Touchstone Theatre

Adrian is a Vancouver based lighting designer who works in theatre, dance and opera. Selected credits include work the Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver Opera, Electric Company Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, Realwheels Productions, The Belfry Theatre (Victoria), Pacific Opera Victoria, The Citadel (Edmonton), Theatre Calgary, Canadian Stage Company (Toronto), and the Charlottetown Festival. Upcoming: Falstaff / Henry V for Bard on the Beach. Adrian also works as the lighting director for Ballet BC, teaches lighting and computer assisted drafting at Langara College’s Studio 58, has been the recipient of four Jessie Richardson awards for outstanding lighting design and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Anthony studied acting at Studio 58, UBC, and the Stratford Conservatory, and currently serves as Artistic Director for Tempus Theatre, for whom he recently directed Naomi Iizuka’s 36 VIEWS. Recent acting credits include Refuge of Lies (Pacific Theatre), Frozen (Shameless Hussy), Coriolanus (Mad Duck), a sold out run of Brilliant! – The Blinding Enlightenment of Nikola Tesla (Belfry), A Doll’s House (Chemainus), Pinter’s Briefs and The Birthday Party (Blackbird). He has been honoured with Jessie Richardson award nominations as Outstanding Actor for both of his Pinter-esque performances. His favourite playwrights and musicians include Shakespeare, Pinter, Howard Barker, Noël Coward, U2, XTC, The Kinks, Hawksley Workman, and David Byrne. In his spare time, Anthony reads extremely long novels and children’s picture books, and collects strange cover versions of popular songs.

Bill Marchant is honoured to be working with Katrina Dunn and Touchstone Theatre. Originally hailing from Georgetown, Ontario, Bill has spent the last twenty years as a proud member of the Vancouver arts community as an actor, writer and director. His first feature film, Everyone, won the Zenith D’or at the Montreal Film Festival in 2004, followed by the debut of his next picture By The Hour at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. His upcoming feature, Exley, a collaboration with Canadian filmmaking legend Larry Kent, will be released this fall. Last year saw the debut of two of Marchant’s original plays, Ashes and Gift of Screws. Seven Miles Out, an album of alt rock tunes co-written with Michael Chase, came out in may of this year. Bill Marchant is Head of Department at Vancouver Film School. He thanks Sally Stubbs for her beautiful and provocative play and his students for their love and patience.

Recent sound designs: Palace Of The End (Touchstone Theatre); The History Boys (Arts Club Theatre); No Exit (Electric Company); True West (Vancouver Playhouse); Bordertown Cafe, The Violet Hour, The Turn of the Screw, The Girl In The Goldfish Bowl (Belfry Theatre); The Doll's House, The Miracle Worker, Lost In Yonkers, Miracle on 34th Street (Chemainus Theatre Festival); The Man Who Shot Chance Delaney, Roger Maris On Stage (Western Canada Theatre); Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad (Other Guys Theatre). Acting: As You Like It, Death of a Salesman (Blue Bridge Theatre); Sexy Laundry (Theatre North West); The Man Who Shot Chance Delaney (Western Canada Theatre); Itʼs A Wonderful Life (Arts Club).

Christine is very excited to be part of the extraordinary creative team that is bringing Herr Beckman’s People to life. This production marks the continuation of her long proud association with Touchstone Theatre, which includes roles in The Wolf Boy, Sex Tips for Modern Girls (4 Jessie awards) The Orphan Muses, and Prodigal Son, and service on the Board of Directors. Other stage credits include Dangerous Corner, The Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast, Fallen Angels, and A Streetcar Named Desire, for the Playhouse; Angry Housewives (Jessie award), Steel Magnolias, and Sex Tips for Modern Girls I & II for the Arts Club, and her independent production of The Unexpected Man (Top Ten in 2006). National credits include the Shaw Festival and Citadel Theatres. Internationally known as Delores in the Emmy nominated television series, Dead Like Me, other film and television credits include Gladys (Leo nomination) in Reaper, Defying Gravity and The Good Wife. She is Artistic Director of the William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study at Vanarts, and serves on the Executive board of UBCP/ACTRA. She will play Mme. Lazarus in the Catherine Hardwicke feature film The Girl with the Red Riding Hood this summer.

