Staff & Board - Kompany Family Theatre

Meet Our Staff & Board

Truus Verkley Co-Artistic Director

Truus Verkley is an artist and educator who has been working with children for more than 20 years. She has been working with Kompany Family Theatre since 2019 and believes that theatre and dance enrich the life of all youngsters. Truus has created performances and arts education programs with a wide range of TYA organizations including Quest Theatre, Evergreen Theatre, Bach Tots Performing Arts, SoundKreations and Trickster Theatre. She has been running Puddle of Mud Productions since 2007- which reaches thousands of kids every year.

Truus has also performed all over Canada and abroad with shows such as Planet of the Senses (Bahrain, UAE), Shopping (Dubai), Frantic Follies (Whitehorse, YK), many seasons with the Edmonton based company Vinok Worldance, 9 seasons of work performing, choreographing and artistic directing with the Fort Steele Follies, and many more! She is also a mom to 4 amazing kiddos who inspire her every day!

Jan Taylor Co-Artistic Director

Jan has a long history of working in the arts in Alberta before becoming Artistic Director in 2007. She is the creative drive behind Kompany and thrives on collaboration and the creation of new works. When she isn't busy coordinating productions or writing shows, Jan can usually be found walking her dog in the River Valley or knitting up a storm.

Gina smiles over her shoulder at the camera as she types away at her computer

Gina Albert Booking Coordinator

Gina joined the Kompany crew in 2014. She is the first point of contact for booking or coordinating questions, and most people agree she's just about the nicest person you'll ever meet. Gina loves interacting with and building connections with the staff at daycares, libraries, schools and community leagues. She enjoys singing but prefers to leave drama games and acting to the professionals.

Karlie sits against a grey stucco background and smiles brightly at the camera

Karlie Christie Designer & Social Media Manager
Booking Coordinator

Karlie is a graduate of the BFA Theatre Design Program at the University of Alberta, as well as the Technical Theatre Program at MacEwan University and JCI's Makeup Artistry and Special FX program. These days you can find her posting on Kompany's social media, designing Kompany's craft packages, and helping design/tech Kompany's shows.

Jennifer Peebles Artistic Associate & Actor

As a child, Jennifer Peebles (she/her) could never answer the question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ First, she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to grow up and second if she had to grow up, she could never decide what it was she wanted to be more; a teacher or an actor. So she did both. Her passion for interactive children’s theatre is rivaled only by her love of the use of theatre and non-traditional teaching techniques in the classroom. She has performed and taught in and out of classrooms for thousands of children around the world including Italy, Prague, United Arab Emirates and China. Currently based out of Edmonton, Alberta, Jennifer is an Artistic Associate of Kompany Family Theatre, the High School Curator for Nextfest, the author of a chapter in a soon to be published book "Weaving Hope Through our Education system," and Mom to a most delightful four-year-old.

She is still trying very hard not to grow up.

Shanni Pinkerton Actor

Shanni Pinkerton has spent many years with Kompany Family Theatre, where she's had the pleasure of being a Squealy Moo camper, cowpoke, circus rat, alien creature, kraken, and so much more! When she's not creating with Kompany, Shanni is an instructor at the Citadel Foote Theatre School and performs nerdy improv with Sorry Not Sorry. She's also an author, sketch comedian, and cosplayer, but her favourite role of all is dog mom to her golden lab, Pippin.