Meteor Shower

(he/him) For Theatre Calgary: Noises Off, A Christmas Carol (2012 - 2018). Elsewhere: Born and raised in Calgary,  Braden has spent the last 20 years as an actor, playwright, puppeteer, and arts educator. He has performed in (just  shy of) 100 professional productions (most of them right here in Alberta); Cipher, written with Ellen Close, was  produced at both Vertigo Theatre and the Arts Club (Vancouver), and their play, My Family and Other Endangered  Species is published through Playwrights Canada Press; his puppetry work has been seen live in Singapore,  Malaysia, Australia, and the United States, but can also be streamed (via Apple+) on two seasons of The Jim Henson Company’s, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. He’s been nominated for a bunch of (and won a few) awards, some for acting, some for playwriting, none for puppetry, but his parents, partner (Camille), and niece (Findley) are  (likely) proud, nonetheless.

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Helen is a two-time BettyMItchell Award winner for The Last Wife, and  The Virgin Trial (Alberta Theatre Projects), and was most recently seen in Sleuth (Vertigo Theatre). Other select  credits include Murder in the Studio (Vertigo Theatre), The Wedding Party (Alberta Theatre Projects), The Virgin Trial (Soulpepper Theatre), Last Christmas, A Good Marriage (Lunchbox Theatre), Tomorrow’s Child (Ghost River  Theatre). Helen has also toured her own works - FUGLY; The Art of Kneading - around Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. It should be said that I love this play and its dark and bizarre humour, and I’m so thankful to Lezlie and the team for letting me come and play with you all. And to O, thank you for your ongoing support - you’re okay, I guess.

(he/him) For Theatre Calgary: King Lear. Elsewhere: Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, and As You Like It for The  Shakespeare Company; The Huron Bride, Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem, Vertigo Theatre; STRUCK, Ghost River Theatre; The Quarrel, My Name is Asher Lev, Pacific Theatre; The Sound of Music, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Chemainus Theatre Festival; The Trip to Bountiful, Doubt, Freud’s Last Session, Underneath the Lintel, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jake and the Kid, Damien, Oliver, The Good Doctor, Fiddler on  the Roof, Talley’s Folly, May and Joe, The Kite, Rosebud Theatre. Nathan is so pleased to be back a Theatre Calgary! He has trained with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts and at Rosebud School of the Arts where he is currently the Head of the Acting programme.

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: The Kite Runner (Citadel Theatre co-pro). Elsewhere: The Apple Cart, The Clearing  (Shaw Festival), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband, Julius Caesar, The Aeneid (Stratford Festival); The  Hooves Belonged to the Deer (Tarragon Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times); A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Mirvish/Royal MTC);  Cost of Living (Arts Club/Citadel); Shakespeare in Love (Citadel/Royal MTC); Salt-Water Moon (Why Not/Factory  Theatre); Death of the King, BloodWedding, Hallaj (Modern Times); Le Placard, Les Zinspirés 2.0 (Théâtre Français  de Toronto); Unholy, HER2 (Nightwood); Kiss (Canadian Stage/Theatre Smash/ARC); Oil, Pomona, Moment, Bea  (ARC); Minotaur (YPT). Film/TV: Good Sam (CBS); What We Do in the Shadows (FX); Kim’s Convenience (CBC);  Dear David (Buzzfeed); Inedia (Good Question Media/Experimental Forest Films); Covert Affairs (USA Network/GED  Productions). Awards: six-time Dora Award nominee (Individual and Ensemble), two-time Sterling Award nominee  (Individual and Ensemble).

(he/him) For Theatre Calgary: A Christmas Carol (2015-16, 2023). Elsewhere (selected): The Strange Case of Dr.  Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Extractionist (Vertigo Theatre); Premium Content (Major Matt Mason); Chariots Of Fire  (Grand Theatre): Gordon (Theatre Network); This Is War (Punctuate); The Circle (ATP). Selected Film/TV: Range Roads (North Country Cinema); The Expanse (Amazon Prime); Black Summer (Netflix). Joe is a Calgary based artist and creator working across Canada in theatre, film, and television. He graduated from Mount Royal University’s  Performance Program and received his BFA in acting from the University of Alberta.

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Amy is a theatre practitioner who creates, collaborates, writes, and performs in  and around town. As a performer she has been lucky enough to work with Alberta Theatre Projects, Lunchbox  Theatre, The Citadel Theatre, Evergreen Theatre, Dancing Monkey Laboratories, The Shakespeare Company, Sage’s  IGNITE festival, Goodger-Pink Productions, Swallow-A-Bicycle, Third Street Theatre, and Reckless Daughter  Creative. Amy is also a graduate of York University’s Devised Theatre program, a Registered Massage Therapist,  instructor of youth drama classes, and photographer of clouds. She would like to thank the many incredible humans  that helped make this possible.

