Richard Beaune
Richard Beaune (Acting without Text, Advanced Scene Study: Shifting Partners, Michael Chekhov Method; Directing Labs: Blocking, Directing as a Shared Vision, Actor Speak, Choices), has been acting and directing in every province and territory in both official languages for some 30 years. Credits include several TV commercials, film and theatre roles, two seasons as assistant director and actor at the Stratford Festival, intern director at the Shaw Festival, and participant in the Lincoln Centre Theatre Director’s Lab and Director’s Lab North. He has directed Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare in the Square), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Edward Ironside (Firebrand Theatre), Canadian Comedy Award-winning Trapped in Taffeta (Simple Truth Theatre), and Keystone Theatre’s The Belle of Winnipeg (3 Dora nominations) and Gold Fever. Richard has a Master of Fine Arts degree from York University and has taught acting at York University, Brock University, Ryerson University, and George Brown Theatre School.
Beverley Cooper
Beverley Cooper (Playwriting Basics, Playwriting 1, 2, 3, Research Inspired Plays) is an award winning writer, dramaturge and teacher. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her writing for theatre includes; Thin Ice (co-written with Banuta Rubess, Dora and Chalmers Awards); Clue in the Fast Lane (co-written with Ann-Marie MacDonald); The Eyes of Heaven; The Woman in White (adapted from the novel by Wilkie Collins); Innocence Lost: A Play about Steven Truscott (finalist for the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award, and produced for Soulpepper’s 2017-28 season); The Lonely Diner: Al Capone in Euphemia Township (Blyth Festival, Vertigo Theatre); Janet Wilson Meets the Queen (nominated for a Prix Rideaux award 2016, GCTC,) If Truth Be Told (Blyth Festival) and The Other: A Strange Christmas Tale ( 4th Line Theatre) Beverley has written extensively for CBC Radio Drama.
Her adaptation of Rohinton Mistry’s epic novel A Fine Balance and her original drama It Came from Beyond! earned her nominations for a Writer’s Guild of Canada Award. Other books dramatized for radio include: Alias Grace, Away and The Secret World of Og (Silver Medal Award – New York Festival International Radio Awards).
Beverley trained as an actor at Studio 58 in Vancouver, and has performed on TV and film, and in theatres across Canada. Beverley is a frequent director of audio books for Penguin Random House including books by Miriam Toews, Tanya Tagaq, Elizabeth Hay, Marina Endicott, Alicia Elliot and Harold R. Johnson. Beverley presented her work at Women Playwrights International conferences in Mumbai, Stockholm, Cape Town and Santiago. Beverley is the coordinator of The CASA Project, a charitable arm of the Playwrights Guild of Canada that supports women playwrights living in South Africa. Beverley’s plays are published by Scirocco Drama.
Catherine Frid
Catherine Frid (Dramaturgical Concepts) is a Guelph-based playwright and dramaturge. Her produced plays include Spend Your Kids’ Inheritance (Toronto Fringe 2019, Patron’s Pick), What I Gave, I Have (Guelph Museums 2019), Half Full (school tours 2016-17), Dead Cat Bounce (Guelph Fringe 2016, Toronto Fringe 2010), Burying Toni (Alumnae 2014), The Bold Canadian (Arts and Letters Club 2013), Over the Edge (New Ideas Festival 2013 and others), and Homegrown (SummerWorks and others 2011-12). Her community co-creations include AfterWhys (Suicide Awareness Council tours 2016-19), Our Roots, Our Future (Eden Mills 2017), Out of the Illusion (Six Nations Reserve 2015), and Our Voices: Senior Selfies (Eden Mills 2014 and others). She has dramaturged work for InspiraTO Festival, Alumnae Theatre and privately.
Publications include Our Voices: Senior Selfies (ArtAge Publications), Community with Strangers in ‘Scenes from a Diverse World’ (ICWP), Us and Them in ‘Thirtysomethings: Mother-Daughter Monologues’ (ICWP), and This Isn’t Toronto in ‘Long Story Short’ (Playwrights Canada Press). Catherine has been Playwright in Residence at Mixed Company Theatre, and Artist in Residence at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Vrenia Ivonoffski
Vrenia Ivonoffski (Introduction to Acting, Introduction to Scene Study, Clown, Mask, Shakespeare, Directing, The Art of Comedy) is the founding artistic director of ACT II STUDIO. She has an M.A. from the University of Toronto and trained in physical theatre at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq (Paris) and with Philippe Gaulier. She is a graduate of the directing program at Ryerson Theatre School, where she then taught in the Acting and Dance Programs for several years. She has also taught workshops at the University of Guelph, Sheridan College, University of Ohio, and several drama conferences. Since 1987, she has been Professor of Acting (Mask, Commedia dell’Arte) at George Brown Theatre School.
