Department of Theatre
Alumni News and Kudos
university of victoria

 


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Alumni News and Kudos

Summer 2010



Kaitlin Williams (BFA '09) has been busy with the Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, starring in their production of Godspell (May 28- July 3, 2010). Last March she was also in their production of I Was Meant for the Stage.

Blue Bridge Theatre's summer line up (see above) includes a host of UVic alumni including performances by Kholby Wardell (BFA ' 08), Celine Stubel (BFA '02) Celine Richmond (BFA '08) and set and/or costume designs by Nathan Brown (BFA '09), Patrick du Wors (BFA '02) and current student Patricia Reilly. Other current undergraduate students include Alex Plouffe (Wreckage) and Patricia Trihn (Romeo & Juliet, Medea).


Eva Markvoort. Photo by Cyrus McEachern.

Eva Markvoort (BFA '10)
a 25-year-old graduate from the Department of Theatre succumbed to a life-long battle with cystic fibrosis on March 27. A native of New Westminster, Eva’s indomitable spirit and energy were inspiring to everyone who learned of her struggles. Her blog, 65_RedRoses, chronicled her experiences with the disease and advocated support for cystic fibrosis and the importance of organ donation. As an acting student at UVic, Eva performed in four mainstage productions at the Phoenix Theatre: Taming of the Shrew, Listen to the Wind, Tyrants and Guys and Dolls. Her professors remember her as a talented actor and a person who fearlessly embraced every opportunity. In 2007, Eva became too ill to continue her education. Later that year, she received a double lung transplant, which went into chronic rejection last summer. This past February, although short two credits, UVic fast-tracked her degree, which was delivered to her hospital room in Vancouver.  Eva’s story gained an international presence through a documentary film, also named 65_RedRoses which won awards at the 2009 Hot Docs festival in Toronto and the Vancouver International Film Festival. In 2010, the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation recognized her commitment and advocacy work with the prestigious Summerhayes Award. Eva leaves an inspirational legacy – not only her tireless efforts for the causes that that impassioned her – but also one of strength, love, courage, dignity and hope that has motivated thousands around the world. Donations can be made in Markvoort's name to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or learn more information about Project Give Life.

A memorial will be held in the afternoon (Time TBA) at the Department of Theatre on September 26, 2010 with a viewing of the documentary 65_RedRoses. More information about this event will be posted on the department's website in September.

March 2010




Mrs Lovett's pie shop in Sweeny Todd at the Citadel in Edmonton: set by Mary Kerr.

Faculty member Mary Kerr's designs of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street garnered some rave reviews when it ran at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton from February 6 to 28, 2010. The play was directed by Bob Baker with lighting by Itai Erdal.

The review from the Edmonton Sun: "Mary Kerr's set helps. Dark and forbidding, with twisted angles and expressionist lighting, it's as if she has sliced up the architecture of pre-Dickensian London and hung its essence in space."

The University of Victoria expedited the bachlors degree for Eva Markvoort (BFA'10) in February. Eva, who suffers with cystic fibrosis, was a student at the Department of Theatre until 2007 until she became too ill to finish. In October 2007, she underwent a double lung transplant but is now in chronic rejection and in hospital. Eva's unwavering spirit became an international inspiration when she and her fight with cystic fibrosis was featured in an award-winning documentary, 65_RedRoses, which also the name of her blog. Faculty, staff and students at the department send their love and admiration to her.

February 2010




Brian Culp and Kelly Hudson in Dark of the Moon. Photo by David Lowes.

The Phoenix Theatre was well represented in the eigth annual Critic’s Choice Spotlight Awards that recognized the finest shows of the 2008-9 season.

Dark of the Moon won awards for Best Overall Community Production, Best Director by theatre Professor and director Brian Richmond, and Best Sound Design by John Mills-Cockell. Then student, Brian Culp (BFA’09) was nominated for Best Performance in a Community Production for his role in Dark of the Moon. Alumnus Patrick Du Wors (BFA ’02) was nominated for his costume design on our production of Dark of the Moon and Blue Bridge Theatre’s As You Like It.

