The 3rd Annual Zoomer List: Canada’s Top 45 Over 45: Lisa Brown

Lisa Brown, 50, Executive/Artistic Director 

A registered nurse, Brown started a theatre company 25 years ago for artists with mental health or addiction issues. Today, Workman Arts (WA) has broadened its scope and spawned original plays, a film festival, an annual art exhibit – even a wearable art fashion show. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada awarded WA the 2011 Pioneer Recovery Award for Excellence for promoting education, support, wellness and recovery in the field of mental health. “I made a choice to focus on the art and the abilities and strengths of the individual, not on any perceived disability. I was quite proud [the award] identified us as an organization that aids in recovery, even though that is not our immediate focus.”