Artistic Company

Mel Marginet Artistic DirectorMel Marginet is a co-founder and artistic director of Theatre by the River. She has performed in many theatre productions around the city. Favourites include: A Man walks Into A Bar, Cock, Bull, Lungs, Tender Napalm, The Cherry Orchard, Generous, One Good Marriage, Saint Joan, The Bush‐Ladies (TBTR), The Skriker (Echo Theatre), Time's Fancy (Sixth Planet). See her on the screen in Break Through (20th Century Fox), The Pinkertons (Buffalo Gal), Aegri Somnia (Absurd Machine), Randy Guest's The Lady in Grey and HBO Canada's Less Than Kind. By day, Mel is the Publisher at Great Plains Publications, is a co-founder and organizer of The Evies, fosters environmentalism at Green Action Centre and works many projects and committees around Winnipeg.

Mel Marginet
Artistic Director

Mel Marginet is a co-founder and artistic director of Theatre by the River. She has performed in many theatre productions around the city. Favourites include: Meet Me At Dawn, A Man walks Into A Bar, Cock, Bull, Lungs, Tender Napalm, The Cherry Orchard, Generous, One Good Marriage (TBTR), The Skriker (Echo Theatre), Time's Fancy (Sixth Planet). See her on the screen in First Person Shooter (Tubi), Break Through (20th Century Fox), The Pinkertons (Buffalo Gal), Aegri Somnia (Absurd Machine), Randy Guest's The Lady in Grey and HBO Canada's Less Than Kind. By day, Mel is the Publisher at Great Plains Press.

Daina Leitold
Company Member

Daina is a Winnipeg performer, designer and producer.

For TBTR, she has performed in Tender Napalm (Evie Nominee – Outstanding Performance), Edward II and The Cherry Orchard.  She has also performed onstage with Prairie Theatre Exchange, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Shakespeare in the Ruins and others.

For TBTR, Daina has designed set, props and costumes for Glad To Be Here (upcoming), Meet Me at Dawn, Edward II, Constellations, Cock, Bull and The Cherry Orchard.  She has also designed productions for Shakespeare in the Ruins, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, One Trunk, Manitoba Theatre for Young People and Green Kids Inc.

Awards:

  • 2021 Evie - Theatre Educator

  • 2018 Evie - Outstanding Production Design – RED EARTH

  • 2018 Manitoba ACTRA Award - Best Actress - THE INTERROGATION, M.A.

Nominations:

  • 2021 Gina Wilkinson Award

  • 2018 Evie - Outstanding Female Lead - TENDER NAPALM

  • 2016 Manitoba ACTRA Award - Best Actress  - EXORCISM OF MOLLY HARTLEY 

  • 2016 Manitoba ACTRA Award - Best Actress - DIRT ON ME

Daina Leitold

Kevin Anderson
Company Member

Beyond Theatre by the River's productions of Cock and Bull, The Cherry Orchard, Generous and Saint Joan, Kevin has also worked with Sarasvati Productions (Ripple Effect, Eden, Empty), Winnipeg District Collective (Into the Woods), Shakespeare in the Ruins (Henry IV), Nomadic Players (Caesar and Cleopatra) and Little Red Hen Company (Blue Kettle) and the Winnipeg Fringe. Kevin has also worked in film, making appearing in Deidre, The Gabby Douglas Story, The Editor, Fathers' Day and Curse of Chucky. When Kevin is not on stage, he enjoys painting, drawing and spending time with his family.

Karl Thordarson Company MemberKarl Thordarson has previously appeared with Theatre by the River in this past season’s adaptation of Edward II as well as the repertory productions of Cock and Bull. Karl received training with Prairie Theatre Exchange in their Professional Training Ensemble and has worked with several independent theatre companies here in Winnipeg. Favourite shows include I Dream of Diesel with One Trunk Theatre and Theatre Projects Manitoba, Sunday in the Park with George with Gallery Works, Henry V with Shakespeare in the Ruins, The Skriker with Echo Theatre and Etoile, a KDSZ show penned, produced and performed along with Daina and their two lovely children.

Karl Thordarson
Company Member

Karl Thordarson has previously appeared with Theatre by the River in this past season’s adaptation of Edward II as well as the repertory productions of Cock and Bull. Karl received training with Prairie Theatre Exchange in their Professional Training Ensemble and has worked with several independent theatre companies here in Winnipeg. Favourite shows include I Dream of Diesel with One Trunk Theatre and Theatre Projects Manitoba, Sunday in the Park with George with Gallery Works, Henry V with Shakespeare in the Ruins, The Skriker with Echo Theatre and Etoile, a KDSZ show penned, produced and performed along with Daina and their two lovely children.

Check out Karl’s pandemic project, Carport Covers, and download the entire EP with a donation to TBTR.

Derek Leenhouts Company MemberDerek is a founding member of Theatre By The River and has appeared in many TBTR productions over the years including Constellations, Edward II, Cock, Bull, Lungs, and Generous. In addition, he has appeared on stage with RMTC, SIR, Dry Cold, Rainbow Stage, White Rabbit, Sarasvati, and others. Derek is deeply invested in his love of music. He can often be found singing in various theatrical settings as well as with the acappella group Those Guys, of which he is also a founding member. He also writes music and plays guitar occasionally, and was the Music Director for TBTR's production of Billy Bishop Goes to War.

