Artistic Producer
Daina Leitold
Daina is a Winnipeg theatre creator and producer, and an award-winning actor and designer. She holds an Honours Degree in Theatre Performance, with minors in Environmental Studies and Education from the University of Winnipeg. She was honoured with a Theatre Educator Award from the Winnipeg Theatre Awards (Evies) in 2022, and was nominated for the 2021 Gina Wilkinson Award for women artists who place community and new creation models at the heart of their artistic leadership.
From 1996 through 2007, Daina worked seasonally with Wild Roots Theatre as a playwright, dramaturg, actor, director, designer and tour manager. In 2010, she became the Executive Director, and has since grown Green Kids’ programming to include interactive workshops, projects created with youth and educators and large scale public events.
Board of Directors
Delaine Russo
Chair
Delaine is the current Board Chair and an environmental consultant for Green Kids. She is a trained Environmental scientist holding a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and a M.Sc. in Community Health (specializing in Environmental Health. Delaine is also a certified Environmental Professional (EP) through Eco Canada and has over 20 years of related work experience in the environmental field. Over the years, Delaine has had to use her education and training in environmental science in her positions in various organizations to ensure environmental compliance and sustainability needs are met.
Remaining active in her field of study and having to communicate environmental needs to various audiences in the workplace helped in providing guidance to the topics discussed in the Green Kids performances, workshops and other productions and activities. Her current role is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Manitoba. Her connection to the university and other educators in environmental science has been an asset in bringing in other resources to add to Green Kids repertoire including packages to help teachers continue the learning in the classroom following performances and workshops in their school.
Karen Lind
Vice Chair
Karen holds a bachelor's in environmental science, a master’s in environmental studies and a master’s in health evaluation. Karen’s academic background has focussed on the intersection between health and the environment, as well as conservation education program planning and interventions for behavioural change.
Karen was the lead researcher evaluating learning and behaviour outcomes associated with climate change interpretative programming for an environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO). These initiatives included a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews, to determine what influence interpreting scientific climate change research had on the public’s knowledge, awareness, and behaviours. Karen was also the lead evaluator for a Youth Climate Change program connecting urban and rural students from across Manitoba with the Town of Churchill for an intensive four-day learning experience with Elders, community members, conservation officers, and wildlife researchers.Karen has been recognized with multiple awards from the Manitoba Long-Term Care Association and the Manitoba Department of Health, Seniors, and Active Living for her innovative work in developing intergenerational environmental programming that fostered meaningful connections and climate change actions between youth and seniors. Currently, Karen is a practicing evaluator for a consulting firm based out of Winnipeg and Ottawa, focusing primarily on health and environmental program evaluations for federal, provincial/territorial, and not-for-profit clients. Outside of her evaluation work, Karen enjoys building a love of movement, expression, and community amongst the young dancers she teaches.
Jessica McGlynn
Secretary
Jessica is a queer, Métis theatre educator. She has an honours degree in acting from the University of Winnipeg and outside of teaching works as a puppeteer, director, and actor. She has been involved with Green Kids for two years. She has worked as an instructor at MTYP, developing lesson plans and building course materials. She has also worked as the School Sales Coordinator at MTYP which heavily involved creating relationships with schools and school divisions, creating marketing materials designed specifically for educators. Those skills have been an asset for Green Kids when developing strategies for marketing to educators. She has also worked with Oshkagoojin Theatre for Youth which is an Indigenous theatre led by one of our consultants, Nova Courchene.
Eric Rae
Treasurer/French Translation
Eric is a professional theatre artist who holds a BaH from the University of Winnipeg and an MA from l’Université du Côte d’Azur in Nice. They are an actor, director, playwright, and producer. Their teaching experience is limited but exists. They were a teaching assistant at the U of W for three years after graduating, did a few short stints at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, spent a year as a private English tutor while in France, and have recently started going children’s programming at the Winnipeg Public Library. They’ve worked for Green Kids as well, having done one school tour, a few years of the Target Zero Eco-tours of the Forks, and played the role of one of 4 hosts for the last Bike and Circuses event. They’ve been on the board of Green Kids for three years (I think) and Treasurer for 6 months.
