Caravan Farm Theatre has filled two of its management positions, including a new position that looks to bring art and environmental conservation together.
Vicki Stroich will assume the new role of artistic and environmental programs manager, while Ivan Habel got the nod for the position of managing director. The two will join artistic director Estelle Shook on the leadership team.
Stroich will help produce an exciting new line of programming at the intersection of performing arts and climate justice.
“As an outdoor theatre company specializing in new works, we have a responsibility to shine a spotlight on the climate crisis,” said Shook
“Vicki is a brilliant theatre artist respected across the country for her contributions to new play development, and she has also spent the last three and a half years working in the environmental nonprofit sector supporting climate solutions and environmental conservation. She is uniquely qualified to create this new and vital programming space — one that we hope provides artists, audiences, and Indigenous communities opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and action. ”
A drama expert, non-profit leader and community builder with more than 20 years of experience, Stroich is passionate about designing and hosting creative spaces and fostering collaboration.
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Stroich has been the engagement director for Alberta Ecotrust since 2018. She previously worked with Alberta Theatre Projects for more than 16 years, serving as executive director for more than four years. She’s recently been focused on the intersection of art and the environment, taking part in local and national programs and committees that bring the work of artists and environmental communities together.
“To meet the challenges that climate change and biodiversity loss will pose for our communities we need to think creatively and act collaboratively,” Stroich said. “Caravan Farm Theatre provides fertile soil for imagining our shared future, fostering new narratives, testing new ideas and celebrating our connection to the land and each other.”
Habel is stepping away from Victoria’s Belfry Theatre to join the Caravan Farm team. He’s served several terms on the board of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres as well as various other boards. He’ll bring his expertise to Caravan Farm to support the continued expansion of artistic programming, helm a new mentorship program and lead the Regeneration Project, a multi-year capital campaign which will re-imagine and replace the core buildings of the Caravan Farm Theatre.
“I’m very excited to begin at the Caravan, a place that has inspired generations of artists and audiences. To play a role in this exceptional organization and bring my skills to bear to advance the dreams of one of B.C.’s and Canada’s most exciting theatre companies is an opportunity that I could not resist,” Habel said.
Both new hires will begin their tenure in May 2022 with the launch of the theatre’s 44th season.
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