The People of Perchance
Meet some of the talented artists involved with our theatre.
The Cast
Selina Asgar
Titania / Hippolyta, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Multiple Characters, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Revised) (Again)
Selina was born in Gander, Newfoundland. This is her third season with Perchance. By day she works as a mild-mannered developer for the IT department of a local company in St. John’s. She believes everyone has a super power, that timing is everything, and the dream never dies when you believe. Selected previous credits include Judith Bliss (Hay Fever), Verandah (Flying Doctor), Agnes (Agnes of God), Jessica (Jitters), Desdemona (Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet), Barbara / Zubaida / Catherine / Sherry (The Laramie Project) and Carol (Black Comedy).
Marthe Bernard
Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Marthe Bernard is a sixth generation townie, born and raised on Gower Street (“in the shadow of the Basilica” as her great-great-Auntie Bride would say). After studying theatre at Grenfell (for a couple of years) she played the role of Tinny on CBC’s Republic of Doyle which ran for six seasons. In 2020 she starred in the award-winning feature film Little Orphans (dir. Ruth Lawrence). She also starred in the 2012 feature Beat Down (dir. Deanne Foley). Theatre credits include: Rosalind in As You Like It and Ophelia in Hamlet (Perchance, 2021) the role of Molly in Lois Brown’s production of Sex, The Rules Of (2009 and 2013), the role of Scout in Meghan Greeley’s Kingdom in 2012 and Helen in Greeley’s Hunger in 2015. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters but her home is Newfoundland.
Christa Borden
Mary Mag / Ella / Mame, High Steel; Egeus / Starveling / Peaseblossom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Dearest gentle reader…Christa Borden is thrilled to be rejoining the magical force that is Perchance Theatre Co. She is most grateful to Danielle and Mary for this opportunity.
This season marks her third run of High Steel and her very first Shakespeare play! She is grateful to her family and to her daughter, Brooking, for all the love, patience and support they so generously give. Christa holds a vocal performance degree from MUN and an elementary education degree from UNB. She is a proud member of the Spirit of Newfoundland theatre troupe and has also been fortunate to join the Tada company this past winter. She is most grateful to you, the bums in our seats and the applause in our hearts. If music be the food of love, play on!
Colin Furlong
Roly / George / Dr. McPherson, High Steel; Angus, Tempting Providence
Colin Furlong is an Actor from Mount Pearl, NL and is delighted to be back in beautiful Conception Harbour with Perchance this summer! No stranger to Newfoundland Theatre, Colin has spent his career performing and touring with companies across the Island and abroad. Favourite roles of his include The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, AfterImage (Artistic Fraud); The Only Living Father, Outside Mullingar, and the UK tour of Our Frances, (Theatre Newfoundland Labrador). Colin can often be found bringing you the TV News on CBC’s Son of a Critch, he also appears on the SYFY Television series’ Astrid and Lilly Save the World, and SurrealEstate, as well as on local favourite Hudson & Rex (CityTV). Thank you so much for coming to see us, and please enjoy the show!
Andrew Halliday
Demetrius / Snug the Joiner, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Multiple Characters, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Revised) (Again)
Andrew Ryan Halliday is a stage and screen performer based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Holding a fine arts degree in theatre from Memorial University’s Grenfell College, he has been performing across the island from the Northern Penninsula to the Avalon for the last eight years – and he is elated to be making his debut with Perchance this season! Notable credits include Saltwater Moon (Rising Tide), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare by the Sea), and 17 Men (TNL).
Tzu-Hao Hsu
Puck / Attendant, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tzu-Hao Hsu (Sue-How-Shoe) is a proud Taiwanese Townie based in St. John’s, NL. A full time business manager, part time creative soul and all-the-time supporter of the arts, businesses and community, Tzu-Hao explores her heritage and identity through creative writing, storytelling, dance and music. She is a hiker, jogger, human mom and dog mom, and her favourite thing to do these days is creating songs and stories with her twin daughters in the hopes that they don’t try to make another surprise cake on her kitchen floor.
