The Black Rider

Michele is an actor and a musician and was most recently seen at La Vie En Fringe in THE ADVENTURES OF WANDA AND JACK, an alt-country musical she co-wrote with Paul Morgan Donald. Prior to that she participated as an actor at the Magnetic North Festival. This spring she played Ruth in Shadow Theatre’s production of LATER LIFE. She was also a member of Workshop West’s Springboards Festival company and last summer she played Hecuba in THE TROJAN WOMEN at the Attack of the Killer Fringe for which she received her third Sterling nomination. Michele received a Sterling Award for her work in Kenneth Brown’s adaptation of THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP and was also a Member of the Sterling Award winning company of Kill Your Television’s production of STOP KISS.

Clinton is beside himself to be working on this project with Human Loser Theatre and Morgan Smith. Previously, he directed Morgan’s play Electra at the Edmonton Fringe. In 2013, he directed and translated Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters for Broken Toys Theatre. This is his first time directing for the Roxy stage, but not his first time integrating cheer routines into a theatre show.

This is Kevin’s second show at Theatre Network. The first being THE BLACK RIDER. He has had the pleasure of sharing the stage numerous times with Chris including TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, A WINTER’S TALE, ROMEO AND JULIET, & TWELFTH NIGHT (River City Shakespeare Festival), BIRDBRAIN, A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Citadel Theatre). He has been on stage with Maralyn Ryan in HAMLET and A CHRISTMAS CAROL ( Citadel Theatre). He has worked with Cheryl on SPARE THE ROD (Keyano Theatre), THE BLUE ORPHAN (Catalyst Theatre). And he has been directed by Marianne in LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST & THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (River City Shakespeare Festival). He will be performing later this season in A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Citadel Theatre), and COMRADES with Kill Your Television Theatre. As well as touring THE BLACK RIDER to Vancouver in January.

Rachael has worked with Michael Scholar and November Theatre for many years now and each experience has been an honour and a privilege. It has afforded her the opportunity to travel and perform across the country and do theatre that leaves her truly inspired. Rachael is so happy to be back with this fantastic company and back amongst dear friends creating once again! Most recent credits include: playing Ali in Quest Theatre’s production of The Invisible Girl and Rosalind in As You Like It at the Citadel Theatre.

George’s first role was in kindergarten, where he played one of The Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens; he forgot the words to the song, and felt funny wearing a leotard. His mom was watching, which made it worse. He has since rebounded, having appeared on the Roxy stage in The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine (Aarrgghh!! Productions), The Black Rider (November Theatre/Theatre Network), Dinner with Friends (Theatre Buffet Co-op). His play Hockey Stories for Boys was produced at the Roxy by Azimuth Theatre. George promises to remember most of the words, and assures us that he has learned to love the soft caress of a pair of leotards.

Michael was born in Regina, trained at the University of Alberta, but he now calls Vancouver home. As Artistic Producer of November Theatre, Michael toured The Black Rider across North America from 1998-2008. He produced and performed in this labour of love, which was the only show to ever win “Best Production” at the Sterling Awards (Edmonton), the Betty Mitchell Awards (Calgary) and the Jessie Awards (Vancouver); while also being nominated for “Best Touring Production” at the Dora Awards (Toronto). Favourite acting credits include: Refugee Hotel (Theatre Passe Muraille); Little Mercy’s First Murder, Life After God (Touchstone Theatre); Tideline (Neworld Theatre/Touchstone); Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo & Juliet (Bard on the Beach); Cloud Tectonics (Vancouver Playhouse/Pi Theatre); Twelfth Night and Merchant of Venice (Free Will Players); The Blue Orphan (Catalyst Theatre); The Edible Woman (Theatre Junction); and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Theatre Network). Michael has won the Sterling for “Best Lead Actor” and has been nominated for 3 Jessie Awards for “Best Supporting Actor” (Large Theatre), a Betty for “Best Performance in a Musical”, an Ovation Award for “Best Lead Performance” and he received the 2004 Equity’s Emerging Artist Award. As a writer, Michael wrote Ana for “Hive 3”, Killing Konundrum for Caravan Farm Theatre’s Everyone, and the Fringe hit Barbie Screams. Michael used to play in Regina punk bands Tree Frog Discharge and The Labeled.

Liz has been a member of the Canadian professional musical theatre scene for over ten years. Her musical career has included playing with Cyndi Lauper, George Baker (guitarist for Marvin Gaye), her 80’s chick band Godiva and various other live music and arranging, television and radio gigs. A jazz and funk junkie, Liz is also a show tune nerd (go Sondheim go!) and is a past nominee and recipient of a 1998 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes award. Playing over seventy live musicals in Canada and the U.S. in theatres, schools, ships and cabaret clubs has made Liz very happy and sometimes quite tired but this beautifully rare production and family inspire this nerd to keep at it all and maybe it will for you too. Thanks for coming out!

Dale Ladouceur has the distinction of being one of a few Chapman Stick players in Canada. Ladouceur has worked in a variety of bands, duos and in solo performance. Her work has given her the opportunity to take part in many interesting collaborations with artists like Bruce Cockburn, Angelique Kidjo, Artis the Spoon Man, John Hammond Jr. and Valdy. She has performed in groups led by Laura Smith, Laura Vinson, Lester Quitzau and Bill Bourne and has taken her from coast to coast in Canada and overseas.

Her latest original project “Dale Ladouceur and the Broke Ensemble” released their CD “Brimstone & Clover” in May 2003 and receives regular rotation on CBC and CKUA.

Recently Ladouceur has branched out into writing soundscapes for a number of Edmonton theatre companies and has just finished the soundtrack for a documentary; 50 YEARS OF TRANSPLANT HISTORY for the American Kidney Foundation.

