Gale Force Theatre was started by emerging artists, Franziska Glen and Lily Falk. Based both in Kjipuktuk/Halifax and Upper Lahave, Nova Scotia, their work spans productions for children and adults that includes new Canadian works, devised productions, and puppetry. Their first production Crypthand won the Best Original Script award at the Halifax Fringe Festival (2019) and in 2021 they presented a reading of it for Eastern Front Theatre’s Stages Festival. In 2020, they created A Tale on Two Wheels, a COVID safe outdoor show for very young audiences that’s delivered to parks on tandem bicycle. During the summer of 2021, they embarked on a province-wide tour bringing A Tale On Two Wheels to audiences in urban and rural communities across Nova Scotia.
Franziska Glen
Franziska Glen is an actor, puppeteer and theatre maker living in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). She is co-artistic director of Gale Force Theatre and performed in their inaugural show Crypthand, for the 2019 Halifax Fringe Festival. After completing three international tours with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s show The Rainbow Fish, Franziska spent the summer of 2019 at Bread and Puppet as an apprentice puppeteer to their circus and pageant shows. Recently she spent the summer of 2020 developing outdoor shows to be performed during the time of Covid. These include Late Night Radio with the North Barn Theatre Collective and A Tale On Two Wheels with Gale Force Theatre.
Franziska also works and creates in French. She is currently developing Satellite Théâtre’s newest show and directed Antioche for Théâtre DesAssimilés.
Lily Falk
Lily Falk is an emerging theatre artist living in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). She is co-artistic director of Gale Force Theatre and an emerging sound designer with Neptune Theatre’s 2019/20 Chrysalis Project. Her first play, Crypthand, was developed at the 2019 PARC Colony and won the Best Original Script award at the 2019 Halifax Fringe Festival. She’s currently developing a serialized audio drama for kids. When she isn’t writing, her work spans puppetry, audio storytelling, and devised creation.
Kurtis McAllister – Collaborator
Kurtis McAllister is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who has been heard on stages throughout Canada with his project Kurtis Eugene. Kurtis’ first love is composition and this led him to hone his skills as an audio engineer and producer. He has collaborated with Maritime artists and non-profits to produce everything from full-length albums to podcasts. His passion for improvisation and sound experimentation find their outlet in his work as a music workshop facilitator and teacher, focusing on the cultivation of creativity and play. The common thread in all of Kurtis’ work is in his hope to share the power of music and to inspire a sense of connection, empathy and joy within our communities.
Gale Force Theatre 