Andy Jones
Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Andy Jones was born in St John’s where worked at the Resource Centre For The Arts at The L.S.P.U. Hall co-writing, acting in and directing many original productions. He worked with the well-known Newfoundland Comedy troupe CODCO in its theatrical form from 1974 to 1976; and in its television format from 1986 to 1991. He has performed in theatre productions across Canada including his happy experiences at the amazing outdoor stage at the Perchance / New World company, where he played Falstaff (in both Henry IV, Part 1 and Merry Wives of Winsor), Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011) and Tartuffe in his own adaptation of Moliere’s Tartuffe. He co-created the dance Porridge Flick with well-known Newfoundland dancer choreographer Anne Troake in the spring of 2000. He has also written, performed and toured his six one-man shows. Andy is delighted to be reprising his role as Bottom with the wonderful cast of this year’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Olive Jones
Moth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hi there, my name is Olive Jones. I am a grade 10 student in Holy Heart of Mary high school. Though I don’t have much experience in the acting world, I’ve always been interested in acting as it has sort of run in my family with my uncle, Andy Jones, and grandfather, Michael Jones. I’d gained my first bit of acting experience this year in my drama class that I take at school with a well known theatre arts teacher, John Rao. I’ve learned lots about what goes on backstage during performances and am fascinated by it. Beyond acting, I’m a big fan of and play volleyball. I play for my schools team as well as my club team. I also volunteer at the Ymca as a volleyball “coach” or mentor as I like to say. One of my talents besides volleyball is actually doing accents! I’ve always loved having the ability to put on voices and accents of other people for fun.
Franny McKeown
Cobweb, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Frances Avalon McKeown (Cobweb) was born and lives in Los Angeles, California. She plays piano and her second recital was in June 2024. This past spring she was a butterfly in Room Eight Spectacular Showcase of Grade 2 at Elysian Heights School. She has a little sister named Dot who is one and a half. She LOVES Taylor Swift, cats, and swimming. She is so excited to be a fairy in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Una Hill-McMullin
Mom Durham / Mama Goddammita / Alice / Dora, High Steel; Myra, Tempting Providence
Una (she/her) was born and raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, but now calls St. John’s home. She came to Newfoundland in 2012 to earn her BFA in Theatre from the Grenfell Campus of
Memorial University and upon graduating in 2016, decided to make NL her permanent home. Her select credits include: Boeing Boeing and The 39 Steps (Beyond The Overpass), Fly Me To The Moon and Our Frances (UK Tour) (Gros Morne Theatre Festival); Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play (Hard Ticket Theatre), Hay Fever, The Tempest, and High Steel (Perchance Theatre); Seal Slippers: A Christmas Panto and Supper Club (Provincial Tour) (RCA Theatre). Her TV credits include: Son of a Critch, Hudson & Rex, and The Missus Downstairs. Una is so excited to be back for another season with Perchance for the remount of High Steel and can’t wait for audiences to experience Tempting Providence. She would also like to express her deepest gratitude for High Steel’s choreographer, Lynn Panting. Without her expertise, guidance, and movement vocabulary, we wouldn’t have been as secure and confident in remounting High Steel. Lynn, you are my rock and I’m proud to be taking the reins of Dance Captain thanks to you.
Stephen Oates
Con / Tom / Master Derrick, High Steel; Oberon / Theseus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Man, Tempting Providence
Stephen O. Oates is a mono-undisciplined artist from Carbonear currently residing in Riverhead. Having served three years of a five year sentence in artist’s gulag for rhymes against the state, he looks forward to once again bringing his unique voice and short legs to the stage as a condition of his release. Please enjoy the show, and remember: the ticket price is the minimum you must pay, you can always opt to pay more if you prefer.
Andrew James O’Brien
Father Corrigan / Red Trahey / Pat / Mike / Jim / Bartender, High Steel; Tom Snout, The Tinker / Mustardseed, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Andrew O’Brien has spent the last decade as 1/2 of the Juno nominated contemporary folk duo Fortunate Ones. He cites the incomparable Ron Hynes as one of his biggest songwriting influences and is absolutely delighted to dust off his acting chops alongside such a world class cast in High Steel and crew.
