President. He studied at Brown University in Rhode Island. Gideon was formerly Company Manager at Soulpepper Theatre Company, worked in development at Ryerson University, and has produced and directed numerous independent theatre productions at the Fringe, Tarragon Theatre, SummerWorks, Passe Muraille, FemFest and Uno Festival. He also recently became the father of the world’s greatest baby, Olive Shields.