Eric has also been involved in climate justice activism since 2015, having organized with the Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition, Decolonial Solidarity, 350.org, LeadNow, and Manitoba’s Climate Action Team as well as addressing climate justice issues in their own work. They recognize that the justice part of “climate justice” is just as important as the climate part, and that intersectionality means we must take a holistic approach to change. They have also done extensive reading on methods of governance and organization to better pursue the creation and facilitation of non-hierarchical spaces and structures in all they do.
Alissa Watson
Member at Large
Alissa is an artist and educator that has volunteered with the board for over ten years. She has a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education from Brandon University and has taught music, drama, and classroom for the last twelve years to students of all ages both privately and in the public school system. Much of Alissa’s artistic work is as an actor, playwright, director, and artistic consultant. As a performer, she has completed 8 Theatre for Young Audiences tours with various arts organizations giving her a plethora of experience with student audiences. Her work with Green Kids has helped facilitate positive artist/audience relationships as well as supported the development of programming geared to schools. Alissa is completing her Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of Alberta. Upon graduation she will return to Manitoba to share her new skills with the artistic and education communities in our province. Alissa is a founding member of Winnipeg’s all-female bouffon ensemble who have become known for their political satire and appearances at large scale community events like the climate strike.
Shelley Killeen
Member at Large
Shelley is a Winnipeg entrepreneur. After graduating from the University of Manitoba
Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Studies program, she has established
and maintained a successful and respected workplace consultancy for the past 27
years. She is also certified by the U of W in Communications with a public relations
specialization.
In her consulting role she has instructed at Red River Polytec, U of Winnipeg and for
MTEC and is on the Safe Work MB and City of Winnipeg Trainer and Auditor lists.
Shelley has her certification for Environmental Monitoring and has implemented many
recycling programs at her clients workplaces.
Shelley has been an active clown with the Bump a Nose Clown Alley for 30+ years,
attending many conventions in the USA, and doing a lot of playing around at events in
Winnipeg and rural towns and reserves where she sees the need to help educate and
possibly encourage various agencies to provide guidance and a method to transport
recyclables off of First Nations. She has a puppet named Vernon, the Composting
Vermin.
She has been a successful fundraiser and volunteer coordinator for several local
charitable organizations. Shelley has been a member of Fort Garry Rotary for 12 years and has sat on three of their boards with varying positions. Shelley has been a board member for CAPS, Canadian Association for Professional Speakers where she held numerus positions. A board member and President for both the Incident Prevention Association of Manitoba and the Herb Society of Manitoba.
The Team
Brenda McLean
Producer
Brenda (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artists based on Treaty 1 Territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She designs, directs, and dreams up imaginative worlds through movement, clown, physical theatre, and costume design.
She was delighted to help bring Bike and Circuses to life in 2022 and 2024—an outdoor environmental spectacle blending circus arts, theatre, dance, ecological awareness, and community engagement in Whittier Park. Through this project, she channels her passion for active environmentalism and physical storytelling into a vibrant, site-specific experience.
She is deeply thankful to be part of a company that values innovation, sustainability, and the power of performance to inspire change. Working with this passionate team fills her heart—and handlebars—with gratitude.
Jo Burdon
Admin Wizard
Jo Burdon (they/them) is an all-around creative striving to learn as much as possible in this life. They are a graduate of the University of Winnipeg’s Acting: Honours program, and continue to hone their craft through workshops in voice, songwriting, movement, and contact improv.
Jo also loves bikes! Jo loves riding their bike in almost any capacity; commuting to work (yes, in the winter too!), racing gravel or cyclocross, a casual group ride with friends, running errands, coaching with the Manitoba Cycling Association, and instructing youth bike workshops with The W.R.E.N.C.H. in Winnipeg.
