Grand Theatre Celebrates the Holidays with A Christmas Carol
Largest Production in Grand History
Directed and Adapted by Dennis Garnhum
On the Spriet Stage November 28 to December 30, 2017
London, ONTARIO - November 22, 2017 — The Grand Theatre rings in the holiday season with the all-time classic, A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Marking Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum’s directorial debut, the show is the largest in the theatre’s history, featuring over 20 cast members, sweeping sets, and intricate costumes. A CHRISTMAS CAROL premieres on the Spriet Stage November 28 to December 30, 2017 and the Grand is proud to welcome back London Life as the annual holiday show Title Sponsor.
Ebenezer Scrooge is played by Shaw Festival veteran Benedict Campbell, whose father, Douglas Campbell, was Scrooge in the Grand’s 1997 production. Other cast members include Stratford Festival company members Sean Arbuckle, Alexis Gordon, and Blythe Wilson; among the Londoners are Jim Doucette, Patrick Monaghan, and Owen Barteet (who makes his acting debut as Tiny Tim); and High School Project (HSP) alumni Aidan deSalaiz, Kelsey Falconer, and David Michael Moote.
The story offers all the ingre¬dients for a theatrical event: singing, dancing, skating, and other surprises for the audience. “I have always thought the best way to understand A CHRISTMAS CAROL is to celebrate the extremes: bumbling Fezziwig makes us laugh, Belle breaks our heart, Spirit of Christmas Future scares us, all while Ebenezer Scrooge confronts the mess of a life that he has created and is offered the chance at full redemption. It’s the combination of all of these powerful contrasts coming together that I think make A CHRISTMAS CAROL one of the greatest stories ever written,” said Garnhum.
In the spirit of holiday giving and ongoing community support, the Grand Theatre is also thrilled to announce the #HumbugtoHunger campaign in conjunction with A CHRISTMAS CAROL in support of the London Food Bank and the Business Cares program. Cash donations will be collected after each performance. In addition, the Grand will be hosting Holiday Wish for Kids, an annual event that welcomes over 300 children and families, from 30 agencies across London, on November 28 and an evening of games, special treats, and a visit from Santa & Mrs. Claus. Thanks to the theatre’s generous donors and corporate supporters, this event is offered at no cost to the children and their families.
On selected dates, the Children’s Museum will be at the theatre running pre-show activities for children on Sunday, December 17; Saturday, December 23, and Sunday, December 24.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL is on the Spriet Stage from November 28 to December 30. Tickets are $29.95 to $88 (includes HST and CIF – prices subject to change). Tickets are available at www.grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519-672-8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.
The Grand Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of the 2017/18 Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group.
About the Grand Theatre
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum and Executive Director Deb Harvey, the Grand is a leading cultural hub proudly located in the heart of downtown London, Ontario. The Grand offers diverse, relevant, and original stories from around the globe through collaborations with national and international performing arts organizations and is committed to developing, producing, and premiering original homegrown stories through COMPASS, a New Play Development Program. The Grand supports educational programming and youth mentorship such as The High School Project, the only program of its kind in North America, and 100 Schools, a new community initiative that brings professional theatre to London-area schools in 2018 at no cost.
A not-for-profit regional theatre, the Grand produces and presents professional theatre on two stages: the Spriet Stage (839 seats) and the McManus Stage (144 seats). The Grand’s season runs from September to May. The 2017/18 Season is on sale.
