In this final episode of Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby talks with theatre and opera director, playwright and educator, Peter Hinton-Davis. In addition to his work work as a director, playwright, and educator, from 2005-2012, he took over as the artistic director of English theatre at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, shaping how Canada conceptualizes its national theatre. He is currently directing Coal Mine Theatre’s Dion, running until March 3 at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre.

Stay tuned to the end of the episode for some thoughts from Phil Rickaby on the ending of Stageworthy.

Director, dramaturg and playwright Peter Hinton-Davis has worked across Canada with many theatre companies. He has been the Associate Artistic Director at Theatre Passe Muraille and the Canadian Stage Company in Toronto, Artistic Director of the Playwrights Theatre Centre in Vancouver, the Dramaturg in Residence at Playwrights' Workshop Montréal, and Artistic Associate of the Stratford Festival. From 2005 to 2012 he was Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre English theatre, where he created a resident English theatre company, with actors from across the country, and programmed the NAC's first season of Canadian plays.

His own plays for the stage include Façade, Urban Voodoo (written with Jim Millan) and a trilogy of three full length plays entitled The Swanne -- George III: The Death of Cupid (2002), Princess Charlotte: The Acts of Venus (2003), and Queen Victoria: The Seduction of Nemesis (2004). Eleven years in the making, all three plays premiered under his direction at the Stratford Festival. In 2006, he co-created with Domini Blythe, and directed the solo work, Fanny Kemble, about the life of the famous British actress and abolitionist.

www.peterhinton.ca Instagram: @peterhintondavis

In this episode, Shifting Ground Collective founding members, Joshua Kilimnick, Shannon Murtagh, and Colette Richardson join me to unpack the story behind their latest production, "Merrily We Roll Along." Their journey reflects not just the highs and lows of the creative process, but also the resilience and enthusiasm needed to bring a classic Stephen Sondheim musical to Canadian audiences, all while nurturing new talents and weathering the storms of the pandemic.

They also discuss the reality of running an indie theater company, balancing day jobs with their artistic aspirations. From the excitement of pub nights where show tunes reign supreme to the challenges of staging ambitious productions, they reveal the collective spirit that powers their endeavours. They also discuss a new musical in development, "Statistics," a production intertwining the personal and the historical, where academic pressure meets the remarkable story of Rosalind Franklin.

Founded in the spring of 2022, Shifting Ground Collective is Toronto’s newest home for emerging musical theatre voices. Their work spans developmental processes for new Canadian musicals, concert and cabaret programming, and full-scale productions of beloved musical theatre favourites – all with a focus on spotlighting the next-generation of great Canadian musical theatre talent. Shifting Ground has quickly developed a following and network that has positioned them to shape the future of the Canadian musical theatre sector, and was named one of the top 10 Breakthrough Artists of 2023 by the Toronto Star.

shiftinggroundcollective.com Instagram: @shiftinggroundcollective

From an early encounter with a circus camp as a child, Emily Hughes delved into the world of theatre and circus, fusing both worlds in her performances and creations. As an introverted artist with an electrifying presence on stage, Emily tells us about her upcoming solo performance, Goodbye Esther, a production that brilliantly captures complex emotions associated with mortality. We get close and personal, exploring the roots of this enchanting play and how Emily has navigated the exhilarating yet daunting world of solo performance.

Emily's story is not just about her. It's about the compelling fusion of circus and theatre, and how this marriage of disciplines has culminated in her solo show. This episode is an exciting journey through the world of multidisciplinary art, where reality seems to merge with magic, embracing the weird and the unique. We also discuss the liberating world of clowning and its transformative impact, offering an escape into a realm filled with laughter and freedom.

As we move deeper into the world of theatre, we discuss the challenging balance between production and performance, particularly as artists age. Emily, a circus performer on the verge of turning 40, shares her insight on this matter, defying ageist norms and emphasizing the importance of diversity and opportunities for all artists, regardless of age. Additionally, we shed light on the creative process of crafting a theatrical production. We dive into how audience feedback shapes a show, and the delicate balance between artist intention and viewer interpretation. Join us as we uncover the power of empathy in art and its ability to create a powerful, visceral experience for the audience.

Emily Hughes is a multidisciplinary artist/creator using circus as a physical language to communicate through theatre, film, dance and installation. She is a classically trained actor, Pochinko clown, baby hand balancer, and has been performing as a professional aerialist for over 20 years. Parallel and intersecting with her solo work, she is also the co-Artistic Director of Hercinia Arts Collective, a non-profit performance company dedicated to collaboratively created circus through a multidisciplinary lens.

www.emilyhughes.ca Instagram: @inverted.traveller

Goodbye, Esther: https://www.emilyhughes.ca/projects/goodbye-esther

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In this, the 300th episode of Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby presents a retrospective of some of his favourite episodes from the past 5 years. There have been so many conversations that it would be impossible to present all of the favourites, so we've narrowed it down to 6: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Siobhan Richardson, Philip Akin, Helen Knight, Diana Tso, and Tanisha Taitt. You'll find links to the full episodes of the selected episodes below.

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee https://stageworthypodcast.com/62-paul-sun-hyung-lee/

Siobhan Richardson https://stageworthypodcast.com/70-siobhan-richardson/

Philip Akin https://stageworthypodcast.com/152-philip-akin/

Helen Knight https://stageworthypodcast.com/216-helen-knight/

Diana Tso https://stageworthypodcast.com/51-diana-tso/

Tanisha Taitt https://stageworthypodcast.com/210-tanisha-taitt/

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Neurodiversity & Mental Health in theatre, a conversation with Alia Ettienne, Emerjade Simms, and Victoria Urquhart.

Emerjade Simms is a Jamaican-Canadian actor and storyteller. She is a graduate of the Acting program at the University of Windsor and holds a BFA degree. Emerjade is also a 2016/17 graduate of the Mechanicals program at Factory Theatre. In her career as an actor so far, she has worked with many wonderful people and companies. Select theatre credits include Peter Pan (Bad Hats/Soulpepper), School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian/Nightwood), Wounded Soldiers (4th Line), The Bird Killer (Let Me In). Television credits include Forbidden, Fear They Neighbor, See No Evil and Paranormal 911. Emerjade enjoys napping in her down time and thanks her family for inspiring her daily.

Twitter: @emerbabe Instagram: @em.er.jade

Alia Ettienne is a theatre writer, actor, performer and facilitator from Toronto, ON. Ettienne is of Afro Caribbean descent which often influences her performances and writing. Initially, she studied Performance at Sheridan College, moving on to explore Creative Writing and Arts Marketing. Her first solo piece, YellowZoned, premiered in The 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, remounting in Hamilton,ON on two separate occasions. This led to her being featured in Hamilton’s View’s Magazine. Her creative wellness program, Chill N Do Art, has been running for a total of four years. This workshop series then inspired her to start the Creative Coping Kits Initiative, which attracted the attention of Toronto blog She In The City. Currently, she is most focused on The Creative Coping Kits Initiative, and writing her second full length piece Allow For Release: The Xiety Complex.

www.aliaettienne.com **Instagram: @**its_aliaj

Victoria Urquhart is a queer, triple-invisibly-disabled neurodiverse artist hailing from Caledon, living and working professionally as an actor, director, artistic director of the Spur-of-the-Moment Shakespeare Collective and all around creator in theatre and film across Toronto and Ontario. Favourite credits include acting in Chloe Whitehorn's Dressing Amelia, directing Theatre Orangeville's 2019 TYA production of Treeboy and the fringe production, _The Girl In The Photograph. _Tune in to find her playing Vivian in the debut episode of Web of Darkness on T&E this spring.

