Who We are

Shadowland Theatre was founded in 1983 on Toronto Island by a collective of visual and theatre artists. Shadowland now has a studio in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. We continue to work on Toronto Island, and in collaboration with local community organizations throughout the GTA, across Ontario and beyond.

Shadowland has won three Dora Mavor Moore awards for Outstanding Costume Design and was voted Best Grassroots Theatre by Toronto’s NOW magazine.

Shadowland is a proud member of Raucus Caucus, a collective of visual theatre practitioners that includes Puppetmongers, Jumblies Theatre, and Clay & Paper Theatre

Our Staff

Anne Barber - Co-Artistic Director

Anne Barber trained in Theatre at the innovative Dartington College of Arts. She worked for ten years with Horse and Bamboo, the UK’s only horse-drawn theatre. Anne came to Canada, via Bread and Puppet Theater, to join Shadowland Theatre in 1992. She directs most of the company’s productions with a strong belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Anne founded the free, weekly theatre program, Stilts & Stories, for young people on Toronto Island, now in its twenty-seventh year. Anne has extensive experience teaching learners of all ages in Ontario schools, colleges and universities, and in hands-on workshops in mask, puppetry, stilt-walking and outdoor performance.

Contact Anne at shadow [at] shadowlandtheatre.ca

cindy dzib- artistic lead & communications

Cindy is a multi-disciplinary artist, communicator, facilitator and producer from Mexico of mixed Maya and Spanish heritage who arrived in Tkaronto in 2019 to fulfill her dream of working in a richer performing arts industry. She’s been a theatre creator and facilitator since 2010 having worked in Mexico, USA and now in Canada. As well as working with Shadowland, Cindy is involved with Outside the March, Jumblies Theatre & Arts and Community Arts Guild. She is passionate about the intersection of arts and technology, focusing on unity, creating community and world consciousness.

Contact Cindy at create [at] shadowlandtheatre.ca

Brad Harley - Co-Artistic Director

Brad Harley trained as a visual artist and graphic designer and was a founding member of Shadowland in 1983. His theatre work is influenced by Welfare State International (UK), Callalloo Productions (Trinidad) and Bread and Puppet Theater (US). Brad’s expressive design sensibility defines Shadowland’s highly visual aesthetic. No puppet is too big or too small! Brad creates short videos of Shadowland’s productions as well as his own video works. He is in demand as a theatre designer, props maker and creator of complicated animated sculptures and has designed the props for VideoCabaret’s History of the Village of the Small Huts productions since 1983.

Contact Brad at brd.harley [at] gmail.com

LAMESHA RUDDOCK - GENERAL MANAGER

Lamesha Ruddock is a dynamic cultural producer, seasoned stage manager, captivating performance artist, and dedicated historian specialising in 20th-century Black British feminist history. Her passion lies in creating immersive theatrical experiences and events that ignite active engagement with the rich tapestry of Black diasporic history, empowering individuals with the tools to express themselves creatively.

Contact Lamesha at info [at] shadowlandtheatre.ca