OUR TEAM
CO-ARTISTIC PRODUCER
Mercedes Bátiz-Benét (she/her) is a Mexican-born multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and award-winning director privileged and grateful to live, work, and create on the unceded traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən, WSÁNEĆ, and Wyomilth peoples of the Coast Salish Nation. Known for her emotionally potent and surrealist style, she has written, co-written, and directed numerous plays that have toured nationally and internationally. In 2014, Mercedes won the Canadian Stage Award for Direction at the SummerWorks Festival in Toronto with her play El Jinete – A Mariachi Opera, in 2015 she was chosen as the Distinguished Alumna of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria, and in 2020 she directed Fado, The Saddest Music in the World (Firehall/Puente), which won the JAYMAC Award for Outstanding Production at the Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards. In 2021 she was chosen as one of the Playwrights Theatre Centre’s 2021-2024 Associates, and in 2022 she was honoured with the PARC Retirement Mid-Career Artist Award at the Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards. Mercedes is the artistic director of Puente Theatre where her mission is to advocate for the inclusion, representation, and development of immigrant, IBPOC, and culturally diverse voices. Mercedes is also the co-artistic producer of the Great Works Theatre Festival.
CO-ARTISTIC PRODUCER
The Founding Artistic Director of Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, Brian Richmond is a multi-award-winning producer, director, dramaturge and educator who has created work for most of the major theatres across Canada for more than five decades. The director of more than 150 productions he has worked with several of his generations leading playwrights and has served as the artistic leader of several Canadian theatres including Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre (which he co-founded), Montreal Playwrights’ Workshop, Thunder Bay’s Magnus Theatre and Toronto’sTheatre Passe Muraille. He is also a professor in the Department of Theatre at UVic where heserved as Chair from 2001-2008.
PRODUCER
Judd Palmer is one of the founders of the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, a company that creates puppet theatre for adults and sometimes children and tours it around the world. With the Old Trouts, Judd has directed, designed, written and performed in many shows, like Famous Puppet Death Scenes, Ghost Opera, and JabberwockY. He’s also designed the set, costumes and puppets for Vancouver and San Diego Opera’s Hansel & Gretel and Twelfth Night at Theatre Calgary and the National Arts Centre, has written and illustrated six children’s books (three of which have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award), wrote, directed, and narrated the award-winning Old Trout Christmas special (produced by the National Film Board), co-wrote & did production design for a music video for Feist's song Honey Honey which won the Juno Award for Best Video, and is also the general manager of Puente Theatre, a company based in Victoria dedicated to building bridges between cultures.
OPERATIONS OFFICER
Leina Dueck is a North Vancouver-based graphic designer and visual artist with a passion for storytelling through design. A graduate of the University of Victoria with a degree in Visual Arts, her work combines traditional artistic techniques with modern digital design, resulting in striking visuals that resonate across both cultural and commercial landscapes. With a background in business studies and years of experience in graphic and web design, Leina specializes in brand identity, visual communications, and social media strategy.
Rooted in her Japanese, German, and Dutch heritage, Leina embraces diverse perspectives in her work, celebrating the intersection of art, culture, and community.
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BOX OFFICE MANAGER
William "Bill" Allen is an emerging Victoria-based writer and director with large ambitions and a distinct lack of time to pursue them (yet!). He is a recent graduate from the University of Vicdtoria's theatre program, where he focused his studies in directing, front of house, and developing his artistic skills.
Nowadays he continues to work on his playwriting and directing, and hopes to take every opportunity he can to move his ideas off of the page and onto the stage while remaining involved in the local theatre community on the island.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Sierra Alexander is a recent graduate of the University of Victoria's theatre program, where she focused on performance, front of house, and box office studies. She is very excited to get to work with the Great Works Theatre Festival this summer, and hopes to continue to build her connection with the Victoria Theatre community.
