We are Toronto’s West End Performing Arts Company
We provide training, networking, and performance opportunities for professional and pre-professional performing artists, and community members.
Meet the Co-Founders
Carmen Leardi
Carmen is a dance and theatre professional who is proud to live in Toronto’s west end. Originally from the town of Amherstburg in Essex-County, Ontario, Carmen moved to the city to pursue her dreams of working in the performing arts sector. As a performer and choreographer, Carmen and her work across dance genres have appeared on stages and screens across Canada and the United States, including her dance short, Season of Seven Loves (seen on CBC Television), Mike Hargreaves’ “Let It All Out”, and recently as a performer for contemporary and commercial dance showcases in Toronto (Studio6, Garage).
Carmen has nearly a decade of experience teaching dance to students of all ages and abilities, and has been a faculty member, guest choreographer, and competitive coach for various institutions including Randolph Kids Performing Arts (Toronto), The Institute for the Performing Arts (Vaughan), and Rivertown Dance Academy (Amherstburg).
Carmen worked with Randolph Kids Performing Arts producing as many as 12 live shows in one season, and has self-produced various projects including her dance short Season of Seven Loves (seen on CBC), and Moving Canvas (Art&Water Toronto).
Carmen is a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts, and is a current student at Toronto Metropolitan University (BA Creative Industries).
Mari MacDonald
Mari (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and arts educator based out of the west-est end of Toronto; Etobicoke. Fueled by a passion for performing and creating theatre, Mari has worked around the city as a triple threat performer in various plays, musicals, concerts, and cabarets. Some of her favourite credits include Little Women (Wren Theatre), When I Grow Up: A Cabaret (Sunbeam Theatre Co) and X:1969 The Musical (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), a new musical she co-wrote and produced.
Mari is passionate about arts education and bringing theatre to people of all ages! Mari began her teaching journey in 2021; she is currently teaching drama at Young People’s Theatre as well as travelling across Canada bringing fairytale stories to life with Dufflebag Theatre. Mari loves sharing her passion for acting through song and exploring authentic storytelling with students of all ages.
Mari holds a master’s degree in Musical Theatre Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts.
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