2 girls, a guy and a camera (and a whole bunch of guest stars), All Day Breakfast is a new approach to video comedy. Guerrilla filmmaking at it's most creative, our 'anything goes' format appeals to an audience with a short attention span and high expectations. Commercial parodies, media satire, original characters and short films are all ways we use to get the joke across.
Cathy Gordon has been writing, directing and acting since she can remember. She's been involved in comedy on both the stage and on television, but also works in a more serious approach to theatre. Cathy likes Spanish omelettes.
Christina Jol used to eat bugs in Africa. Now Christina puts on mustaches or funny outfits and plays outrageous characters. After recently appeared in a few short films (Lucky Stalin and Michael Douglas), she is gearing up for a one woman show about the early years of Mary Poppins. Christina likes her eggs sunny side down.
Craig Macnaughton has been making shorts, plays and websites for a long time now. He's currently involved in roughly half a million projects, with more on the way. To see more of Craig's work, visit www.mise-en-chien.com. He prefers his eggs scrambled.
Steve Marsh, a continuously working sound designer and 'boom-chicka-boom" musician, sounds like Cartman when he tries to do a funny voice. He sleeps until noon and appreciates a good all day breakfast.
Aviva is the Artistic Director of Olive Me Theatre, which produces Lab Cab, a monthly cabaret at the Factory Theatre. As an actor, Aviva was recently nominated for a Dora award for her ensemble work in Michael Hollingsworth's Confederation. Aviva continues to work on The Rochdale Project, coming to Theatre Passe Muraille next season.
Founded in 1999, Belltower Theatre is an artist-driven partnership whose focus is the production of original Canadian work and rarely seen plays from the international stage. It is the product of the creativity, energy and direction of Maev Beaty, Alan Dilworth and Patrick Robinson. Our audience is composed of theatre lovers and those new to theatre; as a company we seek to create art that is challenging to both.
Jennifer Bolt (dancer) has trained throughout North America and in England. She graduated from the joint program between the University of Waterloo and the National Ballet School Teacher Training Program then went on to the Masters program in dance at York. Upon graduation she began teaching ballet, dance history and dance experience labs at York and decided she wanted to perform. She has performed in many works by Lucy Rupert, as well as for Michelle DeBrouwer, Caroline Niklas-Gordon, Bridget Cauthrey and Glenn Gilmour. Jennifer is still on faculty at York, teaches adult ballet at the National Ballet School, frequently guest lectures and hopes to begin her Ph.D. abroad in the near future.
Dian Marie Bridge is a writer, director and performer for theatre. Dian most recently performed in Diplomatic Immunity at ArcFest and Tell Tale at Summer Works 2004.
Initially trained in martial arts, Karate and most of all Aïkido, Yves Candau was doing a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Cognitive Sciences when he discovered dance. Gradually his interest shifted from the abstract to a more “embodied research”, which he has been pursuing ever since. He trained with several teachers in Paris, went to Pina Bausch’s Folkwang Hochshule in Essen, Germany, and deepened his practice studying in Europe and the States, in particular with Daniel Lepkoff, Nancy Stark Smith and Lisa Nelson.
Yves has performed his own work or collaborations in France, Italy and Canada. In Toronto he has worked with choreographers Peter Chin (Bridge, Streetcar), Rebecca Todd (Dendrite, Stabat Water, Ode) and Eryn Dace Trudell. Last year he has had the pleasure to be part of Streetcar, a film by director/producer Nick de Pencier and dancer/choreographer Peter Chin.
Gurpreet has been studying Indian Classical Tabla in the Punjab Gharana (style) from his Ustad Ji Professor Parshotam Singh for 22 years. Growing up in Canada, Gurpreet had the fortunate opportunity of being subjected to various types of music. The music he creates and performs is an expression of the cultural diversity he experienced growing up in a multicultural society. This musical experience is expressed by taking the exquisite rhythmic patterns of the tabla and merging them with all genres of music. Gurpreet's passion for percussion instruments has lead him to experiment with other world beats playing the djembe, congas, dhol, zarb, doumbek, daf, or anything he can get his hands on! Check out his upcoming performances on www.thetablaguy.com
Marjorie is a writer and actor based in Toronto. A graduate of George Brown Theatre School, she has performed across the country from Vancouver to New Brunswick. This year saw her debut as a playwright with China Doll, presented by Nightwood Theatre. Nominated for Several Dora Awards, including Outstanding New Play, China Doll is now available from Scirocco Drama. Other writing this year includes Spring Arrival, a radio-drama for CBC's New Canadian Series and the libretto for the short opera Mother Everest (Tapestry New Opera Works). Most recently, she directed a puppet reading of Lisa Pijuan's The Zoë Show (Nightwood Theatre/Groundswell) and acted in Cahoots Theatre Projects/PEN Canada, 15 Minutes to Change the World. She has been awarded the 2004 K.M. Hunter Artist Award in Theatre as well as a Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in Theatre for Young Audiences. Up next, Marjorie will be acting/writing for Theatre Direct Canada's Rule: Part 3 of the Democracy Project with a piece set in Tiananmen Square as well as directing Reni Kratka's The Violin Lesson as a part of the Hysteria Festival (Nightwood Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times).