Blake Pyne
Lysander / Flute, the bellows mender, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Multiple Characters, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Revised) (Again)
Blake Pyne is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on acting, singing, and musical theatre performance from Swehl-tcha (Cultus Lake, B.C.). He holds a certificate in musical theatre from the Randolph College for the Performing Arts and is a recent graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s acting program. This is Blake’s third season with Perchance Theatre, and he couldn’t be happier to be back making theatre with such an excellent company. Selected theatre credits include “Argonaut” in Madea (Canadian Opera Company), “Paris” in Romeo & Juliet (Sunbeam Theatre), “Caliban” in The Tempest, “Sandy Tyrell” in Hay Fever and “Valere” in Moliere’s The Flying Doctor (Perchance Theatre 2022-2023), “Pierre” in There Is Nothing You Can Do (NTS) “The Baron Docteur” in Venus (NTS), and “Hart” in Unity 1918 (C.S.O.P.A) where he won the award for Best Youth Actor in the Fraser Valley Zone Festival. Thank you for supporting local theatre, and enjoy the show!
Jodee Richardson
Musician / Ray / Calvin, High Steel
Jodee Richardson is a lifelong Newfoundland creator who focuses on local people, places and projects, hopefully using his abilities to further enrich the cherished culture of our province. He is currently developing a new original 9-member dance band, HIT PIECE (debuting at Writers at Woody Point 2024) and tours the island each September with his partner Nicole Hand and their dog Nan. Next year his new play Sorrow’s Tree will debut with the beloved Perchance Theatre.
Erika Squires
Bridge / Christine / Josephine / Tish, High Steel; Helena, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Erika Squires is a Newfoundlander and theatre artist in her final year of training at the National Theatre School. An emerging playwright, Erika has written the plays Hush (for PerSIStence Theatre) and Baby (self-produced with support from ArtsNL and the CCA). For Perchance you may have seen Erika as Ariel in The Tempest, Bridge / Christine / Josephine / Tish in High Steel, Horatio in Hamlet, Lebeau / Hymen in As You Like It, or as the Soothsayer in Julius Caesar. Other acting credits include Cliff in Sun in an Empty Room (GroupHug Productions), Brooke Lohst in Be More Chill (Best Kind Productions), Disciple in Godspell (Etcetera Productions), and Constance in Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (MUNL Drama). Erika is so happy to be back in her favourite place for another season at Perchance Theatre!
Marquita Walsh
Petra / Quince / Philostrate / Fairy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Woman, Tempting Providence
Marquita Walsh is a multidisciplinary artist from Fleur de Lys, Newfoundland. Her
outport upbringing has always been her biggest inspiration for storytelling. In 2013,
Marquita graduated from Memorial University’s Grenfell Theatre Program with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting). For the past ten years she has worked extensively
across the island and country as an actor and singer. Walsh is also a songwriter. Her
debut album Into The Night was nominated for Music NL’s Pop album of the year in
2018. Select Credits include:
For Theatre: Tell Tale Harbour / Anne of Green Gables – Confederation Centre of the
Arts, No Change in the Weather – Terra Bruce Productions, Tempting Providence / Bye
Bye Birdie – Theatre Newfoundland Labrador. Revue 2018 – Rising Tide Theatre. Brazil
Square – Resource Centre for the Arts, The Marvelous Wonderettes / Crimes of the
Heart / Boeing Boeing – Beyond The Overpass.
For Film: Hudson & Rex Season 6 / CityTV, Little Dog / CBC, Astrid and Lilly / CTV Sci-
fi, SurrealEstate / CTV-Sci-fi, Iskander / French Kiss Productions.
The Crew
Jayne Batstone
Box Office
Jayne Batstone is a NL born and raised singer / songwriter and actor, currently between semesters from the Fine Arts (theatre program) at MUN’s Grenfell campus. Her debut EP “Line Art” was released in 2021 and earned Jayne her first Music NL award nomination for Pop Artist of the Year. Reviews have described her vocals as “smooth and haunting” and her songwriting as “heartfelt and authentic”. Jayne is a fierce defender of equality, a lover of all things theatre, and as her song “Pastel Angst” says, believes that “dreaming is compulsory”.
Robyn Breen
Choreographer, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Robyn Breen is a dance artist and movement educator. She was born and raised in St. John’s, NL, and spent over a dozen years living and working in Toronto, Ontario. Since 2021, she has been spending most of her time back home in Newfoundland reconnecting with the arts community. Robyn was a co-artistic director (aka LOVER) with the Toronto Dance Community Love-In from 2014-2021 where she worked with and learned from dozens of dance artists and movement educators from around the globe. Her choreographic work has been presented at SummerWorks Performance Festival and TO Love-In’s PS: We Are All Here in Toronto, The Festival of New Dance in St. John’s, Coastal Currents in Halifax and Dance Stages in Corner Brook. She is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, holds a BFA (Honours) in Dance from York University and has been studying the science of movement diligently since 2007. As a choreographer and movement coach, Robyn supports fellow artists and movement makers by offering guidance throughout their creative process to enhance the performing body.
