Terra Nova Board of Directors
As a registered charity, Terra Nova Productions is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors:
Ben Harrison - Chair
Philip White - Treasurer
Lori Gatsi-Barnett - Secretary
Azadeh Sobout, Rachel Kennedy make up the rest of the Terra Nova Board team, with new Board members currently being recruited.
Artistic Director - Andrea Montgomery
Company Founder Andrea Montgomery is a bilingual Canadian writer born in India, who has directed 65+ productions across the UK, Europe, Asia and the middle East. She has committed to living in Northern Ireland since 2002.
After training in Canada as a specialist in Shakespeare and Japanese 18th century drama, Andrea set up and ran her own award-winning theatre company in London in the early 90s. ReCREATION focused particularly on 16th to 18th century work, and appropriate new writing, using innovative physical theatre and original live music techniques.
Moving to work for London producer Julius Green in 1999, she ran a seven show season in Edinburgh in 1999, a range of number-one touring and a West End production before taking up post as Chief Executive of the Palace Theatre, Westcliff. Continuing to write and direct, Andrea moved to Northern Ireland as the Artistic Director of the Riverside Theatre. While there she was a founder member and of the five-venue regional collective ART-NI, producing Philadelphia, Here I Come! She co-produced and co-directed work with colleagues from the USA, Namibia, Hong Kong, and the Republic of Ireland.
Since setting up Terra Nova Productions more 17 years ago, Andrea has produced, written and directed projects with international colleagues in Hong Kong, Macau, London, Tehran, Vancouver, and Nuuk, Greenland. Her work for Terra Nova includes The Ulster Kama Sutra which she co-wrote and directed, All at One I Saw A Crowd with partners in Vancouver, Nuuk and Macau. For Terra Nova’s Arrivals she developed and directed 10 short plays , followed by the immersive Mi Mundo which she wrote, and Me You Us Them, which she wrote and directed. She also adapted the script and directed The Belfast Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Terra Nova’s large-scale site-specific Shakespeare projects involving over 120-150 community participants working alongside a team of 30-40 professionals. Andrea first premiered her current play The Trumpet & The KIng in 2022, toured it in 2023 and is making plans for the work to tour beyond Ireland in 2026.
Andrea regularly freelances, and has enjoyed outstanding commercial and artistic success with productions ranging from serious drama, to Sondheim and comedy. During her 12 years at Terra Nova she has also found time to write for theatre, TV and radio, as well as creating a book of cartoons. Andrea works internationally along side her Terra Nova work. Clients include Ulster and Leinster Rugby Teams, the Royal Albert Hall, the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, the Tate Modern and the London Eye.
Andrea can be reached on andrea@terranovaproductions.net.
Trainee creative producer
Remi Shore is our trainee Creative Producer, supported by Future Screens NI for three years of full time work with Terra Nova. Remi is a mixed-race Nigerian Northern Irish actor, facilitator and emerging writer, who is learning the skills of conceiving, developing and fundraising for projects that deliver on Terra Nova’s intercultural mission. Remi will be working on all aspects of Terra Nova’s work from community engagement, emerging artist development and professional opportunity. Remi will be taking particular responsibility for Breakthrough, our programme to support Northern Irish emerging immigrant and global majority artists in the 18-30 age bracket. Remi can be reached on remi@terranovaproductions.net. Terra Nova has commissioned Remi to write his first play Momento Mori. He is using the structure and situation of The Trumpet & the KIng to frame this original work and is being mentored by Andrea Montgomery.