MEET THE ACTORS
GROWTH
Hermione Davis (she/her) is a Halifax-based actor and student studying in her third year at Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of Performing Arts. Some of her performance highlights include Lissa in Matchstick Theatre’s production of Bone Cage (2017) and chorus in the King’s Theatrical Society’s production of Trojan Women (2018). Her stage-managing experience includes include Saints Alive! Theatre Society’s production of Next to Normal (2017-2018) and the Dalhousie Theatre Society’s production of Arcadia (2019). In her free time, she can be found practicing and studying music. She would like to thank her inspiring friends, family, and teachers that have supported her throughout her training and rehearsal processes.
Hermione Davis……………............................................................………..MEG
Madison Kendall (she/her) is in her third year of university at the Fountain School of Performing Arts. Though born in Toronto, Madison spent thirteen years studying theatre in New York City where she grew up. She was last seen as Sue Baylis in All My Sons with the King’s Theatrical Society. Other favorite roles include Ursula in the little mermaid, Alcyone in Metamorphoses and Kafka in All in the Timing. She wants to thank the cast, crew and directors for all their hard work!
Madison Kendall……………….....................................................……..SLOANE
Riley McGill (she/her) is in her third year at the Fountain School of Performing Arts. From Epekwitk/Prince Edward Island, Riley has grown up with a passion for the arts and aspires to continue her creative work post graduation, and to become a certified Intimacy Director. This will be her Fountain School of Performing Arts debut. Previously seen in DTS’s production of Chicago as Katalin Hunyak, credits also include Sharpay in CRHS’s Disney’s High School Musical and Mrs. Brill in CRHS’s Disney’s Mary Poppins. Riley is thrilled to be apart of such an amazing cast, crew and creative team & thanks her family and friends for their continued support.
Riley McGill…………….......................................................…………….HAZEL
Colin Wentzell (he/him) is in his third year of the Fountain School of Performing Arts. Born and raised in Halifax Nova Scotia, he was surround by public performance and the arts from a young age. His hobbies include sketching, costume and prop design, writing, painting, and sculpting. He started doing theater in high school and has loved it ever since. After high school, he has acted in some student films, and appeared as a supporting roles in other theater productions. Colin is learning a lot from being part of this devising process and is thankful to be working with such a spectacular cast and creative team. He is excited for the future and thanks his family and friends for their support.
Colin Wentzell……………......................................................…………..LOGAN
BURN
Marianne Labrie (they/them) is from Halifax, Nova-Scotia. Their performing arts journey started with doing improv and acting in plays all throughout school. They also directed and co-wrote shows for younger students. They co-started the French theatre company Théâtre DesAssimilés. Through the Fountain School of Performing Arts they’re working on getting the skills needed to pursue their passion for musical theatre and directing. They’re hard-working and love to tell stories they hold close to their heart.
Marianne Labrie……............................................................……………….ASH
Kegan Macivor (he/him) is a third year theatre major at the Fountain School of Performing Arts, who is also looking to minor in Sociology. He was born and raised in a small town in New Brunswick, and has been performing on stage since middle school. He has taken part in several musicals, such as Peter Pan, Annie, and Grease. He also took part in the DTS production of Late: A Cowboy Song, playing Crick. He is excited to be apart of such an incredible experience, and hopes you enjoy the show.
Kegan Macivor………...........................................................……………...COLE
Simon Mekers (they/them) is a queer performer from Truro, Nova Scotia. They are in their third year at Dalhousie, pursuing a combined honours in theatre and chemistry, with hopes to have a career in law once they learn to stop procrastinating. Simon was involved in Truro’s vibrant arts community from a young age, performing in many roles including Jojo in Seussical the Musical, Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof, and Chip in Beauty and the Beast. This is the first production Simon has done since coming to Dalhousie, as they have been busy skiing, playing the flute, travelling, and occasionally even doing schoolwork. Simon is very excited to be making their Fountain School of Performing Arts debut with such an amazing cast and crew, and would like to thank their parents, for convincing them to go to Dalhousie in the first place.
Simon Mekers……………........................................................…………..SONNY
Steph Simons (she/they) was born and raised in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. She has been involved in theatre since early high school, performing in musicals such as Beauty and the Beast and The Sound of Music. Since then, they have worked in their local community theatre in stage management. She is currently in her third year of study at the Fountain School of Performing Arts. They usually spend their free time producing visual art like digital paintings and animations. Steph is ecstatic to work along side such a talented cast and crew and appreciates all the hard work everyone has put into this production!
