There’s a new face handling the curtain calls at The Bailey Theatre in downtown Trail.
The Trail and District Arts Council appointed Joeann Argue as its new executive director last month. Since September, she’s been working closely with seasoned point-person Nadine Tremblay to learn the ropes of managing both the arts council and the theatre.
“As a recent arrival to the Trail area, I was very excited to discover the strong and vibrant arts community here,” Argue says. “I believe my skills and history in the arts community, my ability to build and navigate relationships with people and organizations, and my collaborative approach to decision making, will bring creative and innovative ideas to this community.”
With a long history in the arts, Argue has been involved in every aspect, including performance, programming, administration, development and almost 20 years as an arts educator at the university level.
“I am passionate about supporting artists of all genres and providing the wider community the opportunity to experience diverse, inclusive, and exciting arts experiences.”
As Argue takes over the executive director role, no need for arts community fans to worry about Nadine Tremblay moving on — she is staying on as artistic director.
For the last 10 years Tremblay has made an indelible mark acting as both executive and artistic director at the Trail and District Arts Council and has been with the arts council since 2007.
After dramatically advancing visibility and access to performing arts in the Bailey — and Trail area at-large — she says now is the right time for the organization to become more sustainable and move to the next level.
“I am excited to be working closely with Joeann to continue to grow our organization, support the local cultural community, and continue to bring great performers to Trail,” Tremblay says. “My role will be more around programming and community engagement, which are my favourite parts of the job.”
More about Joeann Argue
Argue contributed to the development of Nozhem: First Peoples Performance Space at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Nozhem is the only theatre dedicated to Indigenous performance in a university institution in North America. She also worked on the development of Indigenous Performance Studies at Trent and taught in the program for more than ten years.
Argue is the co-creator and Artistic Director of the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, the only Indigenous Fringe Festival in the world. The festival takes place in June in Nogojiwanong / Peterborough.
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The Trail and District Arts Council (TDAC) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to foster the arts in Greater Trail by providing services and resources to the arts, cultural and heritage community. TDAC aims to raise awareness of the arts and offer the community a way to experience the diversity that arts and culture have to offer. In addition, TDAC manages the Bailey Theatre and for over 40 years has presented professional and emerging artists in and around Greater Trail and now presents over 70 events annually.
