Tag: Cast

Introducing the Cast and Creative Team of FOLLIES!

CAST:6Follies
SALLY DURANT PLUMMER -Leslie Caffaro
PHYLLIS ROGERS STONE – Monica Roberts
BUDDY PLUMMER – Dustin Berube
BENJAMIN STONE – Gavin Belik
YOUNG SALLY – Tia Yakubowich
YOUNG PHYLLIS – Veronica Masik
YOUNG BUDDY – Allan Cabral de Sa
YOUNG BEN – Aidan Spila
CARLOTTA CAMPION – Kristen M. Finlay
STELLA DEEMS – Joyanne Rudiak
HATTIE WALKER – Karin Thomas
SOLANGE LAFITTE – Jackie Lotery
EMILY WHITMAN – Stacey Grubb
THEODORE WHITMAN – Kent Sutherland
HEIDI SCHILLER – Erin Foster-O’Riordan
DIMITRI WEISMANN/ROSCOE – Morgan Smith
KEVIN (waiter) – Aaron Schaan
Ensemble: Austin Kumar. Michael Watt, Aaron Schaan, Carol Chu, Alyssa Paterson, Stephanie Swensrude, Kayleigh Teatrault, Nadia Small, Christine Maydew

PRODUCTION TEAM
Director/Choreographer – Barbara Mah
Music Director – Michael Clark
Stage Manager – Phil Kreisel
Production Manager – MJ Kreisel
Assistant Choreographer – Christine Maydew
Costume Designer – Karin Lauderdale
Set Designer – David Folk
Lighting Designer – Brad Melrose
Properties Manager – Debbie Tyson
ASM – Danielle Szeponski
Set Builder – Richard Hatfield
ASM – Steven Sobolewski
Sound Designer – Marika Friesen
Live sound (mics) – Tim Friesen
Light Operator – John Anderson
Sound Operator – Christina O’Dell
Set Painter – Karlie Christie

Introducing the Cast and Creative Team of QUEEN MILLI OF GALT

4MilliCast:

Milli: Stephanie O’Neill
Edward: Owen Emblau
Mona: Lauren Tamke
Mrs. Milroy: Anne-Marie Smyth
Godfrey: Robert Klakowich

Production Team:

Liz Cook – Director
Paula Blanco Longa – Assistant Director
Anne Marie Szucs – Mentor Director
Laura Young – Stage Manager
Glenn Cook – Production Manager
Catherine Wenschlag – Mentor PM
Jim Herchak – Set Designer
Roy Jackson – Lighting Designer
Phil Kreisel – Sound Designer
Geri Dittrich – Costume Designer
Karin Lauderdale – Costume Ass’t/Assigned DoP
Alayna Hunchak – Props Master
Assistant Stage Manager – TBA
Lighting Operator – TBA
Sound Operator – TBA
Richard Hatfield – Master Builder
Joan Hawkins – Master Painter
Kimberly North – Assistant Painter

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – Miranda Broumas is Lady Windermere

1047556Who are you and what is your role in Lady Windermere’s Fan? My name is Miranda Broumas, and I’m playing Lady Windermere.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I took drama, advanced acting, and oral communication classes from junior high through post-secondary. In 2013, I retired from competitive and professional dance to focus my extracurricular efforts on theatre. 2016 roles include Lucy in Raine (New Works Festival 2016), Cunningham in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (University of Alberta), and Dawn in Seven Lost Minutes (35th Annual Edmonton Fringe Festival). Lady Windermere’s Fan will be my first production at Walterdale Theatre.

What brought you out for this show? Why did you want to be a part of it? I’m a big fan of Oscar Wilde, a major nerd for Victorian literature, and I liked the challenge of learning a proper English accent. Lady Windermere is also a rather interesting character to play. She and I share distaste for egocentric and smug people, but we differ in that she holds very black-and-white views. Personal growth and maturity entail learning at least some level of elasticity, and it’s really fun to navigate that journey with her.

Why should audiences check out the show? Lady Windermere’s Fan brilliantly juxtaposes the amusing and the serious, putting a comedic and melodramatic twist on themes that everyone can relate to. If you’ve ever felt pressure to uphold reputation, save face, or create the illusion that everything is fine when it really isn’t; if you’ve ever witnessed hypocrisy, felt burdened by social mores and conformity, or faced social ostracism at school or work; if you’ve ever withheld information to protect someone you love, or experienced the joyous complexity of family and romantic relationships, then you’ll surely identify with a character or two. Plus, it’s written by Oscar Wilde…how could you miss it?

What has been the most fun part of working on the show? Among a host of other aspects, like our fantastic team, I’d say the costumes are a pretty fun part of the show. The play takes place at a time in history when manners and mannerisms were held to the highest standard – when folks scrutinized over every minute detail of their posture, breath, and physical interactions with others. When the ladies started rehearsing in corsets, long trains and character shoes, you could really see life breathed into our characters (while the oxygen was simultaneously pushed out of our lungs) – everybody’s spines straightened and upper lips stiffened just a bit more. It’s also pretty entertaining to see the gentlemen commit to period-appropriate facial hair.

Favourite Oscar Wilde quote: “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – David Owen is Lord Augustus Lorton

david-owenWho: I am David Owen and I play Lord Augustus Lorton.

What is my background in theatre: I have a PhD in theatre and performance studies from York University, an MFA in Directing from the U of C, and an MA in Dramatic Theory and Criticism from the U of A. I am also a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada. At the Walterdale, I was the Artistic Director from 1999-2001 and directed Doctor Faustus and The Birthday Party. As an actor at the Walterdale, I was in The Grace of Mary Traverse, Jehanne of the Witches, and the one-act Enter the Giants.

What brought me out: I moved back to Edmonton last year and I wanted to audition for Glengarry Glen Ross but my schedule wouldn’t allow it. This year, finding myself back in Edmonton again and with a more forgiving schedule AND an Oscar Wilde show to try out for, I jumped at the chance! It feels great to be back.

Why should audiences come out: Who doesn’t like to laugh? Audiences should come see the show because it is ridiculously funny but also because it allows us to laugh at ourselves and at relationships and false appearances and societies pressures. These can all be very stressful at times, and taken too seriously, and we can all benefit from a playful critique of this “demmed thing we call society.”

The most fun thing: The outrageous accents!

The most challenging thing: The outrageous accents!

Favourite Wilde quote: “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.” Algernon, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN – Hannah Haugen is Lady Agatha Carlisle!

img_4068Who are you and what is your role in Lady Windermere’s Fan? My name is Hannah Haugen and in Lady Windermere’s Fan I play Lady Agatha Carlisle-the contained daughter of a Duchess and soft spoken young lady of the upper class. Agatha is a joy to play and a creative challenge with her limited and joyous dialogue.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I have been acting since nine years old and just graduated from Jasper Place High School as a very involved drama student. Over my time there I took part in lots of productions, the most recent as Emily Webb in Our Town. The past three years I have preformed on the Walterdale stage at the Zone 8 City One Act Festival in anything from Chekhov to MacIvor.

Why do you think audiences should come see the show? Lady Windermere’s Fan is a funny and vibrant piece that audiences will come to enjoy the aristocratic energy, classic humor and insightful moments on life and class. I personally love the ability of so many characters in this piece to house eccentricity and hilarity whilst never losing their realism or worth.

What has been most enjoyable part of the process so far? So far the most fun moments in rehearsal have been working with Leslie Caffaro who plays my Mother (The Duchess of Berrwick) as she pushes around her doting daughter with some serious style. Or the cupcakes at lasts week’s rehearsal, it’s a tie really. Either way Lady Windermere’s Fan will be a pulsing and comical production I hope to see lots and lots of people enjoy!

Meet the Cast of LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN by Oscar Wilde

2Lady's FanAuditions were completed this week for Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde, directed by Martin Stout.

We’re excited to welcome back many Walterdale members as well as welcome in several brand new ones!

Join us onstage in December for this witty piece from Oscar Wilde!

CAST:
Mrs. Erlynne – Marsha Amanova
Lady Windermere – Miranda Broumas
Duchess of Berwick – Leslie Caffaro
Mrs. Cowper-Cowper – Grace Chapman
Rosalie (Maid) – Emanuelle Dubbeldam
Lord Darlington – Dan Fessenden
Lady Agatha Carlisle – Hannah Haugen
Lady Plymdale – Brittany Hinse
Lord Windermere – Patrick Maloney
Parker (Butler) – Ed Medeiros
Mr Dumby – Andy Mikula
Mr Cecil Graham – Brayden O’Boyle
Lord Augustus Lorton – David Owen
Lady Stutfield – Roseanna Sargent
Mr Hopper – Craig Sephton
Lady Jedburgh – Samantha VandenBrink

Production Team:
Director – Martin Stout
Assistant Director – Madeleine Stout
Production Manager – Karin Lauderdale
Set Designer – Leland Stelck
Lighting Designer – Richard Hatfield
Costume Designer – Geri Dittrich
Props – Emily Randall
Master Builder – Pierre Valois
Master Painter – Joan Heys Hawkins

Introducing the Cast and Creative Team for RED by John Logan

1RedRed
By John Logan
Directed by Bethany Hughes
On Stage: October 12-22, 2016

John Logan’s Red follows the apprenticeship of Ken, a young painter, under the volatile and famous abstract expressionist Mark Rothko.  He mixes paint, runs errands, and clean s brushes, but he ends up being the audience for Rothko’s beliefs about art and the world.  When Rothko is commissioned to produced a grand piece of art, Ken turns the table of Rothko and his beliefs.

“There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend… One day the black will swallow the red.”

Cast:
Rothko – Mark Finlay
Ken – Ben Osgood

Creative Team:
Director – Bethany Hughes
Mentor Director – Sarah Van Tassel
Stage Manager – Anglia Redding
Production Manager – Catherine Wenschlag
Set Designer – Joan Hawkins
Light Designer – Brad Melrose
Sound Designer – Daniel Belland
Costume Designer – Geri Dittrich
Props Manager – TBA
Assistant Stage Manager – TBA
LX Operator – Laura Ly
Sound Operator – TBA
Master Builder – Alan Westen
Master Painter – TBA

Meet the Cast of CHESS – Kate Wylie is Svetlana!

SvetlanaWhat is your role in Chess? I am playing the character of Svetlana, Anatoly’s (the Russian Chess Champion) wife. She faces a lot of struggles including being a woman in communist Russia and dealing with a dying marriage. Her future is very uncertain through much of the production.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I grew up doing theatre – musical theatre in particular. I am a graduate of the MacEwan Theatre Arts Program, although in those days it was Grant MacEwan College. When I moved back to Edmonton from Toronto after a very long hiatus from theatre, I did my first production at the Walterdale – Nine. I then had another opportunity to work with the amazing Kristen Finlay and Sally Hunt again on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with ELOPE theatre. Since then I have been away from the theatre completing my MBA. It feels great to be back at  Walterdale!

What brought you out for this show? What drew you to it? I grew up listening to the LP of the original concept album of Chess. I am definitely showing my age when I say it was an LP! It has always been one of my favourite musicals. The music is fantastic and full of interesting layers. In spite of the fact that it is such an amazing show, it rarely gets produced. Because of that, I had to jump at the chance to do it. Lucky for me, our lovely director was willing to accommodate my rather crazy schedule, which included a study tour in Europe during the rehearsal period. Thanks again for that Kristen!

Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? The music first and foremost! There are such great tunes in this show. The show also provides an interesting journey back into the years of the Cold War. The 1980’s do not seem like they were that long ago but the world has changed an absolutely incredible amount since then. It’s fascinating looking back.

Chess is a Board Game… What’s your favorite Board Game? Why? Got any funny game-playing stories? My favourite game to play is Cribbage. I grew up in rural Saskatchewan, where everyone plays Crib and my great-grandmother (G.G. we called her) taught us all to play, usually around the tender age of 8. She was ruthless! She would steal your points if you didn’t count them right. Needless to say you learned how to count properly pretty quickly! My husband and I also played Crib on our first date….maybe that sounds lame and I should be ashamed to admit it but it was sweet and fun. I won both games – he’ll claim he let me win but knowing how competitive he is there’s no way that’s true!

Meet the Cast of CHESS – Alyssa Paterson is in the Ensemble

Meet the Cast of CHESS – Katelyn Arthurs is in the Ensemble

What is your role in the production? I am in the ensemble, so I wear several different hats during the show – Russian, American, Thai Woman, CIA, and so on and so forth! I love the fact that you get so much variety during each show in who you’re playing, and I’m also loving the new challenge of trying to sing the alto lines in the music. Oh… and also trying to sing said alto parts in Hungarian.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I’ve been involved with community theatre ever since I was a kid. It was a natural outlet for me so my parents could subject other people to my spontaneous song and dance numbers. I was lucky enough to discover the Walterdale shortly after moving to Edmonton in 2006, and haven’t looked back. It’s a great organization and a wonderful place to learn and experiment.

What brought you out for this show? What drew you to it? Firstly, I love working with Kristen (our director) every chance I get! Secondly, once I checked out the music I was hooked.

Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? It’s not your conventional musical. It’s very contemporary and doesn’t shy away from real-world issues. There’s no “musical-world bubble”. Also, the music is OUTSTANDING and we have a fantastic cast to showcase it. You will probably get goosebumps more than once during this show! The good kind, we promise.

Chess is a board game… What’s your favourite board game and why? I’m a die-hard Monopoly girl. I like to think I have a head for strategy, but it’s mostly just luck.Capture As far as why, who doesn’t like having that much money (even if it’s fake) at their disposal? Why yes, I will buy both those railways!