Nathan Brown’s (BFA ’09) set for Medea was nominated for Best Set Design and current MFA candidate Paphavee (Poe) Limkul lighting for La Rondewas nominated for Best Lighting Design. Other theatre alumni that won awards were: Clayton Jevne (BFA ’85, MFA ’88 and PhD ’03) (and others) in Theatre Inconnu's Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for Best Performance in a Community Performance; David Ferry (MFA '04) in Blue Bridge Theatre's Death of a Salesman for Best Performance; Britt Small (MFA ’04) and various alumni in Atomic Vaudeville’s Ride the Cyclone for Best New Play; Ingrid Hansen (BFA ’09) and SNAFU Dance Theatre’s Pretty Little Instincts for Best Fringe Production; and Giggling Iguana’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (adapted by Ian Case (BFA’91) for Best Site Specific Production. Congratulations to all!

November 2009



Pacific Opera Victoria's upcoming production The Rake's Progress (November 12-21) features a set design by Theatre professor Allan Stitchbury. Stichbury has just completed a set for The Miracle Worker at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre.

Kate Dion Richard (BFA'06), the sister of Samantha Richard, one the actors performing the role of Juliet in the Phoenix production, is making a splash in London England. She stars as Nora in the Candyking Theatre Company's production of A Doll House which played at the Greenwich Playhouse in September.

A cyclone roared back into Victoria in October as Atomic Vaudeville re-launched the Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell play Ride the Cyclone featuring a roller-coaster car full of theatre alumni including Rielle Braid (BFA'08), Kholby Wardell (BFA'07), Celine Stubel (BFA'02), Timothy Johnston (BFA'07), Sarah Pelzer (BFA'08) and Carey Wass (BFA'07).

Theatre professor Mary Kerr's set design for Copper Thunderbird a production from 2007 at the National Arts Centre was chosen from over a thousand entries as a finalist in the international World Stage 2009 competition, held in Seoul, Korea. It was one of 259 finalists that will be shown in a gallery exhibition in conjunction with the competition. She is currently working with the Citadel Theatre for their 2010 production of Sweeny Todd.

October 2009



Victoria is home to a multitude of theatre companies – including Theatre SKAM, Intrepid Theatre, Theatre BOMBUS, Suddenly Dance Theatre – and dozens of our theatre alumni are the heart of many of these organizations. This October they will host a national event for theatre creators Performance Creation Canada (PCC) Conference in Victoria on October 22-25, 2009. This is a creative, practical event for the folk who are making exciting innovative indie theatre across the country. It is open to anyone interested in performance art and fosters the development of ideas and dialogue between creators across varied performance disciplines with interactive practical events including art walks, panel discussions and workshops.  It is a great chance to get inspired and connect with theatre peers. See above for the discussion panel that will be held after the matinee of The Josephine Knot. All are welcome to attend.

During the conference, attendees are encouraged to take in Victoria theatre (which also feature lots of our alumni), including a remounting of Atomic Vaudeville's Ride The Cyclone, and SNAFU Dance Theatre's award-winning Fringe production, Pretty Little Instincts, Giggling Iguana's Jekyll & Hyde at Craigdarroch Castle, Suddenly Dance Theatre's Romp Festival and Theatre SKAM's Homegrown Collective – Haunted.

Alumnus Victor Dolhai (BFA '07) was named and interviewed by the Times Colonist as one of their Rising Stars, a six-part series on Victoria artists under the age of 25. Writer Adrian Chamberlain interviews Dolhai and discusses his emerging career in this Times Colonist article. Dolhai performed in all three of the plays this summer produced by Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, including a starring role in The Fantasticks.

Phoenix alumnae Ingrid Hansen (BFA '09) and Sarah Pelzer (BFA'09) are performing in Pacific Opera Victoria's current production of La Traviata in small standout dramatic roles. La Traviata continues at the Royal Theatre until October 10, 2009. POV's next production The Rake's Progress (November 12-21) features a set design by Theatre professor Allan Stitchbury.

Summer 2009

 

 



Many of our UVic Theatre students and alumni will be busy this summer thanks to the arrival of Victoria’s newest professional theatre company Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre’s inaugural summer season supports their mandate to mentor emerging theatre artists by working alongside some of Canada’s top theatre artists.

