Centaur Theatre Welcomes New Artistic & Executive Director Eda Holmes

Centaur Theatre's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Eda Holmes as the new Artistic and Executive Director. She assumes the role on August 1, 2017.

The Search Committee was comprised of four board members including Chair Nancy Cumming Gold who explained the process. "With the aid of search firm Odgers Berndtson, we received more than fifty highly qualified National and International applicants. With input from the board, staff, and individuals in the theatre community a comprehensive candidate profile was created. Following extensive interviews, Eda was the unanimous choice of the committee and board. She brings a long and successful track record as a director and administrator in Canadian theatre. The Committee was impressed by her vision and believes, as Centaur approaches its 50th anniversary that she has the skills required to ensure that Centaur will offer a unique and compelling platform for English-language theatre in Montreal for the next decade."

A leading director of contemporary plays, she has mounted productions at the Shaw Festival and across the country that have been celebrated by both critics and audiences. Her resumé of acclaimed productions include works by Tennessee Williams, George Bernard Shaw, Edward Bond, Michel Marc Bouchard, Tony Kushner and Caryl Churchill.

Since 2010, Eda Holmes has been the Associate Director of the Shaw Festival, providing her with opportunities to be involved in all aspects of running a theatre including season planning, budgeting, marketing, public relations, donor stewardship and corporate sponsorship.

She has won Dora awards for her direction of new Canadian plays, including Little Mercy's Murder and Tom at The Farm as well as a Toronto Theatre Critics Award for her Shaw Festival/ Mirvish co-production of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.

"I am thrilled to be coming to Centaur and I look forward to working with everyone to make it the place in Montreal where people come for vibrant theatrical conversations about the joys and challenges of the world we live in," said Holmes. "Centaur celebrates the built-in diversity of Montreal and attracts the best artists from the city and the rest of Canada. I am delighted to become a part of the team. Il me fait extrêmement plaisir également de renouer avec Montréal où j'ai vécu pendant dix ans. J'ai toujours été inspirée par la créativité de ses communautés, et je suis choyée de pouvoir y apporter ma voix artistique."

Holmes studied directing at the National Theatre School of Canada and began her career in the arts as a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, and William Forsythe's Frankfurt Ballet.

"Eda Holmes is an outstanding choice." said Roy Surette, outgoing Artistic and Executive Director. "She is a tremendous director, with extensive experience in both the classics and in developing and directing new work, equally important aspects of Centaur's artistic mandate. I know that Eda will thrive in this incredibly supportive, creatively inspirational city, and Centaur audiences are certain to reap the benefits."