Stageworthy

Carolyn Fe is a late-blooming Filipino-Canadian, award winning tri-lingual Actress (English/French/Tagalog), an award winning Singer-Songwriter-Lyricist and a former contemporary Dancer-Choreographer. Carolyn’s continuous pursuit of artistic evolution adds new instruments to her creative portfolio as a published Writer and emerging Playwright. Her short stories have been published in magazines and a poem is part of the Toronto Catholic School Commission’s curriculum teaching grade 10 and 11 students on the importance of intergenerational relationships. A budding playwright, she wrote her first plays while simultaneously participating in two different 2022 residencies: Montreal’s Teesri Duniya Theatre’s 2022 Fireworks Playwrights’ Programme where she developed “Go Fish!”, a play that was conceived in Tarragon Theatre’s Playwright Course with Paula Wing and, Factory Theatre’s 2022 The Foundry New Work Creation Group where she adapted her published short story into a play entitled “Still Life in Death”. Carolyn has also translated “Cross Sea” by Kyungseo Min from English/Korean to French/Korean. The play telling the story of two women’s experiences as comfort women during the Japanese occupation of Korea. As an actor, some TV/streaming credits include Lola (Grandma) in the Nickelodeon reboot of the children’s show “Blue’s Clues & You!”, Madame Z in the award winning French series “Meilleur Avant”, “ABROAD” a bilingual Tagalog-English sketch comedy series and, voices on various animated series such as DreamWorks’ “Pinecone & Pony” and PBS Kids’ “Work It Out Wombats”. Some Theatre credits include: Uncle Vanya (Crow’s Theatre), Three Women of Swatow (Tarragon Theatre), Calpurnia (Nightwood/Sulong), Through the Bamboo (Uwi Collective) and Miss Orient(ed) (Teesri Duniya Theatre). When Carolyn is not on the theatre’s stage or front of the camera, she is most likely performing her original songs from her four albums or doing song writing collaborations with musicians around the globe. Carolyn is the assistant director for Tarragon Theatre's Paint Me This House of Love. Instagram: @thecarolynfe Twitter: @TheCarolynFe Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Kylie Thompson (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary performer, creator and educator residing in Toronto, Ontario. She considers herself an ally to the BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ communities and is committed to ongoing education, conversation and action towards equality and de-colonization of Western Dance practices. She holds an honours degree in Kinesiology from McMaster University, and has trained in classical, contemporary and street dance styles and has also developed a practice in photography. After having served on the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists-East board of Directors for 5 years, she is passionate about arts advocacy and independent production. She has produced numerous works both in the theatre and on the screen; some of which include “Versus”, “33/33”, “Oh, Yes” and "Femmillennial"; and she is honoured to have been part of such festivals as New Blue, Dance: Made in Canada, Toronto Fringe, Choreographer’s Ball, and more. Her commercial credits include Barenaked Ladies, Kiesza, TIFF, Finger Eleven, Lionsgate Films and more. A passionate educator; her teaching practice has spanned various disciplines but is currently focused on release-based floor work; having trained with and drawn inspiration from Alias Dance Project, Vim Vigor Dance, Elke Schroeder and many other influential dance theatre companies. This year she will take her self-produced production "Femmillennial" on the road to Orlando and Vancouver Fringe Festivals. kyliethompsoncreative.com Twitter: @itskyliethomps1 Instagram: @kyliethompsoncreative Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Cass Van Wyck (she/her) is double Dora-nominated actor/producer who splits her time between her positions as Co-Artistic of the Assembly Theatre and Artistic Director of One Four One Collective. Throughout her 10+ year acting career, she has performed in the UK and all throughout Canada working with many notable directors including Daniel MacIvor, Soheil Parsa, and Marie Farsi. Select credits include Tracy in Two Minutes to Midnight (The Assembly Theatre, 2022 Dora Nomination – Outstanding Performance by an Individual), Shelley in The Huns (One Four One Collective, 2022 Dora Nomination – Outstanding Performance by an Individual) and Moira in Therac 25 (Unit 102 Actors Co., 2019 My Entertainment World Critics’ Pick Award Nomination - Outstanding Leading Performance). Cass is excited to be making her directorial debut this coming May 2023 with Bone Cage by Catherine Banks at The Assembly Theatre. Originally from the small town of Fenwick, Ontario, Cass currently lives in Toronto and can normally be found baking chocolate chip cookies and cheering on the Blue Jays. www.cassvanwyck.com Twitter: @classvanwyck Instagram: @classvanwyck Bone Cage Tickets: https://www.theassemblytheatre.com/bonecagebycatherinebanks Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Vishesh Abeyratne is a Sri Lankan-Canadian playwright and dramaturg who divides his time between Ottawa and Montreal. He is currently the Artistic Facilitator at Teesri Duniya Theatre where he also coordinates the Fireworks Playwrights Mentorship Program. Before this he served as playwright-in-residence at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC). His plays typically use dark political satire to interrogate and critique the destructive effects of white supremacy and capitalism upon the humanity of individuals. Tickets to Blood Offering: https://plainstage.com/events/blood-offering Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Christine 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 is co-creator of and performer in Small Matters’ eight full-length shows, including the interactive comedy hit, "For Science!" (2018-23), she has just premiered her new show "The Space Between Stars", a radical adaption of "The Little Prince". Watch for the forthcoming western inter-provincial collaboration, "The Spinsters" (premièring 2023/24). 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. She specializes in integrated & collaborative creation, audience experience design, interactive comedy, and physical storytelling. www.smallmatters.ca www.christinelesiak.com Instagram: @smallmattersp Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Margo MacDonald(she/they)From Ottawa but currently based in Toronto, Margo is a multi-award winning playwright and performer who primarily creates work highlighting lost bits of queer women’s history. Her solo show, The Elephant Girls, (which she wrote and performs) has been touring nationally and internationally since it premiered in 2015, including runs in London, England, the Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival in Ireland, and the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. To date, the show has won eleven awards.Her other plays include: Shadows (about out lesbian theatre maverick, Eva Le Gallienne, and her partner Josephine Hutchinson), Rap Once for Yes (about Radclyffe Hall and Noel Coward holding a seance), Maupin (about a cross-dressing, bisexual, swordfighter, opera singer, and duellist in 17th century France), and, together with Geoff McBride, The Persistent Stain (about an aging Canadian punk band).Other recent performance credits include: Dressed as People – a Triptych of Uncanny Abduction (undercurrents festival), Heartlines, and Albumen (TACTICS Mainstage); Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), and Fly Me to the Moon, (Great Canadian Theatre Company); Henry V, and Much Ado About Nothing (A Company of Fools); and The Penelopiad (Citadel Theatre). www.parryriposte.ca Twitter: @PRPtheatre Instagram: @margo_thespian Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Rachel Matumbo and Natasha Mumba are the playwright and director of Vierge at Factory Theatre, April 8-30. Rachel Mutombo is an award-winning actor and writer. She is an acting graduate of John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre program as well as the National Theatre School of Canada. As a freelance writer, Rachel has had essays and articles published by CBC, Intermission Magazine and ByBlacks.com. Her first full length play, Vierge, was awarded the first place prize in Infinitheatre's annual playwriting competition. Vierge is premiering at Factory Theatre in Toronto in April 2023. www.rachelmutombo.com Twitter: @rachel_mutombo_ Natasha Mumba is a Zambian born, Toronto based multi-disciplined artist. She is a graduate of the Acting program at The National Theatre School of Canada as well as the previous Apprentice