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Tom Patterson Theatre
August 1 – October 3 |
Opens August 15
Classic Comedy

THE ALCHEMIST

by Ben Jonson
Director Antoni Cimolino

 

Three con artists use pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo to fleece all the greedy, lustful fools in London. A rare chance to see an uproarious satire by the same Shakespearean contemporary who wrote Bartholomew Fair.

This production is dedicated to the memory of former company member Edward Atienza.

Sponsor for the 2015 season of the Tom Patterson Theatre
BMO
Production support is generously provided by Sylvia D. Chrominska, Dr. Dennis & Dorothea Hacker, Diana Tremain and Barbara & Chip Vallis.

Support for the 2015 season of the Tom Patterson Theatre is generously provided by Richard Rooney & Laura Dinner.

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST

    Portrait of Jonathan Goad
    Jonathan Goad
    Face

    2015: Hamlet in Hamlet and Face in The Alchemist. 13th season. Stratford: King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Pentecost, Phèdre, The Music Man, King John, Pericles, Orpheus Descending, Henry IV, Henry VI, Fiddler on the Roof, As You Like It, Fuente Ovejuna, Julius Caesar, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Bartholomew Fair, The Brothers Karamazov, Richard II, Pride and Prejudice. Elsewhere: A Whistle in the Dark, Speaking in Tongues (Company Theatre); Our Class, The Laramie Project (Studio 180); King Lear (Soulpepper); Stones in His Pockets (GCTC); Arcadia (Theatre Junction); Strawberries in January (Grand). Film/TV: Dorsal, Nikita, Republic of Doyle, Heartland, Murdoch Mysteries, Unnatural History, Othello, The Waking, Rookie Blue, Mutant X. Radio: Hockey: A People's History. Training: NTS, Birmingham Conservatory, University of Waterloo, Banff Centre. Teaching: NTS, Fanshawe College. Et cetera: "Thank you all for coming to the theatre!"

    Portrait of Stephen Ouimette
    Stephen Ouimette
    Subtle
    2015: Subtle in The Alchemist. 21st season. Stratford: King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Waiting for Godot, Twelfth Night, The Homecoming, The Importance of Being Earnest, All's Well That Ends Well, The Tempest, King John, No Exit, Hamlet, Richard III, Amadeus, Julius Caesar. Director of Timon of Athens. Elsewhere: The Iceman Cometh with Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy (Goodman Theatre, 2012; BAM, 2015); The Alchemist (Yale Rep); Endgame (NAC); Troilus and Cressida, The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare); La Bête with Mark Rylance, David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley (Broadway/West End); leading roles across Canada. Film/TV: Mentors, I Was a Rat, After Alice, Conspiracy of Silence, The Adjuster, Firing Squad. Awards: Gemini (Slings and Arrows), Blizzard (Heater), Doras (Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Seven Stories, B Movie: The Play), Ottawa Critics Circle (I Am My Own Wife), Sterling (La Bête).
    Portrait of Scott Wentworth
    Scott Wentworth
    Epicure Mammon

    2015: Director of The Adventures of Pericles. Epicure Mammon in The Alchemist. 21st season. Stratford: Favourites include last season's Gloucester in King Lear, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Iago in Othello and the title role in Macbeth. He also directed the 2001 productions of Henry IV, parts 1 and 2. Elsewhere: Director: Romeo and Juliet (Denver Theater Center); Love's Labour's Lost and Henry IV (Shakespeare Santa Cruz). Directed and starred as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey). Et cetera: Mr. Wentworth is a Tony-nominated actor, a director and playwright whose work has been celebrated on Broadway, in London's West End, on television, in films and in theatres across the U.S. and Canada.

    Portrait of Wayne Best
    Wayne Best
    Surly
    2015: Blocher in The Physicists, Antiochus, Simonides in The Adventures of Pericles  and Surly in The Alchemist. 20th season. Stratford: Wayne has been a member of the acting company since 1992, when he played Horatio in Hamlet. Last year Wayne appeared as the Farmer and Recruiting Officer in Mother Courage, Hubert in King John and Axel Oxenstierna in the hugely popular Christina, The Girl King. Past Stratford performances include Caliban in The Tempest, Astrov in Uncle Vanya, Maurice in In the Ring, Leontes in The Winter's Tale, Fluellen in Henry V, Mercutio and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Cornwall in King Lear and Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. Elsewhere: Theatrical credits away from Stratford include Karl in Heaven, Captain Keller in The Miracle Worker, Abbott in Inexpressible Island, Brutus in Julius Caesar, Quinn in The Affections of May, Arthur in Camelot and Anderson in Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme.
    Portrait of David Collins
    David Collins
    Lovewit

    2015: Coroner in The Physicists, Cerimon in The Adventures of Pericles  and Lovewit in The Alchemist. Seventh season. Stratford: King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Richard III (Rivers), Titus Andronicus, The Tempest (Francisco), Macbeth (Seyton), Romeo and Juliet (Apothecary), Caesar and Cleopatra (Theodotus). Elsewhere: Shakuntala (Premiere Dance Theatre); The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God (Mirvish); The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night and Donut City (Canadian Stage); Pusha Man, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Passe Muraille); The Taming of the Shrew (ShakespeareWorks); Top Gun the Musical (Factory Theatre/N.Y.C.); Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in Action); Walls (VECC). Founding member of Obsidian Theatre Company. Film/TV: Saving Hope, Murdoch Mysteries, Nikita, The Firm, 11 Cameras, ReGenesis, Owning Mahowny, Shoot 'Em Up, The Incredible Hulk, MVP, Warehouse 13, Nurse.Fighter.Boy, The Listener, Rookie Blue, XIII, Stag. Training: MFA, York University. Awards: Dora nominations: Twilight Café, The America Play.