Twitter: @gnitenet Instagram: @g_nitenet

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Uche Ama is a Black queer performer, actor & vocalist born on the indigenous land called Tkaronto. She is passionate about cathartic art that intrigues and makes you ask questions. A 2019 Dora nominated graduate of the Music Theatre Performance program at St Clair College and an alumni of  'Broadway Theatre Project', her previous performances include 21 Black Futures (Obsidian Theatre & CBC Arts),The Negroes Are Congregating (Piece Of Mine Arts) & Obeah Opera (Asah Productions).

www.ucheamaartist.com Instagram: @ucheama89 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uamaartist

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Erin Jones wrote Time Limits Dropped on Easter Sunday especially for the digital Toronto Fringe Festival.  As a playwright, she is taking an anti-oppressive stance and is focused on exploring and developing untold stories in Canadian history that represent BIPOC folx with dignity.  She is thrilled and humbled to have had talented and supportive people in her world. 

Erin Jones is a writer, actor, playwright and emerging director. She has performed in theatre and independent films across the GTA. She supports performing arts behind the scenes with publicity, articles, newsletters, social media, grant writing, governance, photography, director hiring committees, and Respect in the Workplace committees.   

Her short story script Lovingly Yours, Olive was recently featured in the Toronto Fringe Next Stage Community Booster Series.  She also recently directed Exit:  An Illusion with Shadowpath Theatre Productions.

Time Limits Dropped on Easter Sunday

Wonder Jones Productions is a collective of talented artists who are willing to take risks and explore new forums to keep theatre alive!  Our team is comprised of talent across Canada. Opportunities are not limited by how individuals self-identify.  Our collective represents our community. 

"Time Limits Dropped on Easter Sunday" was inspired by family memories and the regret of not having the opportunity to get to know a loved one.  It was especially written for the Digital Toronto Fringe Festival.

wonderjonesproduct.wixsite.com/timelimitsdropped Instagram: @timelimitsdroppedeastersunday

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Steven Griffin is a Canadian filmmaker and theatre creator. He is currently based in Toronto. He has directed numerous projects, including short films that have seen screenings at the Boston Shorts Film Festival, Toronto Arthouse Film Festival and Kingston Canadian Film Festival. His theatre work has been shown at the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival, Toronto Queer Theatre Festival and soon to be the Hamilton Fringe Festival. His style revolves around the still and the deliberate, based firmly in an art history background and trusting that the decision to not do something within a frame is just as important as the choice to do something.  

stevenpgriffin.ca

Black Deer In Blizzard blackdeerinblizzard.squarespace.com Instagram: @blackdeerinblizzard

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Megan Legesse will be playing the role of Katrina in the production of Black Deer in Blizzard. Some of her credits include Lion Womxn (Summerworks 2018), The Breath Between (Summerworks 2019) as well as numerous acting work within the York University’s Acting Conservatory. She comes from a family much obsessed with the world of news and storytelling, which is one of the many reasons she is especially excited to dive into the plot of Black Deer in Blizzard. With all the time the pandemic has given her, she has been dusting up on her poetry skills, rewatching every Pixar film, and exploring the lovely world of face masks.

Instagram: @megsventures

Gwyneth McFall-Gorman is an American-Canadian actor, vocalist, and playwright. She was born in Connecticut in 1997 and is currently working as a theatre professional in the Toronto area. Gwyneth has been building her career as a stage actor and playwright since 2017, and she’s found early success in the film industry - above and below the line. She has a particular passion for re-imagining classics, and she believes strongly in the efficacy of the Performing Arts and its Creatives in their ability to create an accessible and equitable world by amplifying diverse human experience.

www.gwynethmcg.com Instagram: @gwengorman.eh

Black Deer in Blizzard Set in a crumbling news station in a small town, Black Deer in Blizzard (BDIB) is about Beverley Campbell, a young, future Anderson Cooper wannabe, who has the interview of a lifetime mere minutes away. It’s exactly what she needs to escape her small-town position and reach Big City success. But when Beverley discovers the famous artist she booked is an imposter, she must decide if her ambition is worth compromising her friends, town, profession, and the truth. Premiering in the 2021 Hamilton Fringe, BDIB explores the biases shaping news media and the destructive consequences of blind ambition.

blackdeerinblizzard.squarespace.com Instagram: @blackdeerinblizzard Tickets: https://boxoffice.hamiltonfringe.ca/event/866:25/

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Karen is a Hamilton-born Filipina- Canadian multidisciplinary artist She’s an original member of the Hamilton 7 and just finished a project with Kwentong Bayan Collective lcpcomicbook.com for myseumoftoronto.com as a storytelling facilitator and Decolonise Your Ears Festival with redbettytheatre.org directing/outreach. She is co-founder of Porch Light Theatre dedicated to the development of youth emerging and professional theatre/storytelling artists. Through Porch Light Theatre, Karen has been working with an incredible team on a site-specific audio story show called Tin Can Telephone at the Hamilton Fringe. She is currently working on The Garden Project 2021 in partnership with Industry and urging people to DONATE OR APPLY here: https://www.industrypresents.com/garden-project Currently, Karen is working with openheartartstheatre.com with Conversations Around The Table, Fertility Monologues with Light Echo Theatre. Karen is a recent recipient of a City of Hamilton Arts Award 2021.

Porch Light Theatre on Instagram: @porchlighttheatrehamilton

Transcript available at: https://stageworthypodcast.com/294-karen-ancheta/

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Andre is a Toronto-based Actor, Director, Producer and Writer. 

He has spent most of his career working in the Theatre across the country. This is his 7th season at Stratford where he is playing Bottom in A Midsummer's Night Dream, opening the new Tom Patterson Theatre Parking Lot under a tent. He also played the title character in the 2018 Stratford hit Coriolanus directed by the World Renowned Robert Lepage, and was in the top 10 shows of 2018 in the Washington Post and The Globe & Mail and more. 

In addition, he spent four seasons at The Shaw Festival where he played Tom in The Glass Menagerie and received a My Entertainment World Best Actor Award for his work in An Octoroon and a Dora Award & Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best Actor for his work in Master Harold and the Boys. 

He has also worked at Soulpepper Theatre where he toured with Kim's Convenience across the country, and also played Othello at The St. Louis Black Rep, and many other companies across the country. He is a Resident Artist with The Actors Repertory Company (ARC). Online: Check out his new web series on YouTube called Private Idiots.

Instagram: @dre373 Twitter: @andresills373

Private Idiots Instagram: @privateidiotsseries Twitter: @Privateidiots

Sandi Becker is a professional stage manager who has been working all over Canada for nearly 20 years. She has worked on shows varying from school tours for kindergarteners to operas to horror/magic/puppet extravaganzas to Shakespeare. Sandi has recently started a collaboration on a podcast called "Chewing Scenery", a humorously angry look at theatre as portrayed in the movies.

Listen to Chewing Scenery: https://anchor.fm/chewing-scenery

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/292-sandi-becker/

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Vikki is an actor from Toronto, ON who accidentally stumbled upon her purpose. In 2012, she started a business, offering affordable studio and performance space to her fellow artists. It wasn't until a few years later that she realized that what she was doing was running a business and she was actually an entrepreneur and had been one all along. This led her to realize that all artists are actually entrepreneurs and yet all of the business resources and language that are made available to entrepreneurs are missing in arts education and culture. Vikki is now a multi-passionate artist-entrepreneur, business owner, author and coach, helping other artists turn their passion into a purpose and their creative skills into a paycheque, without losing the art.

www.spacespacerevolution.com Instagram: @businessownerbymistake

Artist-Bosses: https://www.facebook.com/groups/artistboss

Transcript available at https://stageworthypodcast.com/291-vikki-velenosi/

Phil's Patreon: https://patreon.com/philrickaby

Join us as we journey into the realm of theatre with our guests, Christine and Tara, known for their captivating portrayal of Cinderella's Stepsisters. Listen as they share the fascinating inception of their theatre piece, from a casual suggestion by Christine's partner, Ian, to the full-fledged, unique production it is today. Get a sneak peek into the process of creating their otherworldly costumes, described as a "mobile set in and of itself", and discover the backstory of the Stepsisters that breathes life into their performance.

Immerse yourself in the challenges and triumphs of transitioning from fringe to large-scale theatre productions. Christine and Tara share their experiences of developing their characters and the evolving dynamics of their roles. Discover the crucial role of imagery in theatre, particularly how it captures audience attention, and the differences they've experienced working with larger teams and funding.

Lastly, we talk about their mentoring experiences in the French theatre circuit and their exciting new project, the Lost Sock Rescue Society. This innovative project aims to challenge our culture's bias against unmatched socks by creating an immersive and interactive experience. Plus, get a glimpse of their upcoming play, the Stepsisters, and their aspirations for its future. Tune in for a rollercoaster of emotions, a dash of humour, and a healthy dose of inspiration.

Christine Lesiak is an Edmonton / amiskwacîwâskahikan-based theatre artist, teacher, director, and artistic director of Small Matters Productions. She holds a BSc in Physics, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Drama. She specializes in integrated & collaborative creation, audience experience design, interactive comedy, and physical storytelling. She is co-creator of and performer in Small Matters’ nine full-length shows, including the interactive comedy hit, “For Science!” (2018-23), she premiered her new show “The Space Between Stars”, a radical adaption of “The Little Prince” in February 2023. “The Spinsters” premières November 2023 at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby B.C. She is a frequent collaborator with the Edmonton-based companies Catch the Keys Productions, artistic associate with Toy Guns Dance Theatre, and director of the Play the Fool Festival of clown-theatre and physical comedy.

smallmatters.ca Instagram: @smallmattersp

Tara Travis is an Actor, Voice Actor and Puppeteer known largely for her work on stage, notably solo works Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Who Killed Gertrude Crump? (with Monster Theatre) The Unfortunate Ruth, and Searching for Dick: A Paranormal Comedy. Voice actor on comedy podcast Phantom Signal, narrator of numerous audiobooks, and voice maker for video games, animation, web series and YouTube-ey things galore. She wiggles dollies, and likes to make art.

www.taratravis.com Instagram: @taratravisartist

The Spinsters dates and tickets: https://smallmatters.ca/shows/the-spinsters/

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Brad Fraser is one of Canada's best known playwrights. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1959, Brad won his first playwriting competition at the age of seventeen, and has been writing ever since. Brad's international hit play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love premiered at the Alberta Theatre Projects' PlayRites Festival in 1989. It has since been produced worldwide, in many languages, with highly successful runs in Toronto, New York, Chicago, Milan, Sydney and London. Poor Super Man, developed by Canadian Stage, was first produced by the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati in 1994 and has enjoyed successful runs in many cities, including Toronto, London, Sydney, Edinburgh and Denver. It was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award for Drama and adapted into a feature film, Leaving Metropolis, written and directed by Brad. Poor Super Man, like Unidentified Human Remains, was listed by Time magazine as one of the top ten plays of its year. Many other plays have followed in successful productions. Brad has also written extensively for magazines and newspapers, including The Globe and Mail and the National Post, and for three seasons was a writer and producer on Showtime's Queer As Folk.

Brad Fraser's Memoir, All The Rage, is available now at your favourite bookseller.

bradfraser.net Twitter: @fraser_brad

All the Rage: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/665321/all-the-rage-by-brad-fraser/

Transcript available at https://stageworthypodcast.com/290-brad-fraser/

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Cooking for Grief After a sudden death in his family, Rob is forced to come to terms with his own identity and the actions that inform his role as a son, partner and friend. He returns to group therapy— after a sudden hiatus— on the heels of a fractured realization of self. As the members of Group work together in their healing process, they find common ground in their experiences with loss, pain and addictions. Cooking for Grief explores familial relationships, toxic masculinity, and what it means to accept healing into one’s life

Breanna Maloney (she/her) is an actor, writer and indie theatre producer based in and around Toronto. Coming from a background in movement and devised theatre, her current practice focuses on the research and exploration of shame, grief and the healing process through use of dialogue and movement. Recently, Breanna has contributed writing to Tall Tale Theatre's Night Terrors podcast, the Windsor-Essex Nature Poetry and Environmentalism zine and The Tank NYC's_ Rule of 7x7_. Breanna is a co-founder of Skipping Stones Theatre, a Toronto-based, independent collective whose mandate is to explore stories through the lens of mental health and neurodiversity. Breanna is a graduate of East 15 Acting School (MFA) and the University of Windsor (BFA). Recent credits include: Imposter's Sin Room (Hamilton Fringe, 2021), A Christmas Carol (White Mills Theatre), Hamlet(s) (Skipping Stones Theatre) and Crave (Pure Carbon Theatre).****

www.breanna-maloney.com Twitter: @bree_maloney Instagram: @bree_maloney

Sarah Marchand is an award-winning performer, producer, and founder of Alma Matters Productions. She has worked in television (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Umbrella Academy), and theatre extensively. Select awards include: The Hnatyshyn Foundation's Emerging Artist Grant (Best Actress in English Theatre), The Second City’s Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award (nominated), and the Carolyn and Richard Renaud Grant for Acting. She received her BFA in Acting at Concordia University and her MA in Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Sarah recently completed Nightwood Theatre's 19-20 Young Innovators Program and is currently a participant in the Women in Film and Television (WIFTV) Actor Career Mentorship program under the guidance of Carly Pope.

Select Recent Credits: Winter of ‘88 (NNNNN) Nowadays Theatre, 2020 Next Stage Festival (Performer/Co-Producer), Swim Team (NNNN) Nowadays Theatre, SummerWorks Performance Festival (Producer/Assistant Director), Drink of Choice (Toronto Fringe Patron’s Pick) Produced by Alma Matters Productions.

In keeping with her creative mandate, Sarah’s work continues to produce and create works that explore mental health, intersectional feminism, queerness, and body image.

www.sarahmarchand.com Twitter: @sarahamarchand Instagram: @sarahamarchand

www.almamattersproductions.com Twitter: @almattersprod Instagram: @almattersprod

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/289-sarah-marchand-and-breanna-maloney/

Shane Adamczak graduated from WAAPA in 2003 and has since gone on to become a stalwart of the West Australian Theatre and Improv scene; a Fringe Festival veteran of over 50 festivals worldwide and “One of Perth’s most successful independent theatre creators” (The Sunday Times) as a founding member and current Artistic Director of Independent Theatre Company Weeping Spoon Productions. He best known for his roles in FRANKIES, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, Vicious Circles, Trampoline and This Is Not A Love Song. His most recent work is a play about a man who lives in another man’s beard called The Ballad Of Frank Allen, which won the coveted JUST FOR LAUGHS award (Best Comedy) at The Montreal Fringe. He was also the face of STAN’s national “Hungry Eyes” campaign.