Artistic Director at Factory Theatre through the generous support of the Metcalf Foundation. She recently had the pleasure of being a Directing Fellow at Why Not Theatre’s ThisGen program, as well having the pleasure of developing her skills in dramaturgy at The Pan-African Dramaturgical Lab hosted by South African company Vrystraat. Her directing credits include; Driftwood Trafalgar: Balance; Factory Theatre: Lady Sunrise (Assistant Director); YPT: The Water Gun Song and Cassius; Studio 180: Gone to see a Man about a dog. Instagram: @tashamum Tickets to Vierge: https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/vierge/ Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Matthew MacKenzie is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta and proud father of Ivan (Eevan, Vanya, Vanichka). Artistic Director of Punctuate! Theatre, Matthew is also the founder and an Artistic Associate with Pyretic Productions, a founding member of the Pemmican Collective, as well as Canadian Liaison of the Liberian Dance Troupe. Matt’s plays include First Métis Man of Odesa, Bears, After the Fire and The Particulars. www.punctuatetheatre.com Twitter: @PunctuateTheatr Instagram: @punctuatetheatre Details and Tickets for First Métis Man of Odesa: http://www.punctuatetheatre.com/first-mtis-man-of-odesa-202223 Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Genevieve Adam is a graduate of the George Brown Theatre School in Toronto and holds an MFA from the East15 Acting School in the UK.Selected acting credits include Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (CBS), The Big Cigar (AppleTV), Mrs. America (FX), The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), Stag&Doe (Capitol Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Theatre By the Bay), Annabel (BBC4), Measure for Measure (Thought for Food) and Recall (Toronto Fringe) - for which she was nominated as Outstanding Actress in the 2017 MyEntWorld Critics’ Pick Awards. Her first play Deceitful Above All Things premiered at SummerWorks in 2015 and won several accolades including Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Production, and Best Emerging Artist. It was remounted at the Factory in association with The Storefront Theatre in February 2017.Subsequent plays include Bedsport (Newmarket National Play Festival), New World (Future Theatre Festival), Anatomy of A Dancer (Next Stage 2019), The Boat Show (Lost Souls’ Collective), and If The Shoe Fits, which won second place in the Toronto Fringe 2019 New Writing Contest.Her most recent play Dark Heart was named one of the top theatrical productions of 2018 by the Toronto Star.Genevieve is part of the 2023 Creator’s Units at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope and the Guild Festival Theatre in Toronto.She is also the poet behind the whimsical #haikusofthepandemic series. www.genevieveadam.com Twitter: @FavourZeeBrave Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Kimberly Beaune is an accomplished event industry professional with nearly years experience. After receiving her Hospitality training at Red Deer College, she began her career in hotel sales. It didn’t take long for Kimberly to fall in love with the magic of event design and go on to explore that passion through senior roles in off-site catering, destination management, décor & design and entertainment. While building her foundation in events in Toronto, she also began to create, produce, direct and design theatre projects for the award-winning theatre company Keystone Theatre. As her worlds of events and theatre began to blend, a passion for telling stories through design and event animation grew. Kimberly continued to hone her design aesthetic and established her approach to event storytelling by leading the concept, creation and design of hundreds of unique projects across Canada. She has served as an industry mentor and leader and spoken internationally regarding event design and logistics. Since launching her boutique event firm Creative Twist Inc. in 2014, she has twice been named one of Canada’s “Most Influential Event Professionals” by Bizbash Magazine and won three Canadian Event Industry Awards for her work. In 2021 family brought her back home to Red Deer. Since moving her headquarters to Alberta, she continued to work with key event clients in both Ontario and Alberta. Never far from theatre, she sits on the board of directors for Prime Stock Theatre in Red Deer and is their acting General Manager. Recently, she took over the day to day management of The Scott Block, a vintage black box theatre and cabaret space in Red Deer. This new venture brings both of her worlds together under one roof; a venue for unique and engaging events, and a creative space for theatre and performance. What stories can she help you tell? www.creativetwist.ca Instagram: @creative.twist Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Claren Grosz is a Toronto based writer, theatre and visual artist and Artistic Director of Pencil Kit Productions. She recently published her first illustrated chapbook of poetry, starting with the roof of my mouth (Gap Riot Press, 2022). Some of her favourite theatre projects included directing CHICHO (Pencil Kit Productions/Theatre Passe Muraille, 2019) and co-creating and directing Shadow Girls (Pencil Kit Productions, 2018). She is the recipient of the 2018 Ken MacDougall Emerging Director Award and the 2015 My Entertainment World Outstanding Direction (Small Theatre) Award. When she isn’t making art, Claren teaches children and teenagers math on zoom. www.pencilkitproductions.com Twitter: @PencilKitProd Instagram: @pencilkitproductions Buy tickets to I Love the Smell of Gasoline: https://ots.sumacpages.com/sumac/sumac_start_new_session.php?package=ticketing4&userfolder=..%2FORG%2Fnativeearth Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Rena Polley is an actor, writer, producer and teacher. She performed in The Chekhov Collective's The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, A Midsummer Night's Dream and I Take Your Hand In Mine which toured Washington D.C. Rena has been involved for over 20 years with the acting techniques of Michael Chekhov (Anton’s nephew) and is a founding member of Michael Chekhov Canada as well as The Chekhov Collective. She sits on the board of The Michael Chekhov Association in NYC and is part of the Michael Chekhov Studio Co-op of independent studio from around the world. She also acted in Don Shebib's new film "Night Talk" which premiered at TIFF this year. www.thechekhovcollective.com Twitter: @chekhovcollect Instagram: @thechekhovcollective Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

There has been a topic that has dominated the theatre scene in Canada for several years, and that’s the question of whether audiences are disappearing. This week, host Phil Rickaby convenes a roundtable discussion with indie theatre artists to discuss that very question. Stephen Near is a writer and educator, as well the co-founder and playwright-in-residence of Hamilton’s Same Boat Theatre. Stephen was last on the podcast in June, 2022. Emily Dix is a theatre artist and photographer and the Artistic Executive Director of Bygone Theatre. Emily was on the podcast in August, 2019. Laura Piccinin is a playwright and performer, as well as a dancer and aerialist. Laura's most recent appearance on the podcast was in June, 2022. Adrianna Prosser the artistic producer at Eldritch Theatre, and general manager at the Red Sandcastle theatre, as well as a storyteller and social media maven. Adrianna was last on the podcast as part of the indie theatre roundtable in February, 2022. Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Amy Lee Lavoie is an award-winning playwright and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Playwriting Program. Her first play, Rabbit Rabbit, received its premiere production with Infinitheatre, earning Amy Lee two MECCA’s for Best Text and the Revelation Award. Rabbit Rabbit has since been produced across Canada and in the US. Other plays include Me Happy (co-written with Matthew Mackenzie/Summerworks Festival), Stopheart (Factory Theatre) Genetic Drift (Pi Theatre/Boca del Lupo) My Tom (Railtown Lab Series), Scout’s Honour (Radio Play/Imago Theatre) and C’mon, Angie! (Touchstone Theatre/Leroy Street Theatre) which was hailed as “visceral, important, life-changing theatre.” Amy Lee was also the Head Digital Writer for the CBC drama Strange Empire, which won a Gracie Award (Women’s Alliance Media) for Best Website in recognition of its interactive Storytelling. Amy Lee is currently developing an original play, Women Do Not Go on Strike, with Odd Stumble Theatre, as well as co-writing multiple projects with her husband/fellow writer Omari Newton. They include: Blackfly, an adaptation of Titus Andronicus, originally commissioned by Repercussion Theatre and recently supported by CCA’s Digital Now, as well as an adaptation of Dante’s Inferno for re:Naissance Opera. Amy Lee & Omari’s audio drama Doubletree, commissioned by Factory Theatre, was recently presented on iTunes and Spotify as part of their You Can’t Get There from Here, Vol. 2 series. Twitter: @amyleelavoie Omari Newton is an award-winning professional actor, writer, director and producer. As a writer, his original Hip Hop Theater piece Sal Capone has received critical acclaim and multiple productions, including a run at Canada’s National Arts Center. Omari and his wife, fellow professional playwright Amy Lee Lavoie, received a Silver Commission from The Arts Club Theatre to co-write a new play: Redbone Coonhound. A bold and innovative satirical comedy that confronts instances of systemic racism in the past, present and future. Omari co-directed the first in a series of rolling world premieres at The Arts Club Theatre in October of 2022. The play is set to open at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, followed by a run at Imago Theatre in Montreal. The husband and wife duo have also just completed "Black Fly," a satirical adaptation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus that centers on Aaron and Lavinia. Newton’s work in Speakeasy Theatre's production of Young Jean Lee's The Shipment earned him a 2017-2018 Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor, as well as a nomination for Best Direction. He has recently completed directing critically acclaimed productions of "The Mountaintop" by Katori Hall, and "Pass Over" by Antoinette Nwandu. Notable film & TV credits include: Lucas Ingram on Showcase’s Continuum, Larry Summers on Blue Mountain State and lending his voice to the Black Panther in multiple animated projects (Marvel). Most recently, Omari has a recurring role as Nate on Corner Gas (the animated series) and a recurring role as Corvus of Netflix’s hit new animated series The Dragon Prince. Twitter: @omariakilnewton Instagram: @omariakilnewton Redbone Coonhound Out for a walk in their West End neighbourhood, Mike and Marissa—an interracial couple—meet a dog with an unfortunate breed name: Redbone Coonhound. This small detail unleashes a cascading debate between them about race and their relationship that manifests as a series of micro-plays, each satirizing contemporary perspectives on modern culture. Through its hard-hitting comedic elements, Redbone Coonhound explores the intricacies of subtle and overt polemics of race, systemic power and privilege in remarkable, surprising and hilarious ways. A wild and subversive journey back through history and into the future. Redbone Coonhound reveals deep fears, rage, insecurities and, ultimately, hope. Tickets and Info: https://www.tarragontheatre.com/redbone-coonhound/ Twitter: @tarragontheatre Instagram: @tarragontheatreto Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Andrew G. Cooper is a Canadian playwright, director, and puppeteer. As an artist, Andrew’s focus is on the creation of new works with a particular emphasis on storytelling through physical mediums such as puppetry, movement, mask, and stage combat. They hold their Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Thompson Rivers University and are the recipient of the Kamloops Mayor’s Emerging Artist Award as well as a nominee of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award. They won multiple awards for Outstanding Choreography for their work in Musical Theatre with the Academy of Dance and are the founding Artistic Managing Director of Chimera Theatre in Kamloops, BC and the founding and current Artistic Producer of Jupiter Theatre in Calgary, AB. Andrew debuted on television as a puppeteer on Apple TV+ with The Jim Henson Company’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Andrew is a lover of astronomy and animals and currently lives in Calgary, AB. www.andrewgcooper.com Twitter: @AndrewGCooper22 Instagram: @andrewgcooper22 Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Amanda Lin 林美智 (she/her) is a friend, playwright, daughter, arts administrator, crochet enthusiast, performer, and director. She is a graduate of Queen’s University, where she studied social psychology, theatre, and business, with her area of research centring on attitudes and social influence. She is interested in using art and storytelling to cultivate compassionate and dynamic communities. Amanda currently works at Nightwood Theatre, where she spends her time fundraising and co-leading emerging artist programs such as the Nightwood Innovators and Rising Moon. Her first full-length play, Between a Wok and a Hot Pot (Asian Canadian Dinner Theatre), is premiering in Toronto with Cahoots Theatre in January 2023. amandamlin.wordpress.com Twitter: @mandamlin Instagram: @amandaalin Tickets to Between a Wok and a Hot Pot: https://www.cahoots.ca/production/between-a-wok-and-a-hot-pot Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Bronwyn Steinberg is a theatre director and community builder; she’s passionate about making theatre an inclusive gathering space where stories are shared that celebrate the diversity of human experience. Based in Calgary/Mohkinstsis in Treaty 7 territory, she is the Artistic Director of Lunchbox Theatre, and she recently directed The Importance of Being Earnest for Theatre Calgary. She loves working with the classics as well as new plays, and since coming to Lunchbox in 2020, she has directed both Home for the Holidays, a new musical by Cayley Wreggitt and Alixandra Cowman, and Rebecca Northan’s All I Want for Christmas. She has also directed 6 new play development workshops as part of the Lunchbox Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work and Stage Two, in addition to multiple workshops and premieres with other companies. She was based in Ottawa for 12 years, where she was the founding Artistic Director of the indie series TACTICS. Credits as an award-winning freelance director include The Drowning Girls and Bang Bang (Great Canadian Theatre Company), The Revolutionists and Miss Shakespeare (Three Sisters Theatre), Twelfth Night (A Company of Fools) and Raising Stanley / Life with Tulia—an accessible multimedia storytelling collaboration with Kim Kilpatrick and Karen Bailey. She has worked as an assistant director at the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival and GCTC and is a member of both the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab (2018 & 2019) and Directors Lab North (2020). www.lunchboxtheatre.com Instagram: @bronwynsteinberg Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Stevie Baker is a producer, director and costume designer based in Severn, Ontario. A prolific theatre creator and artist, she has been a part of over 30 productions in Toronto’s vibrant theatre community over the past 15 years. Stevie has been the Head of Production at Dauntless City Theatre since its inception in 2007 (originally Urban Bard). Her work with Dauntless is rooted in queering, subverting and modernizing Shakespeare to better reflect the dynamic people of Ontario. She is a director on the boards of both Arts Orillia and Mariposa Arts Theatre. She centers queer joy, anti-racism and anti-poverty in her work, life and the raising of her two children. Stevie has worked internationally with Kansas City’s MET and served as Artistic Director of The Daegu Theatre Troupe in Daegu, South Korea. She orchestrated the DTT’s first touring show and directed South Korea’s first English language production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 2011. Stevie is dedicated to the art of theatre and expression and is enjoying bringing her expertise, experience and methods back home to Severn since relocating in late 2020. www.dauntlesscitytheatre.com Instagram: @tristevietops Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Rob Kempson is a theatre artist and educator, working primarily as a director and playwright, and the Artistic Director of the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope. Selected Writer/Director: Trigonometry (timeshare/Factory); Mockingbird (Next Stage Theatre Festival); SHANNON 10:40 (timeshare/Videofag); explicit (Rhubarb Festival); #legacy (Harbourfront Centre); The HV Project (Community). Selected Director: Box 4901 (timeshare/Buddies), The Places We Are (Theatre Erindale), The Snow Queen (Canadian Children’s Opera Company), Electric Messiah (Soundstreams), The Little Mermaid (St. Lawrence College), 9 to 5: The Musical (Randolph College), The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Box 4901 (SummerWorks, foldA Festival); The Canadian, Maggie and Pierre, Million Dollar Quartet, Daisy Amazed Me, Violet’s the Pilot, Rose’s Clothes (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Robert (co-directed with Briana Brown, Toronto Fringe); Songs for a New World (Claude Watson). Writer/Composer/Performer: The Way Back To Thursday (Theatre Passe Muraille/Touchstone Theatre – Dora Nomination: Outstanding New Musical). Rob has been a member of the Stratford Festival Playwrights’ Retreat, a Resident Artist Educator at Young People’s Theatre, and the RBC Intern Director for The Musical Stage Co. He is the past Artistic Producer of the Paprika Festival, the past Associate Artistic Producer at Theatre Passe Muraille, and the past Associate Artistic Director at the Thousand Islands Playhouse. Rob is also the Co-Artistic Director of ARC, a Toronto-based company. www.robkempson.com Twitter: @rob_kempson Instagram: @rob_kempson Tickets to ARC's Martyr: https://www.nativeearth.ca/shows/martyr/ Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Yulissa Campos (she/her) is an Ecuadorian theatre artist and founding artistic director of Ay, Caramba! Theatre, the first Latin American theatre in Saskatchewan. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan and works with the Newcomer and Indigenous community when she is not writing, acting, or producing. Yulissa has been invited to be part of the CBC’s Q with Tom Power to talk about diversity in the prairies. She celebrates her Latin American heritage in her plays and her work has been presented internationally such as at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival and across Canada. Yulissa is now debuting in the biggest role in her life: motherhood. aycarambatheatre.com Instagram: @yuliecampos Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Kendall savage is the former artistic Director and co creator of the Montreal Clown festival. Future apprentice of Mike Kennard from MUMP and SMOOT , she finds herself located in Toronto Ontario where she is finishing the Second City Conservatory and taking the improv scene by storm. Instagram: @pretty_funny_kendall_savage_ Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Aaron Malkin and Alastair Knowles are better known as James and Jamesy. The James & Jamesy Performance Society creates multi-award winning theatrical performances typified by extended characters, rich emotion, and fantastical trips of the imagination. Their shows are investigations in participatory theatre that merge physical comedy, clown, and dance to create theatrical environments where audiences feel invited and compelled to participate. Since 2012, James & Jamesy shows have sold over 80,000 tickets and been performed over 750 times across Canada, the United States, and the UK. Their accessibility and wide appeal is evident by numerous 5-Star reviews and 20 Best-of-Fest awards. Regarded as “Fringe legends” (Montreal Gazette), “Fringe stalwarts” (Winnipeg Free Press) and “One of the most popular fringe duos ever” (CBC), James & Jamesy have firmly claimed a place in the ranks of contemporary Canadian theatre. www.jamesandjamesy.com Twitter: @jamesandjamesy Instagram: @jamesandjamesy O Christmas Tea tickets and more at ochristmastea.com Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Matthew Romantini is a multi-disciplinary artist, the artistic director of Omnivore Performance, and works in dance, theatre, and with orchestral ensembles across the continent. He is also teaches and coaches performance, directs and choreographs as part of his performance work. He has been lucky to direct Unity (1918) and Gogol's The Government Inspector at Randolph College, and is gearing up to direct another production at the college in January. He has been nominated for 5 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the CTC Award (winning best production for The Boys In The Band), the KM Hunter Award, the Total Theatre Award, and has received two Chalmers Professional Development Grants. Notable credits include Kokoro Dance’s epic Sunyata, Gorey Story (as performer and Artistic Director, nominated for 5 Dora Awards), Theatre Rusticle’s signature April 14, 1912, PNME’s Just Out of Reach (which toured to the Edinburgh Fringe), co-creating Tomoe Arts’ Weaver Woman, and PNME’s “heart-rending” Psappho’s Sparrows/In The Wake concert cycle. As a creator and artist, I work in dance, theatre, and with orchestral ensembles across the continent. I have been nominated for and won several awards, endowments and grants, and more importantly, I have been fortunate to collaborate with notable artists and audiences across the globe, from Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Edinburgh Sydney, and Tokyo, and continue to bring together the influences of my wellness and artistic practices to positively affect both. www.matthewromantini.com Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Born in Albania, Indrit has made Tkarón:to his home since 2000. He is the Founding Artistic Producer for lemonTree creations and Artistic Producer for Theatre Passe Muraille. lemonTree creations focuses on queer works, and Indrit has produced, acted in, choreographed and directed several critically acclaimed and award winning productions, including a national tour for MSM [men seeking men]. As the Artistic Producer of Canada’s original alternative theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Indrit continues to develop exciting new theatrical voices while also focusing on national and international touring for the company. As a performer, Indrit has had the privilege to work with many talented writers, directors, designers and companies in a myriad of projects that more often than not are interdisciplinary in nature making use of both his ability with movement and text. Most notably he is a company member of the award winning dance theatre company CORPUS. Through Corpus he has helped develop and premiere two new works (Machina Nuptialis, House Guests) and continued touring other repertoire to North America, Europe and Asia. He’s an Acting graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, a 2018 Harold Award Winner and a 2020 Dora Nominated performer. Twitter: @indritk Instagram: @indritk Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Joseph Zita (he/him) is a Toronto based actor, singer, and theatre artist. He was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and grew up in Mississauga, ON. Select Theatre Credits include: The Antipodes (Coal Mine Theatre), Peter Pan (Neptune Theatre, Halifax), Lilies; Or, the Revival of a Romantic Drama (lemonTree Creations/Why Not Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times), Picture This (Soulpepper), Richard III (Shakespeare BASH'd), Kitsault: A New Canadian Musical (Staged Reading - Al Green Theatre), In the Heights: In Concert (We Are Here Productions), Beauty and the Beast: In Concert (Angelwalk Theatre), and several new works for the Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals. Film/Television: Locke and Key, Firehouse Dog, Mayday. When not on stage, Joseph is quite active behind the scenes, and is currently serving his fifth term on the Board of Directors for Shakespeare in the Ruff. He holds BFA in Acting from the University of Windsor, and has also studied at the Stella Adler Studio in New York City. Twitter: @josephzita Instagram: @josephzita Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Curtis Campbell is a writer and theatre artist. Some previous credits as a writer and director include Katherine Is Not A Communist, Imp, BETR With Bevan and Color Me Pablo. His novel Dragging Mason County will be published by Annick Press in the fall of 2023. Check out Gay for Pay, co-written by Curtis and Daniel Krolik at Streetcar Crowsnest, Nov. 16-27. Twitter: @Alanis_Percocet Instagram: @gayforpayproductions Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

