Spotlight on our Board Members
During the 2021/22 season, we will be introducing you to our board members, by sharing a little bit about two of them each month.
This December, get to know a little bit more about board members Jackie Stokvis-Flaherty and Ross Johnson!
Jackie Stokvis-Flaherty
Q. Why did you decide to become a Persephone Theatre board member?
A. I taught drama in Saskatoon high schools for over 20 years, and have been a season ticket holder for over 30 years. I love live theatre — always have, always will. When friends suggested that I should be on the Board for Persephone, it seemed like a natural fit for me. Being part of Persephone’s Board is a way for me to give back to a theatre company that has entertained and challenged me for many years.
Q. How long have you been on the board?
A. This is my eighth, and final, year on the Board.
Q. What is your day job?
A. I am fortunate to be enjoying my retirement.
Q. What do you like most about theatre?
A. Everything! I love how theatre can entertain and at the same time inspire.
Q. Why do you think theatre is important to the community?
A. Theatre provides a safe place for escape and for exploration of all that is great and terrible about ourselves, our community, and our world. It can pose profound questions, provoke amazing discourse, and sustain us with joy and hope!
Q. Do you have a favourite production/play? What is it and why is it your favourite?
A. I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle that was such an entertaining aspect of Frankenstein, a Catalyst Theatre production brought in by Persephone Theatre years ago. Reasonable Doubt stands out for demonstrating how theatre can offer a smart, balanced, and provocative examination of a very real and current community issue. I love when theatre extends conversations far beyond the play-going experience.
Q. What are you looking forward to this season?
A. I am so excited to be back in the theatre to watch the magic unfold.
Q. Do you have any favourite memories of Persephone Theatre?
When I was teaching a grade 12 drama class, I wanted to give my acting students an opportunity to go through a professional audition. I called Tibor and he was more than willing to audition the 30 students. It was an amazing learning experience for all of us.
Q. Anything else you’d like to mention?
A. My second-year acting professor was Susan Wright, one of the founding members of Persephone Theatre.
Ross Johnson
Q. Why did you decide to become a Persephone Theatre board member?
A. A former work colleague and board member asked me for some facility management advice. I provided the board with recommendations they found valuable and missing from their plans and they then asked me to become a board member to volunteer my areas of expertise, which I was happy to do.
Q. How long have you been on the board?
A. I have been on the board since 2015.
Q. What is your day job?
A. I am retired from the City of Saskatoon.
Q. What do you like most about theatre?
A. The opportunity to see live performance and enjoy the amazing sets our gifted production crew create.
Q. Why do you think theatre is important to the community?
A. As a regional theatre the Persephone provides a platform for local artists to express themselves without judgement, and for the community to come together to promote dialogue and potential social change.
Q. Do you have a favourite production/play? What is it and why is it your favourite?
A. I’m always a fan of fabulous sets, so one of my favourite shows is Treasure Island.
Q. What are you looking forward to this season?
A. I’m looking forward to The Mountaintop by Katori Hall this season. The reimagined events around Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination are intriguing.
Q. Anything else you’d like to mention?
A. My time on the board has been very enjoyable and has given me a greater appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes and the tremendous dedication of everyone involved in each production including the ticket office, administration staff and volunteers.
