Category: Triangle Factory Fire Project

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FIRE FACTORY PROJECT – Rebecca Bissonnette is Yetta Lubitz and Rose Schneiderman!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Rebecca Bissonnette and I get the honour of playing two real life heroes – Yetta Lubitz an immigrant factory worker and Rose Schneiderman a union organizer. The characters are quite different – Yetta is a young, immature and vulnerable girl looking to better herself, while Rose is a strong, opinionated speaker who does whatever is necessary to create change.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? My background in theatre isn’t a big one……not yet anyway. My very first show ever was only a few years ago, here at the Walterdale when I was cast as Mrs. French in Ravenscroft. My background is mainly in dance, having been a studio dancer for 15 years and recently returned to the dance floor over the past couple of years to launch my own dance troupe. While I might have come rather late to the theatre party, I consider myself quickly making up for lost time, having been blessed enough to work with some of the best community theatres around – Foote in the Door, Trinity Players, Element Theatre and Paper Doll Productions.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? I believe that when real life tells a story, people need to listen. This is so much more then words on a paper – these are words spoken by real live people, people who have experienced such tragedy, such devastation, such heartbreak. Their stories need to be told, so that we never forget and hopefully aren’t doomed to repeat.

On top of that, this show is full of such passionate people on both the cast and crew. With a show that has so many moving parts, it could very easily turn into a disaster. BUT, the commitment, hard work, dedication and joy (yes joy) with which everyone has approached this show, has easily made it one of my favourites to work on. I would work with anyone of them again in a heartbeat. People need to come see this show based on its collective heart.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – What was your first job? How old were you and what did it entail? Let’s be real – my first job was as a lazy teenager, not wanting to work, but was told by my grandma that I wasn’t sitting around her beach house all summer. So, I was a dishwasher at the town restaurant. It was physically hard, I stunk of grease and was constantly sweaty, but I got free meals. And at 13, that’s all you can ask for.

Meet the Creative Team of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Phil Kreisel is the Sound Designer!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Phil Kreisel and I am the sound designer for this show. This is one of those shows where I get to contribute exponentially to the mayhem that occurs in this production.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? I started out as an actor, and before too long became involved with sound design. I have designed sound for over 80 different shows since 2004, many of them with Walterdale. I have also done some directing and have written 8 one-act plays (with probably about 4 more scripts in development).

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? It’s an important part of history that unfortunately keeps occurring today in other parts of the world, such as the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building which killed 1,135 people in Bangladesh. This show focuses on what happened in New York, and the aftermath. There are surprises in this show which I cannot divulge at this time.

My Worst job/Funniest thing? I took a part-time job in my first year of university. I was one of three people hired to sharpen 5,000 pencils for some in-person survey. Apparently, they needed us because the electric sharpener broke down, so we had to sharpen them all manually. To this day, I don’t know how their survey turned out. I never filled it out.

Meet the Creative Team of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Barbara Mah is the Director!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? Barbara Mah. I’m the director of this show (more like traffic director given there are 20 actors).

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? This is my fourth time directing with Walterdale (Sweet Charity 2005, Anything Goes 2013 and Follies 2017), but my first time directing a play with them! I’ve choreographed countless shows at Walterdale and have worked behind the scenes with the costumes people from time to time. My sister and brother-in-law met at Walterdale doing a one-act play that I wrote. They were married on the Walterdale Stage! I consider Walterdale my “home” but I have also directed musicals for a number of theatre companies in town (ELOPE, Festival Players, Foote in the Door, Two One Way Tickets). I also teach musical theatre classes at the Citadel Theatre School. I have a few “graduates” from the classes in this show!

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? The fire itself seems to fascinate people. I’ve seen a number of documentaries on it and there is a lot of fiction (movies, books) that use the fire as a jumping off point. The historical significance of this fire still affects us today through building codes, workplace safety legislation and workers’ rights. Not to mention, this fire happened during the women’s suffrage movement. As women were unable to vote, they could not vote in politicians that could pass workplace safety laws.

I know plays that deal with “significant” issues can sometimes be boring — well, I don’t do boring. The actors in this show have worked very very hard and will be presenting a very gripping drama.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – what is the funniest thing that ever happened to you in a workplace situation? I once had a student in my adult musical theatre class tell me that he didn’t want to sing or dance in my class. When I gently suggested he might want to investigate an acting-only class, he responded with “but I want to star in musicals on broadway”.