Anna Chatterton is a performer and playwright. She was part of Factory Theatre’s Playwrighting Lab for 3 years. She co-wrote the award winning play, Clean Irene and Dirty Maxine, with Evalyn Parry, which will be part of Theatre Passe Muraille’s 2005-2006 Season. Other plays she has written include Missy/Mom (Factory Theatre’s Reading Week), hey rea hey rea (Rhubarb! Festival, Cha Cha (ATP’s Brief New Works and co-adapting Leah and Paul for Example (Chutzpah Festival)
Aviva is a singer, actor and dancer. Not only is she is delighted to be donning red, but she is thrilled to be doing so with her delightful singing partners in both programs, Women in RED and RED Rover. Aviva is the lead singer of the Middle Eastern band Shakshuka and regularly sits in on Jazz gigs around town. Together with Kevin Quain, she is presently working on a CD involving an experiment in gospel, blues and electronica. Amidst vocal technique, jazz and Arabic music lessons, Aviva has begun Jewish cantorial training. She is preparing for a brief solo performance in Hysteria in November as well as for her first solo concert in the spring.
Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canadian violinist, vocalist and composer Chris Church is captivating audiences worldwide with his world-style fusion of classical, jazz, middle-eastern and fiddle music. Church's lyrical melodies and striking vocals can be heard on his 2004 debut album Here. Church is a member of the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Jesse Cook Band, which recently wrapped up a world tour. He can be heard on well-over two dozen recordings, including Jesse Cook's, Nomad, multi-platinum award-winning vocalist Charlotte Church's, Enchantment, and Maritime Folk musician Lennie Gallant's Live. He has toured Canada, the United States, the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific. Church's orchestral scores have been performed by Symphony Nova Scotia, The Edmonton Symphony, Orchestra London Canada, and The Kingston Symphony. He is also involved in several electronic music and avant-garde music projects; having performed with likes of famed beat poet, the late Allen Ginsberg. Church attributes his continued passion for performance to the early foundation laid by the Halifax City Schools Music Program. A modern, energetic and talented Canadian musician, Chris Church will kick-off promotion of his debut album in 2004
Pixie Cram is an independent filmmaker and singer/songwriter from Ottawa. She has completed two 16mm films, three independent music-films, and several experimental works and documentaries on video. She is presently at work on her third film.
Having studied clown with such teachers as Mike Kennard and John Turner (of Mump and Smoot fame) and Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith (Theatre Smith/Gilmour), Helen has performed in clown for the last 12 years. In 2002, Helen returned from clowning on tour with Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion, performing in over 400 shows. The clowns in this musical are those she created for them, and continues her affiliation with Cirque du Soleil with Special Events worldwide. Helen also directs and teaches clown in and around the GTA and at the Haliburton School of the Arts.
Christine has been singing professionally since the age of 15. She began performing on stage when she was 5 years old, with her family The Duncans and toured North America extensively until the age of 19.
A musical chameleon with a near five-octave range, Duncan uses her voice as an instrument, exploring its full tonal, timbral and textural range. She is involved in everything from Jazz, R&B, gospel, improvised music, sound poetry, to new music and musique actuelle. She has recorded and/or collaborated with Bob Murphy, Hugh Fraser, Miles Black, Veda Hille, Paul Plimley, Danielle Palardy Roger, Jean Martin, DB Boyko, and performed with such names as Kenny Wheeler, Rufus Reid, Dave Young, P.J. Perry, Ray Charles, Linton Garner, Paul Horn, Jeff Healey, Andre Crouch, Sabeer Mateen, John Oswald, Paul Dutton, Michael Snow, Nobuo Kubota and many o thers. She has six recordings to her credit and is featured on countless other recording projects.
A dynamic and original performer, Rachelle Elie has been developing her surreal vision of contemporary society for over 10 years. Graduating from Vancouver’s Studio 58, she went on to study with such well known clown and physical comedy teachers such as Sue Morrison, John Turner and Mike Kennard (Mump and Smoot), Gina Bastone (Basta, Cirque de Soleil) and Ian Wallace. Incorporating her skills in comedy, clown acting and stand up, Rachelle has been showcased several times on The Women’s Television Network She’s So Funny, and The Comedy Networks Adventures in Comedy. A well-seasoned performer, she has toured her comedic talents throughout Canada, California and Australia. Rachelle now lives in Toronto and is also a painter and a mother of two.
Jennifer premiered the first Brief History of...at the Hysteria Festival 2003. The Brief (and Selected) History of Wonder Women will be the second in this series. She also produced The Hurricane Project at the 25th Annual Rhubarb! Festival, in February 2003 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. In 2002, she produced The Disappearance of Janey Jones, which was developed through Nightwood Theatre’s Groundswell Festival and toured to seven festivals across the country, including SummerWorks. In Vancouver it was chosen as Pick of the Fringe and held over for an additional week of performances. Her first show, goat show, played at the 1997 SummerWorks Festival and was remounted at the Blyth Festival the following year. Directed by the Dora award winning Eda Holmes, goat show is being remounted again this year to play in the Vancouver and Cowichan Fringe Festivals. Jennifer was also a member of the Cahoots Theatre Projects playwrights’ unit, 2000/01.