Emma Cole
Marketing and Communications Officer with Artistic Fraud
Emma Cole is a writer, costume designer, and anarchist bookseller from St. John’s, NL. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Acadia University in English and Theatre. By day she works for local arts organizations in communications and administration (AAMP, Artistic Fraud), and on other days she coordinates and designs costumes for theatre (Shakespeare By The Sea, Kittiwake Dance Theatre). Her creative writing has won awards from Kiwanis, Arts and Letters, and WritersNL, and been featured by CBC and estuary Arts Magazine. You can find her writing at emmacharlottecole.com, her custom clothing at @charlatandesigns, and her bookselling at @saltpagesnl.
Precious Serapio Dela Cruz
Business and Development Coordinator
Precious is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) student at Memorial University where she has recently received the Dr. Victor Young Graduate Student Citizenship Award for her contributions to the university and the broader community. She’s been involved in many Memorial programs such as the Insight Business Consulting Program, Creative Destruction Lab and Work Experience in Social Enterprise program, which allowed her to provide research, marketing and business development support for several local startups and social enterprises including Perchance Theatre. Prior to entering the MBA program, she had a total of 4 years of work experience as a Sales & Marketing Professional in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. She was a Key Account Manager – Sales & Marketing at Procter & Gamble (P&G) for 2 years and previously a Corporate Management Trainee – Supply Chain & Sales at Nestle for 2 years. Outside of work and school, Precious loves to hang out with friends, do outdoor activities like hiking or camping, explore new places, and try new food and activities.
Sheldon Downey
Stage Manager, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Revised) (Again), Stage Manager, Open Sky Series
Sheldon returns to Perchance for another season in the great outdoors. He works in whatever discipline excites him at the time, which these days ranges from theatre to puppetry, opera to dance, or film to TV. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Memorial University in Stagecraft, and when not with the company, can usually be found at the Arts and Culture Centre working for the Mainstage, or running shows in the Barbara Barrett Theatre. Previous work for the company includes Julius Caesar, Servant of Two Masters (2019), Hay Fever, The Tempest (2022), and The Flying Doctor (2023). Other select credits include the Canadian premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s opera, As One, the exploration of Franz Kafka through Double Sure Theatre’s Her Closely, and stage managing for his alma mater with Duncan MacMillan’s People, Places, and Things. He is thankful for the paragons of NL theatre who’ve encouraged and supported him through school, pandemics, broken bones, and everything else the world could throw at him, and he hopes you enjoy the show.
Heather Elliott
Project Manager
Heather Armstrong Elliott’s professional career includes 25+ years as a Marketing and Communications professional with experience in the public, private and not for profit business sectors. Heather’s career started at Bell Aliant in Nova Scotia as a Product Development Manager, after several years working in senior management positions at Bell, Heather moved from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland where she took a position as Senior Communications Officer and shortly thereafter as Regional Communications Manager for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC NL). After 14 years with CBC NL Heather shifted her focus from Communications and Public Relations to Corporate Social Responsivity (CSR) when she was hired by the Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC) as a key CSR Advisor. Today Heather works primarily in the not-for-profit sector in Community Engagement, Public Relations, and Market Development. She is thrilled to be working with Perchance as the Theatre gets settled in its new home in Conception Harbour and builds for its exciting future as Conception Bay Centre’s first regional theatre.
Tucker Ellis
Costume and Set Design, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Revised) (Again)
Tucker Ellis is a costume and clothing designer based out of St. John’s, NL. Tucker grew up in a small community in central Newfoundland, and has had an active interest and training in musical theatre from an early age. After wandering from home and eventually landing permanently in St. John’s, Tucker attended the Textile and Apparel Design program at the College of the North Atlantic and graduated with first class honours, returning for an additional year of extended study focusing on pattern construction. Since leaving the program they have played an active role in the St. John’s theatre, fashion and craft communities. Tucker is excited to return to the Perchance Theatre team for their seventh summer with some Shakespearean nonsense with the “Come-By-Perchance Players.”