Their first play, As You Like It by William Shakespeare (June 9-21, 2009) is directed by acclaimed Canadian director, Jeanette Lambermont-Morey. It will feature Phoenix graduates Rielle Braid (BFA '09) (photo top), Brian Culp (BFA '09) and Victor Dolhai (BFA '07) and showcase current Phoenix talent Matthew Coulson, Alex Plouffe, Brian Wrigley and Sean Sager who will be acting alongside Sessional Instructor Fran Gebhard.

The lighting will be designed by Giles Hogya, former Dean of Fine Arts at UVic, and the sound design will be by Yan Li, graduate of the UVic Music Department. Also on the creative team are alumni Treena Stubel (BFA'95) (movement and choreography) and Partick Du Wors (BFA '02) (costume design). Phoenix audiences will remember Patrick's inspired set and costume design of last fall's Dark of the Moon. He will also be designing the set for Blue Bridge’s other two summer shows Death of a Salesman and The Fantasticks.

Death of a Salesman (July 7-19, 2009) by Arthur Miller will be directed by professor Brian Richmond, former chair of the UVic Theatre Department, and will feature award-winning Toronto actor and Phoenix alumnus David Ferry (MFA '04) (photo left) as the well-known character of Willy Loman. Other alumni also featured are Victor Dolhai (BFA '07), Jay Hindle (BFA '03) and Carey Wass (BFA '08) as well as past theatre student Jacob Richmond and current student Samantha Richard. Reknowned actor and retired UVic professor John Krich will play the part of Ben Loman. UVic sessional instructor Kerem Cetinel is the lighting designer for the production while previous theatre student and fashion designer Kristin Bond is the costume designer.

Blue Bridge's final show this summer will be the delightful musicalThe Fantasticks, (August 4-16, 2009) directed by Phoenix alumna and Co-Creator of Atomic Vaudeville, Britt Small (MFA Directing ’04). The Fantasticks will feature Victor Dolhai (BFA '07) (photo right), Sarah Pelzer (BFA '09), Jacob Richmond, Treena Stubel (BFA '95) and Chris Wilson (BFA '08). Current theatre student Michael Franzman will return from a stint at the Stratford Festival to design the lighting the show and alumna Ingrid Hansen (BFA '09) will design the costumes.

March 2009



Ride the Cyclone is the long-awaited sequel to Legoland, presented at the Phoenix Theatre in October 2008. Written by past student Jacob Richmond (with lyrics and music by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond) and directed by Atomic Vaudeville co-founders Britt Small (MFA '04) and Jacob Richmond, the play features many Theatre alumni and current students including Timothy Johnston (4th year), Rielle Braid (4th year), Carey Wass (BFA '08), Sarah Pelzer (BFA '08) and Kholby Wardell (BFA '08)

Mark Leiren-Young (BFA '85) wrote, directed and produced the movie The Green Chain, which is opening in Victoria this Friday. This film has won or been nominated in for awards including the "Leo Award," the Writer’s Guild of Canada, "Mockfest" and the "El Prat de Llobregrat Award" from Festival International de Cinema de Medi Ambient in Barcelona.

February, 2009



Erin Karpluk (BFA '00)

UVic alumna Erin Karpluk (BFA '00) has been in the news very much of late with her new series "Being Erica" running on CBC Monday evenings at 9pm. The Globe & Mail featured her in an article, she has been on CBC Radio's "Q" with Jian Ghomeshi (listen to podcast), interviewed by both Elle Canada and Hello Canada magazines as well as appearing in countless ads across the country.

Chelsea Haberlin (BFA '07) is the new General Manager of Blue Bridge Theatre, the new theatre company in Victoria which we offers opportunities to an emerging generation of theatre artists to work with professionals. Tickets for their summer 2009 season go on sale March 16.

Jennifer Lines (BFA '94) received rave reviews for her performance in "The Real Thing" at the Belfry Theatre. The popular production has been held over until February 22.

October 2008



David Ferry (MFA ’04) was nominated for Outstanding Performance By A Male for his acting in Lullaby.

UVic writing student Brie Whittman’s Orbit, won the 2008 Petri Dish New Play Contest and itself a spot at the Victoria Fringe Festival. The show starred current student Kaitlin Williams and was directed by Jen Quinn (BFA ‘08).

