2013/14 MAINSTAGE SERIES DW 204 Signal

2013/14 MAINSTAGE SERIES
DW 204 Signal Theatre
(Toronto)
Feb 20-22, 2014
FLECK DANCE THEATRE,
207 Queens Quay West,
Toronto
Sponsored by:
One of a kind Gifts
DanceWorks 2013/14 Season
...dance with a bite!
Tonight we welcome Signal Theatre to the DanceWorks Mainstage with a contemporary dance-theatre piece titled A Soldier’s Tale. True to Michael Greyeyes’ vision
for the company, A Soldier’s Tale tells compelling stories and places movement at
the centre of the work. The company asks us to consider the price we pay in waging war, where horror overwhelms both the personal and the political. Thanks to
Signal Theatre for fearlessly questioning the status quo and courageously embodying this powerful narrative.
From March 6-8, at the Enwave Theatre, DanceWorks will present the North
American premiere of The Four Seasons, a full-length duet by mature dance artists Robert Glumbek and
Kevin O’Day. Using Max Richter’s adaption of Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, these gifted individuals
ponder life and its cycles. I hope that you’ll join us for this, and all of the DanceWorks events throughout
the season.
Mimi Beck, Dance Curator
mage by John Lauener
DANCEWORKS 2013/14 MAINSTAGE SERIES
DW205 Robert Glumbek (Toronto) & Kevin O’Day (Mannheim)
DW206 Bboyizm (Ottawa)
TICKETS: 416 973 4000 or danceworks.ca
Mar 6-8, 2014
Apr 25-26, 2014
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF CHOREOGRAPHERS AND THEIR WORKS
PRESENTED ON THE DANCEWORKS MAINSTAGE SERIES, PLEASE VISIT:
danceworks.ca/about/about_archives.html
Our work is made possible through the generous support of our donors.
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PROGRAMME NOTES
SIGNAL THEATRE
A SOLDIER’S TALE (world premiere Feb 20, 2014)
Choreographer’s Note:
One cannot make theatre alone.
The creative process for our production underlined this idea at every stage of the journey. From the soldiers, who have shared their stories, to
each of the performers, who listened with rapt attention and absorbed both the emotional toll of these experiences and the soldiers’ questioning of their roles and how they see themselves.
The choreography itself is also a testament to our collaboration, in that each dancer who participated in our process over the past two years,
authored these movements, layering their inventiveness and energy into each step, each transition. The choreography for this work is by the
dancers, whom you see before you tonight, while I as a co-creator can only claim a nominal part. Tara Beagan, whose stunning text, you
hear—like each of my collaborators: John, Liz, Andy, Sharon, Shawn, Yvette, Ron & Nancy—contributed to every fibre and sinew of this piece.
They are the work, and I am honoured to be in their company. I hope you will see A Soldier’s Tale in that light and remember the costs of war
and the tremendous debt we owe to soldiers, at home and afar.
Direction: Michael Greyeyes
Written by Tara Beagan
Choreography: the Company, with Michael Greyeyes*
Music composition: John Gzowski
Dramaturgy: Yvette Nolan and Nancy Latoszewski
Fight Director: Simon Fon*
Additional Métis dance in Act 1 staged by Yvonne Chartrand
Set and Costume design: Shawn Kerwin
Lighting design: Elizabeth Asselstine
Sound and Video design: Andy Moro
Production Manager: Ron Snippe Technical Director: Nick Andison
Head of Wardrobe: Sharon Hann Cutter: Sylvia Defend
Stage Manager: Kalina Janik Assistant Stage Manager: Brittany Ryan
Signal Theatre video display: Melissa Joakim
The Cast:
Ana Groppler, Eva & Lilia Greyeyes, Kate Holden, Nancy Latoszewski
Tamara Podemski*, PJ Prudat*, (Alyssa Bartlett/ understudy), Keith Barker*
Michael Caldwell, Louis Laberge-Côté, Jamie Maczko*
Daniel McArthur, Brendan Wyatt
*Appearing courtesy of the Canadian Actor’s Equity Association.
