Alumni News

October, 2005

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’s… Celine 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.