Steph Simons….............…………..........................................……….ELANOR
WINDS
Derek Birkbeck (he/him) is a theatre artist from Toronto. He is currently in the 3rd year of the Acting Program at Dalhousie's Fountain School of Performing Arts and is overjoyed to share his first devising experience with such a wonderful group. This is his second show with the Fountain School, having assisted with Concord Floral in the fall of 2020. Derek has enjoyed exploring the many possibilities of virtual theatre in these two shows.
Derek Birkbeck……………......................................……………….MACKENZIE
Gabriel Christie (he/him) is a theatre creator, actor, and performer. Originally from
Maine, Gabriel resides in Dartmouth and is currently in his third year at the Fountain
School of Performing Arts. Beyond Windows is his FSPA debut. He hopes to perform in
one of the Discworld dramatizations, and a fringe show. Gabriel toured with a french-
english theatre group at Mount Allison for two weeks, which he hopes will be the first of
many touring shows.
Gabriel Christie……...............................................……………………….JASON
Wesley Giffen (he/him) Is a theatre performer and creator. He is originally from Milford, Nova Scotia but is currently living in Halifax. He is in his 3rd year of the Acting Program and has loved acting ever since his early days of high school Improv. With some shows like Chicago put on by the DTS under his belt, Wesley hopes to be able to continue his studies and become a much better actor than he was in high school.
Wesley Giffen…………............................................………………….EMMETT
TIDES
Olivier Blais (he/him) is an actor and improviser as well as an aspiring writer and director. He is a co-founder of the only bilingual theatre company in Halifax, the Theatre DesAssimilés. He has appeared in the company’s productions of Les Chaises and Les Mangeurs d’ail and the Nocturne performance Council of Absurd Urbanisation, as well as several improv shows. Prior to this, he was part of several theatre productions at the École Secondaire du Sommet as an actor, director, light designer and writer. He was on the school’s improv team for several years both as a player and a coach and was part of the 2017 Nova Scotia team at the Jeux de la Francophonie. Recently, he was the Assistant-Director for The Fountain School of Performing Arts’ Concord Floral in October. He is thrilled to be sharing this virtual stage with his classmates and friends.
Olivier Blais….............................................………………………...SÉBASTIEN
Taryn Hanrahan (she/her) is an actor, improvisor and theatre creator based out of K’jipuktuk (Halifax, N.S.). In fall 2020 Taryn recieved the Andrew and David Stitt Memorial Prize. After 22 years of dreaming about leaving the city, Taryn has accepted her fate and is excited to be part of the community creating art in Nova Scotia. She will continue to make very silly art (and perhaps very serious art as well, but it’s too early to say). Select credits include Concord Floral (Fountain School of Performing Arts) WTF Nights (Mousetrap Comedy), 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Dalhousie Theatre Society), The Miracle Worker (Neptune Theatre) ~ For Mom, J, S, and O; You keep my heart full.
Taryn Hanrahan………..............................................………………..RACHAEL
Cassidy Nesbit (she/her) is from Vancouver and is in her third year at the Fountain School of Performing Arts. Before Beyond Windows, she regularly worked behind the scenes. Cassidy stage managed the KTS production of All My Sons and the DTS production of Late: A Cowboy Song, in collaboration with Chloe Kaulbach and Natalie Forth. Additionally, she worked with them during the KTS Infringement Festival. Cassidy is incredibly excited to have been a part of this amazing devising experience.
Cassidy Nesbit……………….............................................................………….CJ
Sissie Wang (she/her) is a third year Acting student at Dalhousie university. She was born in China and moved from Vancouver to Halifax to pursue her acting career in Halifax. Sissie’s currently working in Vancouver due to the pandemic. This is her very first experience writing and performing for a FSPA production. She is extremely proud to present this devised theatre show that she's built up with her classmates from scratch. She's enjoyed every moment of the production process and is excited to deliver this production through this entirely new online platform. There’s been many new things she's discovered every time during discussions and rehearsals. She’s grateful to be working with this wonderful crew and is looking forward to gaining more precious memories from this challenge.
