A recent graduate of Dawson's Dome professional theatre program, Stevie Pemberton first got involved in theatre performing in musicals at Lindsay Place High School. Originally hoping to find an outlet for her passion for singing, she quickly found an equal passion for acting and in her graduating year was cast in the role of Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain. At Dawson she was given the opportunity to develop in a more dramatic direction, portraying Madame Ranyevskaya in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. In her last year at Dawson she participated in productions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Tom Stoppard's Rock 'N' Roll and Alan Ayckbourn's A Small Family Business. She was also involved in Coffee House Theatre's summer production of The Importance of Being Earnest as Miss Prism.

Amanda Margelony - Norma

Born and raised in the Eastern Townships, Amanda came to Montreal in 2002 to study acting in the Professional Theatre Program of John Abbott College. Upon graduating, she worked consistently for two years with the Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company, touring both elementary and high schools in and around Montreal. With MSTC she had the honour of playing such characters as Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Ross in MacBeth, Miranda in The Tempest and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. For the past two Montreal Fringe Festivals she has worked with Extensive Enterprises undertaking the role of Firefly in the sagas of Cobra The Musical. Last year she had the absolute pleasure of participatng in her first pantomime show with Hudson Productions where she had the privilage of fulfilling a childhood dream of portraying the wonderful Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Aimée Ambroziak - Queenie

Aimée who hails from Hudson, Quebec is delighted to be working with Persephone. Upon graduation from Concordia Theatre, she spent a year touring northern Québec and parts of eastern Canada with Geordie Productions in All the World and A Promise is a Promise. Other favorite productions include Gut Girls and Henry IV part I (Concordia), Seven Stories (Tableau D'hôte), The Maids (Joseph Mercier Prod.), Once Upon a Mattress and Pride and Prejudice (John Abbott Theatre Workshop) and A Midsummer Nights Dream (Repercussion Theatre). TV and film credits include Big Wolf on Campus, Prank Patrol, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Stick It and the upcoming independent feature film Licked.
Aimée has recently completed an intensive improvisation course with Chicago's historic Second City. She is spending the summer of 2009 at The IO Theatre in Chicago, renowned for its long-form improvisation school. In her spare time, Aimée draws, paints, cooks, loves to travel, watch Hitchcock, visit museums and is always up for an adventure.

Jenessa Grant - Dolores

Originally from Lethbridge, Alberta, Jenessa Grant now calls Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue her home. Growing up, she never imagined a life in theatre, but has since fallen head first down the rabbit hole and can't seem to find her way back up. A recent graduate of the John Abbott College Professional Theatre Program, Jenessa was last seen singing her heart out as Solveig on the Casgrain Stage in Peer Gynt. Her other past roles at John Abbott include Millie in The Hot L Balitmore, Rosa in Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo and Mrs Webb in Thornton Wilder's Our Town. She also appeared as Cecily Cardew in the Coffeehouse Theatre Group's summer production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

Nadia Verrucci - Mrs.Adams

Nadia is very excited to be performing for the first time with Persephone Productions. Before she hits the Monument National in the fall with Be My Baby, she will be appearing at the McCord Museum in August as the cult sensation, "opera singer" Florence Foster Jenkins, in CETM's production of Souvenir. Recent credits and favourite roles include Neva Esposito in Carmela's Table (Centaur Theatre), Miranda in Sex and La Cité, Part Deux (Dum Blond Productions), Diane Arbus in Fruits Unheard Of (Small Pond Productions), Amy in Company (Second Company) and Cassie in A Chorus Line (One Foot Productions). Nadia also does voice work for animated series and video games, and is thrilled to be the voice of Teodora in Assassins Creed II, to be released in March 2010. Her own company, In Your Face Entertainment, will soon be mounting its first production featuring six talented actor/singer/dancers, in a musical theatre cabaret extravaganza.

Sandy Ferguson - Matron

Sandy studied theatre and dance in Montreal and has performed in Montreal and Toronto with Altera Vitae Productions, Three Blind Mice Productions, the Hudson and Lakeshore Players' Clubs, the Hudson Music Club, and all of the Hudson Village Theatre Pantomime Productions. Sandy is a retired teacher of Secondary School Fine Arts and teaches Classical Ballet to children of all ages.
Sandy enjoyed being Number 11 in Twelve Angry Jurors, both Mona and Mrs Milroy in separate productions of Queen Milli of Galt, Yenchna in Fools and above all, Truvy in Steel Magnolias. The role of Grandie in To Grandmother's House We Go was a challenging opportunity for Sandy to be a sympathetic and imposing 82 year old matriarch but being Thelma, the mother, in 'night Mother …was an experience beyond compare.
To be Matron in Persephone Productions' Be My Baby directed by Gabrielle Soskin…this is a dream come true.