Media Call
When: Tuesday, November 28 at 1:30 pm (cameras, please arrive at 1:15 to set up)
Where: Grand Theatre Spriet Stage
What: A CHRISTMAS CAROL photo, video, and interview opportunity for media
For more information please contact:
Kate Rapson, Communications Manager, Grand Theatre
krapson [at] grandtheatre.com (krapson[at]grandtheatre[dot]com)
519-672-9030 ext. 247
Cast
| Bob Cratchit | SEAN ARBUCKLE |
| Tiny Tim | OWEN BARTEET |
| Ebenezer Scrooge | BENEDICT CAMPBELL |
| Mr. Fezziwig | IAN DEAKIN |
| Fred / Dance Captain | AIDAN DESALAIZ |
| Topper | JIM DOUCETTE |
| Young Ebenezer / Peter Cratchit | JUSTIN EDDY |
| Mrs. Dilber | KELSEY FALCONER |
| Mrs. Fezziwig | TRACEY FERENCZ |
| Fan | LEAH GLIDDON |
| Belle | ALEXIS GORDON |
| Belinda Cratchit | MANYA HEGDE |
| Mrs. Cratchit | RACHEL JONES |
| Abigail | AMRIT KAUR |
| Boy Ebenezer | NATHANIEL KEITH |
| Dick Wilkins / Fight Captain | MICHAEL MAN |
| Spirit of Christmas Past | BRENDAN MCMURTRY-HOWLETT |
| Jacob Marley | PATRICK MONAGHAN |
| Spirit of Christmas Future | DAVID MICHAEL MOOTE |
| Voice of Charles Dickens | CHRISTOPHER NEWTON |
| Martha Cratchit | JORDYN TAYLOR |
| Spirit of Christmas Present | BLYTHE WILSON |
Production Team
| Director / Adapter | DENNIS GARNHUM |
| Associate Director | MEGAN WATSON |
| Set Designer | ALLAN STICHBURY |
| Costume Designer | KELLY WOLF |
| Lighting Designer | BONNIE BEECHER |
| Videographer | JAMIE NESBITT |
| Composer | JEREMY SPENCER |
| Sound Designer | JIM NEIL |
| Music and Vocal Director | JENNIFER FAGAN |
| Fight Director | SIMON FON |
| Voice and Dialect Coach | JANE GOODERHAM |
| Choreographer | KERRY GAGE |
| Skating Choreographer | GEOFFREY TYLER |
| Stage Manager | KELLY LUFT |
| Assistant Stage Manager | LANI MARTEL |
| Apprentice Stage Manager | JORDAN GUETTER |
| Stage Management Intern | NICOLE FONTES |
| Child Supervisors | JEAN FAULDS LINDA MARTIN HEATHER RAYCRAFT CINDI RYDE |
Bios
Sean Arbuckle Bob Cratchit
For the Grand Theatre: The Turn of the Screw. Theatre Credits (selected): 15 seasons at the Stratford Festival including Guys and Dolls, Twelfth Night, London Assurance, Timon of Athens, The Pirates of Penzance, The Merchant of Venice, Cabaret, Three Sisters, 42nd Street, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; London Road (Canadian Stage); Othello (Segal Centre); The Immigrant (Harold Green); Phèdre (A.C.T.); The Winter’s Tale (McCarter Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Roundabout); Copenhagen (US national tour). Film and TV Credits (Selected): 12 Monkeys, Defiance (Syfy); Murdoch Mysteries (City TV); Reign (The CW); Law and Order (NBC). Other: Graduate of Duke University and The Juilliard School.
Owen Barteet Tiny Tim
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Shrek The Musical Jr. (Lord Roberts French Immersion Public School) other: Proud student of Lord Roberts Public School.
Benedict Campbell Ebenezer Scrooge
For the Grand Theatre: Atlantis, A Little Night Music, Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). Theatre Credits (selected): The Audience (RMTC/Mirvish); Wormwood (Tarragon); King Lear (Theatre Calgary/Bard on the Beach); My Fair Lady (Arena Stage, Washington); Middletown, Our Town, Sweeney Todd, Juno and the Paycock, Cabaret, Major Barbara, My Fair Lady, The Entertainer, Mack and Mabel, The Crucible, Man and Superman, The Plough and the Stars (Shaw Festival); Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, Henry IV Part 1+2, Julius Caesar, The Alchemist, King Lear (Stratford Festival). Film and TV Credits (selected): Republic of Doyle, Road to Avonlea, Dieppe (CBC); Slings and Arrows (Showcase).
Ian Deakin Mr. Fezziwig
For the Grand Theatre: An Inspector Calls, Great Expectations. Theatre Credits (selected): The Audience (Theatre Calgary); Into the Woods (TIP); Hairspray (Drayton); The Tempest, Cymbeline, Anthony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Henry V (Stratford Festival); King Lear (Lincoln Centre Theatre, NYC); School for Scandal (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Merry Wives of Windsor (TBTB); Romeo and Juliet, The Sound of Music, Oliver, The Memory of Water (Neptune Theatre). Film and TV Credits (selected): Private Eyes (Global); Hemlock Grove (Netflix); Man Seeking Woman (FXX); The Listener (CTV); Assassin’s Creed/Sydicate (UBISOFT). Other: iandeakin.com
Louise Guinand Lighting Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Over 70 productions including 11 High School Projects. Theatre Credits (selected): Louise has designed lighting for more than 500 shows in theatres across Canada and the US. Recent credits include Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night (Stratford); Peter and the Starcatcher, The Last Wife (Globe); Dancing at Lughnasa, The Dance of Death (Shaw); A Comedy of Errors (WCTC/ Aquarius/TIP). Other: She has received numerous award nominations including the 1991 Dora Award for Aspects of Love.