    Portrait of Randy Hughson
    Randy Hughson
    Tribulation
    2015: Richard Voss in The Physicists, Bolt in The Adventures of Pericles and Tribulation in The Alchemist. Eighth season. Stratford (selected roles): Lucky (Waiting for Godot), Pompey (Measure for Measure), Uncle John (The Grapes of Wrath), Antigonus (The Winter's Tale), Senex (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Jordan Knockem (Bartholomew Fair), Hortensio (The Taming of the Shrew). Elsewhere: Leading roles at the Belfry Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Citadel Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Canadian Stage, The Segal Centre, Neptune Theatre, Soulpepper, Tarragon, Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Alberta Theatre Projects, Centaur Theatre, Blyth Festival, National Arts Centre and many others. Film/TV: Randy has worked extensively in television, film and radio. Awards: Nominated for eight Dora Mavor Moore Awards, three Edmonton Sterlings, one Calgary Betty Mitchell, three Vancouver Jessies and one Gemini. Randy has won one of each award. Et cetera: "Gratitude and love to Melissa and Georgina."
    Portrait of Steve Ross
    Steve Ross
    Drugger
    2015: Guildenstern in Hamlet and Drugger in The Alchemist. 12th season. Stratford: Crazy for You, Man of La Mancha, Tommy, Fiddler on the Roof, The Pirates of Penzance, 42nd Street, The Grapes of Wrath, The Misanthrope, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Kiss Me, Kate, Evita, Cyrano de Bergerac, West Side Story, The Comedy of Errors, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Odyssey, As You Like It, Patience, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard II, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Camelot, Coriolanus. Elsewhere: London Road, Indian Ink, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Dream (Canadian Stage); Shrek the Musical (Grand Theatre); Assassins (TIFT/Birdland); Guys and Dolls, Emily, No Way to Treat a Lady (TIFT); The Full Monty (Rainbow Stage); Orson's Shadow (Pilot Group); A New Brain (Acting Up Stage); Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad (Showboat); A Year with Frog and Toad (MTYP/Citadel); One for the Pot, Forum (Drayton); The Producers (Neptune); Seussical, Sylvia, Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar (Aquarius); The Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare); Guys and Dolls (MTC/Citadel/TC); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Citadel); The Wizard of Oz (Ross Petty Productions); Into the Woods, Three Sisters (ATF); The Foursome, For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again (New Stages). Radio/Recordings: Letters From the Front (CBC Radio). Awards: Dora Mavor Moore Award - London Road (Outstanding Ensemble). Training: National Theatre School of Canada.
    Portrait of Brigit Wilson
    Brigit Wilson
    Dol Common
    2015: Bawd in The Adventures of Pericles, Dol Common in The Alchemist and understudy in The Physicists. 10th season. Stratford: The Swanne, All's Well, Quiet in the Land, Hunchback, Pericles, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Triumph of Love, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descending (Stratford, MTC, Mirvish), The Merchant of Venice, The Comedy of Errors, An Ideal Husband, Three Sisters, Bartholomew Fair, Peter Pan, The Grapes of Wrath, King John, Christina, Mother Courage. Elsewhere: Narcisse Mondoux (Grand); Come Back to the Five and Dime… (Grand Theatre and Five & Dime Productions - Dora nomination); Enron (Theatre Calgary); The Merry Wives of Windsor, Glorious, Man of La Mancha (TBTB); The Ballad of Stompin' Tom, Another Season's Harvest (Blyth); The Odd Couple (Segal Centre). TV: Harriet Sims on The Campbells (four seasons), The Hitchhiker, Street Legal, Parole Board, Verdict, various commercials. Film: Beyond Innocence, Anne of Avonlea, The Marriage Bed, Echoes in the Darkness, Lustre.
    Portrait of Antoine Yared
    Antoine Yared
    Dapper

    2015: Guhl in The Physicists, Lysimachus in The Adventures of Pericles  and Dapper in The Alchemist. Third season. Stratford: Lewis, the Dauphin (King John), Swiss Cheese (Mother Courage and Her Children), Mardian (Antony and Cleopatra), Prince of Aragon (The Merchant of Venice), Planchet (The Three Musketeers), Paris (Romeo and Juliet). Elsewhere: Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet), Touchstone (As You Like It) and Stefano (The Tempest) (Repercussion Theatre); Fox (Pinocchio), Goat and Soldier (Alice Through the Looking-Glass) (Geordie Productions); Justin (Jesus Jello) (Sheep in Fog); Galoshin (Provincial Anecdotes) (Concordia University). Film/TV: Boucherie Halal (Babek Aliassa), Open (Tom Abray). Recordings: Kojiro Sasaki, Samurai Warriors 2 (KOEI). Training: Dawson College, Concordia University, Birmingham Conservatory. Awards: 2014 Michael Mawson Award, 2013 Peter Donaldson Award, 2010 Elsa Bolam Award. Et cetera: Antoine would like to thank his family and friends for their continued support as well as all the mentors, teachers and coaches who have helped him along the way.

