Tag: Member

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 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.

More 2018 Fringe shows featuring Walterdale Members! We are everywhere!

BUYER AND CELLAR

Description: Barbra Streisand has a mall in her basement (TRUTH!). Meet Alex, the man who has to work there (… not true). Don’t miss the Edmonton premiere of the outrageous off-Broadway smash hit about the price of fame, the cost of things, and the oddest of odd jobs.

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AN ANTHOLOGY OF GHASTLY TALES

Description: In the tradition of “Twilight Zone” and “Tales from the Crypt” comes stories too horrifying to tell an elementary class, told by a teacher on his last day of teaching. A new play from the demented mind behind “An Evening with the Heaven’s Gate Singers” – **** – EdmontonFringe.ca

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[TITLE OF SHOW]

Description: Who says four chairs and a keyboard can’t make a musical? In this hilarious Tony nominated musical, we join Jeff and Hunter, two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical. Witness four artists craft a love letter to musical theatre!

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FOR WHOM THE SOUTHERN BELLE TOLLS and BED BUG BOSSA NOVA

Description: DOUBLE FEATURE: Take one fading southern belle, her overly-sensitive son, his collection of glass cocktail stirrers, toss in a loudmouth “feminine” caller then watch as pandemonium ensues courtesy of playwright Christopher Durang. ALSO catch two horny bedbugs seeking love’n’lust between the sheets in an award-winning production by Gerald Osborn.

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Stay tuned for more shows featuring Walterdale members past and present!

More 2018 Fringe Shows featuring Walterdale Members!

ESCAPED ALONE

Description: Three old friends and a neighbor. A summer of afternoons in the backyard. Tea and catastrophe. The future. Domestic and wild. [Ms. Churchill is] “the most dazzlingly inventive living dramatist in the English language.” She is the author of Cloud Nine and Top Girls.

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THE GREAT WHOREHOUSE FIRE OF 1921

Description: Big Valley, Alberta 1921. An enterprising madame establishes a brothel, leading to conflict and unexpected friendship with a town matron. Tension turns to crisis when the brothel is burned down. This true story is reimagined with wit, sarcasm, and very good wigs.

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NONNA’S STORY

Description: An operatic & intergenerational yet bitter-sweet cross-section of an immigrant-Neapolitan-Italian-Canadian matriarch’s life, and that of her boisterous blue-collar working class family. Told through the lens of the formerly Edmontonian, queer, performing artist author of the story, it examines why it’s important to remember & honour who/where we came from…

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XANADU

Description: XANADU follows Greek muse Kira, who descends from Mount Olympus to Venice Beach in 1980 to inspire a struggling artist to strive for his greatest creative achievement ever – a ROLLER DISCO! But when Kira falls into forbidden love, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation, and chaos abounds.

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Stay posted for more!

 

Check out these Fringe Shows that Feature Walterdale Members!

MISCAST

Miscast is a Cabaret of epic proportions. Forget everything you know about Broadway! Gender Bending. Mind bending. Body bending. Guaranteed to entertain, inspire and elate. MisCast has it all, from the romantic ballads to roaring tap. MisCast is one you don’t want to miss.

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GUENEVERE

Written as a Greek tragedy and imparted in poetry, Guenevere is a reflection of the life of its titular character and the Camelot legend. The story is told from the feminine perspective and is unlike any other version of the legend you have seen.

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TRAGEDY: A TRAGEDY

A local news team bravely stands in front of an unfolding catastrophe prepared to bring unflinching coverage. But as the night wears on and answers can’t be found… they flinch. From the Sterling Award-winning company behind “Never Swim Alone” (*****) and held-over hit, “Legoland.”

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SOFIE’S WILD RIDE

Wise-cracking Golden Gal Sofie Palermo has gone to the great beyond…or so she thinks. Join Sofie’s trip down memory lane with daughter Doralee (a square), best friends Brooke (a sexpot) and Rowe (a nitwit). Does Sofie learn a lesson? Maybe; maybe not. Either way, this 83-year-old is wickedly funny!

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Stay tuned for more!

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! 

Meet the Director of THE WOMEN – Catherine Wenschlag!

What is your role on The Women? What does that entail? I’m the director – a statement that fills me with equal parts joy and anxiety. As the director, I chose the play, put together a design team, auditioned and cast the actors, and am now working with everyone to put it all together.

What is your background in theatre? In Edmonton? At Walterdale? Since getting involved with theatre at the young age of 8, I’ve been an actor, stage manager, lighting operator, production manager, administrator, box office manager, and – most recently – a director. I’ve been with Walterdale since 2009 and am truly thrilled to be directing my second show here, following The Sunset Syndrome in 2016.

Why did you choose this script for Walterdale? There are three main things that led me to choose The Women. First, the sheer number of women involved – I have 17 actors playing 39 characters and it’s been a joy going on this adventure with them. I feel it really serves the Walterdale community to have a large female cast. Second, the humour – it’s biting and witty and dark and physical and so fun to play with!  And third, the chance to tell an 80 year old story and show how it’s still relevant today.

What do you think audiences will take away from the show? Why do you think they should come and see it? My hope is that people will have a wonderful time watching the show, and then, perhaps they will have a conversation with their friends about the characters, their choices, even the role women play in the world today – and how they can grow and change that role in their own circle of influence.

What is the most challenging obstacle that you think women have overcome in the last century? In many ways, I think the biggest obstacles we’ve overcome are the ones we’re still jumping the hurdles of to get even further ahead. To have the vote, birth control, the freedom to leave an abusive partner – these were amazing accomplishments. But we have so far to go – in getting more women voted in to positions of power, stopping men (or anyone) from deciding what a woman can do with her body, and ending all domestic violence are still a ways off – but not impossible. Especially if we can see and treat other women as our allies, not enemies, and work together.

Meet the Cast of THE WOMEN – Lilianna Coyes-Loiselle is Little Mary

What is your role in The Women? I play Little Mary, Mary’s daughter. Little Mary is a smart, sensitive little girl who’s got an attitude. She wants nothing to with being a girl and loathes the fact that she is turning into a woman.

What is your background in theatre? In Edmonton? At Walterdale? This is my first show at the Walterale!! I graduated from JH Picard High School last year where I was involved in several shows including Othello, Amadeus, and Alice.

What brought you out for The Women? I wanted to continue doing theatre after high school and auditioning for The Women at the Walterdale was the perfect opportunity! Plus… an all female cast!? I was totally in after that. 🙂

What do you think audiences will take away from the show? Why do you think they should come and see it? That all men cheat on their wives and women can’t trust each other. Just kidding. After seeing the show, I think audiences will be much more grateful for the supportive friends they have who they can confide and trust in.

What is the most challenging obstacle that you think women have overcome in the last century? What a hard question! Women have overcome so much in the last century it’s hard to pick one single obstacle. I would say though that the biggest obstacle women have faced in the last century is shifting from being confined to the private sphere of the home to the public sphere. One hundred years ago, women were trapped in their own homes as well as their role of taking care of her husband, kids, and the house. Breaking free from this role and becoming a part of the public sphere was extremely challenging and took a lot of courage and determination. I think that when women overcame this, the wheels were set in motion for the rest of the changes towards women’s rights and empowerment that happened and continue to happen throughout history. Based on the news and what everyone is talking about today, I think the sexual abuse problem that has blown up around the world is the most important issue facing women today. We’ve come a long way, but issues like this remind us that we are still a very long way off.

 

Meet the Cast of THE WOMEN – Jenn Robinson is Edith Potter!

What is your role in The Women? I am playing Edith Potter. She is new money and doesn’t quite fit in with her high society friends. She is often saying or doing the wrong things, but it doesn’t phase her at all. She is perpetually pregnant, always eating, and a total blast to play.
What is your background in theatre? In Edmonton? At Walterdale? I took drama classes in school but haven’t really done much since. A few years ago I started taking vocal lessons with Edmonton Vocal Arts. That inspired me to get involved with acting again and since then I’ve taken courses at the Foote Theatre and became involved with Actor’s Gym. I worked as assistant stage manager on Boeing Boeing at the Walterdale a few years ago and I loved it. I am very excited to be working with Walterdale again, this time in front of the curtain.
What brought you out for The Women? I had a great time working on the last show I was involved with at the Walterdale, and I thought it would be the perfect place to get back into theatre. I was also very interested in being a part of an all female production, and have had an amazing time working with all of these hilarious and incredibly talented women.
What do you think audiences will take away from the show? Why do you think they should come and see it? I hope they laugh their asses off but then go home afterwards and think ‘damn that’s real’. Our director Catherine Wenschlag has done an incredible job of bringing this show into our century and creating situations and relationships that are still relevant and real in our current society. I think on the surface our show is very funny and will have audiences laughing, but at the core it is a very insightful glimpse into women’s roles in society and the complexities of female friendships. Other women can be our best friends and our greatest enemies.
What do you think is the most important issue facing women today (in North America? Globally?)? Why? I think one of the biggest obstacles women continue to face today is sexual harassment, especially in the work place. We have witnessed the downfall of many powerful male celebrities over the past few months due to sexual harassment claims and charges. Sadly this is not new, it’s just finally being talked about by the media. Women have been dealing with this for decades, forced to remain silent for fear of losing their jobs, being judged, or worse not being believed. It’s about time people are finally talking about it, and taking steps to fight it. It’s beautiful the way women are banding together to support each other. But this fight is not over, and it won’t be until women are in a place where they feel safe and comfortable to come forward about sexual harassment in their work place, or god forbid when we live in a time where women no longer have to face that abuse at all.