On this episode of Stageworthy, joining host Phil Rickaby, are Kate Werneburg, Suchiththa Wickremesooriya, Eric Benson and Chi-Chi Onuah from Dauntless City Theatre. Dauntless City Theatre is dedicated to bringing site-specific performances to non-traditional spaces. This summer, Dauntless presents This Earth of Majesty an adaptation of Richard II by William Shakespeare, directed by Kate Werneburg. www.dauntlesscitytheatre.com Instagram: @dauntlessto Kate Werneburg is originally from Ottawa, ON, which is on the unceded and traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation. Niagara-based, she is a queer settler. She brings social justice work along with artistic and administrative experience to her work with Dauntless. Highlights in theatre: Carousel Players, Dauntless City Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, The Nearly-World Famous Dufflebag Theatre (bilingual troupe), Ergo Arts Theatre, A Company of Fools, The Great Canadian Theatre Company, Elizabeth - Darcy. Journalism: She Does The City, Intermission Magazine. Poetry: The Quilliad. Twitter: @KateWburg Instagram: @katewburg Suchiththa Wickremesooriya is a multi-disciplinary Sri Lankan actor and educator who has recently been drawn to multi-sensory theatre as well as physical theatre. As an educator, he holds a M.A in Musical Theatre Performance and is the Associate Producer, Education for Shakespeare in Action. He was most recently seen in Bend it Like Beckham in its North American premiere in Toronto and in a Summerworks presentation of Deaf-integrated Theatre techniques. Other Select Credits include Ariel in The Tempest (Citadel Theatre), Fakir in The Secret Garden (Theatre Calgary) and Ifty in Pocket Rocket (Lost and Found Theatre). Since Covid19 hit, he's been involved in several Workshops both on and off Zoom including Sweeter, Sister Warriors, Leopards and Peacocks, Off the Beaten Path, and many other new works in progress. Twitter: @SuchiththaW Instagram: @SuchiththaW Eric Benson is a Toronto-based actor. He was a core member of Halifax's DaPoPo Theatre from 2005 - 2013, and was part of the Stratford Festival's director mentorship programme in 2011 and 2012. Chi-Chi Onuah is a Canadian-Nigerian actor, mover, and singer. She studied Devised Theatre (B.A.) at York University in Toronto. Some of Chi-Chi’s notable credits include: Bianca (Othello) and the Ensemble (Coriolanus) for the 2x OnComm and special OneOff award-winning web series, The Show Must Go Online (Rob Myles). Most recently, Chi-Chi Onuah was featured in CBC Arts about Netflix & Shondaland’s “The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience” in Montréal. chichionuah.com Twitter: @chichionuah Instagram: @chichi.onuah Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

This week's guest is theatre & cabaret performer, astronomy enthusiast, and 2022 Neil Munro Directing Intern at the Shaw Festival, Ryan G. Hinds. A Toronto-based theatre artist and cabaret performer, Ryan has performed #KanderAndEbb at the Stratford Festival (with digital appearances from John Kander and Chita Rivera); We Will Rock You for Magnus Theatre; Starry Notions for Toronto Fringe; Hedwig in Hedwig & the Angry Inch at the Capitol Theatre; and Piragua Guy in In The Heights for We Are Here. An Artist-in-Residence at Buddies in Bad Times from 2014 to 2016, Ryan is also an Associate Artist at lemonTree Creations, where the work has included Lydie-Anne in Lilies; Or, The Revival of a Romantic Drama; the development, premiere, remount and national tour of dance-theatre hybrid MSM [men seeking men]; and the world premiere of Private Eyes (in association with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario). Currently one of the two 2022 Neil Munro Directing Interns at the Shaw Festival and Assistant Director for Damn Yankees, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Gem of the Ocean, Ryan’s work as a director includes Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley for Theatre New Brunswick; 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for Vanier College Productions at York University; Cock-Tales with Maria for Tapestry Opera; MacArthur Park Suite: A Disco Ballet for Summerworks; and Little Pretty & the Exceptional for Factory Theatre (asst to Brendan Healy). An alumnus of Randolph Academy’s Triple Threat program, Ryan is a graduate of Generator’s Artistic Producer Training program, a member of the 2019 co-hort of Director’s Lab North, the 2017 Factory Theatre “Factory Foremen” intensive program, and the 2016 Obsidian Theatre Mentor/Apprentice Program. Ryan is proudly serving a second term on the national council of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, and has shared stages and screens with artists such as Taylor Mac, Todrick Hall, Liza Minnelli, Billy Stritch, Debbie Reynolds and more. ryanghinds.com Twitter: @ryanghinds Instagram: @ryanghinds Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Drew Murdock (he/him) is a theatre maker based in Saint John, NB. He is the director of the Fundy Fringe Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. Drew also works year round at The Saint John Theatre Company and regularly works with the Atlantic Repertory Company, Theatre Six, Improvisation Corporation, Loylist City Shakespeare, and other fine theatre makers in Saint John as a stage manager, lighting and projection designer, production manager, video director, and more. fundyfringefestival.com Twitter: @FundyFringeFest Instagram: @fundyfringefest Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Andrew Kushnir is an actor, playwright, director, as well as artistic director of the socially-engaged theatre company Project: Humanity (PH) in Toronto. Since 2021, he has steered PH’s Proximity Lab, an incubator for new approaches to verbatim theatre -- a form he has been working in for 15 years. He has collaborated on two books coming out in 2022: Moving the Centre: Two Plays: Small Axe and Freedom Singer (Talon Books, with Khari Wendell McClelland) and Hope in a Collapsing World (U of T Press, with Kathleen Gallagher). Andrew is the creator and host of _This Is Something Else – _an investigative theatre history podcast for the Arts Club. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta, a Loran Scholar and alumnist of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival. Andrew is the inaugural recipient of the Shevchenko Foundation REACH residency prize. A proudly queer Ukrainian-Canadian, he founded the We Support LGBTQ Ukraine Fund with the Veritas Foundation in April 2022. Dr. Kathleen Gallagher: A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Distinguished Professor, and Director of the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto, Dr. Kathleen Gallagher studies theatre as a powerful medium for expression by young people of their experiences and understandings. She has published numerous books and articles at the intersection of youth, theatre, and the social world. Her most recent works include the 2020 edited collection, _Global Youth Citizenry and Radical Hope: Enacting Community-Engaged Research through Performative Methodologies _and the 2022 monograph Hope in a Collapsing World: Youth, Theatre, and Listening as a Political Alternative Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Georgia Findlay (she/her) is a Toronto-based actor, playwright, producer and younger sister. This summer she made her Fringe debut with her first original script "Joan & Olivia: A Hollywood Ghost Story," which explores themes of sibling rivalry through the ghosts of real life Old Hollywood movie star-sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland. Selected credits include: several roles in the 2019 Newmarket National 10-Minute Play Festival; Mrs. Clandon, "You Never Can Tell" (2019, George Brown Theatre School, Susan Ferley); Arsen Kazbeki/The Fat Prince, "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" (2019, GBTS, Richard Greenblatt); Josie Hogan, "A Moon for the Misbegotten" (2017, GBTS Scene Study, Elizabeth Saunders). Georgia learned so much in her whirlwind Fringe experience, and can't wait to continue following her passions and expanding her career. Instagram: @georgiagfindlay Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Natalia Bushnik (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and Dora Mavor Moore-nominated playwright. She is fascinated by immersive experiences that examine morally grey territories and unnerve audience members in their complicity. Select theatre: 'SAMCA' (Spindle Collective); 'The Bathtub Girls' (Kairos Theatre); 'PING!' (Workshop-Aaron Jan/Urjo Kareda Residency). Select film: 'Revenge of the Black Best Friend', 'peopleWatching' (CBC Gem). Her radio play, 'Just Across the Causeway', was produced through the National Theatre School’s #ArtApart Program, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council, and a live version was performed as a staged reading in the UK through Little Lion Theatre Company this past November. Her favourite pastimes include having no visible eyebrows and watching c-level horror movies. https://natbushnik0.wixsite.com/spindlecollective Twitter: @spindletheatre Instagram: @spindlecollective Kathleen Welch is a writer, performer, and composer from Toronto. She is passionate about new works and loves creating projects with people she cares about. She previously wrote the music for Just Across the Causeway by Natalia Bushnik with whom she later co-created the play Samca. Some favourite past roles include Catherine in Widow's Wedding Dress, Mrs. Forthright in False Claims, and Clara in Fermata. Kathleen is currently in an original children's musical of The Three Little Pigs and is working on her