The Travelling Stage

Toni Grates is the Founding Director of The Travelling Stage; a company she started 22 years ago with a big dream, a hand-made poster and a laundry basket full of props. She spends much of her time creating and advocating for arts opportunities for young people.

She’s worked as an actor and a writer for YTV and CityTV and has performed on, directed and written for stages across North America.

In addition to her work with The Travelling Stage, she teaches Drama and Dance Education at Brock University.  She is also honoured to oversee a Far North Community Engagement Initiative in remote communities in the NWT as far as the Arctic Ocean, where The Travelling Stage is working alongside consultants, elders and school superintendents to engage communities through the arts.

She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Durham Catholic District School Board, where she was first inspired by her high school drama teacher, Mr. Jim Finan. She believes that arts education is essential and has committed her career to creating as many accessible and inclusive opportunities as she can for students and teachers. She strives to lead with compassion and creativity. She is grateful for an extraordinary office and teaching team, who are also committed to impact and change through arts education. 

Toni is currently completing her Master of Education from the University of Toronto with a dual emphasis in Arts in Education and Indigenous Education and Decolonization.

She is a very proud mom to two boys, ages 8 and 13.