Stageworthy

Chris Tolley is a writer, director and producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Expect Theatre. After graduating from York University he teamed up with Laura Mullin, and together they have created award-winning multi-disciplinary productions that have toured across Canada and the US.Chris’ work has been nominated for five Dora Awards in the General Theatre category, and has been shortlisted twice for the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards. In 2006 both Chis and Laura won Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural FreshGround commissioning award.His most notable works include Romeo/Juliet REMIXED (Toronto and Philadelphia), STATIC (World Stage Festival) and AWAKE (Next Stage Festival). Other work with Mullin include the CBC Radio drama, The Tunnel Runners, and the short film, AWAKE.Most recently, Chris and Laura launched PlayME, a national digital theatre dedicated to producing Canada’s most innovative theatre works distributed globally via podcasts.He sits on the Board of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and serves as the Contracts Chair. He is also on a number of other theatre boards.Outside of theatre, Chris is also very active in national politics. In 2015, Chris ran in the federal election as the Green Party’s candidate in Toronto-Danforth, advocating for the cultural issues he is passionate about. His campaign resulted in the best showing for the Green Party in the GTA and surrounding area, and was recognized as one of the strongest campaigns run nationally.Twitter: @christolleyLaura Mullin is a playwright, director and producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Expect Theatre and The Spark Collective. She graduated from York University with a bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre before forming Expect and Spark with Chris Tolley. She has created and produced several highly acclaimed productions with Tolley that have toured nationally and internationally.Selected writing and directing credits: Romeo/Juliet Remixed (5 Dora award nominations, winner of Outstanding Choreography), EXPECT/ Spark; Tunnel Runners, CBC Radio; STATIC, Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage Festival; AWAKE, Next Stage Festival; AWAKE The Short Film; Rapid Eye Movement & To The Kid That I was, Nuit Blanche; One Sleepless Night, International Festival of Authors; Allowance (in development); Burusera, Watermark Theatre (national 21 city tour & to be published in the Playwright’s Guild Short Play Anthology); History of Visual Sources (short story).Awards & Commissions: Toronto Arts Foundation Award (short listed 2009 & 2013); Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural Fresh Ground Commissioning Award; Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Production for Romeo / Juliet Remixed (General Theatre category), Ontario Arts Council’s Creator’s Reserve from Nightwood Theatre (2013) and Crow’s Theatre (2015) for Allowance, Watermark Theatre Commission of Burusera for Canada 300’s national tour (2015).Twitter: @expectlaura PlayME Expect Theatre has created an exciting new initiative that celebrates the best of Canadian Indie Theatre on a national and international scale. The project helps raise the profile of Canadian playwrights by highlighting new works through a series of podcasts, making it accessible to audiences worldwide. PlayME is transforming the way we experience Canadian theatre, by taking a bold and innovative approach to disseminating plays. The podcast features distinguished actors, and focuses on current and relevant scripts geared to the growing “on-demand” audience. Expect’s Artistic Directors, Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley are spearheading this project, in partnership with organizations such as The Toronto Fringe Festival and the Playwrights Guild of Canada. http://www.playmepodcast.com/http://expect.org/ Twitter: @expecttheatre Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Kat Sandler Kat Sandler is a writer, director and the Artistic Director of Theatre Brouhaha. She has directed twelve of her original plays in the last six years, including Toronto Best of Fringe hits Bright Lights, Punch Up and Help Yourself (winner of the New Play Contest), Delicacy(Summerworks Spotlight Award), and Liver, Cockfight and Retreat (Storefront Theatre). Other directing credits include Big Plans, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, Cabaret, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia. She was a member of the Tarragon Playwrights Unit, where she developed, Mustard (Dora Mavor Moore Award, Outstanding New Play) and is currently the Canada Council Playwright in Residence at Tarragon. She was the 2015 recipient of NOW Magazine’s Audience Choice Award for Best Director and Best Playwright. Kat is a graduate of the Queen’s University Drama Program.Twitter:@katsandlerInstagram: ksandler24Donna-Michelle St. Bernard Donna-Michelle St. Bernard aka Belladonna the Blest is an emcee, playwright, administrator and agitator. She has worked as a dramaturge with Keith Barker, Celia Green, Fiona Rae Clarke, Camila Diaz Varela, Joseph Tisiga, Tylor Pennock and The Movement Project. DM is emcee in residence at Theatre Passe Muraille and playwright in residence at lemonTree Creations. Upcoming: Forbidden with Afarin Mansouri for Tapestry54ology.wordpress.comTwitter: @BelladonnaNHPBang Bang A white playwright uses the shooting of an unarmed young Black man by a police officer as a “jumping off point” for his hit play that is soon to be adapted into a major movie. As Hollywood comes knocking for the writer, he makes a surprise visit to the home of the officer involved. With Sandler’s trademark wit, BANG BANG traces the impact of what it means to be inspired by true events. Bang Bang runs January 27–February 18, 2018 at Factory Theatre.Tickets:https://www.factorytheatre.ca/2017-18-season/bang-bang/Twitter:@FactoryToronto Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FactoryTheatreTO/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

