Magda Ochoa, artistic director

Magda Ochoa is a versatile actress, director, and producer whose career spans over three decades. She completed her studies in dramatic arts in 1988 (Mexico) and has since excelled in various roles, including as a drama teacher, assistant director, director, and producer. Between 1997 and 2000, she furthered her theatrical studies at Laval University (QC) and then taught theatre at the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico. Since 2019, she has been the Artistic Director of Le Petit Théâtre de Vancouver (Alliance Française), where she directed Un Fil à la patte in 2019 and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme in 2023. She has collaborated with La Boussole in Vancouver as a director for two theatrical projects, both focused on social justice: De la plume à la scène (2022) and SpectActivisme (2023). Magda has also been part of the dramaturgy committees, responsible for leading workshops on acting techniques and forum theatre.

Magda is the owner and director of Farandula Arts & Cultural Services, where she is dedicated to organizing independent theatre projects aimed at enriching the cultural landscape of the Francophone community and other underrepresented communities in B.C., including the Hispanic community. Projects such as Do You Know How to Swim? (Roundhouse CC, Culture Days, 2023), La Stratégie du Chat Noir (Roundhouse CC, Culture Days, 2023), and Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad (Jericho Arts Centre, 2023) testify to her talent and commitment in the field of performing arts. As a trainer, she firmly believes in questioning educational tools and encouraging an Indigenous perspective to update them with a focus on equity, equality, and inclusion.

Magda was the Francophone Community Outreach Coordinator at Full Circle First Nations Performance under the leadership of Margo Kane (October-March, 2022). She has collaborated as a peer evaluator for the Canada Council for the Arts (2023-2024). She has been a member of the board of directors of Réseau-Femmes BC (2023-2024) in the governance section. This year, Magda joined the Board of Directors of the Conseil Culturel Artistique Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique.

As an actress in Canada, she has appeared in several short and feature films: Bordered by Anaisa Visser (2018); Our Home by Andy Alvarez (2019); Growing Up with Mi Familia by Andy Alvarez (2020); Cuello (2021) and Josefa y su amorcito (2022), both by Sebastian Ortiz Wilkins, as well as in various TV series sporadically. In 2023, Magda played the role of Abuela in Lupe Q and the Galactic Corn Cake by Javier Badillo, and Adriana in So Glad You Came: A Musical by Dom Cutrupi (2024). She is a full member of UBCP ACTRA and is represented by Trisko Talent.

Outside the stage, she works as a teacher at the Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, at École des Navigateurs (Art education, French immersion, and English). Magda Ochoa’s passion, talent, and dedication make her a unique figure in the field of performing arts and Francophone education in minority settings.