Elana is a writer, performer and singer who has been performing her own Work in Toronto for the last ten years. She is very excited to be a part of this amazing festival and for being given a chance to try out some new stuff in such a wonderful and supportive environment.
Louise Gauthier is an actor who loves singing in Cabarets every once in a while. Currently, she will be playing the lead in Couscous, a radio drama @ none other than our beloved CBC Radio. She is looking forward to a chance to interpret these beautiful songs.
British comedian Chris Gibbs has done a great deal since he began his career in 1991. He’s worked as a stand-up at the Comedy Store in London; improvised with comedy improv groups from Canada to New Zealand; played a professor of accidents to a group of Belgian executives and appeared in a couple of British comedy TV series that no-one in Canada has ever heard of. It's no surprise the London Evening Standard called him "startlingly versatile".
Since moving to Canada in 2002 his one-man shows, GIBBERISH and THE POWER OF IGNORANCE, have played to sell-out crowds across the country, receiving lavish critical praise, ("The Power of Ignorance is bliss." Edmonton Journal) and winning "Best of the Fest" at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival two years running.
Melanie Gordon is a multimedia visual artist with a primary focus on photography. She has been exhibiting her photography in both solo and group shows since 1997. Melanie is thrilled to be a part of RED and to be collaborating with Elana.
Ilse has trained at the school of contemporary dance of the Ballet Nacional de Mexico and studied with La Compañia Estatal de Danza contemporánea in Oaxaca. She has been a member of the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company since 1997 and studied flamenco at Amor de Dios studios in Madrid and Manolo Marin studios in Seville. Her studies include workshops with Andrés Marín, Domingo Ortega, Juana Amaya, Alejandro Granados, El Ciro, Manolete y La Tati among others. She recently completed a workshop in New York City with Omayra Amaya. Since 1999, Ilse’s dance career has expanded to include performances with contemporary dancers, experimental theatre, video and film.
Heather is an independent dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and aerial acrobat. Recent projects include performing double trapeze with High Strung aerial dance in Oita, Japan, Allen Kaeja’s Fiftyne at Dusk Dances and Marlee Cargill’s Weeded. at Harbourfront Heather graduated from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre in 2003, where she was featured in works by by José Limon, Charles Weidman, and Conrad Alexandrowicz. Since graduating she has worked with Marlee Cargill, Newton Moraes Dance Theatre, Sheila Muir, Kathleen Rea, and Lincoln Shand. In 2003, Heather co-choreographed and performed in Bridges of Support with Diana Groenendijk at fFIDA 2003 (‘intelligent and graceful’ - Toronto Star).
Nicolas has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has studied from Master Guitarists such as Manolo Sanlucar, Enrique de Melchor and Chuscales to name a few. He has performed with various flamenco groups in Canada and the US over the last ten years acquiring experience in the accompaniment of flamenco dance and song. He has had the opportunity to accompany such great artists as Antonio Granjero, Manolete, Luis Montero, and La Tati.
Nicolas is currently the Musical Director for the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company with whom he has been working for the last 8 years. Some of the highlights of his career include solo performances at various festivals, collaborative works with other art forms and contributing to a Juno-nominated CD recording.
“ ... Excellent guitarist Nicolas Hernandez” Paula Citron - Globe and MailArtistic director of hum (www.humprojects.org), Susanna Hood is a compelling and virtuosic performer. From 1991 through 1995 she danced with the Toronto Dance Theatre. Independently, she has performed the works of various Toronto choreographers, created singing/dancing roles with Autumn Leaf Performance and composer John Oswald, acted on film for filmmaker Philip Barker, collaborated intensively with musician/composer Nilan Perera, and performed extensively as an improviser both in dance and music. Her own choreography and music compositions have been presented across Canada and internationally on stage and in film since 1991. In 1998, she received the K.M. Hunter Emerging Artists Awards in Dance.
Reid Jamieson is going to tell you the truth. He's an old fashioned heartbreaker with a knack for writing instantly classic songs, delivering them with a rare vocal intensity and bold honesty. His second solo album The Unavoidable Truth was produced by Josh Finlayson (Gord Downie, Skydiggers) and features the stellar talents of some of
Canada's brightest stars, Sarah Harmer, Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco), Dave Clark (Woodchoppers, Rheostatics), Peter Elkas, Mia Sheard and more lend their musical magic to this unforgettable disc. The new record showcases Reid's choirboy ways, therapeutic lyrics and country-flavoured pop hooks. Piano, banjo, accordion, pedal steel and heavenly harmonies make for a full bodied departure from Reid's critically acclaimed solo acoustic EP The Noise In My Chest. The truth is, once you've let this blue eyed troubadour into your record collection he'll be sure to make himself at home in your heart.
Party dresses are just the beginning. Claire writes songs with a hint of cabaret. She has toured Canada and Australia promoting her debut album UM. "vivacious" -Montreal Gazette
A graduate of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Becky has worked extensively in actor-generated theatre and clown. She is the co-artistic director of the longform improv company, theatre*in*a*box; has written, produced, performed and toured her own solo clown show, underground (with ruby); teaches improvisation in high schools for the Canadian Improv Games; and has acted in countless artsy independent films.
Deanna is a co-founder of Suitcase in Point Theatre Company and has co-written and performed in several of their productions including, sexLass (Part of the London Fringe Festival 2004), Be Wearing Wolf (Part of Harbourfront Center’s HATCH program 2004), Cordially Entertaining Emily Chesley (Part of Toronto Summerworks Festival 2003), and The Back-up Family Show, (Part of Guelph’s Hillside Festival 2004). Currently she is in her third season with Theatre Beyond Words touring, Silly Old Men Ought Not to Fall in Love and Survive the Great Outdoors. She has performed in four of their children’s shows, Nuthin’ But Trouble, School Daze, Suite Potato and My Father’s Circus. Other recent work includes , The Dirty Clown Cabaret, and Groundwater. In the next year, Deanna will work with Suitcase in Point Theatre Company to develop Cabaret Junky and to remount Erin Shield’s, Groundwater
Noah Kenneally is a puppeteer and performance artist that lives and works in Toronto. His company Cardboard Heart creates visual art out of everyday cardboard and he often tells extra ordinary stories from our everyday life. Noah has been seen performing with some of the cities finest puppet companies such as Zagadka Zoological Society, Shadowland, and Jumblies Theatre. His one man puppet show Memory of Trees took place in a tree and he wowed audiences with puppets, circus aerials and wonderful stories at the Cooking Fire Theatre Festival. Noah has performed in every RED.
Amelie is an emerging singer/songwriter that is making her debut at various venues in Toronto. In past years she sang with the Toronto jazz band Bug Nite and last December, opened for Claire Jenkins at Holy Joe’s, with a few of her own songs. Amelie has an extensive theatre background and a musical one as well. From a young age she learned the violin, the piano and now her latest love; the guitar. She has been playing for the last three years. She has been singing for 15 years and recently recorded a song for a children’s CD that will soon be released across the US. She also co-created/composed music for the successful children’s play Bird’s Eye View (Toronto Fringe 2003, Cliffhanger Productions and Theatre LMNOP 2004). As music transcends language and the French language is indeed very musical, Amelie is passionate about performing in her native tongue.
Il y a un an qu’Amelie saupoudre la scene musicale torontoise de ses chansons et de sa musique. Dans le passé, elle chanta avec le groupe jazz BugNite et partagea la scene avec Claire Jenkins en Decembre dernier. Amelie est comedienne depuis une dizaine d’annees mais aussi chante depuis qu’elle est tres jeune. Elle a participe a plusieurs Gala de la Chanson lorsqu’elle vivait a Vancouver et il y a trois ans, elle decouvra son amour de la guitare. Le tout l’ammena a compose de plus en plus et l’ete dernier, elle a compose de la musique et a participe a la creation d’une nouvelle piece de theatre pour enfants Bird’s Eye View qui joua au Festival Fringe et qui, par la suite, a ete repris par la companie Cliffhanger. Amelie fait cadeau de ses chansons francophones au milieu Anglophone de Toronto pour partager le cote romantique et reveur de cette belle langue.
Originaire du Québec où il a obtenu un baccalauréat en communications de l’UQÀM, Marc LeMyre vit à Toronto où il se consacre à l’écriture tout en travaillant comme réalisateur pigiste pour la radio de Radio-Canada. Il est l’auteur et le metteur en scène de la pièce Le Projet Turandot (2001), qui a récolté beaucoup de succès et a été en nomination pour le Masque de la meilleure production franco-ontarienne en 2001. En octobre 2003, il a lancé « ...gaga pour ton zoom » un disque de poésie électrique conçu avec le musicien Dominique Saint-Pierre.
Toronto based singer songwriter Russell Leon is a musician influenced by many styles... Folk, rock, reggae, blues, classical, Cuban, funk, world...Russell's eclectic story-telling style is imbued with personal introspection, multifaceted political poetry, love and conscience-raising questions. A music teacher and the host of SONGWRITERS UNITE! A gathering of songwriters around Toronto soon to be across Canada, then the World! Russell Leon also plays guitar and sings in the rock band THE RUSSELL LEON BAND
Luscious Bellies formed at Season in a Day in 2003 and consist of independent dance and theatre artists Tanya Crowder, Viv Moore, Meagan O’Shea, Lisa Pijuan, and Allison Rees-Cummings. The Bellies create thought provoking and timely contemporary dance that reflects their sense of the political and their subversive sense of humour. Described as RAW, SENSUAL, and FULL-BODIED, the Bellies create new work in a day as close to the performance time as possible.
Sarah Mackie is a writer and performer who hails from the prairies and now calls Toronto home. Some of her solo works include SnapShot ( Hurricane Dorothy Arts Festival, Saskatoon), Black Dahlia ( Mutton Busting, Calgary), and Jerk Girl: Chronicle of a Heroine ( Solocentric, Festival Calgary). She is tickled pink to be a part of the Red Festival
Initiated in Toronto in 2002, Nunca Antes is a high-energy percussion troupe that plays Afro-Brazilian rhythms in a raw style based on the tradition of Maracatu de Baque Virado from Recife, Brasil. At the forefront of the drums is percussionist and singer Aline Morales. Nunca Antes uses the name "maracatu" in its symbolic sense to signify the union of peoples through music, revelry and spirituality and to embody a sense of liberation that is inherent in the traditional maracatu nations of Recife. We embody a nucleus of resistance to the aspects of society which are oppressive in their nature or practice. In the short time since its inception, Maracatu Nunca Antes has changed the percussive landscape in Toronto, influencing other bands and introducing a new style to the city. rhythm beat movement and excitement!!
