CAST AND CREATIVE
NICOLE ARENDS (Director) has been involved in theatre as a director, actor, and producer for over 25 years. Previous Fringe site-specific directing work include The Makeover Show set in a barbershop (2018) as well as Louis and Dave in an old Buick station wagon with 4 audience members in the back seat (2002). Other Fringe credits include The Hope Slide (2001) and Cloud Tectonics (2002). Some previous directing credits include: Collected Stories (Alumnae), Foxfinder (Village Players), Evidence to the Contrary (Tree of Life) and most recently Impressionism (Alumnae). Upcoming directing gigs include: Mending Fences (Village Players) and The Departure Train (Wonderlit Productions). Website: www.nicolearends.com.
KATE DOWDALL (SM) is relatively new to theatre and stage management and she is enjoying every bit of it. This is Kate’s first Fringe production as well as her first time working with Shakespeare. Previous stage management experience includes Dick Whittington and His Cat (NAGs Players). Kate has also tried her hand as props manager, stagehand, performer, make-up assistant and choral member in such productions as The Coarse Acting Show 2, Beauty and the Beast: Panto, and Rumpelstilskin: Panto (NAGs Players).
CHRIS COCULUZZI (Petruchio) has been involved in independent, community, and educational theatre as a performer, director, producer, and writer for over 25 years. His relationship with Fringe started with co-writing and directing what would turn out to be five hybrid sports-theatre adaptations of Shakespeare from 2001-2005. He also co-adapted a 90-minute version of Cyrano de Bergerac (2004) for an evening outdoor production and performed the title role. He also performed the title role of Christopher Marlowe in It Was Kit (Triple Take, 2006) and co-wrote and directed Piecing Together Pauline (Fire and Air, 2012). Chris has been privileged to play a number of Shakespeare’s great roles including: Hamlet, Macbeth, Iago, Antony (in both Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra), Brutus, Benedick, Bottom, Timon of Athens, Angelo, and Mercutio.
DARYN DEWALT (Gremio/Vincentio) has been involved with the Toronto Theatre community on and off for the past 40 years. He studied theatre at both the University of Regina and the Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto. Recent theatre roles include Seldson Mowbray in Noises Off and Gary Lefkowitz in I Hate Hamlet (Scarborough Players). Other memorable roles include Clown 1 in The 39 Steps, Rudyard Kipling in My Boy Jack, Argan in The Hypochondriac, Arthur Kips in The Woman in Black, Orgon in Tartuffe, Earle of Shrewsbury in Mary Stuart, Yvan in Art, and Wilf in Quartet (Eastside Players). He portrayed Shelly Levine in Glengarry Glen Ross, James Jackson in Quiet Courage, and Max Reinhardt in Shakespeare in Hollywood (Amicus Productions). Film and television credits include The Recall (with Wesley Snipes) and The Englishman’s Boy (mini-series) both with Mind’s Eye Entertainment. This is Daryn’s first time performing in the Fringe.
CHRIS IRVING (Hortensio/Pedant) has been performing steadily around Toronto for nearly 25 years. His previous Fringe credits include Ary Scheffer in Piecing Together Pauline (Fire and Air Productions, 2012) and A Fresh Pair of Shorts (Cabbagetown, 2005). He also worked as Sound Designer on Just Lift Your Feet (2013) and Lying on the Escarpment. Previous Shakespeare roles include Cloten in Cymbeline, Dr. Caius in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Poet in The Sonnets. A few other notable roles include: John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet, Sir Robert Morton in The Winslow Boy (Scarborough Players); Anthony in Outside Mullingar (Theatre Ontario Award - Toronto Irish Players); Captain Mike in Wonder of the World and Kipps in Woman in Black (East Side Players).
CHRISTINA LEONARD (Biondello/Curtis) is a Toronto-born actor and creator currently touring a show for young audiences called Geronimo Stilton: Mouse in Space!. She recently finished touring two theatre shows for young audiences, Jillian Jiggs and Tree Boy with To Be Determined Theatre Company. She also recently performed as Sam in This Will Lead to Dancing (Theatre of the Beat) which toured the United States to promote LGBTQ inclusivity within the Mennonite Church. Her other theatre work includes playing Cecile in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Amicus), and performing in/co-creating A Drop of Water in the Toronto Fringe Festival. Christina is a graduate of Humber College's Theatre Performance program, where her training focused on classical theatre, physical theatre, and devised collective creation.
PAIGE MADSEN (Tranio) is a recent graduate of the Ryerson School of Performance Acting Program and this is her Toronto Fringe debut. Previous Shakespeare credits include Banquo in Macbeth: More Than Man and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Panoply Classical Collective), as well as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bard in the Park). More recent work includes Daisy in Rhinoceros (Twelve Lemons Theatre), Woman in They’ve Been Sitting in the Graveyard for Far Too Long (BadFox Performance Collective), and Penelope in The Penelopiad (Ryerson).
ALEXANDRA MILNE (Katherine) is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Company 2011). Toronto theatre credits include Six Stories, Told at Night (Toronto Fringe 2018), This Will be Our Last Transmission (Fireworks Festival 2017) and Animal (Fireworks Festival 2018). NYC theatre credits include When the Party's Over (Planet Connections Festival, Best Actress Nominee), Macbeth (Aquila Theatre) and Kutsukake Tokijiro (The Flea Theater). Film credits include: Dim the Fluorescents (Clumsy Ophelia, Slamdance 2017 Jury Prize), Cave Small Cave Big (Joële Walinga), The Feed (TonMan Productions) and Dogmouth (Dogmouth Productions). Television credits include: The Blacklist (NBC).
SCOTT MOORE (Baptista) has an extensive relationship with Fringe and Shakespeare. Past Fringe credits include Henry/Jasper in Commencement: A Musical of Sorts (Rainy Day Theatre Co.), Bob in Aquarium and Robert Greene in It Was Kit (Triple Take), and Ernest in The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine and Captain Brodure in Ubu the King (Rhino Productions). In terms of Shakespeare Scott has had the privilege of playing King Alonso, The Friar, Clarence, and Cassius (Hart House), Peter Quince, Caesar, Ford, Dogberry, and Bottom (Alchemy), as well as Baptista in another version of Shrew. More recently Scott performed as Hubert Subboys in The Dutch Courtesan (PLS), various roles in Quiet Courage (Amicus), and Creon in Antigone (Alumnae).
ELAINE O'NEAL (Grumio/Widow) is a theatre producer, director, actor, and costume and props designer, whose work has been recognized by multiple awards and nominations. She has performed leading roles in Toronto and New York in shows such as Toronto Irish Players’ multiple award-winning Outside Mullingar, Jekyll & Hyde the Musical, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Nuts, and an award-winning turn as Germaine in Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Elaine performed the role of Lillian in last year’s Fringe production of Restless Spirit (Lago di Lupi) and her experience with Shakespeare includes the role of Tranio in an all-female production of The Taming of the Shrew (Jaybird Productions), Hippolyta/Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scarborough Players), and Perdita in The Winter’s Tale. As a costumer, her work has been featured in Romeo and Juliet, Jenny’s House of Joy, The Innocent Eye Test, and Every Christmas Story Ever Told.
MICHAEL PEARSON (Lucentio) is a Toronto-based producer, actor, and dramatic educator. Receiving his theatre training and teaching certification from Brock University, he currently supply teaches in secondary schools within the Peel District School Board while simultaneously pursuing his artistic career. Michael has performed in a long list of notable theatrical productions, commercials and films all of which range from independent self-produced works to professional equity projects. His most recent film Aim High (of which he is both lead actor and co-producer) has recently been accepted into several film festivals, making him extremely excited for the film's future. More at www.michaeljgpearson.com.
GRETA WHIPPLE (Bianca) is a graduate of the Ryerson School of Performance Acting Program and this is her Toronto Fringe debut. Previous credits with Shakespeare include Young Lucius in Titus Andronicus (Open Heart Productions) and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ryerson Studio). Recent credits include Antigone in fang (Young People’s Theatre), Monica in Bible Camp (New Voices Festival), and Satan in The Last Day of Judas Iscariot (Ryerson Studio).