Christopher is a graduate of STUDIO 58 (Production:Set & Costume Design), and recipient of the 2009 EARL KLEIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP. While there he designed the Set for STUDIO 58’s acclaimed production of The Winter’s Tale (dir. Anita Rochon), and MAGEE HIGH SCHOOL’s The Boy Friend. Since graduating Christopher has worked with PATRICK ROBERGE PRODUCTIONS as ASM on Ignite The Dream and on the 2010 Paralympic Opening Ceremonies, as Costume Designer for The Lawyer Show 2010/As You Like It (Carousel & Touchstone Theatres), as Director/Dramaturge for 2A-The Further adventures of Hilde and Dottie at BC BUDS, and Production Design Consultant for HARDLINE PRODUCTIONS An Electrifying Evening of Sam Shepard: 4-H Club, Cowboys #2, & Killer’s Head (Dreamlife Studios June 4-13, 2010). Upcoming: Christopher will be working in “the village” at BARD ON THE BEACH this season, and will design the costumes for LIMBO CIRCUS’ production of Hamlet this November at the Havana. Christopher would like to thank Katrina Dunn/Touchstone Theatre/PTC for this wonderful opportunity/”Flying Start”, and his families/friends (both blood and chosen) for their unwavering support. Born in Toronto ON, he now resides in Vancouver BC. Christopher also writes, and he might be old enough to be your father – but he’s pretty sure he’s not.

For Touchstone: Influence, and Tideline (Jessie nomination). Other credits include: TAPE (Fringe), Summer of my Amazing Luck (Gateway), Beauty & the Beast (Arts Club), Poster Boys (Jessie nomination, Arts Club), The Dunsmuir’s (Sea), Triumph of Love (Blackbird), Einstein’s Gift (Firehall/Gateway), Mary’s Wedding (Sterling nomination, Workshop West), and shows with Theatre Calgary, Theatre Network, Junction, Vertigo, Sunshine, Theatre One, and the Globe. As a writer, Daniel co-wrote the plays Tuesdays & Sundays, Clear Sunny Day, and Any Night with Medina Hahn. He also co-wrote/directed the short film The Janitors with Matthew Kowalchuk, with whom he is adapting Morris Panych’s Lawrence & Holloman into a feature film. Daniel and Medina recently received the protégé portion of The Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s most prestigious theatre award. He and Medina are currently developing a musical, adapting Any Night into a feature film, and writing for the new TV series Always a Bridesmaid.

David's last outing with Touchstone was the thought-provoking production of Influence. Other shows this year include Life Savers for Ruby Slippers, La Boheme for Saskatoon Opera, Little Shop of Horrors and A Christmas Carol for Persephone, Saskatoon. David is the recipient of a number of Jessie nominations and awards, most recently for Life Savers. He is a graduate of Emily Carr University and earned an MA in Scenography in 2002 at London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and DAMU, Prague. David is a member of ADC and is most passionate about the role of the designer as a key player in authoring work.

Acting in a Katrina-directed Touchstone show always feels like a
wonderful homecoming for Dawn, as her first professional show was with Touchstone/Katrina (The Good Person of Setzuan) as have been many of her favourite theatrical adventures: "Unity, 1918"; "It's All True", "Lisa, Lisa" and "Strawberries in January". Most recently Dawn performed in HIVE3 and filmed the cinematic portion of the Electric Company's "Tear the Curtain!", for which she will go into rehearsals for the theatre portion in August with the whole shebang premiering at the Arts Club Stanley Theatre in September. After Tear! she hits the road naked again with "Studies in Motion", touring to the Citadel and CanStage. Dawn is a graduate of the UBC BFA Acting Program, and she is a multiple Jessie Award nominee and winner. She adores acting in the world premieres of new plays.

Donna White is a stage veteran of 40 years who calls the West Coast home. She has been privileged to have been a participant in all the workshops for Herr Beckmann's People and is honored to have been asked to be in Touchstone Theatre's production of this challenging play. Donna has two Jessie Richardson Awards for her stage work here at home.

