Julie Florio – Director of The Stolen Shrovetide Cock
Julie Florio is a versatile director and PGC playwright with over 20 years of arts sector experience. A graduate of the UofT / Sheridan College Theatre & Drama Studies program, she has worked with many Toronto theatre companies as a producer, stage manager, publicist, social media consultant, and performer. This year marks the 13th year that Julie has worked with the PLS in various capacities: her last directing adventure with the company was the world premiere translation of Michael Kidd’s Don Juan: Ladykiller of Seville in 2004. Julie is also a member of the award-winning, BBC-championed, Roger Ebert-endorsed Decoder Ring Theatre ensemble, and can often be heard voicing characters on Black Jack Justice and The Red Panda Adventures.
Linda J. Phillips – Director of The Farce of the Fisherman, Production Manager, Costumes, Dramaturge, Artistic Director of PLS
As Artistic Director and resident Costume Designer for Poculi Ludique Societas, Linda has costumed countless Early Drama productions, and directed quite a few as well! In 2010 she directed (with Kim Radmacher) the first PLS/St. Thomas’s Christmas co-production: What Light Is This? Linda has also designed costumes for many other theatre companies, most recently spending the past summer at Theatre Collingwood.
Kimberley Radmacher – Director of John John the Husband
Kimberley recently studied at the University of Toronto’s Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, where she specialized in intermedial performance theory and early modern English theatre. She has been directing early modern drama since the mid-1990s, and is delighted to be re-joining the PLS as director again this season, having directed Behold the Time of Mercy and To Seek a Child and co-directed What Light is This? with Linda Phillips. Other selected directing credits include: the Chester 2010 episode Killing of Abel, (Records of Early English Drama); Rowley and Middleton’s The Changeling (Drama Centre); The Wakefield Noah and York Fall of Man (Glendon College). Kim also was an assistant director for: Clyomon and Clamydes (PLS/Drama Centre); Inside Out: The Persistence of Allegory in Renaissance Performance (PLS/Drama Centre); and assistant director and co-video director for the Beaumont Royal Wedding Masque, (Making Publics Project/Records of Early English Drama), all directed by Peter Cockett.
Bil Antoniou – Heinz Toesch, John John
Bil has extensive experience with both independent and community theatre. Past credits include: A Christian Turn’d Turk and Ram Alley (PLS), Lover’s Flight (New Ideas Festival; Alumnae Theatre), Cabaret and Arcadia (Hart House), Hairspray and Titanic (Curtain Call).
Tara Baxendale – Martha Toesch
Tara is delighted to make her debut with PLS as Martha in The Stolen Shrovetide Cock. The Maritime born actor is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory (MMTH) and Acadia University (BMus). Selected credits: Battle of Warsaw Ghetto (City Playhouse Theatre), Piecing Together Pauline (Toronto Fringe Festival), Picton Papers (Festival Players), Into the Woods, Cabaret, (Seacoast Repertory Theatre), Dance of the Dead (DOA Productions – CanStage), Chrystanthia (Theatre Aquarius), The Giant’s Garden (ScriptLab), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Theatre Cambridge), and the voices of assorted animated Playboy Bunnies in Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel. Her passion for storytelling through the medium of song inspired her to create a solo cabaret, The Diva Fables, which premiered in 2007. Up next: Sonia in Life x 3 (Damsels in De-Stress Productions) at Unit 102 Theatre, May 2 – May 11, 2013.
Scott Moore – Herman Grampas
After training at the Ryerson Theatre School, Scott has performed in numerous shows in Toronto including: Cassius in Julius Caesar and Clarence in Richard III (Hart House Theatre); Coulmier in Marat/Sade (Soup Can Theatre); Bob Float in The Aquarium and Robert Greene in It Was Kit (Triple Take Productions); Balthazar in the Spanish Tragedy, Gilbert in Knives in Hens, Hitler in Mein Kampf, Tobias in Delicate Balance, and Deflores in The Changeling (Graduate Drama Centre); Caesar in Julius Caesar, Master Ford in Merry Wives of Windsor, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, and Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream (Alchemy Theatre); Goldberg in The Birthday Party and Ernest in The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine (Rhino Productions); and various roles with the Ancient Comic Opera Co.
Madeleine Redican – Schleckmetz Grampas, Primary Puppeteer, Fight Captain
Peter McArthur – Man
Peter McArthur received his education in Theatre Arts at Algonquin College. He has appeared in productions with Sock’n’Buskin, Dancing on Water Theatre Company, and Tara Players. He is the winner of the 2003 Ottawa Theatre Challenge with Blacksheep Theatre.
Daina Valiulis – Wife
Daina Valiulis is a graduate of the University College Drama Program at U of T, with a Masters BA. Under the guidance of such great Canadian artists as Ken Gass, Kate Lynch, Maja Ardal and Kate Hennig, Daina has learned to have a strong regard for telling the story as clearly as possible and always being honest in her work. Some favorite roles include Queen Margaret in The Red Light District’s production of Ivona, Princess of Burgundia, Titania/Hippolyta in Alchemy Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and way back in high school, Salome, in the Oscar Wilde play of the same name.
Daina is a founding member of ‘Theatre in the Red’ and has worn many other hats for the company including Producer, Stage Manager and Administrator. You can find more info at http://www.theatreinthered.com.
Daniel Kim – Sir John, Assistant Puppeteer
Daniel completed his BA in Theatre Studies at York University, as well as obtained his BEd with a specialization in teaching Drama. Passionate about working with young people, he currently works as a substitute teacher, children’s ministry instructor and English tutor for studies in Shakespeare. A long time arts educator, Daniel has been involved with Vision Youth Leadership Program, TDSB, Soulpepper Theatre Company, and The Classical Theatre Project.
Kristen Zaza – Tyb
Kristen is a graduate of Sheridan College and U of T’s joint Acting program as well as U of T’s Master of Arts program for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies. Select theatre credits include the title role in Piecing Together Pauline (Toronto Fringe Festival – “Outstanding Performance”, NOW Magazine’s list of Fringe highlights), Mythos: The Crimson Chorus (Big Red Productions), Marat/Sade (Soup Can Theatre), A Christian Turn’d Turk and The Man With the Flower in His Mouth (U of T Drama Centre), The Winter’s Tale, Jane Eyre, String of Pearls and Don’t Drink the Water (Theatre Erindale), and After Juliet (LKTYP). She can be seen this March in the upcoming New Ideas Festival play, Pieces of Penelope, at the Alumnae Theatre.
Katherine Belyea – Production Stage Manager, PLS Office Manager
Katherine is a stage manager and arts administrator. For PLS: A Medieval Christmas: Go We Hence to Bethlehem’s Bower, Behold the Time of Mercy, To Seek a Child, What Light Is This?. Other Toronto credits include Into (Newface Entertainment), The Glenn Gould Variations (U of T et al), Samkon and Francis Go Swimming (Zocalo, Toronto Fringe), Unspoken (Unspoken Prod.), Hot Docs Awards, Daughter of the Dust (Created Independently), Channel One (James and JF, Toronto Fringe), Chameleon (A.H. Dance, Toronto Fringe), The Lawyer Show: As You Like It (Nightwood), FemCab (Nightwood). Coming up: A Hand of Bridge with Soup Can Theatre. Thanks to everyone and especially to Kim, Linda, Julie and Emma.
Emma Letki – Stage Manager for John John the Husband, Assistant Puppeteer
Emma Letki is an emerging dance artist and Stage Manager. Emma first got into to back stage work in university when she acted as crew and sound operator for a number of student productions. Recently she stage managed Terre Haute, directed by Alistair Newton at the 2012 Summerworks festival. Emma is thrilled to be working with PLS on Three Farces from Three Lands. Emma is currently completing her BFA in Dance, focusing on choreography and performance, a minor in Environmental Studies, and a Certificate in Community Arts Practice at York University.
Charlotte Steenbrugge – Production Assistant, Flemish Consultant
Charlotte is currently a Marie Curie Research Fellow working on medieval drama in the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. She obtained a PhD in English from the University of Cambridge (UK) and her first monograph (on English and Dutch negative characters in medieval and sixteenth-century drama) is forthcoming. She is delighted to be working on this production and looks forward to work on many more productions with PLS.
Lauren Shepherd – Fish Puppet Design
Lauren is a first year PhD student at The University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. Over the past year Lauren has worked with Liberty Junction Theatre Inc, in Mississauga, teaching as a Vocal Coach, Director and Assistant Director of their youth programming where she worked respectively on Seussical Jr, Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Fame!. Prior to that she completed her Master of Fine Arts in Staging Shakespeare at Exeter University in the UK. While abroad Lauren studied with the instructors and practitioners at Shakespeare’s Globe, as well as performed in The Changeling, Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest as part of her coursework. And just for fun she played w2 in a production of Samuel Beckett’s PLAY. Lauren is delighted to be working with PLS on this production, and cannot wait to work on many more productions still to come!