William Fallon Sound Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Evita (High School Project), Hair (Associate Sound Designer). Theatre Credits (selected): Sound Designer: You Are Here (Thousand Islands/Acting Up); The Immigrant (Harold Green); Imprints (Theatre Gargantua); As You Like It (Repercussion Theatre). Associate/Assistant Sound Designer: Guys and Dolls, HMS Pinafore, A Chorus Line, A Little Night Music, The Sound of Music, Crazy for You, (Stratford); Life Reflected (National Arts Centre Orchestra); Peter Pan, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White (Ross Petty Productions); Niágara — A Pan-American Story (Panamania); Aladdin (Disney); This (Canadian Stage).
Leslie Watson Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Kill Me Now, Black Coffee, My Name is Asher Lev, Myth of the Ostrich, Late Company, Cabaret, Venus In Fur (Royal MTC); Little Shop of Horrors, Cash: Ring of Fire, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline (Rainbow Stage); Little Thing, Big Thing (PTE); over 40 productions as Assistant Stage Manager.
Melissa Cameron Assistant Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: To Master the Art, The Hobbit, Shirley Valentine; High School Projects: Shakespeare: The Mixtape, Much Ado About Nothing, The Important of Being Earnest, Anything Goes. Theatre credits (selected): The Prince of Homburg, I Claudia, The Last of Romeo and Juliet, Offline (Talk is Free Theatre); Cracked: a new light on dementia (Possible Art); The Last 5 Years, She Loves Me, A Christmas Carol, Cabaret, The 39 Steps (Rose Theatre, Brampton); Pieces (Cue6 Productions); Legally Blonde (Theatre Sheridan); Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Barefoot in the Park, An Ideal Husband, Blithe Spirit, The Glass Menagerie (Watermark Theatre).
Fran Barker Apprentice Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Production Assistant (Stratford Festival); Cinderella: The Panto, All Shook Up (Drayton Entertainment); Canada 300 (Watermark Theatre); Opera Luminata. Other: Graduate of the University of Waterloo.
Aidan deSalaiz Fred
For the Grand Theatre: PlayWrights Cabarets, The Wild Guys, Annie, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol (1992,1993); various High School Projects. Theatre Credits (selected): The Best Brothers (Western Canada Theatre/TNW); Red, Cabaret, The Mousetrap, Legally Blonde (Aquarius); Having Hope At Home (Neptune); The Wedding Singer (Stage West, Critter nomination); Lies My Father Told Me (Segal); Visiting Mr. Green (Harold Green); Altar Boyz (Angelwalk), various productions with Drayton, RMTC, STC, Mayfield, three seasons at Stratford Festival. Film and TV Credits (selected): Mayday (Discovery); Canadian Made (History); Caesar and Cleopatra (Bravo/CTV); Goosebumps (YTV). Other: Graduate of Ryerson (BFATheatre), Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training (Stratford).
Jim Doucette Topper
For the Grand Theatre: The Wizard of Oz, PlayWrights Cabaret (eight between 2003 and 2017), WordPlay, Pride and Prejudice, The Graduate, Annie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Practical Joke. Theatre Credits (selected): Actor: Henry and Alice: Into the Wild, Sexy Laundry, Bedtime Stories, Animal Magnetism, Perfect Wedding, The Love List, Looking, The Mousetrap, Outlaw (Port Stanley Festival Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Pacheco Theatre); Sexy Laundry (Sudbury Theatre Centre, Bluewater Summer Playhouse). Director: Pal Joey (LMT); Crimes of the Heart, Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Theatre Soup). Other: Founding member of London’s “Nearly World Famous” Dufflebag Theatre.
Justin Eddy Peter Cratchit / Young Ebenezer
For the Grand Theatre: Elf, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; High School Projects Evita, Les Misérables School Edition, Hello Dolly!. Theatre Credits (selected): Pippin, Sense and Sensibility, Mary Poppins (H.B. Beal Secondary School). Other: Proud student of H.B. Beal S.S.
Kelsey Falconer Mrs. Dilber
For the Grand Theatre: High School Projects Grease, Anything Goes, Footloose, My Fair Lady. Theatre Credits (selected): Anne of Green Gables, A Misfortune (Charlottetown Festival); Sunshine on Leith (National Theatre of Scotland – Workshop); The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh – Workshop); Merrily We Roll Along, Cabaret, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Three Sisters (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). Other: Recent graduate of the Musical Theatre program at the Royal Conservative of Scotland; alumnus of Beal Performing Arts.
Tracey Ferencz Mrs. Fezziwig
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Hana’s Suitcase (YPT); Seeds (Blyth Festival); Becky’s New Car (Alberta Theatre Projects); Gone with the Wind (RMTC); Whispering Pines (GCTC); It’s a Wonderful Life (Canadian Stage); Enchanted April (Theatre Calgary); Real Estate (Theatre Aquarius); A Man For All Seasons (Globe Theatre); The Overcoat (CanStage/International Tour); ten seasons with the Shaw Festival. Film and TV Credits (selected): The Expanse (SyFy); Designated Survivor (ABC); Murdoch Mysteries (CBC); King (Showcase); Silent Witness (TNT); Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (Disney); Stories We Tell (NFB).
Leah Gliddon Fan
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Fun Home (Calithumpian Theatre); Peter Pan, Anne of Green Gables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Drayton Entertainment); Defying Gravity (Musical Theatre Productions). Film and TV Credits (selected): The Delivery (ACP).
Alexis Gordon Belle
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Guys and Dolls, A Little Night Music, Carousel, Passion, The Sound of Music (Stratford Festival); Sunday in the Park With George (Talk is Free Theatre); The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble (Factory Theatre/Obsidian Theatre); Recurring John, Paradises Lost (Toronto SummerWorks Festival); Starbright Christmas, Canada Sings, Godspell (Victoria Playhouse Petrolia); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Driftwood Theatre). Film and TV Credits (selected): Motives & Murders, The Worst Thing I Ever Did (Discovery ID). Other: Graduate of the BFA Acting program at The University of Windsor. awards: Amy Wallis Memorial Guthrie Award (Stratford Festival), Syd and Shirley Banks Prize for Emerging Artists (Musical Stage Co.).
Manya Hegde Belinda Cratchit
For the Grand Theatre: The Wizard of Oz. Theatre Credits (selected): Aladdin, Pirates the Musical, Tweet (University Heights Public School); London Beatles Festival (Wolf Performance Hall). other: Dasara and Diwali group dance, Rise2fame – semi-finalist (2015 and 2016), solo vocals at Annual Day events 2013-16. Proud student of University Heights Public School.
Rachel Jones Mrs. Cratchit
For the Grand Theatre: A Christmas Story, The Paper Bag Princess and Other Stories, A Practical Joke, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Black Bonspiel of Wullie McCrimmon, ten seasons of the PlayWrights Cabaret. Theatre Credits (selected): Antony and Cleopatra (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Late Night (Theatre Brouhaha/Zoomermedia); Hamlet/All’s Well That Ends Well (Canadian Stage); The Nerd, The Odd Couple (Victoria Playhouse Petrolia); The 39 Steps (Theatre New Brunswick); ten seasons at the Port Stanley Festival Theatre; The Continuing Adventures of the Boneyard Man (Natural Broadcasting Company).
Amrit Kaur Abigail
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. film and tv credits (selected): Kim’s Convenience (CBC); Little Italy (Dir. Donald Petrie); American Gothic (CBS); Odd Squad (TVO); Anarkali (Dias/Bell Media). Other: Graduate of the BFAin Acting Conservatory at York Univer-sity. Presently trains in the Lonsdale Smith Studios Conservatory. https://amritkaur.workbooklive.com
Nathaniel Keith Boy Ebenezer
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Fun Home (Calithumpian Theatre); The Mask (L.B. Pearson); Mr. Richardson Was Jesse James (Theatre Nemesis); A Christmas Carol (South Collegiate). Film and TV Credits (selected): Fire Brigade (The Stereo Division); The Talk (Diply Productions). Other: Proud student at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts.
Michael Man Dick Wilkins
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): King Lear, Twelfth Night, Titus Andronicus, As You Like It (Canadian Stage); The Other Shore (Gateway Theatre); The Jungle Book (Magnus Theatre); Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Potluck Festival (fu-GENTheatre); Les Misérables (Pianist, Sudbury Symphony Orchestra); Goblin Market (Pianist, Theatre Kingston). Film Credits (selected): Backstabbing for Beginners (Parts & Labor Films). Other: Graduate of Queen’s University and George Brown Theatre School.
Brendan McMurtry-Howlett Spirit of Christmas Past
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Mistatim (Red Sky Performance); Romeo and Juliet, Richard III (Shakespeare In The Ruff); We Are Proud to Present… (Theatre Centre); Beyond the Cuckoo’s Nest (YPT); Pride and Prejudice (Theatre Calgary/NAC). Film and TV Credits (selected): Suits (USANet-work); Remedy (Global); The Girlfriend Experience (Stars). Other: Graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare in the Ruff.
Patrick Monaghan Jacob Marley
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Port Authority (Fly on the Wall Theatre); Elephant Man (Broadway Theatre, UK); Murder by the Book (Fergus Theatre); Midsummer Night’s Dream, Harps of God (Rising Tide); Noises Off (Stephenville Theatre); Oliver, House of Blue Leaves ( Theatre N.L.); West Moon (Irish tour); Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, The Crucible, Threepenny Opera (Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.). Film and TV Credits (selected): Titanic: New Evidence (Discovery Channel, Alibi Productions); Liminality (Liminality Inc.); Hungry Ghosts (3-Asthmatics Production). Other: Actor in Residence in The School of Theatre, Grenfell Campus, 1999-2010. Doctorate in chemistry from Western University. patrickmonaghan.wordpress.com.
David Michael Moote Spirit of Christmas Future
For the Grand Theatre: The Wind in The Willows, High School Projects Fiddler On The Roof, Oliver!, The Music Man. Theatre Credits (selected): Urinetown (Stephenville Theatre Festival); Oh Canada What A Feeling! (Princess of Wales Theatre); Jesus Christ Superstar (Hart House Theatre); Next To Normal (The LOT). Film and TV Credits (selected): The Strain (FX); Dead Rush (People’s Choice Award Canadian Film Festival); Lariat (Winner Toronto 48hr Film Festival). Other: Graduate of the BMus Voice Performance Program at McGill University. Lead singer of Operus, a Canadian theatre metal band signed by Dark Star Records/Sony. www.davidmichaelmoote.com
Jordyn Taylor Martha Cratchit
For the Grand Theatre: High School Project Evita. Theatre Credits (selected): Aladdin: the Panto (Drayton Entertainment); The Secret Garden, The Triumph of Teresa Harris (Palace Theatre). Film and TV Credits (selected): Nothing Grows Here, Scarlet’s Web. other: Proud grade 9 student at H.B. Beal S.S.
Blythe Wilson Spirit of Christmas Present
For the Grand Theatre: Miracle on 34th Street, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Theatre Credits (selected): Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, Oliver, The Three Penny Opera (Stratford Festival); Mary Poppins (Broadway/USTour); 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Connecticut Rep); The Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Mamma Mia!, The Sound of Music, Man of La Mancha (Mirvish); The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Happy End (Shaw Festival); Mary Poppins, Evita (Theatre Calgary/Citadel); The Last Five Years (Canadian Stage); Mamma Mia!, All Shook Up, Footloose (Drayton Entertainment); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Chicago Theatre); Aspects of Love (USTour/Livent). Other: Vancouver Playhouse Theatre School.
Dennis Garnhum Director / Adapter
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): World premiere of musical The Little Prince (Theatre Calgary); Barber of Seville (Florida Grand Opera, Opera Lyra, Vancouver Opera); Director / Adapter of Timothy Findley’s The Wars (Theatre Calgary, Vancouver Playhouse) and Lost: A Memoir (Theatre Calgary, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Neptune Theatre); Director/Adaption of King Lear (Theatre Calgary, Bard on the Beach); Carmen, La Traviata (Pacific Opera); West Side Story (Bangkok University); Rat in the Skull (Berkshire Theatre Festival); Stratford Festival (four seasons); Shaw Festival (six seasons). Other: Artistic Director of the Grand Theatre since 2016. Previously Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary from 2005-2016. Recipient of a Calgary Award for Community Achievement in Arts and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee.
