OUR TEAM
TED DYKSTRA - CO-FOUNDER / CHIEF ENGINEER (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
Ted has acted, directed, written and/or composed for every major theatre in Canada and around the world, including such great cities as New York, London and Tokyo. He is a proud graduate of The National Theatre School Of Canada, and a founding member of Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre. Arguably best known for co-creating one of the most successful plays in Canada's history, 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, Ted also wrote the hit musical Evangeline (Citadel Theatre, Charlottetown Festival) and adapted and performed Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata (Art Of Time, Soulpepper) to great acclaim. Coming soon: see Ted in Season 6 of the hit sci-fi series The Expanse. Over the course of his career he has been the recipient of numerous awards including six Doras, a Gemini, a Sterling, a Merritt and a Chalmers.
CHRIS HAYES - GENERAL MANAGER
Originally from Montreal, Chris Hayes is an actor, producer and arts administrator living in Toronto. Chris has been producing shows and working behind the scenes for the Coal Mine Theatre since its second season in 2017. He officially stepped into his current role as General Manager in 2023. Prior to that, Chris was a co-founder of the independent theatre company, Witchboy Theatre. He also co-produced the world premiere production of John Patrick Shanley’s collection of short plays, A Woman is a Secret, at the Theatre Centre in 2015.
WESLEY BABCOCK (THEY/THEM) - DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
Wesley Babcock is a designer for Theatre and Film, and a co-founding partner of WxW Production Management, which provides all production management services for The Coal Mine.
Wesley (they/them) is a Queer set and lighting designer who splits time between Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS) and Tkaronto (Toronto, ON). They have twice been nominated for the Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Award for Scenic Design, and is the recipient of their Wes Daniels Design Award. They have designed for companies such as Neptune Theatre, Howland Company, Coal Mine Theatre, and Crows’ Theatre. With over 60 credits in Toronto since 2017, odds are you've seen something they’ve worked on, including parts of seasons 5, 6, 8, & 9 at Coal Mine.
Wesley is a founding member of whatbywhen (WxW) (with Crystal Lee), where they are building models for sustainable production management and technical direction through praxis. They founded and co-curated Dark Day Monday (with Thea Fitz-James), a Toronto-based performance series featuring artists who break boundaries and defy expectation.
They are also a founding partner of Act1 Consulting for the Performing Arts (with Peter Henry), where they are currently working on a masterplan for the redevelopment of Ship’s Company Theatre, among other architectural projects including with companies like Coal Mine Theatre.
MARKETING MANAGER
Actor, producer and writer – Alex is currently the Marketing Manager at Coal Mine Theatre. She’s a graduate of George Brown Theatre School, and St. Thomas University where she majored in journalism and communications. In addition to her theatre background, Alex has excelled as a freelance journalist and entrepreneur, helping to build a successful Canadian swimwear brand from the ground up. She also serves as an instructor for Cadillac Academy Canada, where she teaches car dealers how to expand their customer base by leveraging social media.
BREANNA DILLON - ASSOCIATE PRODUCER / VENUE MANAGER
Breanna Dillon is a Dora-nominated actor and a producer based in Toronto. She trained in New York City and is a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. In 2014, she co-founded Witchboy Theatre in Toronto, producing and acting in all four of their successful productions. Her past acting work got her recognized as NOW Magazine’s "Breakthrough Stage Artists of 2018". Her most recent stage appearances have been in Toronto’s Best of Fringe 2019 Winner “The Huns'' by Michael Ross Albert. “The Huns” was remounted in Toronto of 2022 before it traveled to the Brighton Fringe Festival in the U.K where it was received with much critical acclaim. She also performs regularly in staged readings of “Comic Books LIVE” at The Assembly Theatre. Breanna is a proud ACTRA member and has appeared in shows on Netflix, Apple TV & Amazon Prime. She joined the Coal Mine Team in January 2023 as an Associate Producer and most recently as Venue Manager. Additionally, she loves to read, write, sing in the car, eat cheese, travel and kick box.
DIANA BENTLEY - CO-FOUNDER / CO-CHIEF ENGINEER (EMERITUS)
Diana Bentley is a multi-disciplinary, award winning Toronto artist. She is the Co-Founder of the Coal Mine Theatre with partner Ted Dykstra and is an actor, producer and writer. She recently accepted an Equity Award of Distinction for ‘collective courage sparking a culture shift’ in the Canadian Theatre community. Bentley is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Actors Conservatory, the London Academy of Musical and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and The University of Toronto. She takes the stage regularly at the Coal Mine (most recently in Hedda Gabler), has had recurring roles in Hudson and Rex, Frontier, Channel Zero, and The Expanse. She is the proud mother of Henry and step-mother of Rosie and Theo Dykstra. Coming soon: catch Diana in Season 2 of the British-Canadian suspense drama Departure and Netflix’s Locke and Key.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brett Ledger - Chair
Rena Bedard
Natalie Herbert
Eli Taylor
Ted Dykstra
Heather McAdam