Nicole Hand
Music Composition and Arrangements
Nicole Hand is from Conception Bay South and works as a professional musician and arts administrator. She assists operations in the back office at Perchance Theatre and runs the annual Rotary Music Festival in St. John’s. Most frequently she performs as a bassoonist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and with her partner, Jodee Richardson, either as part of a duo or as saxophonist with nine-member original band HIT PIECE (Writers at Woody Point 2024).
Anna Hansen-Robitschek
Stage Manager, High Steel / Tempting Providence
Anna Hansen-robitschek is a graduate of MUN’s Fine Arts program in Theatre at Grenfell. She is a stage manager by trade, but is proud to work with Perchance in any capacity. Highlights of her career-so-far include: Costume Designer for Picnic at Hanging Rock, directed by Alex Fallis, Theatre @ Grenfell; Head of Props for Confessional and Les Belles Seours, directed by Lorne Pardy, Theatre @ Grenfell; direction of Without a Doubt (unpublished), Rotary Arts Centre, and stage management for Stolen Sisters by Leahdawn Helena, produced by PerSIStence Theatre. Our whole team is so proud to share our jam packed season with you, and hope you learn, and cry, and laugh from these stories.
Alison Helmer
Costume and Set Design, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Costume Design, High Steel
Alison Helmer is a multidisciplinary artist who has been deeply and continuously influenced by her studies and experience working on the east coast. Born and raised on the prairies, she began her theatre education with the Stagecraft program at Grenfell college before completing the Scenography program at the National Theatre School of Canada. She approaches her artistic practice through a lens of fantasy, history, and traditional storytelling. She is excited by Theatre that pushes the boundaries between convention and experimentation, and that seeks to fulfill our shared search for truth, escape, and connection.
Una Hill – McMullin
Dance Captain, High Steel
Una (she/her) was born and raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, but now calls St. John’s home. She came to Newfoundland in 2012 to earn her BFA in Theatre from the Grenfell Campus of
Memorial University and upon graduating in 2016, decided to make NL her permanent home. Her select credits include: Boeing Boeing and The 39 Steps (Beyond The Overpass), Fly Me To The Moon and Our Frances (UK Tour) (Gros Morne Theatre Festival); Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play (Hard Ticket Theatre), Hay Fever, The Tempest, and High Steel (Perchance Theatre); Seal Slippers: A Christmas Panto and Supper Club (Provincial Tour) (RCA Theatre). Her TV credits include: Son of a Critch, Hudson & Rex, and The Missus Downstairs. Una is so excited to be back for another season with Perchance for the remount of High Steel and can’t wait for audiences to experience Tempting Providence. She would also like to express her deepest gratitude for High Steel’s choreographer, Lynn Panting. Without her expertise, guidance, and movement vocabulary, we wouldn’t have been as secure and confident in remounting High Steel. Lynn, you are my rock and I’m proud to be taking the reins of Dance Captain thanks to you.
Aurora Judge
Set Design, High Steel
Aurora Judge is an artist and designer currently based out of St. Catharines, Ontario. She made her way to the rock for the very first time to join Perchance for their 2023 summer season. Her recent work has taken her from theatre to film and back again, including several seasons at the Shaw Festival in a variety of roles. She’s a Certified Arts Weirdo and has the BFA to prove it, but won’t, because that would mean digging it out from under the project pile. When not dreaming up big new worlds for the stage, you can find her curled up in a blanket nest, making small cardboard worlds for her pet rats.
Liam Kavanagh-Penney
Box Office
Liam Kavanagh-Penney is from and lives here in Conception Harbour. Liam is a grade 11 student at the local high school, Roncalli Central High. Interested in the arts Liam is excited to work with us over the summer. Over the previous season and into the fall Liam has volunteered with us many times, from helping to build the theatre to scaring the community in the Halloween Harbour Haunt. Liam is very excited to work with us again this season and hopes to add to the already positive atmosphere we have here as a team.
Seamus Kavanagh-Penney
Box Office
Seamus Kavanagh-Penney is from Conception Harbour NL. He is a grade 11 student of Roncalli Central High School in Avondale. He loves and shows interest in all the fields of science, particularly history, archeology, and biology. He loves to learn something new everyday and to be an active member in his local community, which is why he helps out at the Perchance Theatre as much as he can.
Jillian Keiley
Director, Tempting Providence
Jillian Keiley has directed and taught across Canada and Internationally. She was the Associate Artistic Director at the Resource Centre for the Arts in St.John’s, Newfoundland, and founding Artistic Director of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. She assumed her role as the Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in 2012. Highlights from Artistic Fraud include In Your Dreams Freud, Under Wraps, Afterimage, The Cheat, The Chekhov Variations, Salvage: The Story of a House, Oil and Water, Between Breaths, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, and I Forgive You, most of which toured Canada. NAC highlights include Andy Jones’ Tartuffe, A Christmas Carol, Twelfth Night as Imagined by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Metamorphoses, and Copenhagen. She also directed Anne Carson’s Bakkhai, The Diary of Anne Frank, As You Like It, The Neverending Story, and Alice Through the Looking Glass as well as this years’ Richard II for The Stratford Festival. Her Production of Alice Through the Looking Glass travelled across the country engaging local casts in Ottawa, Edmonton, Charlottetown, Stratford and Winnipeg. Tempting Providence, her collaboration with Robert Chafe for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador toured nationally and internationally for 12 years. Earlier this year she directed Pals with Richard Greenblatt and Diane Flacks for Winnipeg Jewish Theatre. Jillian finished her tenure at the NAC in August of 2022. Her productions of TellTale Harbour for the Charlottetown Festival and her all new production of Come From Away set in Gander Newfoundland were among the top selling productions in Canada in 2022 and 2023. She is directing a remount of Tempting Providence and a remount of Come From Away this year. Jillian has directed Opera, Musicals, Children’s Theatre, Music Theatre, Puppet Theatre, New Work and recognized Classics, as well as concert choreographies, an Olympic medal presentation ceremony, and large scale experiential installations. She has directed productions in Italy, Australia and Ireland. She teaches and mentors regularly, including recurring contracts with the National Theatre School in Montreal. She holds Honorary Doctorates from Memorial University in Newfoundland and Toronto’s York University. She is the Winner of the Canada Council John Hirsch Prize and the 2004 Siminovitch Prize for Directing.
Allison Moira Kelly
Assistant Director, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Allison Moira Kelly (she/they) is a director, actor, and acting teacher from Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Memorial University, Grenfell Campus, an MFA from York University, and studied directing at the National Theatre School of Canada. Select credits for Perchance: Hamlet (Hamlet), Our Eliza (Eliza), and The Seagull (Masha). She has performed with the Resource Centre for the Arts, Two Planks and a Passion, Artistic Fraud, and Rising Tide, and more. Select directing credits include Trojan Kids, and Quiller (National Theatre School), Newfoundland Rocks: A Shed Party (Gros Morne Theatre), and as associate director on Come From Away. Allison is proud to have been a regular instructor at Grenfell Campus since 2016. She played Mike Jr.’s girlfriend Linda in season 3 of CBC’s Son of a Critch. Upcoming, Allison is directing Our Eliza (GMTF).
Brittany King
Administrative Assistant / Front of House Manager
Brittany King (she/her) is the mother of one cat named Sophie (cutest cat in the world). In her free time she enjoys watching the same three tv shows over and over and over again. She was a part of the local community theatre scene in St. John’s both on and off stage for a decade. She worked in background casting for the first four seasons of Hudson & Rex. This is her third year with Perchance Theatre and she is constantly pinching herself that she has the privilege to work with so many brilliant and kind people! Enjoy the show!
Leo Mackey
Stage Manager, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Since graduating from Memorial University in 1993, Leo has been teaching junior and senior high school in Newfoundland. Leo is looking forward to working with Perchance Theatre this summer as stage manager for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and assistant stage manager for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.
Woody Meaney
Lead Contractor on Site
I’m 51, married to Johannah for 29 years. I have two kids, Nathan, and Noah, and I’ve lived in Avondale most of my life. I’ve been a contractor on and off for most of my life.
