10/08/2026
Halifax Theatre for Young People is thrilled to announce Amy Reitsma and Emma James as our incoming Artistic Co-Directors!
Outgoing (and founding) AD Tessa Mendel will be officially handing the reins to Emma and Amy this October, following seventeen years of dedicated service to HTYP.
AMY REITSMA
Amy Reitsma (she/her) is a working mom with a deep-rooted belief in the power of the arts as a force for positive change. She lives in beautiful Eskikewa’kik/Seabright, NS with her sweet husband Nye, two gorgeous (slightly feral) children, and a giant cat.
As an emerging assistant director/director, Amy has worked with Neptune Theatre (‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’), Ship’s Company and Eastern Front Theatre (“Frenchy’s”) and directed over 20 children’s theatre shows while working with Perform UK in London, England. She has worked with the National Screen Institute since 2022 as a program manager where she has managed several programs delivering training and career advancement in film production to underserved communities across Canada.
A jobbing actor, Amy has worked for over twenty years as an actress, singer and voiceover artist across many stages (and mics) in the Maritimes and London, England, where she lived for seven years. Her most recent local acting credits include May in ‘Deepwater’ (Neptune studio/ Villains - not a kid-friendly show), and Glinda/Aunt Em in ‘Wizard of Oz’ (Neptune mainstage - a very kid-friendly show). She holds a Bachelor of Music (Voice) from Queen’s University and a Masters in Acting from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Amy is thrilled and honoured to be taking on her new role as Artistic Co-Director of HTYP.
EMMA JAMES
Emma James (they/them) is an autistic le***an who wants to make the world a bit better through the magic of live performance. They are also a theatre artist based in K’jipuktuk/Halifax, NS.
In 2021, Emma received their Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Theatre (Acting) and Certificate in Dance & Movement from Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of Performing Arts (FSPA). As a student, they fell in love with the creative process while also learning the value of being a self-producing artist. They received their Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from NSCC in 2023.
Their award-winning (and highly touring) production THE SKELETON DANCE () first began as a theatre school assignment with classmate (and friend) Ella MacDonald in 2019. THE SKELETON DANCE is a play for all ages about death (YAY!). It’s a highly physical, energetic, and light-hearted play with elements of creative movement, clown, and puppetry. Despite the subject being widely perceived as inherently difficult subject matter, the show is playful, light-hearted, and irreverent.
As an independent artist, Emma has had the pleasure of working as an actor, director, and producer on many incredible indie productions. Since 2023, they’ve been performing on stages across the Maritimes as drag king Colin Sick.
In 2026, Emma won Gold in the Best Theatre Actor category for The Coast’s Best of Halifax, following a Silver placement in 2023.
After growing up in small-town St. Stephen, NB, Emma now lives in Kwipek/Bedford, NS with their perfect wife Nicole and their two cats.