Professor Mary Kerr’s designs from the biographical play about Norval Morrisseau Copper Thunderbird, are currently displayed in the exhibit at the Legacy Art Gallery and Café until November 30, 2008.

Kate Costin (BFA ‘08) is continuing her education in Theatre/Film design at Parsons: The New School of Design, a prestigious school in New York City.

The Phoenix Theatre continues our connection with the Belfry Theatre with their current production of "Half Life" featuring assistant professor Jan Wood and later productions including Ian Rye, Jennifer Lines, Amiel Gladstone, Paul Fauteux, Lucas Myers, and Celine Stubel.

Summer 2008



Sessional instructor Fran Gebhard who directed "The School for Scandal" this past spring, is doing another time-bending approach to her direction of "Much Ado about Nothing" for the Victoria Shakespeare Society's outdoor production on Camosun College's Lansdowne campus. The play, which will be set as a western in the post Korean war era, includes many current and past Phoenix Theatre students including: Nathan Brown, David Christopher, Matt Coulson, Graham Roebuck, Brian Wrigley and Kholby Wardell and costumes designed by Kate Costin.

Theatre alumna (BFA '97) Tamara Marie Kucheran won a 2008 Dora Mavor Moore Award for her Costume Design of the play "Intimate Apparel" at the Obsidian Theatre Company in Toronto.

As well, Vancouver's theatre community recognized its best at the 26th Annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. Professor Allan Stichbury won Outstanding Set Design (in a large theatre setting) for the Playhouse Theatre Company's production of "The Wars."

Alumna Celine Stubel was also awarded the Jessie for Outstanding Performance of an Actress in a Leading Role for "My Chernobyl", which was also presented at The Belfry Theatre this spring.

Check out past Phoenix Phacts on our website.

February 2008



After nine years of working in costumes for film and television, Kristen Bond has returned to Victoria to focus on fashion design. Busy with her design business, Bond has also lent her expertise to the Phoenix’s production of Lionel: The Miracle Man, helping to construct the costumes.

Recent grad Eva Markvoort, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, successfully underwent a double-lung transplant in October. Eva was last seen on the Phoenix stage at Asia in Tyrants in 2006.

Janna R. Lopez Raven has made several sound designs for Native Voices at the Autry National Centre in California: Stone Heart: Everyone Loves a Journey West by Diane Glancy, The Red Road by Arigon Starr and The Berlin Blues by Drew Hayden Taylor. All three have had subsequent tours in New York and Washington, D.C. and The Red Road also toured Australia.

Alumni Sara Topham and Graeme Somerville returned to Victoria for The Belfry Theatre’s The Turn of the Screw. Topham is an acting company member at the Stratford Festival and Somerville is a member of the acting ensemble at the Shaw Festival. Former UVic students Patrick Du Wors (set and lighting) and Erin Macklem (costumes) design the spine-tingling production.

November 2007



Phoenix Theatre cleaned up at the annual Victoria Critic's Spotlight Awards receiving nine nominations and winning:

Best Performance in a Community Production: Trevor Hinton, Richard III
Best Direction: Giles Hogya, Richard III
Best Lighting Design: Tim Herron, Richard III
Best Overall Production (Community): TIE—Richard III and The Caretaker

Department of Theatre Alumni received seven nominations and won for:

Best Fringe Production: Pitch Blonde (Laura Harris)
Best New Play: Grimm Tales (ITSAZOO: Anne-Marie de la Giroday, Colby Wilson, Chelsea Haberlin, Trevor Hinton, Sebastien Archibald)

Faculty member Ned Vukovic was also named for the Life Achievement Award in recognition of the amazing work he has done at UVic, both as a teacher and as a dialect coach on many productions.

October 2007

 Kassia Warshawski

Kassia Warshawski in Our Town at Theatre Calgary

Jay Bennett won an Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Television for his work as associate producer for the Fallen Alternate Reality Game – a video game tie-in for the ABC Family television movie series Fallen…

Current students Tim Johnston, who will play Aladdin, and Kaitlin Williams go on a magic carpet ride with Kaleidoscope Theatre’s Aladdin upcoming this December...

Our most recent graduating class has had considerable success since graduating in April.  Danielle Janess, who appeared as Queen Elizabeth in last year’s Richard III, played Queen Victoria at the BC Parliament Buildings this summer.  James Kot is going to war on the set of Paul Gross’ Passchendaele, which is being filmed in Calgary this October.  A big time Soprano’s fan, he also just finished filming the TV movie Snow Globe, starring The Soprano’s Lorraine Bracco and Christina Milian.  Featured on the front of this season’s brochure, Victor Dolhai recently worked with Kokoro Dance Theatre in their 12th Wreck Beach Butoh and with SNAFU Dance’s BLiNK – winner of the Best Physical Theatre/Dance at this year’s Victoria Fringe Festival.  Also enjoying Fringe Festival success, Laura Harris was nominated for Best Female Performer for her performance in her self-written one-woman show, Pitch Blond.  Theatre Calgary is keeping Kassia Warshawski busy, appearing as Hero in their Fuse Festival production of Much Ado About Nothing and playing Emily in their upcoming production of Our Town

Theatre SKAM recently staged the Canadian premiere of Melissa James Gibson’s play [sic].  Alumnus Amiel Gladstone directed and Lucas Meyer and Michael Rinaldi performed...

Phoenix alumni are making an impact creatively at The Belfry this season with over a dozen showcasing their talents.  Phoenix connections include Patrick Du Wors, Medina Hahn, Ereca Hassell, Rebekah Johnson, John Krich, Karen Levis, Brian Linds, Joan MacLeod, Erin Macklem, Jacob Richmond, Britt Small, Graeme Somerville, Celine Stubel, Sara Topham and more…

March 2007



Alumni Jason Donaldson, a teacher at Gulf Islands Secondary School, led his students to victory in the Canadian Improv Games Vancouver Island Regional Tournament this past month.  The team will compete against the best across the country at the national tournament in Ottawa this April…

Expedition Theatre presented Charles Tidler’s new play Cross This Bridge At A Walk as part of the Belfry Theatre’s Incubator Project this February.  Charles is a sessional instructor in the Department of Writing at UVic.  The production featured an all UVic cast of Lee Cookson, Trevor Hinton, Carey Wass and Chris Wilson and they were directed by alumnus Christie LittleKathleen Greenfield designed the production and Katie Hood stage-managed.  Charles and Christie were both supported by our Chair on leave, Brian Richmond who was dramaturge for the new play…

The nominees for the 2007 M Awards were announced and the Department and its alumni were delighted to receive recognition for their work.  Our fall production of Richard III received several nominations including favourite overall production, along with Trevor Hinton’s nomination for favourite actor.  Alumni Meg Braem and Celine Stubel were also nominated for favourite actor.  Nominees for favourite new play had Phoenix connections, with Legoland, The Qualities of Zero and The Third Taboo all being recognized.  Phoenix alumni also made up the majority of nominees for favourite director:  Ian Case, Clayton Jevne and Britt Small all received nods…

Sarah Pelzer and Scott Hendrickson both appeared in BumbleBee Theatre Collective’s play Yellow Ribbon this February.  The new play was written and directed by alumni Jen Braem, who was recently seen at the Phoenix as guest stage manager for Tartuffe

February 2007



Recent undergrad Alistair Newton participated in The Ark project with Peter Hinton at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa this past fall.  Alistair observed the project and responded to it in a blog which you can read on the National Art Centre’s website.

Kaleidoscope Theatre’s production of Charlotte’s Web featured a barnyard full of students and alumni.  The show featured an all UVic creative team consisting of Leslie Bland (Director), Karyn McCallum (Set), Sabrina Miller (Costumes), Randy Poulis (Lighting) and Alexander Ferguson (Sound), as well as Jen Braem as Stage Manager and the Phoenix-honed acting talents of David McPherson, Clayton Jevne, Colby Wilson, Sebastian Archibald, Alexander Ferguson and Emily Butler

This May fourth year students Trevor Hinton and Ming Hudson will perform in Kaleidoscope’s premiere production of Barbara Poggemiller’s new play The Boy Who Learned to Fly at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival…

Sebastian Archibald’s play Death of a Clown was a finalist in Theatre BC’s 18th Annual Canadian National Playwriting Competition.  It was recently staged by ITSAZOO Productions at the 2006 Victoria Fringe Festival…

Michelle Montieth stars in the play Revisited, which came to the Metro this January after touring across Canada to critical acclaim… Monday Magazine’s M Awards honoured many UVic students, alumni and productions with nominations for the annual awards…

November 2006



Phoenix grad Katie Hood joined current student Melissa Blank and inmates at William Head Prison for the William Head on Stage Theatre Society's production of Macbeth.The show marks the inmate troupe's 25th anniversary...

