Staff

Dan Petrenko
Artistic  & Managing Director

Hailing from Toronto, ON, Dan is a director, playwright, and producer who has worked in theatres across Canada, the United States, and London’s West End. Previously, Dan served as the founding Artistic Director of Olive Branch Theatre, a professional company dedicated to creating opportunities for next-generation artists in the Greater Toronto Area. Throughout his career, Dan produced and directed a variety of critically acclaimed musicals and cabarets, including an award-winning drama based on his family’s story in the Holocaust, which toured in the United States. Dan’s work has been praised for its depth and artistic complexity. 
Born and raised in Israel to Ukrainian-Jewish parents, Dan often gravitates towards stories exploring Jewish identity and history, particularly those rooted in the Soviet era. As a playwright, he is currently developing multiple projects for the stage that he looks forward to sharing with an audience soon. Dan is a graduate of the University of Toronto, holding an MA in Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies and an Honours BA in Theatre and International Relations. When not in the theatre, he enjoys travelling and spending time with his cats, Smoosh and Buddy. 
Since joining Winnipeg Jewish Theatre in 2022, Dan has co-created and directed Pain to Power: A Kanye West Music Protest, helmed the Canadian premiere of Kathrine Kressmann Taylor’s Address Unknown, and directed the first Canadian production of The Band’s Visit.

staff
Artistic & Managing Director: Dan Petrenko
Company Manager: Etel Shevelev
Patron Services Representative: Patricia Baker
Head of Marketing: Julia Kroft
Production Manager: Katherine Johnston - Red Rover Entertainment
Accountant: Barry Miller
board
President: Miriam Kohn
Treasurer: Don Katz
Secretary: Kerrie Halprin
Directors: David Brickwood, Alissa Schacter, Gaelyn McGregor, Becky Chisick, Belle Jarniewski
Founding Artistic Director: Bev Aronovitch
Founding President: David Cohen