We gratefully acknowledge the help and support of all our members in making the Ryga Arts Festival possible.
Trista Bassett joined the Ryga Arts Festival as Festival Administrator and then GM in 2021, and is excited to be here for the 10th anniversary of the festival. In addition to her sometimes annoying obsession with organizing things, she is also a 3 time grant recipient for performance and professional development in music, a singer-songwriter, performer, playwright, visual artist and creator of musicals.
Her plays have been featured at Ignite the Arts and this year’s Kelowna Fringe Festival, and she has
performed her original music all across Canada. She brings her love of the arts into the mix when helping
to plan the festival.
Jack Paterson (he, him) is an award-winning director, devisor, dramaturg, translator, theatre maker & Creative producer whose work and practice have taken him across Canada, Asia, Europe, South America, United Kingdom & USA. Projects have ranged from contemporary devised creation, multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural, and multi-lingual experiences to new works, translations & texts, to contemporary approaches to classical theatre.
Shows under his direction have garnered over thirty theatre award nominations with many wins including “Outstanding Production”. He is a recipient of “The Ray Michal Outstanding Body of Work Award”, “The Cole Foundation Award for Emerging Translators”, and “The John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award for Outstanding West Coast Artist”.
He trained at leading international theatrical institutions including Circle in the Square (NYC, USA), GITIS The University of Performing Arts (Moscow, RU), SENI Indonesian Institute of the Arts (Bali, ID) and received his MFA in World Theatre Direction from the renown East 15 Acting School & University of Essex (London, UK).
The Ryga Arts Festival is currently seeking enthusiastic new board members to join our team we are looking for board members who share our commitment to fostering arts and performance in the south Okanagan for diverse voices and being a catalyst for social change. We draw our inspiration from Summerland’s own George Ryga, a playwright, poet and novelist, whose work was driven by his values for social justice.
We are seeking board members committed to the following responsibilities:
1. Working together as a team in line with Ryga Arts Festival’s mission and values;
2. Provide strategic and financial stewardship of the Ryga Arts Festival;
3. Attend monthly board meetings, possibly sub committees where interested, and the Annual General Meetings for a two to three year term;
4. Connect Ryga Arts Festival activities and personnels with individuals and community to grow the festival, and foster and support community sponsors and individual partners and festival donors;
5. Support the performances and festival events through attendance and assistance when possible, with an eye to positive new and existing relationships in diverse communities.
Board members should have skills, interests, or experience in the following areas:
1. Non-profit board governance
2. Financial and accounting
3. Arts production
4. HR
5. Media relations and marketing
No board experience, but a keen interest and willing to learn? Why not shadow an experienced board member and build your community resume?
The Ryga Arts Festival holds monthly meetings as well as an annual general meeting in October November or December. In addition members may expect to 4 to 6 hours a month preparing for meetings and communicating board matters in between meetings. Directors shall be elected for two year terms, with a third year to transfer skills to their board position protégé.
How to Join the Ryga Arts Festival Board:
Please send an email expression of interest to our festival GM, Trista Bassett.
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