JULIA NISH-LAPIDUS Julia is an actor, director, and producer, as well as a Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Shakespeare BASH'd, where she has produced all of the company's productions. She has worked as the Managing Director of Common Boots Theatre and is now part of the team at The Theatre Centre. For Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has directed The Comedy of Errors, and assistant directed The Changeling. She has also performed in many BASH'd productions, including The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Volpone (staged reading). Selected Additional Credits: Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen and This Property is Condemned (Director, The Playwright Project), Modern Love (Co-Creator, Next Stage), As You Like It (Text Coach, Theatre By the Bay), and as an actor OVER, See Bob Run (Theatre Caravel), reasons to the pretty (The Labute Cycle), The Forest (Red One Theatre Collective), Dublin Carol (Fly on the Wall).​ Julia is a member of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Stage GYM program and a graduate of the joint acting program at UofT and Sheridan College. JAMES WALLIS James has been a Shakespeare fan all his life, having performed with Resurgence Theatre Company as a teenager and again as a professional later in his career. After graduating from Ryerson Theatre School, James jumped right into the big bad world of commercial work and film & television acting. He has been seen in a number of national commercials, including spots for Boston Pizza, Honda, and Expedia. Also, he has appeared on The Jon Dore Show, XIII: The Series and in a number of feature films including: And Now A Word From Our Sponsors and The Movie Out Here. In 2010, James co-founded Shakespeare BASH’d with his wife, Julia. For the company, James has directed staged readings of Romeo and Juliet (2010), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), Edward II (2015), and Volpone (2017), as well as the full productions of Romeo & Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelfth Night. He played Petruchio in the company's Best of Fringe winning production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2012 and the remount in 2015, and played Benedick in their sold-out production of Much Ado About Nothing in the 2013 Toronto Fringe. In addition, here are some of James’ selected theatre credits: A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Shakespeare’s Magic, and The Taming of the Shrew (Theatre by the Bay), Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre, US Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Paradise by the River (Shadowpath Theatre). James just completed his second season at the Stratford Festival as part of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing. There he has assistant directed Macbeth, Bunny, and Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare BASH'd presents Richard III by William Shakespeare February 6-11, 2018 at the Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton St) Shakespeare's epic drama about a powerful villain manipulating his way to the crown is given a barroom staging by Shakespeare BASH'd. You don't want to miss this bare-bones, visceral, and all too relevant production. Tickets on sale now at www.shakespearebashd.com $20 online $25 at the door (pending availability) SHOWTIMES: Tuesday, February 6 - 7:30pm Wednesday, February 7 - 7:30pm Thursday, February 8 - 7:30pm Friday, February 9 - 7:30pm Saturday, February 10 - 2:00pm Saturday, February 10 - 7:30pm Sunday, February 11 - 2:00pm Directed by Julia Nish-Lapidus Featuring: Cosette Derome, Jade Douris, Jennifer Dzialoszynski, Suzette McCanny, Shalyn McFaul, Drew O’Hara, Trevor Pease, Catherine Rainville, James Wallis, Kelly Wong, Joseph Zita Associate Director: Megan Miles Stage Manager: Christopher Brackett Fight Director: Nate Bitton Movement Coach: Brad Cook Marketing Design: Kyle Purcell Website: www.shakespearebashd.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareBASHd/ Twitter: @ShakesBASHd Instagram: @ShakesBASHd Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Franny is an actor and playwright based in the GTA. She has performed her award-winning original work in Toronto, Hamilton, Oakville,, Stratford, Winnipeg MB, Saint John NB and New York City. She is returning for a second season at the Port Stanley Festival Theatre this summer. www.frannymcb.com Twitter: @franny_mcb Instagram: franny_mcb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frannymcb/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Bil Antoniou has been performing for a number of years, amassing a number of interesting experiences that resulted from his decision to say yes to everything. Among them are appearing in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia at Hart House (his favourite), singing Thenardier in Les Miserables at Honest Ed's on their closing weekend, a few stints as Jesus and a Pharisee on a wagon and making love to pots and pans in the middle of Michigan. Along the way he decided to take his love of writing and seriously and began writing plays, which thus far have resulted in four productions that, despite having forced him to say yes to fewer other projects, have gone well, including The Best Men at Bread and Circus in 2011, Operation Impervious at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, and two productions in 2015 at Red Sandcastle Theatre, We Say Such Terrible Things and Heart of the Storm. Between theatre gigs, he spends his free time writing film reviews for his blog, MyOldAddiction.com, or editing one of his two podcasts, BGM: Bad Gay Movies Bitchy Gay Men and My Criterions, a journey through his film collection.https://myoldaddiction.com/BGM: Bad Gay Movies Bitchy Gay MenMy CriterionsStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Audrey Dwyer has been a theatre artist, teacher and mentor for over fifteen years. She was a mentor for the Summerworks Leadership Program and led the program in 2012 and 2013. She was the Assistant Coordinator and Educator for Nightwood Theatre’s Write from the Hip program from 2008 to 2010. She has taught improvisation with TIFF and leads screenplay courses for young women. Her theatre credits include: Blue Planet (YPT), One Thing Leads to Another (YPT – Dora Awards for Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding New Play), Patty’s Cake (Carousel Players – Dora Award Outstanding Play), Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre). She won The Cayle Chernin Award for Theatre (Playwriting) in 2015. Audrey was the Associate Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre and was the Artistic Director of Cow Over Moon Children’s Theatre. Audrey graduated from The National Theatre School.Calpurnia A hilarious and provocative look at class, race, and appropriation, Calpurnia invites us into an outrageous and unexpected evening at the home of a wealthy Jamaican-Canadian family. As Justice Lawrence Gordon (Andrew Moodie) prepares for an important dinner to introduce his son Mark (Matthew G. Brown) to a Senior Partner at a prominent law firm (Don Allison), his daughter Julie (Meghan Swaby) grapples with her new screenplay. Seeking to redress To Kill a Mockingbird through the perspective of Calpurnia – the Finch family maid – Julie, privileged and disconnected from domestic work, turns to her long-term Filipina caregiver Precy (Carolyn Fe) for research on servitude. But as Julie examines mammy culture from the inside out, her tactics are met with explosive results.A Nightwood Theatre and Sulong Theatre Co-production Written and directed by Audrey Dwyer January 14 – February 4, 2018 Tickets: buddiesinbadtimes.com/show/calpurnia/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

EmmaClaire Brightlyn is an actor arrived in Toronto. With an MA in Classical and Contemporary Text Performance from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, EmmaClaire has spent the last 8 years performing and making work in the UK. She has been a company member with Ipdip Theatre, creating engaging work for under 4 year olds and the big people who come with them, as well as an actor with Playwright’s Studio Scotland, workshopping new pieces of theatre. In 2012, EmmaClaire was part of the multi-award winning short film, Notes and has been involved with the production company Worrying Drake and director John McPhail ever since. Most recently she was seen as Apemantus in Timon of Athens, and Goneril in Queen Lear with Bard in the Botanics, Scotland’s largest Shakespeare Festival.EmmaClaire also works internationally as a Fight Director and Instructor.http://www.emmaclairebrightlyn.com/ Instagram: emcbrightlyn

Originating from Niagara, 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.Her recent credits with New Twist include Peter Panhandler (co-creator/producer, 2017), Guilty Pleasures (writer/director, 2016). Previously, Jess has worked with Something-Something Productions for the 2013 production of The Rocky Horror Show (Usherette/Janet), Fragmentos (Maria Chambers, Brock University, 2013), and collaborated with NeXt Theatre Company in The Arab Spring Monologues (2013).Jess is taking the next steps with New Twist in touring the company with her first ever solo show - to premiere in the London Fringe Festival (2018). Currently untitled, the show is a true coming of age story, beginning in high school and all the way to graduation; it’s a story of finding love and closure while navigating through her depression and melancholy. Though she is a lover of fiction and adventure, Jess has morphed the show into a “confessional”, and invites the audience to peak inside her life through her old journals, letters and photos. You may laugh, you may cry, but Jess hopes that above all she inspires survivors to find courage in standing up for themselves against their own demons and vices.

Victoria Urquhart is a Toronto-based actor and director from Caledon. She is also a graduate from the University of Windsor’s 2010 B.F.A. Acting Program. This training has helped her to develop a focus on marrying Physical Theatre Practices with Classical Text. This fascination, combined with her leadership and organizational skills developed through working six consecutive summers at a residential camp have led her to a passion for directing, and the creation of The Spur-Of-The-Moment Shakespeare Collective in Toronto. Through the SOTMSC, she has directed, produced, and sometimes performed in several community projects, including the Shakespeare-On-The-Subway Project, several sessions of Shakespeare-In-Hospitals, and JULIUS CAESAR PROJECT, garnering 4 N’s from NOW magazine at the 2014 Toronto Fringe Festival. Other theatre credits include: Waiting for Alonzo with Empty Box Theatre (2015), Teach Me with Newborn Theatre, and Macbeth with Hart House Theatre.Do not miss Spur of the Moment Shakespeare-in-Hospitals La Maschera Gala on December 14, 2017.Twitter: @gnitenetTwitter: @shakespur Instagram:@shakespurhttps://shakehospitals2017.brownpapertickets.com/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Lucy Eveleigh is the Executive Director of the Toronto Fringe Festival, and has been the Managing Director of the Toronto Fringe for the last five years, after two years as the General Manager for the SummerWorks Performance Festival and three years as the General Manager of the Pleasance Theatre in London, England. Her extensive knowledge of theatre administration and company management, and her passion for the mandate of the Fringe movement, make her the ideal candidate to lead this organization into its 30th year and beyond.@eveleigh_lucyToronto Fringehttps://fringetoronto.com/@Toronto_FringeStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Grace fell in love with the theatre at a tender age playing Goldilocks in nursery school. In high school she toured Macbeth and The Two Gentlemen of Verona with Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company. Grace spent her summers exploring and cultivating her passion for classical theatre with the Stratford Festival’s Shakespeare School and Theatre Performance Intensive under the direction of Edward Darayni. In summer of 2011, she appeared in Ottawa parks and the National Arts Centre’s 4th stage playing Desdemona in Salamander Shakespeare Co.'s Othello.Graduating in 2012 from Dawson College’s Dome Theatre Program, Grace’s hunger for challenging material was always satisfied during her time there, where she played an interesting range of leading and supporting roles - including Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Masha in Three Sisters and Alma in Tennessee William’s Summer and Smoke. She was honored to be chosen as the recipient of the Beryl and Willie Moser Award for Theatre in recognition of 'outstanding acting ability.’ In her second year, she wrote the play The Art of Arousal, based on the life of modernist artist, Henri Matisse. The play premiered at the Mainline Theatre and The Factory Line’s 1st Gala for Student Drama - Grace was awarded ‘Best Actor’ for her role as Olga Meerson, and her dedicated team took home the grand prize of ‘Best Production.’Constantly striving to further expand her talent, Grace is excited to explore every artistic possibility from stage to screen and looks forward to a long and fruitful career in the performing arts.Check out Grace in theatre penumbra's production of David Mamet's Oleana, at the Red Sandcastle in Toronto, November 21 - December 3.Twitter: @gracegordon1564 Instagram: gracegordon1theatre penumbra Twitter:@TheatrePenumbra Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theatrepenumbra/ Oleana Tickets: https://mametoleanna.bpt.me/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Factory Theatre, in association with b current performing arts, is proud to present the world premiere of trace, a one-man-two-piano-play written, composed and performed by former Factory Artistic Associate Jeff Ho (Ophelia, Prince Hamlet/Why Not Theatre), and directed by Factory Artistic Director Nina LeeAquino.A painfully personal story of family and genealogy, trace follows the footprints taken by Jeff’s great grandmother who fled the Japanese in WWII by escaping to Hong Kong, losing one of her two sons during the trek; his mother’s similar pilgrimage to Canada, also with two sons in tow; and by Jeff himself, when he too embarked on a journey, moving from Markham to Montreal to pursue an uncharacteristically Chinese life.Spanning 100 years and three generations, and featuring virtuosic original piano compositions composed by Jeff, traceis a chamber play structured as a piano sonata with a prelude, three movements and a coda. A convergence of theatrical and symphonic storytelling, trace celebrates the courage and strength of his matriarchal forebears while acknowledging the lasting implications of familial sacrifice.trace marks the playwriting debut from Jeff Ho, referred to as a “discreet revelation” by the Montreal Gazette. Select acting credits include: Hana’s Suitcase (Tour: Toronto/Montreal/Seattle/YPT), Unknown Soldier (lemontree/Architect Theatre), Murderers Confess at Christmastime (Outside the March), Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet (Repercussion Theatre), Incorporated (SyFy/CBS), and Orphan Black (BBC America). As a playwright, Jeff has held residencies with the Stratford Playwright’s Retreat 2016, Nightswimming, Cahoots Hot House Unit, Banff Centre Playwrights Lab, and Factory Theatre. Jeff began playing piano at age five, graduated from the National Theatre School in 2013, and won a Harold award in 2017.Twitter: @kjeffhoFactory Theatre:https://www.factorytheatre.ca/2017-18-season/trace/ Twitter: @factorytoronto Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FactoryTheatreTO/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

