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Lazaridis Hall, Tom Patterson Theatre
June 30 – September 18 |
Opens July 13
Comedy

AN UNDISCOVERED SHAKESPEARE

AN UNDISCOVERED SHAKESPEARE

A spontaneous theatre creation by Rebecca Northan, with Bruce Horak and Kevin Kruchkywich 

EVERY LIFE IS SHAKESPEAREAN


Embark on a spontaneous theatre journey!

At each performance, an audience member is invited to share their real-life love story with William Shakespeare himself. Then an ensemble of brilliant improvisors turn that tale into a full-blown, five-act Shakespearean-style comedy – created on the spot, in iambic pentameter, before your very eyes (and ears). Each performance is a unique, never-to-be-repeated feat of theatrical virtuosity – a great reason to see them all!




 Support for the creation of An Undiscovered Shakespeare was generously provided by The Foerster Bernstein New Play Development Program in collaboration with the Grand Theatre, London, Ontario

Support for the 2020 season of the Tom Patterson Theatre is generously provided by BMO

Rebecca Northan. Creative Direction by Punch & Judy Inc. Photography by David Cooper. 

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST

    Portrait of Ashley Botting
    Ashley Botting
    2020: Ensemble in An Undiscovered Shakespeare. Stratford debut. Ashley Botting is an alumna of The Second City, where she wrote and performed in four mainstage shows, and will serve as director of their spring 2020 revue. Ashley With a "Y" - her improvised one-woman musical cabaret - was NOW Magazine's #1 Toronto Comedy Show, and The Stars of Mars - a musical she co-wrote - was awarded the Stage West Pechet Family Musical Award by The Playwrights Guild of Canada. She's a panelist and writer on CBC Radio's Because News, and has written for the Emmy-winning series Odd Squad. Selected acting credits: TV: What We Do In The Shadows, Schitt's Creek, Odd Squad. Theatre: Beautiful Man (Factory), The Second City Guide to the Symphony (The Kennedy Center, Roy Thomson Hall), Cam Baby (Theatre Mischief). Twitter and Instagram: @AshleyBotting. ashleybotting.com.
    Portrait of Ijeoma Emesowum
    Ijeoma Emesowum
    2020: Guildenstern in Hamlet, Ensemble in An Undiscovered Shakespeare and understudy in Much Ado About Nothing. Sixth season. Stratford: Maya in The Neverending Story, Tituba in The Crucible, Phebe in As You Like It, Maria in Love's Labour's Lost, Hay Fever, Timon of Athens, The Changeling, The Hypochondriac, Hamlet, Alice Through the Looking-Glass, Antony and Cleopatra. Elsewhere: A Christmas Carol (Theatre New Brunswick); five seasons with Shaw Festival including Major Barbara, Serious Money, Ragtime, The Women, The Devil's Disciple, Born Yesterday, Binti's Journey (Theatre Direct); The Aftermath (Nightwood Theatre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare in High Park, Canadian Stage). Film/TV: Antony and Cleopatra, Love's Labour's Lost, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Timon of Athens (Stratford Festival on Film). Training: Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre; BFA, University of Windsor. Et cetera: All for the love of Jake and Z.
    Portrait of Bruce Horak
    Bruce Horak

    2020: Co-creator and member of the ensemble of An Undiscovered Shakespeare, Sexton in Much Ado About Nothing and Guard in Hamlet. Stratford debut. Performer/Creator: Assassinating Thomson (The Meighen Forum and national tour); This is Cancer (Alberta Theatre Projects and several national tours); Undercover (Spontaneous Theatre/Tarragon Theatre/Vertigo Theatre).  Elsewhere: Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Alberta Theatre Projects); Scenography in Queer Blind Date (High Performance Rodeo/One Yellow Rabbit/Spontaneous Theatre); Christmas Past/Narrator in A Christmas Carol (National Arts Centre); Jake in Evil Dead: The Musical (Ground Zero/Hit and Myth). Artist on board with The Railbirds (Via Rail). Artist in Residence with Artscape Gibraltar Point (Toronto Island). Training: Mount Royal College, Loose Moose Theatre, The Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance. Awards: Betty Mitchell Awards for This is Cancer and Evil Dead: The Musical. Et cetera: Visual art and music can be found online at brucehorak.com. 

    Portrait of Kevin Kruchkywich
    Kevin Kruchkywich

    2020: Co-creator and member of the ensemble of An Undiscovered Shakespeare, Member of the Watch in Much Ado About Nothing and Guard in Hamlet. Third season. Stratford: Michael, Moloch in Paradise Lost; Sir Thomas Cromwell and Bishop of Lincoln in Henry VIII. Elsewhere: 12 Angry Men, Death of a Salesman (Drayton Entertainment); The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Henry V (Bard on the Beach); Romeo and Juliet, The Glass Menagerie, Rough Crossing (Theatre Calgary); Death of a Salesman, The Wars (Playhouse); The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Red Priest (Globe Theatre); Hedda Gabler (Persephone); The Secret Annex, The Philadelphia Story (MTC); A Christmas Carol, The Drawer Boy, Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Belfry Theatre); Wit, Aberhart Summer, Respectable, that elusive spark (ATP); Boeing Boeing, The School for Scandal (Arts Club); The Woman in Black (CTF); Guys and Dolls (Gateway Theatre); Macbeth (theatre nomad - England/South Africa tour); Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (BeMe Theatre - Munich, Germany).

