Cathy is thrilled to be joining the Crescendo team at Shadow Theatre! Choirs were a big part of her life since she was 13. Cathy has worked as a Theatre Artist for the past 3 decades mostly in her hometown (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 Territory where she graduated in 1986 from the Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan under the direction of Tim Ryan. Previous Shadow credits – The Memory of Water, The Science of Disconnection (Sterling Award). For Theatre Network – Joni Mitchell: Songs of a Prairie Girl, The Girl In The Goldfish Bowl. For Teatro Live – Fever-Land, Eros And the Itchy Ant, The Finest of Strangers, The Importance of Being Earnest, It’s A Wonderful Life. For Edmonton Opera – Candide. For The Citadel Theatre – A Christmas Carol, Into The Woods, Little Shop of Horrors. For The Mayfield – Sister Act, Buddy Holly: The Buddy Holly Story, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. For Plain Jane Theatre – A New Brain, Wish You Were Here. She has also worked for the following companies: Workshop West Playwrights Theatre, Northern Light Theatre, Firefly Theatre, Concrete Theatre, Theatre Yes, Phoenix Theatre, Canadian Stage ( Toronto), Lunchbox Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects ( Calgary) and an extensive list of Fringe shows since 1986, here, across Canada and Edinburgh. Cathy is also an accomplished pianist and has musically directed many productions, both for students as well as professionals. For MacEwan University – Company, Into The Woods, The Light In The Piazza, The Drowsy Chaperone, Anything Goes, City of Angels, Big Fish. For The Mayfield – I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, Peter Pan, Working ( Young Company at the Citadel). Cathy also works as a sessional instructor at MacEwan University in the Theatre Department as a vocal coach and accompanist. She is also a very proud mom of two amazing young women. Enjoy the show!

Michelle Diaz (she/they) is a Filipino-Canadian actor and performer based in Edmonton where they graduated from MacEwan University’s Theatre Arts program in 2016. Theatre credits include The Wolves (The Maggie Tree/Citadel Theatre); Tell Us What Happened (Workshop West Theatre); Sister Act (Mayfield Dinner Theatre); Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Plain Jane Theatre Company); The Finest of Strangers, For the Love of Cynthia (Teatro la Quindicina); Tune to A, The Snow Queen (Azimuth Theatre); Safe & Fair: Scene at Work, Working It Out, THAT’S DANGER! (Alberta Workers’ Health Centre), and The Bully Project (Concrete Theatre).

Jenny is an Edmonton-based actor, singer and arts educator. Favourite
credits include: As You Like It (Citadel Theatre/Manitoba Theatre Centre);
The Fianceé (Citadel Theatre); A New Brain (Plain Jane Theatre); The Real
Inspector Hound (Bright Young Things); The Exquisite Hour, Fever Land,
Pith, Marvelous Pilgrims and A Lesson in Brio (Teatro La Quindicina);
Mary Poppins (Globe Theatre); Outside Mullingar (Shadow Theatre); Mr.
Burns – A Post-Apocalyptic Play (You Are Here Theatre); Airswimming
(Praise Doris Productions), The Taming of the Shrew (River City
Shakespeare); You Are Happy (Blarney Productions and Dogheart Theatre)
and Legoland (Blarney Productions). Jenny received a Sterling Award for
her performance in You Are Happy and Sterling nominations for her work in
Pith, Marvelous Pilgrims and Airswimming.

Kirstin appeared in the original Plain Jane production of Crescendo! at the Edmonton Fringe in 2019, and she is so excited to be back with this fantastic group of people. Past appearances include Get Happy!, Drat! The Cat!, and Fiorello!, also with Plain Jane Theatre. Kirstin is definitely a choir geek, having sung with the Edmonton Opera Chorus, Pro Coro Canada, and the Kokopelli Choir Association. Kirstin is a graduate of the music programs at MacEwan University, Acadia University, and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Love to Mom and Dad (fun fact – they met in choir!) and Myles. Enjoy the show!

Crescendo! At the Edmonton Fringe Festival, Urinetown (CanStage), A Kind of Alaska (Summerworks), Side by Side by Sondheim (Prairie Theatre Exchange), Berlin to Broadway (Theatre Calgary), Sylvia (Upper Canada Playhouse), Reflections on Crooked Walking (Magnus Theatre), Masterclass (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Oh What a Lovely War (Citadel Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Phoenix Theatre, Sterling Award Nomination), Title Role in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Phoenix Theatre, Sterling Award).

Colleen would like to thank Kate and Sandy for the chance to do this again! All my love and gratitude to Raul and Ella.

Kate (she/her) is grateful to be living and working as a teaching artist, performer, and theatre maker here in amiskwacîwâskahikan. This past year, Kate directed Sweeney Todd (Plain Jane Theatre), Rock of Ages and First Date (Mayfield Theatre), Subscribe or Like (Workshop West Theatre) and most recently Everybody Goes to Mitzis (Teatro Live!). Other productions include Mamma Mia, All Shook Up and Jesus Christ Superstar (Mayfield Theatre); The Blank Who Stole Christmas (Rapid Fire Theatre); Cinderella (Capitol Theatre); Into the Woods (MacEwan University); The Enchanted Pig (University of Alberta Opera Program) and Assassins-on Zoom (Citadel Theatre Young Company). For her company Plain Jane Theatre, Kate has produced and directed main season shows Sweeney Todd, Fun Home (produced), Mack and Mabel; and A New Brain, It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman, Little Fish for the Fringe Festival. Kate has also taught performance with University of Alberta’s Opera Chorus Class, The Edmonton Opera and directed musical programs for DaCamera Singers and Cantillon Choir. Foote Theatre School and MacEwan University’s Theatre Arts program. She is also proud mom to theatre artist Emma and loves to walk her dog, Charlie! She is thrilled to work on Crescendo with this wonderful team of artists. Excited to share it with you!

