Sol One Productions

Strange New Works

Stay tuned for more on Strange New Works, information sessions and discovery meetings coming summer 2024. 
Strange New Works

Meet The Team

Michael Sheppard (He/Him)

Festival Executive Producer
Contact: mike@solonearts.ca

Mike has spent most of his early arts career in Kingston, Ontario where he was the founder of the youth theatre company Blue Canoe Theatrical Productions Inc. He served as the Artistic Director and Executive Director of Blue Canoe from 2006-2018, during that time he founded the Juvenis Youth Arts Festival, which he managed for 3 years and co-founded Kingston’s Kick & Push Theatre Festival, managing it for the first 2 seasons. 

Mike worked with several theatre and arts organizations in Kingston including Theatre Kingston (Associate Producer), the Kingston Arts Council (Administrator) and the City of Kingston Cultural Services Department (Arts Programmer). He spent two season with Driftwood Theatre as the Communications and Development Manager, working on productions touring across Ontario. 

As the Executive Producer of the festival, Mike will bring his years of festival creation and management experience to creating this "next step" for the Ottawa theatre community. 

Somya Goomer (She/Her)

Creative Director & Festival Producer
Contact: somya@solonearts.ca

Somya is the head Creative Director and Festival Producer for Strange New Works. She is an all-round creative, passionate about coming up with concepts and bringing them to life in a live production. 

With her experience in many mediums of performance and production such as theater, film, and music, this is a role that is very much up her alley. Somya centers much of her time around music production and branding herself as an artist. What excites her the most about Strange New Works is getting the opportunity to combine all mediums of art in a single production, with no holding back; the performance and production can be as weird and nonsensical as it calls for, allowing for people to see a work that is both ‘strange and new’

At Somya’s core, creativity, uniqueness and oddity is something that she really values, alongside showcasing an audio/visual cinematic experience for folks. She cannot be more thrilled to induce her secret sauce.

Zachary Porter (He/Him)

Creative Director & Technical Producer
Contact: zach@solonearts.ca

Zach embarked on his journey through the arts at the tender age of five when he was given the gift of piano lessons. He has worn several hats: From local post-production projects in indie film, animation and interactive media, to live and studio music productions with artists throughout Canada.

Zach is a strong advocate for representation in the arts and is always looking for innovative ways of including more voices, cameras and brushes. Zach is a creative entrepreneur at heart and has always been a self-starter; his passion for the esoteric, the bleeding edge of the “weird and wonderful”, are what keep him engaged and excited for what is to come next in the local art scene.

As Creative Director and Technical Producer for Strange New Works, Zach aids in the logistics and designing of AV systems for theater and live stage productions, and supports the technical team to ensure shows go smoothly, from setup to strike.