Summer of My Amazing Luck

Chris is a friendly bon vivant with a penchant for weightlifting and a large Incredible Hulk action figure collection. He was born to a religious home in Kitchener, Ontario, and has been a writer ever since. His background is in the theatre, where he has penned over thirty plays, including musicals, solo shows and plays for young audiences. A highlight was BASH’D! A GAY RAP MUSICAL, which played Off Broadway and won a GLAAD media award.  He has since added TV and Film to his pursuits, co-creating TINY PLASTIC MEN with Mosaic Entertainment for SuperChannel. It’s now in its fourth season. It’s been nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy three times in a row, so it can longer be attributed to clerical error. He continues his work with Mosaic Entertainment, as series director on Season 4 of CAUTION MAY CONTAIN NUTS. Chris is also the writer/director of IT’S NOT MY FAULT AND I DON’T CARE ANYWAY, starring Alan Thicke and Quentin Aaron, based on his play PUBLIC SPEAKING. He has recently created his first VR project, and it has zombies.

Beth is an Edmonton-based playwright, actor and guardian to a pomeranian cross named Oscar. Beth wrote THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF BERNICE TRIMBLE as part of the 2010 playwright’s forum at the Citadel Theatre. The play premiered at Factory Theatre (co-produced with Obsidian Theatre) last fall and will be published by Playwrights Canada Press in the Spring of 2015. Beth is also one of the co-creators of THE DROWNING GIRLS, which premiered at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, was re-written for the 2008 Alberta Theatre Projects PlayRites Festival and went on to tour nationally. Other co-creations include: MULES, COMRADES, and VICTOR AND VICTORIA’S TERRIFYING TALE OF TERRIBLE THINGS. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA acting program.

Caroline’s favourite credits include A DYBBUK FOR TWO, HOUSE OF SACRED COWS (Northern Light Theatre), STOP KISS (Kill Your Television), MARION BRIDGE, EXCAVATIONS, MOM DAD I’M LIVING WITH A WHITE GIRL (Theatre Network), CRUEL TEARS , COSI, WIZARD OF OZ (Globe Theatre), MAMA MIA! ME A MAMA? (Big Mama Productions) and ELEKTRA, THE ABUNDANCE TRILOGY,SONGS FOR SINNERS (Catalyst Theatre) ROUGH CROSSING (Theatre Calgary ). When Caroline is not acting she directs, most recently voice overs for Jade Empire a game produced and created by BioWare, an Edmonton based video game company . Enjoy the show

Bradley is an MFA graduate in directing from the University Alberta. He joined Theatre Network in 1996 to create the multidisciplinary emerging artist festival – Nextfest. In 2014 Bradley accepted the dual role of Artistic & Executive Director for Theatre Network. Some recent productions include: BED AND BREAKFAST, THE EMPRESS & THE PRIME MINISTER, MINERVA – QUEEN OF THE HANDCUFFS, INFINITY, The Sterling Award Winning Production IRMA VOTH, BUST, GORDON, RED, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, ARMSTRONG’S WAR, the Governor General Nominated THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF BERNICE TRIMBLE, the Sterling Award Winning LITTLE ONE, DRIVING MISS DAISY, the Governor General Award Winning PIG GIRL, the Sterling Award Winning LET THE LIGHT OF DAY THROUGH, WHERE THE BLOOD MIXES, IN ON IT, MOVING ALONG, TWELFTH NIGHT, PUBLIC SPEAKING, DOG, THUNDERSTICK, BUDDY, ALIAS GODOT, MISERY, CLOSER AND CLOSER APART, the Sterling Award Winning SUMMER OF MY AMAZING LUCK, TRUE WEST, GIRL IN THE GOLDFISH BOWL, HOSANNA, MARION BRIDGE, A SKULL IN CONNEMARA, the Sterling Award Winning glam rock musical HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, and HIGH LIFE.

For Theatre Network, James has directed the Canadian premiere of Nicholas Wright’s VINCENT AND BRIXTON and has served as production dramaturg for Eugene Stickland’s EXCAVATIONS and Chris Craddock’s SUMMER OF MY AMAZING LUCK. This season he played Salter in Trunk Theatre’s production of A NUMBER by Caryl Churchill and directed Michael Melski’s THE FLY FISHER’S COMPANION for Shadow Theatre.

Marissa has worked in Edmonton as a freelance set/costume designer for the past twelve years, with over ninety theatrical productions to her credit.  She won a 2004 Sterling Award for her set design of Theatre Network’s Marion Bridge, and a 2004 Bettie Mitchell Award (Calgary) for her costume design of November Theatre’s The Black Rider.  Thunderstick marked her first design for the Persephone stage and she is now thrilled to be back at Theatre Network!

“Now is a time to storm; Why dost thou laugh? It fits not with this hour.” Recent Design credits include BED AND BREAKFAST (Theatre Network), EDAY (Serial Collective), Minerva Queen of the Handcuffs (Ghost-writer Theatre), THE EMPRESS & THE PRIME MINISTER, WHAT A YOUNG WIFE OUGHT TO KNOW, INFINITY (Theatre Network), TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, THE WINTER’S TALE, HAMLET, A COMEDY OF ERRORS (Freewill Players), 9-5, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Grant MacEwan University). Scott is resident Production Manager for Theatre Network and Nextfest, and is a founding member of Edmonton band Captain Tractor. “Why, I have not another tear to shed.”

Dave is a musician, actor and writer.  He has composed music and produced sound designs for theatre, film, dance and multi-media for three decades. Recent designs include MOVING ALONG (Theatre Network), 6.0 HEAP & PEBBLE (Northern Light Theatre) and EVIE’S WALTZ (Shadow Theatre). Other projects include THE MISSIONARY POSITION (University of Alberta),  a soundtrack for the feature film THE PHARMACIST and a family musical about a profoundly deaf mother with a hearing son based on his own experience entitled SONGS MY MOTHER NEVER SUNG ME. Dave is the co-writer and composer for the animated cartoons at Rantdog.com. He is also the sound guy for CBC Radio’s THE IRRELEVANT SHOW. Dave has won several awards for his work, including Sterling Awards for Outstanding Score (DOG, Surreal SoReal Theatre), Musical Direction (ILSA, QUEEN OF THE NAZI LOVE CAMP) and Sound (SHAKESPEARE’S WILL, VIMY, THE ECSTATICS).

Recent Stage Management credits include: THE EMPRESS & THE PRIME MINISTER and THE LAST FIVE YEARS for Theatre Network; OH CHRISTMAS TREE for the Roxy Series; THE COLOR PURPLE for The Citadel Theatre; THE BAD SEED, SHOCKER’S DELIGHT and THE SALON OF THE TALKING TURK for Teatro La Quindicina; and WITCH HUNT AT THE STRAND for Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre.