Kaitlyn is a theatre maker, a daughter, and a settler here, of Irish and French descent. She lives in Tkaronto, but originally hails from Tiohtià:ke. She is an actor and a playwright, and was part of the leadership team at Shakespeare in the Ruff from 2012-2021, including Artistic & co-Artistic Director from 2017-2021. 

As an actor, she is a four-time Dora nominee, and has worked across the country with Punctuate! Theatre, The Stratford Festival, Tarragon, The Segal Centre and many in between. She has performed Linda Griffith’s one-person show; Maggie & Pierre, at The Thousand Islands Playhouse, with Timeshare (Toronto), and at The Grand (London, ON). With Shakespeare in the Ruff, she acted in The Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth: Walking Shadows, Cymbeline’s Reign, and Two Gents. She also performs in film/tv.  

As a playwright, her ‘feminized’ Shakespearean play; Portia’s Julius Caesar, premiered with Shakespeare in the Ruff (2018) and was named one of the top shows of the year by The Toronto Star. It was later produced at Hart House (2019) and at the University of Waterloo (2023). 1939, which she co-wrote with Jani Lauzon, premiered at The Stratford Festival in 2022. Plays in development include Gertrude’s Hamlet, I Sit Content – a story of Emily Carr, and The Naked Nun.  

kaitlynriordan.com