Megan Watson Associate Director
For the Grand Theatre: High School Projects Shakespeare: The Mixtape, Julius Caesar, PlayWrights Cabaret (2016 -17); Assistant Director: A Christmas Story. upcoming: The Glass Menagerie. Theatre Credits (selected): Director: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Ruff); Agency (Yell Rebel); Extremophiles, Derailed (Summerworks); Far Away (Toronto Fringe); Crookback: An Adaption of Richard III (Beacon Theatre); Queer Bathroom Stories (Libido); When the Rain Stops Falling, Much Ado About Nothing (University of Alberta); Bent (Theatre Engine); Assistant Director: Salt-Water Moon (NAC); The Mill part 4 Ash (Theatrefront). Other: Graduate of University of Alberta (MFA directing program) and Ryerson University (BFA acting program).
Allan Stichbury Set Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Set and Lighting: Prisoner of Zenda, Educating Rita; Set and Costume: Pack of Lies; Set, Costume, and Lighting: Master Harold and The Boys; Lighting: Waiting for the Parade, The Doctor’s Dilemma, Godspell, The Paul Galico Series. Theatre Credits (selected): Notable works with Director Dennis Garnhum include West Side Story (Bangkok University); The Barber of Seville (Vancouver, Ottawa, Florida, Edmonton, Pittsburgh); Timothy Findley’s The Wars (Theatre Calgary, Vancouver Playhouse); Of Mice and Men (Theatre Calgary, Canadian Stage); Three Tall Women (RMTC). Other: Graduate of University of Alberta (BFA), Past President of Associated Designers of Canada (ADC), 28 years teaching at Phoenix Theatre University of Victoria, received the CITT Education Achievement Award in 2017.
Kelly Wolf Costume Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Sexy Laundry. Theatre Credits (selected): Berlin Blues (Blyth Festival); Waiting Room (Tarragon Theatre); How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Sheridan); Radium Girls (Brock); Too True to Be Good (Shaw Festival); Site specific – Frost Bites Festival in Hamilton; One Small Drop, In Sight (Open Heart); The Wars, A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary); The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Stratford Festival). Other: Instructor at Brock University and has taught and mentored students at Sheridan, Humber, and Ryerson. Graduate of York University (BFA), University of Toronto (MA), Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. Member of ADC. www.kellywolf.ca
Bonnie Beecher Lighting Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Art, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Ned Durango Comes to Big Oak. Theatre Credits (selected): over 350 productions for theatre, opera, and dance across Canada and internationally. Recent productions include Vital Unrest (Ballet Im Revier, Germany); Riel (Canadian Opera); The Changeling (Stratford Festival); An Octoroon (Shaw); Picture This (Soulpepper); Murder on the Orient Express (Dortmund Junior Ballet, Germany). Upcoming: Romeo and Juliet (Ballet Im Revier, Germany); The Secret Garden (Theatre Calgary); Innocence Lost, A Chorus of Disapproval (Soulpepper); Oh What a Lovely War (Shaw); Paradise Lost (Stratford). Other: 15 Dora award nominations and two wins. www.bonniebeecher.com
Jim Neil Sound Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Mr. Neil is thrilled to be back at the Grand this season after a 34-year career as the Grand’s Head of Sound. In that time he was involved with over 200 productions. Theatre Credits (selected): Sound designer in many of our country’s regional theatres including The Stratford Festival, The National Arts Centre, The Ed Mirvish Theatre, Canadian Stage, and The Manitoba Theatre Centre to name a few. Mr. Neil would like to thank Local 105 of IATSE for 35 years of support.
Jennifer Fagan Vocal and Musical Director
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Kidz Rock Theatre, London Glee Choir, Grand Academy, adjudicator at Canadian Juno Awards. Other: A multi-disciplined singer, dancer, actress, teacher, and music director; Jennifer is most comfortable with a microphone in hand and is considered one of London’s finest jazz and cabaret singers. She is also a landscape photographer.
