Marie has been on the Board of Directors for Theatre Collingwood since August 2014. She is now Vice-Chair as well as a member of the Nominating & Governance Committee. Marie is a retired lawyer and corporate director. Her legal career was primarily in the energy sector in both the public sector (Chair of the Ontario Energy Board) and private sector (Counsel at Gowlings; CEO Canadian Gas Association). She is a past and current board member at several electricity utilities (EPCOR Ontario, Ontario Power Generation and Nova Scotia Power), but also active as a NFP board member in the health and arts sectors (e.g. current or past Chair of boards of Canada’s National Ballet School, Doctors’ Hospital and Kensington Health Foundation.)
Marie has been a resident in the Collingwood area for the last 35 years, initially as weekend skiers, then year round weekenders and gradually advancing to recent full-time residency. She feels Collingwood is a great place to appreciate the great outdoors with lots of year round sports and activities.
Two first memories of live performances stand out for Marie. “I remember singing a solo (Oh Holy Night) in a Christmas pageant in elementary school and then studying The Merchant of Venice in high school, and afterwards we put on a performance of that Shakespeare play….The quality of mercy is not strained…” If Marie could play any role in a show, she would pick Falstaff. “Not sure why, but that Shakespeare character has always appealed to me!”
“Live theatre is important because there is nothing like it; it is a shared experience, yet it helps us to see a different perspective from our own.” – Marie Rounding

Richard joined the board of directors of Theatre Collingwood in August 2014 as Vice-Chair.

First attracted to Collingwood for the skiing (1996), After having rented for a few years, then bought a condo in Cranberry Village, Richard and his wife Debra Friendly decided in 2004 to start building their future home and moved full time to the area in 2010.

Richard is semi-retired from the accounting firm he founded in 1990. He likes to say that he has kept the clients that are fun to deal with. Prior to forming his own firm he worked for one of the big four accounting firms and had a stint owning part of an advertising agency prior to returning to the accounting profession in 1990.

Richard has served on numerous boards and most recently retired as and chair of the board of Cross Country Ski Ontario. He remains active in the ski world as the treasurer of Southern Ontario District of Cross Country Ski Ontario, president of the Highlands Trailblazers (operating out of Highlands Nordic in Duntroon) and is an active race organizer and international level technical delegate. His previous board experience includes Commodore of the Etobicoke Yacht Club, treasurer and executive board member of Taffelmusik – (Canada’s premier baroque orchestra), Vice Chair of Junior Achievement (Peel Region) and the YMCA (Mississauga).

He is a long term audience member of live theatre and doesn’t have an acting bone in his body. Richard can be found not only enjoying Theatre Collingwood, but also at the Shaw, theatre in Toronto and if while on vacation there is a theatre near, he and his wife Debra will take in a show or two.

Harold Bickerstaff is one of Theatre Collingwood’s longest serving Board Members, having joined the team in 1999. He enjoys working with a dynamic Board of Directors, management and office staff. Harold was Board chair from 2010 to 2015. Harold is the President of Bickerstaff Sales Agency and has been in the toy business for forty-five plus years, receiving many awards within the toy industry over his long career. His company serves the needs of major retailers across Canada. His senior positions at several toy companies (such as Fisher Price Toys for almost twenty years) led him to open his own agency in the late 90s. About this time he made the move to Collingwood and started to get involved in the community. Harold’s passion for acting and theatre got him involved in supporting Theatre Collingwood. He has seen many changes over the years, not the least of which has been the numerous venue changes.

Harold is past President (2002-2003) of the Rotary Club of Collingwood and a three time Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. He is a founding member of the Collingwood Dragon Boat Festival and over the years has been involved with several fundraising events and organizations such as the Humane Society, the Red Shoe Walk for My Friend’s House, and with The Gaslight Tour in Collingwood since its inception (playing several roles on stage). Harold is also involved with the Wasaga Beach Blues Festival both on and off the stage.

A frequent guest on local radio shows, he continues to “spread the word” about Theatre Collingwood in South Georgian Bay and beyond.

David became a director of Theatre Collingwood in 2012. He is the President and CEO of Generation Four Capital Corp and currently serves as Chair of the boards of directors of Toronto Hydro, 407 International Inc. and PCI Geomatics Inc. David also serves on the boards of Cricket Energy Holding Inc. and Makwa Development Corp. He is a member of the Board of Governors of York University and is a director of the Yonge Street Mission. David is a member of the Energy Board of MaRS and of the Council for Clean and Reliable Energy.

David was a partner in Gowling WLG for 30 years where he served over the years on the firm’s Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. He previously served as Chair of the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Ontario Energy Association and the Canada-US Business Association.

David particularly loves his time on the Board of Theatre Collingwood with its creative spirit and great sense of teamwork.

Victoria Behune joined the Board of Theatre Collingwood in June 2023 with the goal of making a difference not only to the organization, but to the arts and cultural community and the region she now calls home. A strategist, thought leader and innovator in the areas of tourism, arts, culture and community development, Victoria has led progressive business transformation and has been a visionary, catalyst for change and forward- thinker throughout her career. Victoria has significant experience working in the private, not for profit and public sector and unique, versatile expertise in creating alignment with teams, partners and stakeholders. Additionally, she has extensive national, provincial and municipal level Board experience, including as President Oakville Arts Council, President Attractions Ontario, President Vaughan Tourism, and as a Director on Tourism HR Canada, York Region Tourism, Oakville Tourism, and Destination Ontario. Victoria is currently President, 3 Shores Consulting & Design, a boutique design firm she launched in 2020, after moving to Collingwood and retiring as President & CEO of the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC Workforce Innovation). OTEC is a leading provincial, not for profit, training, consulting and workforce development organization, with provincial, national and international clients serving the tourism, hospitality and service sectors. Prior to OTEC, Victoria held senior executive positions in the tourism, arts and service sectors, including: CAA, Tourism Toronto, The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Toronto Tours, Ontario Place, and the Ministry of Tourism.