(Photo credit: Dahlia Katz)

Following a months-long international search, Volcano is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Adridge as the company’s first Managing Director.

Aldridge took on the new position of Managing Director on June 3, following outgoing General Manager, Ray Bramble. The new role was expanded to match the ambitious vision of the company over the coming years. Adridge will share the leadership of the company with Founder and Artistic Director, Ross Manson.

Adridge is an arts administrator and multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto with a passion for equity and industry reform. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto holding both a Bachelor of Music Performance in Voice and a Master of Music in Opera. He has worked as an arts administrator at Association for Opera in Canada, Tapestry Opera, Against the Grain Theatre, and most recently, as Executive Director of the Toronto Consort. Andrew has a passion for nurturing talent and educating young artists. His commitment to EDIJA advancement in the arts sector (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Justice, Access) has made him sought-after as a panelist, consultant and outlet contributor. He was recently named a CBC Hot 30 under 30 Classical Artist.

Of his new position Adridge said in a press release, “I’m thrilled to join Volcano Theatre as their Managing Director. This new role underscores Volcano’s incredible growth over the years and cements the organization’s status as a major player in the national and global theatre sector. This organization is significantly accomplished internationally, actively centres impact and equity, produces brave and ambitious theatre, and is rooted in community; the chance to help guide this great company into the future is one I will relish and put all my passion and expertise into.”

Manson commented on the news by saying, “Volcano is at a critical juncture in its nearly 30-year history, with large scale international collaborations being programmed on four continents. Andrew is the perfect match for the company, with his years-long association with us, first as a singer, then as one of the authors of our new EDIJA and equitable touring policies, and, eventually, as vice-chair of Volcano’s board – a position from which he stepped down in order to apply to co-lead the company. After an international search, Andrew was deemed the best fit. He has Executive level experience, and is attuned to the needs of the industry in Canada, and the opportunities open to a progressive company in making a better future (because that’s what we’re in the business of doing!). I know Andrew well, trust his vision, and am thrilled to have him become our first Managing Director.”

Volcano’s most recent production was Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha,” which was named one of The New York Times’ top classical music performances of 2023, won the 2023 Broadway World award for Best Opera in Toronto, and has recently swept the Dora Award nominations in the Opera category, having been nominated for six (Outstanding Production, Direction, Individual Performance, Ensemble Performance, Design and New Opera/Musical).