Graham Croft and Alison Ward performed in Pacific Opera Victoria's Manon Lescaut with Jackie Adamthwaite as stage manager and Connie (Beel) Hosie as assistant stage manager - wardrobe...

The Department of Theatre was sad to say farewell to Marketing and Communications Manager Ann Tanner this fall who has headed off to Montreal to get married. Recent Phoenix grad Anne-Marie de la Giroday has taken over the position on an interim basis after being Ann's assistant for the past two years...

Judith McDowell directed Langham Court Theatre's production of Artichoke...

Sessional instructor and former graduate student Monica Prendergast has joined CBC Radios's On the Island as their theatre critic, replacing recently retired Robert Mitchell...

Set and costume designer Dany Lyne has been awarded the country's richest theatrical award - the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. Faculty member Mary Kerr sat on the distinguished jury...

Phoenix students and alumni shone at the recent Victoria Fringe Festival, creating and performing in numerous shows. Among the "Picks of the Fringe", Matthew Payne's The Lab won Best Solo Show and Celine Stubel was voted Favourite Female Performer for Legoland...

Two of our alumni have been nominated for Gemini Awards: Erin Karpluk for Godiva's and Peter Outerbridge for both the Murder 19C: Detective Murdoch Mysteries and ReGenesis...

This summer several current students and recent grads including Scott Hendrickson, Jason Moldowan and Kate Richard, braved the heat and bundled into heavy wool period costumes to play figures from British Columbian history at the BC Legislative Buildings...

Kaleidoscope Theatre's production of Little Women featured the talents and skills of Celine Stubel and Leslie D. Bland, Carole Klemm and Alexander Ferguson...

David MacPherson helped launch the new Victoria company Where's Noonan? in May with a gritty premiere production, David Mamet's Oleanna... Kelt and Colleen Eccleston joined alumnus and former acting production manager Tim O' Gorman on stage for Moody Tales: A New Canadian Musical...

February 2006

 Sara Topham

Sara Topham

Zachary Stephenson won one of 20 coveted roles out of 600 audition hopefuls for the upcoming musical Hair at Toronto’s CanStage...Stratford Festival star Sara Topham recently gave a Shakespeare workshop at Victoria’s Langham Court Theatre. She returns to Stratford this summer to star as Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Donna Elvira in Don Juan and Grace Harkaway in London Assurance...Also at Stratford, Tamara Marie Kucheran will design the sets and costumes for the world premiere of Peter Hinton’s Fanny Kemble... Peter Outerbridge was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Actor in ReGenesis’...Britt Small, Celine Stubel, Cam Culham and the Atomic Vaudeville gang invited “Old Trout” Peter Balkwill to join them for their latest show at the Victoria Event Centre when he was here performing Famous Puppet Death ScenesPaul Terry has just returned from Limerick, Ireland where he performed Janet Munsil’s one-man play The Ugly Duchess, which he also performed in Prague last summer. This summer he will play the role of Henry Higgins in Chemainus Theatre Festival’s My Fair Lady. A multi-talented artist, Paul was the contractor/designer for Langham Court’s renovations in October...

Emma Claire Miller
will be playing Costanza in Enchanted April at Chemainus Theatre Festival this spring…Dora Mavor Moore Award winner Carolyn Cave starred in the Vancouver Playhouse season-opener, The Syringa Tree, and Meg Roe is appearing in the current Playhouse production, Vincent in Brixton...in October the tireless Clayton Jevne directed Theatre Inconnu’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe and presented two benefit performances to support a youth drama program for refugee and immigrant youth, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man and Kasperle and Faust...in November Dalal Badr received praise for her performance in Tideline at Toronto’s Factory Theatre...also in November, David Ferry directed The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for Birdland Theatre at the Fermenting Cellar…Mitch Pollock played Tootles in Carousel Theatre’s Peter Pan in Vancouver in December...

