Donovan Hayden

Donovan is the Organizing Manager at Progress Toronto. Donovan is a community organizer and theatre creator based in Toronto. Through his work he strives to bring people together, empower them to take action, and create an impact that tangibly makes their lives better.

He has had the opportunity to engage with community organizing, anti-racism work, and theater in Canada and the United States. He is grateful to be able to use his art to activate his politics and rely on his politics to ground his art.

Donovan graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York with a double major in Sociology and Africana studies. In 2021, he finished a MA in Theatre & Performance Studies at York University. Since returning to Toronto, he has been engaged with community organizations across the city and has been a volunteer coordinator for several campaigns in his home of Parkdale—High Park. He is actively involved in the Unitarian Universalist church, regularly giving talks and leading workshops on faith-based anti-racism work and organizing.