Vrenia has 40 plus directing credits and has written 13 plays, including Leacock Live! (Patrons’ Pick, 2010 Toronto Fringe Festival). Recognized as a major playwright of research-based drama in Canada, she has collaborated with social science researchers from the Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehab Centre, Sunnybrook Nursing Research Unit, Hamilton’s Indigenous Health Centre, and York University to create plays which have toured North America. Her play on dementia, I’m Still Here, has been touring continuously since 2004. She was president (2006-9) of the Toronto Association of Acting Studios (TAAS). Vrenia received Ryerson’s GREET Award (for teaching excellence) in 2003 and Theatre Ontario’s prestigious 2014 Maggie Bassett Award for her contribution to theatre in Ontario.
Annie Lockerbie Newton
Annie Lockerbie Newton (Clown courses) is a theatre creator, writer, clown, musician, visual artist and teacher. She began her career as a child actor at the Stratford Festival in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Annie studied clown with Leah Cherniak and with John Turner (of Mump & Smoot) at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance and has performed her devised clown pieces at RED: An Art Pop-Up (Grand Canyon Theatre). She has also studied at the Soulpepper Training Room, the National Voice Intensive, and Second City, and is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School (Dean’s List, John Bannerman Award, Women’s Association Award). Throughout the COVID -19 physical distancing, she experimented with on-line theatre with Theatre on Call, creating a solo, interactive and immersive phone-call show called From Room to Room. Annie is an ANS Kundalini Yoga instructor and has taught yoga specifically for actors.
Jane Luk
Jane Luk (Improvisation courses) has performed on stages all across Canada as well as for film, television, and new media. Selected film and tv credits include Kim’s Convenience, The Clark Sisters, Anne With an E, Murdoch Mysteries, Billable Hours, Blood and Water, Saw lll, and a series regular on Spinning Out on Netflix. Jane’s stage credits include Kim’s Convenience (Soulpepper), Tragedie of Lear, Mother Tongue and World Improv Championships (Just For Laughs). She also voices characters in the video games X-Men: Mutant Academy 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the animated series, Abby Hatcher.
Jane has facilitated classes at Soulpepper, the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Social Capital Theatre, Bad Dog Theatre, and Second City. For many years she produced Comedy on the Danforth and Kittens of Comedy. Jane is a four-time nominee for the Canadian Comedy Awards for Funniest Female Improvisor and recipient of a Dora and Chalmers Award for Best Youth Script.
Kate Lushington
Kate Lushington (Voice; Scene Exploration I; Poetry Cabaret) is a veteran theatre artist, Voice and Alexander Technique teacher. Trained in Voice by David Smukler, she has taught at Brock University’s Drama Department, George Brown Theatre School and the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. She now teaches Voice and Alexander Technique in private practice and at the Alexander training program at Susan Sinclair Studio in Toronto, of which she is a graduate. A member of CAEA and ACTRA, she was Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre for six seasons in the early ‘90s. As a writer, she has won a National Radio Award and a Mouche D’Or. She is currently creating an intergenerational performance piece with her daughter Natasha Greenblatt: The Apocalypse Plays: A Legacy Project, directed by ahdri zhina mandiela and funded by the Ontario Arts Council.
Cindy Macaulay
Cindy Macaulay (Acting – Meisner Technique 1-4) is an actor, director, and instructor who specializes in teaching the Meisner Technique. She graduated from the Neighbourhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City where the Meisner Technique was founded and developed, and completed her teacher training certificate there in 2005. Cindy has performed professionally in New York, Calgary and Toronto and founded the Neighbourhood North School of Theatre, which she directed for 11 years, and was the Artistic Director of Cold Water Theatre Society from 2000-2008. She established Playhouse North Acting Studio after moving to Toronto and also freelances as a workshop facilitator. She is also the co-founder of Odyssey Promotions Corp.
