We’re Full Circle Theatre: scrappy, playful, and fearless. Since 2010, we’ve been celebrating women’s voices, reinventing Shakespeare, and creating the kind of theatre we want to see: bold, inclusive, and built for Calgary audiences.

Who we are

In 2009, Claire Bolton and Erin Weir graduated from the University of Calgary’s BFA Drama program. Their 500-level acting class had 12 students, 11 of whom were female-identifying. They realized pretty quickly that, unless they made a change, they would be competing against each other for the role of the main character’s daughter or girlfriend in plays.

And thus Full Circle Theatre was born.

Our first production was a very scrappy Taming of the Shrew that was presented in a meeting auditorium with a grand piano on stage right that couldn’t be moved and a single switch that controlled the lights.

Since then, we’ve made our home at Dancers’ Studio West, the now-defunct Artbox on 17th, Evergreen Community Spaces (RIP), and now West Village Theatre and the Vertigo Studio.

We still create shows that let us - and other artists - play roles that push their boundaries and show non-theatre people what theatre can be. We care about our people, we care about our art, and we care about our audiences.

Our story

Creating Chaos Since 2010

Our Team

Claire (she/her) is a producer, stage manager, educator, and Co-Artistic Director of Full Circle Theatre. A proud UCalgary Drama grad, she’s worked with companies from Quest Theatre to Theatre Calgary, always championing creativity and collaboration. At FCT, she’s helped bring Riverona, Porcelain Dolls, Persephone and more to life.

Fun Fact: Claire is a summer camp whisperer, always ready for any emergency situation from taking care of a crying child or dealing with the fact that John Cena has been turned into a pickle.

Claire Bolton - Co-Artistic Director

Erin (she/her) is an actor, educator, and Co-Artistic Director of Full Circle Theatre. She loves reinventing Shakespeare almost as much as she loves teen dramas — which she blogs, podcasts, and occasionally teaches about. Mostly she teaches doctors how to learn. A UCalgary BFA & M.Ed and Queen’s B.Ed grad, Erin has played everything from Hermia to a peak mean-girl version of Tybalt.

Fun Fact: Erin loves a good shared Google Doc and is always the first person to break out her laptop and type out random thoughts to share with the group. Some of our best (and most impossible) ideas emerge from that!

Erin Weir - Co-Artistic Director

Megan (she/her) is a multi-hyphenate artist: voice actor by day, playwright, improviser, and actor by… later that same day. A Mount Royal Theatre grad, she’s brought Juliet to life in Riverona (yes, multiple times) as well as roles in Much Ado About Nothing, Persephone, and beyond. When not on stage or in the booth, she’s usually writing, teaching, or winning adult spelling bees.

Fun fact: Megan is an absolutely whiz at trivia and, in fact, most party games. She is currently the recipient of a small gourd festooned in ribbons for being the person who best understood Kevin Weir’s brain during “You’re Write About It”, a trivia panel show at the When Words Collide conference.

Megan Baldrey - President (Executive Board)

Gillian (she/her) is an award-winning actor and intimacy director from Mohkinstsis (Calgary). She brings romance novels, movement, and a whole lot of storytelling savvy into her work, both onstage and behind the scenes. Past credits include Porcelain Dolls (FCT), Romeo and Juliet (FCT), and enough period dramas to fill a bookshelf. Her intimacy work last season included The McAdo (Morpheus Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing and Porcelain Dolls (FCT).

Fun Fact: Speaking of bookshelves - Gillian is a voracious romance novel reader. If you’re looking for someone who has read Ice Planet Barbarians, Gillian is your girl.

Gillian Klassen - Vice-President (Executive Board)

Accessibility

Theatre should be for everyone. We keep our work welcoming, affordable, and transparent so audiences and artists alike can step into the story.
inclusivity

We celebrate voices that don’t always get center stage. Our shows create space for women, emerging artists, and underrepresented stories to shine.
Community

We believe theatre is about connection — between artists, audiences, and ideas. Every project is a chance to build something together.
Fun

We take the work seriously, but never ourselves. Our theatre is bold, joyful, and always open to a little bit of chaos. “Hell Week” isn’t a phrase in our vocabulary.