Sydney Williams is grateful to be returning to Shadow Theatre after appearing in last season’s Fresh Hell. Other recent acting credits include Pressure and Feast at the Edmonton Fringe, as well as two years in Workshop West’s Springboards Festival. She has collaborated on many other projects in Edmonton and Toronto as a dancer, singer, dramaturge, and writer, and recently released her debut EP Ordinary Things, which is available on most streaming platforms. She is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Honours Music Theatre Performance program. Thank you to her loved ones near and far for their love and support, to John for this opportunity, and to you for being here.

Michael is delighted to make his first appearance on stage for Shadow Theatre in the 2023-2024 season! He’s been a professional theatre artist for 30 years, holds a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the University of Alberta, has toured internationally and has worked from coast to coast in Canada including many leading theatres here in Alberta: Citadel Theatre, Freewill Shakespeare, Theatre Calgary, Sage Theatre, Studio Theatre, Workshop West Playwright’s Theatre, Northern Light Theatre and Theatre Yes. He’s also founded a couple independent theatre companies over the years, including the award-winning indie company, wishbone theatre, in Edmonton. A long time veteran of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, Michael has been nominated for six Sterling Awards, received a Best Actor nod at The Edinburgh Fringe, and he teaches in Drama and Speech at Concordia University Edmonton.

Michelle Todd is so happy to be working with the wonderful people at Shadow and this amazing
cast! An Edmonton native, Michelle has been active in the arts community for over 25 years as
an actor, writer, choreographer, director, facilitator, and producer. A graduate of MacEwan’s
Theatre Arts program, Michelle most recently performed in Lady Porn, Destination Wedding,
Destination Vegas (Whizgiggling Productions) Skylar (Theatre Network), until the next
breath (Catalyst), Open Invitation (Saint Maggie Productions), Vanya & Sonia & Masha &
Spike (Shadow Theatre), and SLUT (Northern Light Theatre). Her latest piece Hoodies was
written for Concrete Theatre’s Anti-Racism and Change project for Theatre for Young
Audiences. She is honored to be the 2020 recipient of Theatre Alberta’s Michelle Dias
Community Award. and recognized in MacEwan’s Community Builders Map.

Michelle has been adopted by Keill and Co

Bio coming soon!

John is the founder and Artistic Director of Shadow Theatre. As a director he has over 110 productions to his credit including: The Wrong People Have Money, Bloomsday, Cottagers and Indians, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Comedy Company, Fly Me To The Moon, Outside Mullingar, Slumberland Motel, The Best Brothers, ‘ART’ & Annapurna (Shadow Theatre), Henry and Alice Into the Wild, The Odd Couple (The Mayfield Dinner Theatre), Gidion’s Knot (Pick of the Fringe, Edmonton Journal, Vue Weekly), A Picasso (Sterling Award: Outstanding Fringe Production and Outstanding Fringe Director, (Critics Award Outstanding Fringe Production 2013), The Unseen (Critics Award Outstanding Fringe Production 2011). Other favourites include Grace (Sterling Nomination: Outstanding Director and Outstanding Production) and Three Days of Rain (Sterling Nomination: Outstanding Director and Outstanding Production). He also directed the Canadian premieres of: Mistakes Were Made, The Pavilion, Speaking in Tongues, Honour and The Beginning of August, and the world premieres of The Wrong People Have Money, The Comedy Company, Miss Teen, Little Elephants, The Science of Disconnection, and The Liars. One of his passions is working as a dramaturge and he has helped nurture many new plays to production. In 2016 he was inducted into the City of Edmonton’s Salute to Excellence Hall of Fame, for Arts and Culture, and has twice been nominated for the Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Artistic Direction.

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.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

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.

Darrin Hagen

Darrin Hagen is an award-winning playwright, author, composer and Queer historian whose plays have been produced across Canada, in the U.S and Europe. Since “The Edmonton Queen” (published by Brindle & Glass), he has created art that is a unique window into gender and history. During the pandemic he turned his attention to creating video art and has done a deep dive into queer history research, including many hours working with MacEwan’s Edmonton Queer History Project, as well as composing avant-garden electronica and chamber music.

He has been Artistic Director of Guys In Disguise since 1987, has received 7 Sterling Awards for his work in Edmonton Theatre, an AMPIA for his broadcasting work. Other plays include Tornado Magnet, BitchSlap!, Witch Hunt at the Strand, Buddy, The Empress & The Prime Minister, Metronome, and the Pansy Cabaret.

He has created sound for many Shadow Theatre productions, and this season marks the Shadow debut of his newest play, 10 Funerals.

Watch for the release of one of many of his pandemic composing projects, Lockdown String Quartet No. 1, coming soon!

He has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Alberta Artists in the past 25 Years, as well as one of 100 Edmontonians of the Century.
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Stage Manager: Bloomsday for Shadow Theatre, Orphee +, and La Boheme for Edmonton Opera, Pride and Prejudice, and Almost A Full Moon for the Citadel Theatre, Glory for Chemainus Theatre, A Grand Time in the Rapids and Evelyn Strange for Teatro la Quindicina, Metronome for WWPT, Titus Buffonicus, and
The Empress and The Prime Minister for Theatre Network; Craniatrium for Firefly Theatre; Enchanted April, and The Retreat From Moscow for Theatre Calgary.
Gina is a two –time winner of the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes award for Outstanding Achievement in Production.

Bio coming soon!