     

     

    Portrait of Rebecca Northan
    Rebecca Northan

    2020: Creator, director and member of the ensemble of An Undiscovered Shakespeare. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: The Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing, Mrs. Simpson in This London Life (The Grand Theatre); Mavis in Sextet (Tarragon Theatre); creator, director, Sgt. Collins in Undercover (Tarragon Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, Citadel Theatre); Dolly in One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Calgary); Liz Imbrie in The Philadelphia Story (Manitoba Theatre Centre, Theatre Calgary); Egeus and Robin Starveling in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Canadian Stage); The Nurse and various others in Seven Stories (Canadian Stage, Theatre Calgary); creator,  director, Mimi in Blind Date (Canada and U.S. tour, off-Broadway); Viola in Twelfth Night, Miranda in The Tempest (Upstart Crows); Maid Marion in Robin Hood (Alberta Theatre Projects). Et cetera: Rebecca also works in film and TV, runs her own theatre company (spontaneoustheatre.ca) and teaches improvisation for actors and business people. @rebeccanorthan. 

    Portrait of Lee Smart
    Lee Smart
    2020: Ensemble in An Undiscovered Shakespeare. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Alumnus of the The Second City Mainstage Toronto. Partner at SmartLeese Creative with Lindsay Leese, Improv Emissaries and Creative Connectors offering creative services and Applied Improvisation training for business. Film/TV: Creator, star and producer of Comedy Network's supernatural satire The 5th Quadrant, multiple guest appearances on CBC's Baroness von Sketch Show. Radio/Recordings: Cast member and co-creator of the acclaimed, long-running improv comedy podcast Illusionoid with Paul Bates and Nug Nahrgang, available on Apple Podcasts and illusionoid.com. Training: The Second City Training Centre, Toronto. Awards: Dora Award for Second City's 49th Revue, Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Overlords!, Toronto Fringe. Online: smartleesecreative.com. Et cetera: Lee is delighted to be improvising among the amazing cast of An Undiscovered Shakespeare! He dedicates his performance to the loves of his life, Lindsay and Mason!

CREATIVE

    Rebecca Northan
    Creator and Director

    2020: Creator, director and member of the ensemble of An Undiscovered Shakespeare. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: The Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing, Mrs. Simpson in This London Life (The Grand Theatre); Mavis in Sextet (Tarragon Theatre); creator, director, Sgt. Collins in Undercover (Tarragon Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, Citadel Theatre); Dolly in One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Calgary); Liz Imbrie in The Philadelphia Story (Manitoba Theatre Centre, Theatre Calgary); Egeus and Robin Starveling in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Canadian Stage); The Nurse and various others in Seven Stories (Canadian Stage, Theatre Calgary); creator,  director, Mimi in Blind Date (Canada and U.S. tour, off-Broadway); Viola in Twelfth Night, Miranda in The Tempest (Upstart Crows); Maid Marion in Robin Hood (Alberta Theatre Projects). Et cetera: Rebecca also works in film and TV, runs her own theatre company (spontaneoustheatre.ca) and teaches improvisation for actors and business people. @rebeccanorthan. 

    Bob White
    Dramaturge

    2020: Director of The Foerster Bernstein New Play Development Program. Dramaturge of Here's What It Takes, Hamlet-911 and An Undiscovered Shakespeare. 12th season. Stratford: Dramaturgy credits include Mother's Daughter, Paradise Lost, Brontë: The World Without, The Breathing Hole, The Virgin Trial, Bunny, The Last Wife, Christina, The Girl King, Taking Shakespeare, Hirsch. Elsewhere: Artistic Director, Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary (1999-2009); Co-Director, Banff Playwrights Colony (1997-2009); Artistic Director, Factory Theatre, Toronto (1979-1987). Director of over 75 productions from Cow Head, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, and places in between, but mostly in Calgary and Toronto. Training: Loyola College, Montreal, and University of Alberta. Awards: Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD), University of Calgary; eight Betty Mitchell Award nominations and three wins: "Outstanding Direction" (Calgary). In 2018, Bob was awarded the GE Lessing Award for Career Achievement by the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

     

     

    Anita Nittoly
    Fight Director
    2020: Fight director for the 2020 season and intimacy coach for Hamlet. Fifth season. Stratford: Fight director for the 2019 season and intimacy coach for Birds of a Kind. Elsewhere: Charlottetown Festival (2019 - Kronborg), Citadel Theatre (2019 - Fall on Your Knees), Centaur Theatre (2019 - The Last Wife; 2018 - Successions; 2017 - The 39 Steps), Carousel Players (2019 - Whole World), Blyth Festival (2018 season), Outside the March (2018 - Jerusalem), Canadian Opera Company (2014/15/16 - assistant fight master). Anita is the stage combat instructor and fight director at the National Theatre School in Montréal. She also works as a stunt performer and stunt actor in the film and TV industry - selected credits: See, Zeus, The Boys, Enhanced, Titans, Dark Matter. Et cetera: Supreme gratitude to Mom, Dad and Pat - you guys are everything to me.
    Adrienne Gould
    Movement Director
    2020: Movement director of Much Ado About Nothing, All's Well That Ends Well and An Undiscovered Shakespeare and movement coach. 14th season. Stratford (selected): Movement director: The Crucible, Timon of Athens. Assistant choreographer: Shakespeare in Love. Ophelia in Hamlet, Miranda in The Tempest, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Yasmin in Pentecost, Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, Regina in Ghosts, Phebe in As You Like It, Dot in The Swanne, Jaquenetta in Love's Labour's Lost, Jessica in The Merchant of Venice, Freddy in Tempest-Tost, Margot in The Diary of Anne Frank. Elsewhere: The Matchmaker (director Nicholas Martin), The Rivals (director Roger Rees) (Williamstown Theater Festival); The Butter and Egg Man (American Stage Company); Love's Labour's Lost (NAC); Buried Child (NAC/Segal Centre); Einstein's Gift, Ed's Garage, Other Desert Cities (Grand). Film/TV: Hamlet, The Lady in Question, Nikita, Timothy Goes to School. Training: North Carolina School of the Arts, Birmingham Conservatory. Awards: Mary Savidge Award.
    Geoff Scovell
    Associate Fight Director
    2020: Associate fight director for the 2020 season. 10th season. Stratford: Associate fight director, 2013-2019 seasons. Assistant fight director, 2004 and 2009 seasons. Elsewhere: Fight director: Black Drum (Soulpepper); Peter and the Starcatcher, Sweet Charity (Shaw); Don Giovanni, War and Peace (COC). Film/TV: Stunts (selected): It: Chapter 2, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Schitt's Creek, The Boys, Wayne, Ginny & Georgia, Jupiter's Legacy, Utopia Falls, Supergirl, Impulse, What We Do in Shadows, I Was Lorena Bobbitt, Save Me, Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake, Titans, Umbrella Academy, The Expanse, Designated Survivor, Suicide Squad, Dark Matter, Killjoys, 12 Monkeys, Bitten, The Strain, Pompeii, Robocop, Reign, Orphan Black, Carrie, Total Recall. Training: BFA, Ryerson. Awards: Paddy Crean. Online: @GeoffScovell.
    Renate Hanson
    Stage Manager
    2020: Stage manager of An Undiscovered Shakespeare. 15th season. Stratford: Renate was assistant stage manager of King John, Christina, The Girl King, Hirsch, Do Not Go Gentle, Cyrano de Bergerac, Zastrozzi, The Trojan Women, Love's Labour's Lost, King Lear, A Delicate Balance, Coriolanus, Don Juan, As You Like It, The Lark, Timon of Athens, King John, Troilus and Cressida, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry VI: Revenge in France, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Lunatic, the Lover and the Poet, The Trials of Ezra Pound, Good Mother, Elizabeth Rex, Medea and Titus Andronicus. Elsewhere: Assistant stage manager of A Streetcar Named Desire and Cabaret (Grand Theatre), My Fair Lady (Manitoba Theatre Centre), Evita (MTC/Theatre Calgary) and Faust (Manitoba Opera). Stage manager of Closer and Scrooge (Neptune Theatre) and Every Brilliant Thing (Grand Theatre). Training: National Theatre School of Canada.
    Emma Slunt
    Apprentice Stage Manager
    2020: Apprentice stage manager of All's Well That Ends Well and An Undiscovered Shakespeare. Second season. Stratford: Production assistant at the Studio Theatre for the 2019 season. Elsewhere: Mamma Mia! (Stage West Dinner Theatre); Rusalka (Canadian Opera Company); Jersey Boys (Stage West Dinner Theatre); Oh! What a Beautiful Morning/Canada the Musical (Carter-Ryan Productions); Legally Blonde (Stage West Dinner Theatre); Constellations (Alberta Theatre Projects); 39 Steps (Vertigo Theatre); Illuminations (Movement Factory/Banff Centre for Performing Arts); 1979 (Alberta Theatre Projects). Training: University of Calgary. Et cetera: Emma dedicates this season to her family and friends.
    Meghan Callan
    Production Stage Manager
    2020: Production stage manager of the Tom Patterson Theatre. 20th season. Stratford (selected): Production stage manager: Festival, Avon and Studio theatres. Stage manager: Paradise Lost, The Virgin Trial, A Little Night Music, The Physicists, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2014). Assistant stage manager: Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Tempest (2010), My Fair Lady. Elsewhere: The Virgin Trial, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (Soulpepper); Meghan has worked in stage management for the Shaw Festival, Atlantic Theatre Festival, Theatre New Brunswick, NAC, Citadel Theatre, Globe Theatre, Lighthouse Festival Theatre and corporate clients such as General Motors, Toyota Canada, the Retail Council of Canada and the Canadian International Auto Show. Training: BFA, York University. Awards: 2017 Tyrone Award, Stratford Festival. Et cetera: Thanks again to Ella, Beatrice, and Peter for their love and patience.

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