Company
Co-Founder & Producing Director
COURTNEY HAYES
Most recently, Courtney had her directorial debut with Lungs (summer ’25) and was seen on stage as Theresa in Circle Mirror Transformation (winter ’25). She has been involved in the theatre and event planning world for over 20 years. As an actor, Courtney performed in dozens of professional productions in Colorado and Los Angeles, including the award winning 9-month run of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses in Denver, and the Chance Theatre production of Never In My Lifetime, for which she won the award for Best Actress of the season.
In 2015, Courtney pivoted away from the stage and founded The Day-Of, which began as a solo endeavor and grew into an award-winning Denver based wedding and event planning company with a team of six. The Day-Of became known for its annual riotous LGBTQ+ event, Pride & Unprejudiced, which featured queer-owned vendors and a surprise drag show.
These days she is living her dream in coastal Maine applying her vast production experience at counter/current. In 2025, Courtney launched Studio 111, a space for Creative Coworking during the day and artist-driven community events at night, furthering her personal mission to create brave spaces for transformational shifts and cultivate joy as a form of peaceful resistance.
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
JOHN JURCHEcK
Most recently seen on stage in Lungs (summer ’25) and as KJ in last summer’s production of The Aliens, which he also directed and as the director of Circle Mirror Transformation (winter ’25) and A Number (winter ’26).
John has performed in over 50 professional plays, taught theatre and English from Prague to Los Angeles to students from all over the world, and was a member of the Artistic Company at Curious Theatre Company in Denver CO for over a decade, where he also served as Associate Producer for several years.
John spent four seasons acting with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He has also performed at the Chance Theatre in Los Angeles, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and got his professional start at age 10 acting, singing, dancing - and flying! - for three seasons with the San Diego Children’s Theatre.
Company Member & Devising Czar
MADELINE BUGEAU-HEARTT
Most recently seen on stage in Lungs (summer ’25) and in My Boyfriend Bonhoeffer (spring ’25) which she also wrote and directed.
Madeline is a Maine-based writer, director, and performer. Since graduating from NYU Tisch with a BFA in theater in 2013 where she studied with Tony Award-Winning director Rachel Chavkin and her company The TEAM, Madeline has gone on to self-produce countless original, devised theater projects including Homage (NYC 2014), Under God’s Tongue (NYC 2015), Meat-Shoe Birthday (Cambridge, MA 2019) and The Anchorite (York, ME 2023.)
She completed her Masters of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School where she explored theater and film as sacred space, and which culminated in the making of Neighborhood, a full-length pilot of a reimagined Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood program. She is thrilled to be a companymember of counter/current:collective!
OUR STORY
Hi! We’re John and Courtney, and counter/current:collective is the culminating vision of our 20-year career in collaborative performance and event production. We met in Theatre School, crawling around on the floor in the dark, pretending to be animals and vibing on the energy of the group. In the decades since, we’ve pretty much been re-iterating that same exercise in all kinds of performing arts environments.
We spent many years acting and teaching theatre. We’ve worked as dancers, designers, band managers, producers, directors, museum reenactors and birthday party balloon animal-making princesses. We’ve even dressed up in those big, smelly, stiflingly hot foamy character suits on a variety of occasions.
We’ve teamed up with rock bands, dance companies, activist groups, hip-hop and graffiti artists, burlesque performers and all sorts of queer and BIPOC folx to make exciting, eye-opening, envelope-pushing live experiences.
When Covid hit, we got rid of all our stuff, moved into a Vanagon with our two kids (stop us if you’ve heard this one) and traveled all over the country for three years in search of a welcoming community of adventurous creative spirits. After many breakdowns (both mechanical and existential) and many false starts, the siren song of the sea beckoned…
We followed the call, stepped into the current, and arrived on the shores of Belfast. Midcoast Maine is an exceptionally inspiring and supportive part of America (trust us, we’ve covered most of the map) and Belfast is poised to be its creative heart. Audacious. Authentic. Awesome. Join us, and step into the counter/current…
WHAT WE OFFER
ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS
At counter/current, we create adventurous, thought-provoking theatre productions and collaborative happenings that incite spirited conversation and build resilience in our community by broadening our awareness, encouraging connection, and cultivating joy.
Each year, counter/current will create a powerful season of “don’t miss” theatrical experiences that will draw people in search of cultural nourishment and stimulating conversation to the biggest little city in Maine.
CREATIVE DIRECTION
In addition to creating our own theatrical events in the Midcoast, counter/current attracts a diverse roster of clients in search of insightful creative direction for their own work. We specialize in supporting musicians and bands with performance direction, working with playwrights to develop new work, and consulting on immersive theatre experiences, live shows, and events around the world.
We will grow to be a world-class theatrical production company and creative consulting firm that will enhance the cultural vibrancy of Belfast and the surrounding area, and be on the vanguard of the artistic renaissance of Midcoast Maine.
EVENT PLANNING
Prior to relocating to Maine, Courtney (one half of counter/current) previously owned and managed the multi-award winning wedding and event planning company The Day-Of in Denver. Now in Maine, we our offering our event planning expertise to a select few weddings and corporate events each year!
From planning and coordinating your upcoming conference or holiday party, to supporting your dream Maine Coast wedding with our signature "Month-Of Coordination" package, your event will be handled with the positivity, confidence and skill of a seasoned event planning pro.