    Portrait of Graham Abbey
    Graham Abbey
    Understudy

    2015:  Herbert Georg Beutler (alias Newton) in The Physicists, understudy in The Alchemist and assistant director of The Alchemist. 16th season, Stratford: Philip the Bastard (King John), Count Johan Oxenstierna (Christina, The Girl King), Iago (Othello), Posthumus (Cymbeline), Henry V, Macbeth, Romeo, Henry VIII, Jaques, Prince Hal (Henry IV), D'Artagnan (The Three Musketeers), Petruchio (Shrew), Aufidius (Coriolanus), Berowne (Love's Labour's Lost), Algernon (Earnest), Hap Loman (Death of a Salesman). Elsewhere: Hamlet (Resurgence); Jeff Skilling (Enron) (Theatre Calgary); Sam Byck (Assassins) (Talk Is Free/Birdland); Charles (The School for Scandal), Valère (The Molière Comedies) (Chicago Shakespeare). TV: Series lead: The Border (CBC). Recurring: Degrassi, Murdoch Mysteries, Covert Affairs, Republic of Doyle. Guest star: Flashpoint, Lost Girl, Rookie Blue, Warehouse 13, Bomb Girls. Recent: Remedy (Global). Film: Take This Waltz, Casino Jack, 388 Arletta Avenue, Defendor, Stealing Paradise. Recent: First Response, Angels and Ornaments. Radio: Afghanada (CBC). Awards: Dora Award, Monte Carlo Television Festival nomination. Et cetera: Artistic director, Groundling Theatre.

     

    Portrait of Marion Adler
    Marion Adler
    2015: Lychorida, Diana in and lyricist of The Adventures of Pericles, appears in The Alchemist and understudy in The Physicists. Sixth season. Stratford: Goneril in King Lear, Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Audrey in As You Like It, Juliana in The Boys from Syracuse, Lucinda in Into the Woods. Performer: Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Philaminte in The Learned Ladies, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hermione in The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey); the Princess of France in Love's Labour's Lost, Emilia in Othello, Mistress Quickly in Henry IV Part 2 and Henry V, the Queen of Austria in The Man in the Iron Mask (Shakespeare Santa Cruz). Lyricist: Ms Adler's musical Enter the Guardsman (with composer Craig Bohmler and book writer Scott Wentworth) premièred in 1997 in London's West End at the Donmar Warehouse and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Enter the Guardsman went on to become the most produced new musical in the U.S. in the 2001-2002 season according to American Theatre Magazine, enjoying a full season of performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and productions at San Diego's Old Globe, the Indiana Repertory Theatre and the Shakespeare Festival of New Jersey. Ms Adler's musical Gunmetal Blues premièred off-Broadway in 1992 and has enjoyed numerous productions across North America and Europe. In 2000, Ms Adler was a winner of the Kleban Award for her body of work as a lyricist.
    Portrait of Sean Arbuckle
    Sean Arbuckle
    2015: Oskar Rose in The Physicists, Cleon in The Adventures of Pericles and appears in The Alchemist. 13th season. Stratford: King John (Duke of Austria), The Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), 42nd Street (Julian Marsh), Mother Courage and Her Children (Sergeant), Titus Andronicus (Saturninus), Three Sisters (Tuzenbach), The Merchant of Venice (Bassanio), Richard III (Catesby), Cabaret (Cliff Bradshaw), The Trojan Women (Talthybius), Macbeth (Banquo), The Tempest (Antonio), As You Like It (Oliver), Agamemnon (Agamemnon), Timon of Athens (Alcibiades), Electra (The Beggar), The Swanne: Princess Charlotte (The Acts of Venus) (Prince Leopold of Coburg/Alured Popple), London Assurance (Dazzle), Twelfth Night (Orsino), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Nick). Elsewhere: Othello (Segal Centre); The Winter's Tale (McCarter/Shakespeare Theatre); Phèdre (ACT); Woman in Mind (Berkshire Theatre Festival); Humble Boy, James Joyce's The Dead (Pioneer Theatre); The Waverly Gallery (Second Stage); Henry VI (NYSF); The Magnificent Ambersons (Indiana Repertory); The Triumph of Love (Walnut Street); The Spitfire Grill (George Street, world première), The Turn of the Screw (Grand Theatre). Broadway: The Importance of Being Earnest. National tour: Copenhagen. Awards: Dora Award, Outstanding Ensemble Performance, London Road (Canadian Stage). Film/TV: 12 Monkeys, Dark Matter, Reign, Defiance, Nikita, Hope & Faith, Law & Order. Training: Duke University, Juilliard.
    Portrait of Victor Ertmanis
    Victor Ertmanis
    2015: Uwe Sievers in The Physicists, Escanes, First Fisherman in The Adventures of Pericles and appears in The Alchemist. Eighth season. "Hi, guys! I'm back! This is my eighth season at the Festival, but it's my fiftieth year as a working actor. When I was twelve years old a friend dared me to audition for the school play (an operetta called His Majesty's Pie) at General Brock Public School. I landed the role of the evil chancellor. There were three performances in all. After the first performance, I got my first girlfriend. After the second, my father congratulated me for the first time. After the third, the playwright - an elegant, silver-haired gentleman and the brother of the then-Lieutenant Governor of Ontario - brought me out of the dressing room to insist, 'You are going to be an actor, aren't you?' Well, I'm happily still at it. Enjoy the show!" www.victorertmanis.com
    Portrait of Jessica B. Hill
    Jessica B. Hill
    Dame Pliant

    2015: Irene Straub in The Physicists, Dame Pliant in The Alchemist and appears in The Adventures of Pericles. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Ilona Szabo in The Play's the Thing and Petra in An Enemy of the People (Segal Centre); various in Les Zinspirés 2.0 (Théâtre français de Toronto); Lena Horne in Joe Louis: An American Romance (Infinithéâtre); Holly in The Lady Smith (Black Theatre Workshop); Zerbinette in Scapin and Ursula in Much Ado About Nothing (Repercussion Theatre); Tamora in Titus Andronicus (Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company); Jehanne in Jehanne of the Witches (Tableau d'Hôte); Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest (McGill University). Film/TV: 30 vies (Radio-Canada); The Jensen Project (Muse Entertainment); The Battle of Wills (Informaction). Recordings: Watch Dogs (Ubisoft). Training: Birmingham Conservatory; McGill University; Dawson College. Awards: Elsa Bolam Award (2006); Brian Cloutte Award (2005). Online: www.jessicabhill.com. Et cetera: "Boundless gratitude to my parents, partner and pals for their love and support."

    Portrait of Claire Lautier
    Claire Lautier
    2015: Monika Stettler in The Physicists, Dionyza in The Adventures of Pericles and appears in The Alchemist. Sixth season. Claire Lautier is a classically trained actor and singer who has played leading roles on stages in Canada and New York, across the United States and abroad, and has been featured in mainstream motion pictures and on television. Stratford: Highlights include Ebba Sparre in Christina, The Girl King, Tamora in Titus Andronicus, Silvia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Aricie in Phèdre. New York: Isabella in Edward the Second and the Duchess in The Revenger's Tragedy (Red Bull Theatre); The Dining Room (Keen Company, Drama Desk Award); Hedda Gabler and Chaucer in Rome (Broadway and Lincoln Center). Elsewhere: Other favourites include Lady Anne in Richard III and Roxane in Cyrano (The Shakespeare Theatre Company); Princess of France in Love's Labour's Lost (Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare Theatre Company); and many roles in regional theatre, including at Baltimore Center Stage, Westport Country Playhouse, The Walnut Street Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Pittsburgh Public Theater, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival and others. Film: Credits include Margarita (director Laurie Colbert), My Soul to Take (director Wes Craven), Ghost Town (director David Koepp), Confessions of a Shopaholic (director PJ Hogan), Elf (director Jon Favreau), House of D (director David Duchovny), the short film By Courier (Academy Award-nominated in 2001). Television:King, 3lbs, Grey's Anatomy, Numb3rs, Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, All My Children, Guiding Light and others. Et cetera: As a singer, Claire has performed in musical theatre, and appeared most recently as a soloist at the 2014 PAL Benefit, and in 2013 at St. James Cathedral in Toronto for the annual LOFT Concert. She is currently developing her own cabaret show. Claire is an honour graduate of Duke University and The Juilliard School, and attended French International School in Washington, D.C., growing up. As a fluent French speaker, Claire loves making her home in a bilingual country. Her family is far-flung - from the south of France to Florida, California, Wales, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, affording exciting opportunities for travel! Claire is a Certified Teacher of Gyrotonic Expansion System and a KRI certified teacher of Kundalini Yoga, and teaches private students and group classes in both systems. She especially enjoys working with actors through consciousness-based modalities, and has taught at the Birmingham Conservatory here at the Stratford Festival, and the Academy for Classical Acting in Washington, DC. She also owns and operates Grasse Roots Perfumery, her own company producing 100-per-cent natural luxury perfumes, bath salts and room fragrances (www.grasseroots.com). She feels blessed to live in the beautiful and vibrant town of Stratford, Ontario, with her husband, actor Geraint Wyn Davies, and so many talented and creative friends. www.clairelautier.com.
    Portrait of Jamie Mac
    Jamie Mac
    Kastril
    2015: Danny McArthur in The Physicists, Third Fisherman in The Adventures of Pericles and Kastril in The Alchemist. Second season. Stratford: Young Soldier (Mother Courage and Her Children), Towrus (Antony and Cleopatra). Birmingham Conservatory: Berowne in Love's Labour's Lost, Proteus in The Two Gentleman of Verona, Polixenes in The Winter's Tale. Elsewhere: Jacob Mercer in Salt-Water Moon (NAC); Laurie in Vimy (GCTC); Clown in The 39 Steps (Stage West); David Jung in Rockbound (Two Planks and a Passion); Michael in The Elephant Song (Beothuk Street Players); Dromio of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare by the Sea); Jerry in The Zoo Story (Reid Theatre). Film/TV: Beauty and the Beast, Republic of Doyle, Covert Affairs, Life With Derek. Training: Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre; Ryerson University, BFA Acting. Awards: For The Elephant Song: Walter C. Chambers Memorial Scholarship, D.A. Matthews Memorial Scholarship, Honorary Chairman's Award for Best Actor. Et Cetera: Jamie is from St. John's, NL.
    Portrait of Stephen Russell
    Stephen Russell

    2015: Helicanus in The Adventures of Pericles and appears in The Alchemist. 33rd season. Stratford: Provost (Measure for Measure), Doc (West Side Story), Slim (Of Mice and Men), Mr. Brownlow (Oliver!), Chorus Leader (Oedipus Rex), Cornwall (King Lear) at the Lincoln Center in New York and the title roles in Julius Caesar, Richard II and Henry VI. Elsewhere: He has appeared in theatres across Canada, most recently as Dr. Meade in the world première of Gone With the Wind at the Manitoba Theatre Centre (2013). Film/TV: His most recent film project is the part of Pontius Pilate in The Gospel of John. Et cetera: He lives in Stratford with his wife, Astrid.

    Portrait of E.B. Smith
    E.B. Smith

    2015: Juan Murillo in The Physicists, Thaliard, Leonine in The Adventures of Pericles and appears inThe Alchemist. Fifth season. Stratford: Eilif (Mother Courage), Melun (King John), Alexas (Antony and Cleopatra), Bellievre (Mary Stuart), Abhorson (Measure for Measure), Guiderius (Cymbeline), Pylades (Elektra), Dorset (Richard III), Alarbus (Titus Andronicus). Elsewhere: Big Sam (Gone With the Wind) (RMTC); Seyton (Macbeth), Friar Laurence (Romeo and Juliet) (Chicago Shakespeare); Macduff (Macbeth) (First Folio Theatre); King (King Hedley II,Cleveland Scene Best Production of 2007) (Karamu); Moustique (Dream on Monkey Mountain); Junior (Before It Hits Home). Other credits: Cleveland Play House; Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Theater Wit, Chicago; two seasons at The Great Lakes Theater Festival. Film/TV: The Beast (Sony), Ask Gilby, Maybe By Then, Thunder Bay (PBS). Training: Ohio University, Birmingham Conservatory. Et cetera: E.B. would like to dedicate his work to his parents and grandmother, and to the memory of his Papa, who will always be in the front row.

    Portrait of Jane Spidell
    Jane Spidell
    2015: Lina Rose in The Physicists, Philomen in The Adventures of Pericles and appears in The Alchemist. 10th season. Stratford: The Trojan Women, Palmer Park, Good Mother, The Trials of Ezra Pound, The Swanne (Jacquenetta), As You Like It (Rosalind and Phebe), The Comedy of Errors (Adriana) and Hamlet. Assistant director of Three Sisters and The Glass Menagerie. Elsewhere: Jane's credits include several original productions: The Africa Trilogy (Volcano/Luminato); My Mother's Feet (Canadian Stage); Rune Arlidge, Lion in the Streets, The Last Bus and the English translations of The Real World? and Motel Hélène (Tarragon); Body and Soul (Passe Muraille); A Short History of Night (Crow's); Escape from Happiness (Factory). Other noteworthy Canadian productions include Blood (Passe Muraille); Adult Entertainment, BINGO! (Factory); Doc, Leaving Home (Soulpepper). Other standouts include The Price, The Time of Your Life, Our Town, Miss Julie (Soulpepper); Macbeth, Othello (NAC); A Moon for the Misbegotten (Centaur); A Streetcar Named Desire, How I Learned to Drive, Suddenly Last Summer, Speed-the-Plow (Citadel). Jane has worked from Halifax (Neptune) to Victoria (Bluebridge) and many places in between, getting her start with the Fringe in Edmonton with Teatro la Quindicina (Evelyn Strange, Cocktails at Pam's), and has travelled with productions to Scotland and Mexico. Film/TV: Remember (Atom Egoyan), One Week (Michael McGowan), Men With Brooms (Paul Gross). Reign, The Divide, Orphan Black, Remedy, Murdoch Mysteries, Played, Saving Hope, King, Slings and Arrows, Sisters in the Wilderness, Robocop, Kids in the Hall. Training: American Academy, New York (1984-1986); Young Company, Stratford (1994-1996). Awards: Six Dora nominations, two Dora Awards (Doc, Leaving Home); four Sterling nominations; the Amelia Hall Guthrie in 1996. Et cetera: Jane dedicates this season to Clara and Amelia, the two most remarkable, influential and beautiful humans she knows.
    Portrait of Rylan Wilkie
    Rylan Wilkie
    Ananias
    2015: Police in The Physicists, Second Fisherman in The Adventures of Pericles and Ananias in The Alchemist. Second season. Stratford: Karl Gustav in Christina, The Girl King, White Knight in Alice Through the Looking-Glass, King John. Elsewhere: Andy Fastow in Enron (Theatre Calgary); collective creator of Beyond the Farm Show (Blyth Festival); Angel Gabriel/King Herod in The Story (Theatre Columbus); Jolly Goodday in Blue Planet (YPT); Banquo in Macbeth, Eilif in Mother Courage and Her Children, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Caravan Farm); Nils Krogstad in A Doll's House (Globe); Iago in Othello, Don John in Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare in the Park - Calgary); Rudi in East of Berlin, Jean in The December Man, Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days, Davy Jones in Shakespeare's Dog, Hal in Proof (ATP). Training: National Theatre School of Canada. Awards: John Hirsch Guthrie Award, Betty Mitchell Award for Vincent in Brixton. Online: @RylanWilkie.

CREATIVE

    Antoni Cimolino
    Director
    2015: Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival. Director of Hamlet and The Alchemist. 28th season. Stratford: Directing credits include King Lear; The Beaux' Stratagem; Mary Stuart; The Merchant of Venice; Cymbeline; The Grapes of Wrath; Bartholomew Fair; Coriolanus, with Colm Feore and Martha Henry; As You Like It, featuring original music by Barenaked Ladies; King John; Love's Labour's Lost, with Brian Bedford; Twelfth Night, with William Hutt; The Night of the Iguana; and Filumena, with Richard Monette. Among his other accomplishments, Mr. Cimolino was instrumental in establishing the Festival's Endowment Foundation, which has raised more than $75 million to date, as well as in the renovation of its Avon Theatre and the creation of its Studio Theatre. Elsewhere: The Canadian première of ENRON (Theatre Calgary); Twelfth Night (Attic Theatre, Detroit); A Woman of No Importance (Hilberry Theater, Detroit). A champion of the arts and culture, Mr. Cimolino served as the Founding Chair of Culture Days, a nation-wide celebration of arts and culture in Canada. He has initiated collaborations with several prestigious theatre companies, including Montreal's Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Ottawa's National Arts Centre, New York's Lincoln Center and City Center, San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He also spearheaded the Festival's involvement in a joint project with CUSO International, Canada's international volunteer co-operation agency, to establish a performing arts and educational centre in the city of Suchitoto, El Salvador.
    Carolyn M. Smith
    Designer
    2015: Designer of The Alchemist. 16th season. Stratford: King John, Peter Pan, Bartholomew Fair, Shakespeare's Universe, Othello, The Duchess of Malfi. Costumes: Romeo and Juliet, Cymbeline, The Grapes of Wrath, The Swanne (three parts). Set design: The Odyssey. Elsewhere (selected): Macbeth (NAC/Citadel); The Way of the World (NAC/Soulpepper); Atlantis (Grand Theatre); Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Grand/Vancouver Playhouse); Through the Eyes (Factory); Smudge (Nightwood). Design work on over 16 new Canadian plays, and Canadian operas Beatrice Chancy and The Gang. Costumes: Shaw Festival, Neptune Theatre, Necessary Angel, Broadway, film and television. Training: National Theatre School graduate, further studies at Ontario College of Arts, Banff, Repin Institute. Awards: Jessie Richardson Award: costumes, Scary Stories (Alberta Theatre Projects/Vancouver Playhouse). She was honoured to be the recipient of the 2010 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in costume design.
    Steven Hawkins
    Lighting Designer
    2015: Lighting designer of The Alchemist. 21st season. Stratford: Hay Fever, Mary Stuart, Measure for Measure, The Grapes of Wrath, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Bartholomew Fair, As You Like It, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Love's Labour's Lost, Twelfth Night, The Diary of Anne Frank, Death of a Salesman, Cyrano de Bergerac. Elsewhere: The Gigli Concert, Idiot's Delight, The Crucible, High Life, Long Day's Journey into Night, Exit the King, The Caretaker (Soulpepper); The Price (Theatre Aquarius); Yankee Tavern, Cabaret, Ain't Misbehavin', Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Grand Theatre); The Prisoner of Tehran (Passe Muraille); Amadeus, Summer and Smoke (Theatre Calgary); Tartuffe (Canadian Stage); Fences (NAC); The Cherry Orchard, Lion in the Streets (Tarragon). Steven's work has also been seen at the Shaw Festival, the Grand Opera House in Belfast and the Old Vic in London.
    Thomas Ryder Payne
    Sound Designer
    2015: Composer and sound designer of The Taming of the Shrew and sound designer of Hamlet and The Alchemist. Seventh season. Stratford: King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Beaux' Stratagem, Othello, The Matchmaker, Much Ado About Nothing, The Little Years, Hosanna, King of Thieves, Rice Boy. Elsewhere: Designs for BIBT, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage, Tarragon, Factory, Theatre Passe Muraille, NAC, Blyth Festival, Theatre Calgary, GCTC, Volcano, Nightwood, Modern Times, Aluna, Crow's and many others. Film: Hero.Traitor.Patriot, Alegra & Jim, Robert's Circle. Training: Studied composition with James Tenney, Honours BA, York University. Awards: 14 nominations and two Dora Awards for Sound Design and Composition. Et cetera: Started as a songwriter with a four-track tape machine and still endlessly fascinated with the storytelling possibilities of layered sound.
    John Stead
    Fight Director
    2015: Head of Stage Combat. Fight director of Hamlet, The Physicists, The Diary of Anne Frank, Carousel, The Adventures of PericlesShe Stoops to Conquer  and The Taming of the Shrew. 22nd season. Stratford: Fight director of over 150 productions. Elsewhere: Worked as a fight director across North America on over 500 professional productions, including 15 seasons with the Shaw Festival. Film/TV: Stunt coordinator and action director on over 375 films and television episodes. Teaching: Taught at numerous universities and colleges, including the National Theatre School of Canada. Awards: Award of Excellence (Canadian International Film Festival); Genre Award for Best Suspense (BNFF); Derek F. Mitchell Artistic Director's Award, Tyrone Guthrie Award (Stratford Festival); Judges' Choice Award (15 Minutes of Fame International Film Festival); Best Short First Runner-Up (Ticket to Hollywood International Film and Screenplay Festival); and nominated for a Best Short Award (Directors' Guild of Canada). Online: www.johnstead.com. John Stead on IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm0824093/. Et cetera: Master instructor with the Academy of Dramatic Combat.
    Graham Abbey
    Assistant Director