Musicians: Maryem Tollar – voice, qanuun, Peter Lutek – clarinet, Andrew Downing – bass, cello,
Deb Sinha – percussion, John Gzowski – guitars, electronics
Signal Theatre would like to thank the following for their contributions: Students of costume construction @ York University: Meghan
Maguire, Michael Piscitelli, Sandra Mandich, Rachel Annen, Tinee Campbell, Simi Daljeet, Andrew Cleveland (former student), Christina Tucciarone, Lara Kramer, Jillian Peever, Luke Garwood, Winston Wuttunee, Kent Monkman, Phyllis Walper, George Greyeyes, Brian Webb, Cathy
Levy and The National Arts Centre, Jeanne Holmes and The Canada Dance Festival, Kelly Robinson, Robina Cook, Casey Prescott and The Banff
Centre, Kawa Ada, McWood Studios, Sara Roque, Geraldine Manossa, Bruce Sinclair, Robert Allen, The National Ballet School, The National
Ballet of Canada, Department of Theatre @ York University and the staff of Fine Arts Performance Facilities, Academy of Ballet and Jazz, James
Sled & NEXUS Canada, Nina Draganic & The Canadian Opera Company, Lilia Leon, Ronny Lewis, Sama Kokabi, Christopher Douglas, Alyssa Bartlett, Cassandra Brennan, Antonio Lennert, Symon Oliver, The ALSO Collective, Krav Maga Toronto, John Lauener, David Hou, Glory Dearling,
Brooklyn Doran, Ruth Leggett, Ian Arnold, Donna Michelle St. Bernard, Shannon Litzenberger, Meredith Potter, Deb Sinha, Andrew Downing,
Maryem Tollar, Peter Lutek, Moynan King, Wesley Connor, Roz Mogani, All Nations Media, David Bellavia, Kayla Williams, Anthony Shadid,
David Wood, Dianne Weinrib, Mimi Beck, Rosslyn Jacob Edwards, Catherine Romano and all at DanceWorks. We extend our sincerest appreciation to The Canada Council for the Arts and The Ontario Arts Council, the many individuals who are supporting us through our Indiegogo
campaign and we’d also like to thank our families and teachers, who are always with us.
Signal would especially like to thank Brittany Ryan, our production intern and assistant stage manager, who has worked tirelessly since joining
the company and supporting our work in every way one could hope. As an indigenous organization, we value the opportunity to mentor
young theatre artists, as it is key part of our company mandate and cultural expression.
PERFORMERS’ BIOGRAPHIES
KEITH BARKER is a Métis artist from Northwestern Ontario. A graduate of the George Brown Theatre School, he is the former Artistic
Associate at Native Earth Performing Arts. Theatre credits include King Lear (National Arts Centre), Tombs of a Vanishing Indian (Red Diva/
Native Earth), Jesus Chrysler (Praxis/Rhubarb), Homegrown (Aluna/Summerworks), The Making of St. Jerome (Next Stage Festival), Job’s
Wife (New Harlem Productions/Summerworks), Death of a Chief, (National Arts Centre/Native Earth), Autoshow (Convergence Theatre).
Upcoming is A Soldier’s Tale with Signal Theatre, and Speedy with Unspun Theatre. He was the writer in residence at Native Earth Performing Arts for the 2012/13 Season. His first published play The Hours That Remain is available through Playwrights Canada Press.
