Our team

Jenna Rodgers

Artistic Director

jenna@concretetheatre.ca

Jenna is a mixed-race Dramaturg and Director of Chinese and Welsh descent. She was born and raised in Treaty 6 Territory and is a passionate advocate for equity in the arts, a fierce supporter of new play development, and is actively learning to raise small responsible humans while maintaining a career in the arts. 
Jenna was the founding Artistic Director of Chromatic Theatre, a company dedicated to developing and producing work by and for artists of colour. She served as the Dramaturg for the Playwrights Lab at the Banff Centre for a decade, and is currently the Director of Theatre Alberta’s Artstrek program. Jenna is also the Board Co-Chair for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), and currently sits on the Editorial Committee for Playwrights Canada Press. She is a graduate of the NTS Artistic Leadership Residency (2020), the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership Program (2019), and a member of the artEquity National Facilitator Training cohort (2018). Jenna received Canada Council’s prestigious John Hirsch Prize for Directors in 2022, and the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award for Emerging Artists in 2018. She holds an MA in International Performance Research from the universities of Amsterdam and Tampere, and is a proud graduate of the BA (Honours) program at the U of A. 

Patrick Beagan

General Manager

gm@concretetheatre.ca

Patrick (he/him) is a proud halfbreed of Nlaka’pamux and Irish Canadian heritage. He started with Concrete Theatre as a designer, having designed the full production of The Antyssey, the set/projections for I Am For You, the production design for Bello, and lighting Songs My Mother Never Sung Me, among others. He worked as Concrete’s Bookings Coordinator for 3 years before moving into the GM position in 2019. He still freelances as a lighting designer, working with Alberta Musical Theatre Co on Pinocchio and the Citadel Theatre on The Wizard of Oz and The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee this season.

Heather Cornick

Bookings Coordinator

bookings@concretetheatre.ca

For over two decades Heather has worked in theatre, film, television, circus, concerts, corporate events, cruise ships, dance, and opera as a designer, technician, instructor, stage manager, event planner, props builder, puppeteer, carpenter, and clown. She was born in Northern Ontario on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg people and has generations of cultural roots in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). In 2019, Heather stage managed CTRL-ALT-DEL and The Antyssey for Concrete Theatre, then joined the team full-time later that year.

Mara Teare

Artistic Associate

Mara Teare is a multidisciplinary artist based in Edmonton, originally from Saskatoon. They are a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s acting program and Sheridan College’s Performing Arts Prep Program. Since graduating, Mara has worked across Canada as an actor, playwright, dramaturge, and assistant director. Mara currently serves on the board of Ferre Play Theatre in Saskatoon, where they work to support and uplift femme artists.
Selected Acting Credits: Twelve Days (Lunchbox Theatre); Richard II, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: 1985, Hamlet, Done/Undone, Cymbeline (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan); Mustard (25th St Theatre); The Maids (Whirligig Theatre); The Jungle Book (Alberta Theatre Projects); Crypthand (Gale Force Theatre); Young Ones (SUM Theatre).
Selected Playwright Credits: Sad Girls Watch The Princess Bride (SUM Theatre); We Are Food (Chromatic Theatre).
Mara Assistant Directed Native Gardens at Persephone Theatre, and will be Assistant Directing Cyrano de Bergerac at the Citadel Theatre in the spring

Caroline Howarth

Artistic Director Emeritus

c.howarth@concretetheatre.ca

Caroline is a director, educator and dramaturg born and raised in Alberta. She is a co-founder of Concrete Theatre and served as Artistic co-director for many years. Over the past 35 years she has directed and facilitated many productions and projects for young people and families including Songs My Mother Never Sung Me by Dave Clarke – a chamber opera in American Sign Language and sung English.  She has worked on Concrete’s Sprouts Festival of New Plays for Kids for many years as a coordinator, dramaturg and director.  Caroline has worked with the University of Alberta, The Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Opera, Opera Nuova and Fringe Theatre Adventures.  She is a Professor of Drama at Concordia University of Edmonton where she teaches theatre for young audiences, creative process, directing, and acting. She has directed many productions at Concordia including Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Museum and an upcoming new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion by Katherine Koller. Caroline is passionate about creating theatre for young people that is engaging and helps them to navigate their place in the world.  She serves on the Board of ASSITEJ Canada, a national association supporting performance for young audiences. Caroline lives near the river valley in Edmonton with her family John, Xavier, Sarah and two energetic dogs.    

Mieko Ouchi

Artistic Director Emeritus

m.ouchi@concretetheatre.ca

Mieko is proud to be one of the founding members of Concrete and to see the company evolve, flourish and grow. She has written, translated, dramaturged, performed in and directed over 35 shows for the company since 1989 and was in an artistic leadership role with the company for 31 years. In 2020 she stepped down at CT, to become Associate Artistic Director at the Citadel, where she works as a creative artist and helps to lead new play development and programs for emerging artists. She is proud to now hold the title of Artistic Director Emeritus with Concrete. As a freelance artist she also continues to work as an award-winning actor, writer, director and dramaturge in theatre, film and TV and teach at the post-secondary level. Recent and upcoming projects include directing the world premiere as well as three other productions of her own play Burning Mom (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Arts Club, Belfry Theatre, Citadel Theatre), as well as at a staged reading at the Arcola Theatre in England in 2023, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood with Calgary Opera, Songs My Mother Never Sung Me with Concrete, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Pride and Prejudice and A Brimful of Asha at the Citadel and Alberta Kitchen Party with Alberta Theatre Projects. Burning Mom was published by Playwrights Canada Press in May of 2023. Mieko received the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award in 2023 from her Honour Selma Lakhani, and was a Finalist for the Gina Wilkinson Prize in 2025. Mieko lives in Edmonton with her husband Kim.