Catherine MacKinnon
Board Director
Catherine Joell MacKinnon is an award-winning filmmaker and actor whose work spans film, television, and theatre. Internationally recognized for her documentaries and narrative projects, she received the ACTRA Woman of the Year Award in 2016 and has been a longtime advocate and consultant for the Deaf community, contributing to initiatives such as the Deaf Artists and Theatres Toolkit (DATT) with Cahoots Theatre.
As a performer, Catherine has appeared in Murdoch Mysteries, Kenny vs. Spenny, Silent Hill, and on stage in acclaimed productions including Silence (Grand Theatre & National Arts Centre), The Enchanted Loom (Cahoots & Factory Theatre), and as ASL Deaf Interpreter in Ultrasound (Cahoots). Behind the scenes, she has served as ASL coach and continuity consultant on major projects, including Emmy & Golden Globe winner Fargo (Seasons 1 and 3), the feature horror film The Silence, and DC Universe’s TITANS (Season 2). She also worked as an ASL consultant and coach on bug by Yolanda Bonnell at Theatre Passe Muraille. Her producing credits include The Hammer (2010), the award-winning biopic of UFC fighter Matt Hamill, which earned eight Audience Choice Awards on the festival circuit.
Catherine participated in the Stratford Festival’s prestigious Second Track Lab with the cast of The Music Man in 2018, and later developed her solo work-in-progress Evermind with dramaturg Heidi Taylor at the Playwrights Theatre Centre. She served as Audience & Communication Manager for The Black Drum (2019), and later as Media Coordinator and Stage Manager for its 2021 virtual tour. During the pandemic, Catherine returned to Cahoots Theatre as a contractor to help advance the Deaf Artists and Theatres Toolkit (DATT Part 2), contributing to analysis, surveys, and consultations. She also appeared on the groundbreaking AMI series Breaking Character. With collaborator Aniko Kaszas, she created the short film Cat’s Got Your Tongue during the pandemic; it premiered at the Windsor International Film Festival in 2022 and went on to screen at the Signlight International Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2024.
In between film and theatre projects, she also worked in various non-profit organizations for many years. Catherine co-founded and was a Festival Director of Toronto International Deaf Film and Arts Festival for 12 years. She also served as a former board member of Canadian Hearing Services and contributed to ACTRA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Currently, Catherine is a part-time graduate student in the Master of Public Administration online cohort. She’s beyond thrilled to join the DSO’s dynamic board and staff!
As a performer, Catherine has appeared in Murdoch Mysteries, Kenny vs. Spenny, Silent Hill, and on stage in acclaimed productions including Silence (Grand Theatre & National Arts Centre), The Enchanted Loom (Cahoots & Factory Theatre), and as ASL Deaf Interpreter in Ultrasound (Cahoots). Behind the scenes, she has served as ASL coach and continuity consultant on major projects, including Emmy & Golden Globe winner Fargo (Seasons 1 and 3), the feature horror film The Silence, and DC Universe’s TITANS (Season 2). She also worked as an ASL consultant and coach on bug by Yolanda Bonnell at Theatre Passe Muraille. Her producing credits include The Hammer (2010), the award-winning biopic of UFC fighter Matt Hamill, which earned eight Audience Choice Awards on the festival circuit.
Catherine participated in the Stratford Festival’s prestigious Second Track Lab with the cast of The Music Man in 2018, and later developed her solo work-in-progress Evermind with dramaturg Heidi Taylor at the Playwrights Theatre Centre. She served as Audience & Communication Manager for The Black Drum (2019), and later as Media Coordinator and Stage Manager for its 2021 virtual tour. During the pandemic, Catherine returned to Cahoots Theatre as a contractor to help advance the Deaf Artists and Theatres Toolkit (DATT Part 2), contributing to analysis, surveys, and consultations. She also appeared on the groundbreaking AMI series Breaking Character. With collaborator Aniko Kaszas, she created the short film Cat’s Got Your Tongue during the pandemic; it premiered at the Windsor International Film Festival in 2022 and went on to screen at the Signlight International Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2024.
In between film and theatre projects, she also worked in various non-profit organizations for many years. Catherine co-founded and was a Festival Director of Toronto International Deaf Film and Arts Festival for 12 years. She also served as a former board member of Canadian Hearing Services and contributed to ACTRA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Currently, Catherine is a part-time graduate student in the Master of Public Administration online cohort. She’s beyond thrilled to join the DSO’s dynamic board and staff!
Image Description: Portrait of Catherine MacKinnon with wavy grey hair, wearing a black top, softly smiling against a blurred background.