He is the host of the Good Morning Mrs. Strawberry podcast and recently launched his own independent toy company CUBE BOY COLLECTABLES.

Twitter: @shaneadamczak Instagram: @shaneadamczak

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/288-shane-adamczak/

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joey o'dael is a Dora award-nominated trans nonbinary artist, performer, director, and comedian. A UWinnipeg/Randolph College alum, joey has cultivated a career focused on social equity, accessibility, and challenging oppressive paradigms. Raised in a remote Northern Manitoban community, they are deeply invested in bringing art and training opportunities to underserved communities across Turtle Island. In 2017, joey served as co-writer, dramaturg, producer, and performer for the award-winning, breakout hit ‘NASTY’ at the Toronto Fringe. They are a co-founder of both Maelstrom Art Collective; a collective dedicated to creating diverse protest pieces, and horror theatre company Aberrant Theatre.

instagram: @ratkingcole.jpg tiktok: @ratkingcole twitter: @deathsparkle

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/287-joey-odael/

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Caroline Toal is an award winning actor and a graduate of George Brown Theatre School. Theatrically, Caroline has performed in Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, all across southern Ontario, and has originated roles for multiple new Canadian productions. Caroline has been nominated for six awards, winning Dora Mavor Moore awards for ‘Outstanding Ensemble’ in both Casimir and Caroline produced by The Howland Company in 2020 and for the world premiere of Selfie by Christine Quintana at Young People’s Theatre in 2018.

Caroline co-wrote Single Thread Theatre Company’s immersive production of Ambrose in 2015 and she is currently writing her first play, Survivors, supported by Studio 180 and Workman Arts. She is passionate about mental health awareness and the environment.

www.carolinetoal.com Instagram: @toalbooth Twitter: @caretoal

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/286-caroline-toal/

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Siobhan Richardson is an internationally-recognized Fight Director, an Intimacy Director (a pioneer voice in this specialty across Canada), and an award-winning actor/fighter/singer/dancer. Her teaching career has spanned Canada, USA and Europe, including international events such as the Paddy Crean International Art of the Sword Workshop, Fight Directors Canada's National Workshops, and the Nordic Stage Fight Society's Summer Workshops, and four separate teaching tours including Sweden, Norway, Estonia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Germany and France. She’s been both a student and a teacher online for over a decade. Siobhan’s work has been seen on some of Canada’s most well-recognized stages (The Canadian Opera Company, National Arts Centre, The Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival, Factory Theatre and Soulpepper, to name a few), as well as around the world through online performance and education. In all her work, Siobhan is dedicated to the growth and development of the art form, the artists and our workplaces in order to support a vibrant and healthy artistic community. Passionately curious, Siobhan continues to pursue her own training, and is continually experimenting, drawing from arts and science for the betterment of our performances, rehearsal practices and the spaces we work in. Practices that foster joyful workspaces for vulnerable and creative work has been a particular focus of the last several years.

www.SiobhanRichardson.com Instagram: @fighteractress YouTube: www.youtube.com/actorsr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiobhanRichardsonFighterActress/

Nicole Winchester is a storyteller, a narrative designer for live-action and tabletop roleplaying, and an ‘international larper of mystery.’ A co-founder of Fair Escape Studios where she produced two sold-out immersive evenings of vampire intrigue, she has written for Green Ronin Publishing, Pseudonym Productions, John Wick Presents, the Toronto Star, and more. Currently studying Social Work at York University, Nicole’s latest work is “Heather was right: The real curse in The Blair Witch Project is the mediocre white dude,” an essay in Transgressive Horror launching today, April 27th, on Kickstarter.

www.nicolewinchester.com Twitter: @noizangel Instagram: @noizangel Fair Escape Studios: fairescapestudios.com Transgressive Horror by Ghost Show Press https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ghostshowpress/transgressive-horror

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/285-emotional-bleed-in-theatre-a-conversation-with-siobhan-richardson-nicole-winchester/

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Daniel Fong is an actor, singer and mostly coordinated mover bringing light and laughter from his hometown of Calgary, Alberta in Treaty 7 territory. With his mixed-race background, Daniel’s work centers around the breathing of life into new works, and reimagining treasured stories in contemporary ways. Daniel received his training at Grant MacEwan University (Class of 2012) and was the recipient of the Stephen Hair Emerging Artist Award for 2019. Using his music, heart and energy he hopes to help lead his local theatre community into the next chapter of its journey.

Selected Acting Credits include: The Paper Bag Princess (StoryBook Theatre); Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Twelfth Night, DiVerseCity (The Shakespeare Company); Gutenberg the Musical! (Lunchbox); A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Skin of Our Teeth (Rosebud); US (The Globe Theatre);The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, Fortune Falls, The Circle (ATP); [Title of Show] (Birnton Theatricals); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare by the Bow); Journey of a Lifetime (Quest Theatre); Spring Awakening (ACT) Film/TV: Fargo, Wynonna Earp, Mutant World, The Dorm, Forsaken, Klondike.

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/284-daniel-fong/

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Jenna is a mixed-race Director and Dramaturg based on Treaty 7 Territory. She is the founding Artistic Director of Chromatic Theatre – a company dedicated to producing and developing work by and for artists of colour. Jenna is also the Dramaturg for the Playwrights Lab at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. A passionate arts equity advocate, she is a graduate of the NTS Artistic Leadership Residency, the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership program, and the artEquity National Facilitator Training cohort. She was shortlisted for the 2021 Gina’s Prize and is a recipient of a 2018 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Emerging Artists. She holds an MA in International Performance Research from the universities of Amsterdam and Tampere.

Recent Directing credits include Mary’s Wedding _at the Citadel Theatre, _Actually _at Alberta Theatre Projects, and Sherlock Holmes and the Raven’s Curse at Vertigo Theatre; For Chromatic Theatre (我的名是张欣恩 (Gimme Chance Leh), Winners and Losers, Cowboy Versus Samurai); fu-GEN Theatre (Mixie and the Halfbreeds); Workshop West Theatre (Beyond the Darkness); Pape and Taper Theatre (Timmy, Tommy, and the Haunted Hotel); and Lunchbox Theatre (Let the Light of Day Through). _She was selected as part of the 2020 Michael Langham Directors Conservatory at the Stratford Festival.

chromatictheatre.ca Instagram: @chromatictheatre Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chromatictheatre

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/283-jenna-rodgers/

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Caleigh Crow is a queer Métis writer, musician, and performer from Calgary. Her work tends towards themes of metaphysics, class struggle, magic, and joy. Previous topics include: a talking crow with magical powers who transforms a grocery store clerk into the agent of her own freedom, the Antifa Supersoldier, the intersection between 12th century Franciscan nuns and Britney Spears, witch revenge, and a landlord musical.