Ann is a playwright, actor and performance artist based in both Toronto and Thunder Bay. Born and raised in Northwestern Ontario, the landscape, culture and environment of Lake Superior’s north shore feature prominently in Ann’s highly interdisciplinary body of work. In spring of 2003 Ann created and directed the performance art pieces Stitch in Time and The Daily Bingo, performed at Toronto’s BCE place. Recent acting credits include The Singing Fairy in Rogue Productions 2003 site specific productions of A Midsummer Nights Dream in Thunder Bay and Woman Two in A North York Production of The Vagina Monologues. Ann has been involved as a plawright collaborator and actor in several pieces of experimental theatre for York University’s PlayGround Festival and is also a recent graduate of York University’s Creative Ensemble program. She has worked as a historic interpreter at Fort William Historical Park and Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Center and has created storytelling and drama programs for both.
Dov is an actor and writer. He is an artistic associate with Catalyst Theatre and has toured with them nationally and internationally. He is currently writing the cabaret/musical The Exotic Museum of an Extinct Race. He also wrote and performed in Kyke Kabaret (Rhubarb 2002) Recent acting credits include Amadeus(CanStage) and Jonathan Garfinkel's The Trials of John Demjanjuk- a Holocaust Cabaret(Theatre Asylum)
Based in downtown Toronto, mise-en-chien productions creates live action and animated short films and comedy programming for television, special events and the internet.
Formed in 1990 by the filmmaking duo of Chris McCawley and Craig Macnaughton to make the ill-fated Harvey the Chicken, they quickly move to complet the feature length hi-8 western, Guns Ablazin (1992) when still in high school. They followed up their success the next year with the feature lengths blackmail thriller, The Tragedy of Clark (1993).
Their work has been showcased at the 2004 Sundance Festival(Park City, Just For Laughs (Montreal), NSI FilmExchange (Winnipeg) and were Finalists for the NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness Festival (NYC) and Top Ten on Kevin Spacey’s Triggerstreet.com
Composer and partner-in-crime Joel S. Silver has recently signed on, making mise-en-chien a truly formidable creative force.
Ravi began his study of tabla under the guidance of his uncle the late Padmabushan Pandit Nikhil Ghosh in Mumbai, India. In 1990 he had his 'gandabandhan' ceremony and officially became an exponent of the Farukkabad style. Since then Ravi has continued to study with Pandit Anindo Chatterjee in Calcutta. He has performed in India, Europe, Canada and in the United States with such artists as Pandit Buddadev Das Gupta, Pandit G.S. Sachdev, Acharya Trichy Sankaran, Kankana Bannerjee, Sridar Krishnamurti, Rajeev Taranath, and Avik Sarkar. After gaining a solid foundation in Hindustani classical music, Ravi has gone on to explore numerous other world music traditions. Ravi has performed in a wide variety of contexts including Iranian music with Saeid Shambazadhe's Bousheri group, Turkish and Macedonian music with Brenna MacCrimmon'a Altin Yildez Orkestar, world-jazz with Hugh Marsh, and New Music with The Esprit Orchestra. Ravi has also performed and recorded with Loreena McKennit. In 1997 he was awarded the title of 'Coolest musician of the year' by Toronto’s Eye magazine. Ravi is featured on the Juno Nominated Thomas Handy Trio CD entitled Arc. As a member of the Trio he has been touring and conducting workshops at folk and jazz festival throughout Canada. Ravi is currently the leader/composer of Tasa and is much sought after as a performer,teacher and recording artist.
Caroline Niklas-Gordon (dancer) was born in Czechoslovakia where she later danced with the National Ballet in Prague. She spent her formative years in Newfoundland where she co-founded the Louder Than Words Collective and performed often with Anne Troake, but she trained in Malta, New York and across Canada. In Toronto she has appeared in her own work and performed for Lucy Rupert, Jennifer lynn Dick, Bridget Cauthrey, and Circus Orange among others. Her choreography has been seen all around Toronto and often returns to Newfoundland. Caroline teaches ballet at the Pia Bouman School
Meagan O'Shea is an independent Toronto-based contemporary dance theatre artist. In 2003 she created Night Stills for the Cameron House as a DanceWorks CoWorks series event. The Toronto Star said "O'Shea is becoming the first lady of contemporary character dance." Since then Meagan has performed Night Stills in festivals and theatres across the country. In St. John's at the Festival of New Dance, in Ottawa at Le Groupe Dance Lab and at Square Zero, in Peterborough with Public Energy, in Winnipeg at the Gas Station Theatre, in Calgary in SoloCentric, and in Victoria in the UNO Festival. Meagan's next show at Lula Lounge will be a special Valentine's evening with her duet Intimate Awkward and the interactive story-quilt and cabaret First Kissed.
