Our Team

Administration

Erynn Nicole Lyster

Executive Director

  • Erynn leads a talented, diverse team of arts professionals dedicated to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for artists and patrons alike. Her work positions The GRAND as a dynamic gathering place where art is the catalyst for meaningful connection, innovative solutions, and challenging conversations.

    Erynn is an entrepreneur with a background in event planning and production, design, communications, and business development. She has spent time working internationally with non-profit organizations, guiding communication strategy and building brand awareness. The strength of her leadership is in bringing talent together to innovate, experiment, and problem solve. In 2016, Erynn was recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40.

    She is at home in the mountains and has explored much of our country by bike! She loves animals, marvelling at art, and finding new ways of looking at and travelling through the world.

    Erynn’s favourite GRAND spaces: “This past year, the team found a room within a room. We were a bit scared to open it as it clearly hadn’t been discovered in decades … story TBC! There is also a mysterious door in the basement that leads somewhere, but no one has yet had the courage to explore!”

Sue Crawford

General Manager

  • Sue contributes to building organizational capacity and business development at The GRAND. She wears many hats - she supports the theatre’s human resources policy and processes, strategic fund development, grant writing and reports, communications, public relations, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning.

    Sue spent her early career as a professional dancer and working with non-profit arts organizations including dance studios, the Yukon Arts Centre and Learning Through The Arts, a branch of the Royal Conservatory of Music. She completed a 12 year tenure at The City of Calgary as a business strategist, with her final position as a Senior Strategist on the Calgary Olympic Bid Exploration team. She departed The City to become a consultant focused on organizational effectiveness. Her role at The GRAND marks her return to the arts, this time as a seasoned strategist with a focus on community development.

    Sue's passions in life are her family and friends, and travel.

    Sue’s favourite GRAND space: “The Flanagan Theatre is the space I love the most; I feel a twinge of excitement every time I step foot in the old theatre!”

Autumn Sali

Head of Administration & Operations

  • As the Operations Assistant at The GRAND, Autumn works closely with the Production and Facilities Director to keep the facility maintained and organized.

    She is a recent graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

    Outside of the theatre, Autumn enjoys reading books and playing video games, especially the Dragon Age series.

    Autumn’s favourite GRAND space: “The theatre’s entrance foyer is my favourite place in the building because of the beautiful historic ornamentation that is still visible today.”

Programming

Nate Chiang

Head of Programming

  • In his role, Nate is responsible for supporting the Programming Team. His duties include liaising with artists and the community, helping to coordinate and execute presentations, coordinating artist residencies and visual arts in the space, and providing administrative support.

    Nate has a passion for the arts and is currently a busy performing jazz drummer, gigging with various bands around Calgary for the better part of the last decade. He is passionate about building relationships and capacity in the local arts community, and values the diversity and calibre of Calgary's artists.

    Nate’s favourite GRAND space: “My favourite place at the theatre is the Studio, which I consider the most calming and inspiring of all the spaces.”

Events and Marketing

Meredith Blackburn

Director of Events & Marketing

  • With a foundation in Event Management acquired from Mount Royal University, Meredith is well-equipped to make a significant impact in her field. Over the past eight years, she has gained experience in the non-profit sector, particularly within the theatre environment, honing a diverse range of skills. Meredith has hands-on experience in Front of House, Bar, and hospitality, as well as marketing, with a keen eye for design and aesthetics. Her previous role as Facilities Rentals Manager at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks has provided her with a deep understanding of the industry. This experience has paved the way for Meredith to bring a unique and holistic perspective to her current role at The GRAND. Here, she crafts effective marketing strategies and identifies potential opportunities for business development, contributing to the ongoing success and growth of the organization.

    Mer’s favourite GRAND space: "My favourite space would have to be the "Green Room." It's nestled in the basement and I love its privacy and awkward green paint”

Ryan Wesley Gray

Marketing Coordinator

  • Since 2007, Ryan (he/him/his) has worked with The GRAND as an Artist, Front of House Manager and Arts Administrator. In his current role he collaborates with the programming and events teams by creating content for The GRAND’s social media and implementing marketing strategies.

    Outside of his work, Ryan has worked in the theatre and film community as an actor, writer, and children’s theatre teacher for over a decade in addition to previous work in a variety of other sectors as a consultant helping develop and grow businesses.

    In his free time, Ryan enjoys practicing creative writing, reading, listening to vinyl, being a video game and film nerd, and of course spending quality time with his beautiful wife, Tatiana, and his fur baby, Clifford.

    Ryan’s Favourite Space at The GRAND:

    “I’ve always thought of The Vintage Room as a hidden gem. It’s where I like to go whenever I feel I am in need of inspiration.”

Vaishnavi Khullar

Venue Rentals Coordinator

  • As an Events Coordinator, Vaishnavi collaborates closely with clients to guarantee the flawless execution of their events. Drawing from a diverse background, she has a keen eye for detail. She completed her Fine Arts degree from Alberta University of the Arts, majoring in Media Arts. She is an artist working in video, sound, and installations. And she loves to read!

    Vaishnavi’s Favourite Space

    "My favorite place at the GRAND is the Mezzanine. The unique composition of the space and the oculus looking down onto the Lobby is my favorite part!"

Audience Services

Connor Williams

Ticketing Services Lead

  • Coming Soon!

Sadaf Ganji-Aslamzada

Audiences Services Coordinator

  • Sadaf (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Calgary's BFA Drama program. She has spent time working as a stage manager, event coordinator, scenic painter, but most recently was the Assistant Producer at The Shakespeare Company. She is now very excited about embarking on this new adventure with The GRAND.

    She has a love for music, long summer walks in the park and a good cup of coffee. Her favorite place at The Grand is in the main lobby; as the space in which we can gather, find connection and reflect.

Production

Matt Levesque

Head of Lighting

  • Coming Soon!

Allison Weninger

Production Coordinator

  • Coming Soon!

Nathan Thiessen

Head of Stage

  • Nathan has worked with The GRAND since 2014, and became the Head Stage Carpenter in 2019. This is a diverse role that involves overhead rigging, assisting with audio, and often requires stage management during shows.

    His technical background includes a decade of working in live sound for the City of Calgary, festival high rigging, video and graphics operation, and some film work.

    Outside of the theatre, Nathan enjoys creating electronic music, running long distances, and mountain biking.

    Nathan’s favourite GRAND show: “I really enjoyed The Gold Rush Redux, presented during the High Performance Rodeo, because the team was so fun, genuine and encouraged others to be themselves.”

Mike Watson

Head of Sound

  • As Head of Sound, Mike’s job is to ensure that pristine levels of sound are reproduced throughout the entire building. Not only does he make it heard, but he strives to make it FELT.

    Prior to “stewarding the sonic vessel that is The GRAND,” Mike has held multiple audio engineering positions at various festivals across Canada.

    One of Mike’s favourite ways to spend his time is visiting Memphis, Tennessee to play blues music and sample the local BBQ.

    Mike's favourite GRAND show: “My favourite show to date is Fluid Festival because it enabled me to gain a new appreciation for modern dance.”