Drew Facey is a two time Jessie Award winning Set and Costume designer. Most recently Drew designed the set and costumes for Théâtre la Seizième’s production of Le Périmètre, the Presentation House’s production of A Picasso and costumes for The Project with Solo Collective. Other upcoming shows include set design for Thoroughly Modern Millie with the Gateway Theatre and set design for Romeo and Juliet at Capilano University. Since graduating from Studio 58 two years ago, he has worked as a designer on over 25 shows. He also trained extensively as a visual artist both at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and through a private apprenticeship in Montreal.

Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh is glad to be returning to work on another production with Touchstone Theatre. She has spent the past four years working as a costume designer in the film industry working on several television films and Features. She graduated from university of British Columbia in 2002 with a BFA in theatre technical and design (major in costumes) and has a diploma in fashion design. Some of her previous work includes Palace of the End, Prodigal Son, The Trigger and League of Nathans for Touchstone Theatre, Tideline, a co-production of Touchstone and neworldtheatre, and Kiss The Moon, Kiss The Sun for Western Canada Theatre. Farnaz looks forward to keeping her roots alive by working on one or two theatre shows a year and continuing on expanding her experience in the film industry.

Gwynyth Walsh was born in Winnipeg and raised in Vancouver. She studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta. Canadian theatre credits include work with The Stratford and Charlottetown Festivals, The Citadel, MTC, The Centaur Theatre and in Vancouver, Touchstone, the Arts Club, Pacific Theatre and Blackbird. Plays include Mary Stuart, The Domino Heart, Prospero in The Tempest ( Jessie nomination), Much Ado About Nothing ( Dramalogue Award ), King Lear etcetera. Film and tv credits include four seasons of DaVinci’s Inquest,  The Crush, Flight 93, Star Trek, series such as L.A. Law,  Murder She Wrote, High Incident,  ER, NYPD Blue, Matlock, etcetera as well as many movies for television.  Gwynyth won a Leo award for her performance in the short film Flush and was nominated again for her work in Sparklelight Motel.

Jeff’s sound design credits include the past two Lawyer Shows, As You Like It and A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Touchstone and Carousel Theatre). As a musician and composer Jeff has worked at Fort Steele Heritage Town and as Musical Director for Precipice Theatre in Banff. Acting credits include The Man Who Couldn’t Deliver (Jack in the Box), One Good Marriage, Some Girls, The Laramie Project (Fighting Chance Productions), Cymbeline, The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice (Bard on the Beach), Night Light, See Saw (Green Thumb Theatre). A graduate of Studio 58 and the Selkirk College Music Program, Jeff can next be seen in his upcoming Fringe Show The Boy Who Had A Mother. Thanks so much to Liz for all her love.

Joanne most recently stage managed Any Night for Dual Minds, All’s Well That Ends Well and Richard II at Bard on the beach. Recent credits include Stage Managing Blackbird for Rumble/Theatre Conspiracy, The Black Rider for November Theatre at Tarragon Theatre and as a PUSH/ Arts Club production, How It Works for Touchstone Theatre, The Tempest and Titus Andronicus for Bard on the Beach, Some previous stage managing credits include Revenge for Felix Culpa, Recovery for Rumble Productions, Moonlight and Magnolias at the Playhouse, Soulless and Hedda Gabbler for Rumble Productions, Lisa Lisa, The Family Way and Emphysema for Touchstone, Cymbeline, Pericles, Macbeth, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, The Winter’s Tale, Troilus & Cressida, Julius Caesar and Timon of Athens for Bard on the Beach. and Copenhagen for the Playhouse. In a previous life Joanne stage-managed for various Dance Companies.

Katharine was last seen at Touchstone Theatre as Donna in How It Works. Most recently, Katharine was in Pound of Flesh and Pacific Theatre's staged reading of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, playing Cunningham. Other favourite roles include: At Pacific Theatre: Folly in Holy Mo; the title roles in St. Joan (Jessie Nomination) and Agnes of God; Joy in Shadowlands (Jessie Nomination); Lindsay in Sister Calling My Name; Vivie Warren in Mrs. Warren's Profession (Persephone Theatre); Nellie in Summer and Smoke; Belle in A Christmas Carol; Katerina in Amadeus (Theatre Calgary); Helena in Look Back in Anger; Prudence in Beyond Therapy (Theatre Junction). Katharine began her professional career in Robin Phillips' productions of The Crucible and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Citadel Theatre.