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Danielle Yu is Rose Freedman & Ida Mittleman

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Danielle Yu and I play 2 amazing characters, Rose Freedman and Ida Mittleman. Rose Freedman was known as the last survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire dying at the age of 107 who worked on the 9th floor and Ida Mittleman was known as one of the women who testified in court that all doors of the 9th floor were indeed open.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? ​I have been performing for as long as I can remember, from taking musical theatre classes at the Citadel as a child to voice lessons at the Conservatory of Music with the Alberta College. I had taken a very long break from the theatre (12 years to be exact!) until 2017 when I auditioned for an original musical titled Emma, and had landed the lead role! I auditioned at the Walterdale Theatre for my very first time this past summer and am ecstatic to be on this journey of opening the 60th season.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? Everyone and anyone should come and partake in the adventure and experience of The Triangle Fire Factory Project to witness the importance of this piece of history! Not only is it filled with historical events, but there’s action, agony, sorrow, humor and SO MUCH MORE. Most importantly it teaches us the reason behind the rules and regulations we have today in modern life.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – What was your first job? How old were you and what did it entail? ​The very first job I had was when I was 16 at a McDonald’s near my neighbourhood. Being 16, I didn’t really have the understanding of responsibility so I didn’t last very long. However the 3 weeks that I was employed taught me a lot about hungry customers, cheerful customer service, and an amazing discount!

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Dustin Berube is William Shepherd

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Dustin Berube and I play the role of William Shepherd. My character was a United Press reporter who happened to be in Washington Square at the time of the fire. He called into his office and described the fire as it was happening. In the show, he is used as a narrator for the audience.
What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? This is my second Walterdale show (Dustin appeared in Follies, in 2017), but I have been involved with theatre since I was a teenager.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? This show is an interesting piece of history that is told in a unique way. Much of the script is taken straight from the transcripts and testimonials of those people that were there, which adds to the impact that this show will have on an audience. This is a live theatre experience that doesn’t come along very often.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – What is the funniest/most embarassing thing that ever happened to you in a workplace situation? I had a funny/embarrassing workplace experience when I was working in a retail card store. It was Boxing Day and I was the first to open the shop doors. My coworker was running late so I was working as fast as I could with a very long line of customers. In the middle of a transaction with a customer, I suddenly realized that I was going to become sick, so I calmly turned around and utilized the small trash bin at my feet. I wiped my mouth with a tissue, stood up and carried on. The customers seems unfazed by my germs and insisted that I continue to bag their items. As we all know, the customer is always right!

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Heather Morrow is Bertha Schwartz

Who are you and what is your role in this production? Heather Morrow, I play Bertha Schwartz in the show. She has two children who work at the sweatshop in the show, Margaret and Max.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? Oh wow. One of my very first plays, Crushed, was produced at the Walterdale in 1997 — my dramaturge was Vern Thiessen. I’ve done shows for the ADFA One-Act Festival, and I was in Wyrd Sisters in 2011. Outside of the Walterdale, I’ve written and self-produced plays at the Edmonton and Calgary Fringe Festivals, I did a show at the Edinburgh Fringe when I lived in Scotland, and developing a BIG script with an amazing group of people, which I’m hoping to get funding to work on.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? Besides being a stunning show to watch, the subject is especially relevant now. Too many of the clothes we buy now are made in the same conditions that our characters work in, but in other countries…the problems moved because workers in North America got sick of working like that, and I fear we all forget that. As we hear on the news everyday HERE thought, we’re also seeing more incidents of new immigrants or people who simply LOOK like they’re from “somewhere else” being harassed or made to feel lesser, which is what happened to the many, many, new immigrants who were taken advantage of by shops like that in the show. It’s important for people to see a show like this and remember that treating others as less doesn’t simply hurt feelings, it’s dangerous.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’…
– Worst job you ever had, and why? I worked a very strange temp job for a while, for a warehouse company that supplied big rolls of saran-wrap-like stuff to different industries. I had no real training on what I was meant to be doing there, and one day, that water was off in the building but they didn’t shut down until the middle of the day. I’m sure that’s how I caught my first full-blown flu in years — it took me six weeks to completely shake it.

– Funniest thing that ever happened to you in a workplace situation? When I lived in Scotland, I worked in admin at a law firm. Part of my job was to order office supplies for the executives. One day my BIG boss walked in and nonchalantly said, “Could you order me some rubbers?” It took everything I had to not shriek, and process what he’d said — he meant ERASERS. When he left, the other girls sitting with me asked why I was so red. After I explained we got nothing done for the rest of the morning because we were all laughing so hard.

– What was your first job? How old were you and what did it entail? Retail. I was a salesperson in a kitschy clothing store in a very dead mall in Calgary, the summer before I started university in Edmonton. I was 19.

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – James Toupin is Chief Edward F. Croker

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is James Toupin and I play New York Fire Department Chief Edward F. Croker. Before I started doing research for this show, I had no idea that Chief Croker actually instituted the Fire Drill. A Fire Drill is actually called a Croker Drill.

What is your background in theatre? With Walterdale? I graduated from Grant MacEwan’s Theatre Arts program in 1984 and worked professionally as an actor/writer/director until 2004. After 20 years, I needed to take a break for a while. I have never appeared in a Walterdale Theatre production, but I have performed many times in this theatre, including getting married here in 1990.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? First and foremost, because it is an excellent drama. Of course the play deals with the formative years of the labour union movement and explains what they were up against and that is an interesting moment in history.