first album, Greasy Girl. When not not performing she can be found drinking wine, eating pasta, and cuddling her cat Athena. Brendan Kinnon is a Toronto based actor and director who is passionate about contemporary theatre and producing new Canadian plays. They are the Founder and Creative Director of Riot King: Art Market - an artist hub producing experimental theatre and arts-community events. They are also the Communications Manager for Theatre of the Beat - a touring social justice theatre company starting conversation to inspire change. Brendan has worked internationally and across the country as an actor, but has focused much of their work on building the arts community in southern Ontario. When not on stage or sending emails you can find Brendan working away in their garden or strolling around the many wonderful parks of Toronto! www.riotking.com Twitter: @riotkingto Instagram: @riotkingto SAMCA Winner of the 2022 Hamilton Fringe New Play Contest, Spindle Collective and Riot King present 'SAMCA', a contemporary, horror folktale by Natalia Bushnik ('The Bathtub Girls - Critic's Choice 2017 Hamilton Fringe') and Kathleen Welch. Combining original music written by Welch, movement theatre, and design, 'SAMCA' shares the story of two sisters, Miha and Prava, and the horrors that happen in the woods at night. Tread lightly...for the woods can hear you. Tickets: https://boxoffice.hftco.ca/event/866:609/ Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Aaron Jan is a Hamilton-born playwright, director, dramaturg. and educator. He has worked as a creator with Factory Theatre, UpintheAir Theatre, Soulpepper, York University, Boca Del Lupo, fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, the Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage, Theatre Erindale, Sheridan College and most recently as a guest director at the Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University. A member of the critically acclaimed Silk Bath Collective, Aaron is the 2019 winner of the Ken McDougall directing award, the 2021 inaugural co-winner of Highland Arts Theatre’s Rita Joe playwriting award, a 2021 Johanna Protege Award, the 2022 winner of the Urjo Kareda Award and a co-recipient of The Musical Stage Company's Aubrey and Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals. Alongside Karen Ancheta, Aaron is a co-founder of Porch Light Theatre (currently a company in residence at Theatre Aquarius), and is dedicated to making his hometown a place where professional theatre artists can make new work and be compensated fairly for it. http://aaronchihojan.wixsite.com/home Twitter: @afatchineseboy Instagram: @afatchineseboy Porch Light Theatre https://www.industrypresents.com/porchlight-theatre Tickets to House Key Project: https://boxoffice.hamiltonfringe.ca/event/866:605/ Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Vikki describes herself as a storyteller, a serial entrepreneur and a fighter of the status quo. She lives in Toronto with her dog GusGus and her two cats, Matt Damon and Gracie Lou Freebush. ​ Current Projects Founder/CEO-Space Space Revolution Head Writer-Business Owner By Mistake Blog Co-Founder-Brick and Mortar Theatre and Studios (RIP) Twitter: @Vikkivelenosi Instagram: @businessownerbymistake 2 Robs, 1 Cup: What Happens When You're Done Eating Shit? Tickets: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/2-robs-1-cup-what-happens-when-youre-done-eating-shit Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Steven Elliott Jackson is an award-winning playwright originally from Minto Manitoba and now living in Kitchener, Ontario. In 2017, he won Best New Play at the Toronto Fringe for “The Seat Next To The King” and it was produced in Canada and the United States subsequently. It was published by Scirocco Drama. In 2020, he won Best New Play for “Three Ordinary Men” at the Hamilton Fringe and it will be produced in June 2022 by Cahoots Theatre in Toronto. In 2022, he will be premiering TOM as well as The Garden Of Alla and The Prince’s Big Adventurer at the Toronto Fringe. www.stevenelliottjackson.ca Twitter: @MinmarGaslight Instagram: @minmar_gaslight Neta J. Rose is a proud Ashkenazi Jewish queer non-binary actor based in Toronto/Tkaronto. They are a founding member of Create! Youth Theatre, in Scotland, now entering its 13th year. Neta's stage credits include: Henry G20 (Luminato),The Omnibus Bill (TACTICS), The Bonds of Interest (Odyssey), The Penelopiad (Hart House), Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night (Foxtail - UK), Heart of a Dog (Nowadays Theatre/Next Stage), and 1184 (Phoenix Arts/Aga Khan). They are also a poet and essayist whose writing has recently been published in Salty Magazine and in the Pandemic Poetry chapbook by Buddies in Bad Times. Instagram: @neta.j.rose The Garden of Alla LA, 1921. "Alla Nazimova" (née Marem-Ides Leventon), prolific film pioneer, broadway darling and proud bisexual invites company to her home, "The Garden of Alla", enticing them with her plans to make Oscar Wilde's highly controversial "Salome" into a dazzling, big-budget film. Recruiting her "husband," Charles Bryant to direct, and lover, Natacha Rambova for the opulent costume/set designs, the landmark movie will get made amidst the the trio's romances and trysts - but at what cost, as religious lobbyist William B. Hays concocts a strict code of ethics that Hollywood studios must obey, threatening freedom of creative expression and true art? Tickets: fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/garden-alla Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

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 Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Starring Tristan Claxton, Jamar Adams-Thompson and Jack Copland, Three Ordinary Men takes us to the final day in the lives of civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, James Chaney & Andrew Goodman in 1964 Mississippi. Helmed by Taitt in her directorial debut as Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre, Three Ordinary Men will debut in June of 2022 — the 57th anniversary of the Freedom Summer Murders. Play by Steven Elliott Jackson Directed by Tanisha Taitt Tristan Claxton Tristan is a Toronto based actor and earned a BFA in acting from the University of Windsor and an MA in classical performance from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in the U.K. Instagram: @tri_axton Jamar Adams-Thompson Jamar is a Jamaican-Candian actor and storyteller. Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario he holds a BFA-in Acting degree. He is constantly looking for new chances to tell exceptional stories. Film Credits Include: Flee The Light, Black Liberators WWII, and Kubrick. Catch Jamar next as James Chaney in Cahoots Theatre's, Three Ordinary Men Instagram: @jamaremery Jack Copland Jack is a Toronto-based actor, writer, educator, and producer. His long list of acting credits includes principal voice over (Total Drama Island), repertory theatre (Theatre on the Ridge), and internationally screened independent films (Pink Rabbit). Jack also writes and produces projects with his production company Rainy Day Films. In his free time, Jack volunteers as an instructor and assistant director with the Young People’s Theatre. Graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business and the George Brown Theatre School. jackcopland.com Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Laura was born to tell stories. Whether as a dancer/aerialist with Tokyo Disney, a playwright and performer for the new Canadian musical, Every Silver Lining, or her solo show, Lesbihonest, premiering at Toronto Fringe 2022, a teacher at the Toronto District School Board, or as a comédienne in Footloose 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. Instagram: @lpiccinin Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

