The Team
Mark McGrinder (he/him)
Artistic Director
Mark (he/him) is the Artistic Director of Studio 180 Theatre. His Studio 180 performing credits include Oslo, The Nether, You Will Remember Me, Clybourne Park and Stuff Happens. He has been a director and/or dramaturg(e) for many of Studio 180’s IN DEVELOPMENT projects and, as the program’s coordinator, has worked to connect creators with the appropriate collaborators required to bring their visions to the stage. He adapted and directed Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish for PANAMANIA, directed Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays and worked as Associate Director for Blackbird, God of Carnage and Studio 180’s 10th Anniversary reading of The Laramie Project. Mark was a member of the acting ensemble at the Shaw Festival for five seasons and he performed in several reviews with The Second City’s National touring company. He has been head or co-writer on several collective creations (Single and Sexy, That Artz Show and The Berlin Show) and his play MacHamlet was presented as part of the Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival. As an artist educator he has worked with high school, college and university students in and beyond the GTA and is continually inspired by the passion and vision of the young artists he has had the good fortune to connect with.
Laurie-Ann Goodwin (she/her)
General Manager
Laurie-Ann brings fifteen years of leadership experience in non-profit arts organizations, including roles as General Manager of Touchstone Theatre and Executive Director of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. She combines her passion for the arts with expertise in financial management, production oversight, and organizational growth. She is known for nurturing workplaces that prioritize well-being and collaboration. As a dynamic leader, she is committed to fostering and amplifying the arts, while ensuring long-term sustainability and organizational health. In addition to her leadership roles, Laurie-Ann works as an independent fund development consultant. She also enjoys applying her skills to creative video production, managing projects that blend her organizational expertise with her passion for storytelling. An advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, Laurie-Ann is dedicated to driving meaningful change through both policy and action. She firmly believes in the power of the performing arts to ignite dialogue and spark progress.
Jessica Greenberg (she/her)
Director of Youth & Community Engagement
Jessica (she/her) is Studio 180’s Director of Youth and Community Engagement, a co-creator of the IN CLASS program, and a core member of the company since 2004. She is a Dora-nominated actor and a leader in drama education with a passion for promoting youth empowerment and building community through theatre. As an actor she has performed on stages across Canada and the US, including Studio 180, Canadian Stage, Crow’s Theatre, Mirvish Productions, Project: Humanity, Magnus Theatre, YPT, The Citadel, MTYP, Passe Muraille, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Theatre New Brunswick, Willow Cabin Theatre and Theatreworks/USA. She has appeared on The Handmaid’s Tale, Murdoch Mysteries and Being Erica as well as the animated series Fish ‘n Chips. At Studio 180 Jessica oversees all education and Beyond the Stage programming including the creation of study guide resources and the curation of lobby exhibits, chats, panels, talkbacks and other special events. She worked as Education Coordinator for ARCfest: Toronto’s Human Rights Arts Festival, as the Director of Child Engagement for the Child-ish Collective, and is an NTS Drama Festival adjudicator and an instructor at Centennial College’s Theatre Performance program. Jessica holds an Honours BA in political science and women’s studies from McGill University and completed her classical acting training at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York and as an apprentice at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky.
Byron Abalos (he/him)
Director of Development
Byron Abalos is an actor, writer, producer, fundraiser and theatre administrator from Toronto. A graduate of Ryerson University’s Acting Program, he has been nominated for multiple Dora Mavor Moore awards for acting and producing. Byron was Company Producer and Community Developer for fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company and was Carlos Bulosan Theatre’s inaugural playwright-in-residence. He has performed on stage in the US and across Canada and also acts in film and television. He co-wrote the play Through the Bamboo with his partner Andrea Mapili, which was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2021. His play Remember Lolo won the NOW Magazine Audience Choice Award (SummerWorks 2005) and fu-GEN produced the world premiere of his play Brown Balls in 2011. He also co-created Monday Nights as part of the 6th Man Collective, which was remounted four times across Canada.
Jenna Harris (she/they)
Marketing and Community Engagement Coordinator
Jenna (she/they) is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and is a Dora-nominated actor, playwright, devised theatre creator and arts educator. Jenna is also the Artistic Producer of Discord and Din Theatre and a founding member of [elephants] collective. Jenna has been a participant of Studio 180 IN DEVELOPMENT (2015 & 2019), the Tarragon Playwrights Unit, the Thousand Islands Playhouse Playwright’s Unit, The Company Theatre New Play Development Program, La MaMa Umbria International Playwright Retreat (Italy, led by Lisa Kron), and a Resident Playwright at ArtHouse Jersey (Channel Islands). Jenna was also a Playwright in Residence at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and a member of their Artist Residency program with her play MINE. As a member of the Toronto-based experimental performance group, [elephants] collective, Jenna has created new works including, A Wake for Lost Time, a 24-hour durational piece, and there/GONE to, a site-specific piece in a vintage store in Kensington, which explored life and death through objects. Founded in 2014, the collective was born out of a shared interest in exploring non-hierarchical working practices, alternative and experimental aesthetics, and long-term models of creative community and has performed across Canada, with organizations such as Buddies in Bad Times, DaPoPo Theatre, Pi Theatre, the Fringe Festival, the SummerWorks Festival and others. In addition to her extensive work with Studio 180 IN CLASS, Jenna has taught at Brock University, University of Guelph, Randolph College for the Performing Arts, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Tech and the 92nd Street Y in New York.
Derrick Chua (he/him)
Consulting Producer
A co-founder of Studio 180, Derrick is an entertainment lawyer and award-winning theatre producer. Recent productions include I’m Doing This For You (Edinburgh, Amsterdam, London, Tampere, Piotrowice Nyskie, Halifax, Toronto), Counting Sheep (Edinburgh), Confessions and Adventures of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl (Edinburgh, Brighton), Dance Animal (Toronto Fringe), Obeah Opera (PANAMANIA), The God That Comes & When It Rains (Edinburgh Fringe), Oh My Irma (International Tour: Edinburgh Fringe, Berlin, London, Kosovo, Ulaanbaatar, Brighton, Amsterdam, Kiel, New York, Victoria), Fortune and Men’s Eyes (Dancemakers), Gruesome Playground Injuries (The Theatre Centre). Derrick is past-President of the Toronto Fringe Festival, and sits on the boards of The AFC, Theatre Museum Canada, fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre Company and Groundling Theatre. He is the recipient of a Dora Award, a Harold Award, a NOW Magazine Award as Toronto’s Best Indie Producer, and a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association Honorary Membership for Outstanding Contribution to the Performing Arts.