Team
Catherine Bourgeois
Artistic and Executive Director
Matjash Mrozewski
Director of Touring and Partnerships
Pénélope Bourque
Producer and Artistic Adviser
Edon Descollines
Artistic Associate
Étienne Laforge
Rehearsal Coach and Support Worker
Alexie Pommier
Artistic and Production Assistant
Communications squad : La Marquise
Grant research and writing consultant : Charlie Julien
Accounting clerk : Dumont-St-Pierre
Auditor : Roland Naccache et Associés
Board of Directors
President: Julie Desjardins, Vice-president, Member services and Communications, Propulsion Québec
Secretary: Ghizlane Dadouchi, Principal Advisor, Gouvernance Synergie, Banque Nationale du Canada
Treasurer: Rosy Hadad, Financial Advisor, Manuvie
Administrator: Catherine Bourgeois, Artistic and Executive Director, Joe Jack & John
Administrator: Edon Descollines, Multidisciplinary Artist
Administrator: Jean-Pascal Fournier, Gallery Director, Galerie COA
Administrator: Élise Gagnon, Philanthropist
Administrator: Gabrielle Gayrard, Lawyer, Associate Director, Corporate and Legal Affairs, Dawson College
Administrator: Isabelle Gingras, Co-general Manager and Administrative Director, Nouveau Théâtre expérimental (NTE)
After studying scenography at Option-Théâtre in Ste-Thérèse, Catherine Bourgeois completed a BA in scenography at École Supérieure de Théâtre de l’UQAM, and a Master’s degree in directing at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. In 2003, she co-founded Joe Jack & John, where she has since designed and directed all their productions. During this time, she has also worked as assistant to choreographer Margie Gillis and Associate Director for Imago Theatre. Her creations have found diverse audiences both nationally and internationally. Catherine, who has also taught at the National Theatre School of Canada since 2017, has gained a reputation as a leader in the performing arts community for her unique aesthetic and the humanity of her casting choices. A member of Women for Equity in Theatre and the Steering Committee of the Feminist Workcamp, she works and actively campaigns for greater recognition of the practice of women and artists with disabilities.
Catherine is the recipient of the Mid-Career Artist Award from the Fondation de la Faculté des Arts de l’UQAM (2018), the Amyot Award from the National Theatre School of Canada (2019), a MECCA award (2008), two Cochons d’or (Best Directing 2011, 2014), and she was a finalist for the Jovette-Marchessault Prize awarded by the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
(Photo: Thibault Carron)
Matjash Mrozewski is a graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School and the Canadian Stage/York University MFA in Large-Scale Theatre Directing. For more than 30 years, he has worked across dance, theatre, and opera as a choreographer, director, performer, and mentor.
A former soloist with The National Ballet of Canada, he also toured internationally with Le Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Following his breakout work A Delicate Battle, commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada in 2001, he created works for companies across Europe, North America and Australia, including The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, and The Australian Ballet, among many others.
Most recently, he served as Director of the Directing Program and Co-Director of Residencies at National Theatre School of Canada, where he led director training and multi-stream artist residencies with a focus on individualized mentorship, leadership development, and artistic exploration. His practice is marked by artistic rigour, a relational approach, and a capacity to build trust-based partnerships across disciplines, artists, institutions, and communities. (Photo: Emelia Hellman)
A multidisciplinary artist working in the performing arts, visual arts and poetry, Edon Descollines stands out for the quality of his stage presence, his abundant creativity and his body and soul commitment to art. Trained at the Muses – Center des arts de la scène, Edon first devoted himself to dance projects: these made him travel both in Belgium and in Japan (Production des Pieds des Mains, 2001) or within the Très Grand Continental (Sylvain Émard Danse). On screen, he takes part in the film Gabrielle (2013) as well as Tu dors Nicole (2014). His journey as a visual artist led him to exhibit his works in 2013 and 2014 at the Articule artist center as part of the Tandem Créatif (Exeko) event. Since 2014, Edon has collaborated with Joe Jack and John on numerous projects, including the performance je ne veux pas marcher seul (Aux Écuries, 2015). From 2019 to 2022, he was part of their artist residencies program; he then developed his project, Le magasin ferme, a multidisciplinary performance presented in the MAI gallery (Montreal, arts interculturels). In the fall of 2022, Edon was named first Associate Artist of Joe Jack and John, a position that allows him to carry out his many projects.
(Photo: Thibault Carron)
Pénélope Bourque completed the playwriting programme at the National Theatre School of Canada in 2013, having previously studied cinema and literature. She now devotes her time to writing, translating, and producing theatre. Her dramaturgical practice is anchored in her relationships with a range of communities.
With the collective Ce n’était pas du vin, she authored Iseult & Evaelle – un beau conte d’amour et de mort (Réseau Accès culture, 2016), La chasse aux billes (Place des arts, 2017), and Jaunes et rouges brillent les étoiles (ZH Festival, 2017). For the company Nervous Hunter, she was part of the creative team behind Lévriers (MAI, 2018; National Arts Centre, 2019). Her French translation of Rhiannon Collett’s play J’ai jamais… (The Kissing Game) premiered with Youtheatre as part of the 2020-2021 season. She’s helmed the production team for Joe Jack & John since 2015, where she also works regularly as both dramaturg and writing collaborator.
(Photo: Mikaël Theimer)
Étienne Laforge is an actor, storyteller and author from Montreal. He began his television career at a young age (30 vies, Toute la vérité, Indéfendable) then went on to act in films (Avant que mon cœur bascule – Sébastien Rose, Deux fois une femme – François Delisle). A graduate of the École nationale de théatre au Canada in acting (2020) he participates in new theatrical collaborations as an actor and musician (Vacarmes, Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, Testament, Théâtre de Quat’Sous).
In 2021 he cofounded the company Conteurs à gages, which creates contemporary storytelling performances for all kinds of performance sites: festivals, forests, parks, alleys, etc. With this company he has developed collective storytelling creation workshops for all, presented in schools and libraries across Quebec. Two years in a row, he was awarded the TEC (Théâtre Engagement Communautaire) grant from ENT to develop an imaginary world in the neighbourhoods of Montreal, with the collaboration of its citizens. Artistic director, author, actor and project coordinator for the company, he also directs their productions.
Always curious and hungry for new perspectives, Étienne joined Joe Jack and John in 2025 as creative support worker and artist coach.
Since graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada , Alexie Pommier has built a multifaceted career, working as an assistant director, stage manager, coordinator, and production manager.
During the first three years of her career, she collaborated with the Théâtre PàP, Le Nouveau Théâtre Expérimental, Joe Jack & John, and Théâtre La Roulotte. She worked alongside many artists such as Justin Laramée, Laurence Dauphinais, Sébastien Dodge, Amélie Dallaire, Catherine Bourgeois, Patrice Dubois, and Hugo Bélanger.
Since 2024, she has also been co-directing the performing arts company Autres Formes with Émile Baudoin Lafortune, Gabriel-Antoine Roy, and Juliette Papineau-Holdrinet. Driven by her desire to develop tools that support and serve artistic creation, she enthusiastically joined the Joe Jack & John team in early 2026. (Photo: Maxime Côté)