Staff Profile – Evan Bonnah-Hawkes – Assistant Technical Director

How long have you worked at Soulpepper and tell us a little bit about what your job consisted of lately.

I started my work here at Soulpepper in mid-May as the Assistant Technical Director. I was going to include a job description, but Andrew Leeke has already summed it up quite nicely in his profile, which you should check out! I have had the fortune of working on shows and workshops of all shapes and sizes, including the Soulpepper Academy’s clown presentation, the Animal Farm workshop, and with Judith Thompson on Borne. Most recently, I have been working on A Tender Thing and Glenn, and was truly humbled by my experience.

What (if any) kinds of shows/productions/events have you been involved in outside of work? 

This summer has been quite busy here at Soulpepper and I was not as involved with productions that I have worked on in the past. Before I started working at Soulpepper, I was a freelance technician technical director and production manager. Most of my time was spent at the National Ballet School as a sound technician. Most recently, as a TD, I was working on Journey’s End by The Empty Room Theatre Company.

When you’re not at work, what are you doing?

For starters, my girlfriend Lois and I have recently moved in together, and have been putting the finishing touches on our apartment. It’s really starting to come together! When not at work or at home, we have been taking advantage of the summer weather and the great outdoors. Between cottages, camps, weddings, and day trips we’ve been keeping busy! Weekends have been packed with sunshine, good friends, and the odd cold beverage. It really has been quite the summer.

What’s a staff profile without an embarrassing/entertaining fact about yourself? When I was in elementary school, I took Irish dance lessons. I wasn’t great at it, but it was fun for a few years. If you’re lucky, and “Home for a Rest” is playing, you might catch a glimpse what I remember for those lessons!

What do you love about working at Soulpepper?

Any successful team is made up of good players who understand their role and who do what it takes to get the job done. Our production team works in the same way. As the new player, I am coached, encouraged, and kept in line by LJ our Director, I am inspired by the experience and example set by our captains Mike and Greg, and my line mates Andrew Leeke and Andrew Hillman have kept me from making huge mistakes and have always been willing to talk things out when I have been stumped. These guys are the best in the business.

I think Soulpepper as a whole works in the same way. The leadership, the artists and the staff all work together and support each other. We are a great team, that is why we succeed, and that’s why I love working here.