TO BE
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Trevor Barrette as ADAM
Trevor is a recent graduate of John Abbott College's Professional Theatre Program and recipient of the 2011 Pamela Montgomery award. He is honoured to have his first work produced by such a wonderful company. Writing To Be has been an exciting and fulfilling challenge and he is very excited to have it brought to life by such a talented and fun cast. Selected stage credits include the Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof, Ernie in Rumour and the Stage Manager in Our Town (JAC). He has most recently performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edward Bond’s The Tin Can People and this past fall he was brought on as assistant director for Talisman Theatre’s Coma Unplugged. He wishes to thank Gabrielle and Chris for their constant support and generosity and for this amazing opportunity.
Chris Hayes as SEBASTIEN
Christopher Hayes is a graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre. He has appeared in numerous stage productions in both his native Montreal and New York City. Selected New York credits include: Robert in Company and Joe in The Long Goodbye (Neighborhood Playhouse); Resonance Ensembles’ Off-Broadway production of Caesar and Cleopatra (Harold Clurman Theatre). Most recent Montreal credits include: Putting It Together (Theatre Lac Brome); Reefer Madness: The Musical (Processed Theater); A Christmas Carol (Rialto); and Closer (Chesterfield Productions. A big thank you to the team at Persephone Productions for including him in such an exciting and vital piece of new work.
Ian Geldart as BENNY
Ian is thrilled to be playing the role of Benny in this wonderful show. This is Ian's second opportunity to work with Persephone Productions after playing Sergeant Troy in their production of Far from the Madding Crowd. After graduating John Abbott College last spring, Ian was also seen in Janus Production's The Tin Can People which travelled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer. Ian's favorite roles he played at John Abbot were Lenny Ganz in Neil Simon's Rumors, Motel in A Fiddler on the Roof and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He looks forward to the opportunity to work with such an amazing ensemble and hopes you enjoy the show!
Lucas Chartier-Dessert as ROBYN
This is Lucas's second time working with Persephone Productions. He is thrilled to take on this new experience. Lucas has already played many diverse characters such as Boris Trigorin in the adaption of Chekhov's The Seagull, and more recently he has enjoyed portraying the Devil in Clive Barker's The History of the Devil; both productions were presented by Title 66 Productions. Lucas is very excited to tackle this compelling original story with an open heart and positive attitude.
James Harrington as QUEEN
James Harrington was born and raised in Montreal. From a young age he was unnaturally attracted to the process of film-making and screen acting. After working in the industry through his early teens as an actor, he soon began to create his own short films with his fellow bohemians. He then studied cinema at Dawson college, after which he decided to study professional theatre. After a slight retreat from the stage and into independent film, he has recently returned to the theatre world. In the past eight months he has starred in two plays, starting with Title 66's production of The History of the Devil by Clive Barker, singing and dancing at the Segal Center's production of In Transit, and is now very excited to be a part of Persephone Production's To Be, as the Queen.
Matt Lacas as DAVID
Matt is a recent graduate of Dawson College's Professional Theatre Program. Since graduating, he's had the chance play some wonderful characters. Choice theatrical credits include Othello in Othello, Man 1 in Edges: A Song Cycle, and Reverend Paris in The Crucible. He's really excited to be working with such a talented cast and Persephone Productions. He'd like to thank everyone (especially Mom) who has been behind him, pushing him to be a better actor and person. Enjoy the show!
Mike Melino as JOHNNY
Mike started singing with the Our Lady Of Pompei Youth Choir at age 7, and received classical and jazz voice training at Vanier College, where he was cast in Amahl and the Night Visitors by Giancarlo Menotti, and performed at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal with the school’s big band. Since then, other stage experiences include the Blok Note Big Band, the Costa Marina Cruise Ship production show, and various musical revues. Since 2010, Mike has been vocal director for a French adaptation of Rent. He was then cast as Quincey Morris in Dracula; Adolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone; Leon in Who Is Aristippus?; General Mills in The Brain From Planet X; Mitch Mahoney in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; and Burrs in The Wild Party. He was recently seen in the role of Bert and as assistant music director in 42nd Street, presented by the Hudson Music Club.
Serge Turcott as WAITER/CHORUS
Serge began his stage career as an adolescent when he was a dancer for the Ensemble National de Folklore Les Sortilèges. He has also participated in many musical and theatre workshops with Robert Marien, Sergine Dumais and Danielle Fichaud among others. For more than ten years Serge was a chorus member of the acclaimed production Elvis Story which played everywhere from Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto to Paris and Tokyo. Serge also played the Tin Man in the French adaptation of the musical The Wizard of Oz. Others credits include, Scrooge in the bilingual production of A Queer Carol, Musical Revue That’s All Right Papa and the musicals Rent, The Wall, Babies Bless Them All and The North Pole Has Lost The North. On television he has appeared in Matière à Enquête and Km/h. He appeared in several shows as part of the Next Wave Festival of new Musicals I see London, I see France, The Naked Voice, Slow Dance With A Hot Pick Up and most recently in the title role of a bilingual production of The Brain from Planet X. He also played the role of Greta in the Atera Vitea production of Bent.
Craig Daly as CHORUS
Craig is excited to be part of the cast for To Be as it marks his debut on the professional stage. Craig has long been involved with different amateur acting groups in the West Island such as The Becket Players, West Island Student Theatre Association and Hudson Music Club. Along with leading roles in several original cabaret musicals his most notable roles were Kenickie in Grease, Ambrose Kemper in Hello Dolly and Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray. Craig recently earned his BSc in Environmental Sciences from Concordia University and is currently working on his BA in Urban Studies.
Fuat Tuac as CHORUS
Fuat Tuaç is a Montréal based vocalist and lyricist and a lawyer from Turkey. He has embarked on the music scene in Istanbul playing with some of the best musicians in Turkey, France, Poland and England. His band participated in the Istanbul International Jazz Festival twice in 2010 and 2011. He also performed in the Loire Jazz Festival in France in the summer of 2010 and in Pulawy Jazz Festival in three consecutive years, 2007, 2008 and 2009. As of 2011, he is admitted to the Jazz Studies Program of Concordia University wherein he was granted the Cathy Watt Award in Vocal Studies for 2011-2012. Fuat is currently taking classes with Madéleine Thériault, Dave Turner, Charles Ellison and Jeri Brown.
Christopher Moore - 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 last season's Henry V. He and Artistic Director, Gabrielle Soskin will be returning to the bard once more next Fall for Shakespeare's Hamlet
Gabrielle Soskin - Production Consultant
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 challenging and 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.
Shayne Gryn - Musical Director
Shayne Gryn is the musical director of Processed Theatre (Reefer Madness: The Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Edges: A Song Cycle) and the artistic director of Headless Goat Productions (Old Time Radio Theatre, TaelStrum, After The Storm). He has worked in musical theatre for nearly a decade, getting his start in Dariusz Production’s The Rocky Horror Show in 2002. In 2010, he was invited to participate in Red Bull’s Sounderground 1st International Metro Musical Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2012, he began producing Acme Burlesque with Seska Lee.
Alana Cosgrove - Vocal Director
Alana is very excited to be working with Persephone Productions for the first time as vocal director of To Be. She is a recent graduate of John Abbott College's Professional Theatre program in acting, where she played the roles of Claire Ganz in Rumors (Neil Simon), Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town (Thornton Wilder) and Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof in which she was also the vocal captain. Her first experience with vocal direction was post-graduation at John Abbott on the production of Under Milkwood (Dylan Thomas). She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in music, specializing in classical voice and opera at Université de Montréal.
Genia DeMarco - Set and Costume Design
Genia is a graduate of the John Abbott Theatre Design Program, where she is credited with the costume design for Cloud 9 and the set design/scene painting for Fiddler on the Roof. Last year she was fortunate to have the opportunity to design set and costumes for Tin Can People (Janus Productions) which was performed in the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as work on Titus Andronicus with The Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company. Genia was the set designer for Far from the Madding Crowd so this is her second time working with Persephone Productions.
Alex Smith - Lighting Design
Returning for a second production as lighting designer with Persephone after last fall's Far From The Madding Crowd. Alex is a recent graduate of the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program. Notable recent lighting design credits include The Wild Party (In Your Face Entertainment), The Exonerated (Third Eye Ensemble) and The History of the Devil (Title 66 Productions), in addition to having assisted on Black Theatre Workshop's Stori Ya, and Teesri Duniya's State of Denial. He is currently an artist in residence at Black Theatre Workshop, assistant technical director of the Third Eye Ensemble, and technical director of the Turtle Island Theatre Company, in Kahnawake. Alex is thrilled to be back with Persephone for an exciting and deeply personal project like To Be!
Andrés MacLeod - Stage Manager
When he isn't playing video games professionally, making films or picking out a tune on any number of assorted musical instruments, Andrés can be found working on an eclectic variety of theatrical productions all across Montreal. A few recent credits include The Real Inspector Hound and Jane Eyre (Lakeshore Players), Bollywood Mikado (MWOS), A Christmas Carol (Rialto) and an upcoming tour of Orpheus in the Underworld with the Montreal West Operatic Society, for whom he is the resident Stage Manager and Technical Director. His life goal is to win an Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy, all at the same time.
Jordana Weiss - Assistant Stage Manager
Jordana Weiss is a recent graduate of McGill’s English Drama and Theatre program. She is thrilled to be working on To Be, her first production with Persephone. Previous credits include ASM for Titus Andronicus (with Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company), Measure for Measure> (McGill Department of English), and Assistant Production Manager for The Alchemist. She was also the 2010-2011 Executive Director of Players’ Theatre.
Logan Williams - Assistant Set and Costume Designer
Logan is a Montreal based actor, set and costume designer and director. After graduating from the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program, Logan has been a resident artist at The Black Theatre Workshop and assisted designers Noemi Poulin and James Lavoie for the past year, as well as acting at The Segal Centre and assistant directing at Teesri Duniya Theatre. Logan would like to thank Persephone for its undying talent and most particularly Genia DeMarco for this opportunity.