Ensemble Bios

Colleen Blake

Colleen Blake joined the Shaw Festival in July 1994. As Executive Director, Mrs Blake is the senior administrative officer working closely with Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell in the overall management of the company. She is responsible directly to the Board of Governors.

Mrs Blake was born in Alberta, educated in Canada and the United States, and is a graduate of the University of Windsor with an honours degree in English. She is the recipient of the 1972 Jean A. Chalmers Apprentice Award (awarded annually by the Stratford Festival to young professionals) and the 1983 Pauline M. McGibbon Award (awarded by the Ontario government for excellence in the early stages of a theatre professional's career). In June 2004 Mrs Blake was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Windsor.

Mrs Blake's extensive career in the theatre includes an 18-year association with the Stratford Festival in positions ranging from Stage Manager through Production Manager and Director of Production to six years as Producer. She also worked as Production Manager of Young People's Theatre and General Manager of the Bastion Theatre Company in Victoria, B.C.

Mrs Blake has served on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Arts Summit, on the Theatre Advisory Committee for the Ontario Arts Council and on the Board of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). She was on the Theatre Advisory Committee of the Canada Council and has been a member of the Theatre Assessment Committee of the Canada Council. She served as co-chair for the PACT Negotiating Committee for the Canadian Theatre Agreement, as an assessor for both the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council, and on the Arts in Transition Task Force for the Canadian Conference of the Arts. Mrs Blake is currently on the Board of the Niagara Economic Development Corporation serving as Treasurer and is a past-member of the Bicentennial Legacy Council. Mrs Blake is also on the Board of Studio 180 and is Past President of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary, she was recently recognized for her contributions to the Rotary Club of Niagara-on-the-Lake with the prestigious Paul Harris Award.

Mrs Blake makes her home in Niagara-on-the-Lake with her husband, Christopher Blake, and their daughters, Maggie and Emily.