Board of Directors

VANESSA CARDOSO-WHELAN - Chair

Hailing from Brazil, Vanessa Cardoso Whelan (she/her) is a playwright, multidisciplinary artist, and clown with a passion for contemporary theatre and body movement. Graduating in Theatre Arts in 2004, she has performed with several artistic groups on stage, and in street productions as an actress, and dancer. Vanessa has been actively engaged in the local arts scene since moving to NL in 2014. She likes to give her art back to the community, doing volunteer workshops and performances for new Canadians/refugees and non-profit organizations, because of that and other achievements, Vanessa received the 2023 Inspiring Immigrant Woman Award from We Care Foundation. Inspired by Nature Vanessa loves the mountains on the west coast of Newfoundland, it reminds her of home.
RUTH LAWRENCE - Vice-Chair

​Ruth Lawrence is a theatre and film maker based in St. John’s, NL. Ruth’s feature films include Little Orphans (Best Canadian Feature, Whistler Film Festival 2020), Hopeless Romantic (2018), and the award-winning comedy feature, Party Pirate (2024) Her documentaries A Lot of Love in the Room (2021) and Circus by Komatik (2019) have been featured on CBC Gem. She has directed, written, and/or produced over 70 short films and webisodes. She was Artistic Director of White Rooster Theatre from 2001-2023 and served as Artistic Associate of RCA Theatre from 2005-2008.

Ruth’s honours include the Joan Orenstein Best Actress Award, the RBC Michelle Jackson Award for Emerging Filmmaker, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist of the Year, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the YWCA Woman of Distinction, a WIFT-AT WAVE Award, the national Leslie Yeo Award for Volunteerism, and the inaugural Ross Leslie Award for her contributions to film and theatre.
ANA LUISA RAMOS - Treasurer

Ana Luísa Ramos is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, performer, educator, and music curator based in St. John's, NL. She has performed across Europe, South, Central, and North America, working in both classical and popular music. Ana holds a Licentiate Degree in Music Education and a postgraduate diploma in Vocal Coaching, with studies in Brazil, Argentina, Austria, and Canada. She has contributed to over 18 albums and released her debut solo album, Um, in 2016. Her second album, Amanheceu, was released in 2021, the same year she won the MusicNL Jazz Artist of the Year award. Ana also performs as part of the duo "Ana & Eric" with Eric Taylor Escudero. Their self-titled EP (2020) and album Our House From Here (2023) earned multiple MusicNL and ECMA nominations. Ana's latest solo album, Solaris, released in April 2024, explores themes of love in Portuguese and English and was recorded across Canada, the USA, and Brazil.
KAREN MONIE - Director

Karen Monie is a Cameroonian editor, writer, director and actress whose work spans across film, theatre and television. Formerly cast in Jenna Turk's Remants, Karen has showcased her stageplays Masquerade, Those Left Behind and Aya & the Masquerades at the Women's Work Festival and St. John's Short Plays Festival. Her first short film Common Law
premiered at the 2019 Nickel Independent Film festival. Karen's children's play, Aya & the Masquerades, is set to be produced by White Rooster Theatre in 2024.
NICOLE SMITH - Director

Nicole Smith is a writer, theatre creator, director, and producer, who splits her time between her homes in Cambridge, Ontario and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Her work as a playwright has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Shaw Festival, Green Light Arts, and Canadian Stage. She is Artistic Associate of Girl Power Inc., co-Artistic Director of the Grand Falls-Windsor Theatre Project, and founding Artistic Producer of Sonderlust, a theatre collective dedicated to the creation of original work and the staging of women's stories. As someone whose mentors have shaped her every approach, Nicole is devoted to making and holding space for new creators of all ages. The Women’s Work Festival has held a special place in her heart since she was introduced to it in 2017.
LYDIA MAKAGA - Director

Lydia Makaga is a Tanzanian-born, St. John’s-based playwright, actor, producer, and coordinator. Her work has been featured in the PARC’s U-Compete Competition, St. John’s Short Play Festival, RCAT Live Magazine Series, and PARC Cabaret. She made her professional acting debut in Newfoundlanded (TODOS Productions) and Aya and the Masquerades(White Rooster Theatre).
She is the co-founder of MK Sisters Productions, a social enterprise producing and promoting outstanding music events, plays, and films that center marginalized artists. MKS strives to entertain, encourage, and engage cross-cultural understanding within the Newfoundland art scene.
She is part of the Seedling Playwright Unit under Women’s Work Festival and Producer Accelerator Program offered by Picture NL and Stowe Labs.. She is a graduate of the 2024/2025 Black Theatre Workshop’s Artist Mentorship Program. Lydia continues to strive to create work that reflects her identity and background as a Black woman.
ARYA PRASAD - Director

Aryaprasad is an internationally trained lawyer with a solid academic and professional foundation in law. She holds a BBA LL.B and an LL.M in Corporate and Commercial Law, supported by four years of experience in civil litigation. In addition to her litigation experience, she have served as a guest lecturer at law colleges, teaching core legal subjects and contributing to the academic development of aspiring legal professionals. She has also worked as an overseas education counsellor, advising students and families on financing options, documentation requirements, and institutional procedures.

She is currently pursuing her NCA credentials with the objective of becoming a licensed lawyer in Canada. She remains actively engaged in volunteering and legal aid initiatives, demonstrating a commitment to public service, continuous professional development, and the advancement of access to justice.

staff

ANA PITOL - Artistic Producer
Ana Pitol is a Brazilian producer, arts administrator, and mother of little Isabel (3-year-old) based in St. John's, NL, Canada. She has a Bachelor's degree (2011) and a Master's degree in History (2015) and has been a History teacher since 2010. She began to study acting in 2018 and since arriving in Canada (2022), she decided to change her career and dedicated herself to working in theatre. Since then she has been involved and working with relevant organizations in St. John's such as TODOS Productions (Project Coordinator Intern and production manager for Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso-Whelan), White Rooster Theatre (production manager for The Heart Play by Marie Pike, Song Seekers by Caroline Rex Bay, Ruth Lawrence & Petrina Bromley, and Off Balance directed by Anahareo Doelle and  Krin Haglund and co-produced with Wonderbolt Productions), St. John's Shorts (assistant producer for the 8th Annual St. John's Short Play Festival) and Women's Work Festival (Assistant Producer for the 18th edition). In parallel to these projects, she is the Membership and Communications Coordinator at PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre). In December 2023, she completed the BMP Producer Academy 2023 Cohort, an 8-week course offered by Beth Morrison Projects in New York, for which she was selected from 300 applicants. Currently, she is the General Manager at Women's Work Festival. 

& thanks to past staff:

2025-2026 - Oluwatoyin Awosanya - The New Stage Project Coordinator
2025 - 2026: Chloe Lundrigan (Communications Coordinator)
2026: Cassandra Munroe (Festival Coordinator)
2026: Júlia Abreu (Festival Assistant)
2026: Nora de Mariaffi (Public Relations Coordinator)​
2025: Liza Azami (Production Coordinator, YWCA Ready for Launch Program)