Sissie Wang……………………...........................................................……….ALI
DIRECTORS
Matthew Thomas Walker (he/him) is a multi-award-winning theatre artist who joined the Fountain School faculty in 2018. He is also Co-Artistic Director for Toronto-based Litmus Theatre, a Dora Award-winning indie theatre company, which creates intimate and surprising site-specific shows. Matthew has taught, directed, and been a panel member for various educational institutions and theatre organizations throughout Canada. He is an alumnus of Dalhousie’s Acting Program (BA with Hons.) and York University (MFA in Theatre Performance).
Matthew Thomas Walker -- Director
Chloe Kaulbach (she/her) is a theatre artist born in Vancouver, BC. She is in her fourth year completing an honour’s in contemporary studies and theatre studies. Chloe has directed two plays with Natalie Forth; All My Sons with the KTS, and Late: A Cowboy Song with the DTS in collaboration with Cassidy Nesbit. She also wrote and directed two plays for the 2020 King’s Infringement Festival. She is very excited to continue creating theatre through this isolating time she hopes that virtual theatre can continue to bring people together.
Chloe Kaulbach -- Assistant Director, Dramaturg, Poster Artist, and Program Designer
Natalie Forth (she/her) is a passionate theatre creator from Vancouver, BC. She is now in her fourth year completing a combined honours in Contemporary Studies and Theatre Studies. She is very lucky to have Chloe and Cassidy who have been artistic collaborators with Natalie on countless occasions. They co-created All My Sons for the KTS in 2019, and Late: A Cowboy Song for the DTS in 2020 together. Natalie also wrote a play for the Kings Fringe Festival in 2020. She is very excited to have the opportunity to create theatre digitally.
Natalie Forth -- Assistant Director, Dramaturg, and Program Designer
CREATIVE SQUAD
Anna Shepard (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist based in K'jipuktuk/Halifax, currently working in direction, video design, and devised creation. Shepard recently co-created and co-produced from:Florine, an interactive-immersive-multimedia-mailout-performance-art-piece, with New Pants Project for EFT’s Stages 2020: Behind the Curtain Festival. Shepard is a graduate of the drama program at Mount Allison University, was the 2017-18 Emerging-Artist-In-Residence at 2b theatre company, and was a part of the 2019-2020 Directors Unit of Neptune Theatre’s Chrysalis Project. She is also the recipient of the 2019 Theatre Nova Scotia Chrysalis Emerging Artist Award.
Anna Shepard.....................................................................................Designer
Andrew (he/him) is a freelance filmmaker, musician and multimedia artist, whose works frequently cross disciplines. His award-winning short film Duet was a national semi-finalist on CBC Television's Short Film Faceoff, and his large-scale multimedia works for Nocturne: Art at Night have been seen by thousands. A graduate of the Fountain School (BMus '16) in classical piano, Andrew is thankful for the opportunity to work with an amazing cast and crew in the fascinating world of virtual theatre.
Andrew Coll...........................................................................Digital Consultant
Gina Woodward (she/her) is a second year technical theatre student at Dalhousie from Calgary, AB. This is her third show with FSPA and her first time working on a devised show. This has been such a great experience and she can not wait for more in my following years.
Gina Woodward.........................................................................Sound Operator
Sarah MacKenzie (she/her) is a fourth-year student in the Stage Design and Technical Theatre program with a focus on Stage Management. This is Sarah’s fourth show as stage manager with FSPA and her first live Zoom show. She has thoroughly enjoyed working with this cast and crew and is so happy that her final show at the Fountain School (and her first experience with devised theatre) has been such an incredible experience.
Sarah MacKenzie........................................................................Stage Manager
Avery Johnson (she/her) is a second year student majoring in Technical Theatre originally from Ottawa, ON. She has always loved the performing arts and the magic it creates onstage for audiences all over the world. The collaborative and expressive part of this art form is her favourite part of live performance and being part of the process of bringing a story and world to life. She looks forward to continuing her education at Dalhousie and expanding her knowledge in this art form.
Avery Johnson..........................................................................Design Assistant
Emma (she/her) is very excited to be a part of Beyond Windows. She has worked on many shows as an Assistant Stage Manager, but this is her first time doing virtual theatre. She is very grateful for the cast and crew for being such a supportive and patient group of people.