Maja Ardal, core member; director, playwright, actor

A theatre professional since 1970, Maja was trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow.

Writer and performer of You Fancy Yourself, published by Playwrights Canada Press, Maja and You Fancy Yourself won Toronto’s 2009 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female. You Fancy Yourself was nominated for three Dora awards in total: Outstanding Direction (Mary Francis Moore) and Outstanding Production (Contrary Compnay). Maja is also the recipient of the 2002 George Luscombe Award for Mentorship in the Theatre.

Maja continues to tour You Fancy Yourself in Canada and the UK. Highlights are: Edinburgh Fringe 2009, and Southern England with Farnham Maltings, September 2009.

In 2008 Maja completed a year as Interim Artistic Director at Nightwood Theatre (Canada’s national Women’s Theatre).

In January 2009 You Fancy Yourself was produced in association with Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto. A near-sold-out run to enthusiastic audiences and notices. A remount is planned for January 2010 in Theate Passe Muraille’s Main Stage.

Maja is a director, theatre instructor and former Artistic Director of Young People’s Theatre (now Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People). Her production of Whale received the 1992 Dora Award for Outstanding Production and toured to Washington D.C. She began her career performing at TorontoWorkshop Productions under the guidance of her mentor, the late George Luscombe. Maja returned to her native Iceland in 2001 to direct her play Midnight Sun, which was also co-produced by Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, and the National Arts Centre, Ottawa, as well as Gloucester Playhouse, Massachusetts.

Maja wrote the book for the musical Joy, (music by Joey Miller), produced by the Workman Theatre, Toronto, 2002.

Maja has directed at The Shaw Festival, The Grand Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Nightwood Theatre (at Factory Theatre), and Great Canadian Theatre Company, Outstanding productions: Two Weeks with the Queen and Oliver Twist, both with Young Peoples Theatre. In the 2004 season, she directed Stones in His Pockets at Alberta Theatre Projects (which received the Betty Mitchell Award nomination for Outstanding Direction) and The Foursome at The Grand Theatre, London.

In March, 2006, she directed Stones in His Pockets at The Grand Theatre. In November 2007, she directed Nightwood Theatre’s production of Linda Griffiths’ Age of Arousal at Factory Theatre.

Acting highlights:
Kilt by Jonathan Wilson at Tarragon Theatre (nominated for Dora Award for Outstanding Performance)
Dusa Fish Stas and Vi (directed by Pam Brighton)
St Joan of the Stockyards (directed by Pam Brighton)
The Club (Directed by Pam Brighton)

Maja is a member of the BIGWIN collective.

TV highlights:
The Road to Avonlea ~ CBC/Disney ~ role Mrs Clara Potts 7 Seasons
Story Theatre ~ CTV NBC ~ multiple roles

Maja trains professional and emerging actors in physical theatre, solo performance, and collective creation.

agent: The Collection Agency

Mary Francis Moore, core member; actor-director, dramaturg, playwright (website)

Mary is currently in development with her play Bittergirl: The Musical (with fellow bittergirls Alison Lawrence and Annabel Griffiths). She has recently directed Mom's the Word at Magnus Theatre and will continue to work on Mom's at various theatres over the next several months.

Mary has worked at such theatres as Tarragon, Factory, Theatre Passe Muraille, Nightwood, Buddies In Bad Times and Can Stage. Favourite credits include Dora nominated Russell Hill (Tarragon), One Good Marriage (Theatre Passe Muraille and Summerworks), Top Gun! The Musical (Factory and Toronto Fringe), and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Mary Francis spent several seasons as Associate Director at Magnus Theatre. Along with Annabel Griffiths and Alison Lawrence, Mary Francis co-wrote and co-starred in the much produced hit bittergirl which has played to sold out runs in Toronto and toured to London's West End and New York. Her book Bittergirl: Getting Over Getting Dumped is published in both Canada and the United States by Penguin.