Sarah McVie
Sarah McVie(Inhabiting the Moment; Scene Studies: Chekhov & Ibsen, The Greeks). After graduating from theatre school, Sarah began her career with five seasons at the Stratford Festival of Canada where she played Cordelia opposite Christopher Plummer. She was also a member of the 2001 Stratford Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training and the recipient of the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Young Actor. Based in Ottawa for 10 years, Sarah began teaching drama courses for Carleton University’s Department of English and was instrumental in establishing their Drama Program. She performed at the National Arts Centre and played various leading roles at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Her co-created play, The Public Servant, enjoyed a sold out run in Ottawa and in Toronto at CanStage’s Berkeley Street Theatre in 2016. Sarah had a recurring role in The Handmaid’s Tale, and has recurring roles on CBC’s Workin’ Moms and Detention Adventure,has worked extensively as a voice-over artist in commercials, industrials and animated features and has been coaching acting and voice for over 20 years.
Alexander Offord
Alexander Offord (Seminars/Lecture Series – Political Theatre, Contemporary Canadian Plays, Chekhov and Ibsen, Greek Theatre; Play Clinic, Playwriting Labs: Conflict, Generating Ideas; Directing Actors:Approaches) is a writer, director and performer. His written work includes the novel, The Savage God, the award-winning plays The Hystericon, The Life and Work of Daniil Kharms (co-author/creator) and Potosi (winner of the Toronto Fringe Festival’s New Play Award in 2015), and numerous essays and articles on politics, theatre and performance for publications as diverse as The Literary Review of Canada, #Cdn Cult Times, and BlogTO. He is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School and co-artistic director of the avant-garde theatre company, Good Old Neon.
Graham Orwin
Graham Orwin (Acting on Camera A to Z; Commercials; Focus on Film) has directed dramas, docudramas, and music/comedy specials for CBC, CTV, PBS, TVO, and the National Film Board. He has directed over 1,000 corporate TV dramas and commercials in Canada and the US, winning 43 international awards for his work. Graham has lectured for the Canadian Association of Advertising Agencies, Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts (RTA) program, and at Sheridan College’s Media Arts and Musical Theatre School. He is a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada and is a graduate of Ryerson’s RTA program
Les Porter
Les Porter (Monologues, Scenes from Canadian and Other Plays) is a director, choreographer, and actor. He was the choreographer and then director/choreographer for several seasons of the lavish AIDS fundraiser for Casey House, “D.Q”. He has acted in many of Toronto’s theatres and has among his TV and Film acting credits: Masala, Due South, The Newsroom, Cliff Hanger (NBC), The City, Widows, Three to Tango, Queer as Folk, Wild Card, Mean Girls, Road to Avonlea and Touch of Pink as well as numerous commercials. He is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School.
Goldie Spencer
Goldie Spencer (Storytelling; Bringing History to Life) has been a storyteller for over 25 years. She has performed at schools, community centres and festivals across Canada and in Sydney, Australia. Her repertoire includes folk/fairy tales, myths and legends, as well as personal stories. Her research-based historical Canadian pieces, Women of the Yukon and Les Filles du Roi have been performed in theatres including the Red Sandcastle Theatre, the Aki Theatre at Daniels Spectrum, and at Story Fusion as well as in several libraries. She has developed and taught workshops on creating stories and performances based on historical research at various conferences including the Sydney Storytelling Conference and Storytellers of Canada Annual Conference in Montreal. Goldie has been instrumental in developing the Storytelling program at ACT II STUDIO. She is a member of Storytellers of Canada (SC-CC) and Storytelling Toronto. She is a founding member of the York Storytelling Guild, and a past member of Story Jam and a co-ordinator of 1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling.
Raymond Storey
Raymond Storey (Writing for TV & Film; Comedy Writing for Stage and Screen; Writing Podcast Dramedy) is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and producer who has worked in almost every genre – from comedy to family drama to sci-fi and action. A principal writer on some of Canada’s highest-rated television shows, Ray is a two-time Gemini Award nominee for Best Writing in a Television Movie or Mini-series, and winner of Best Writing in a Children or Youth Program. Most recently, Ray was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award as a producer on the documentary, Searching for Vimy’s Lost Soldiers. Some of his series include: Bomb Girls (Shaw/Reelz), Train48 (Global), Made In Canada (CBC), Wind At My Back (CBC), Traders (Global), Deepwater Black (Sci-Fi Channel/YTV), and Road to Avonlea (CBC/Disney). Television movies and mini-series include Iron Road (CBC), Sleeping Dogs Lie (CBC), Einstein: Light to the Power of Two (HBO), Da Vinci: Dream of Flight (HBO), Marie Curie: More Than Meets the Eye (HBO), and Butterbox Babies (CBC, BBC, A&E). As a playwright, Ray is a three-time Dora Award winner and a Chalmer’s and Governor General’s Award finalist, amongst others
Julie Tepperman
Julie Tepperman(Writing the Monologue; Adapting Stories for the Stage; Site-Specific Theatre; Devised Theatre) is an actor, playwright and educator, as well as Co-Artistic Leader (with her husband Aaron Willis) of Convergence Theatre, thrice listed by NOW Magazine as the “Best Site-Specific Theatre Company in Toronto”. Julie has acted at theatres across Toronto, as well as two seasons at The Stratford Festival, where she completed their Birmingham Conservatory and was recently part of their annual Playwright’s Retreat. She has had eight professional productions of her plays produced since 2006, three of which were musicals / operas. A graduate of George Brown Theatre school where she often teaches, Julie has been Playwright-In-Residence at Theatre Passe Muraille, is co-creator of the epic immersive “choose-your-own-adventure” BRANTWOOD, chaired the board of Generator for three years, and is a proud recipient of a 2016 Harold award for her work in Indie Theatre. Julie has had her writing published with Playwrights Canada Press, The Canadian Theatre Review, and University of Toronto Press.
Ian Cameron Williams
Ian Cameron Williams (Exploring Text with Meisner Technique) is an actor, director and creator, originally from Barrie where he performed locally and taught workshops for high school drama students. Since moving to Toronto he has worked with prominent local directors Ravi Jain (Mahabarata), Sue Miner (Learned Ladies), Jordan Pettle (Metamorphoses), Tanisha Taitt (Picnic at Hanging Rock) and Soheil Parsa (Rhinosceros). He has also performed in summer stock at Theatre on the Ridge in Port Perry where he also taught acting. Ian is the founding artistic director of The Actor’s Farm, an actor-centred theatre company devoted to experimentation and broad exploration of the actor’s craft. The company is especially focussed on performing and creating works which reveal how the human mind functions in extreme situations. In the physical theatre genre, Ian has directed clown shows for Art Pop-Up Toronto for both their BLUE and RED cabarets.
Aaron Willis
Aaron Willis (Directing Actors: Approaches, Continuous Monologue)is an actor, director, educator, and Co-Artistic Leader of Convergence Theatre (with his wife Julie Tepperman), where he has produced and directed the site-specific hits Athabasca, The Unending, Passion Play by Sarah Ruhl, YICHUD (Seclusion), the Dora-nominated The Gladstone Variations and AutoShow. He has directed at theatres across the city, from Theatre Passe Muraille to Soulpepper, as well as twice assistant directed at The Stratford Festival as part of the inaugural Michael Langham workshop for Classical Direction. He continues to work closely with The Musical Stage Company as the Associate Artistic Director / dramaturge. Aaron holds a BA Honours in Drama from the University of Alberta, and is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School, where he has directed and taught Shakespeare scene studies.
Nicole Wilson
Nicole Wilson (Scene Exploration I, Devised Theatre, Longform Improvisation, Monologues) is an award-winning multi-disciplinary theatre artist, director, performer, and co-founder of the contemporary performance company Good Old Neon with whom she directed the acclaimed productions of One Left Hour (2018) and Blue Remembered Hills (2017 My Entertainment World Critic Picks Award for best production). She has two degrees in Pure and Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and is a graduate of George Brown Theatre school. Nicole teaches first year acting and vocal masque at George Brown College, and has also taught acting and improvisation for Ryerson University, Bad Dog Theatre, and Impatient Theatre. Most recent credits include Good Witch (season 6), Photographic Evidence with Mixed Theatre Company, the UK tour of Mankind and The Pride of Life with Poculi Ludique Societas, and Nina in The Seagull (Chekhov Collective at The Berkeley Street Theatre). One of Nicole’s objectives as a creator and teacher is to facilitate complex, physical, intelligent work that engages with the political moment.