Simon Fon Fight Director
For the Grand Theatre: High School Projects Les Misérables School Edition, Macbeth, Pirates of Penzance, plus The Great Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, Misery, Beauty and the Beast, Einstein’s Gift. Other: over 600 professional credits in TV, film, and stage from Broadway to Stratford to Yellowknife. Coached and performed with actors Christopher Plummer, Rachel McAdams, Martin Short, Billy Connolly, and Colm Feore to name a few. Fight Master with FDC. Executive Director and Founder of RIOT A.C.T. earning 17 nominations and 8 awards, including Male Action Performer of the Year 2009 AOF Festival, California. simonfon.com and riotact.ca
Jane Gooderham Voice and Dialect Coach
Theatre Credits (selected): Voice, text and dialects for Stratford Festival (15 seasons) and Shaw Festival; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (National Theatre/Toronto), Matilda (Royal Shakespeare Company), Arcadia (Shaw/Mirvish), London Road, The Syringa Tree, Rock ‘n Roll (Canadian Stage), War Horse (National Theatre/Mirvish), Romeo and Juliet (NAC), Oroonoko, Chair (Theatre for a New Audience, New York), Cloud Nine, The Lord of the Rings, The Producers (Mirvish), Happy Days (Soulpepper/DVxT). Film and TV Credits: Republic of Doyle. Other: Head of Voice, National Theatre School of Canada (2009-16); Birmingham Conservatory, Soulpepper Academy, Centre for Indigenous Theatre. Training: MA Voice – Central School, Acting – Guildhall School, London, England.
Kerry Gage Choreographer
For the Grand Theatre: The Wizard of Oz (2016, 2009), Shrek The Musical, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Anne of Green Gables, Annie, My Way. High School Projects Les Misérables School Edition, My Fair Lady, Fiddler On The Roof. Theatre Credits (selected): Choreographer: H.M.S. Pinafore, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Associate Choreographer: Crazy For You, Fiddler On The Roof, 42nd Street, Camelot (Stratford Festival). Other: 13 seasons at the Charlottetown Festival as a member of the creative team, performing, and as Director of the Charlottetown Festival Young Company. Children’s Resident Director for the Mirvish production of The Sound of Music.
Geoffrey Tyler Skating Choreographer
For the Grand Theatre: Dream a Little Dream. Theatre Credits (selected): Mamma Mia! (Theatre St John’s); Singin’ in the Rain (RuBarb Productions); original cast of The Who’s Tommy (Toronto and West End, London, England); Footloose (Canadian Premiere); 3 seasons at The Stratford Festival. Other: Figure Skating Performance Coach and Choreographer for Canadian and international skaters throughout the world. His work can seen by such skaters as Kurt Browning, Javier Fernandez, Dylan Moscovitch & Luba Illychechkina, Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje, Joannie Rochette, and many others.
Kelly Luft Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: 20th season with the Grand (including Art, The Wizard of Oz (2016, 2009, 2002). Theatre Credits (selected): The Komagata Maru Incident (Stratford Festival); The Sound of Music, Hairspray (Drayton Entertainment); Le Bal (Theatre Plus); Not Wanted on the Voyage (Canadian Stage); two years in London England’s West End. Opera Credits (selected): 12 seasons with Opera Lyra Ottawa, nine seasons with Hawaii Opera Theatre, six seasons with Orchestra London/Opera Pacific Victoria, 16 seasons with Opera Ontario, Wagner’s Ring Cycle – Götterdämmerung (Canadian Opera Company); Idomeneo (Opera Atelier). Upcoming: La Fille du Regiment (Hawaii Opera Theatre); Chariots of Fire (Grand).
Lani Martel Assistant Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: 12th season with the Grand. Productions include The Mountaintop, Intimate Apparel, Elf, Calendar Girls, Kingfisher Days, The Little Prince, Dreamgirls, The Drawer Boy, Hana’s Suitcase, For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Theatre Credits (selected): Five Alarm, This One, The Drawer Boy, Stag and Doe, Having Hope at Home (Port Stanley Festival Theatre); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Rick Kish Prod.); Hometown, Rope’s End (Blyth Festival); Altar Boyz (Victoria Playhouse Petrolia). Various productions for Opera Lyra, The National Ballet of Canada, Dasein Dance Theatre, FLUX London Dance Festival, Kaeja d’Dance, CCDT, and TILTsound+motion.
Jordan Guetter Apprentice Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Passing Strange (The Musical Stage Company/Obsidian); Oksana G (Tapestry Opera); Hosanna, The Odd Couple, The Testament of Mary (Soulpepper); One Slight Hitch, Halfway There (Upper Canada Playhouse); Dimensions: A Cirque Experience, Toxicity, Kinet-X (Haut- Vol/Canada’s Wonderland); The Penelopiad, A Flea In Her Ear (George Brown). Other: Graduate of Redeemer University College.