MICHAEL CALDWELL is a Toronto-based choreographer/performer. An 'intense dynamo on stage' (Scene4) with 'exceptional interpretive
skills' (Globe & Mail), Caldwell has originated roles for many of Canada's esteemed dance creators and companies and has performed
across Canada and the United States, in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Caldwell is quickly garnering critical acclaim for his 'daring and powerful' (Bateman Reviews) choreography. His recent works include: Ash Unravel, an acclaimed solo based on his journey to Vietnam, The
Horologium, a whimsical group piece created for Dusk Dances, Boogie Back, a community work for non-dancers in Porch View Dances,
and Mary, a dynamic new solo for Stéphanie Tremblay Abubo. With a bachelor’s degree in film and art history from Syracuse University,
Caldwell seeks to incorporate cinematic sensibilities in all his work. Caldwell has recently begun work on a new group work, based on
themes of isolation and loneliness. He currently sits on the board of directors at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, is the co-chair of
the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists – Ontario Chapter, and is the associate curator for Older & Reckless.
PJ PRUDAT was so eager to experience this world, she arrived two weeks early amidst a great snowstorm, with snow so deep, her Grandfather had to plow a road into town. She’s been less demanding ever since. She is an actor and writer of Cree, Saulteaux, French, Scandinavian and Métis roots. PJ has performed in theatres across Canada and the USA, she is currently penning a Métis saga for Saskatchewan
Native Theatre Co’s youth program and is also the current Playwright in Rez at Native Earth for the 2013/2014 Season. Some favourite
credits include Tainted (Moyo Theatre), The Blue Planet (YPT), National/Yukon tours of the one-woman show Cafe Daughter (Gwaandak
Theatre), Salt Baby (NextStage), Medicine Boy (Summerworks), free as injuns (NEPA), two National tours of Almighty Voice and His Wife
(NEPA), Tombs of the Vanishing Indian (NEPA), The Red Machine Part I-IV (The Room/Fringe/Summerworks/Labcab/Hatch), and Copper
Thunderbird (NAC/English Theatre/ Magnetic North). PJ holds a B.A. Degree in Drama from the UofA and is a recipient of the NAC’s
emerging artist David Leighton Arts Fellowship Award and the Yukon People's Choice Bob Couchman Award. Kitatamihinâwâw.
ANA CLAUDETTE GROPPLER was born in Toronto. She discovered her love of dance at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, and pursued
her training further, graduating from The School of Toronto Dance Theatre in 2011. Since graduating Groppler has worked with Toronto
Heritage Dance, Kemi Contemporary Dance Projects, Nancy Latoszewski, Signal Theatre, Fiona Griffiths, Parahumans, Pollux Dance, Social
Growl Dance and she worked as a rehearsal assistant for Michael Caldwell’s Ash Unravel for Dance: Made in Canada. Groppler has performed her own work in shows with Dance Matters, the Parahumans and Magpie Dances. She is currently working with Find the Floor
Dance Collective on a piece to be performed in July 2014 in DanceWorks CoWorks, as well as Signal Theatre’s production A Soldier’s Tale
and looks forwarding to performing at the Canada Dance Festival in June 2014.
LOUIS LABERGE-CÔTÉ (Performer) is a Toronto-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He joined Toronto Dance Theatre in 1999, and
danced with the company for eight seasons, under the artistic direction of Christopher House. Meanwhile, he built an exceptionally active
career as a freelance artist. He has worked with several esteemed choreographers, and has toured in North America, Europe, and
Asia. Between 2009 and 2011, he joined the Kevin O’Day - Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim (Germany) as a soloist dancer and contemporary dance teacher. He has created over 60 choreographic works, which have been presented and commissioned in Canada and
abroad. His work has garnered him five Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for Outstanding Performance and Choreography. He is
currently on faculty at the National Ballet of Canada (In-Studio) and Ryerson University. He also shares the Vice-Presidency at the Canadian Dance Assembly and is the Chair of the Dance Committee at the Toronto Arts Council.