Gabrielle Soskin - Artistic Director

Gabrielle came to Montreal from her native country England in 1970 in search of an adventure and has made her home happily here with her family and friends in this lovely vibrant city.
A graduate of The Bristol Old Vic, Trent Park College of Education, and Concordia University, Gabrielle has had passionate relationship with live Theatre for a great part of her life.
She was a member the faculty of the Professional Theatre Department at John Abbott College for many years where she helped train all sorts of aspiring professional theater artists. Here she had the opportunity to direct a variety of exciting productions among these were Peter Pan, The Gut Girls, Noises Off and The Diary of Anne Frank.
She created Persephone Productions in the year 2000 because she felt that there was an urgent need to have theater company in Montreal that specialized in giving work opportunities to emerging professional graduates in the early years of their careers. The Company has won many MECCA awards and nominations over the years.
In 2007 Gabrielle was given the Myron Galloway MECCA award of distinction as an actor/director/producer for her special contribution to Montreal Theatre.
Gabrielle is also a serious piano student and continues to enjoy her yoga journey.

Serena has been a fan of live theatre since her early elementary school years and is thrilled to be getting the chance to embark on her chosen career with such a wonderful cast and crew. A graduate of the John Abbott College Professional Theatre Program, some of Serena's favourite stage management credits include: Flaming Idiots with Gravy Bath Productions, The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take it with You both at Casgrain Theatre. Serena lives in the Montreal area and is delighted by all of the rich theatre that she finds here.

Melanie Michaud - Set & Costume Designer

Melanie Michaud was born and raised in Montreal and is thrilled to be working with Persephone Productions for the first time. She is a recent graduate of John Abbott College Professional Theatre Design Program. Some of her credits include, set design for You can't take it with you (JAC), Costume design for Urinetown: The Musical (JAC), set and costume design for Yeomen of the Guard (The McGill Savoy Society) and she has recently returned from her second summer at the Banff Centre for the Arts where she was the costume coordinator WS for this summer's OAT production of La Tragedie de Carmen (TBC).

Alycia O'Keefe - Sound Designer

Originally from Wakefield, QC, Alycia O'Keefe has recently received her DEC from CEGEP John Abbott's Professional Theatre Technical program. Positions she held during the program included Sound Designer for the play Peer Gynt, and Lighting Designer for the play The Mouse that Roared. Her recent experiences have notably included the first Montreal International Yiddish Theatre Festival, at the Segal Centre. She is excited and appreciative to debut her first post-graduation sound design for Persephone. Alycia is continuing to pursue projects in lighting and sound from both a technical and design stance, inside and outside her new hometown of Montreal.

Mee Youn - Lighting Designer

Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Mee graduated with a BFA in Design for the Theatre from Concordia University and completed the Theatre Production Internship at the Segal Centre under the direction of Norberts Muncs. Credits include: Co-Set Designer and Lighting Designer on The Vipers' Brood (Concordia University), Assistant Set Designer on The Importance of Being Earnest (High Resolution Productions), Assistant Lighting Designer for the Festival de la musique traditionelle La Virée in Gaspé, The Nutcracker (Ballet Ouest de Montréal), Houdini (The Segal Centre), The Mystery of Meddy Heisler (Centaur Theatre), The Odd Couple (The Segal Centre), Lighting Designer on Keeping your eyes gently Closed quarters (FASA-Concordia University). Mee Youn was lighting and set designer for Persephone's recent acclaimed production Cherry Docs by David Gow.

Melissa Waddell - Production Manager

Although immersed in the theatre milieu, Melissa's background is actually in music. She has a DEC in Music (classical piano) from Vanier College and an Honours B.A. in Arts Management and Music History from the University of Toronto. She has worked, in an administrative role, at the Milk International Children's Arts Festival (Toronto), the Canadian Conference of the Arts (Ottawa) and John Lambert & Assoc. (Montreal). At university she has played the piano for such productions as Godspell and the Three Penny Opera. Since the birth of her daughter in 2005, she has been working freelance for theatre companies in the Montreal area.

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