Kevin is excited to make his debut at Touchstone with this wonderful new play. Other credits include: The Woman In Black (Chemainus Theatre Festival); Guys and Dolls (Gateway Theatre); The Wars (Playhouse); Mesa, The School For Scandal (Arts Club); Romeo & Juliet, The Glass Menagerie (Theatre Calgary); The Drawer Boy (The Belfry Theatre); Wit, The Gift of the Coat, that elusive spark and The Aberhart Summer (Alberta Theatre Projects); Sunday Father (The Saidye Bronfman Centre); The Red Priest (The Globe Theatre); The Philadelphia Story (Manitoba Theatre Centre); Macbeth (nomad theatre- England/South Africa tour); Good Night Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (BeMe Theatre- Munich, Germany).

Krysia is thrilled to be working with Touchstone Theatre this summer! She will be returning to Studio 58 in the fall for her last term and would like to thank Kathryn and Adrian for the opportunities they have offered her. Previous stage management credits include The Park (Studio 58), A Chorus Line (Viva Musica), and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Vancouver Playhouse).

Marcella is thrilled to return to Touchstone Theatre, last Stage Managing Influence. During the Olympics she was in Whistler sipping on hot chocolate and working with The Only Animal on Nix - Canada’s first snow and ice theatre. Other favourite past productions include We Three Queens (Caravan Farm Theatre), A Year With Frog and Toad (Carousel Theatre) and Little Mercy’s First Murder (Touchstone Theatre). Marcella is a very proud graduate of Studio 58.

Martin Kinch is Executive Director and Literary Manager of Vancouver’s Playwrights Theatre Centre. For over thirty years he has focused on the creation and production of new Canadian work on stage, in film, and on television. As a playwright, has twice been a finalist for the prestigious Chalmers Award. He founded Toronto Free Theatre where he served for seven years as Artistic Director before moving on to become a Producer in CBC Drama and Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary. As Literary Manager of PTC he acts as dramaturg to a variety of playwrights and productions.

For Touchstone: The Dissemblers, and Tideline. Other theatre credits include: Tuesdays & Sundays (DualMinds), Counsellor-at-Law (Theatre Calgary), A Christmas Carol, New Canadian Kid (Citadel Theatre), Mary’s Wedding (WCTC/ Workshop West), The Glass Menagerie (Globe), Letters In Wartime (Sunshine Theatre), Midlife (Theatre Network), Clear Sunny Day (Catalyst). TV/Film: The Last Time, Hollywood Brats, Lovesick, The Janitors, The 4400, The Collector. As a writer, Medina co-wrote the plays Tuesdays & Sundays, Clear Sunny Day, and Any Night with Daniel Arnold. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta and the University of Victoria and is the recipient of two Sterling Awards. Medina and Daniel recently received the protégé portion of The Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, and are currently developing a musical, adapting Any Night into a feature film, and writing for the new TV series Always a Bridesmaid.

A graduate of Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts, Demon Voice is Patrick's first production with Touchstone Theatre. Recently, Patrick has been part of Main Street Theatre's Glengarry Glen Ross, and Urban Crawl's Nanay which was seen at the PuSh Festival in Vancouver and at the 'Your Nanny Hates You' Fesival in Berlin. He was also part of Alex Ferguson's Twice the Same River at this year's Fringe. He has worked with several other Vancouver theatre companies including the Firehall, Rumble, Headlines, and Presentation House. He is very proud to be an associate artist with both Rumble Productions and Main Street Theatre.