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Elsewhere: Directing credits include two seasons at the Shaw Festival and eight  seasons at the Stratford Festival, where she directed H.M.S Pinafore, An Ideal Husband, and most recently, Spamalot. She was also associate director on Henry V and assistant director on Jesus Christ Superstar at Stratford,  La Jolla Playhouse and on Broadway. Her movie musical, Red Letter Day, won a New York International film award and was selected by several international film festivals. As a writer her musicals include Sticky Fingers, Dead  Reckoning, Nobody’s Children, and The Gifted Prince, optioned by Somerled Arts and currently in development in  NYC. The Gifted Prince was short-listed for the Tom Hendry Award for best new musical in Canada. Lezlie’s song,  Portrait of Me, was one 10 songs chosen for the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song competition in London, UK. She is currently in development for a musical adaptation of Macbeth entitled, Weird. lezliefwade.com

(he/him) For Theatre Calgary: Camelot, Evita (2003), The Mountaintop. Elsewhere: Design coordinator for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of  Canada for 22 seasons with over 30 production design credits. Designer for Steven Fry’s Mythos for the Shaw Festival as well as the English National  Tour. Director of Design for the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show 2014-23. Director of Design and Associate Director for the UAE 50th Jubilee  Celebrations. Director of Design for the opening and closing ceremonies for the Arab Games in Doha, Qatar. Director of Design for David Atkins Enterprises. Director of Design for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics opening, medals, and closing ceremonies. Director of Design for the opening and closing ceremonies for the Asian Games Doha, Qatar. Director of Design for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2012 Men’s World Handball championships. Over 35 years of experience designing for television, theatre, film, international events, and touring productions around the world.

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Jessica is a designer from Montreal where she graduated in Set and Costume Design from the National Theatre School in 2006. Recent credits include costume designs for Foxfinder (Imago Theatre, 2022) for which she was nominated for Outstanding Costume Design at the METAs; Les Géants (Cirque Éloize, 2022); and the opera Incoronazione di Poppea (Atelier Lyrique, 2023). Her upcoming projects include costume designs for Chimerica at Théâtre Duceppe, and for RBO with Cirque du Soleil. Jessica is absolutely thrilled to be working with Lezlie again! jessicapchang.com

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: The Mousetrap, Little Women, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare by the Bow), Ragtime: A Concert Performance, Steel Magnolias. Beth is a an award-winning theatre maker, lighting, set, projection, and mixed-reality designer. Her work has been seen on stages around the world for over 30 years, most recently at the Blyth Festival with James Reaney’s rarely performed Donnelly Trilogy (adapted & directed by Gil Garratt). A leader in new forms of performance with technology, she is a Digital Dramaturg, leads experimental VR Performance creation workshops, and co-created and directed Bury The Wren, a Virtual Reality/Live performance with Neil Christensen. Beth’s favourite production is her son, Aaron, who is often in the theatre and VR with her! www.playgroundstudios.ca

(he/him) For Theatre Calgary: Iceland, Blow Wind High Water, Hamlet (Shakespeare by the Bow). Selected credits include: Sound Design and Original Composition for Clue, Murder on the Orient Express, Dracula: The Bloody Truth, Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem, Nine Dragons, The Haunting, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Travels with my Aunt, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Woman in Black, Noirville (Vertigo Mystery Theatre); Macbeth (The Shakespeare Company/Hit & Myth/Vertigo); In On It, The Surrogate (Lunchbox); The After, aWay (ANCHOR|RED Theatre); Shakespeare’s Dog (Alberta Theatre Projects); Lieutenant of Inishmore (Ground Zero Theatre/ Hit & Myth); Blood: A Scientific Romance (Sage Theatre); Le Gros Spectacle (The Wind-up Dames/ATP playRites 2006); PARANOiA (The Wind-up Dames/Ground Zero Theatre). He has received three Betty Mitchell Awards and was a nominee for an AMPIA Award for the short film The Money Tree. Andrew wishes to thank his darling wife Brieanna and his most amazing designs ever, Sebastian and Rowan. Formy sweet Ruby, and enduring Beans.

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville. Anastasia is a queer, certified intimacy director and coordinator. She is a  founding member of Principal Intimacy Professionals (PIPs) and an instructor for PIP’s SAG-AFTRA accredited intimacy training program. Select  credits include: The Immaculate Perfection (Body Cube Arts/ High Performance Rodeo), Stage Kiss (Pine Tree Players), Bombay Black (Alberta Theatre Projects), Frankenstein (Jupiter Theatre), Hurry Hard (Western Canada Theatre), Brontë (Studio Theatre UofA), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure For Measure (FreeWill Shakespeare), Genesis: The Mary Shelley Play (Edinburgh Fringe). Special thanks to her PIPs Pals and loved ones for their ongoing support.

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: Assistant Director - A Christmas Carol (2023), Resident Voice Coach – More than 65 productions since 2000 including: The Mousetrap, Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville, Forgiveness, Little Women, The Importance of Being Earnest, Million Dollar Quartet, Steel  Magnolias, Admissions, The Louder We Get, Noises Off, Billy Elliot the Musical, 12 seasons of Shakespeare by the Bow and 15 years of A Christmas  Carol (including playing Mrs. Cratchit from 2001-02). Additionally, Jane adapted and directed the 2022 Shakespeare on the Go production of The  Merry Wives of Windsor. She has also worked for ATP, Vertigo Theatre, and The Shakespeare Company. Jane also coaches Voice and Presence through her business Voice Activated. She has taught Voice for the Actor and Acting at such institutions as York University, Harvard University, Southern  Methodist University, MRU, UofA, and is currently on faculty in the Drama Division in the School of Creative & Performing Arts at UCalgary.

