Neil Simon - Playwright

American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon (1927-2018) is widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific and performed playwrights in theatre history. In addition to Lost In Yonkers, which won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, his plays and musicals include Come Blow Your Horn, Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, The Star-Spangled Girl, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Gingerbread Lady, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, The Good Doctor, God's Favorite, California Suite, Chapter Two, They're Playing Our Song, I Ought to be in Pictures, Fools, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple (female version), Broadway Bound, Rumors, Jake's Women, The Goodbye Girl, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, London Suite, Proposals, Hotel Suite, The Dinner Party, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Oscar and Felix, and Rose's Dilemma.

In addition to the film adaptations of his plays, his screenplay credits include After the Fox, The Out-Of-Towners, The Heartbreak Kid (original 1973 version), Murder by Death, The Cheap Detective, Seems Like Old Times, Only When I Laugh, Max Dugan Returns, The Slugger's Wife, The Marrying Man, and The Odd Couple II. Other motion pictures based on his stage plays include Come Blow Your Horn, Sweet Charity and The Star-Spangled Girl. For television, Mr. Simon wrote series, teleplays, and motion pictures including The Tallulah Bankhead Show, The Sid Caesar Show, The Phil Silvers Arrow Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Garry Moore Show, The Trouble with People, ABC's Broadway Bound, and Jake’s Women.

Books by Neil Simon include Rewrites, A Memoir, The Play Goes On, and four omnibus collections of Neil Simon's plays (The Comedy Of Neil Simon, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. II, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 3, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 4) and Lost In Yonkers (screenplay).

Mr. Simon has received more Academy and Tony award nominations than any other writer. Awards he received include the Pulitzer Prize for Lost In Yonkers, Emmy Awards for The Sid Caesar Show and The Phil Silvers Show, Tony Awards for The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues, Lost In Yonkers and a special Tony Award For Overall Contribution To The Theatre. His nominations include Tony Award nominations for Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Lost in Yonkers, and The Goodbye Girl (musical). Other nominations include a Writers Guild Screen Award for The Odd Couple and The Out-Of-Towners, a Writers Guild Laurel Award, an American Comedy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a Writers Guild Screen Award nomination for Barefoot in the Park, as well as an Oscar nomination for The Odd Couple, an Evening Standard Award, a Sam S. Shubert Foundation Award, Kennedy Center Honors, a UCLA Medal, a Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, and a William Inge Theater Festival Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theater.

JOSHUA BAINBRIDGE – Sound + Screen Design/Screen Technician

Joshua Bainbridge is the Artistic Director of The Proscenium Club and Director of Education for On the Edge Fringe.  He is an actor, writer, and director living in North Bay and a 2010 Graduate of Canadore College’s Theatre Arts Program where he now teaches Acting for the Camera and Stage Combat. Josh has written and directed a number of original and adapted works including The Three Musketeers Trilogy (appearing as Athos in all three chapters), Robin Hood: King of the Outlaws (Little John); Dracula; The Life and Death of John the Milkman; Sit, James; Paper Dolls; Poison Ground; Barefoot on the Moon; and I Live with Him Every Day: The Tragedy of David and Dave. Other notable roles include Edmund in the Watershed Shakespeare Festival Collective (WSFC) production of King Lear, Ben in The Night of the Living Dead, Hank in Marvin’s Room, Richard in You Are Here, and as Mercutio in the WSFC production of Romeo and Juliet. In March of 2019, Joshua starred as John Proctor in the Sun Dog Theatre Festival production of The Crucible. Josh’s newest productions Happy Jack’s Motel  is currently finishing its 2020-2023 Ontario tour.

In winter 2014, Josh’s production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross won him the honour of Best Director at the 2014 QUONTA Festival as well as winning Best Production. In the summer of 2017, Josh adapted, directed, and played the titular character in Macbeth at the On the Edge Fringe Festival, which won two Best in Fringe Awards: Jurors’ Choice and Audience Choice. Josh has appeared in numerous film and television productions over the last few years. Recent credits include: the feature film The Boy in the Woods, a multi-episode role on Hudson and Rex, and Star Trek: Discovery. Joshua also works as a Northern OSLO ACTRA representative.

TRACEY HALSEY-BERTI – Voice and Speech Coach

Tracey was born in London, England, but spent much of her childhood bouncing between the U.S.A. and the U.K. as her father was constantly on tour as guitarist and vocal arranger for the legendary singer Roy Orbison. She has spent over 40 years as an actor, singer, musician, voice actor, director, and vocal coach. She trained at the prestigious Guildford School of Acting and the London School of Natural Voice. As a child, she attended Anna Scher’s Children’s Theatre School. She practiced her craft touring U.K. repertory theatres such as York Theatre Royal, Sheffield Crucible, Derby Playhouse, Leicester Haymarket, Oldham Theatre Royal, and Salisbury Playhouse. She then moved to the West End of London to perform in musicals including West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Jesus Christ Superstar, Blood Brothers, and Girlfriends. Other favourite shows include Guys and Dolls, Oliver!, Grease, Stop the World I Want to Get Off, The Pirates of Penzance, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Aladdin.

Tracey was a soloist with the BBC Radio Orchestra in London, on the weekly shows Friday Night is Music Night and Songs from the Shows. A highlight of Tracey’s career came in 1989 when she was asked, by Royal Appointment, to perform with the cast of The Broadway Show in a private audience for Her Royal Highness Princess Diana at the Nottingham Playhouse.

Canadian theatre credits include Elvis the Musical (Royal Alexandra, Toronto; National Arts Centre, Ottawa; Theatre St. Denis, Montreal), the Ontario premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Berkeley Street Theatre, Toronto), the Canadian premiere of Talking to Terrorists, and Eighteen Degrees by Maureen Cassidy (Spring Works Festival in Stratford, Ontario; North Bay Museum). Directorial work includes the Northern Ontario premiere of I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, and musical direction for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Oliver! and The Donnellys. She was also honoured to be vocal director and performer in the Canadian premiere of Ebenezer.

TV and film credits include Hard Rock Medical, Stage Fright, Northern Rescue, Overtures, and Happy Fkn Sunshine.

Locally, Tracey has performed in shows with Gateway Theatre Guild, Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre, the Interlink Choir, Trinity Arts, and Cando Theatre (Bucket List Cabaret). She has sung with the North Bay Symphony Orchestra as a soloist on many occasions. Tracey was a member of The Girls in Pearls who performed with the RCAF 22 Wing Band. She is a member of the Dressing Room Collective and has performed recently in Nunsense and BROADway Stories. She has been the Voice and Speech, Singing, and Musical Theatre instructor at Canadore College since the program began in 2005. Tracey is also a certified Sound Therapist and is passionate about helping people discover their authentic voices.

ROD CARLEY – Director/Set Designer

Rod is the founding Artistic Director of the Acting for Stage and Screen Program at Canadore College. Rod developed the curriculum for the program in 2004 seeing a need for professional actor training in Northern Ontario (the only school of its kind north of Toronto). He also serves as Artistic Director for Theatre Canadore (formerly Rep 21), comprised of graduating acting students. Previous Canadore directing credits include Orphans for the Czar, All in the Timing, Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Lark, Barefoot on the Moon, The Tragedy of David and Dave, Passion Play, As You Like It, Can You See Me Yet, The Donnellys, Macbeth, and The Libertine.

Rod has directed/produced 150 stage productions to date, both nationally and internationally, ranging from the classics to the development of new Canadian work. He is recognized nationally for his directorial adaptations of Shakespeare. He was the winner of TVO’s Big Ideas/ Best Lecturer Competition for his lecture “Adapting Shakespeare within a Modern Canadian Context.” Rod was a Guest Speaker at the ProfTalk Lecture Series at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre, lecturing on the state of theatre in the twenty-first century. Ten lecturers from across North America were invited for this prestigious learning series.

Recent directing highlights include:  Arsenic and Old Lace (GTG), Eighteen Degrees (Stratford Spring Works Festival + North Bay), and Romeo and Juliet and King Lear (Watershed Shakespeare Festival). Rod directed the Ontario premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto and the Canadian premiere of Talking to Terrorists. He was the founding Artistic Director of the Nipissing Stage Company from 1999 to 2005 where he directed 25 mainstage productions including the Ontario premiere of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan and the Northern Ontario premieres of Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Stones in his Pockets as well as serving as co-author/director on the original musicals Train Town and Wanted. Additional directing highlights include the Northern Ontario premieres of The Laramie Project, Angels in America, Our Country’s Good, The Othello Project and High Life. The Othello Project was originally mounted at the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Rod was nominated for a DORA Award for Outstanding Direction. The Othello Project received its American premiere at the Florida Shakespeare Festival in Miami.

During the early years of his career, Rod served as an Assistant Director at the Stratford Festival for two seasons and was the first recipient of the Festival's Jean Gascon Director's Award and received four Tyrone Guthrie Awards. He was inducted into the Brockville and Area Music and Performing Arts Hall of Fame in 2018 and the North Bay Entertainers Hall of Recognition in 2015, and has been nominated for the K.M. Hunter Artist Award for Theatre, the John Hirsch Director's Award and Pauline McGibbon Award.

Rod is also the award-winning author of three works of fiction. His short story collection, GRIN REAPING, was released in June 2022. His second novel, KINMOUNT, received the Silver Medal for Best Regional Fiction from the 2021 Independent Book Publishers Awards and was one of ten finalists for the 2021 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. His first novel, A Matter of Will, was a finalist for the 2018 Northern Lit Award for Fiction. His short stories and creative non-fiction have appeared in Cloud Lake Literary, Blank Spaces Magazine, Broadview Magazine, the non-fiction anthology 150 Years Up North and More, the Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Anthology, and HighGrader Magazine. Rod was short-listed for the 2021 Exile Quarterly’s Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Prize. Visit www.rodcarley.ca.

STEPHANIE KAST – Costume + Props Coordinator

Stephanie Kast has designed the costumes for Theatre Canadore’s Orphans for the Czar and All in the Timing. As an actor, Stephanie has appeared as Prissy Andrews in Anne of Green Gables, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The String of Pearls, and A Bride of Dracula in Joshua Bainbridge’s adaptation of the classic novel. Steph played the role of Alex in both the Canadore College Theatre Arts production of I Live with Him Every Day: The Tragedy of David and Dave and reprised the role in the show’s professional premiere, which toured in the fall of 2016. 

In winter 2017, Steph appeared as Balthazar in the Watershed Shakespeare Festival Collective production of Romeo and Juliet. She directed the world premiere of her original script The Bonds That Hold Us for the On The Edge Fringe in 2017. She also appeared as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Steph appeared as Joan Marshall in The Life and Death of John the Milkman. At the 2018 On the Edge Fringe Festival, she directed One Man, All Woman, as well as her original work, The Cavewoman. Stephanie played Mercy Lewis in the Sun Dog Theatre Festival production of The Crucible. She then played Beth in The Proscenium’s 2018/2019 tour of Sit, James. At On the Edge Fringe 2019 Stephanie wrote and directed Artemisia, which went on to win Best of Fringe: Best Original Work. Steph appeared as Teresa in the Club’s 2019/2020 touring production, Barefoot on the Moon. Stephanie is playing Alice in Happy Jack’s Motel 2021/2022 and will appear in the musical Five –The Dionnes in May. Stephanie appears in the feature film Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe, and the TV Series New Eden. As a textile artist Steph focuses on making wearable art pieces that challenge convention and inspire imagination. Her work provokes thought while functioning as utility clothing or fashion depending on the environment she is giving response to.

KEVIN LACHANCE – Set Construction

Kevin was born in Sudbury and has always been fascinated with the weird and wonderful in all aspects of life. His upbringing was colourful and slightly rebellious on his part to say the least. “I turned to music at a very young age and never turned back, using it as a release tool!”

He thrives for passionate perfection to the fullest degree in all his work. As well as his music career, Kevin is an intellectual being and always has a lot of ideas brewing in his mind – accompanied by the drive to complete them as well. He has had many different past job titles from cooking, sand-blasting, industrial painting, and, now, running his own business as a carpenter/contractor in North Bay – DARK KINGDOM CARPENTRY.

Kevin has constructed the sets for Theatre Canadore’s Orphans for the Czar and Rep 21’s Shakespeare in Hollywood and The Lar as well as specialty construction and design for Arsenic and Old Lace (GTG).

MATT LISHMAN – Stage Manager/Sound Technician

Matt Lishman is a multi-faceted artist with his main focus being acting. He has stage managed Theatre Canadore’s Orphans for the Czar and All in the Timing. Matt recently portrayed the role of Billy in Proscenium Club’s production of Happy Jack’s Motel.  He has played Malcolm in Macbeth (Theatre North 2017), Cassidy in The Bonds that Hold Us (On The Edge Fringe 2017), Bobby in Tough (On The Edge Fringe 2016), and Philip in Sanctuary (On The Edge Fringe 2015). In May 2017, Matt appeared as Peter in the Watershed Shakespeare Festival Collective production of Romeo and Juliet. Some of Matt’s television/film credits include parts in: Junction Row, My Animal, Goalie, TVO’s Hard Rock Medical, CTV’s Cardinal, The New Romantic, as well as the film Astonishing Tales of Terror. At On The Edge Fringe Festival 2018, Matt made his directorial debut with Dragged, which earned a “Best of Fringe” nomination for Viewers’ Choice, while also appearing in the world premiere of Stephanie Kast’s new play The Cavewoman. Matt worked as Stage Manager on Proscenium Club’s 2018/2019 show, The Life and Death of John the Milkman. For the 2018/2019 touring production, Matt played the lead role of Jim in Sit, James. Matt portrayed Herrick in the Sun Dog Theatre Festival production of The Crucible. At On the Edge Fringe 2019, Matt wrote and directed The Tragedy of Errors, Winner of Best of Fringe: Outstanding Production.  In On The Edge Fringe and Fringe North’s 2021 digital festivals Matt wrote and directed Big Red Productions’ digital offering of Eureka!, which was an anthology of comedic short films.  

 

DILIP PATEL – Technical Director/Lighting Designer

Dilip has been working at the Capitol Centre for the last 18 years as a stage technician. He has also worked with Canadore’s Rep 21 (Theatre Canadore) since its inception, in the capacity of technical director, assistant technical director, crew chief, lighting technician, and lighting designer.

He has been volunteering with Gateway Theatre Guild for the last 16 years as a lighting assistant and lighting designer.