John D. Huston has performed in Canada, the U.K. & the States. A member of Canada’s Metis Nation, John’s lively career “culturally misappropriating the works and identities of dead white guys”, includes playing Tommy Douglas in Saskatchewan, William Lyon MacKenzie in Toronto, Shakespeare in England, & Charles Dickens across Canada. In 2017 he was privileged to portray Louis Riel for the 50th anniversary production of Canada’s longest running dramatic presentation, "The Trial of Louis Riel". In 2016, John performed Mark Leiren-Young's, controversial play, "Shylock" at UNO, Canada’s festival of solo work. "SCREWTAPE", John’s adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ "The Screwtape Letters", garnered him a Best Actor nomination in 2015 from the Ottawa Capitol Critics’ Circle. His performance of "A Christmas Carol" earned him a second such nomination in 2016, the only non-Ottawa actor to be nominated two years running. Twitter: @bythebookprodu1 Instagram: @bythebookproductions Tickets to CIVILIZED: https://ottawafringe.com/shows/civilized/#showtimes_list Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Santiago Guzmán (he/him) is a writer, performer, director and producer for theatre and film originally from Metepec, Mexico, now based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Santiago is the Artistic Director of TODOS Productions, an organization that seeks to promote, produce, and support work of under-represented artists in Newfoundland and Labrador. ​ He is the Artistic Associate for Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre in Halifax, NS and General Manager for Neighbourhood Dance Works in St. John’s, NL. He is a proud member of The Quilted Collective, whose first anthology, Us, Now, has been published by Breakwater Books in 2021. www.sguzman.ca Twitter: @santiguzjan Instagram: @santig1 Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Natércia Napoleão is a multifaceted Brazilian theatre artist and community advocate. Over the past eighteen years, she has had a wide influence within the Albertan theatre community, with experience in site-specific theatre, dance theatre, multimedia performance, television, musicals, and a wide range of classical and contemporary theatre. Performance highlights include the acclaimed Fado: The Saddest Music in the World (JAYMAC Outstanding Production Award) at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver. Recent directing credits include Hummm (Climate Change Theatre Action/ New Harlem Productions); Orange Skies (Tarragon Theatre’s Young Playwright's Unit); and the multidisciplinary theatre piece, Threshold (The Lobbyists collective/2021 Chinook Series). Natércia is an associate producer with Dora Award nominated manidoons collective having recently supported the sold-out production of esteemed playwright Yolanda Bonnell’s White Girls in Moccasins, in co-production with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Natércia is currently developing her first full-length play, Michener Park, alongside renowned Chilean author, playwright and activist, Carmen Aguirre. As a community advocate, Natércia spearheads and contributes to grassroots initiatives regularly. She is a strategic planner working with institutions and companies exploring equitable practices, such as Musical Stage Co. and Outside the March. Natércia is the incoming CAEA representative for the Alberta North/N.W.T region. Intstagram: @natercia_napoleao Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Crystal’s interest in technical theatre and management began in her home province of New Brunswick where she worked as a Theatre Production mentor at the University of New Brunswick. She’s since trained in the Opera Management Program at the Banff Centre for the Arts and is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Previously, Crystal has worked at the National Arts Centre on the management team, and began her independent career as a freelance Production Manager in Toronto where she received a Harold Award for her contributions to the community. Crystal is also the co-founder of What by When (WxW), a production firm advocating for culturally/environmentally sustainable and standardized Production Management and Technical Direction practices within the industry. Crystal has continued her involvement in production advocacy through her membership in the collective, Means of Production, and through her national board seat on the Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology. She now works full time with Why Not Theatre as their Production & Technical Manager. Instagram: @crystallee.__ Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Fanny is a recent graduate of Dawson College's Professional Theatre Program. A writer and actor, they are most interested in how the classics can intersect with contemporary performance. As a queer artist, they focuses on how their identities can inform art, both personally and politically. These themes can be seen in their NTS ArtApart short film, SMASHCUT: INT. CHANGING ROOM. Prior to beginning their theatre training, they were an editor and academic, pursuing a Masters in Medieval Studies at York, where they portrayed MAry Magdalene in the Cornish Resurrection Cycle with the Lords of Misrule. They love a good mystery play, as long as it's a little gay. Twitter: @fannystage Instagram: @fannydeedee SMASHCUT: Int. Changing Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzb0Ops7qmA Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Stefan is a Serbian-born, Toronto-based international director and creative producer. He is best known for his interdisciplinary stage practices merging film, digital and live performance. Stefan’s work has been seen on stages in Europe, Canada, and Off-Broadway. He is a Director and Creative Producer at Toronto’s award-winning BirdLand Theatre. Among other things, Stefan is the founder of a creative StartUp Digital Dream Society. Stefan is alumnae of Directors Lab at The Lincoln Center in New York, and fellowship recipient of International Theatre School at University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His work has been featured in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, and in many online publications. Twitter: @DzeparoskiS Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Daniel Levinson has been performing, directing and teaching stage combat professionally since founding Rapier Wit in 1991. Rapier Wit is Canada’s oldest stage combat school and production company. Daniel is proud to be counted among Fight Directors Canada’s Fight Masters. He has had a long history with FDC. He was one of the founding advanced actor combatants at FDC’s inaugural workshop. Daniel has created fights for companies such as The Stratford Festival (5 seasons), Canadian Stage, Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, Volcano Theatre, Actors Repertory Company, Second City, A.C.T. Productions, Shakespeare In the Square, Factory Theatre, Shakespeare in the Rough, Theatre Aquarius, The Actor’s Repertory Company, Theatre Passe Muraille, The Tarragon Theatre and The Guild Festival Theatre. Daniel is proud of his years teaching at the University of Waterloo, Sheridan, and the University of Toronto Mississauga. www.rapierwit.com Twitter: @RapierWitCombat Instagram: @Rapierwit Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Launched in 2016, alma matters productions began with a single goal: To amplify underrepresented stories through the power of theatre. Fast forward five years later, and we have now supported thirteen new works that focus on intersectional feminism, cultural identity, and mental health. We proudly label ourselves as a grassroots company, which has built a community of artists eager to be the future voices of Canada’s performing arts industry. Together, we have showcased award-winning plays, built networks, and provided paid training opportunities for emerging talent. To support Fly Away Home, our inaugural 2022 season, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-alma-matters-productions-first-season SELECT CREDITS: Winter of '88, co-producer (Nowadays Theatre, NNNNN); Love at 752, producer (ft. on CBC); Swim Team, producer (Nowadays Theatre, NNNN); Drink of Choice, Producer (Toronto Fringe 2019 Patron's Pick), Cooking for Grief, Producer (Vancouver Fringe Festival) The Artistic Director, Sarah Marchand, is secretly quite shy, despite friendly exteriors. As she continues to learn, Sarah is passionate about making indie theatre producing more accessible: if someone as bad with numbers like her can become a producer, you can too. www.sarahmarchand.com Twitter: @sarahamarchand Instagram: @sarahamarchand www.almamattersproductions.com Twitter: @almattersprod Instagram: @almattersprod Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Brendan Healy is the Artistic Director of Canadian Stage, one of the country’s leading not-for-profit contemporary performing arts organizations. The company produces, presents, commissions, and collaborates with multiple partners on cross-disciplinary work with a focus on performance styles that integrate theatre, dance, film, visual arts and more. Originally from Montréal, Brendan began his career as an actor before moving to directing. Brendan attended the National Theatre School’s Directing Program and trained extensively with one of the pioneers of the American avant-garde Anne Bogart and the SITI Company before relocating to Toronto. Since then, Brendan has established himself as a central figure in the city’s theatre scene. His work has been presented across the country and his productions have garnered multiple awards. Between 2009-2015, Brendan was the Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the world’s longest-running theatre devoted to LGBTQ2S artists and one of Canada’s most significant generators of experimental performance and theatre. During his time at Buddies, the company experienced an unprecedented period of artistic success. More recently, Brendan completed a Masters in International Arts Management, in a program jointly offered by the Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas), l’École des hautes études commerciales (Montréal, Québec), and the SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan, Italy). He also worked as the Artistic Director for Performing Arts for the City of Brampton, one of Canada’s most diverse and fastest-growing cities. misterbrendanhealy.com Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

A comedy infused with Bollywood elements, An IMM-Permanent Resident is a hilarious take on the mundane and tiresome bureaucracy of the Canadian Immigration process, as experienced by playwrights and real-life couple, Himanshu and Neha. The play explores the irreverent journey to obtain Neha’s PR status, including the couple's trials and tribulations as they put their hopes and dreams on pause (indefinitely). Through wit and creative banter, this fast-paced roller coaster transports us between Mumbai and Toronto, as Neha and Himanshu navigate the immigration system and ask themselves – is love worth it all? www.nautankibazaar.ca Tickets: whynot.theatre/work/immpermanentresident Himanshu Sitlani is a thespian, originally hailing from Mumbai. Foraying his way into theatre as an actor, he progressed on to other creative aspects and worked as a Stage Manager and Producer over the years with QTP and Akvarious. He co-founded Le Chayim Theatre Productions in Mumbai in 2006 where he eventually made his directorial debut in 2013. Since immigrating to Toronto Canada, Himanshu’s been immersed in supporting the creative arts, working as Patron Services Manager at Factory Theatre, while penning down his ideas towards his goal of creating a bridge between creative artists in Canada and India eventually co-founding Nautanki Bazaar in 2019. In 2021, he wrote and performed in the virtual show “Stories of a Dish’ that was presented at the Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe, The Little Lion Theatre Festival in London UK, The Tata Literature Live Festival in Mumbai India and the Next Stage Theatre Festival in Toronto. Twitter: @himy316 Instagram: @himanshu.sitlani Neha Poduval is a trained actor, with several feathers in her creative hat, having performed in various theatre plays, corporate films and TV shows across India. A post-graduate in Acting from the reputed Film and Television Institute of India, she continued her association with the performing arts since moving to Canada. In January 2021, she launched her YouTube Cooking Channel “Mustard Tempered Dreams” where she shares her love for food with easy to make Indian and global vegetarian recipes. Neha is also a certified Yoga Teacher and has been teaching Yoga across various studios, community and senior centres in Toronto. Instagram: @mustard_tempered_dreams Miquelon Rodriguez is a sound designer, composer, radio play mixer & editor, digital content creator, actor, and an emerging arts leader based in T'karonto. He was the Apprentice Artistic Director at Factory Theatre from 2017-2019, under the mentorship of Nina Lee Aquino, and co-curated Pan-Asian works over two seasons at Soulpepper through the Tiger Bamboo Festival and the Shen Development Series. He is an Artistic Leadership Resident with the National Theatre School of Canada and has worked with a multitude of artists and companies across Turtle Island. Twitch: www.twitch.tv/troysteel Twitter: @djtronix Instagram: @troysteel Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

An introverted actors roundtable discussion featuring actor and playwright, Stephen Near; actor & Singer-Songwriter Carolyn Fe; writer, composer & and performer, Kristen Zaza; playwright & performer, Genevieve Adam; writer & actor Michael Ripley, and writer & theatre maker, Jess McAuley. Stephen Near is an actor & writer working in Hamilton. His plays have been performed across Canada at various theatres and festivals including the Ottawa Fringe, the Toronto Fringe, the Hamilton Fringe, New Ideas, and Summerworks. 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. He is a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada, the Theatre Aquarius Creator’s Junction and Playwright’s Unit and an alumnus of the Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Banff Centre. Stephen is co-founder and playwright-in-residence of Same Boat Theatre in Hamilton. Stephen was named one of the inaugural Writers-in-Residence at Hamilton’s Cotton Factory and is a staff writer for the Hamilton arts and culture blog Beyond James. stephennear.com Twitter: @SNear23 Instagram: @stephenisnear Carolyn Fe is a late-blooming Filipino-Canadian, tri-lingual Actress (English/French/Tagalog), Singer-Songwriter and former contemporary Dancer-Choreographer. Some Theatre credits include: Calpurnia (Nightwood/Sulong), Hilot Means Healer (Cahoots), Through the Bamboo (Uwi Collective) and Three Women of Swatow (Tarragon). At an age when her peers have long established themselves, Carolyn’s continuous pursuit of artistic evolution adds a new instrument to her art as an Emerging Playwright and Writer supported by Montreal's Teesri Duniya Theatre’s Fireworks Playwrights’ Programme, The Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and, Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, Factory Theatre's Foundry Programme for Playwrights, Cahoots Theatre. Some TV/streaming credits include Lola (Grandma) in the Nickelodeon children’s show “Blue’s Clues & You!” and Madame Z in the award winning French webseries “Meilleur Avant” and the upcoming sketch comedy series "Abroad" on Omni Channel in Spring 2022. Carolyn-fe.com Twitter: @TheCarolynFe Instagram: @thecarolynfe Kristen Zaza is a writer, composer, and performer based in Toronto, Canada. She is currently producing the second season of her award-winning audio drama podcast, On a Dark, Cold Night. www.kristenzaza.com Twitter: @kristen_zaza Instagram: @kristen_zaza Genevieve Adam is a graduate of the George Brown Theatre School in Toronto and the East15 Acting School in the UK. Her first play Deceitful Above All Things premiered at SummerWorks in 2015 and won several accolades including Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Production, and Best Emerging Artist. It was remounted at the Factory in association with The Storefront Theatre in February 2017. Subsequent plays include Bedsport (Newmarket National Play Festival), New World (Future Theatre Festival), Anatomy of A Dancer (Next Stage 2019), The Boat Show (Lost Souls’ Collective), and If The Shoe Fits, which won second place in the Toronto Fringe 2019 New Play Writing Contest.Her most recent play Dark Heart was named one of the top theatrical productions of 2018 by the Toronto Star. Genevieve is also the poet behind the whimsical #haikusoflockdown series on Twitter. Twitter: @FavourZeeBrave Michael Ripley, 54, was born in Alberta but has spent most of his adult life in Ontario. He currently lives in Whitby with his wife and two sons. When Michael isn’t writing, performing or designing he spends inordinate amounts of time typing and immediately deleting long responses (which he never posts) to mean people on social media. He also eats far too many wine gums and watches not nearly enough basketball. www.talentedmr.ca Twitter: @TalentedMr Instagram: @talentedmr Jess McAuley is a Brock University graduate (theatre studies, honours) with a passion for devised theatre, writing, and pushing the bounds of adventure on stage. She is also one of the co-hosts of The Introvert’s Guide To… Twitter: @mcauleyjes Instagram: @itsjessmcauley Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Born in Seattle, WA, and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Bruce Dow is an American/Canadian actor, director, composer/librettist, cabaret artist, and theatre educator, best known for his 5 featured roles on Broadway; his 12 seasons in leading roles at the Stratford Festival; and his Dora Award Winning performances at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre — the world’s largest and longest running LGBTQ2IA+ theatre — and his Helen Hayes Award nominated work with the Shakespeare Theatre Company and Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. brucedow.com Twitter: @DowBruce Instagram: @dowbruce Support Stageworthy Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthypod Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy