Get in touch with us at birdonstage@gmail.com
Meet the Team
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - GARRETT M. RYAN ABRAMS
Garrett M. Ryan Abrams is a Northern Ontarian playwright, director, dramaturg, and arts advocate based in Sault Ste. Marie. His work often centers on Northern stories, challenging conventional narratives about life in the region. As a proud Jewish-Canadian and Irish-Canadian, Garrett integrates his cultural heritage into his storytelling.
Since beginning his career in the Fringe circuit after high school in 2017, Garrett has developed his theatrical voice, winning multiple awards at various festivals. He continues to create and tour original works through Bird On Stage Productions, which he is dedicated to building into a significant force in the Canadian theatre landscape. As someone who never quite felt like he fit in, he aims to create a company for others who feel the same way—outsiders, misfits, and artists working in the North or beyond Toronto's theatre hub.
Garrett holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees in Theatre & Performance Studies from York University, with research focusing on New Play Development for Northern Community Development.
ARTISTIC PRODUCER - ROBERT LEITNER
Robert Leitner is a Jewish-American/Canadian actor, director, lighting designer, and an adamant arts lover, currently based in Toronto. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida, before moving to Canada in 2014. Robert joined the Bird on Stage Productions team in 2018, originally just as an actor. Since then, Robert has been consistently acting and doing lighting design for the company's productions, while also working alongside our AD, Garrett M. Ryan, to create boundary-pushing, innovative theatre. Across Robert’s time with Bird on Stage, he has been evolving his theatre chops, winning numerous awards in many festivals around Canada. Through this company, he plans to keep creating work that inspires and provokes, hoping to bring in a new age of artists who want to live outside the binary of the conventional and unconventional. Growing up, Robert had a hard time fitting in, never feeling like he belonged with the people around him. But when he met Garrett and Bird on Stage, that was when he knew he found his place. Robert has completed his time at the York University Acting Conservatory, working with many professors and people who have helped Robert find his footing across this landscape. Robert acknowledges that without the help of his peers, teachers, friends, family, and all the people he meets along the way, there is no Robert Leitner.
HEAD OF MARKETING/OUTREACH -TIPELO HILDEBRAND
Tipelo Hildebrand is a Toronto-based neurodiverse actor, singer, collaborator, and creator, passionate about storytelling and fostering connections through the arts. As the Head of Marketing & Outreach for Bird On Stage Productions, she brings her deep love for independent theatre, emerging artists, and bold storytelling to help amplify voices that challenge, inspire, and engage. With a background in theatre, film, and costume design, Tipelo thrives in fast-paced, creative environments, ensuring that every production resonates both on and off the stage. She understands the heartbeat of a show both on and off the stage and is passionate about creating meaningful engagement between artists and audiences.
A graduate of York University’s BFA Acting Conservatory, Tipelo has worked with some of Canada’s most respected theatre artists, including Keshia Palm, Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster, Keira Loughran, and Erika Batdorf. Her experience spans a variety of roles in productions such as Radium Girls (Kathrin), and Hamlet (Ophelia). Through strategic outreach, creative campaigns, and a deep love for storytelling, Tipelo strives to ensure Bird On Stage’s productions echo beyond the stage, sparking conversations, challenging perspectives, and giving the voiceless a voice.