Creating space for diverse artists to put their stories on stage
Age: 37
Job Title: Managing Director Of SkirtsAfire Festival
From the moment eight-year-old Brianne Jang walked into her first theatre class, she felt at home in the world of storytelling and collaboration. She later studied theatre at MacEwan University and, shortly after graduating, co-founded the non-profit Poiema Productions with three classmates in 2009. Together, they staged original productions across Canada’s fringe theatre circuit, while Jang also took on producing, writing, marketing and budgeting.
In 2016, Jang was approached by Annette Loiselle, then artistic director of SkirtsAfire Festival, about becoming its managing director. Loiselle had co-founded the festival in 2012 to spotlight the voices and experiences of women artists each March in conjunction with International Women’s Day. Though the role was new to her, Jang drew on her experience building Poiema and the work ethic she honed in her parents’ restaurant, trusting she could rise to the challenge.
Since then, SkirtsAfire has expanded from a four-day event into a 10-day, multi-venue festival with a budget of more than $400,000. It now features theatre alongside dance, spoken word, music, comedy and visual art, and has become a vital platform for under-represented voices. But more than anything, she treasures moments of connection — like during the pandemic, when a man walking past the Army & Navy building stopped, drawn in by the music of a performer inside. Captivated, he placed his hand against the glass and the performer did the same. It was a quiet gesture of connection that spoke to the power of the performance. “It was such a powerful reminder of how deeply we need art, especially in uncertain times,” she says.
And while she wears many hats — fundraising, donor relations, bookkeeping, hiring — she keeps sight of the festival’s purpose: creating space for stories that might otherwise go unheard. “What keeps me going is knowing that we’re making a difference for women in the arts and for the many diverse communities they represent.”
This article appears in the November/December 2025 issue of Edify