Jo is incredibly excited to be a part of the Green Kids team.
Bronwyn Smyth
Admin Wizard
Bronwyn (she/they) is a bilingual (English/French) emerging multidisciplinary artist studying and working in Winnipeg MB on Treaty 1 Territory. They are currently enrolled in the University of Winnipeg Acting Honours Program with a Minor in French.
In the summer, she is a canoe trip guide and is passionate about protecting the land we live on for future generations.
"I love that I can combine my passion for theatre and for environmental activism working with Green Kids!! Best of both worlds."
You can find her at her desk - cluttered with trinkets, in the rehearsal room, or on a canoe in the middle of nowhere.
“It’s time for us to take a stance and encourage an understanding and empathy for nature and all its living things...With the help of Green Kids and their performance Wild Wild Wilderness our Early Years classrooms are making connections between habitat, wildlife, water quality and human activity.”
Teacher, Winnipeg Beach
Wild Roots Theatre Anti-Racism Policy
Wild Roots has always been an organization focused on environmental education and social justice. We are proud of our legacy however, not enough attention has been paid to inclusion and diversity both in the people we work with and in the stories that we tell.
Today, Wild Roots commits to doing better as an organization. Operating in Treaty 1 Territory, an area rich in diversity, we will strive to include Black and Indigenous perspectives as well as those from People of Colour into our projects moving forward. We endeavour to treat all peoples with dignity and respect and to work towards amplifying voices in our communities that have been diminished because of inequity or racism.
We are resolved that our anti-racism commitment be reflected in the daily operation of Wild Roots through our policies, programs, and practices. We will work to implement strategies that dismantle racism within all aspects of our organization and programming to the best of our abilities, including but not limited to our:
I. Artistic & Educational Content
II. Board of Directors & Advisory Committee
III. Administration & Operations
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In all the above, we place faith in our future as environmental educators, storytellers, and advocates. We acknowledge this statement as a living document that will evolve as we come to understand more. Moving forward, we pledge to do our best; to act with open minds and hearts. We commit to meeting any future mistakes with the promise to correct, repair, and improve.
“The children were enthralled! The classroom workshops were very engaging. Thank you again."
Teacher, Saskatoon
Why We Do What We Do
Our purpose is to create impactful theatrical experiences that promote a real sense of belonging for our audiences in order to connect, care, and participate in climate protection. Through theatre and play, we hope to inspire environmental stewardship and create meaningful community experiences that help people see where they fit within the solutions to our climate emergency.
Curiosity is crucial to our company’s development and creativity. We want our productions to reflect exactly that: to act as a catalyst for people, connecting climate change to environmental racism and capitalism, and to inspire audiences to become more curious themselves. By experiencing our work, we hope audiences will ask questions about the systems in place that threaten the environment’s well-being and how they might be implicated in those systems. Our ultimate goal, in all our work, is to ignite positive change for a sustainable future.
For many folks, environmental issues can feel difficult to connect to and many people feel powerless in the face of the climate crisis. Our theatre aims to share a positive perspective, creating productions that blend imagination, humour and empathy with knowledge and agency in order to give hope and resilience to our audiences. By celebrating environmental action and offering practical pathways to change, we encourage our audiences to shift personal habits, engage in community activism, and advocate for systemic reform.
​In 1991, Green Kids (now Wild Roots Theatre) was established to address the need for entertaining educational programming. With the hope of inspiring a new generation of environmentally conscious adults, we created productions for school-aged children about the importance of climate care. We now make theatre for people of all ages, to involve and inspire the whole community in climate action. We have mounted productions exploring a multitude of topics such as climate change, circular economy, active transportation, biodiversity, habitat and wildlife conservation, water systems, and waste reduction, with our creativity and passion for this work continuing to grow.