Michael Klemak
is the voice of Thrifty Foods on local radio...Leah James is studying in London, England at the Central School of Speech and Drama...Marisa Vest is currently on a nine month U.S. tour as an assistant stage manager/stage carpenter with Clifford the Big Red Dog Live following stints at the Banff Centre and Toronto Operetta Theatre.

December 2005



Janet Munsil

University of Victoria Theatre alumni figured prominently in this year’s Critic’s Choice Awards. In their annual celebration of the best of the city’s theatre scene, local critics Adrian Chamberlain (Times Colonist), Robert Mitchell (CBC’s On the Island) and John Threlfall (Monday) shone the spotlight on the following Phoenix graduates, as well as some of our faculty members and current students…

Receiving top honours was Janet Munsil for Best New Play (That Elusive Spark, Phoenix Theatre, March 2005). Most of the other nominees in her category were fellow Theatre alumni: Clayton Jevne (The Haunting of Don Juan); Amiel Gladstone (Hippies and Bolsheviks); and, Meg Braem (Potentilla). The final nominee was Karen Lee Pickett, a Writing student whose nominated play I Thee Wed was premiered at the Phoenix as part of FIND 2005.

Phoenix grads (and their companies) also dominated the Fringe Production category. BumbleBee Theatre Collective won for Potentilla. Other nominees were Theatre SKAM for Inanna and Ecce Homo for Woyzeck Songpiel.

Nominated for Set Design were Sam Whittington (Peter Pan / Kaleidoscope Theatre) and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop (The Unlikely Birth of Istvan / Intrepid Theatre).

For Sound Design, Alexander Ferguson was nominated for Peter Pan (Kaleidoscope Theatre); Kathleen Greenfield and Alison Greene were nominated for Fen (Phoenix Theatre); and, Ian Case was nominated for The War of the Worlds (Giggling Iguana / Theatre Inconnu). Ian was also nominated for his direction of The War of the Worlds.

Meg Roe received a best performance nomination (professional) for her role in Trying at the Belfry Theatre. Ecce Homo was nominated in the Musical Production category for Woyzeck Songspiel. And soon-to-be graduate, fourth year student Sebastien Archibald, was nominated for his performance (community) in That Elusive Spark.

As for other Phoenix folks, Theatre faculty member Allan Stichbury was nominated for his set design for Fen, seen at the Phoenix in February 2005, and fellow faculty member Mary Kerr’s costume designs were nominated for Bears: The Musical at Oak Bay High Community Theatre. Phoenix guest director Linda Moore won the Critic’s Choice for her direction of That Elusive Spark. The Phoenix was nominated for Overall Production (Community) for That Elusive Spark.

Congratulations to all!

October 2005



Shannan Calcutt with Sting

Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen loved Charles Ross’s one-man version of the show so much that he called off Peter Jackson’s lawyers, allowing Charles to reap all the future profits of his tour-de-force performance…in Las Vegas where she is starring in Cirque du Soleil’s Zumania, Shannan Calcutt met Sting backstage…Erin Karpluk is in one of Canada’s hottest new television shows, Godiva’sCeline Stubel starred in the world premiere of Carol Shields’ Unless in Toronto (a co-production to be seen at the Belfry Theatre later this fall)…at the Stratford Festival, Dany Lyne received raves for her designs in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods and Sara Topham played Rosalind in As You Like It

Dennis Garnhum is the new Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary…also in Calgary, Leo Wieser has parlayed his theatre design experience into a successful film special effects company…Roger Gaudet has been named head of theatre at the Canada Council for the Arts…Victoria Fringe Festival general manager Ian Case provided theatrical coaching to NDP leader Carole James and a whole troupe of politicians…and two of our grads were included in the recent “Picks of the Fringe”: TJ Dawe (Favourite Male Performer) and Meg Braem (Best Drama for her Potentilla)…

Vancouver Opera hired recent grad Megan Gerla as the Assistant to the Artistic Administrator…Michael Meloche, currently our acting properties co-ordinator, was featured in “Victoria by Design” for a sculptural wall he created with Fran Willis Design Associates in a local family centre…and current students joined grads in a number of local summer productions: ITSAZOO’s Alice in Wonderland, Victoria Shakespeare Society’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cymbeline and Theatre SKAM’s Inanna.