Ron is the former Artistic Director of Edmonton’s Workshop West Theatre and is and a freelance director. Recent credits include: Extinction Song and Forbidden Phoenix (Citadel Theatre), An Inspector Calls (Vertigo Theatre), Rich (MTYP). For Workshop West: 17 Dogs, Mary’s Wedding, Apple, Mesa, and Respectable. Other directing credits include: Bash’d (Off Broadway), Confessions of a Paper Boy (Ghost River Theatre), The Black Rider (November Theatre Co.), The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye) and The Blue Light (Alberta Theatre Projects), What the Butler Saw (Studio Theatre), Steel Kiss, Eureka, and The Horror, The Horror (Skid), Liars (MTYP), and Burt (Shadow Theatre). Ron has won ten Sterling Awards as a director and producer, most recently for Extinction Song, and received a Betty Mitchell Award for Direction for The Black Rider. Ron was shortlisted for the 2007 Siminovitch Prize in theatre for Direction.

Sally is very excited to be working with this outstanding cast and production team. She is an award-winning playwright and educator and a performer who loves to clown. Most recently, Sally completed a graduate degree in Writing at the University of Victoria. In 2009 she received the 3rd Annual Canadian Peace Play Competition Award (University of Calgary Consortium for Peace Studies in collaboration with the Department of Drama and Faculty of Fine Arts) for Herr Beckmann’s People and in 2008 the Gordon Armstrong Playwrights Rent Award. She was also honoured with an invitation to present Herr Beckmann’s People at the 8th International Women Playwrights Conference in Mumbai in November 2009. Sally’s plays include: Wreckage (Scirocco Drama); Eyes. Two.; She’ll to the Wars; Home Movies; Spinning You Home, which she is adapting as a novel for young adults; and her most recent script, Centurions. In 2005, Sally collaborated on adapting a portion of Wreckage for film. The independent short created - Mother Cutter - was nominated for the Alberta Centennial Award and named one of the ‘Best of Alberta Shorts’ (Calgary International Film Festival). Next up: Sally is thrilled to have been invited to join the Firehall Theatre Society/Firehall Arts Centre as playwright-in-residence as she develops a new script inspired by Constables Lurancy D. Harris and Minnie Miller of Vancouver, who, in 1912, were the first women in Canada to be sworn in with ‘full police powers’.

Shawn is an award-winning actor and playwright who has made Vancouver his home since 1988. His play Prodigal Son was produced by Touchstone Theatre (with Pacific Theatre) in 2006, and won the Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script, as well as the Xtra West Hero Award. His co-written plays (with Gary Jones) World's Greatest Guy (Jessie winner) and Fear Knot (Jessie nomination) were both produced by the Arts Club Theatre. His new play The Fall of Sister Judy was commissioned by the Arts Club Theatre and is currently in development.

Stephanie is honored to have been a part of the Demon Voice process since 2007 and is thrilled to premiere it with Touchstone. A transplant from Toronto, via Montreal, Demon Voice marks her first full Vancouver production after many workshops and staged readings, most recent being the Last Days of Judas Iscariot with Pacific Theatre and Pound of Flesh Theatres. Past theatre includes The Great Gatsby, Proof, The Miracle Worker, Mary's Wedding, Here on the Flight Path, The Orphan Muses and three seasons at The Shaw Festival; film and tv faves: Watchmen, Sorority Wars, The Jane Show, This is Wonderland. Stephanie is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada. Visit www.stephaniebelding.com.

William has appeared in over 140 stage, film and t.v. productions during the last 15 years. He was a regular on the t.v. series Call of the Wild, and has guest starred on dozens of the t.v. productions that have filmed in Vancouver over the last 2 decades. He is most proud of his work in Canadian film, however, playing lead roles in such productions as Rhino Brothers, Protection, BarNone , Sub Human and The Delicate Art of Parking. On stage he has performed for theatres in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. Some of his favourite roles include Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, Aston in The Caretaker, Donny in Adult Entertainment, Weegee in Little Mercy's First Murder, Wilmore in The Rover and King in Toronto, Mississippi. He has also directed over the years, and has written and performed several of his own pieces including Coco-Puffs and Caviar, about addiction in the Downtown Eastside, Phantoms, about the cultural and political changes as a result of 9/11 and Dear Robert DeNiro, about hero worship. Mr. MacDonald also teaches at several schools in Vancouver, B.C.