"John Oswald is the most famous person who is not very well known." -Tom Third
"OSWALD IS THE FUTURE OF MUSIC" -Udo Kasemets, Musicworks Magazine, 2004
Oswald has just won the Governor General's Award in Media Arts. The jury states : "John Oswald has created an art - and vocabulary - of his own in his exceptional and innovative work as a sound artist, image alchemist, composer and media artist... Oswald's art, while often playful, is a serious examination of basic elements. His influence on an entire generation of artists and his international reputation attest to his free-ranging spirit of innovation and exploration." And students of the University of Toronto Music School voted him the third most internationally influential Canadian musician, tied with Celine Dion.
Oswald began 2004 with the first commercial publication of one of his chronophotics: the Arc of Apparitions is produced on DVD by Avatar/Ohm editions. In February the New Millennium Players performed a retrospective of sixteen of his works (from solo cello to orchestral) of Rascali Klepitoire at the RedCAt at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. And Oswald's own label Fony will be rereleasing his albums from the nineties, starting with Grayfolded (May) and Plexure (August) and Discosphere (November). His new feature-length cinematic chronophotic instandstillness will be premiered at the Images Festival of Film and Video in April. In 2003 Oswald premiered his new solo dance opera Spinvolver, with Susanna Hood, in Berlin in February, followed by performances in several European capitols. In the fall, Aparanthesi, a one note electroacousmatic composition, entailing some research in the perception of sonic morphs, was released on CD by empreintes digitales.
Last spring his first Chronophotics to be exhibited in North America, entitled Jacko Lantern, was on display in the window of Pages Books as part of both the Images Moving Pictures and the Contact Festival of Photography, while Stills, his first solo show of images, was held over at Toronto Harbourfront's Premiere Dance Theatre for eight months, and he was the cover boy for the British music mag The Wire. In recent years he composed a "Concerto for Wired Conductor and Orchestra", which premiered at Boston Symphony Hall. He designed the soundtrack and system for Stress, an eight-screen movie by Bruce Mau, showing at the Museum of Technology in Vienna. A new piece entitled "Oswald's First Piano Concerto by Tchaikovsky, (as suggested by Michael Snow)" was premiered in Vancouver by Paul Plimley and the CBC orchestra. He composed a score for the National Ballet of Canada for orchestra, robot piano and the disembodied singing voice of Glenn Gould. For the past four years he has been creating a database of photo portraits for a series of "Moving Stills" or chronophotics. One of his plunderphonie video/photo collages was shown at the Royal Festival Hall Hayward Gallery in London and was immediately sold as a gift to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Of recent works, he wrote, directed and produced a radio play in four interwoven languages (Brazilian, Dutch, English & German); wrote, animated, directed & scored "Homonymy" (for chamber ensemble & cinema); scored the stage version of the silent movie classic "Metropolis"; produced the soundtrack album to the gay porn feature "Hustler White"; as well as appearing as himself in John Greyson's feature film "Un©ut" and Craig Baldwin's "Sonic Outlaws", and he was the subject of one of Moses Znaimer's television documentaries "The Originals". Other recent activities include: a sonic motorcade in Brasilia; and a dance composition for 22 choreographers (including Bill T.Jones, Margie Gillis, & Holly Small); plus commissions from the Lyon Opera Ballet, Dutch National Radio, Change of Heart, SMCQ, Pizzicato 5, and Radio Canada. Other works are in the active repertoire of the Kronos Quartet (they've played his Spectre over 300 times worldwide, & another commission, Mach almost as often), the Culberg Ballet Sweden, the Monaco Ballet, The Deutsche Opera Ballet Berlin, The Modern Quartet, the Penderecki Quartet, and others. His recorded works have been used in productions for radio, stage, concert, television, film, Hollywood movies, computer media and video.
Oswald is also the founder and co-facilitator of Art Wrestling, a Toronto-based contact improvisation movement jamboree which has occurred weekly uninterrupted for 28 years. In 1990, Oswald's most notorious recording, plunderphonic, was destroyed by prudes in the Recording Industry representing Michael Jackson. He has since released recordings on Elektra, Avant, ReR Megacorp, Blast First, & Swell, featuring transformations of the music and performances of Stravinsky, Metallica, James Brown, Gyorgy Ligeti, Dolly Parton & many others. A box-set CD & book retrospective of his plunderphonics work has just been appropriated from Oswald's Fony label by Seeland. The first disc of his Grateful Dead production GrayFolded was selected as the #1 international recording of the decade by the Toronto Sun. In the same year his album of improvised music, Acoustics was a #1 critic's selection in Coda magazine. The GrayFolded package, completed the following year was selected for best of the year lists in Rolling Stone, The New York Times and many other publications. A recent retrospective CD box-set of Plunderphonic works has been called "mind-numbingly amazing" by Peter Kenneth, Rolling Stone Magazine, and made Spin Magazine's 2001 top 10.
2004 will see the founding of an ad agency called Veracity. Oswald is Director of Research at MysteryLaboratory in Canada. Eye Weekly's '94 year end report anointed him a "God-like being" (in 2003 they have upgraded this to "a god proper"). The Montreal Mirror says "John Oswald is probably Canada's most important composer-musician," and the London (England) Observer has called him "the maddest man on the planet."