    2015: Herbert Georg Beutler (alias Newton) in The Physicists, understudy in The Alchemist and assistant director of The Alchemist. 16th season. Stratford: Philip the Bastard (King John), Count Johan Oxenstierna (Christina, The Girl King), Iago (Othello), Posthumus (Cymbeline), Henry V, Macbeth, Romeo, Henry VIII, Jaques, Prince Hal (Henry IV), D'Artagnan (TheThree Musketeers), Petruchio (Shrew), Aufidius (Coriolanus), Berowne (Love's Labour's Lost), Algernon (Earnest), Hap Loman (Death of a Salesman). Elsewhere: Hamlet (Resurgence); Jeff Skilling (Enron) (Theatre Calgary); Sam Byck (Assassins) (Talk Is Free/Birdland); Charles (The School for Scandal), Valère (The Molière Comedies) (Chicago Shakespeare). TV: Series lead: The Border (CBC). Recurring: Degrassi, Murdoch Mysteries, Covert Affairs, Republic of Doyle. Guest star: Flashpoint, Lost Girl, Rookie Blue, Warehouse 13, Bomb Girls. Recent: Remedy (Global). Film:Take This Waltz, Casino Jack, 388 Arletta Avenue, Defendor, Stealing Paradise. Recent: First Response,Angels and Ornaments. Radio: Afghanada (CBC). Awards: Dora Award, Monte Carlo Television Festival nomination. Et cetera: Artistic director, Groundling Theatre.



    Alison Marshall
    Assistant Designer
    2015: Assistant designer of The Physicists and The Alchemist. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Costume design: Stag and Doe, Garrison's Garage (Blyth Festival); Theory (Public Radio and Camera Assembly/SummerWorks). Set design: Settlers, The Physical Ramifications of Attempted Global Domination, Dead Wrestlers (Birdtown and Swanville). Puppet design: Family Story (Birdtown and Swanville). Assistant costume design: My Granny the Goldfish, The Rez Sisters (Factory Theatre). Design apprentice/intern: The Penelopiad, The List (Nightwood Theatre). Alison has also worked as a head of wardrobe for the Blyth Festival, Factory Theatre, Mirvish/Canadian Rep Theatre, Company Theatre, Harold Green Jewish Theatre and Obsidian Theatre. Alison is on the board of directors for Puppetmongers Theatre. Et cetera: Alison is endlessly thankful for the support of her family and her partner, Remington North.
    Jareth Li
    Assistant Lighting Designer
    2015: Assistant lighting designer of The Physicists, The Adventures of Pericles, Oedipus Rex and The Alchemist. Fifth season. Stratford: Assistant lighting designer of Man of La Mancha; Alice Through the Looking-Glass; Hay Fever; Tommy; Othello; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Little Years; Shakespeare's Will; Hosanna. Elsewhere: Recent lighting design credits include Mourning Dove (Sudbury Theatre Centre); Dangerous Liaisons (Red One Collective); The Widow (SummerWorks); 48 Hour Dance (Fresh Collective); The Harrowing (Clock Tower); Disco Pigs (A Lasting Dose Productions). Associate lighting designer of Just for Laughs (Canadian tour); Gita Govinda (Menaka Thakkar Dance Company). Assistant lighting designer with the Canadian Opera Company for five seasons. Training: York University - Theatre Design and Technical Production. Awards: Guthrie Award, Wally Russell Training Internship. Et cetera: Instructor at York University. Jareth is training for his outdoor climbing guide/instructor certification.