Playwriting credits include HEXEN, The Order of the Poor Ladies, Kill Time Before Time Kills You, and There is Violence and There is Righteous Violence and There is Death; or The Born Again Crow, most recently performed in partnership with Gwaandak Theatre in Whitehorse. Her latest play, Hucksterland: The Musical, is in development with the support of Chromatic Theatre’s inaugural BIPOC Playwrights Unit. She wrote and performed in Betch-A-Sketch at the St Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival, and was the assistant director for Gender? I Hardly Know Them’s HTTPEEPEE this summer, marking her entry into sketch comedy. She has performed in the Revolution They Wrote: Feminist Short Works Theatre Festival, the Montreal Anarchist Theatre Festival, and Sage Theatre’s Ignite! Festival. You can hear her in the Alberta Queer Calendar Project’s Without You by Elena Belyea, in the role of Andrea, wherever you get your podcasts. She also plays bass guitar in the band Pope Joan. Her work tends towards themes of metaphysics, class struggle, magic, and joy.

www.thumbsupgoodwork.com Instagram: @thumbsupgoodwork

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/282-caleigh-crow/

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Chelsea Haraburda Chelsea Haraburda (she/they) is a performer, producer, director, designer, and creator for stage and screen. Chelsea is proudly queer and passionate about featuring voices of socio-economic diversity, queerness, and their works seem to continuously feature their hometown, Hamilton ON. Over the past 6 years, Chelsea has performed as both a solo and collaborative artist at a number of festivals including Hamilton Fringe, Toronto Fringe, and FKN Make Film Festival. While studying a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies, Chelsea produced their first solo show, entitled “For Eden” hosted by the Array Space and York University. Chelsea has gone on to produce and perform deeply personal and original interactive installations, such as “Full Disclosure: A Story for Eden” (2018) in association with mentorship programs such as The Junction/Theatre Aquarius and Crapshoot/Tarragon Theatre. This summer, Chelsea is returning to the Hamilton Fringe with a new play “Vagabond” in collaboration with Ryan Percival and ADD Productions where they will be featuring whimsical shadow art projections while exploring gender expression, and the idea of home.

www.chelseaharaburda.com Twitter: @ChelseaHarabur1 Instagram: @chelseaharaburda

Ryan Percival Ryan Percival is a Toronto-based creator who specializes in back projection shadow and stencil art, as well as site specific show creation. After graduating the York University Devised Theatre program, he jumped right into show creation and film work, directing 2 shows at the Toronto Fringe Festival, featuring a guerrilla marching band in a bar setting combined with solo storytelling, as well as it’s Hamilton Fringe Festival grandfather, The Teeny Tiny Music Show (R.I.P Baltimore House). Ryan also Stage managed Phil Rickaby’s solo prophecy The Commandment at The Toronto Fringe Festival, and served as Dramaturg for Glass Wall Theatre’s Hamilton Fringe Debut, For Eden, an intimate site specific installation piece about youth homelessness in Hamilton. Ryan and his company, Attention Deficit Drama, are delighted to be collaborating with Chelsea Haraburda and Glass Wall once again for our new show, Vagabond, premiering at this year’s Hamilton Fringe Festival Digital showcase. Ryan also loves cooking, bad movies, and adorable animal videos on Youtube.

Instagram: @obi.ryan.kenobe

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Ever wondered about the journey of a play from its birth to the stage? Join us as we chat with Stephen Near and Aaron Joel Craig from Same Boat Theatre about their play, Whale Fall. Listen to their insights on the evolution of Whale Fall, from its inception to performances at Hamilton Fringe and then Vancouver Fringe. Discover the story behind their Critics Pick Award and the successful Kickstarter campaign that propelled their show to Vancouver. Get a glimpse into the emotional response Whale Fall elicited from audiences and the team's thoughts on its future.

Fasten your seat belts as we journey with Stephen and Aaron to their Vancouver Fringe Festival experience. Hear firsthand about their adventures as a performing duo on a fringe that's not home and how it exposed them to new ideas and performers. Tag along as they explore Vancouver and the thrill they felt in discovering they've nailed the city's details in their play.

As we wrap up, prepare for an enlightening discussion on the insights they've gathered from performing their play, the significance of feedback, and how their bond has shaped Whale Fall. Learn how Vancouver has influenced their play and how sound is used as a tool to connect with audiences. Lastly, we reflect on Whale Fall's themes and its transformation into a cautionary tale. This episode offers a captivating journey of creativity, teamwork, and transformation that promises to leave you inspired.Bio, and socials go here

Stephen Near is a writer and educator living in Hamilton. He is a graduate of York University (BFA), the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (B. Ed) and the MFA Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph. Stephen is a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada and an alumnus of both the Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Banff Centre. Last year, he was named the inaugural Writer-In-Residence for the Cotton Factory in Hamilton. His writing has appeared in a variety of online and print publications and his plays have been produced at a variety theatres and festivals, principally by the company that he co-founded, Same Boat Theatre. He is a proud husband, father and unabashed geek who is (still) obsessed with comic books and role-playing games. stephennear.com Twitter: @SNear23 Instagram: @stephenisnear

Aaron Joel Craig (he/him) is a director, dramaturge, designer and performer. His passion for developing new work with artists in Hamilton led to the founding of Same Boat Theatre, alongside playwright Stephen Near. His theatre work focuses on questions of identity, power and how to stay hopeful in a difficult world. Some past projects include Test, Your Own Sons and The Conspiracy of Michael, all with Same Boat, and Henry the Fifth and Waiting for Godot for Redeemer University. He recently completed work on a masters degree at Wycliffe College/University of Toronto, exploring the intersections of spirituality and the arts.. You can find more about that work @saltcellararts. He lives in Hamilton’s East End with his partner, Cath, their two kids, and his probably-too-big record collection.

Instagram: @aaronjoelcraig

Tickets to Whale Fall at the Red Sandcastle: https://www.ticketscene.ca/series/1137/

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Conor Wylie is a performer, writer, and director creating experimental theatre. He lives and works on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied lands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) nations.

Alongside Nancy Tam and Daniel O’Shea, he runs A Wake of Vultures, a performance collective working across sonic, visual, and theatrical disciplines, who recently released an online miniseries called K BODY AND MIND, a mash-up of 90s cyberpunk anime aesthetics and minimalist theatre.

Conor's work has increasingly incorporated explorations of science-fiction and videogame aesthetics, and he frequently collaborates with a variety of independent companies, including Theatre Replacement, Hong Kong Exile, and members of the Progress Lab consortium. In 2019, he was named Siminovitch Prize Protégé by Maiko Yamamoto and James Long. In 2021, he joins the writing team of a new video game studio, sunset visitor 斜陽過客.

conorwylie.ca Instagram: @awakeofvultures

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Yvonne Addai is an Ghanaian- Canadian Actor/ Artist Educator. She is a graduate from the University of Saskatchewan BFA acting program. She has had the opportunity to work on stages in Saskatchewan and now calls Toronto home. She was also part of the 2019.2020 Factory Theatre’s Mechanicals program under the Leadership of Nina lee Aquino and Natasha Mumba. Along with acting, Yvonne is passionate about the importance of art education and creation with children. She works with Young People's Theatre as an artist educator. Her selected theatre credits include The Tempest ( Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan) An Atlas and Other Concerns (Toronto Fringe) Monday Night (Highway 55 Production/Live 5 ), Overhear ( Nutrien Fringe Saskatoon), Pride & Prejudice (Persephone Theatre) ,The Shorts Cuts festival (Hardly Art Theatre) ,The Woodcutter and the Lion ( Sum Theatre) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Theatre Naught/ Live Five).

Instagram: @Yvonneaddai

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Joella Crichton

Joella Crichton is an actor for stage and screen. She holds a BFA in Acting from York University. Joella is passionate about her Caribbean heritage and is the nine time Queen of Carnival here in Toronto. She has been nominated for her work on stage and loves the theatre!

