Our Team

Val is the founder and Artistic Director of Fire Exit Theatre. She has a BA in Theatre & Speech from Trinity Guild University (UK) and is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. Val helped to start the theatre program at Ambrose University and is an instructor with Alberta Bible College. She also works as a freelance, writer, educator, performer, and public speaker. Her writing credits include SUNNY SIDE UP, DUTY TO WARN, COFFEE TALK, GOD’S ATTENTION, BRUISED NOT BROKEN, PAST TENSE, FLESH & BONES and ABSENCE winner of 2006 CAT Best Original Script. Directing credits include ELEEMOSYNARY, SACRAMENT, NATIVITY IN THE CITY, GOD’S MAN IN TEXAS, HOLY MO & SPEW BOY, THIS WAKING MOMENT and GOD’S FAVOURITE. She has taught her class How to Tell a Good Story With Your Life to CEO’s, drama teachers, Executive Directors, pastors and stay at home moms. She is a Chaplain to the arts community and enjoys nothing more than drinking strong coffee with creative people.

Karla Adolphe is excited to be joining the Fire Exit team and brings a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, marketing and leadership experience that spans 23 years. Karla’s superpower is helping creative ideas and creative teams come to life.

She has a BFA from Providence College and Theological Seminary and has most recently worked as Integrated Media Manager at Compassion Canada, where she led a hybrid creative team of designers, content creators and videographers. Karla is an award-winning independent recording solo artist best known for her grief album Honeycomb Tombs, as the top-streaming artist in the Enter the Worship community and as founder of roots duo Jacob and Lily. Over the years, Karla has served as a Brand Consultant for Routes Media, Artistic Director and Founder of the Foothills Folk Club and as a Marketing Consultant for various artists and non-profits throughout North America. Val also forced Karla to perform in Nativity in the City in 2015 and co-parents Karla’s dog Reuben the Schnoodle.

Kacie is happy to be celebrating her 12th season with Fire Exit Theatre. Since graduating from Red Deer College’s Theatre Studies in Technical Production program in 2010, she has dabbled in the theatrical areas of Stage Management, Scenic Design, Properties and Scenic Carpentry; working with such companies as Theatre Calgary, Red Deer College’s TCRE Program, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play, Ambrose University, and more. Even though she was trained for theatre, Kacie has had years of opportunity to hone her skills in two of the city’s largest churches: Centre Street Church (May 2012-current) and First Alliance Church (2012-2019), where she has collectively designed and built over 100 sets for them. Her hope is that you’ll be drawn deeper into the story ahead through the transformation of environment before you.