Ken Hildebrandt

Managing Artistic Director

A UFV graduate with a BA in English and Theatre, Ken is the founding Managing Artistic Director of Gallery 7 Theatre and has been with the theatre since its inception in 1991. In addition to managing the organization, Ken occasionally directs, acts or does lighting design.

Select directing credits include Doubt, a Parable, Halo, The Giver, Driving Miss Daisy, The Importance of Being Earnest, William Golding's Lord of the Flies and the Canadian amateur premier of Swallows and Amazons. Select acting projects include Macbeth for UFV Theatre and Tuesdays with Morrie, which played at both Gallery 7 Theatre and at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, BC.

An award-winning lighting designer, Ken's designs include Hamlet (UFV), The Fantasticks, Mary's Wedding, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Pride & Prejudice. When not doing theatre, Ken enjoys announcing at airshows, flying airplanes and relaxing at home with friends, movies and video games.

Recently, Ken was honored to be selected one of the Top 40 Alumni of the University of the Fraser Valley in celebration of the university's 40th anniversary. He is passionate about the power of theatre to engage, entertain and provoke thought, and especially passionate about Gallery 7 Theatre's mandate to explore the spiritual, relational and social aspects of the human experience with a vision towards hope, reconciliation and redemption.

Meghan Kellington

Digital Marketing Associate

From an early age, Meghan has been captivated by the art of storytelling through music, film, dance, and—most of all—live theatre.

Her love for theatre grew during her adolescence, and she became a regular attendee at Gallery 7 Theatre productions and participated in their theatre camps throughout middle and high school. It was a "pinch me" moment to be cast and perform in her first G7 production in 2018’s Pride and Prejudice as Mary Bennett. Most recently, Meghan had the opportunity to perform in this season's productions of Footloose as Betty Blast/Ensemble and in Prince Caspian, a dream show for her, taking on the roles of Pattertwig, Glozelle, and Prunaprismia.

In her professional life, Meghan spent many years in the non-profit sector, honing her coordination and media skills. She also has years of experience in content creation, and has grown multiple social media accounts. Driven by her passion for creativity, she now works in a pre-production role as “Creative Coordinator” for a local film company.

Taking on the role of Digital Marketing Associate for Gallery 7 Theatre feels like a full-circle moment for Meghan. She hopes that the content she creates will not only showcase the talent of local artists, but also inspire others to experience the magic of live theatre by attending quality local productions.

Gabe Kirkley

Marketing Associate

A UFV graduate with a BA in History and Theatre, Gabe has been working in theatre in the Lower Mainland for close to 20 years (yes, he started very young). He was previously the Sales Systems Specialist and Marketing Coordinator for the Arts Club Theatre Company and the Marketing Manager for the Evergreen Cultural Centre. These days, in addition to theatre, he works as a software engineer in Vancouver.

You may have seen or heard Gabe's design work on stage at G7 in shows like The Secret Garden, A Wrinkle in Time, The Mousetrap, and about 10 other past productions, or in 75+ productions with other companies around the Valley. He also directed productions of The Magician's Nephew and A Tale of Two Cities in recent seasons.

When he's not doing all these shows, you can find Gabe reading some good books, watching some Oscar-nominated movies, or hanging out with friends.

As marketing associate, Gabe loves getting to help people find out about the engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking theatre available in their own community, help the excellent work of so many theatre artists be seen and appreciated by more and more local theatregoers, and, by doing those last two thoughtfully, help Gallery 7 Theatre grow in the community to achieve it's mission.

Sara Mayfield

Business and Operations Manager

Sara is delighted to be a part of the Gallery 7 Theatre Team! A graduate of Capilano University's musical theatre program, she is deeply passionate about theatre and the positive effect it can have. Previously, she worked as the Events and Marketing Coordinator at 4th Line Theatre in Ontario and is glad to be working a little closer to home.

Not a stranger to the stage, you may have recently seen her as Betty Haynes in Theatre in the Country’s production of White Christmas, or your children may have seen her at their schools in a touring production of The Tempest in 2020 and 2022!

Taking on the mantle of playwright and producer, in 2022 she presented The Girl Next Door, a new pop-rock musical (available to stream anywhere you listen to music) which she co-wrote with Ava Maria Safai. Her latest project, a one-woman show titled Who Drinks Mocktails on the Beach?! toured to to festivals across Canada summer 2024, and will be crossing Canada again in 2025!

When not writing, you can find her online on her Dungeons and Dragons podcast and stream, Tabletop Tiddies, which is live on twitch weekly, or locally teaching pottery at Stablehands Pottery. If not occupied with the aforementioned projects, she is likely answering Gallery 7 Theatre's phone or helping you with tickets at the box office!

Lauren Ridder

Summer Administrative Assistant

Lauren is incredibly excited to be joining the Gallery 7 Team as their Summer Administrative Assistant. A classically trained vocalist and actor, Lauren is passionate about storytelling and delivering entertaining performances. She holds a Bachelors of Music, Majoring in Voice, from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, as well as a three year Diploma in Musical Theatre from Capilano University.

Lauren has spent many years singing jazz standards with various jazz combos and big bands, including the Bruce James Orchestra. She has also performed at events with popular repertoire by mainstream artists as well as her own original material. Lauren has competed in international musical competitions, including the Heritage Music Festival in Seattle, where she was awarded top vocalist, and was nominated at the Ovation! Awards for Outstanding Newcomer. Lauren has worked with a number of theater groups and private students as a vocal instructor, and finds excitement in helping young artists unlock their potential.

Previous credits include Rusty in Footloose (Gallery 7 Theatre), Mrs. Green in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (CTORA Theatre), Bea in Something Rotten (Secondary Characters), Anne: Queen of The Pirates in Sinbad (Metro Theatre), and Margaret White in Carrie: The Musical (CapU Theatre).

Shannon Tauber

Production Manager

Passionate about the arts from a young age, Shannon has lived a life full of art. They are a graduate of Douglas College’s Theatre program and of Dalhousie's Costume Studies Intensive.

With a tendency to design or take on elaborate projects, they’ve jokingly said they will either successfully make it or break down in the process, earning their social media handle ‘shannonmakesorbreaks’.

While Shannon dabbles in most art, their best skill lies in building costumes, regularly creating huge cosplay projects like a screen-accurate Jaskier from The Witcher, or a Baroque spin on She-Ra.

Shannon has a long history with Gallery 7 that began with playing Jo in Little Women (in 2016). Most recently they portrayed Mdme. Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities. Their favourite and most memorable role was Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Gallery 7 Theatre was also the first place Shannon ever costume designed.

While still very early in their career, Shannon feels very privileged to have so many creative opportunities. As production manager, they are excited to help continue bringing excellent and engaging theatre to the people of the Fraser Valley, while championing Gallery 7 Theatre’s vision of being a safe, inspirational, and inclusive place for all.