Alongside her many years experience in theatre, film and television, Joella also works to develop equality, diversity and inclusivity in these fields. She has created and worked on initiatives such as the Bechdel Bill and Share The Screen.

Twitter: @joellacrichton Instagram: @joellacrichton

Sedina Fiati

Sedina Fiati is a Toronto based performer, producer, director, creator and activist for stage and screen. Proudly Black and queer, Sedina is deeply invested in artistic work that explores the intersection between art and activism, either in form or structure or ideally both.

Upcoming projects: Switching Queen(s) (devised street performance), Last Dance (a web series).

Sedina is also a Principal with BIPOC Executive Search, working on equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives and the current Artist-Activist at Nightwood Theatre. Sedina was the co-chair of ACTRA Toronto’s Diversity Committee and 2nd VP of council for Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

Twitter: @bwheelsheels Instagram: @bwheelsheels

The Black Pledge

The Black Pledge is an open call for positive, lasting change in live arts spaces across Canada, so that they truly reflect the beautiful mosaic tapestry of our nation. Our mission is to foster greater inclusion and awareness surrounding the needs of underserved communities in the Arts, especially the Black community. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and other communities of colour seeking equity, while retaining our Black-centric advocacy.

www.theblackpledge.ca Twitter: @BlackPledgeCa Instagram: @BlackPledgeCanada Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackPledge/

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Kendra Jones

A director, creator, and dramaturg, Kendra Jones graduated with Distinction from the MA Text & Performance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London, and holds a BA(Hons) in Theatre Performance from the University of Winnipeg where she has also been guest faculty. Favourite directing credits include Simon Stephens’ Sea Wall, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (Theatre By the River), a site-specific interpretation of Tim Crouch’s I, Malvolio (impel theatre), Watching Glory Die (Love2 Theatre), Drunk Enough To Say I Love You, Seagulls (selardi theatre), Clever Little Lies (Assistant director to Steven Schipper, RMTC,) and Richard II (workshop Assistant Director to Christopher Brauer, Zone41). Kendra is also a creator of original work, including Dear Mama, Tonight at Eight, Autel, and her adaptation of Marlowe’s Edward II. She writes about contemporary performance from an academic perspective on her blog; this writing focuses on the performer-audience relationship and the ethics of performance, and has been published by CBC Manitoba, Common Ground Publishing, Brunel University, and the Humanities Education Research Association. In 2020, Kendra’s site-specific production of Tim Crouch’s I, Malvolio toured to ShakespeareFest in Winnipeg to critical acclaim, and her direction of Love2 Theatre’s production of Judith Thompson’s Watching Glory Die ran in February 2020 at the Grand Canyon in Toronto, receiving accolades from audiences and critics alike for its inventive staging and visceral interpretation of the script.

www.kendrajones.net

Twitter: @impeltheatre Instagram: @impeltheatre

Blythe Haynes

BLYTHE HAYNES (she/her) has had a varied career with many stops along the way. From her first gig at ten months old in a LOTTO 64 commercial, she went on to obtain her BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta. Blythe has called Toronto home for some time, where she is an actor, award winning voice artist and producer. She is a co-founder and co-artistic director of Gangway! Theatre Co., a Toronto-based collective focused on exploring feminism, Canadian history, and mental health through an intersectional lens. She is also a co-founder of the History Actor Department at Black Creek Pioneer Village, where her interest in site-specific theatre was born. Blythe regularly lends her voice to podcasts, including the award winning Six Stories, Told At Night and Campfire Radio Theatre’s Woods Ferry, and has received two PARSEC awards for her voice work. She was recently on the producing team of the Judith Thompson lead Watching Glory Die at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she created and hosted a podcast to accompany the production.

Twitter: @**HaynesBlythe Instagram:** @blythe_haynes

An Acorn: Instagram: @forest_acorn Tickets: http://www.kendrajones.net/impel-theatre?fbclid=IwAR3cudc3vLPauwMfmxRjSfbFl5sZlduS8gZJDERN5gu_Arjv75fgvMK8zrU

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Cassie Davidson is an emerging actor, indie producer, playwright, and theatre educator from the beautiful small town of Walkerton, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies from The University of Guelph and is a graduate from George Brown Theatre School’s acting conservatory. Cassie is also a certified basic actor combatant with FDC, and will be continuing to advance her certifications when restrictions are lifted. Recently, Cassie has begun teaching youth acting classes with Stagecoach Oakville and on Outschool. She comes from a long line of teachers in her family, and is not at all surprised that she ended up in the world of education. As a founding member of Theatre Foolscap (a new Toronto-based indie theatre company), she is very passionate about helping other emerging theatre artists showcase their work and find opportunities to further their craft. Cassie is passionate about heart racing, heightened, highly physical theatre that features powerful women in powerful positions. Currently, she is producing a series of horror, radio plays called “The Chilling Anthologies of Theatre Foolscap” alongside her partner Ryan Maxwell and collaborator Duncan Gibson-Lockhart.

Instagram: @theatrefoolscap Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theatrefoolscap

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Keith Tomasek is an award-winning arts marketing consultant whose Facebook campaign for the Grand Theatre won the International Association of Business Communicators' Virtuoso Award.

Recently, Keith's campaigns have sold over $400,000 worth of tickets to virtual events. He's also the leader of the Arts Marketing Mastermind group.

Keith studied theatre in Montreal and is the founder of the website Stratford Festival Reviews and The Performers Podcast.

Twitter: @FestivalReviews Instagram: @keithtomasek Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithTomasek

Arts Marketing Mastermind Group: https://keithtomasek.com/arts-marketing-mastermind/

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Lauren Allen is a theatre artist originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Since graduating from Grant MacEwan University in 2013, she has worked across Canada and Europe as an actor, producer, burlesque instructor, stage manager, and director. She has settled in Toronto, for the moment. Most recently she has taken courses to become a script supervisor and will soon be seen again in Saskatchewan for Burn Rubber, Dolly at The Lyric Theatre in Swift Current. Lauren is also a social media marketer, and the creator of Social Media the L.A. Way.

lauren-allen.net socialthelaway.com Twitter: @lesmis456 Instagram: lesmis456 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialthelaway/

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Lili Robinson (she/they) is a playwright, poet, actor and community organizer based on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Lili is passionate about centring voices at the intersections of queerness, Black diaspora, socio-economic diversity and femme identity in her work. Having completed a year as the Artistic Producing Intern at Theatre Replacement in 2019, Lili is currently the Emerging Playwright in Residence at Rumble Theatre, and recently completed the Emerging Playwrights’ Unit at the Arts Club. Beyond playwriting, their most recent projects include: the role of Alejandra in Rumble’s online production of B by Guillermo Calderón; writing for Theatre Replacement’s sound installation project Speaker A; and co-organizing Rest and Resilience, a series of events creating space for the Black Queer community to connect this past summer. Mx, Lili’s debut play, was the recipient of the Fringe New Play Prize in 2019. Mx went on to win the Cultchivating the Fringe Award, earning the show a spot in the Cultch’s upcoming 2021 spring season.