This year Jacquie P. Thomas celebrates her 25<sup>th</sup> Season as the Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua, which she founded in 1992. In addition to her role as founder and Artistic Director, Jacquie has served Gargantua as an actor, director, producer, composer, choreographer, dramaturge and writer, earning 10 Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for her artistic contributions to the company. Her most recent directorial projects include the upcoming November 2017 presentation of Reflector as well as Avaricious, The Sacrifice Zone and Imprints, among others. Other selected credits include the Ossetynski Actors Lab in Los Angeles, Roy Hart Theatre in France, The National Theatre of Greece and the Gardzienice Theatre Association of Poland. Under her leadership, Theatre Gargantua has earned over 30 Dora nominations and awards for categories including Outstanding New Play, Direction, Sound Design, Set Design and Lighting Design. She has also directed and led an 11-city tour of Phantom Limb across the UK, a headlining tour of Raging Dreams: into the Visceral to the Portland Oregon Performance Festival, and the transfer of e-Dentity to the Royal Alexandra Theatre as part of the Mirvish Theatre subscription season. Jacquie was awarded a Harold Award for contributions to Toronto’s independent theatre community, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for contributions to Canadian culture and community. http://theatregargantua.ca/ Twitter: @TGargantua Instagram: TheatreGargantua Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheatreGargantua Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Sarah Lynn Strange is stoked to be Phil’s 100th podcast! 2017 marks a banner year, with 8 of 12 months working on stage, classics like Singin’ In The Rain and My Fair Lady, to a Disney dream role in Beauty & The Beast, and capping off the year with A Christmas Story… which pssst she has never even seen the movie of, don’t tell anyone!! A Sheridan Graduate, previous credits include evil queen’s and lots of mothers, not a character actress in any way <img src= "https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/z4c/1/16/1f642.png" alt="🙂" /> She can be heard as series lead Dilys Price on the animated show “Fireman Sam”, as well as on new Nickelodeon show “Worry Eaters” as Berta the big Chicken. http://www.sarahlynstrange.com Twitter: @srsloaf Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Cathy Huang is an Asian-Canadian multidisciplinary theatre and film artist, and a classically trained singer and pianist. She aims to redefine what it means to be Canadian, and eventually start her own company to create art for and support young people that feel caught between their Asian and Canadian identities. Cathy is one of Nightwood Theatre’s 2017/18 Young Innovators, and is the recipient of Theatre Ontario’s first Summer Intensive Youth Scholarship, having recently returned from Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s playwriting course in Stratford. Past credits include The Headless Hipster (Adrian - Sixteen F ilms Limited), Go Home (playwright / director / actor / deviser), lady in the red dress (Sylvia), IRIS (Madison), The Three Ladies of London (Lucre / Love), and BUST (Alex). Cathy is playing Agnes in Filament Incubator / Epigraph Collective’s Imp from November 15-26, and co-writing / acting in HERstory Counts Theatre Company’s production from December 14-17.http://www.twitter.com/kaffreeehttp://www.instagram.com/kaffreehttp://www.youtube.com/kaffreee

Will is a graduate from the BFA Acting program at the University of Windsor. Will has trained at the Moscow Art Theatre School, and completed workshops with R.A.D.A., the Stratford Festival, and the S.I.T.I. Company from New York. He is also certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique (GLMCC).Selected Credits Include: Albert Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Seven Siblings), Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein (Echo Productions), Aladdin in Aladdin (Globus Theatre), Bernardo/Gravedigger/Player Queen in Hamlet (Unit 102 Actors Co), Sebastian in Twelfth Night (Hart House), Valere in Tartuffe, Constantine in The Seagull, Alfred David in Welfarewell (University Players), Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice, and David/Timmy from Lion in the Streets (U.Windsor). Will is passionate about cultivating and producing the development of Fantastic Realism, while educating performers with the ideals of Michael Chekhov.http://www.willking.ca/ Twitter: @WillKingActor Instagram: willkingsSeven Siblings Theatrehttp://www.sevensiblingstheatre.ca/ Twitter: @SevenSiblingsCo Instagram: sevensiblingstheatre Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevensiblingstheatreco/ Indiegogo Campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/future-theatre-festival/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Nigel Shawn Williams is a four-time Dora Mavor Moore Award-winner as both actor and director. His theatre credits include The Merchant of Venice for Bard on the Beach this past summer, five seasons at Stratford Festival, four seasons at Shaw Festival, as well as performances in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. Nigel is also heavily involved in new play development and mentoring young and emerging artists through the difficult transition from training schools to professional life.Nigel is the director of Cahoots Theatre and Obsidian Theatre's world premiere of Amanda Parris’ OTHER SIDE OF THE GAME.Set before the rise of Black Lives Matter, OTHER SIDE OF THEGAME is a time-spanning work that tells the story of silenced Black women who organize communities, protect loved ones, battle institutions, and live each day by a ride-or-die philosophy. This first-time partnership between Cahoots and Obsidian also marks the professional playwriting debut for Amanda Parris. Inspired by interviews conducted with individuals in Toronto and Halifax, OTHER SIDE OF THEGAME gives voice to Black women who support their men, their families and communities, even in the face of dire consequences. Set in Toronto, straddling modern day and the 1970s Black civil rights movement, the play is evocative and lyrical in its presentation of a population under siege.@nswnigelOther Side of the Gamehttp://www.cahoots.ca/https://www.obsidiantheatre.com/ Tickets: http://www.nativeearth.ca/otherside/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Adam Paolozza is a director, performer, producer, teacher and Artistic Director of Bad New Days. As a performer Adam has collaborated with Zou Theatre, Fixt Point, Why Not Theatre, Soulpepper, Vertical City, Litmus Theatre & Ahuri Theatre. His co-translation of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Pylade (a modern re-telling of theOresteia story) was recently debuted in NYC by legendary La Mama theatre and toured all over Europe. He regularly teaches privately, giving classes based on his interpretation of the Lecoq pedagogy, designed to open up students' minds and bodies to spontaneity. He's a sessional instructor at Soulpepper Academy and guest instructor at Ryerson (he directed 2016's The Holiday Trilogy) and at U of T. Adam is currently directing Bad New Days and Ahuri Theatre's production of Flashing Lights. Twitter: @adampaolozza Flashing Lights: Created by award winning Bad New Days (The Double) and Ahuri Theatre (This is the Point), FLASHING LIGHTS is an original play exploring how digital technology is radically shaping human evolution.FLASHING LIGHTS tells the tale of Peter (Dan Watson), an unremarkable guy who inexplicably becomes famous. His dizzying rise and fall effects everyone around him, in particular his family; his savvy wife Shannon (Miranda Calderon) and their child Ter (Liz Peterson). What starts off as a portrait of contemporary family life quickly unravels into a meditation on the borders between digital and physical existence and the future of this brave new world being created. Bad New Days:https://www.badnewdays.com/ Twitter: @badnewdays Ahuri Theatre:http://www.ahuritheatre.com/ Twitter: @Ahuritheatre Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ahuritheatre Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