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: Doubt, A Parable (Assistant Stage Manager). Elsewhere: Lisa Russell has worked in dance, theatre and musical theatre in theatres across Canada and is happy to be back at Theatre Calgary. Selected credits include: Trouble in Mind (MTC/Citadel Theatre); Six and Hadestown (Citadel Theatre); Flight, Fidelio (Pacific Opera Victoria); The Unnatural and Accidental Women (National Arts Centre); The New Canadian Curling Club, Glory (Alberta Theatre Projects); Die Fledermaus, Madame Butterfly (Calgary Opera); Elf, The Cure for Death for Lightning, Liberation Days and Les Misérables (Western Canada Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, The Drowning Girls (Globe Theatre); Grace & Glorie, Over the River and Through the Woods (Chemainus Theatre Festival); The December Man, Steel Kiss (Green Thumb Theatre). Lisa was the production stage manager for the Summer Arts Festival at the Banff Centre for four years and spent seven seasons at the Stratford Festival. Lisa is a Sessional Instructor at the  University of Calgary and MacEwan University.

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare on the Go), The Importance of Being Earnest (Apprentice Stage Manager). Elsewhere: The F Word, Men Express Their Feelings (Downstage); Magic Lies: An Evening with W.O. Mitchell, A Christmas Story, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol, The Christians, An Inspector Calls. (Rosebud Theatre); Makambe Speaks (Ghost River Theatre); Gaslight (ASM - Vertigo Theatre); Heaven (APSM - Lunchbox Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (CYPT); [titleofshow] (Birnton Theatricals). She is also an actor, musician, seamstress, part-time princess and baker of many cupcakes. Naomi is delighted to be back at Theatre Calgary this season!

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Charlotte is an emerging Stage Manager in Alberta and is thrilled to be a part of this team. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Stage Management program, and she would like to thank her family and friends for their continued love and support! Recent credits include: Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night (Freewill Shakespeare); Trouble In Mind (Citadel Theatre); Honk! The Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher (Storybook Theatre); Home for the Holidays (Lunchbox Theatre); New Mythic Works (Thousand Faces Festival); Rochdale, She Kills Monsters, Love Labour’s Lost (U of A Studio Theatre). Enjoy the show!

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Madeline is an emerging set and lighting designer from Calgary, working across Alberta. Recent design credits  include: The Dark Lady (Lunchbox Theatre); Cottagers and Indians (Lunchbox Theatre); After Faust (RISER and Invisible Practice); Smoke (Tiny Bear Jaws); Ministry of Mundane Mysteries: Sound Off (Outside the March); Caribbean Muskrat (Teatro La Quindicina), Hireath (Bright Young Things), En Attendant...Godot (L’UniThéâtre); Enchanted Antlers ‘21, ‘22 and 23’ (Theatre Prospero). She was a part of the Lunchbox’s 2022-23 Associate Artist Company, which reintroduced her to the Calgary arts scene after studying and working in Edmonton. Madeline holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta in Drama (Theatre Design). Big thanks to Theatre Calgary and Beth for this opportunity.

* TC Mentors participants are generously supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Program.

(she/her) For Theatre Calgary: A Christmas Carol (2023), Ragtime: A Concert Performance. Jessica discovered her love for the performing arts at a  young age. She believes sharing her passion through acting or teaching is one of the best experiences in life. When Jessica is not performing, she is very proud to be an award-winning choreographer for the Youth Singers of Calgary, as well as teaching students from across the city to hone and discover their passion for the performing arts through various classes and private lessons. She is a Betty Mitchell Award nominated performer and has had the pleasure of performing across Canada, the United States, Europe, and South America. She holds a performance diploma from Mount Royal University (Calgary, AB) and BFA from Concordia University (Montreal, QC). Jessica is very thankful for the entire team at Theatre Calgary as well as her loved ones and supporters.

* TC Mentors participants are generously supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Program.

(she/her) Theatre Calgary debut. Emily is a professional Alberta based theatre artist whose work is governed by the ethics of love - the belief that everyone is connected, that other people’s well-being enhances your own, and that every person is innately deserving of being treated with care, commitment, knowledge, respect, and trust. Emily has directed for theatres across Canada, produced several theatre productions for multiple Alberta-based theatre companies and is also the founder and artistic director of Light in the Dark Theatre, a company dedicated to telling stories of hope and healing. In 2018, Emily was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award for her work with Light in the Dark Theatre and her practice of utilizing live theatre to inspire hope, incite positive change and build community. When Emily is not working in theatre, you will find her working as a professional fine art and event photographer.

* TC Mentors participants are generously supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Program.