Alumni News

February, 2011

Sara Topham (BFA '98) made her debut on Broadway in January with the Roundabout Theatre's presentation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Sara plays Gwendolyn, the daughter of Lady Bracknell, played by Canadian Stratford veteran, Brian Bedford. The play has been getting rave reviews and has been held over until July 3. She spoke to the Times Colonist about her debut.

Winston Morgan (BFA student 1973-1976) was awarded Theatre Ontario’s2010 Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts recognizing his contribution for the professional development of stage managers across Canada. Congrats!  

Erin Karpluk (BFA '00) of the hit CBC Television series Being Erica has been in the news again, offering important health tips for young actors and being chosen as one of nine young Canadian actresses for Chatelaine Magazine's feature on Canada's hottest new stars in their March 2011 issue.

Dr. Monica Prendergast, Adjunct Assistant Professor (PhD '06), recently collaborated with Kate Rubin and Gina McIntosh as the co-director of a staged reading of Rosie, a comic play about hoarders. Prendergast, Rubin, and McIntosh are founding members of the WAVE (Workshop Artists Victoria Ensemble) Theatre.

We love to see our current students acting out in the community. Theatre students Matthew McLaren, Tito Martin-Nemton, Eric Smith, Joanne James, Mellissa Taylor, and UVic student Sean Baker were among 33 cast members in the Langham Court Theatre’s production of The Laramie Project, directed by Roger Carr. This "ambitious and moving play" with 68 characters opened to wonderful reviews in the Times Colonist. Emily Piggford (4th Year Acting Major) and Andrew Barrett (3rd Year Design Major) created and presented Wrath, their original take on anger and its startling effects, as part of the "You Show" series at the Intrepid Theatre.

Recent graduates, Jeff Leard (BFA'10) and Samantha Richard (BFA'10) (pictured above) are back from their Canadian tour of the award winning fringe play Pinnochio with The Story Theatre Company and are currently performing in Victoria schools.

Janet Munsil (BFA '89), an internationally renowned Victoria playwright, treats audiences to the Victoria premiere of her play Influence. The play combines elements of literary history and mythology as a young student, but not-yet poet, John Keats (portrayed by Elliott Loran pictured left) is introduced to the ancient Greek sculptures in the British Museum in 1817. Janet Munsilhas been working for Intrepid Theatre since 1992 and several of her works have been performed on Phoenix stages over the years including that elusive spark, The Ugly Duchess, and Circus Fire. Influence is produced in association with her new Victoria-based production company, Missing Page. The cast of Influence includes Ian Case (BFA'91), Paul Terry (BFA'89), Elliott Loran, David Radford, and Karen Lee Pickett (MFA Writing and Writing Sessional Instructor).