KATE HOLDEN (Performer) An award winning dance artist, Kate has had the pleasure of interpreting the works of many esteemed Canadian choreographers, including Peggy Baker, Roberto Campanella, Robert Desrosiers, David Earle, Sylvain Émard, Sasha Ivanochko, James
Kudelka, Laurence Lemieux, Emily Molnar, Andrea Nann, and Yvonne Ng; with performances across North America, France, Britain, Holland and Singapore. Kate spent five seasons as a company member of Dancemakers under the artistic direction of Michael Trent and was
a dancer with the Danny Grossman Dance Company for two seasons. Kate is a graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and Etobicoke School of the Arts. In addition to her work as a dancer, Kate is very active in the Toronto dance community, is an emerging teacher
and choreographer, and is a practitioner of Cranial Sacral Therapy. With Kate Franklin, Kate Holden founded firstthingsfirst productions
(ftfp.ca) to commission and produce new contemporary dance works by Canadian choreographers. The company has facilitated the creation and production of 10 new dance works since 2007. Kate is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists, and was on the board
of directors of the Ontario Chapter from 2003 - 2008.
TAMARA PODEMSKI (performer) is an Anishnabe artist born and raised in Toronto. She has a Diploma of Dance from Claude Watson
School for the Arts where she studied dance, theatre and music throughout its 10-year program. Stage Credits include: A Midsummer
Night’s Dream (CanStage); When Will You Rage? (Earth in Motion Indigenous Dance); Creation (National Arts Centre); The Edward Curtis
Project (Presentation House Theatre, Jessie Richardson nomination Best Actress); Wild Dogs (Nightwood); Kaha:wi (Kaha:wi Dance Theatre); The Dirty Beautiful (Crow's Theatre); Rent (Mirvish & Broadway); Chinook Winds (Banff Centre). Film/TV Credits: Lesser Blessed (TIFF
2013); Four Sheets to the Wind (Sundance Special Jury Prize for Acting & Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Spirit: The
7th Fire (US Tour); Dance Me Outside, The Rez, Ready or Not, North of 60, Heartland, Copper, Cracked. Music Credits: Spirit Nation (Triloka
2001); Spirit Voices (Reflections 2003); Tamara (Mukwa Music 2006, Aboriginal Award for Best Female Artist & Songwriter); Meegwetch
(BravoFACT!, Best Music Video at imagiNATIVE FilmFestival). Tamara is currently working on her fourth album.
DANIEL MCARTHUR (performer) Daniel McArthur was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He spent his early years training at the National
Ballet School and Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. Soon after graduation he moved to New York to pursue further training in dance from
SUNY Purchase College. Recently Daniel has been dancing abroad with DEMA Ballet Theatre and Michael Mao Dance Company in New York
as well as with the renowned Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel. Returning to Canada 2 years ago Daniel has been gifted with
the opportunities to dance with Coleman Lemieux and Compagnie, Dancetheatre David Earle, The Chimera Project, Signal Theatre, Typecast
Dance Company, The Garage Collective and Jasmyn Fyffe Dance.
JAMIE MACZKO (performer) Jamie Maczko is Toronto based Actor, Producer. Mr. Maczko is a graduate of York University's Acting Conservatory where he received his BFA. Select Stage credits include: Cherry Docs directed by Eda Holmes (BeMe Theatre, Munich, Germany), Little
Tongues (***** NOW Magazine) directed by Paul Lampert (Blood Projects), Macbeth in Matchbox Macbeth (NOW Magazine Top 10 Shows of
2010) directed by Matt Walker (Litmus Theatre), Fred in Saved (2011 Toronto Fringe Festival Best of Venue at Factory Studio Theatre) directed by Jack Grinhaus (Bound to Create Theatre), Marat in Marat/Sade directed by Leah Cherniak (Theatre@York), and Kennedy in Table
Talk directed by Ross Manson (Theatre@York in association with Volcano Theatre). Film/TV/Voice credits include: A Girl Named Jack
(Canadian Film Centre), Flashpoint on CTV/CBS, and Afghanada on CBC Radio 1.
BRENDAN WYATT (Performer) Canadian dance artist and performer Brendan Wyatt was born in rural Saskatchewan. He started dancing at
the age of four and later spent nine years training at Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre.