A documentary play that looks at gender roles and sexual consent in the wake of the Ghomeshi scandal, Asking For It considers the various ways in which sexual consent is understood personally, culturally, and legally. Moon speaks with people of all ages and backgrounds about their assumptions and experiences around consent to sexual relations, and with crown prosecutors and legal experts about the current state of sexual assault law in Canada. The conversations are candid, funny, often uncomfortable, and describe experiences of shame, power, ambiguity, and misunderstanding in communication about sex.Ellie Moon:@elliemoonerBrendan Healy:http://misterbrendanhealy.com/Website: http://crowstheatre.com/whats-on/view-all/asking-for-it Twitter: @askingtheplay Instagram: askingforitplayStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Tennille Read is a Toronto based artist and graduate of George Brown Theatre School and Queen's University's Stage and Screen Studies. Selected theatre credits include: The Death of Mrs. Gandhi and the Beginning of New Physics (Everything but the Bard), This Hotel (Talk is Free Theatre), Hanger (Toronto Fringe Festival), Birth (Pandemic Theatre), Delicacy (Theatre Brouhaha), No Exit (Soup Can Theatre). Selected Film and TV credits include: Condor (MGM/DirectTV), Schitt's Creek (CBC), Eyewitness (USA), The Escape (Spy Films), I Lost My Mind (official selection of the Palm Springs Short Film Festival 2017), Heroes Reborn (NBC), and Shadowhunters (ABC Family). Upcoming: Gray (Theatre Inamorata). She enjoys painting in her free time.Twitter: @tennilleread Instagram: tennillereadTheatre Inamorata:http://www.theatreinamorata.com/ Twitter: @theainamorata Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theatreinamorata/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Michael Ross Albert is the author of several plays including Miss (FringeNYC; upcoming: Unit 102 Actors Company); The Farmers Lit the Fields on Fire (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome (FringeNYC, published by Applause in Best American Short Plays 2014-2015); and Karenin’s Anna (Toronto Fringe Festival, “Outstanding New Play,” -- NOW Magazine).Along with the Storefront Theatre, Michael produced the sold-out world premiere production of his play Tough Jews in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market. The production was nominated for 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production.His play Starfishes opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at Dance New Amsterdam and is included in Best American Short Plays 2010-2011. It has since been performed across the United States and Canada.Michael received an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Michael is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.

Nina Okens is a Toronto based Designer. Her work has been seen in such productions as Pea Green Theatre Group’s Clique Claque and Three Men in a Boat, Cahoots Theatre Company and Theatre Passe Muraille’s Ultrasound, Théâtre Français de Toronto’s Albertine En Cinq Temps. She has also designed subtitles for recent productions at Théâtre Français de Toronto.Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Tamlynn is an actor, writer, occasional director, infrequent musician, and constant avid cheese lover (despite her lactose intolerance.) She completed her BFA in Acting with a Certificate in Arts Management at the University of Windsor in 2015. Recent credits include: Writer/Performer for Bedwetter (Drawing Board Productions); Lisa Fulvi in Evidence to the Contrary (Tree of Life Theatre); Bassianus in Titus Andronicus (Seven Siblings Theatre); Writer/Performer for #staystrong (Drawing Board Productions); Candy in Make Love Not War (Small But Mighty Productions); Performer/Producer/Co-­‐Creator for (in)decision (Drawing Board Productions). Tamlynn is also a member of the sketch comedy group Cookie Biscuits, who can be found on YouTube or at cookie-biscuits.com. She hopes to also eventually pursue stand-up, but feels she must first conquer her intense fear of failure. So…stay tuned.www.tamlynnbryson.com@tamlynnbrysonDrawing Board Productions Insta: drawingboardprod Twitter: @drawingprodStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster is presently a resident artist and the Shen Fellow at Soulpepper Theatre Company. She is a Founding Member of The Howland Company and a graduate of UBC, the Citadel/Banff Theatre Program and the Soulpepper Academy. Selected theatre credits include Spoon River, Blood Wedding, Incident at Vichy, The Dining Room, Eurydice, Of Human Bondage, Marat/Sade, Alligator Pie, Idiot’s Delight, The Barber of Seville, The Royal Comedians, The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, Assistant Director on The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine (Soulpepper); The Flood Thereafter (Canadian Stage); As You Like It (Blue Bridge); Pride and Prejudice (Citadel); 52 Pick-Up (Co-Director, Howland Company). Screen credits include The Drawer Boy feature film, Murdoch Mysteries, Fringe, Supernatural and Shattered. http://www.courtneylancaster.com/@courtneyvlhttp://www.theatreinamorata.com/@theainamorataStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

In light of recent events, there's no interview this week. Instead, host Phil Rickaby has some things on his mind.Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

DIVINE, performed by an all female cast, takes place in a dystopian Ontario: The Great Lakes are bone dry and the boreal forest has vanished under extreme arid heat. Bandits roam the desolate landscape searching ruined towns for the vanished element now sacred on the lips of women: water. Narrated by one of the only children left in the world, DIVINE follows a pair of scavengers searching for a mysterious water diviner, who’s rumoured to be able to talk to water, but they’re not the only ones…DIVINE meshes art with activism while exploring a catastrophic future that feels all to imminent alongside current headlines decrying groundwater contamination, water advisories, and industrial pollution (particularly the current local drama surrounding the Nestle plant in Guelph).DIVINE has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund’s Freshwater Program and the Wellington Water Watchers in the hopes of bringing greater audience awareness to the important cause of water rightthestorefronttheatre.com/ Twitter: @StorefrontTO Instagram: the_storefronttoDivine at Summerworks: http://summerworks.ca/artists/divine/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Pearle Harbour's Chautauqua is a darkly comic, wildly immersive extravaganza - part cabaret, part tragicomedy, and part tent revival. Pass through the milky folds of Pearle's beautiful Tent, and be sheltered from the inharmony of our troubled times. The world may be falling apart, but Pearle will show you there's more that unites us than divides us. website: pearleharbour.comfacebook.com/thepearleharbourinsta: @pearleharbourShow link: www.summerworks.ca/artists/pearle-harbours-chautauquawww.facebook.com/events/237748573390455 Pearle Harbour is an all-American gal who's sweet-as-pie and sharp-as-nails, Pearle Harbour was born on [information withheld], when America was still Great. During the War, she served as a stewardess aboard top-secret bomber missions, including [information withheld], and even [information withheld]! An accomplished soloist - on the boards and in the sheets - Pearle has played to audiences at The RISER Project (Why Not Theatre), Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, Opera5, The Comedy Bar, The Wrecking Ball, Videofag, Nightwood Theatre, Pressgang Storytelling, Clay & Paper Theatre, The Gladstone Hotel, and countless cabarets, concerts, and clubs across Ontario.Justin Miller is a Dora-nominated writer, actor, and solo performer. He has studied with internationally renowned performers, including Philippe Gaulier, John Turner (Mump & Smoot), Karen Hines (The Pochsy Plays, Crawlspace), Carlos Garcia Estevez, Katrien Van Beurden, and Denise Fujiwara. He is the co-founder of Pearle Harbour Presents, and is currently an artist-in-residence at Theatre Passe Muraille.

