Making for Home

Beshel recently completed his MFA degree in Theatre Practice with a specialization in Community-Based Theatre at the University of Alberta. He is an Ebonylife Creative Academy-trained screen actor and an alumnus of Del-York Creative Academy. Holding a B.A. in Theatre and Film Studies, he is an accomplished actor, choreographer, singer, voiceover artiste, and community theatre practitioner. With over a decade of experience in the theatre and film industry and community development, Beshel has graced the stage in numerous productions and has received several awards for his performances.
He served as the inaugural Artistic Director of the Jabulani Arts Festival, produced by the Ribbon Rouge Foundation. In this role, he led the successful launch of the festival, which aimed to empower and provide a platform for underrepresented communities specifically African, Caribbean, and Black artists in Edmonton through the arts.

Beshel is a committed and reliable individual with a zeal and drive to evoke social change. His passion for the arts and dedication to community empowerment reflect his ongoing contributions to both the cultural and social fabric of his community.

Jan Selman is a theatre director and community arts animator. Jan specializes in community-based and interactive theatre, as well as new Canadian theatre and plays by women. She co-founded ArtSpace Theatre and is a professor emeritus of the University of Alberta, where she taught directing, performer created theatre and acting. She was the first Artistic Director of Catalyst Theatre — during those years the company grew to a year-round professional theatre company, creating 15 productions and community-based theatre projects per year. The community-engaged Catalyst of that time was described as “perhaps the most innovative popular theatre company in North America” (A. Filewod, Collective Encounters). Jan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an inductee into Edmonton’s Cultural Hall of Fame. She is honoured to be a part of Jabulani Festival.

Valentine Ukoh is a dynamic and purpose-driven creative whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, social impact, and performance. With a strong foundation in theatre and film, he brings stories to life in ways that engage, challenge, and inspire diverse audiences.

He earned his Masters of Arts at the University of Alberta. Valentine’s artistic journey is deeply rooted in the transformative power of performance. His research and practice focus on Theatre for Development (TfD)—using drama as a tool for social change, community engagement, and cultural dialogue.

As an actor, Valentine has demonstrated compelling stage presence and emotional depth, contributing to a narrative centered on lived experiences, identity, and resilience. His performances are marked by authenticity, intentionality, and a strong connection with the audience.

Beyond the stage, Valentine is an accomplished filmmaker and director. He recently produced and directed a short documentary, ‘Birthmark’ as part of the Behind the Bias (BTB) Project on Antiracism, an initiative by Action for Healthy Communities. The project explores themes of resilience, cultural pride, and social justice, reflecting his commitment to using media as a vehicle for meaningful storytelling.

Driven by a passion for excellence and impact, Valentine continues to shape narratives across stage and screen, contributing to the evolving landscape of contemporary theatre and film.

Noreta Lewis was born in Jamaica where she taught music, drama, dance, and poetry to youths. She won the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Gospel Festival Competition in the year 2000 with the song “I’l make it through the valley” In February, 2025 she appeared as a singer on the Artists Love Show at the Winspear Theater. She resides in Edmonton Alberta Canada and has worked with Engagement Lab theater of Alberta, Third Space Playback Theater, Inspirational Drama and Ribbon Rouge Foundation Art Space Theater Team. In 2024 she played the lead role in the play entitled “Oboingba Tries to Change Her Fate” She also directed her first musical in 2025 with Sile-Sizwe Foundation entitled ” A Beat of Change.” In March 2026 Noreta played the lead role in the play called “Ms. Pat’s Kitchen”.

Noreta is a music teacher by profession. She also teaches music therapy and is the founder of a youth dance group in Edmonton called the Chi-fire Dancers (Named after her nephew, Chiyano Lewis, who was murdered in Jamaica).

Yasmine Lewis-Clarke is a Jamaican-born storyteller and actor whose love for narrative was rooted long before she ever stepped onto a stage. Growing up in Jamaica, she sat at the feet of elders and custodians of oral tradition, absorbing folktales, folklore, and the cultural wisdom woven into every story. Among the tales closest to her heart are the beloved Anancy stories — those clever, spider-spun narratives of wit, cunning, and survival that have been the backbone of Jamaican oral tradition for centuries. Over the years, she collected tales that carry the heartbeat of Jamaican heritage — stories that teach, warn, celebrate, and connect generations.

When Yasmine migrated to Canada in 2012, she brought those stories with her. Though the transition came with its challenges, she found her footing by doing what she has always done — connecting with people through the art of storytelling. A chance encounter with a fellow artist opened the door to performance, and she has not looked back since. In 2021, she joined the Artspace Theatre, further honing her craft on the Canadian stage.

Yasmine believes that folktales are not merely entertainment — they are living vessels of knowledge, identity, and cultural memory. From the trickster wisdom of Anancy to the moral lessons embedded in Jamaican folk tradition, she is passionate about passing this legacy on to the next generation. Blending wit, song, and vibrant creative expression, she captivates her audiences while keeping the spirit of Jamaican oral tradition alive in her adopted home.
With deep commitment to character work, authenticity, and the transformative power of storytelling, Yasmine Lewis-Clarke continues to grow as an artist — bridging two worlds, one tale at a time.

Abigail “Ameley” Quaye is a Ghanaian Theatre Artist, Playwright, Storyteller, Dramaturg, and Performer with over a decade of experience in African and Afro-Caribbean storytelling traditions. Her creative practice is deeply rooted in African theatre—where ritual, community, and performance converge to create immersive, transformative experiences. She believes in the power of theatre as a fluid and dynamic space for challenging stereotypes, provoking dialogue, and inspiring social change.

Her work draws from Afrocentric paradigms, indigenous philosophies, postcolonial politics, and decolonial thought. She is particularly interested in themes such as women and spirit possession, precolonial gender relations, postcolonial resistance, African spiritism, and the politics of domination. These themes are not only academic inquiries but lived realities that shape her storytelling and dramaturgical lens.
She has curated several storytelling performances that blend music, movement, and dramatic enactment, engaging audiences—especially children and young adults—in ways that are participatory, educational, and culturally affirming.

As a theatre artist deeply engaged in both children’s theatre and critical performance practice, her work explores the transformative power of storytelling and stagecraft to provoke thought and inspire change. She approaches theatre as a site of inquiry-where postmodern research methodologies intersect with lived experience, cultural memory, and social critique. Her creative process is rooted in participatory engagement, especially with young audiences, using playfulness as a tool for reflection and empowerment. Through experimental dramaturgy and Afrocentric performance frameworks, she interrogates systems of power, identity, and resistance, crafting works that challenge the status quo while nurturing imagination and dialogue across generations.

As a playwright, she has explored both conventional and unconventional methods. These experiences have allowed her to refine her craft while contributing to productions that center marginalized voices and challenge dominant narratives.

As an artist living in the diaspora, her work is a bridge between cultures—a way of staying connected to her roots while engaging in global conversations. She remains committed to staying grounded in her craft, continuously learning, collaborating, and creating work that is culturally resonant, emotionally rich, and artistically bold. Currently, she is developing a new play that explores postcolonial gender relations among African immigrants, aiming to spark dialogue around identity-tradition, and transformation.