One of the country's most sought after independent artists Wyatt has performed in a multitude of professional works by several companies
and choreographers nationally and internationally. Wyatt has been a core member of several Toronto based companies including The Chimera Project, ProArte Danza, Dreamwalker Dance, Bouchardanse and blackandblue dance projects. In 2008 he was a founding member of The
Dietrich Group with Director/Choreographer DA Hoskins and dance artist Danielle Baskerville. In 2010 he was the recipient of a Dora Mavor
Moore Award for his performance in this time, an aldheid production by Heidi Strauss. In 2011 Wyatt was nominated for outstanding choreography with Andrea Nann for their full length evening Beside Each Other.
NANCY LATOSZEWSKI (Artistic Associate at Signal, Dramaturge, Performer) Nancy danced with Feld Ballet/NY, The Cleveland/San Jose Ballet,
the Alberta Ballet and the Wilkes-Barre Ballet Theatre and is an award winner at the prestigious New York International Ballet Competition
(1987). Nancy has performed principal roles in Eliot Feld’s A Footstep of Air, The Jig Is Up, and Bloom’s Wake, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, The
Moor’s Pavane by Jose Limón, Roland Petit’s Carmen, and Serenade and Donizetti Variations by George Balanchine. She danced the Sugar
Plum Fairy and Maria in The Nutcracker, and the title role in Birgit Cullberg’s Miss Julie, among many others. Nancy holds a Master of Fine
Arts in Choreography from York University (2012) and is the Artistic Associate of Signal Theatre. Nancy began to choreograph in 2009, creating four short dance works entitled Collected Short Stories. She has created pieces for Ballet Jörgen’s Solos and Duets and choreographed the
film Seven Seconds that premiered at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in 2010. In 2013, she presented Carriage, a solo she choreographed and performed at Toronto’s long-running Older & Reckless series. Also in 2013, she presented Valley of Coal at The Banff Centre,
a concert dance work exploring her family’s oral history as immigrants in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
EVA & LILIA GREYEYES (performers) Eva (11) and Lilia (9) are burgeoning performers. In 2011, Lilia was cast in Shane Belcourt’s short film A
Common Experience, which premiered at the 2012 imagineNATIVE film + media arts festival. Both Eva and Lilia performed in Nôhkom, a
dance theatre work that premiered at The Banff Centre in 2013. They are currently studying ballet, contemporary, and character in Toronto
and enjoy a rich array of extra-curricular activities. In this work, Eva plays Viola Joseph, the daughter of John and Sadie Joseph (played by
Keith Barker and PJ Prudat respectively) in Act 1. Lilia also plays Viola, but as a younger version. In Act 2, they play Iraqi children.
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
MICHAEL GREYEYES (Director and Choreographer) is an actor, choreographer, director and educator. In 2008, he directed and choreographed the first Cree language opera, Pimooteewin (The Journey), with music by Melissa Hui and libretto by Tomson Highway for Soundstreams Canada. He has directed Daniel David Moses’ Almighty Voice and his Wife for Native Earth Performing Arts and The River, a new
work for Nakai Theatre in Whitehorse. His short film Seven Seconds premiered at the 2010 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto and also screened at the Dawson City International Short Film Festival in the Yukon. Prior to his work as a director and choreographer,
Michael danced with The National Ballet of Canada and was a soloist for the Feld Ballet in New York City. In 2010, he founded Signal Theatre
and in 2011 premiered a full-length dance theatre work, entitled from thine eyes, at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto. This work, a coproduction with Native Earth Performing Arts was presented by DanceWorks as part of their mainstage season. In 2013, he wrote and choreographed Nôhkom, a dance theatre portrait of his paternal grandmother during the Great Depression that premiered at The Banff Centre. He
is an Associate Professor in the Theatre department at York University.