Theatre Topikos is proud to be bringing Wordplay to the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August! Wordplay is a dark comedy about a fag and his hag. No words are off limits between friends. Cut between their work environment and their debate, Jess and Nick, using dark humour (and a lot of naughty words) push the boundaries of their friendship as they question appropriate and appropriated word use within the dynamics of society and each other. Premiered at Toronto's Gay Play Day 2014, remounted at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in 2016. ‘Funny and thought-provoking, with mercurial dialogue and a sharp pop culture sensibility’ (Cate McKim, GayPlayDay). Nominated for Best New Writing (IDGTF). **** (TheOutMost.com). http://theatretopikos.com/@theatretopikos@Jess_Bryson@nickwmay Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Melanie Pyne A Founding member of Triple ByPass Productions (Producer/Actor) - playing Denise inJohn Patrick Shanley's 'Savage in Limbo' at Toronto's Storefront theatre, Sandy in George F. Walker's'The End of Civilization' at Fraser Studio's Toronto, Jo-Ellen in Eric Bogosian's "Skunkweed'- InToronto's 2015 Fringe Festival at Theater Passe Muraille, and Boochie in Stephen Adley Gurigis 'Den ofThieves' at Toronto's UNIT 102. Well versed in theatre, she has tackled such playwrights as, Timothy Findlay, Michelle Trembley andmost recently Mohammad Yaghoubi's 'A Moment of Silence' - w/Nowadays Theatre Company/Summerworks 2016 Theatre Festival Toronto. Recent film and TV credits: 'Conduit' directed by Anastasia Cronkite,'Lakes' directed by Tim O'Brien. 'Shadow Animal' -Paranormal Investigator.For The 48 Hour Film Project, producing,writing and acting in- 2014 "Lemonade" ,2015 “Strapped”, 2016 "Fumbled"Studied at Humber College's Theatre Program, Seneca College, Fanshawe Theatre Program graduate and StraeonActing Studios alumni. www.melaniepyne.com@PyneMelanie instagram- melsp13 Chris Whitby A professional actor of 15 years, Chris has been working in all facets of the industry whether it is theatre, film, television, voice and new media. He is a graduate of Second City’sConservatory and for the past ten years honed his skills as an actor and storyteller at Carter ThorStudios and later Straeon Acting Studios. Most recently Chris played the role of Paul in Stephen AdlyGuirgis' 'Den of Thieves', Jerry in Eric Bogosian’s Skunkweed and Henry Cape in George F. Walker’s The End ofCivilization. He also made his directorial debut with the Canadian premiere of Freeway Strangler, which had asuccessful run in 2014. Other theatre credits include Savage in Limbo by John Patrick Shanley, Neil Labute’s Bash –The Latterday Plays, A Clockwork Orange, Moat & Castle and the cult hit Coed Prison Sluts - The Musical. Some ofChris’ film and television credits include: Murdoch Mysteries, A&E’s The Breakout Kings, Rogue and the web seriesAsset which was screened in the LA, Vancouver and Toronto Webfests. He also voices multiple characters in theanimated series The Bagel & Becky Show. https://vimeo.com/113521648@chriswhitby17 Adult Entertainment Get up, go to work, come home...to what? Day after day, trying to be good, fighting incessant mundaneness; the facade of forced suburban niceness is fading fast. George F. Walker's ‘Adult Entertainment’ opens to a seedy room in a suburban motel. Max, a weary detective, finds himself back in this room with Jayne, a defence attorney, six months after they decided never see each other again. Why are they again, secretly meeting? For sex? To exchange information? To make a backhanded deal? Jayne used to care about her job, Max too, but now they’re just putting in time. Maybe they've just given up. Jayne mentions a young client of hers, whom she feels sorry for. A glimmer that perhaps Jayne still cares, but needs Max's help to sway the case in her client’s favour. Max’s gives his volatile partner Donny some instructions, not Donny’s strong suit. Donny is fighting his own demons, having an infinity for booze and hookers, yet still has a deep love for his estranged wife Pam. During an attempted reconciliation with Pam, Donny’s sloppy police work comes back to haunt them. One action starts a chain of chaotic events that leads to Max, Donny, Jayne and Pam finding themselves in a situation far worse than any of them could have anticipated. Cops, lawyers, husbands, wives, truth and lies. Sex, liquor, secret deals, fist fights and perhaps even love. You never know what your going to find behind the door of a motel... www.triplebypassproductions.comhttp://www.facebook.com/triplebypassproductions@triplebypass_to instagram- triplebypass_to Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Janelle Hanna is an actor, educator, and short sassy woman, and is thrilled to be premiering her first full length solo show Bad Baby Presents: Rules Control the Fun at the Toronto Fringe. This will be Janelle’s 5<sup>th</sup> Toronto Fringe appearance, past Fringe credits include: Eternal Friendship with a Spotless Smile (Patron’s Pick),Virginia Aldridge, BSc, Sitting in a Tree, and Fantastic Extravagance. Other credits include: Frankenstein Live (The Arts Engine), Knot Tied (Lab Cab Festival), Eligible(BravoFact), Neighbourhood Watch, The Duvet (Film Army), Swell Broad,Commencement (Convection Productions), Last Man Hanged, Ring Round the Moon, Pillar to Port Walkabout (Gairbraid Theatre), Anne of Green Gables (Stirling Festival Theatre). Janelle is a graduate of the Masters in Acting program at York University where she played such roles as Cordelia/Foole in King Lear, the Knight in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Volumnia in Coriolanus, Alcestis in Alcestis, and Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is also a graduate of the joint acting program at Sheridan College and the University of Toronto Mississauga (Theatre Erindale) @janellemhanna Bad Baby Presents: Rules Control the FunBad Baby is a very talented and attractive actor. She wanted to be an actor so she could sleep in and kiss boys. This is her first Fringe show. She’s seen a lot of Fringe shows though. A lot. And she knows all the rules. All of them. With a total of 13 Toronto Fringe tent romances under their collective belts, the teams that brought you Almost, Again (Best of Fringe) and Eternal Friendship with a Spotless Smile (Patron’s Pick) are back with an all new Fringe adventure. Come see Bad Baby’s first Fringe festival hit! At the Annex Theatre (736 Bathurst Street at the Randolph Centre for the Arts) Friday July 7th - 1:15pm Saturday July 8th - 9:15pm Monday July 10th - 4:30pm Wednesday July 12th - 7:30pm Thursday July 13th – 12:00pm Friday July 14th - 11:00pm Sunday July 16th - 4:00pm For tickets, please visit www.fringetoronto.com www.larkandwhimsytheatre.com@Lark_and_Whimsy Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyP

Ardyth Johnson trained with mime artist Adrian Pecknold at The Manitoba Theatre School in Winnipeg and then received a scholarship with The Manitoba Theatre Centre to further her studies with Mime Unlimited School of Physical Theatre (Jacque Le Coq) in Toronto (graduate). Ardyth studied and graduated at Second City Conservatory, also master clown and buffoon with Philippe Gaulier, plus other masters of mime, corporeal mime, clown, slap stick and comedy. Ardyth she holds a B.A in theatre studies from the University of Winnipeg. Ardyth has toured throughout North America with Mime Unlimited, Theatre Beyond Words and many other companies. When Ardyth is not performing, she is busy teaching physical theatre all over Canada and Internationally.http://www.ardythjohnson.weebly.comhttp://www.ardythjohnsonhighlanddance.weebly.comWeirder Thou ArtNorth American humans you think William Shakespeare wrote Mac Beth ha, ha, ha..well we'll tell you the truth (wink wink) who really wrote the play. Three bouffon women (if you want to call them that) put the weird in the Wyrd sisters. The bouffon search for humanity brings William Shakespeare on a reluctant journey from a living hell to acceptance. https://fringetoronto.com/festivals/fringe/event/weirder-thou-artStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Chantal is an artist and educator with a diploma in musical theatre from the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. She has been behind the annual Oakville Holiday Pantomime for the past four years as co-writer, director, and choreographer. As a writer, director and producer, her work has been seen in several festivals including the Toronto and Vancouver Fringe Festivals as well as The Short Short Play Festival. The 2017 Toronto Fringe will be her third as writer/producer for “GREY”, previous years were her plays “Perceptions of Love in the Pursuit of Happiness” and “Quarterlife”. Selected acting credits include TV’s “About A Girl”, “Blood Ties”, and “Psych” as well as performing on stage in cabarets, musicals, and plays both in Toronto and Vancouver. Chantal works with drama students aged 12-95 through Sheridan College, Centre Stage Theatre School, and Shadowpath Theatre Productions, who honoured her with their Artist of the Year Award in 2015.@chantalfordeGrey:Twleve years ago Richard Buttle killed Jayden Alexander. Today is the day of his parole hearing where he must not only face his own history, but also the father of the boy he killed.Jumping through time, the circumstances that lead to the crime begin to unravel. Who was really to blame?In this new drama it becomes very clear that not everything in life is as black and white as one would like to perceive.Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace16 Ryerson Ave., Toronto, ONFriday, July 7 – 8:00pmSaturday, July 8 – 4:00pmMonday, July 10 – 3:15pmWednesday, July 12 – 5:45pmThursday, July 13 - 12:00pmSaturday, July 15 – 11:00pmSunday, July 16 – 2:45pmwww.threefiveproductions.comhttps://www.facebook.com/perceptionplay

The Seat Next to the King Behind the door of a public washroom in a Washington, D.C. park, two lives linked to the country's most influential figures collide when a white man seeking a sexual encounter meets a black male stranger. Winner of the 2017 Toronto Fringe FesIval New Play Contest, this bold, affecting piece tackles race, sex, the meaning of 'manhood', and the cost of reconciling each for two disparate human beings with a shared innate need. Featuring blistering performances by Kwaku Okyere and Conor Ling, The Seat Next To The King is directed by Tanisha Taitt. The Seat Next to the King was the winner of the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival New Play Contest Tanisha Taitt - Director Tanisha is a director/actor/playwright/arts educator/activist and accidental essayist. She has worked with Obsidian, NAC, The Musical Stage Company, Nightwood, BIBT and Soulpepper, and spent two seasons as a Resident Artist-Educator with YPT. Tanisha is a Drama mentor for tdsbCreates, a TDSB/TAC initiative that brings professional artists into classrooms to nurture artistic expression in students and teachers. She is an Anti-Oppression facilitator and Director of the Peace Camp program for Children's Peace Theatre, an organization that teaches young people about conflict transformation through theatre. Also a singer and songsmith, she is a recipient of the Canadian Music Publishers Association Songwriters Award for excellence in songwriting. Tanisha spent 7 years as the Toronto and then the National producer for V-Day/One Billion Rising -- the global movement to end violence against women and girls. In 2014, she founded Teenage Graceland, a youth theatre collective that challenges societal attitudes leading to gender-based violence. Tanisha was 'Harolded' in 2013 and in 2015, critic Lynn Slotkin bestowed upon her an inaugural “Tootsie” Award in the “They Can Do Anything” category. She is currently writing two musical theatrical works: FORCE, a musical about rape; and ERACED, which began when she heard the voices of unarmed dead black men singing to her in her sleep. Tanisha is the new co-host of The HUM Human Rights & the Arts podcast and will make her hosting debut this June. She is a two-time YWCA Woman of Distinction nominee for her commitment to artistic excellence and social justice. Steven Elliott Jackson – Playwright Steven Elliott Jackson was the recipient of the 2017 Best New Play at the Toronto Fringe for “The Seat Next To The King” and previously placed second in the contest in 2007 for “The State Of Tennessee”. He is the Artistic Director for Minmar Gaslight Productions as well as its family theatre company, 3 Little Bears Productions with his partner Todd Davies. Previous credits: Brothers And Arms (2010, Toronto Fringe Festival), The Dark Part Of The Snow (2011, Mount Marty College, Yankton, ND), Real Life Superhero (2012, Toronto Dance Theatre), The State Of Tennessee (2013, Theatre Passe Muraille), Rapunzel (adaptation, 2014, Toronto Kids Fringe/Stage Centre Productions), Threesome (2016, Red Sandcastle Theatre). Upcoming Productions: The Prince’s Big Adventure (Nov. 2017, Stage Centre Productions), A Question Of Character (Jan. 2017/ Stage Centre Productions), Real Life Superhero (Spring 2018, Brandon, MB) and currently he is developing Kick Start: Featuring the music of Lisa Loeb for a future reading.

Sex T­-Rex, Toronto’s hottest comedic theatre company, teams up with the Storefront Theatre for a double bill of old school cinematic entertainment and adventure. Watch out Wildkat! and Swordplay, both award-winning A resident company at Toronto’s Bad Dog Theatre, has wowed audiences across the country since their inception nearly a decade ago. Watch out WildKat! premiered at the Montreal Fringe in 2014, receiving five star reviews from the CBC, The Torontoist, and Halifax’s The Coast, as well as taking home the awards for Best Show and Best Comedy at the Atlantic and Montreal Fringes. Swordplay: A Play Of Swords, the second half of this action-packed double feature, is a love letter to classic Swashbucklers and retro fantasy video games that inverts the genre’s stereotypes while offering a sophisticated parody on more modern offerings like Game of Thrones.Watch out Wildkat! and Swordplay, both award-winning comedies by Sex T-­Rex, run March 11th ­- 27th.Sex T-Rex will be presenting three of their award-winning shows at Fringe Festivals across Canada: Watch Out WildKat (Atlantic Fringe Best Comedy), SwordPlay: A Play of Swords (Just for Laughs Best Comedy) and something completely different for Toronto audiences: a puppet show set in the Paddock tavern called Bendy Sign Tavern (Insight Production’s Pilot Week winner).Twitter: @sextrexwww.sextrexcomedy.comStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Maureen Gualtieri, playwright and general word-wrangler, was born and raised in Toronto. Her newest play, Odd One Out, will be premiering at the 2017 Toronto Fringe. Her work has been seen at previous editions of the Toronto Fringe (BQ, as part of Trip; Monkey Love), Protestival (Whose Body is This; The Franklin Street Elementary School Grades 1, 2, & 3 Present Their Spring Pageant, “Officer Bubbles Goes to Hell, Or, Civil Disobedience is for Everybody!”), and other local festivals. She has directed, assistant directed, stage managed and script coordinated in venues such as Hart House Theatre, the Hamilton Fringe, and Tarragon Theatre. She graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada's playwriting program in 2012. Odd One Out: 1950. A love triangle. A secret attraction. A college student disappears in the woods. Ten years later, her rival lovers reunite in an attempt to solve the otherworldly mystery: what really happened to Clementine Yates? Playwright: Maureen Gualtieri Director: Elizabeth Traicus Cast: Krystina Bojanowski, Jesse Byiers, Mattie Driscoll At the Tarragon Theatre ExtraSpace (30 Bridgman Ave) as part of the Toronto Fringe: Friday July 7 at 8:30pm Saturday July 8 at 11:15pm Monday July 10 at 4:15pm Tuesday July 11 at 2:45pm< Thursday July 13 at 7:45pm Saturday July 15 at 5:15pm Sunday July 16 at 2:30pm Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter: @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPo

Scott Dermody a Markham, Ontario native, he is now a Toronto-based theatre professional. He is the co-founder and creative core member of Soup Can Theatre and is the Youth Outreach Coordinator for the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). Scott’s career in the performing arts thus far encompasses on and off stage roles. He has been a Producer for most Soup Can Theatre shows, as well as having a crack at Directing (for Soup Can Theatre and V-Day Toronto) and Production Managing (Soup Can Theatre, Single Thread Theatre, and V-Day Toronto). Through Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program, Scott worked with and was mentored by Aislinn Rose, independent producer and Artistic Producer of Praxis Theatre. As an actor, Scott has played in classics, avant-garde multidisciplinary work, clown turns, children’s theatre, murder mysteries and a few short films. He has taught introductory theatre courses in GTA-area schools, and ran a theatre camp in Vaughan for two years. Scott holds a BA in theatre from Queen’s University.@scottdermodyhttp://www.tapa.ca@tapa_TOhttp://soupcantheatre.com@soupcantheatreStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Pantsuit Improv are graduates of Bad Dog Comedy Theatre's Narrative Studio program, with past direction by Etan Muskat (Interim Artistic Director of Bad Dog Theatre) and training with Jess Bryson (Bad Dog Academy Director), Colin Munch (Second City Toronto mainstage), and Sex T-Rex (2016 Second City Award for Best Comedy, Wasteland). Inspired by captivating storytelling, Pantsuit creates comedic performances that mirror current film and television.Since their acclaimed Narrative Studio graduate show Family Portrait in August 2016 as part of Bad Dog’s Homecoming Week, Pantsuit has performed at the Big City Improv Festival; received an Honourable Mention at the 2016 Blockbuster Week competition; and on Wednesday, May 17th at 9:30pm, Pantsuit headlines the final episode of Spring Binge at Bad Dog Theatre with The Magic-Er School Bus: improvised adventures with Ms. Frizzle's new class!Pantsuit Improv is: Hamed Dar, Brittney Drysdale, Tara Federko​, Devon Henderson,​ Christina Nicolaou,​ Cecilia Serafina​, Jackie Twomey, Terris Taylor and Ivan Yuen.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PantsuitImprov/ Twitter: @PantsuitImprov Instagram: PantsuitImprov

Annie is an actor/mover, shaker & theatre creator! Currently based in Toronto, but originally from Minnesota, she is a graduate of George Brown acting school and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Manitoba. Outside of Toronto she has created and performed in shows in Minneapolis, San Francisco & Winnipeg. She is a co-founder of Fourth Gorgon Theatre, as well as a founding member of Theatre Georgian Bay. Most recent productions: The Jungle Book (Magnus Theatre), Twelfth Night (Theatre Georgian Bay), We Must have More Men (Theatre by the Bay), Romeo & Juliet and Peter Pan at Old Flame Brewing Co., You Know I Know at the Toronto Fringe, Pirate Life (Pirate Life), Molly Bloom (Fourth Gorgon Theatre), Upcoming: The Dark Lady (Mystic Horde), Turtleneck (EmerGENce Theatre), and is currently creating a new musical adaptation of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren to set sail on Lake Ontario this summer! Instagram: tuma2ma Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annie.tuma Website: http://www.fourthgorgon.com/ Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Luke Reece is a storyteller, community builder, and artist-educator from Mississauga. He loves engaging with young-in-craft artists that are as diverse as the community he lives in. Luke is the Apprentice General Manager and a Resident Artist-Educator at Young People’s Theatre, Artistic Director of Little Black Afro Theatre, co-creator of Dark Nights, captain of the 2017 Toronto Poetry Slam Team, and previously the Associate General Manager of Obsidian Theatre Company. He has a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree from York University, where he studied Theatre and Creative writing.Twitter: @lareece93 Instagram: lareece93www.littleblackafro.com Twitter: @littleblackafro Instagram: littleblackafrowww.darknights.ca@darknightsTOdarknightsTOStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Mad Power is an arts organization dedicated to the encouragement of artistic achievement and the protection of the rights of psychiatric survivors. Miles G. Cohen (Producer & Project Director) Mr. Cohen is a survivor with 40 years theatre experience. A graduate Of Bishop’s University, Canadian Mime School, Playhouse Acting School, and an alumnus of The Second City Touring Company he has performed and taught in theatres and institutions across Canada. He currently teaches at “Learn” a CAMH day program as well as “Encore” a CAMH pilot program for patients on the ward. He is a member and past board member for Workman Arts; a CAMH based arts organization. He is a founding director for Friendly Spike Theatre and a founding member of Kytes youth theatre for street youth. He has been a facilitator for an adult encounter group at Bridgepoint Health Centre and taught meditation at the Ralph Thornton Centre. Stephen LaFrenie (Producer and Actor) Stephen has performed and taught physical theatre for over 38 years. His training includes Ecole Jacques Lecoq, Mime School Unlimited, Dean Gilmour, and Tony Montanaro. He has toured extensively across Canada, to Spain, Australia, France, Hungary, Jamaica, Haiti and the U.S. Recent collaborations have been with Toronto’s Keystone Theatre, co-creating their two latest productions of “The Last Man on Earth” & "Gold Fever", both which premiered at the Toronto Clown Festival and enjoyed great success on the Canadian Fringe circuit. Other collaborations include Gabrielle Houle performing with Toronto Consort. Over the last 16 years he has toured with both Faustwork Mask Theatre and with Metaphysical Theatre’s production of "Fool’s Gold", which he co-created. He has received multiple Arts in Education grants from the Ontario Arts Council and taught in schools, colleges/universities across Canada and in Australia. Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Alex Dault is the Artistic Director of Theatre by the Bay in Barrie, Ontario. The company recently pivoted from performing classics to devising new work. Alex is in the process of creating a verbatim play called "The Five Points" about downtown Barrie created from more than one hundred interviews with local people over the course of the last six months. This show will be presented in July 2017 at the Mady Centre for the Performing Arts. 2016 will be Alex’s eleventh season with the company. For Theatre by the Bay, he has directed productions of Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet and Nine Mile Portage. He previously acted in The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like it and was part of the original young company production of Treasure Island in 2002. Alex is also a member of Single Thread Theatre Company, a company which creates site-specific theatre all over Canada. Alex has studied at Ecole Philipe Gaulier, George Brown Theatre School and Queen’s University. @alexdaulthttp://www.singlethread.ca/ @theatrebythebayhttp://theatrebythebay.com/https://www.facebook.com/BarrieTheatrebytheBay/ Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Rosamund is a playwright best known for her works Vitals (Dora Awards Outstanding New Play/Outstanding Production) and this season’s TomorrowLove™, both produced by Outside the March. She has written traditional fiction, immersive/site-specific, verbatim, and many forms in between. She also collaborates regularly with choreographer Robert Binet on multidisciplinary and dance works (Orpheus Becomes Eurydice with the Banf Centre and The National Ballet, and Terra Incognita with Wild Space Ballet). This January, Rosedale Heights School of the Arts premiered Rosmund’s large-scale, one hundred character immersive experience Maven Academy, a piece created for a cast of 100 teenage performers. Rosamund is a member of the Soulpepper Academy. @smallrosamund Vitals on indigo.ca: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/vitals/9781927922248-item.htm Vitals on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Vitals-Rosamund-Small/dp/1927922240/ Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Siobhan Richardson returns to Stageworthy to talk about intimacy for the stage and Intimacy Directors International.Siobhan is an actor/fighter/singer/dancer, currently based in Toronto, but originally from Kitchener-Waterloo, and trained at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria. Tours and travelling are one of the perks of the job! Acting credits include Lucy Debrie (And Then The Lights Went Out, Stage West Calgary), Mo (Mo and Jess Kill Susie, Harley Dog Productions), Lady Capulet (Romeo and (her) Juliet Headstrong Collective/Urban Bard), Solange (The Maids, Whirligig Productions), the twins Jessica and Julia (The Last Resort, Stirling Festival Theatre), and the world premiere productions of The Madness of the Square (Cahoots Theatre Projects) and The Forbidden Phoenix (Citadel Theatre and LKTYP).www.SiobhanRichardson.com demo reel: www.tinyurl.com/SRreel twitter: @fighteractress Instagram: @fighteractress Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiobhanRichardsonActresswww.imdb.me/siobhanrichardson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ActorSRStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