Lana is a director, actor, playwright, sound designer and producer based in Edmonton. This season she joins the Shadow Theatre team as the 2023/24 Artistic Director Fellow – a program she developed alongside the organization. Her work as an actor, director, and playwright has been seen throughout Western Canada. Acting highlights include: Winnie Gertske, Champion Off-Ice (SKAMpede), Loud & Queer Cabaret (Guys in Disguise), The Anxiety Project and The National Elevator Project (Theatre YES), Birdie On The Wrong Bus and The Fairy Catcher’s Companion (Promise Productions), Love(her)/Fight(her) (Urban Curvz), and The Laramie Project (Citadel Theatre). Selected directing credits include: Nightshrine (Workshop West), Jack & The Beanstalk (Alberta Musical Theatre Company), The Remarkably True, Real Life Adventures of Callie Montgomery (Promise Productions/Skirts of Fire Festival), Encounters (Citadel Theatre), Bust ‘Em Up Burlesque (Send in the Girls Burlesque/Citadel Theatre), A Bronte Burlesque (Send In the Girls Burlesque/Theatre Network), and Tudor Queens: A Burlesque (Send In The Girls Burlesque). Though currently on a creative sabbatical, she is usually at the helm of Catalyst Theatre, where she has been the Managing Director for the past 6 years.

Sandy is absolutely thrilled to be working with such a wonderful group of women. Sandy has been a theatre practitioner in Edmonton Alberta for the past forty years. She has appeared as a performer at almost every theatre company in Edmonton.
Sandy began writing plays in 1985 where she co-wrote a piece called “The Charter of Rights and
Freedoms” for the Legal Resource Centre in Edmonton. She has written two plays for Azimuth Theatre, Naked Lies – which toured high schools in Alberta, and Back Pocket Lennie – which toured Canadian women’s prisons. Sandy’s children’s play, Night Without Stars was produced by Wagonstage Theatre in Calgary. She wrote Enchantment for Workshop West Theatre and Theatre Yes! Sandy is also a Speech Language Pathologist. As a speech pathologist, while working for Khan Communications, Sandy developed three programs for children with Autism – “Mingle and Move”, “Fun with Fables” and “The Giggle Group”. She sends her love and thanks to John, Bella and Charlotte for their incredible support.

Playwright’s Notes
I was inspired to write this play while singing in a choir called the Chanteuse. While attending the choir, I began to ask the choir members, “Why do you sing”? The answers rattled her consciousness and a play was born. During the workshop production in 2019, the cast has had wonderful conversations on singing and how singing together is such a powerful, ancient and tribal ritual. When we sing together, we become part of something larger than ourselves. May the music light up your spirit and uplift your heart for many moments of your life. – Sandy

Sandy has been adopted by Hudson Financial

Jen is an active member of the Edmonton musical community as a pianist, vocalist, clinician, composer, and arranger.
Previous favourite theatre credits include Rock of Ages, First Date, Mamma Mia, Sister Act, 9 to 5, Hairspray, Dark Star: The Life & Times of Roy Orbison, The Simon & Garfunkel Story, Two Good Knights: The Music of Sir Tom Jones and Sir Elton John, Canada 151 (Mayfield), SIX, All Because I’m A Woman, Almost A Full Moon (Citadel). Jen has also lent her skills as a musical director, arranger, or vocalist to other fun projects like singing backup for Ben Folds, Hawaii Five-0 (CBS), The Nature of Things (CBC), Universal Studios Tokyo, Warframe (videogame), and Edmonton Opera Valentine’s Gala (GlobalTV). 

Lieke is a Dutch-Canadian emerging artist from Calgary who is newly graduated from the BFA Theatre Design program at the University of Alberta. She is beginning to break her way into the theater and film industry, focusing on costume and lighting design. Some of her credits include A Year With Frog And Toad and Seussical Jr. (costume coordinator, St. Albert Childrens’ Theatre, 2022/23), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory The Musical NL (Cutter/Stitcher, Het Nationale Theater and Theater Alliantie, 2022), Nevermore In Concert (Lighting Assistant, Catalyst, 2023), and … And Others (Production Design, Fringe Festival 2023). She is greatly looking forward to working on many more exciting projects and making meaningful connections and art wherever she may go!

Leona is a three-time Sterling Award winner for costume design and has designed costumes for a number of Shadow Theatre productions including The Mountaintop, Happy Birthday Baby J, Heisenberg, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Comedy Company, The Best Brothers, Slumberland Motel, Fly me to the Moon, Annapurna, Crescendo and many others. She recently designed The Fiancé and Clue at The Citadel. Leona is a host and producer of the hit comedy show Hey Ladies! She has worked extensively with Teatro la Quindicina acting and designing many costumes for them including: The Bad Seed, Pith!, The Vile Governess and Other Psychodramas, Cocktails at Pam’s and The Oculist’s Holiday. Other design credits include The Mayfield Dinner Theatre’s Hair, Deathtrap, Hairspray, Back to the 80’s, All Shook up and Canada Rocks.

Krystal is an amiskwacîwâskahikan/Edmonton based stage manager and holds a BFA in Production Stage Management from the University of Alberta. She hopes you enjoy the show! Previous Credits Include: Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Winter’s Tale (Freewill Shakespeare Festival); Prison Dancer, Jersey Boys (Citadel Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Plain Jane Theatre); A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Wild Side Productions); The Drowsy Chaperone (Triffo Theatre); Candide (Edmonton Opera); Queen Lear is Dead (Fox Den Collective); Chrysothemis, Shakespeare’s Dog, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Middletown (Studio Theatre).