TARA BEAGAN (Playwright) served as AD of Native Earth Performing Arts for nearly 3 years, until December 2013. Prior to this, she was an
actor, director, dramaturg, Community Liaison, Playwright-in-Residence, and an Artistic Associate for NEPA. As a playwright, she has been in
residence at Cahoots Theatre and the National Arts Centre. Three of her twenty plays are published, and two have received Dora Award nominations, among them commissions from Theatrefront, KICK, mysterious entity, and Praxis. As an actor, Beagan has received Dora and Betty
award nominations, and has appeared on CBC radio and TV. She has directed five productions and is co-founder/director with Andy Moro of
ARTICLE 11. article11.ca tarabeagan.com
JOHN GZOWSKI (Composer) Composer, sound designer, musician and instrument maker John Gzowski has played for the opera in Banff, studied Carnatic classical music in India and played oud and guitar in jazz and folk festivals across Canada and Europe. His theatre work has won
him five Dora’s, and another seven nominations, using live music, acoustic instrumentation, foley and electronic sources for companies like
Shaw Festival, the Mirvishes, MTC, Canstage, Soulpepper, Dancemakers, Red Sky, Tarragon, Factory Theatre and YPT. Gzowski has played on
numerous CD’s, with recent releases with Patricia O'Callghan, Tasa, and Autorickshaw as well as a Juno nomination with Maza Meze. He has
run Canada’s first microtonal group, touring Canada playing the works of Harry Partch, and worked as co-artistic director of the Music Gallery.
SHAWN KERWIN (Set and Costume Designer) has been nominated nine times for Toronto’s Dora Awards, and has been the recipient of two
Doras for outstanding design. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Siminovitch Award and been the recipient of a Harold Award
(Toronto) and the Tom Patterson Award (Stratford). Shawn designed over 250 windows for Tiffany & Co.’s flag ship store in Toronto. She an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre, York University, where she served as Chair from 2003-2009. Credits for Set & Costume Design
include: Great Expectations, Our Town, (Soulpepper), Master Harold and the Boys (1000 Islands Playhouse), The Monument (Obsidian), Heaven,
The Tempest, Habitat (CanStage), A Killing Snow, Salt Water Moon, Hockey Mom Hockey Dad, Leaving Home, Harvest, Spirit of the Narrows,
Drawer Boy, Another Season's Harvest (Blyth Festival), An Inspector Calls (Theatre Aquarius), Brothel #9, And So It Goes, Suburban Motel, Better
Living, Escape From Happiness, Beyond Mozambique, Home Is My Road (Factory Theatre). Her credits for set design include: After Image, Oil &
Water (Artistic Fraud); Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice (Grand Theatre). Her credits for costume design include: Communion, How It Works
(Tarragon Theatre), Moonlight and Magnolias, Sleuth, Later Life (Grand Theatre), Miss Julie/Sheh’Mah,(KICK Theatre), The Journey
(Pimooteewin), (Soundstreams Canada).
ELIZABETH ASSELSTINE (Lighting Designer) has been working as a lighting designer across Canada for three decades. Her recent work has included dance pieces by Susan Cash and Meagan O’Shea with the York Dance Ensemble and Darcey Callison’s (Re)Tracing Fred. Other credits
span The Flying Dutchman at Edmonton Opera, Il Trovatore and The Barber of Seville at Pacific Opera, Turandot at the Baltimore Opera, and
Opera to Go and Still the Night for Tapestry New Opera Works in Toronto. Ms Asselstine's theatre credits include Elizabeth Rex and Lend Me a
Tenor at The Globe in Regina, The Rice Boy for Canadian Stage in Toronto, Room of One’s Own at the National Arts Centre and Ideal Husband and
Playboy of the Western World at the Shaw Festival. Over the last few years she has been exploring ways to develop sustainable design for the
theatre and has initiated a new MFA at York University for Ecological Design. Ms Asselstine is a member of Associated Designers of Canada, the
Canadian Scenography Commissioner for OISTAT (l'Organisation Internationale des Scénographes, Techniciens et Architectes de Théâtre) and a
faculty member of Theatre at York University.
ANDY MORO (Sound and Projection Designer) A Toronto-based Euro/Cree with roots in Windsor, Moosefactory and northern Italy, Andy has
toured extensively, implementing and operating his own designs internationally since 1990. Moro has worked with Native Earth Performing Arts,
Young People's Theatre, VideoCabaret, Red Sky Dance, Buddies in Bad Times, dada kamera, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, the National Arts Centre,
Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company, Halfbreed Productions, and many more. He is a multi-award winner and has twice been included in NOW
Magazine’s list of Toronto’s top-10 theatre artists. Andy is core design team for the Banff Centreʼs annual Indigenous Dance Residency, cofounded Red Pepper Spectacle Arts and facilitated the Production Mentorship Program at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. He served 3 years at
the Toronto Arts Council where he was Chair of the Community Arts Committee. Currently Andy Moro and Tara Beagan are touring Beagan’s
work In Spirit ( Native Earth Performing Arts) and Dreary & Izzy (Western Canada Theatre, Gateway and Persephone). Together the two recently
founded ARTICLE 11, a new creation and production company celebrating Article 11 of the UN’s Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People.
This June, see their first presentation of Beagan’s The Ministry of Grace at Toronto’s Fort York. www.andymoro.com, www.article11.ca
RON SNIPPE (Production Manager) began his professional lighting design career with Toronto Workshop Productions under the direction of
George Luscombe. In 1973 he began a long working relationship with Toronto Dance Theatre, creating designs for over 150 works in the repertoire. Over his long, distinguished career as a lighting designer, stage manager and technical director, Mr. Snippe has worked with major dance,
theatre and opera companies across Canada and abroad. They include the Kaeja d’dance, The Danny Grossman Dance Company, Dancemakers,
and numerous other Canadian companies and independent artists, including Claudia Moore, Jennifer Dallas, Tedd Robinson and Denise Fujiwara.
Mr. Snippe was a recent recipient of Dance Ontario’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
YVETTE NOLAN (Dramaturg) is a playwright, director and dramaturg. Her plays include BLADE, Job’s Wife, Video, Annie Mae’s Movement, Scattering Jake, Ham and the Ram, The Unplugging, The Birds (a modern adaptation of Aristophanes’ comedy) and the text for from thine eyes
(Signal Theatre). Directing credits include Justice by Leonard Linklater, Café Daughter by Kenneth T Williams (Gwaandak Theatre), Tombs of the
Vanishing Indian and The Unnatural and Accidental Women by Marie Clements, Salt Baby by Falen Johnson, A Very Polite Genocide by Melanie J
Murray, Death of a Chief, Darrell Dennis’ Tales of An Urban Indian, Annie Mae’s Movement (Native Earth Performing Arts), The Ecstasy of Rita
Joe (Western Canada Theatre/National Arts Centre), The Only Good Indian... and The Triple Truth (Turtle Gals). In 2007, she received the Maggie
Bassett Award for service to the theatre community, and in 2011, the George Luscombe Award for mentorship in professional theatre. From
2003-2011, she served as Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. In 2011-12, she was the Writer In Residence at the Saskatoon Public
Library. She is currently working on Medicine Shows, a book about Native theatre in Canada.
SIMON FON (Fight Director) With over 500 professional credits stretching from Broadway to Stratford to Yellowknife and across Canada, Simon
specializes in all areas: Weaponry, Aerial Flying, Unarmed Combat (Eastern and Western). Fight Master with FDC. Executive Director and Founder
of RIOT A.C.T. earning 17 nominations and eight awards, including Simon for Male Action Performer of the Year 2009 AOF Festival California. www.simonfon.com and www.riotact.ca
KALINA JANIK (Stage Manager) is a Stage and Production Manager in Toronto. Although she studied theatre production at York University, her
love of dance has led her to primarily focus her career on dance production, which she finds infinitely fascinating and rewarding. Past credits
include: Escape Artist (Moonhorse Dance Theatre), Wintersong/ Vectors/ Arena/ Teasing Gravity (Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre), Alchemy (Sampradaya Dance Creations), The Adaptation Project (Dancemakers), Global Cabaret (Soulpepper), You Fancy Yourself/ The Cure for Everything (Maja Ardal- as part of New Actors' Colony Theatre), In the Shadow of Elephants (Carlos Bulosan Theatre), amongst others. She also Stage
Manages regularly for the York University Department of Dance, where she enjoys working with undergrad and MFA students in the pursuit of
their performance education. This is her first show with Signal Theatre, and she is honoured to be working with such a talented group of individuals.