Instagram: @lilrobmakesthings Mx at the Cultch: https://thecultch.com/event/mx/

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A multifaceted artist currently based in Toronto. A South African Transgender man born in the midst of apartheid and witnessed the fall of an era while assimilating to life in Canada. The last born in a Methodist house hold, growing up on the westernmost prairie provinces of Canada where he began his lifelong pursuit of learning the art of theatre and film. An Actor, director and a self-taught film editor/ photographer, his art practices aims to enhance the Black and Transgender voice(s) showing the many different diverse intersectionality of blackness. 

www.tsholovisions.com Twitter: @tsholovisions Instagram: @tsholovisions

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Kyungseo Min is a storyteller, no matter the medium. Her journey began in theatre, riveted by the power of live performances. With her stories and performances, she challenge her audience to re-think Western standards of storytelling, and strives for experiences that weave Oriental and Occidental philosophies, breaking linear structure and finding drama not only in action, but stillness as well.

Kyungseo writes and performs stories that remove her audience from reality, transporting them into a realm where a single word or gesture can slow down the heartbeat, making the audience stop in their seat and feel what is underneath the banalities of the everyday. 

www.kyungseomin.com Twitter: @kminminpow Instagram: @minminpow

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This week, we're talking to actor and director, Tatum Lee. Brace yourself as we plunge into the making of The Drowning Girls, her spine-chilling production at Toronto's Red Sandcastle Theatre. A tale of horror, a timeless exploration of societal issues, and a love letter to the stage, this episode unravels the layers of creativity, challenge, and passion that went into the staging of this eerie play. Tatum's childhood fascination with Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West and how it fuels her love for the horror genre make for an intriguing discussion you won't want to miss.

But the drama doesn't stop there. Join us as we contrast her experience directing The Drowning Girls with The Elephant Man, two riveting productions with starkly different challenges. Discover the importance of dialogue, the dynamics of actor-director relationships, and the delicate art of handling heavy themes from a director's point of view. Tatum's insight into theatre as a mirror to society, and a tool to evoke emotion and address difficult themes, is both enlightening and inspiring.

Lastly, we journey into Tatum's acting world. Drawing from her experience in the movie IT and her memories of Tim Curry's mini-series, Tatum shares her perspective on acting and its power. Hear about her reprisal of the Wicked Witch of the West in a lost episode of Sesame Street and how her idol, Margaret Hamilton, continues to inspire her. This episode, filled with compelling discussions on theatre, horror, and the transformative power of storytelling, is a masterclass in the art of stagecraft. Buckle up for a fascinating exploration that will leave you spellbound.Bio, and socials go here

www.wrentheater.com Instagram: @tatumlee77

Tickets to The Drowning Girls at Red Sandcastle: https://wren-theatre.ticketleap.com/the-drowning-girls/dates

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Jasmine Chen is a Chinese-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto and Vancouver.

Jasmine was born in T’karonto (the place in the water where the trees are standing), where from an early age she was immersed in arts based education. An alumni of the Claude Watson Arts Program, Jasmine studied Music, Art, Dance and Theatre for nine years. She majored as a dancer for four years, training and competing in ballet, jazz and modern. In high school she majored in Theatre, where she was president of the Arts Council. Her time spent in extracurricular shows and performances led her to continue her post-secondary training in the Theatre Performance: Acting Program at Ryerson University, graduating with a BFA. Jasmine has worked extensively as a performer in Theatre and Film/TV. She is a director, performer, educator, movement coach, community facilitator, and producer. Jasmine has engaged with audiences across Canada in repertory festivals, independent theatres, site-specific spaces, regional theatres and outdoor venues. She has worked with leaders in film, opera, music, theatre, and media, such as: Atom Egoyan, Aria Umezawa, Lido Pimienta, Hawksley Workman, Ins Choi, and Amanda Parris. She has taught at Studio 58 Langara College, McGill Schulich School of Music, the Paprika Festival, Festival Players Academy, Canadian Stage, Cahoots Theatre, and the Children’s Peace Theatre. Jasmine is the recipient of the Gina Wilkinson Award for Female Directors, the Stratford Festival Jean Gascon Award, a Toronto Harold Award, and is a Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee.

www.msjasminechen.com Instagram: @hausofchen

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Brenda Kamino is an actor, artist, teacher, and cultural activist. Brenda has been seen as a performer on many of Canada's best known stages for over 40 years. A veteran performer of the Shaw Festival, she has created many roles in new plays at such theatres as Theatre Passe Muraille, Factory Theatre and Young Peoples' Theatre in Toronto as well as the Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg and Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary. Her theatrical career has taken her from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa to the Citadel in Edmonton in shows as varied as the Dora Award Nominated "Naomi's Road" to "M. Butterfly", working with such directors as Canadians Douglas Campbell, Peter Hinton, Jackie Maxwell, Neil Munro, Dennis Foon, Sue Miner, Ed Roy, Sally Han, Vinetta Strombergs, Ron Jenkins, Nina Aquino and Guillermo Verdecchia, as well as British Director Tudor Davies and American Directors Lane Nishikawa, David Levine and Raul Aranas. Her performance in "suicide notes" by Kenneth Williams for Toronto's Summerworks Festival, garnered her recognition for Outstanding Performance by Now Magazine. Her television and film career includes over 100 guest and lead performances and many years as host, narrator, radio artist and improviser.

www.brendakamino.com

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Alia Ettienne is a theatre writer, actor, performer and facilitator who was born and raised in Toronto, ON. Ettienne is of Afro Caribbean descent which often influences her performances and writing. She graduated from the Sheridan College Performance Program and since then has gone on to study Creative Writing as well as Arts and Entertainment Marketing. Ettienne aims to create art for social change. Her first solo piece, YellowZoned premiered in The 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival and then remounted as a part of Hamilton's premiere Mental Health Theatre Festival MindPlay. Ettienne is now focused on her mental health workshop series Chill N Do Art, The Creative Coping Kits Initiative and writing her second full length piece Allow For Release: The Xiety Complex.

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Polly Esther is an award-winning writer, storyteller, and performance artist from Toronto. Since 2018, she has been touring her one-woman show _Dammit, Jim! I'm a Comedienne, Not a Doctor! _about how Star Trek has helped her in her journey as a recovering alcoholic. She has performed in several cities including Chicago's Funny Women Comedy Festival, SOLOCOM in New York City, the Yard Theatre in Los Angeles, (un)Told Storytelling in Ottawa, and at Fringes across North America. 

Polly’s Dammit, Jim! was an award-winner at three different fringe festivals over three years running, picking up the "Low Tech" award at the Orlando Fringe in 2018, the "Spirit of the Fringe” award at the Ottawa Fringe in 2019. and “Best of the Fringe” at the 2020 Hartford Fringe. Polly was also invited to present Dammit, Jim! as a featured event for Algonquin College’s National Addictions Awareness Week in 2019. The Orlando Fringe was also the site for the World Premiere of Polly’s newest show last year (about her “Weird Al” Yankovic fandom), POLLYWOOD. 

. Here at home, Polly has participated in the Toronto Storytelling Festival at the Drake Hotel, BRAVE: The Festival of Risk and Failure at the Harbourfront Centre, and several other monthly storytelling events around the city (But That's Another Story, DARE Storytelling, Witty Women).  

Twitter: @pollyesthergems Instagram: @pollywoodproductions FB: facebook.com/DammitJimPollyEsther  Patreon: patreon.com/pollyesther

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Laura was born to tell stories. Whether as a dancer with Tokyo Disney, a writer for Alumnae Theatre’s Gay Play Day, a teacher at the Toronto District School Board, or as a comédienne with Just for Laughs, Laura’s unstoppable passion in life lies in telling people all sorts of eccentric stories, whether they want to hear them or not.

www.laurapiccinin.com Instagram: @lpiccinin

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Danny Harvey has been a performing arts professional for the past 19 years. Currently functioning as the Artistic Programming Coordinator for the Rose Theatre Brampton, Danny curates the theatre’s presenting series. The Rose Theatre is a multidisciplinary venue providing Theatre, Music, Dance, and Comedy to the people of Brampton. Prior to this Danny was an artistic director of the Shakespeare in the Square festival as well as the producing wing of the Rose Theatre Brampton. Danny has been a performer and artistic director on amateur and professional stages for the past 19 years having directed some 30 plays and musicals. A Graduate of Humber College – Comedy Writing and Performance program, Central Peel Secondary School in Brampton. Recently Danny had the honour of adjudicating the National Theatre School festival.

Instagram: @dannydontdance

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Sadie Berlin is a published fiction author, a writer of post-dramatic texts, and a performance artist. In previous incarnations, she has been a legal anthropologist and ethnographer, an offshore finance journalist, and a literary buyer for a bookshop chain in London, U.K. Last year, Sadie was the dramaturge and performance curator-in-training at the Stratford Festival Lab. As a recent recipient of the Metcalf Foundation grant, Sadie will be working as the Dramaturgy Intern at the Stratford Festival under the mentorship of ted witzel. Sadie is also an educator, an activist and an anti-racism consultant.

Twitter: @artysadie Instagram: @sadiediamorphine

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“I am the son of two tribes. I am the daughter of one birth. I am the spirit of many nations. I am a child of mother earth.”

B’atz’ Recinos was born and raised on Turtle Island with mixed Maya roots from Iximulew (Guatemala). A creator, performer, advocate, and Harold Award recipient for the performing arts of Tkaronto. Their commitment to equitable and diverse practices within the arts has led them to speak at YouthREX and several other panels and publish articles with NOW, Intermission Magazine, and contribute to The Director’s Lab book published by Playwright Canada Press. A trained facilitator, B’atz’ has delivered various workshops on diversity, inclusion, art and self-care with youth, artists, and communities across Ontario. Their extensive experience in the performing arts led them to found Creative Mafia.

Instagram: @chwenkan

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Sukhpreet Sangha is a theatremaker, lawyer, poet, and barfly. After studying theatre and English at the University of Waterloo, she studied law at Osgoode Hall, and has since questioned that decision regularly. She spends her days working in legal education at a non-profit dedicated to youth and her nights, well, wouldn’t you like to know. Sukhpreet is co-Artistic Director of Informal Upright Theatre Collective. You can also read some things she writes here and see some things she tweets here. Sukhpreet invites you to find out more about “Yellow Bellies” (and perhaps even buy it!) here: http://theatreofthebeat.ca/yellow-bellies.

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Kitoko (Kit for Short) is a Black, Non-binary, disabled emerging multidisciplinary performance artist, media artist, and community artist. They’re a graduate of the Theatre/ Film studies and Multimedia studies at McMaster University (which they both love and regret) and the APT program at Generator (currently no regrets). Kit’s primarily interested in creating performance-based work that challenges the notion of binaries, and explores lateral violence and power dynamics within marginalized communities. Their work is rooted in social justice, anti-oppression, accessibility, #femmeaesthetics, and the pursuit of messiness. It’s best described as a chaotic poetic collage.

www.kitoko.ca Instagram: @kitokomai Twitter: @Kitokomai

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Have you ever wondered how a novel can transform into a theatrical masterpiece? Queer writer, performer, and director, Megan Greeley, joins us to share her fascinating journey of adapting her novel, Jawbone, into a play. We uncover the layers of a young girl navigating platonic and romantic feelings in the absence of queer representation, and challenge the societal taboos around male bonding and physical affection.

We then move on to examine the exhaustion and solitude that comes with writing a solo show and the celebration of rediscovering the supportive theatre community. Megan draws upon her theatre background to breathe life into her narratives, reminding us of the power of storytelling and performance. We also delve into her experiences with the TNL Youth theatre program and how it revealed a creative dimension within her that she hadn't previously explored.

In the final segment, we explore the realities of pursuing a career in the performing arts, looking at the highs, the lows, and everything in between. From economic constraints to the priceless support of her parents, Megan reflects on how these factors have influenced her journey. We highlight the significant role of Ruth Lawrence in the Newfoundland theatre scene and Megan's career, discussing mentorship, career progression, and the art of infusing humour into darker subject matter. Join us for a refreshing conversation that bridges theatre, storytelling, and queer identity.

Meghan Greeley is a queer writer, editor, performer, and director originally from Corner Brook, NL. Her poetry, prose, and scripts have been published in The Stockholm Review of Literature, Ephemera, Metatron's ÖMËGÄ project, Riddle Fence, Humber Mouths 2, The Breakwater Book of Contemporary Newfoundland Drama (Vol. 1), and the Playwrights Canada Press anthology Long Story Short. As a playwright, she was a 2016 nominee for the RBC Tarragon Emerging Playwrights Prize and was later a resident of both the Tarragon Playwrights Unit and Nightwood Theatre’s Write from the Hip program. Her stage plays have been produced across Canada. Her play Hunger, published by Breakwater Books, was shortlisted for the BMO Winterset Award. Her short novel Jawbone is forthcoming from Radiant Press in Fall 2023. She is currently the Artistic Director of White Rooster Theatre.

Twitter: @meghangreeley Instagram: @meghan_greeley

Jawbone: https://radiantpress.ca/shop/p/jawbone

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HAUI is a multi-disciplinary entrepreneur of many artistic trades including performance, directing, design & visual arts. He was born in the United Kingdom to mixed Caribbean, Taino/Arawak and European heritage. Howard is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School. To date has worked at the Stratford Festival as an assistant director as part of the inaugural bud’s program (part of the Michael Langham Director’s Workshop Presentation) He has worked at Canada’s Shaw Festival as an actor and designer, National Arts Centre as an assistant director, directing/design intern at the Grand Theatre; Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company and Neptune Theatre as a designer, and performed with Native Earth Performing Arts, Cahoots Theatre, Paper Canoe Projects, and Factory Theatre. His work as a filmmaker emphasizes history and how it can inform our current sociopolitical climate. He hopes to continue building a practice in telling stories of his heritage, marginalized cultures not at the forefront of history and modern original works with an emphasis on bridging classical, theatrical and historical context to contemporary cinema and stage.

www.howardjdavis.com Twitter: @hauidavis Instagram: @hauidavis

Transcript at https://stageworthypodcast.com/260-haui-aka-howard-j-davis/

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Camille is a graduate of Sheridan’s College’s Musical Theatre program. Theatre highlights include RENT, High School Musical, Hairspray, and The Book of Mormon.

Twitter: @camilove90 Instagram: @camilove90

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Emerjade Simms is a Jamaican-Canadian actor and storyteller. She is a graduate of the Acting program at the University of Windsor and holds a BFA degree. Emerjade is also a 2016/17 graduate of the Mechanicals program at Factory Theatre. In her career as an actor so far, she has worked with many wonderful people and companies. Select theatre credits include Peter Pan (Bad Hats/Soulpepper), School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian/Nightwood), Wounded Soldiers (4th Line), The Bird Killer (Let Me In). Television credits include Forbidden, Fear They Neighbor, See No Evil and Paranormal 911. Emerjade enjoys napping in her down time and thanks her family for inspiring her daily.

Twitter: @emerbabe Instagram: @em.er.jade

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