Performing Arts Lodges of Toronto

	nurturing the life and spirit of our performing arts community...

PAL Toronto's Board Members:

Bridget Blake: A new member of the Board, Bridget will serve as Chair of the Membership Committee. She was born in Stratford, England and has been in the performing arts all her life. She has been in Stage Management at the Stratford Festival Theatre Canada and has taught voice and drama at Scarborough College Campus U of T, among various other theatre schools. More recently, other word experience has led her to work in the Mental Health Field as a Councellor, then a Recreationist for a Senior's Day Program. Bridget will bring an abundance of knowledge concerning the performing arts community and the human condition on aging.

Bernie Des Roches: A new member to the PAL Board, Bernie is Chair of our Communications Committee. Bernie is a graduate pharmacist from the University of Toronto and completed Master's and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Wisconsin. His career has been with the Ontario College of Pharmacists where he held senior positions in Continuing Education, Quality Assurance, and Communications. His work has been at the provincial, national and international scene for which he has received several prestigious awards.

Ken Gass: Is the newly elected President of the Board. Ken brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the theatre scene. He is the artistic and founding director of Factory Theatre, a company he began with a commitment to do only Canadian plays, ran for 10 years, then returned to rescue it from collapse. Since the purchase of the Factory's heritage property, the company's long-term future is secure. Ken is also a playwright, director, and teacher at the U.C. Drama Program at U of T.

Celia Hamilton: She currently acts as Chair of the Management Committee. She was formerly Vice-President after she stepped down as President following the 2004 Annual General Meeting, a role she undertook when the Boards of PAL Canada and PAL Toronto split in 2003. She retired as Branch Manager of ACTRA Toronto in 1996. She had been working in Toronto and Montreal ACTRA for over 20 years. Prior to that she worked in all aspects of the stage and television industry.

Dan Lyon: He has worked over the years as an actor, playwright, theatre producer, entertainment lawyer, film distributor, movie producer and (currently) Director of the Feature Film unit for the Ontario office of Telefilm Canada. His film "Twist" was nominated for four 2004 Genie awards and won one. Dan also won a Peabody award for the 2003 TV movie "The Interrogation of Michael Crowe". Dan's most recent feature (to be theatrically released in the fall 2006) is "Everything's Gone Green", written by acclaimed Canadian writer Douglas Coupland. He was a founding member of the Producers' Roundtable of Ontario (PRO) and remains a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Bernard Martin: After graduating from Wilfred Laurier University and articling with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, he obtained his CA designation. He spent some time in practise in Bermuda and since then has specialized in Toronto in servicing small and medium businesses. He was born in France and emigrated to Canada when he was eight. Bernard is Treasurer of PAL Toronto.

Vivienne Muhling: As a teenage actress, she was elected V.P. of Northern British Equity. When she first came to Canada she worked as a stage manager for Dora Mavor Moore, subsequently ran two theatre businesses, Vivienne Stenson Concerts and Vivienne Stenson Publicity, both of which she continued in New York from 1962 to 72. She return to Toronto as AGO's Communications Director, then on to Factory Theatre, Toronto Free and Passe Muraille. She won a DORA as producer of Indigo, served on the Boards of the Performing Arts Publicists' Association and of Performing Arts Lodges, where she became a resident in 1999 and has served since at every PAL Board level. Vivienne is Chair of the SCRABBLE ® with the Stars fundraising committee.

Nigel Napier-Andrews: He returned to the Board on which he served in the early years, and was Vice-President until he was appointed President following the 2004 Annual General Meeting. At the 2005 AGM he was re-elected to the Board and appointed President for a further two year term, and has agreed to stay as Past President for another year. For many years, Nigel was a television producer and director and now works in corporate video and event management. Nigel is Vice-Commodore of the Harbour City Yacht Club and sails his 27 foot sloop on Lake Ontario. He also paints and holds art classes in the refurbished art studio at PAL Place.

Patty Gail Peaker: A singer and actor, she helped spearhead the concept of Performing Arts Lodges of Canada and was the first vice-president on its founding Board of Directors. She has served on subsequent PAL Boards and was co-founder of Supporting Cast, where she currently serves as Chair and coordinates its activities and volunteers at PAL Place and beyond.

Barbara Sadegur: Her artistic endeavours have taken her into the world of Opera, Operetta and Broadway as well as the concert stage, oratorio, and symphonic productions. She has directed 12 years of benefit Concerts in aid of Epilepsy Research. Her daytime office job is with the Ministry of the Attorney General. Barbara is the newly elected Secretary to the Board.

Gary Shortliffe: He made his film debut (and ended his professional career at age 10) in a resoundingly unsuccessful CBC melodrama. After university, Gary moved to Toronto, attended law school and for the past twenty-four years he has practiced the lesser performing art of trial litigation. He remains keenly interested in the real performing arts, and brings his skills to the Board and to its Residential Accommodation Committee on which he serves.

Mike Wallace: He is the Executive Director of Theatre Museum Canada, a charity that seeks to preserve, explore and celebrate Canada's performing arts heritage. Mike worked in theatre as a freelance stage manager for 10 years. He graduated with a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of King's College and with an MBA from the Schulich School of Business with its specializations in arts and nonprofit management.

If you are interested in serving on PAL Toronto's Board in the future, please email with a letter of introduction and a brief biography.