The Storefront Theatre and the Spadina Avenue Gang, present the world premiere production of Tough Jews, by internationally celebrated writer Michael Ross Albert and directed by Storefront founder and Co-Artistic Director Benjamin Blais draws frightening historical parallels between a forgotten chapter of Toronto’s history and the city’s current emerging climate of intolerance. Set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and one of the largest riots in Canadian history, Tough Jews is the story of an immigrant family of would-be criminals, and their struggle to rise above their station in a violent, intolerant cityhttp://thestorefronttheatre.com/ Twitter: @storefrontto Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStorefrontTheatreStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Alec Toller is a playwright, actor, director, and Artistic Director of Circle Snake Productions. Circlesnake Productions uses collaborative creation to produce new work with a cinematic approach to storytelling. Circlesnake uses genres that are rarely put on stage to explore new approaches to theatre. Circlesnake grounds heightened theatricality through the understated realism of filmic performance. Circlesnake explores the intersection between theatre and film to find powerful new stories.Circlesnake presents Slip, March 23 - April 2, at the Tarragon Workspace.Slip follows Detective Lynne Barrett as she tries to piece together a mysterious death: a woman is found dead on the floor of an abandoned apartment with debris strewn everywhere, and a symbol carved into her arm. Her attempts to uncover the truth are disrupted by the overwhelming complexity of the case, and Lynne must untangle a mystery that escapes the simplicity of a single story. A play about crime, memory, and storytelling.Slip is nominated for 3 My Entertainment World awards: Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Work, and Outstanding Actress - Alex Paxton-Beesley.Alec Toller Twitter: @alec_tollerCirclesnake Productionswww.circlesnake.com Twitter: @circlesnakeStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Rob Kempson is a theatre artist and educator. A graduate of queen’s university, rob works as a playwright, director, and performer. Writer/director: Mockingbird (Next Stage Theatre Festival); Shannon 10:40 (Timeshare); explicit (Rhubarb Festival); #legacy (Harbourfront Centre); in my own skin (YRDSB); the HV project (Community); intersections (TDSB Arts co-op). Director: Violet’s the pilot, Rose’s Clothes (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Songs for a New World (Claude Watson). As a performer, he was most recently seen starring in his Dora-nominated musical The Way Back to Thursday (Theatre Passe Muraille). He was a member of the 2014 Stratford Festival Playwrights’ Retreat, and is currently a resident artist educator at Young People’s Theatre and the Associate Artistic Director at the Thousand Islands Playhouse.http://www.robkempson.com Twitter: @rob_kempsonTrigonometryGabriella wants action. Jackson wants a scholarship. Susan wants a family. In this new play by Rob Kempson, three disparate people find themselves bound together by desire, destiny, and a few scandalous photos. Trigonometry is about how far we go to get what we want: what we do to survive.https://trigonometrytheplay.com/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Victoria Velenosi is a storyteller and tells stories to anyone who will listen. She is half of the partnership that runs Brick and Mortar, home of The Attic, The Box and The Commons. At any given time, she can be found either on stage, behind a computer, or under a pile of cats. Most impressive credits include a list of shows you’ve probably never heard of. ☺Vikki is a graduate of the University of Windsor Acting Program and Straeon Acting Studios. Vikki believes that every artist has an important voice and, with the right stage, they can change the world. #DREAMBIGGERABOUT Brick and Mortar: Brick and Mortar started independently as The Box and The Attic by Vikki Velenosi and Kasey Dunn. They came together in 2016 to form Brick and Mortar and open a third space, The Commons. Each of their studios is unique and yet they share a common principle: The belief that artists deserve clean, beautiful space to work in.Each space is well-located, non-traditional, artist run, bright, open, and alive with history and charm. Each unit is private and ready for inspiration and creativity.Brick and Mortar specializes in the tenants of grassroots theatre: creative use of small spaces; the creative ability to problem-solve with limited resources; the intimate actor–audience dynamic; and the cross trained artist.http://www.brickandmortartoronto.com/ Twitter: @BAM_Toronto Instagram: bam_torontohttps://www.facebook.com/brickandmortartoronto/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Rosemary Doyle is the founding Artistic Director of the Red Sandcastle Theatre and the Wilde Festival Foundation for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario Canada. An actor, since the tender age of 8 years, she prefers to think of herself as a Theatre Person, because she acts, directs, writes plays,sings, hangs lights and builds sets or costumes on regular basis. She is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC and is the mother of two teenaged boys.http://redsandcastletheatre.com/@rosemaryedoyleStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

D.J. Sylvis has been involved in theatre for over 25 years as an actor, director, technician, playwright, and producer. He is a founding member and playwright-in-residence of Monkeyman Productions, Toronto’s geekiest theatre company. D.J. is inspired by monkeys, robots, cats, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bigfoot, that theme song from The Greatest American Hero, Arthur Kopit, 80s-era Justice League comics, various dystopias from his childhood(including Bible School), Lego spacemen, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (just the hosting segments), potato chips, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, yellowed sci-fi paperbacks, friends, enemies, strangers in the night… and all things strange and wonderful in this world.http://www.djsylvis.com/@deejsylvisStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Dana Fradkin is an actor, comedian, writer, teacher and stunt performer based in Toronto. Selected theatre credits include; The Things We Do For Love and Smeraldina in The Servant of Two Masters (Odyssey Theatre), Dancock's Dance and Hogtown (the Campbell House/Hogtown Experience), Acrobat/Clown in La Boheme and Atom Egoyan’s Die Walkure (Canadian Opera Company), Arlecchino in Fool’s Gold (Metaphysical Theatre), AutoShow (Convergence Theatre), Macbeth and Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare in the Square), Vanishing Currents (Caravan Tallship Company), Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding (Second City Toronto) and collaborations with Theatre Gargantua, Mysteriously Yours, Against the Grain Theatre, Cirque Sublime and Circus Orange. Dana is co-founder of Keystone Theatre and co-created and performed in their three successful productions; Gold Fever, The Last Man on Earth and The Belle of Winnipeg (Dora Award musical composition). World-wide festivals include; Glastonbury Music Festival, Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, Calgary Stampede, Antwerp Theatre Festival, Edmonton Folk Festival, Edmonton Street Performing Festival, Nuit Blanche, Luminato, and Toronto BuskerFest. TV and film include; First Light, Reign, Fatal Vows, HapHead, Cold Blood, Crimes of Passion, Little Phoenix and the Reign of Fists and her short film Satisfaction which she wrote, produced and starred in which premiered at the Puerto Rico Horror Film Festival this past October. Currently Dana is assistant directing the Opera, Brundibar, with the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus. Upcoming she will be playing the title role in Candida at the Classic Theatre Festival and will be starring in the short film she co-wrote, The Case of the Massey Bodice Ripping. L'chaim.http://danafradkin.workbooklive.com/@danafradkinStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod