Stageworthy

Emerjade Simms is a Jamaican-Canadian actor and storyteller. She is a graduate of the Acting program at the University of Windsor and holds a BFA degree. Emerjade is also a 2016/17 graduate of the Mechanicals program at Factory Theatre. In her career as an actor so far, she has worked with many wonderful people and companies. Select theatre credits include Peter Pan (Bad Hats/Soulpepper), School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian/Nightwood), Wounded Soldiers (4th Line), The Bird Killer (Let Me In). Television credits include Forbidden, Fear They Neighbor, See No Evil and Paranormal 911. Emerjade enjoys napping in her down time and thanks her family for inspiring her daily.

Twitter: @emerbabe

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Laura Caswell is Neptune Theatre’s Director of Education, and has been a part of Neptune for over a decade playing various roles on stage (including 5 witches!) as well as a director and choreographer. Laura trained in Musical Theatre in New York City and London, England earning a Masters in Performance through the University of East Anglia. She has also trained extensively in improv, puppetry, voice work, singing, dance, acting, and film and television. Laura has worked as an artist and educator at theatres all over the country.

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As a triple-carded professional actor (ACTRA, UdA, CAEA), Carolyn has been gracing the stage and camera in various theatrical productions, TV and movie spots. Altera Vitae Productions is her own theatre production company, a non-profit organization where each theatrical presentation is partnered with a community organization whose mandate is similar to the theme of the play. Altera Vitae Productions aims to assist the community organization with its public awareness program. As a singer, Carolyn fronted the band DD Swank and, for four years, sang under the pseudonym of Mama B, singing in French, English and Spanish.

As an actor, Carolyn Fe has been gracing the stage and camera in various theatrical productions, TV and movie spots since 2005! Her theatrical appearance was in Dora Award Winner’s, Audrey Dwyer, play called “Calpurnia” in 2018. With sold out shows and thrilling reviews on Carolyn Fe’s, she was awarded for 2018 Best Supporting Actress by the esteemed Toronto Theatre Critics’ Award for her role as Precy, in Calpurnia. This brought on the opportunity for Carolyn Fe to take on a recurring role as Lola (Grandmother) to Josh De La Cruz in Nickelodeon’s “Blues Clues and You”.

carolyn-fe.com

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Sarah Rankin is an actor educator, and the director of the Fundy Fringe. This year, the Fundy Fringe proceeded with their festival to produce an exciting digital/in person hybrid festival.

Twitter: @sarahrankin03

www.fundyfringefestival.com

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Monica Ogden (she/they) is an award-winning disabled Filipina, Polynesian, British storyteller, actor and comedian. Her Lilang migrated from Illocos Sur, Philippines in 1966, and she is now an uninvited visitor in the unceded territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. Her solo show Monica vs. The Internet: Tales of a Social Justice Warrior ( ★★★★★ Winnipeg Free Press, ★★★★★ Saskatoon Star Phoenix) directed by K.P. Dennis toured 6 cities across Canada in the summer of 2019, toured to Second City Toronto, and was recently featured on CBC Arts with the National Theatre School #ArtApart series. Their next show 100 YT GUYS IN AN HOUR is currently in residency with the Belfry Theatre, and the Tremors Festival with Rumble Theatre

Twitter: @monicaogden12

K.P. DENNIS is a black, non-binary, multi-disciplinary artist, producer, director, and activist. They were the 2016 Youth Poet Laureate of Victoria and are currently the artistic director of COLORQODED, QTI2POC arts collective. In 2017 they were the recipient of the VACCS Community recognition Award and just finished a cross Canada tour with their critically acclaimed shows, Monica vs the Internet & LUBDUB. In February 2020 they released a chapbook entitled Growing Pains, available for purchase on their Instagram @wild.womxn, and are currently working on two new plays, The Cowboy Church & the Arena of Life in residency with the Belfry Theatre, and 100 YT GUYS IN AN HOUR in residency with Tremors Festival (Rumble Theatre) and the Belfry Theatre Incubator Program.

Instagram: @starboi.dennis

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Ken Hall is a Canadian Comedy Award Winner (Best Breakout Artist) and multiple CCA nominee. He is also one half of the award winning sketch/improv/clown duo 2-MAN NO-SHOW along with his comedic soulmate Isaac Kessler. Ken has appeared on Conan and has had the pleasure of working for Cirque Du Soleil.

Ken teaches improv, clown and public speaking at The Second City.

You can catch Ken on TBS’s People of Earth as Jeff The Grey, and on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy as Herb.

www.thekenhall.com

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Mumbi is an acclaimed theatre creator and director raised in Kenya and

She is the Founder/Artistic Director of the experimental theatre company IFT (It’s A Freedom Thing Theatre) Theatre and also recently directed the critically acclaimed plays: Trout Stanley (Factory Theatre), Here are the Fragments (The Theatre Centre/The ECT Collective), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Soulpepper) and Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape (Obsidian/Soulpepper).

Mumbi is also the recipient of a Toronto Theatre Critics Award, an Artistic Director’s Award (Soulpepper), a Pauline McGibbon Award , a Mallory Gilbert Protege Award, a Harold Award, and has been twice nominated for the John Hirsch Directing Award.

She is a graduate of Soulpepper Academy, York University and University of Toronto as well as Obsidian Theatre’s Mentor/Apprenticeship Program.

Twitter: @mumbitindyebwa

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Aaron Jan is a Hamilton born and Toronto-based director, playwright, dramaturg and community builder. Aaron has worked as a creator with the Stratford Festival, Factory Theatre, Tarragon, Native Earth Performing Arts, Fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre, Canadian Stage, Theatre Aquarius and Hart House. With his company, SILK BATH COLLECTIVE, Aaron has sold out critically acclaimed tri-lingual plays at the Next Stage Theatre Festival and Soulpepper. Aaron is the 2019 winner of the Ken MacDougall Directing Award and is a co-founder of Porch Light Theatre, a company dedicated to paying and training the next generation of Hamiltonian theatre artists. A highly sought after teaching artist and collaborator, Aaron is a graduate of Generator's Artist Producer Training Program and is dedicated to making his hometown a place where professional artists can make new work and be compensated fairly for it.

https://aaronchihojan.wixsite.com/home

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Natasha Strilchuk was born in Malaysia, was raised in King’s Lynn, England and Regina, Sk and is now a Toronto based artist. She is a proud graduate Randolph College of the Performing Arts and is an accomplished, multi versatile artist. She was recently chosen as a 2019/2020 participant for Neptune Theatre’s, RBC Chrysalis Project, in the director’s unit. Natasha is being mentored by AD Jeremy Webb in his production of Calendar Girls in early 2020. On top of her acting endeavors, she is very excited to learn about the art of directing and will continue to develop her own choreography as well. Some her favourite credits include: The North American Premiere of Bend it like Beckham (Bluma Appel Theatre), Chicago (Globe Theatre), Mamma Mia (Neptune Theatre), Guys & Dolls, Romeo & Juliet (Stratford Festival), Romeo & Juliet (CBC/Stratford HD), Motives and Murder (Cineflex Productions). Represented by daCosta Talent.

Twitter: @tashastrilchuk

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Reba Terlson is a multidisciplinary artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance and the PTE@ PTE program. Recent credits include L’armoire with Cercle Moliere, Theatre By The River’s Wine and Words, One Trunk Theatre’s Stage Frights.

She produces, writes and acts in her theatre company, It’s All Relative Productions which has mounted three Winnipeg Fringe Productions. Her 2018 show, One Date City, received glowing reviews and four stars from the Winnipeg Free Press. Her Winnipeg Fringe play, Filter This, landed her on Virgin Radio’s Top 100 Fascinating Manitobans of 2017. In 2018, she mentored under Mel Marginet, artistic director of Theatre By the River. She is a member of an Emerging Creators Unit that specializes in devised theatre for Manitoba Theatre for Young People under the guide of Andraea Sartison and Rick Chafe.

Reba is a strong advocate for more inclusion and diversity in theatre.

Twitter: @rebajesse

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