Evalyn Parry is a theatre artist, singer songwriter, and spoken word performer. Her recent theatre escapades with Anna Chatterton include: Frances, Mathilda and Tea at SummerWorks 2004, Clean Irene and Dirty Maxine (co-written with Anna Chatterton, Independent Auntie 2003) and Nancy Drew (without a clue) (Rhubarb 2004) She has released two albums of original music and spoken word, most recently Unreasonable (2004, Borealis Records), and Things Should be Warnings (2001). Her work is heard frequently on CBC radios and she has appeared at many folk festivals around Canada and the US.
Nilan Perera has been an active member of the Canadian creative music and performance scene since 1983. He has been involved in some of the most forward looking, influential and radical ensembles of the past 19 years including NOMA, Bill Grove’s Not King Fudge, Handslang and the Excalceolators. He has also performed and recorded with Evan Parker, John Butcher, Vinnie Golia, Don Preston, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Glen Hall, John Oswald, Vinx, and Michael Ondaatje.
His decade long association with guitarist/composer and iconoclast, Rainer Wiens has led him into the world of Dance/Theatre as a composer/performer/instrumentalist with Wiens and Jan Komarek in ‘Sound Image Theatre’ and ,most recently, with Susanna Hood’s ‘Humprojects’.
He is currently a recording member of trip-hop group ‘LAL’, prepared guitar trio ‘Ferrobaci’ (with Wiens and Bill Parsons), electroacoustic/improv duo ‘Smash and Teeny’ (with Sara Peebles), Susanna Hood’s interdisciplinary company ‘hum dansoundart’ and radio art duo ‘FaMished AMerika’ (w/Susanna Hood) as well as performing and composing as a soloist on guitar. Other projects are forthcoming
Gray is excited to be a part of the Red festival. Recent credits include: Spain (Summerworks 2004/Absit Omen Theatre); Innana (Toronto Fringe 2004/Donikers Daily); Power of the Dog (Equity Showcase); Green (Rhubarb 2004/BIBTT). Have fun!
Zeesy Powers has been making things to entertain herself for several years. She was considered to be a “special” child, so take that to mean what you will. She studied and performed Shakespeare, mime and dancing prior to high school. In her 21 years she has played around with paint, fabric, video, computers, paper, music, metal, words, wood, photography and people. She has put all these skills to work in The Fall of the Viking Girls. Currently, Zeesy is a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design.
Montrealer Virginia Preston was born in Singapore, grew up in Ghana and Australia and moved to Canada in 1986. A bit of an international bastard, she creates multidisciplinary performances, writes and teaches literature. Her projects as a director/choreographer include the Montreal Theatre Gym, O!SweetMediaTrix and Sea Peach. Virginia Participated in Studio 303’s summer residency for emerging artists in 2002 and One Yellow Rabbit’s Summer Lab in 2003. She has received support from Canada Council and Heritage Canada’s IPOLC program for upcoming performances of The Hope Machine.
Kevin is a musician, songwriter and playwright. He's best known as leader of the "garage jazz cabaret noir" ensemble Mad Bastards. He is also the resident accordionista for several bands including itinerant Tex-mex combo Rancho Misterio, country & western quintet The Cameron Family Singers and the gospel ensemble The Hellrazers. Quain has been active in composing and performing music for several theatre and dance artists including; Learie McNicolls, Gil Garrett, Phyzikal Theatre and Theatre Voce. His first CD Hangover Honeymoon was selected by the National Post as one of the Top 133 Canadian albums of all time. His second CD Tequila Vampire Matinee was released in 2000. Quain won the 2004 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical for Tequila Vampire Matinee.
Virginia Hung was born in China. She grew up in Hong Kong and came to Canada for University. Work and a love kept her in Canada. She is young at heart and has a love for food and life which is demonstrated through her knitting, gardening, and dessert making. She is also known as the queen bargain hunter. She is also a mother of two and a role model for many. She loves her job as a Parent Worker but is looking forward to retirement. Virginia joined RAW in 2002. Virginia feels a gut response to the taiko drum beat and was thrilled to find an all women group and as they say, the rest is history.
Christine Kim is a second generation Korean Canadian, born in Toronto. She has a Masters of Social Work. She has experience working in international development, grass roots activism, street youth and, fundraising . Yet, nothing seems to be as challenging nor rewarding as raising her two young kids. When she is not with her kids, she enjoys not being with her kids. Christine joined RAW in 2003. Taiko combines both strength and grace, which is what has attracted Christine to the Raging Asian Women, for they represent this perfect combination.
JoAnne Kim was born in Korea and came to Canada when she was one year old. She pursued a Masters in Education with a focus on Anti-Racism and she is presently a Consultant with the York Region Board of Education.. She joined Raw in 2000. When she is not working, she loves to swim, run and eat - a perfect combination. The power and grace of Taiko continues to mesmerize her. Taiko energizes, rejuvenates and provides a space for her to express herself, take risks and affirm and empower her Asian identity. JoAnne feels privileged to do Taiko with a group of committed Asian women who are activists in their personal lives and communities. JoAnne is currently on maternity leave from RAW.
Amy Lin was born and raised in Taiwan. She came to Canada to study at the University of Toronto. Amy just recently became a Canadian citizen!! She is a counsellor at a sexual health clinic in downtown Toronto. When she is not working, she loves to rock climb and canoe with her dog, Kodo. Amy joined RAW in 2000. Amy is calmed by the sound of taiko, empowered by the hit on the drums, and humbled by the spirit and power of taiko.