    Geoff Scovell
    Associate Fight Director
    2015: Associate fight director of Hamlet, The Physicists, The Diary of Anne Frank, Carousel, The Adventures of PericlesShe Stoops to Conquer  and The Taming of the Shrew. Fifth season. Stratford: Associate fight director (selected): King Lear, Crazy for You, King John, Man of La Mancha, Alice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Beaux' Stratagem, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Othello, The Thrill. Assistant fight director: Fiddler on the Roof, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Count of Monte Cristo. Elsewhere: Fight director: Don Giovanni (Royal Conservatory); Gas (Next Stage); Don Giovanni, War and Peace (COC); The Godot Cycle (Yes Let's Go); Mirandolina (Soulpepper); Romeo and Juliet (ShakespeareWorks). Film/TV: Stunt performer: 12 Monkeys, Bitten, The Strain, Covert Affairs, Pompeii, Robocop, Reign, Orphan Black, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Assassins Creed: Unity, Carrie, Total Recall, Being Human, XIII the series, Lost GirlTraining: BFA, Ryerson University. Awards: Paddy Crean: excellence in stage combat. Online: @GeoffScovell. Et cetera: "Thank you to Kasia and John for all your continued support and guidance."
    Julie Miles
    Stage Manager
    2015: Production stage manager of the Avon Theatre and stage manager of The Alchemist. 18th season. Stratford: Nine seasons as production stage manager (Tom Patterson, Avon and Studio theatres). Stage manager: The Beaux' Stratagem, A Word or Two, The Thrill, The Homecoming, Jacques Brel, Shakespeare's Universe, Othello, The Measure of Love/Ruth Draper on Tour. Assistant stage management highlights: Noises Off, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Inherit the Wind, Fiddler on the Roof. Elsewhere: In 2014, Julie travelled to Los Angeles with Christopher Plummer's A Word or Two. Production stage manager: The Odd Couple, As You Like It (Soulpepper). Assistant stage manager: Don Giovanni, Roméo et Juliette, Eugene Onegin, Lakmé, Tosca (Opera Ontario); La Bohème, Die Walküre (Canadian Opera Company). Founding member of The Grey-Bruce Arts Collective. Training: Graduate of Ryerson Theatre School. Et cetera: "Love to Mom, Dad, Roger, Eldon and Annie-Irene. xoxo"
    Bruno Gonsalves
    Assistant Stage Manager
    2015: Assistant stage manager of The Physicists and The Alchemist. 24th season. Stratford: Mr. Gonsalves has worked as a production stage manager (2001, 2003-2005), stage manager (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Palmer Park, The Trojan Women, Henry IV, Part 1, Wingfield's Inferno, Cymbeline, No Exit, The Lunatic, the Lover and the Poet, Tempest-Tost, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Wingfield Unbound, The Boy Friend) and assistant stage manager (The Matchmaker, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Three Sisters, An Ideal Husband, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Waiting for Godot, Sweet Bird of Youth, Romeo and Juliet, The Gondoliers, King John, Bacchae, The Merchant of Venice, Uncle Vanya, Bonjour, là, Bonjour). Elsewhere: London's Grand Theatre (10 seasons), Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Young People's Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, Tarragon Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Toronto Dance Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse and Mirvish Productions' Rent.
    Crystal Skinner
    Assistant Stage Manager
    2015: Assistant stage manager of The Adventures of Pericles and The Alchemist. Seventh season. Stratford: Alice Through the Looking-Glass, A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Chamber Play, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado, Twelfth Night, The Misanthrope, King Lear, Harlem Duet. Elsewhere: Stage manager: Living in the Spaces (Globe); Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Baro Theatre); Ed's Garage (Grand). Assistant stage manager: Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, Pride and Prejudice (Grand); We Will Rock You, The Lord of the Rings (Mirvish); Honk!, Peter Pan, Doubt, Dream (Globe); ...Spelling Bee, Oliver! (Drayton). Film/TV: Maria coordinator, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (CBC/Temple Street Productions); international venue manager, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival. Corporate Events: Clients include GM, Toyota, Retail Council of Canada. Training: Ryerson University; Vancouver Film School. Awards: Tyrone Guthrie Jean A. Chalmers Apprentice Achievement Award. Et cetera: Crystal dedicates this season to her niece, Valerie.
    Michael Hart
    Production Stage Manager
    2015: Production stage manager of the Tom Patterson Theatre and stage manager of The Adventures of Pericles. 20th season. Stratford: Hay Fever, Blithe Spirit, The Pirates of Penzance, The Misanthrope, The Tempest, starring Christopher Plummer, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, A Delicate Balance, The Duchess of Malfi, The Liar, Fallen Angels, The Swanne: George III (The Death of Cupid), The Swanne: Princess Charlotte (The Acts of Venus), The Swanne: Queen Victoria (The Seduction of Nemesis), High-Gravel-Blind, Eternal Hydra. Elsewhere: Manon, Sandra and the Virgin Mary (Pleiades/Buddies); Saint Carmen of The Main (NAC/Canadian Stage); Romeo and Juliet (NAC); Mother Courage and Her Children (NAC/MTC); Trip (GCTC); Wit (Centaur); Pinocchio and The Gin Game (Theatre New Brunswick); Real Live Girl (MTC Warehouse); Schippel the Plumber, Macbeth, Strawberries in January and Einstein's Gift (Grand); Hamlet (Neptune Theatre); Twelfth Night (Fanshawe).
    Janine Ralph
    Production Stage Manager
    2015: Production stage manager of the Tom Patterson Theatre and stage manager of Love's Labour's Lost. 25th season. Stratford: 2014: Production stage manager, Tom Patterson Theatre (Mother Courage, King John, Antony and Cleopatra) and stage manager of A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Chamber Play. Previously: Production stage manager of the Avon Theatre and stage manager of Waiting for Godot, Elektra, Richard III, There Reigns Love, The Gondoliers, The Pirates of Penzance, Gypsy, Carousel, Henry V, An Enemy of the People, One Tiger to a Hill and Henry VIII. Elsewhere: Stage manager of The Sneeze, Talk is Free Theatre, stage manager of Voyage de la Vie, Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, and production stage manager of Pinocchio: The Musical, Singapore Repertory Theatre. She has worked at various theatres in Ontario, including Young People's Theatre, as well as CBC TV, BBC TV and the Asian Games' ceremonies in Qatar.

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