Anita Nittoly
Fight Director, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Selected Fight Director and Sexual Choreographer credits: Stratford Festival 2024; Bad Roads (Crows); Angels in America (Buddies); The Retreat (Imago); The Retreat (YPT); JCS (Here For Now); Wildwoman (Soulpepper), Hamlet (The Rose); Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (TIP), Fall on Your Knees (CanStage/NAC); Counter Offence (Segal Centre); Fairview (Canstage); Prodigal (Crow’s Theatre); Trojan Girls and The Outhouse of Atreus (Outside The March/Factory Theatre); Our Place (Cahoots/TPM); The Last Wife, The 39 Steps, Successions (Centaur Theatre); Whole World (Carousel Players). Selected Stunt Performer/Stunt Actor credits: Law & Order Toronto, SEE, Star Trek: Discovery, Pretty Hard Cases, Titans, The Boys, Rabbit Hole, What We Do in the Shadows, various Ubisoft motion capture productions.
Elisabeth Nyveen
Production Manager / Technical Director
Elisabeth Nyveen (pronounced kinda like full-into-it fie-gleam) is pleased to be making a glamorously foggy Newfoundland debut! Hailing from Montreal, this CFA enjoys blending the lines between game, audio, and theatre; spending hours working on really tiny objects; creating colourful paperwork; looking at crustaceans, fish, and reptiles; refining bulk iced tea recipes; and not being bitten by black flies. Some of those are possible…
Since receiving a BFA in Scenography, Liz has accumulated experience as a multidisciplinary designer, technician, and manager of many theatrical things. Past credits and projects include Little Shop of Horrors by CSLDS (puppeteer / Audrey II), Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Pride MTL (stage manager), Reefer Madness by Contact Theatre (sound designer), and the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival (production manager, RIP). This person also, regrettably, has a podcast.
Lynn Panting
Choreographer, High Steel
Lynn Panting is a Newfoundland-based artist, arts educator and arts advocate known for creating innovative and accessible dance works. She is deeply committed to the growth of creativity and self-confidence through movement and holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Memorial University as well as a Master of Humanities concentrating in performance, dance and the body. In 2022, Lynn published her first book “We Dance High Low Fast & Slow” an introduction to creative movement for children. Lynn is the owner and artistic director of Lynn Panting Dance, the Artistic Director and Producer of Untellable Movement Theatre, and a founding member of Ladies Who Lunch Productions. lynnpantingdance.com
Glenn Redmond
Stunt Coordinator, High Steel
Glenn Redmond was born in Torbay Newfoundland and has been involved in the film industry as a stunt performer and stunt coordinator for the past 25 years. This is Glenn’s second year with Perchance Theatre as a stunt/flight choreographer. Select credits include: Republic of Doyle, Hudson and Rex, Surrealestate, Frontier and Son of a Critch.
James Richardson
Managing Producer with Artistic Fraud
James is an award-winning producer, cultural manager, director, sound designer, actor and collaborator with over 20 years experience in theatre and music across Canada. Originally from St. John’s, James founded Third Wall Theatre in 2001 in Ottawa, where it quickly became one of the city’s leading theatre companies. As producer / artistic director, he has won several Prix Rideau Awards and Capital Critics Circle awards and in 2016 he was awarded the Special Jury Prize from the Capital Critics for his work with TWA, Third Wall’s youth wing that he established. He has served as General Manager for Odyssey Theatre and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Ontario and worked with the Ottawa Jazz Festival and Ottawa Children’s Festival. As an actor, James has worked with Third Wall Theatre, Vision Theatre, Actors’ Co-op, Gros Morne Theatre Festival and Theatre By The Bay; he holds a BFA in Fine Arts (Theatre) from Grenfell College and a MFA in Directing from the University of Ottawa. Over the years he has worked all jobs from baggage handler to nanny to overnight stocker. When not in the theatre he can be seen building things, playing piano, participating in orienteering events or on a hike with Laurel Anne and their dog Zeke.
Jodee Richardson
Season Sound Design and Composition
Jodee Richardson is a lifelong Newfoundland creator who focuses on local people, places and projects, hopefully using his abilities to further enrich the cherished culture of our province. He is currently developing a new original 9-member dance band, HIT PIECE (debuting at Writers at Woody Point 2024) and tours the island each September with his partner Nicole Hand and their dog Nan. Next year his new play Sorrow’s Tree will debut with the beloved Perchance Theatre.