Suzanne Liska is a fourth-generation Japanese-Canadian and third-generation Slovakian-Canadian. She was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and, since 1993, has lived in Vancouver, Lethbridge, St. John’s, and now Toronto. Suzanne is an educator, and is pursuing studies in therapy and counselling. She has danced for most of her life, and is currently an avid contact dancer (improvisational dance form). She joined RAW in 2002. Suzanne is drawn to RAW because of its interplay with music, dance, drama, and politics. For her RAW is about expressing real, honest emotions: passion, rage, and strength.
Helen Luu was born in Vietnam to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother, and came to Canada at the age of 2. She's currently finishing her masters degree at York University and in her spare time, she dabbles in djing, grassroots activism, riding her bike around town, and the fine art of procrastinating. Helen joined RAW in 2002. Besides the great privilege of drumming with some kickass women in such an empowering group, Helen enjoys the sense of embodiment, and connection between mind and body she experiences when she drums. She also loves performing!
Laska has just recently graduated from Sheridan College where she majored in Musical Theatre Performance. At Sheridan, Laska had the great pleasure of appearing in Piaf; a life in song as a featured singer, Into the Woods"as Lucinda and Crazy for you as Mitzy. Upon graduation, Laska joined Theatre Passe Muraille, travelling to Picton to appear as Sarah Lindsay in the musical Duets by J.D. Nicholsen where she was introduced into the world of country music.
Michael Rubenfeld is a Toronto based Actor and Playwright. His play Spain received critical acclaim at Summerworks 2004.
World renowned Harmonica extraordinaire, percussionist, composer, teacher, all around good guy.
Nile is a prolific writer and performer whose one man show Fear of a Brown Planet was a critical success at the Toronto Fringe Festival this year. He takes on racial issues as it applies to the entertainment
industry and his insights are funny, uncompromising and always intelligent. Nile has written for This Hour Has 22 Minutes and has been performing since the mid Nineties.
Maureen Shea is interested in the relationship between movement research and social action through performance. Co-founder of the Grasshoppa Dance Exchange, she has rehearsed, produced and performed numerous initiatives in public places in Ottawa since 2002. City Project in its many parts, has been performed in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Peterborough since the autumn of 2003. This year, Social Movements is being researched in 5 rural schools across Ontario with hundreds of learners.
Maureen practices modern dance technique, Ashtanga yoga, Body-Mind Centering and improvisation. In 1990, she graduated from the Professional Performance Training Programme in Modern Dance at The School of Dance. She has subsequently trained with Peter Boneham(Le Groupe Dance Lab) and continues to develop her skill through workshops offered by many committed artists. Important influences include Bread and Puppet Theatre with whom she has worked and toured. She has danced for choreographers including Julia Alpin, Susie Burpee, Yvonne Coutts and Sylvie Desrosiers.
Erin Shields trained at Rose Bruford College in London, England where she receives a practical degree in acting. She now writes and performs with her company, Suitcase in Point, and various other theatres in Toronto. Recent creations include Groundwater (Banff Centre Writing Residency, Artword 2005), Etiquette Dance (Hysteria 2004), Be Wearing Wolf (HATCH at Harbourfront 2004), i flushed my lover down the loo (Strange Sisters Cabaret), The Epic Tale of Baby Weed (SAF, Tarragon Theatre), The Man at My Gate (SAF), Man Raccoon (RED Cabaret), and Maggie Mae and Saucy Sue (New Ideas Festival)
Miko Sobreira is a Venezuelan born artist who currently calls Toronto home. He has collaborated and performed with different local and international artists such as Claudia Moore, Pam Johnson, Maxine Heppner, Holly Small, Alejandro Ronceria,Learie McNichols, David Duclos, Allen and Karen Kaeja, Corpus , Sound Image Theatre, Rubberbandancegroup, Katherine Tardiff, Francine Gagne and many more.
john and scott have played as a duet, as a trio with very good drummer jake oelrichs, and in larger groups of an ad hoc nature for months and months. the music always surprises me scott is trombonist from guelph who, apropos of jo's bio, has never tied Celine Dion in any capacity.
Jessica is an independent dancer, emerging choreographer, educator and artist. Jessica has collaborated on various multi-disciplinary works incorporating modern dance, circus, clown and acrobatics for IDAC, VIVID, At The Wrecking Ball II, Festive Earth, Toronto Street Festival, Emergency - A Festival of Independent Dance. She attended the Claude Watson School for the Arts dance program, while competing in gymnastics internationally for 10 years, representing Canada at the 1984 Olympics. After living and working abroad for 10 years, Jessica returned to her hometown of Toronto and founded KiKA Creative Enterprises, an innovative business specializing in comprehensive arts, culture, education and youth leadership project management.
Mark Keetch has been a puppeteer in Toronto for many years working for the likes of Clay & Paper Theatre, Puppetmongers and Shadowland Theatre. Then he did what all artists worth a damn do, which is give up a reasonably well paid job to do "some of his own work". And so Zagadka Zoological Society was born.
Presented by GirlCanCreate. For more info, contact info@girlcancreate.com