Ron Jenkins is an Edmonton based freelance director and playwright. Ron is thrilled to be working on Metis Mutt here at Theatre Network. Selected Credit include: THE 39 STEPS, JULIUS CAESAR (TSC) RICHARD III (TSC), SUCKER (HAT) TURN OF THE SCREW (Vertigo) ROMEO AND JULIET (TSC) CHASING CHAMPIONS (Ship’s), PLAYING WITH FIRE (Citadel/PTE) OTHELLO (TSC) HIGH LIFE (GZT) ENRON (NAC) THE MOTHERF#$#ER WITH THE HAT (ATP) GOOD NIGHT DESDEMONA, GOOD MORNING JULIET (Belfry Theatre) 1984 (Saint John Theatre Company). NEXT TO NORMAL (Theatre Calgary/Citadel) PLAYING WITH FIRE: THE THEO FLEURY STORY (ATP), CHICAGO (Mayfield Dinner Theatre) THE FORBIDDEN PHOENIX (Citadel Theatre), EXTINCTION SONG (Citadel Theatre) THE TRESPASSERS (Belfry/Vancouver Playhouse) BASH’D (Off Broadway), MARY’S WEDDING (Workshop West), MESA (Workshop West), and RESPCTABLE, CONFESSIONS OF A PAPER BOY (Ghost River Theatre), THE BLACK RIDER (November Theatre Co.), THE RED PREIST (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye) and THE BLUE LIGHT (Alberta Theatre Projects), STEEL KISS, EUREKA, and THE HORROR, THE HORROR (Skid). Ron has won ten Sterling Awards as a director and playwright and two Betty Mitchell Awards for Direction for THE BLACK RIDER and PLAYING WITH FIRE. In 2013 he was honored with a CCA Award in Ottawa for his direction of ENRON. Ron is also the winner of the 2004 Syncrude Award for Artistic Innovation and a Critter Award Winner for Playing With Fire. Ron was shortlisted for the 2007 and 2010 Siminovitch Prize in theatre for Direction.

Corinne received her BMus and MA in Music from the University of Alberta. Corinne has worked as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and musical director across Western Canada.  Favorite theatrical productions include The Black Rider (November Theatre), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Theatre Network), An Eye for an Eye (Ghost River Theatre) and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp (Workshop West). Outside of theatre, you can see Corinne rocking the trombone with the Vancouver ska/reggae band, Los Furios, which just came back from their second tour of Mexico and included TV appearances in over 50 Latin American countries.

Marie began her career as a dancer working with such companies as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet de Roma, and Ballet Brazil performing accross Canada, the U.S., the Caribean, Brazil and Italy. Since settling in Edmonton in 1990 she has worked extensively as a freelance actor/singer/dancer, choreographer, director, and teacher. This past season’s theatre appearances include CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, THE MAKING OF WARRIORS and TROJAN WOMEN while some of her latest television appearances include JAKE AND THE KID, THE INCREDIBLE STORY STUDIO, and MENTORS. She has five times been nominated and twice received the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards for Outstanding Choreography.

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!

Michael’s most recent credits include A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS for The Globe Theatre, Regina and THE RED PRIEST for Tarragon Theatre. Michael is committed to mentorship in the arts and has done many seminars and mentorship’s for students at the university and high school levels. Past lighting design credits for over 100 shows include: THE LARAMIE PROJECT for Studio 180, THE HOBBIT: AN OPERA and A MIDWINTER NIGHTS’S DREAM for the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus, WILLIAM AND JAMES for Theatre Passe Muraille, TWO WEEKS, TWICE A YEAR for the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, THE GWENDOLYN POEMS for the Factory Theatre; THE MILLIONAIRESS and A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE for the Shaw Festival, ORCHIDELERIUM and THE PAINS OF YOUTH (Dora Nomination, Independent Theatre), for Theatre Voce; THE ORPHAN MUSES for the Great Canadian Theatre Company and HIPPY AND THE MELVILLE BOYS for the Blyth Summer Festival. Michael is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

As a freelance Technician/Technical Director he has been able to work on such projects as building puppets for the IAAF World Championships Opening Ceremonies, Special FX for Fringe Theatre Adventures’ production of THE HOBBIT, and be the Sound and Multimedia Operator for Theatre Network’s production of EXCAVATIONS. He also enjoyed working as a rigger on Fire Fly Theatres PRIMORDIAL BLUES and touring as a technician for METIS MUTT and THE BLUE ORPHAN. Bobby has studied at the Victoria School and Grant MacEwan College. His most recent work is on THE SECRET SPACES BUS SHOW for Workshop West Theatre.

This is Gina’s second season back out in the freelance world of stage management. She is delighted to be on familiar territory for her first official apprenticing gig – a full circle moment. Gina was Theatre Network’s production manager from 2000 to 2004 giving her some of her favorite productions under her belt (A SKULL IN CONNEMARA, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, VINCENT AND BRIXTON, FOR THE PLEASURE OF SEEING HER AGAIN, LAWRENCE AND HOLLOMAN, …). She has also been the production manager for NEXTFEST for the past five years – a festival that takes place in June right where you are sitting. Other Select credits include BITCHSLAP! and the Tranny Trilogy, TRANNY GET YOUR GUN, L’IL ORPHAN TRANNY and TRANNE OF GREEN GABLES (Guys in Disguise) THE BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS (November Theatre), THE INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES OF MARY JANE MOSQUITO (Concrete Theatre) and looks forward to THE ANGER OF ERNEST AND ERNESTINE with George and Sharla and DRUNKEN F*CKER (Ground Zero, April 2006).