Our Board
Anna Proctor was born to a musician mother and English professor father, in the then, “wilds” of North Toronto. She decamped to Orillia in 1987 with her fiancé, and subsequently brought three children into the world, while living in Hawkestone, Washago, and Orillia, in turns. In those last almost 40 years, her husband died, she homeschooled her children to post-secondary age, and worked a myriad of different “jobs”, including writer, publisher, editor, arts manager, communications coordinator, and marketing advisor. She is now happily settled with her partner, local artist and woodturner Xavier Fernandes. Her passion is supporting people and organizations in the arts, and talking up the Orillia area to anyone who will listen. She is thrilled to be on the board of Arts Orillia and supporting this truly excellent organization.
Anna Proctor
Chair
Laura Clark
Director
Laura is a social innovation practitioner with a flair for experience design, creative production, strategy, and communications. She's worked in live performance as a professional stage manager, production manager, and playwright for over ten years.
In addition to her creative pursuits, Laura works in the global development and tech industries to support progressive businesses. She's worked with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Ghana, Doctors Without Borders, the MaRS Discovery District, and the Ontario Centre for Innovation. She strives to promote a more sustainable, accessible, and creative world.
Stevie Baker is a producer, director and costume designer based in Severn, Ontario. A prolific theatre creator and artist, she has been a part of innumerable productions in Toronto’s vibrant theatre community over the past 15 years. Stevie has been the Head of Production at Dauntless City Theatre since its inception in 2007 (originally Urban Bard). Her work with Dauntless is rooted in queering, subverting and modernizing Shakespeare to better reflect the dynamic people of Ontario. She centers queer joy, anti-racism and anti-poverty in her work, life and the raising of her two children. Stevie has worked internationally with Kansas City’s MET and served as Artistic Director of The Daegu Theatre Troupe in Daegu, South Korea. She orchestrated the DTT’s first touring show and directed South Korea’s first English language production of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Stevie Baker
Director
Rex Deverell
Director
Rex is a socially engaged playwright and librettist, born in Toronto, raised in Orillia and now splitting his time between the two. He is a graduate of McMaster University and Union Theological Seminary (NYC) in Theatre and Theology. He has been writer in residence for the Globe Theatre (Regina), the University of Windsor, and the Blyth Festival. His work has been translated into five languages. Rex was a founding member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and has served as its president. In 1978 Rex won the Canadian Authors Award for Boiler Room Suite, his most widely produced play.
Marg Schreurs-Kelly is a retired social worker and play therapist. She has devoted her career to working with children, youth and their families in the field of child protection, developmental services, youth crisis and for the last 15 years of her career, as a therapist at the Regional Centre for Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect at Orillia Soldier’s Memorial Hospital. Marg received an Attorney General’s Victim Services Award of Distinction and was named Orillia’s Citizen of the Year in 2014 for her passionate work that led to the 2014 opening of the Child and Youth Advocacy Centre of Simcoe. Marg holds a BSW from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson Polytechnical Institute) and a Master’s Degree from University of Windsor as a Certified Play Therapist. She volunteers with Huruma Children’s Home, Nairobi Kenya and serves as a Board Member for Huruma Trust Canada (Collingwood). Marg joined the Arts Orillia Board of Directors in 2024. She and her husband have raised their family and have lived in Orillia for over 35 years.
Marg Schreurs-Kelly
Director
Ashley Kirkwood
Director
Dr. Ashley Kirkwood is an obstetrician and gynecologist in Orillia, ON. She provides accessible and high-quality care to the community. Her practice encompasses a wide range of women's health issues, including pregnancy, childbirth, and reproductive health, serving women of all ages, including those in prenatal and postnatal stages. A native of London, Ontario, with a BSc in Chemistry from Western University, Dr. Kirkwood graduated with an MD from St. George's University in 2011 and completed her residency at Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, NJ in 2015. She practiced in Indiana as a board-certified physician until 2023, before returning to Ontario. Ashley enjoys walking her golden retriever, Henry, music of all kinds, and a quiet afternoon with a good book. She is delighted to have joined the board of Arts Orillia and is excited to advocate on behalf of the organization’s mission to bring art of all varieties to the youth of our community.
Sheri Nicholls is an English teacher and Department Chair for the Simcoe County District School Board. In this field, she strives to encourage youth as they enrich their lives through literature and writing. She has worked on projects for the Ministry of Education (Course Profile Writer, OSSLC Teacher Resource), and for OSSTF in support of Education and teachers. For over 25 years, she has choreographed musical productions with Mariposa Arts Theatre, enriching Orillia’s Art scene. As an advocate for the arts, she supports youth initiatives through dance, writing, and education, inspiring generations to express themselves boldly and authentically.
Sheri Nicholls
Director