BRITTANY RYAN (Assistant Stage Manager) is a Chinese-Métis (Ojibwe) production/stage manager and administrator currently beginning her
career in theatre. Her other credits with Signal Theatre include Nôhkom and Valley of Coal (ASM) which premiered at the Banff Centre last summer. Throughout the year, Brittany continues to work with Signal as an administrator and production intern. She has also worked with Native
Earth Performing Arts as an apprentice coordinator for the Weesagechak Festival in 2012. Her other experience with NEPA includes volunteer
work with their currently touring production of Quilchena. During the school semester, Brittany engages in on-going volunteer work in the office
and in the theatre. Currently, Brittany is pursuing her BFA at Ryerson University in Performance Production.
NICK ANDISON (Technical Director) Although originally a dancer from a young age, Nick soon changed his focus to technical production and
more specifically lighting design. He has worked on many productions, both within and beyond his studies, in varying capacities. Nick has worked
in stage management, technical direction and a variety of design roles for the theatre, dance and corporate Industries. Dance Credits include:
Stage Management – Older & Reckless, Mosaix Dance. Lighting Design – Dancemakers; Hi-Fi (2013), RTS; Choreographic Works (2012&2013),
Theatre Credits include: Tarragon; Assistant Lighting & Set Design – The Valley (2013) Assistant Lighting Design - No Great Mischief (2012), Soulpepper; Assistant Lighting Design - True West (2013), Farther West (2013), Thousand Islands Playhouse; Assistant Lighting Design – No Great Mischief (2013), Lower Ossington Theatre; Technical Director - Shrek the Musical (2013), De La Salle College; Lighting Design – Back To The 80s
(2013), RTS; Lighting Design - The Piper (2013) Other: Graduate of Ryerson Theatre School, BFA Honors 2013.
about DanceWorks
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stacey Sukerman—President
Jill Parsonage—Treasurer
Jillian Locke—Secretary
Nathalie Joury—Vice President
Sharon Broughton
STAFF
Mimi Beck — Dance Curator
Rosslyn Jacob Edwards — General Manager
Catherine Romano — Education & Outreach Manager
Julie McLachlan — Administrative Assistant
Arun Srinivasan & Ron Snippe — Production Directors
John Lauener — Videographer
Eric Parker & Associates — Graphic Designers & Advertising
DW Communications — Publicity & Promotion
DanceWorks’ patrons and friends
DanceWorks gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the following:
The Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council: The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario; the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, Suncor Energy Foundation, Anonymous
(12), Jane Howard Baker, Peggy Baker, Bruce & Irene Barton, Mimi Beck, William J.S. Boyle, Paul Brett, Sharon Broughton, Manuel
Buchwald, Vicki Burrus, Betty Carlyle, Noni Castonguay, Jay Fisher In Memory of Lawrence Adams, Kate Franklin, Kathleen Fraser,
Natasha Frid, Anne Fullerton, Justine Giuliani, Elaine & Peter Gold, Ruth Hood, Tracy Hooey, Tracey Irwin, Rosslyn Jacob Edwards,
Astrid Janson, Doris Jantzi, Patrick Kutney, David Lampert, Barbara Lampert, Alan Meisner, Vadawattee Mohabeer, Selma Odom,
William Ostrander, Eric Parker, Elliott Pearl, Terry Raininger, Bulmash-Siegel Fund, Robert Sherrin, Ron Snippe, Martha Tory, Don
Walcot, Mary Jane & Frederick Warner, Gina Yee.
Bulmash—Siegel Fund