Arts Directory

A professional artist in a wide array of creative live arts, Dora works to create and support art in the spirit of collaboration.

Working predominantly in her hometown in Treaty One, Dora has over 20 years of professional experience in theatre and film as a director, actor, producer, instructor, voice actor and administrator. A graduate from the University of Winnipeg honours theatre program, and a participant in Stratford’s Michael Langham Workshop for Assistant Directors, Dora’s training in voice, movement, direction and classical theatre has led her down an enriched artistic path. As a director Dora strives to produce risky, non-traditional work in safe, supportive settings where every person in the room has a voice.

Founding Producer of Shakespeare in the Pub and play ON Theatre, Youth Mentorship Programs Manager at Creative Manitoba, member of The Fu Fu Chi Chi Choir, banjo player on the rise, specialized theatre workshop instructor, and her favourite role as “mom” Dora wears many hats and is a driven cheerleader for our Winnipeg arts community.

Dora is excited to be growing her practice as a freelance director, and diving deeper into the world of music banjo right now!

S.M. (Samantha Mary) Beiko is an award-winning author of young adult fantasy, and the artist and writer of the graphic novel series KRAMPUS IS MY BOYFRIEND! She has worked in the book publishing industry as an editor and graphic designer since 2010, both freelance as well as for established publishing houses. She has won the Aurora Award for Best Artist multiple times, notably for her covers for Laksa Media.

Beiko's novels have been published by ECW Press in Toronto since 2013. Her first novel, THE LAKE AND THE LIBRARY, was nominated for the Manitoba Book Award that year, while SCION OF THE FOX won the Copper Cylinder Award for science fiction in 2018. She was the co-editor on the original comics anthology GOTHIC TALES OF HAUNTED LOVE (Bedside Press), and the sole editor on its follow up, GOTHIC TALES OF HAUNTED FUTURES. Her current series, The Brindlewatch Quintet, are capsule stories featuring queer characters and cozy monster romance. Her short fiction has been published in the following anthologies: GUSH, THAT WITCH WHISPERS, PARALLEL PRAIRIES, plus a short comic in DIRE BEASTS.

Beiko is also the sole creator (artist and writer) of KRAMPUS IS MY BOYFRIEND!, a slice of life teen romantic comedy which won the 2020 Aurora Award for Best Graphic Novel, and was nominated for the Joe Shuster Award for Best Webcomic that year. It is ongoing and self-published.

Beiko's freelance editorial work covers all aspects of developmental editing for prose fiction. She specializes in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and also edits and art directs for comics and graphic novels at all stages (from pitch to script to layouts and finals). She has a studio in downtown Winnipeg's Exchange District, and is the Artistic Director for Prairie Comics Festival.