The Board

  • Director
    Dr. John Paul (JP) Catungal (he/him) is Assistant Professor in the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, and Co-Director of the Centre for Asian Canadian Research and Engagement at UBC. As a queer, first generation, Filipinx Canadian scholar of Pangasinense descent, he currently works in partnership with local Filipinx, Asian Canadian and queer of colour organizations to explore the value of community engaged and arts-based research approaches for uplifting historically marginalized communities' knowledges, creativity and histories. His scholarly work on queer and diasporic Filipinx politics in Canada has appeared in his co-edited volumes for the academic journals ACME, TOPIA and Alon. His co-edited book Filipinos in Canada: Disturbing Invisibility was published by the University of Toronto in 2012.

    Favourite Food: A kamayan meal shared with friends and loved ones

  • President
    Stevie is a fellow SFU Theatre alumni who has been involved with rice & beans since the early days. While life has taken her on many adventures, sometimes to far away places, being a part of the board keeps her connected to the theatre community. When she’s not working, Stevie keeps herself busy with a long list of creative hobbies and exploring new places with her dog and partner.

    Favourite Food: A medium rare steak with crispy potatoes, delicious sauces, and a salad made of ripe fresh peaches and tomatoes, fresh herbs, and burrata, paired with a nice bottle of wine and good company. Or popcorn.

  • Treasurer
    Doug is a theatre aficionado. He plays several instruments with the gusto of an amateur and enjoys painting and drawing too. He's outdoorsy, and he loves games and conversations. Doug is one of those BC boys who can't stop smiling and tinkering with things around the house. Actor, RMT, boat-builder, husband, and soon-to-be Victoria resident, Doug is the kind of Treasurer who gets the point, and who will always enjoy meetings with kind people, even over Zoom. 

    Favourite Food: Nanaimo Bars

  • Director
    Blossom has been part of the rice and beans Board of Directors since 2017. Her passion for the arts started at an early age with weekly dance and music lessons. She has worked as a musical theatre actress and instructor, and in theatre and film/TV. With these experiences, she is now heavily involved in education, sharing her knowledge of the arts with the new generations of tomorrow. 

    Favourite Food: Her favourite food is anything in front of her within reach. She will go the extra mile to reach across the other side of the table when necessary.

  • Secretary
    Bev is a nonbinary interdisciplinary artist of Hong Kong Chinese descent and a fellow Theatre graduate of SFU. Their recent work is primarily in drag performance. Performing as Percy Pegg, his drag work plays in the space of non-traditional masculinity and gender expression. Through their art, they are committed to reflecting on their trauma, exploring their queerness and gender identity, and doing anything and everything that brings them joy. Most recently, they have been working as co-producer and Community Outreach Manager for King Sized, a POC drag king focused show as part of the Long Live Kings Collective. Their goal as a producer is to platform under-represented BIPOC and gender and sexually diverse artists with the aim to uplift their voices and stories.

    Favourite Food: Popcorn with butter, MSG, and nutritional yeast

  • Director
    Evelyn is an actor, educator and mentor. She is a member of the UBCP BIPOC Committee and UBCP Education Subcommittee. Selected credits: Twelfth Night (Bard On The Neach), Canada, It’s Complicated (Mary Walsh), Reflections In Crooked Walking (Firehall Arts Centre), The Five Vengeances (Affair Of Honour), Are We There Yet? (Jessie Award Recipient, Neworld Theatre), Narcoleap (Leo Award Recipient). Evelyn is passionate about creating healthy work practices and likes to lead with love.

    Favourite Food: Durian

  • Director
    Tess Conrad, CFRE holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from SFU, and since has worked to better the nonprofit & arts sector through fundraising, obtaining her CFRE in 2021. Her company, Full Potential Fundraising, helps small nonprofits with fundraising strategy and implementation. When not working, you can find Tess hiking, dancing, or at the theatre!

    Favourite food: chocolate

  • Director
    Jessica Waters (she/her) works in People & Culture and has a background in change management. She has been on the r&b board since 2019 and has supported the development of their people policies and practices. Jessica seems to always attract theatre people into her life and relishes the goosebumps she gets when witnessing a show. She currently lives on the lands of the Kwikwetlem First Nation and is grateful to be able to explore and delight in them.

    Favourite Food: Sushi and Tacos

  • Director
    Drew Redman is a music educator and award-winning composer based in Victoria, BC. As a multi-instrumentalist with an interest in both acoustic and electronic music, Drew’s compositional work displays a range of musical styles and genres. He received his BFA in music composition from Simon Fraser University in 2011, and his MMus summa cum laude in scoring for film, television, and video games from Berklee College of Music in 2014. Since then, he has worked on various video games, advertisements, and films. Most recently, Drew composed several hours of music for the critically acclaimed video game 1000xRESIST created by Vancouver-based developer Sunset Visitor. You can check out his work at dredmusic.ca

    Favourite Food: Cured meats