Meet the Board
Kathy Bradshaw
President
Kathy is a 30-year resident of Sylvan Lake with an extensive volunteering portfolio with the many organizations in Sylvan Lake. Her service includes Festival Manager & Treasurer - Jazz at the Lake Festival Society, Treasurer - Sylvan Lake Municipal Library Board, Treasurer -Communities in Bloom, Leader, Deputy Director - Girl Guides of Canada and Assistant Coach for both Minor Soccer and Minor Baseball.
Kathy’s 25-year career has been largely within a financial capacity, both financial and cost accounting, in the oil and gas industry, with a focus on construction and manufacturing. Her developed skills include writing and presenting requests for federal and provincial grant funds, as well as the post-receipt reports required.
Tanya Ryga
Vice President
Tanya moved to the summer village of Half Moon Bay and became an instructor in the Theatre Performance & Creation program at Red Deer Polytechnic for thirty years. She was president of Theatre Alberta, a provincial Arts Service Organization, and a co-creator of three Theatre in Education programs serving five school districts from 1995-2018. For her work in the arts Tanya has been honoured with a Mayor’s Recognition Award and a Women of Excellence Award for community building in central Alberta.
Delaine Engebregtson
Secretary
Delaine has worked with marginalized people for most of her career, Currently, she is an addictions counsellor in a concurrent disorders’ treatment program in Ponoka. She is also working on her Master of Counselling degree. Delaine enjoys volunteering and has sat on library boards, a chamber of commerce, and has volunteered at animal shelters, libraries, breast exam clinics, food banks, and at her son’s schools. Having moved to Sylvan Lake in 2020, she was unable to volunteer to meet new people. The activities offered by Sylvan Lake Theatre have allow her to do just that.
Nikki Bystrom
Treasurer
Nikki has lived in the Sylvan area for almost 30 years and moved into town 3 ½ years ago. She works in a Family Law Office in town, and coaches figure skating with the Sylvan Lake Skating Club. Over the years, she has served on many boards volunteering as the secretary/treasurer for the Benalto Agricultural Society and for the 1290 Cadet corps in Red Deer. For several years, she was a director at Padnoma Support Services, which is an agency that provides support for people with developmental disabilities. She has volunteered at a crisis pregnancy centre and spent many hours helping with the Shadow Riders 4-H club. Volunteering on boards has provided her with the opportunity to meet many great people with interesting stories and has been very fulfilling. Hopefully, it has also allowed others to continue to enjoy activities and access experiences that would not be possible, but for the many volunteers who contribute their time.
Norene Cawthorn Reaume
Director, Fundraising Chair, Marketing
Sylvan Lake has been home to Norene for 54 years, 24 years full time. She volunteers with Sylvan Lake Archives, researching and writing a weekly history Facebook post. She is president of the Archives board and is a member of Archives Society of Alberta and loves research and history. Norene became involved with Sylvan Lake Theatre while working on 2022 Theatre Trail research at the Archives. A perfect pairing began. With SLT, she is an Artistic Producer (Storytelling) as well as the full-time marketer/designer. Norene loves storytelling, took Act Up 2 then Write It!, and officially a published playwright! Her supporting cast is her family, friends and her dogs. Norene has performed in three Theatre Trails and was delighted to see her first play on stage.
Katherine Orsten, Director
A graduate of the Red Deer College and Humber College Theatre Arts programs Katherine spent ten years in Toronto training, acting, writing, directing, devising, and facilitating the creation of new work which was presented at many prestigious theatres and festivals in and around Toronto. Since returning to central Alberta, in 2022, Katherine has been very active within the local theatre scene. Katherine is the Artistic Producer (Playwriting) for Sylvan Lake Theatre as well as a director on the board. For Red Deer Players Katherine produces the Breaking Cover Series which provides public staged readings of new Alberta plays. Erin is a teacher (Treehouse Youth Theatre), an actor and director (Central Alberta Theatre) and most recently, hit a new high as parenthood was added to an already creative and busy schedule.
Barbara Jean Askin, Director
Barbara Jean Askin has called Red Deer home for her entire life and has spent much of that time nurturing and celebrating the vibrant local theatre community. A graduate of the University of Alberta, she has served on many theatre boards over the years, including founding Treehouse Youth Theatre, a project especially close to her heart. She currently sits on the board of Bull Skit and loves keeping her fingers in all the wonderful theatre groups in Red Deer. Barbara Jean is delighted to be part of the Sylvan Lake Theatre family, where she has directed for Theatre Trail 2024 & 2025. She is excited to continue contributing as a new board member and to be part of this creative, welcoming community.