Spring Awakening:
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Based on Wedekind's most famous play written in 1891, the musical version won many awards in New York when it was first produced in 2006. The anguish and searching that teenagers go through as they journey towards finding their own sense of truth is as relevant today as it was when the play was first written. Set to contemporary music, the adaptation powerfully brings the piece into the 21st century. Highly recommended for school audiences who would gain inspiration and understanding from hearing their story sung in what is billed as "the must-see musical of a new generation". Persephone is thrilled to be producing this wonderful musical under the direction Of Gabrielle Soskin and Christopher Moore with David Terriault as Musical director.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR
INDIEGOGO SUPPORTERS
Ryan Stotland, Pamela Perrotti, Christopher Moore, Julia Borsellino, Bill Fletcher, Pepita Capriolo, Sandra Hunt, Paula O'Connor, Nat Bartosek, Joseph Ste. Marie
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PERFORMANCES
October 17-19 at 8:00pm (Thurs-Sat) October 23-6 at 8:00pm (Wed-Sat) October 26 at 2:oo pm (Saturday) October 20 & 27 at 2:00 pm (Sundays) TICKETS Adult Regular $30 QDF/Seniors/Adult Groups $25 Students $20 |
LOCATION
Calixa Lavallée theatre, LaFontaine Park 3819 Calixa-Lavallée, Montreal |
Productions Photos
Cast and Crew
Gab Lubin - Wendla
A graduate of the Professional Theatre program at John Abbott College, this is Gabrielle's first time working with Persephone Productions. She is very happy to be working with director Christopher Moore once again after having done "Fiddler on the Roof" together. Currently living in Ottawa pursuing a bachelors in drama therapy, Gabrielle was last seen in Montreal at the 2012 fringe in edward Bond's The Tin Can People, a remount of the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe production.
Alexia Gourd - Martha
Alexia is a multidisciplinary artist. With a College degree in classical singing from l’École de Musique Vincent-d’Indy, she also masters other styles such as jazz and pop. Trained in Film acting at Les Ateliers Danielle Fichaud, she was a part of the TV show Les Poupées Russes (that aired on TVA) during 3 seasons and also took a lead role as Julianne in the feature film Sur le Rythme (2011). A professional dancer and teacher, Alexia started training in various styles such as Jazz, Tap, Ballet & Hip Hop at age 6 and was a part of the dance company Blueprint Inc. between 2009 and 2012. She has had the chance to perform in many different cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego or New York with artists such as Jacynthe, Kristina Maria, Simple Plan or comedians Anthony Kavanagh and Alex Perron. Recent theatre credits include In Transit (Wandering Stars program – Segal Centre for Performing Arts), The Rocky Horror Show (Mainline Theatre) & Hairspray (Just for Laughs – St-Denis Theatre).
Marie-Pierre de Brienne - Ilse
Marie-Pierre de Brienne completed the professional drama program at Lionel- Groulx College in musical theatre performance (2008). She landed her first principal role, Liesl von Trapp, in The Sound of Music, with Just For Laughs productions, dir. Denise Filiatrault (150 shows; St-Denis theatre, Albert-Rousseau hall and Quebec tour, 2010-2012). She then secured several roles in other musicals: Jo March in Little Women, dir. Robert Marien, 2012, Mimi Marquez in Rent, dir. Sebastien Dhavernas, 2013, Magma in Un vent de changement avec Rafale!, dir. Claire Montambault, 2013- 2014, Nancy in Cabaret Fourre-Tout, 2011-2013. She has dubbed movies: Monsters University, Iron Man 3, etc.) and video-games, Assassin's Creed; she's been playing the violin since the age of seven; she does studio readings of novels for people with visual deficiency (CNIB). Resident artist at the Marjolaine Theatre for 2013, she reprised her show Je suis un duo with actress and singer Marie-Ève Bélanger.
Nikki Haggart - Thea
Nikki Haggart is a graduate of John Abbott's Professional Theatre Program, where she received the Karla Napier Award and the Jason Panich Memorial Scholarship. Credits: Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, Myfanwy/Mrs Beynon inUnder Milk Wood, Juno/Boatswain in The Tempest and Zaneeta in The Music Man. On television, she has appeared in Teletoon'sCartoon Gene and Syfy's Being Human. She recently took part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Rosie Callaghan - Anna
A recent grad of the Dawson College Professional Theatre program, Rosie Callaghan is thrilled to be a part of this amazing production. In Dawson College, Rosie played many roles including Bunny in Gemini, Caesar in Julius Caesar and Hannah Llewellyn in A Chorus of Disapproval. Most recently she lent her hand in the Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of The Comedy of Errors. Rosie has always had a soft spot in her heart for Musical Theatre, being brought up on such classics as West Side Story, Tommy and Hair. She was lucky enough to play Shen Te in Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan, for which she wrote original music for the songs featured in the play. Next year, she will be attending Randolph Academy for the Performing arts, where she will be pursuing her love for Musical Theatre.
Julia Borsellino - Bethany
Julia Borsellino is a recent graduate of Dawson College's Professional Theatre program where she spent three years cultivating her love of theatre. Julia has played a variety of roles at Dawson College, including Charlotte in 7 Stories, Portia in Julius Caesar and Alice Sycamore in You Can't Take It With You. Julia is honoured to be part of the Spring Awakening cast and is very excited to expand her newfound interest in musical theatre.
Alexandra Ghezzi - Adult Women
Awarded a Bachelor Degree by the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal in classical singing, Alexandra quickly developed a passion for the performing arts both in the musical and theatrical aspect. Since the end of her studies, she participated in several musical theatre productions such as The Brain from Planet X (dir. P. Gobeille/C.E.T.M.) and A Christmas Carol (dir. P. Gobeille/Rialto Theatre). Alexandra was also a cast member of the french version of Spring Awakening, L'Éveil du printemps (dir. L. Gauthier/3e oeil danse théâtre), in which she played the part of Martha.
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Zach Creatchman - Melchior
Zachary Creatchman is very excited to be working with Persephone Productions for the second time. Zachary graduated in 2011 with his DEC from John Abbot College's professional theatre program. During his time at John Abbott he played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Ken Gorman in Neil Simon's Rumors and George in Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Since Graduating he has played Creon in Antigone, Prospero in The Tempest, and in Persephone's production of Hamlet he played, Marcellus, A player and the first Gravedigger. Zachary's latest production was playing part of the ensemble in Beautiful City Theatre's production of Godspell. Zachary is very grateful for the opportunity to be playing one of his dream roles in one of his favorite musicals.
Dane Stewart - Moritz
Dane is a recent graduate from McGill University where he studied music and english. His current artist goals involve exploring theatrical processes and products which promote individual and communal growth. His localized theatre projects aim to create the platform upon which Montreal's communities can engage in a constructive and critical dialogue about important social and political issues. His most recent work includes A Happy Kind of Therapy, independently workshopped and presented at McGill, and Measuring Up presented with Beautiful City Theatre at the Centre for Literacy's Summer Institute. Dane has acted with a number of wonderful Montreal companies including Beautiful City Theatre, Players' Theatre, Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre, Processed Theatre, and In Your Face Entertainment. He is also a member of the Montreal musical group Motel Raphael! He owes more than he can say to his family, friends, and mentors who have helped him along his way.
Adam Capriolo - Hanschen/Rupert
Adam graduated from Dawson College’s Professional Theatre program in 2012 with honours. Theatre credits include: Seven Stories (Geordie Productions); Guys and Dolls (Segal Centre); In Transit (Wandering Stars/Segal Centre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Goodbye Gribsby); Merchant of Venice, Three Sisters, Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet (Dawson College). Film credits include: I'll Miss You Someday (Takis Films); Gerontophilia (1976 Productions).
Michael Mercer - Ernst/Reinhold
Michael is a New Brunswick native currently completing his undergrad in Theatre at Concordia University. Selected musical theatre credits include Nothing Never Happens in Norway (Processed Theatre), Tiny Music (Concordia University) and Evita (Saint John Theatre Company).
Matt Barker - Georg/Dieter
Matthew is currently in his second year at Concordia majoring in Theatre. He graduated from creative arts at John Abbott College in 2011 where he really got stung by the acting bug. He started his mystical show tunes journey in 2009 with John Abbott College’s production ofKiss me, Kate where he fell in love with the genre. Since then he’s appeared in several musicals such as Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Legally Blonde and Gypsy, all with the West Island Student Theatre Association. Spring Awakening will be Matthew’s first production with Persephone and he is very excited to join such a talented group in mounting one of his favorite shows.
Sean Colby - Otto/Ulbrecht
Sean Colby is a recent graduate of the Dawson professional theatre program. He is extremely excited to be part of Persephone’s production of Spring Awakening and is proud to be among such a talented cast. Sean has performed in roles such as; Brutus in Julius Caesar, Guy in A Chorus of Disapproval, Leonard in 7 Stories and Tony in You Can't Take It With You. He is also currently involved in a production of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors where he plays Anthipholus of Ephesus.
Alex Goldrich - Adult Men
Alex Goldrich was born in Ottawa, raised in New Brunswick, and has lived in Montreal since 2007. He has performed as Hotspur in Henry IV, Pt 1 (Saint John Shakespeare Festival), Rev. Hale in The Crucible (Saint John Theatre Company), Brick inCat on a Hot Tin Roof (Saint John Theatre), Larry in Closer (Chesterfield Productions), the title role in Macbeth (MontrealShakespeare Theatre Company), and Horatio in Hamlet (Persephone Productions). In April, he made his directorial debut at the MainLine theatre with Closer (Raw Productions).
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MUSICIANS
Jane Chan - Cello
Jane Chan grew up in Calgary, Alberta where for many years she studied with John Kadz and participated in the Academy program at the Mount Royal Conservatory. She has since moved to Montréal, Québec where she recently completed her Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at McGill University. She has received entrance and interim scholarships as well as a Williamson Foundation for Music Summer Study Grant. In the past she has participated in programs such as the Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival in Newfoundland as well as orchestral and masterclass programs at the Banff Centre in Alberta. In 2012, she received scholarships to study at the Orford Arts Centre Summer Music Academy with Laurence Lesser as well as the Domaine Forget Summer Strings Program.Jane has collaborated with many local artists such as the Isis Giraldo Poetry Project, the Chronicle Quartet, and Uccello & Matt Haimovitz, with whom she toured in several cities across Canada and the United States. She enjoys performing new works and working closely with composers. Currently, she is working as a teacher, freelance performer and recording artist.
Peter Colantonio - Drums
Originally from Toronto, Peter moved to Montreal to attend McGill University's Schulich School of Music. Last year he received his B. Mus in Jazz Studies on drumset, after four years of study with renowned Canadian jazz drummer Chris McCann. Remaining in Montreal, Peter can be found playing with various groups including singer Von Dalia, eclectic rock group Pablo, and the Beth McKenna quintet. He has also played drums in several musical theatre productions over the years, including Godspell, Fiddler on the Roof (both with David Terriault), Company, Cabaret, Crazy for You, and Seussical. Peter is thrilled to be a part of this exciting production!
Louis Stein
Louis grew up in New York City and began playing music at the age of 3. As a child, he studied violin, piano, trumpet, and cello, all in a classical context. However, It was only the age of 14, when he picked up his first guitar, that he discovered his deep love for creating beautiful music. He attended Beacon High School where he began taking private lessons in guitar, ear training, and harmony. He began songwriting at age 16 under the mentorship of Jeff Franzel. After two years of studying studio/jazz guitar at University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, he transferred to McGill University's Schulich School of Music. His current projects include: Busty and the Bass, Nico Sarbanes Quintet, and Aoede 5. He feels privileged to be able spend his days creating music
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Alan Mackie - Bass
Alan Mackie, age 20, is currently studying jazz performance at McGill under Juno-winning saxophonist Christine Jensen. He was recently announced as the winner of the 2013 Jazz en Rafale New Talent Contest for unsigned bandleaders in Quebec, and is now working on his debut album for Effendi Records, working with an octet of his creation and direction, the Robert Flood Octet. Alan hails from the north shore of Prince Edward Island, enjoys pure mathematics and slinging coffee, and thinks Scott LaFaro and Bach are the best bass players ever to have lived. This is his third production under David Terriault's direction
Florence Lemieux - Violin
Born in Saguenay, Florence Lemieux studied violin from an early age. She played in various classical ensembles, such as the Orchestre des Jeunes du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean but it is only at the age of 18 that she got into jazz and improvised music. She has been part of the Ligue d'improvisation musicale du Saguenay and was the first student to graduate in Jazz Violin at the Collège d'Alma. She is currently studying Jazz Performance at McGill University under saxophonist Rémi Bolduc, and she is also a member of The Robert Flood Octet, winner of the 2013 edition of Jazz en Rafale contest. Spring Awakening is Florence's second experience with musical theatre; she played previously in The Hazards of Love : A Folk Opera.
Thomas Quail - Viola
Originally from Calgary, AB, violist Thomas Quail is an active performer based in Montreal, QC. Growing up, he attended the academy program at the Mount Royal College Conservatory program, where he studied violin with William Van der Sloot and chamber music with Nicholas Pulos. In 2006, he switched from violin to viola and moved to Montreal, where he has since played in various orchestras, chamber ensembles, and bands. He has performed alongside members of the Chilingirian quartet, the London Haydn Quartet, and Steven Dann, and participated in masterclasses with Irvine Arditti, the Miro String Quartet, Jaap der Linden and others. With a scholarship from the Williamson Foundation, he participated in the Domaine Forget chamber music program in the summers of 2011 and 2012. As principal violist, he played and toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for two summers under the baton of Yoav Talmi and Jacques Lacombe. He has recorded and performed with groups of all musical stripe -- including Concerto Della Donna, Valleymakers, The Franklin Electric, and The Narcicyst -- and is a member of experimental chamber ensembles the Chronicle Quartet and the Erik Hove Ensemble. His performances have been broadcast on CBC, Radio-Canada, and NPR. He plays on a 1991 David Prentice viola.
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PRODUCTION & DESIGN
Elyse Quesnel - Stage Manager
Elyse Quesnel is a recent graduate from John Abbott College’s professional technical program. Upon Graduating she received the Pamela Montgomery award. She also has a BA in Creative Writing from Concordia University. She has had the pleasure of stage managing 2 Montreal Fringe shows; Reflections on Giving Birth to a Squid by David Levine and 8 Ways My Mother Was Conceived by Michaela Di Cesare. She was fortunate enough to take 8 Ways My Mother was Conceived to New York City in November 2012. Other credits include stage managing Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Orwell’s play adaptation of 1984, Brighella by Adam Alberts, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard and Spring Awakening: the Musical by Steven Sater and Duncan Shiek. Most recently she has joined the BTW artist mentorship program. She is very pleased to be part of the Segal Center’s production of Othello.
Anna Delfino - Set and Costume Designer
Anna is an aspiring costume and set designer who recently graduated from John Abbott's Professional Theatre Design Program. She is most proud of her set design for Andy Cuk's "Three Witches", set designs for Hudson Village Theatre's "Harvest" and "Peggy & Grace", costume design for Igor Stravinsky's "Histoire du soldat" and costume design for Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of our Teeth". Anna can't wait to add Persephone's "Spring Awakening" to her experience and is excited for the challenges to come!
Alex Smith - Lighting Designer
Alex is a Montreal-based lighting designer, stage manager and playwright. Select recent credits include Robin Hood (Geordie Productions), Richard III (Metachroma Theatre), Hamlet (Persephone Productions), Letters to my Grandma (Teesri Duniya Theatre). A devoted associated artist of Title 66 Productions (Ludwig & Mae, The History of the Devil), Alex is also the resident technician of the Turtle Island Theatre Company, in Kahnawake, and the resident lighting designer of St. George’s School of Montreal
Marc-Antoine Legault - Sound Designer
Marc-Antoine Legault is a young artist who attempts to diversify his skill set. Musician from a young age, he comes from a family that encourages and supports artistic endeavours. Graduate from John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre program in the Production stream and currently enrolled at Concordia University in the Electroacoustics program, this young man is eager to put his acquired knowledge into action. Working For Shakespeare in the Parks as Head of Sound during their 2012 summer tour, he now hopes to make a name for himself in the industry. Aside from his sound designer career, Le Chatérien likes involving himself in musical groups, notably as a bass guitar player, but also as a guitarist and vocalist. Legault would like to express his gratitude towards Persephone Theatre for giving him this opportunity and would like to add that it is truly an honour to work with the many talented artist involved in this production of ‘‘Spring Awakening’’.
David Terriault - Music Director
A Montreal native, David Terriault is currently studying classical piano at McGill University. Credits as a musical director include Le Prince et le Pauvre (Montreal and New York), The Wild Party, Songs for a New World, Godspell, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Fiddler on the Roof. Before his work in musical theatre, he participated in classical music competitions across Quebec such as the Canadian Music Competition (Provincial finals), Concours de Musique Classique de Sorel-Tracy (1st prize), Festival de Musique Classique de Montréal (1st prize) and the Concours de Musique Classique de Sillery (2nd prize).
Christopher Moore - Co-Director
Christopher attended the John Abbott College Professional Theatre Program where he received The Pamela Montgomery Award upon graduation in 2005. Since then he has worked as an actor in productions that include Max in Martin Sherman's Bent (Altera Vitae), Benjamin in The Graduate (Hudson Village Theatre) and Titus in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (MSTC). He has been on several shows with Persephone playing Duff in Whitby's To The Green Fields Beyond (2007 MECCA for Best Ensemble), Iago in Shakespeare's Othello and co-directing the 2010 season's Henry V. He directed To Be for Persephone last spring: he recently played the title role in Persephone's Hamlet and Byam in Oroonoko.
Gabrielle Soskin - Co-Director
Gabrielle came to Montreal from her native England in 1970. A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre school, Trent Park College and Concordia University, Gabrielle started her theatrical journey as an actor before becoming a teacher and a director. She has had a fascinating career over the years, participating in the training of many vital young artists in the community and directing every genre imaginable. In 2000 she created Persephone Productions a not for profit theatre company mandated to give emerging Theatre artists work opportunities. The Company has won several awards over the years. In December 2007 Gabrielle was a recipient of the Myron Galloway award for Distinction given by the Montreal English Critics Circle Association for her special contribution to Montreal English Theatre. Gabrielle has staged three shows as fundraisers for the company: in 2005 A Room of One's Own, in 2007 The Loves of Shakespeare's Women and in June 2010 she directed and performed in a special Gala event to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the company.