Mary Francis has been featured on such programs as NBC's The Today Show, Sounds Like Canada, The Women's Network, E!Talk Daily, Off The Record, CTV's Canadian Success Stories and more.

Julia Tribe, core member; set and costume designer (website)

Julie Tribe is the designer of the 2007 Canadian Stage Dream in High Park.

As a Theatrical Set and Costume Designer of over twenty years, Julia Tribe has designed extensively for Theatre, Opera and Dance.

She has received recognition in major companies across Canada and in the Toronto Theatre community, with the following companies showcasing some of her most innovative work: Mirvish Productions, Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Factory Theatre, Tapestry New Opera Works, and Canadian Children's Opera Chorus.

Julia Tribe has been most fortunate to design for a wide range of culturally diverse plays and is finding the world of theatre totally exciting. Her work has delved into African, Korean, Japanese, Inuit, First Nations, Aboriginal, and Caribbean Culture and is some of her most exciting work to date.

As a theatre artist under continual growth she actively explores new play development and the role of design as a crucial part of the fundamental play development practice. Her work with Contrary Theatre Company embraces this exploration.

Kim Blackwell, director

Kim has been a theatre practitioner for 31 years. She has been directing professionally for 16 years. 2008 marks her 14th season with 4th Line Theatre near Millbrook, Ontario. Kim has directed 23 productions and 12 development workshops for new Canadian plays throughout her professional career. Selected 4th Line credits include: artistic associate since 2001; directing: Schoolhouse, The Art of Silent Killing, That Summer, Crow Hill, The Cavan Blazers, Attrition, Gimme That Primetime Religion; directing development workshops of Attrition, Cavan Casanova, The Art of Silent Killing, The Right Road to Pontypool and Welcome Death; stage managing The Cavan Blazers, Crow Hill, 1837: The Farmer's Revolt, Moodie Traill, The Farm Show, Stone Angel, Winslows of Derryvore, The Orchard.

Other favourite directing credits include: Freedom 85 (Toronto Fringe, 2008) Getting Lucky (Rhubarb!, 2005), Unlucky (Summerworks, 2003), The Ugly Man, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Poor Super Man, Unidentified Human Remains…, House, The Lover, Killer's Head, Seduced (Black Well Theatre), Once A Flame, Fire in the Stable, The Shadow of Genius (Heritage Pavilion).

Kim is also the creator and performer of the movement-based poem Kim Blackwell Starring as Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.

Kim runs her own communications company - Blackwell Communications - based in Toronto; her clients include Nightwood Theatre, Dancemakers, Tapestry New Opera Works, Theatre Direct, Stage Centre Productions, Contrary Company, and Birdland Theatre.

Lisa Karen Cox, actor, singer, administrator

Lisa Karen Cox is a graduate of Concordia University's Interdisciplinary Studies program (contemporary dance, theatre, jazz vocal), where she also completed a minor in Business.  To further integrate her love of arts and business, she is currently working to complete her online diploma in Arts & Cultural Management from Grant MacEwan College. Additionally, Lisa has performed at various theatre companies including: Harbourfront Centre; Persephone Theatre; the Stratford Festival of Canada; and the Royal Shakespeare Company (UK). Favourite performance credits include: The Penelopiad, Antony & Cleopatra and Timon of Athens. Most recently, Lisa was the choreographer for Nightwood Theatre’s Bear with Me.

Christina de Jong, producer, writer, filmmaker, new media designer

Christina's professional background is a mosaic of writing, producing, production managing, new media design, and communications. She has supported the work of a number of producer/directors and is currently a part of the Jayamac production team.

A graduate of Calvin College, a small liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Christina has since lived and worked in the United States, India, and Canada. She wrote, directed, and produced a short film in 2004 called "Bright Shadow". Together with Jayamac she is producing a feature film called "The Potter's Daughter", written and directed by G.D. Jayalakshmi, as well as producing a series of short films following disaster response work in Haiti.

As part of Contrary Company, Christina created this website and looks forward to future creative collaborations with this amazing group of artists, drawn together by core member Maja Ardal.