Derek Leenhouts
Company Member

Derek is a founding member of Theatre By The River and has appeared in many TBTR productions over the years including Constellations, Edward II, Cock, Bull, Lungs, and Generous. In addition, he has appeared on stage with RMTC, SIR, Dry Cold, Rainbow Stage, White Rabbit, Sarasvati, and others. Derek is deeply invested in his love of music. He can often be found singing in various theatrical settings as well as with the acappella group Those Guys, of which he is also a founding member. He also writes music and plays guitar occasionally, and was the Music Director for TBTR's production of Billy Bishop Goes to War.

Lara Rae
Company Member

Lara Rae is a TV and radio writer and producer, comedian and host. She was the creator of the CBC Radio series Monsoon House with Russell Peters, a 20 part half hour comedy drama. Lara was one of the developers of the international hit series Little Mosque on the Prairie for which she shared two Geminis, two Canadian Comedy Awards, and an Italian Prix Roma writing prize. Other TV series include Blackfly (Global) and Big Sound (Global) and the radio series Afghanada (CBC Radio). For theatre, she had written several shows. The show Unscheduled Stop with George Westerholm was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe (1989) and played at Hen and Chickens Pub Theatre (London, U.K. 1990) How Do You Know When You're Done? with Dean Jenkinson, based on the creation of Unscheduled Stop played at Tim Sims Playhouse, Toronto (1999). Dragonfly begin life as One Man's Show with Sarah Constible at Carol Shields Festival of New Works (TPM, 2010) In 2016. Lara was the first transgender person to host a national CBC news program when she guest hosted The Current. Lara is the co-founder of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and a 30 year veteran of stand up comedy.

Lara Rae Company MemberLara Rae is a TV and radio writer and producer, comedian and host. She was the creator of the CBC Radio series Monsoon House with Russell Peters, a 20 part half hour comedy drama. Lara was one of the developers of the international hit series Little Mosque on the Prairie for which she shared two Geminis, two Canadian Comedy Awards, and an Italian Prix Roma writing prize. Other TV series include Blackfly (Global) and Big Sound (Global) and the radio series Afghanada (CBC Radio). For theatre, she had written several shows. The show Unscheduled Stop with George Westerholm was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe (1989) and played at Hen and Chickens Pub Theatre (London, U.K. 1990) How Do You Know When You're Done? with Dean Jenkinson, based on the creation of Unscheduled Stop played at Tim Sims Playhouse, Toronto (1999). Dragonfly begin life as One Man's Show with Sarah Constible at Carol Shields Festival of New Works (TPM, 2010) In 2016. Lara was the first transgender person to host a national CBC news program when she guest hosted The Current. Lara is the co-founder of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and a 30 year veteran of stand up comedy.

Executive Board

Katherine Johnston, Chair: Katherine is a graduate of the department of theatre and film at the University of Winnipeg, and has a degree in production and stage management. She has been working in the theatre community for 5 years. Katherine is currently part of the collective running the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Center and she is an active member of the arts community. She became interested in joining the board of Theatre by the River after working with the company on it's recent production of Cock and Bull. The company's mandate to create provocative, relevant and financially accessible theatre is something she fully supports!

Matthew Komus, Past Chair: Matthew works as a storyteller in many different ways. He has developed programs, exhibits and walking tours for many different museums and heritage sites in Manitoba. He recently released his first full length book, Haunted Winnipeg: Ghost Stories from the Heart of the Continent. Though the last time he was on stage was in an elementary school production of Puss in Boots he has been involved with theatre as a team leader at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and as a member of the audience for usually three dozen or more shows a year. He estimates he has seen 90% of Theatre by the River productions since the company’s formation.

Matthew Molnar, Treasurer: Matthew has been involved in the Winnipeg music and theatre community for the last three decades as a student, an organizer, a performer, and an audience member. After completing his degree in Political Science and Economics, he had a 15 year career in public and private procurement. He currently works with Made Here For You, a partnership that promotes and sells the work of Manitoba makers while raising funds for local childrens’ charities. In his spare time he freelances as a policy analyst, works to combat stigma around mental illness, and writes tales of cosmic terror.

Kim Samsin, Secretary: Kim taught drama to high school students in the US Southwest in the early 2000s. Since relocating to Winnipeg, she's loved the variety and quality of local theatre, and she is thrilled to volunteer her time with Theatre by the River. She is an instructional designer and workplace training specialist.

Beth Gillespie, Director: Beth Gillespie’s work over the past 15 years has mainly focused around designing with intent and to help make the world a more beautiful place by collaborating on several projects for the Winnipeg arts community and various other organizations. Overall, her aim is to create great experiences and real connections through the filter of design and illustration and be able to explore various fields through collaboration to create powerful aesthetics that form a world of their own.

barb janes, Director: barb has loved words, sounds and stories since kindergarten. Born in Scarborough, she has a BA and MDiv, and was a minister in the United Church in a variety of contexts, finishing up at Crescent Fort Rouge United, Winnipeg, where she expanded that church’s hospitality to the arts. barb is delighted to live in a city with brilliant theatre, particularly those productions telling stories that uproot what we think we know. Honoured to join TBTR’s board, barb looks forward to playing a supporting role behind the scenes.

Brian Pincott, Director: Brian moved from Calgary to Winnipeg in the summer of 2019. He began working in theatre in Nova Scotia in 1987 with Neptune Theatre and Mermaid Theatre. While working as a technician for those companies, he discovered his love of lighting design. He was soon designing lights in theatres across Canada, from Neptune in Halifax to The Belfry in Victoria and most points in between. In 2007 Brian gave up theatre for what he thought was a more stable career choice, politics. He served as a Calgary City Councillor until 2017. He is thrilled to be back involved with theatre here in his new home.

It could be you: Theatre by the River is seeking board members to join in 2023. Please drop us a line and introduce yourself.