Since this show deals with workplace ‘issues’ – what is the funniest thing that ever happened to you in a workplace situation? I have to say it was during a children’s theatre performance. I was playing the bad guy and before the show I would always talk to the younger children to let them know I was only acting like the bad guy for the play. The play began with a monologue by my character explain who everyone was and right towards the end of the monologue my character asks, “And do you know who I am?”. Without missing a beat, a little voice from the audience responded, “You’re the bad actor!”.

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Kingsley Leung is Eddie Markowitz

What is your role in The Triangle Factory Fire Project? I am an immigrant. I am a Jew. I helped to make this country strong and diverse. They call me Eddie Markowitz – the head shipping clerk at the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory – played by Kingsley Leung.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? This is my 3rd Walterdale production. When they need Asians or funny looking guys, I get the call. My willingness to shave my body and wear high heels on stage make my talents very unique.

Why do you think audiences should see this show? This will be the best Rom-Com you will see this century! Fiery relationships that go up in smoke, burning desires and trailblazing women.

This is a show about terrible working conditions… to lighten the mood, do you have any funny work stories?  As a hospital porter, I was bringing body parts and limbs down to the morgue. I was in the elevator trying to keep everything from falling off my cart, when the doors open with a bunch of doctors standing there and I ask them, “Do you mind if I get a hand?”. That was exquisite fooling!

Meet the Cast of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT – Kent Sutherland plays Max Blanck!

Who are you and what is your role in this production? My name is Kent Sutherland, and I play Max Blanck one of the co-owners of the Triangle Waist Factory. Blanck is not a very nice person and along with his fellow co-owner, Isaac Harris, the duo was named as one of the Top 10 Worst Bosses in America by TIME Magazine. I also helped build the set and some of the props.

What is your background in theatre? I was involved with theatre throughout elementary and junior high, and then got back into as an adult with my first production being at Walterdale – The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I have since done musicals with Festival Players, Two ONE-WAY Tickets to Broadway, Foote in the Door, and, of course, Walterdale. This is my first non-musical role in a very long time.

Why do you think people should come see The Triangle Fire Factory Project? The story is a significant part of history. It was this fire that was the catalyst for changes in building codes, the implementation of fire drills, and better working conditions for women and immigrants. The play explores the historical, political and social ramifications that resulted from this seminal event, and examines the continuing modern day concerns of corporate greed and responsibility, and the moral and ethical issues surrounding the question, “what is the value of a human life?” Also, the way our director has decided to stage the show is sure to have an effect on the audience and have their feelings run the gamut.

Worst job you ever had, and why? Probably the worst job I ever had was working the graveyard shift at the 7-11 that used to be on 99 St. and 90 Ave. one summer. There was supposed to be two people working the shift, but my co-worker often/always called in sick leaving me to work alone. There were several “interesting” incidents at that location during the graveyard shift while I was employed, and there were several times I did not feel all that safe. During one shift, a customer came in asking where the bathroom was, and I looked up to see his face covered in blood — all I could do was point in the direction of the bathroom.

The Triangle Factory Fire Project runs October 10-20, 2018.
Click here for tickets.

The Cast and Creative Team of THE TRIANGLE FACTORY FIRE PROJECT!

Introducing the Cast and Creative Team of The Triangle Factory Fire Project, up first in our 60th Season!

CAST:

AHMED ALMOKDAD – Abe Gordon, Samuel Gompers
ALLIE CONNOP – Dinah Lifschitz
DANIELLE YU – Rose Friedman, Ida Mittleman
DUSTIN  BERUBE – William Shepherd
EARL DANGWA – William Bernstein/Thug 2
ERIC RICE – Issac Harris
HEATHER MORROW – Bertha Schwartz
JAMES TOUPIN – Fire Chief Crocker
JESSICA RAMISCH – Ensemble
KENT SUTHERLAND –  Max Blanck
KINGSLEY LEUNG – Eddie Markowitz, John Moore
MARC TRILLANES – Max Schwartz
MARIAM GILL – Kate Alterman
MATT BEAIRSTO – Max Steuer, John Meehan
MEGHAN SCHRITT – Margaret Schwartz, May Lavantini
REBECCA BISSONNETTE – Rose Schneiderman, Yetta Lubitz
RUDY SMITH – Charles Bostwick
SAMANTHA WOOLSEY – Mrs. Belmont, Mary Alter
STEPHANIE SWENSRUDE – Ethel Monick
TAHA RIZVI – Samuel Bernstein

CREATIVE TEAM:

BARBARA MAH – Director/Choreographer
MARY ELLEN PERLEY – Stage Manager
M.J. KREISEL – Production Manager
KARIN LAUDERDALE – Costume Designer
LELAND STELCK – Set Designer
PHIL KREISEL – Sound Designer
BRAD MELROSE – Lighting Designer
DEBBIE TYSON – Properties Manager
ROBIN SHINA – Assistant Stage ManagerASM
BROOKE  EMBERLY – Master Painter
JOAN HAWKINS – Assistant Painter
RICHARD HATFIELD – Set Builder
JODE TOEWS – Light Operator
LOUISE MALLORY – Sound Operator
SALLY HUNT – Music Advisor

The Triangle Factory Fire Project runs from October 10-20, 2018.

Click here for tickets!