Richard Rose
Director, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] (Revised) (Again)
For 40 some years, Mr. Rose has been a distinguished director in the Canadian theatre community, as well as having directed internationally. Recently retired as Artistic Director of the Tarragon Theatre, Canada’s leading new play theatre, and was the Founding Artistic Director of the highly regarded Necessary Angel Theatre Company (1978 – 2002), plus the Director of Stratford Festival’s Young Company and Associate Director of the Canadian Stage Company. He has directed in theatres across the country from major regional theatres like the Manitoba Theatre Centre to smaller theatres like GCTC, Ottawa and he has directed internationally from commercial productions in the West End, New York and Los Angeles to training institutions like the Shepherd School of Music in Houston. Awards include 5 Toronto Dora awards for Direction, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Direction and Bitef Festival’s (Belgrade) Audience Choice Award. Mr. Rose received the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize and City of Toronto Mayor’s Award for career achievements plus an Honourary Doctorate from Thorneloe University, Sudbury. He has directed nearly 200 productions across Canada and internationally in Los Angeles (his production of Tamara ran 10 years) New York’s Off Broadway (Tamara ran 3 years) and London’s West End and in the mediums of opera and film.
Martin Rotchford
Box Office
Martin Rotchford (he/him) is a local lad. He was born and raised in Conception Harbour, NL. He just finished Grade 11 at Roncalli Central High School in Avondale. He intends to pursue a career in Engineering at Memorial University. He is an avid crib player, loves swimming, and going on adventures with his family. He is an active member in the community, always contributing to local events. Martin lucked in to a three-day stint with Perchance Theatre last season. That was all it took to get him hooked, so he’s making a comeback this year. You’ll see him milling around, so be sure to say hello! He’s a pretty nice guy.
Saskia Shulz-Norvell
Assistant Stage Manager
This is Saskia’s first year working with Perchance theatre. She was the ASM for both runs of Wonderbolt’s The Best Medicine Show, has a degree in English and Communications from Memorial University, and occasionally eats fire for money. After nearly ten years of working in the circus community both in Newfoundland and California, she is happy to have found a summer home in Perchance’s backstage.
Mary Walsh
Playwright / Director, High Steel
Mary Walsh created and starred in This Hour Has 22 Minutes, CBC’s wildly popular take on current affairs. The series earned her many of her numerous Gemini awards and showcased her dynamic range of characters, including the flagrantly outspoken ‘Marg Delahunty’. Walsh wrote, produced and starred in the Gemini award winning series Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, which returned to CBC in 2017 as a feature length presentation called A Christmas Fury, with Walsh and the original cast reprising their roles. In 2017 she released her debut novel, a Canadian best seller, Crying For The Moon. She currently writes and stars in The Missus Downstairs, for which she has been nominated for 3 Canadian Screen Awards. Walsh’s recent TV credits include recurring roles on Syfy’s Resident Alien, CBC’s Hudson & Rex, and Little Dog for which she was nominated for a 2020 Canadian Screen Award, as well as numerous guest appearances on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Select feature film credits include The Grand Seduction and Closet Monster (Official selections at TIFF 2014 and 2015, respectively), and Mambo Italiano. She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2021 for her leading role in Helen Shaver’s first feature film Happy Place, and is soon to appear in Deaner ’89, the upcoming reboot of the cult classic comedy FUBAR. Outside of the film, TV and theatre world, Mary is an outspoken advocate for mental health and addiction awareness as a spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk. She is a staunch supporter of the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa and The Gathering Place in St. John’s. She also lends her time and voice to the CNIB. Among her many awards and doctorates, Mary is the recipient of the Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts, and the CSA’s Earle Grey Award for lifetime achievement in television acting.
Board of Directors
Perchance Theatre is a registered Canadian charitable organization (819766650RR0001) and is incorporated provincially as a non-profit organization under the governance of a volunteer board of directors:
Natasha Hart
Chair
Giles Ayers
Co-Vice Chair
Raymond Critch
Co-Vice Chair
Ashley Noseworthy
Treasurer
Aleksandra Stefanovic-Chafe
Secretary
Danielle Irvine
Artistic Director, ex-officio
Allison Catmur
Fund Development Committee
Barbara Doran
Member
Don Fitzpatrick
Member
Patrick Mackey
Director
William Newton
Member
Perchance Theatre is a proud member of Business and the Arts NL and the international Shakespeare Theatre Association.
