New Executive Director For Glesby Centre

The William Glesby Centre in Portage la Prairie has a new executive director. Carolyn Gray started in her new role this week and says she's working to settle in in the new location. Grays from Winnipeg and has a wide array of experiences in the arts, including serving as the Executive Director of the Manitoba Writers Guild, a creative writing and theatre instructor at the University of Brandon, as well as the Manitoba Theatre for young people. She also spent 15 years working in rural Manitoban communities, training students in the art of puppetry.

However, her experience goes beyond the arts, as she had served as the executive assistant for the provincial Minister of Children and Youth Opportunities. She says it's exciting to take on this new role, as it combines her experiences into a single position. However, she says her management style is mainly based on her experience in the theatre which has ranged from playwright and director to an actor.

"I'll go into a project or situation, and listen really carefully to see what's needed and work as hard as I possibly can. It seems like a position that's more of a lifestyle than a nine to five. Also, I like to sit down, work on the computer and do mundane tasks, but I also like to be running around and dealing with the excitement. It's just a perfect combination."

While she's working at the Glesby, she'll be commuting from Winnipeg. However, Gray says during her time teaching puppetry she spent much time in smaller communities and often felt herself thinking of relocating. She says that's a possibility for Portage if it's a good fit.

Although Gray's management style is responsive, she's coming to the table with some ideas of what she'd like to see in the future. She notes youth could become a major focus of the work taking place at the centre in the future.

"When I see this gorgeous theatre, and I know there are kids in this town, I see them everywhere, I think we really need to do theatre training and use that beautiful big stage to get our young people trained in theatre. I'd also love to teach a puppetry class, I'm a puppeteer and a trained puppet-maker. I want to bring my love of theatre to the youth, and the adults of the city."

She describes the current operations at the Glesby Centre as "exceedingly well-run", and hopes the current work along with her experience can create an even better future for the facility.