Acting Up Stage Company

Alex Amini, Costume Designer

With 40 years of experience in fashion and costume design for film, television and theatre, Alex revels in the opportunity to bring characters to life through costume. She is involved in every aspect of the process, from conception to construction, top to bottom, wig styling to shoes. Select theatre credits include: A Light in the Piazza, and Caroline, or Change; Acting Upstage, To Life; Harold Green Jewish Theatre, Altar Boyz; Angelwalk Productions, The Glass Menagerie, and The Fantasticks; Red Barn Theatre, Man of LaMancha, Elizabeth Rex, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and She Loves Me; Brampton ACT Productions, My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, and Hairspray, Port Hope Capitol Theatre. As always, thanks to Carmen for saving my life.

Darrin Baker, Mendel

BROADWAY: Tarzan; Laughing Room Only! (opposite Jackie Mason); Wonderful Town (with Brooke Shields); The Scarlet Pimpernel; Footloose; Sunset Blvd (with Glenn Close). OFF-BROADWAY: Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Little By Little. SELECT REGIONAL THEATRE: Tigers Be Still (Cincinnati Playhouse); Ghost Stories (original Toronto cast); Cagney (world premiere); Working! (Asolo Rep); A New Brain (Portland Center Stage); White Christmas, (Pantages Los Angeles); Dirty Blonde (Cincinnati Playhouse); Les Miserables (original Toronto cast). TELEVISION & FILM: several episodes of Law & Order and SVU; The Firm; Flashpoint; Murdoch Mysteries; Warehouse 13; Queer as Folk, King; Crime and Punishment, My Secret Identity, The Good Guy and What Happens Next. With love and thanks to my amazing family!

Patrick Du Wors, Set Designer

Patrick is a Toronto based performance designer. He is delighted to be collaborating with Acting Up Stage Company for the first time as set designer for Falsettos. Design credits include: Metamorphoses – Globe Theatre, Regina; The Bird – Union Eight/Buddies in Bad Times; Last Five Years – The Grand, London; Hush – Tarragon, Toronto; Where’s My Money – Alley Co-op; Melancholy Play – Project Undertow/SummerWorks; Little Shop of Horrors, Fire, A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman & As You Like It - Blue Bridge Rep, Victoria; Bird Brain – YPT; Betrayal – Theatre & Co., Kitchener; Chasing the Moment – Arcola Theatre, London UK; Turn of the Screw, A Number - Belfry, Victoria. Assistant design credits include: RSC Complete Works Festival Season; Dirty Dancing & Cabaret, London West-End; Netherlands Opera; Norwegian National Opera & Royal Opera Covent Garden. Training: BFA (Victoria), MFA (Alberta), Royal Shakespeare Company. A portfolio of select works can be seen online at www.patrickduwors.com. Patrick is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Tim French, Choreographer

Tim was choreographer for the Acting Up Stage production of Caroline, or Change. Director and/or Choreographer credits include: To Life (Harold Green Jewish Theatre) co-created with Avery Salzmann; The Fantasticks (Soulpepper); [title of show] and Altar Boyz (Angelwalk Theatre). Other credits include: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Shaw Festival); Evita/Guys and Dolls/Camelot (MTC/Theatre Calgary/Citadel); Hair/Dreamgirls (The Grand/Theatre Aquarius); Sound of Music/Carousel (Drayton Festival); multiple productions for Stage West which include 5 original Rock & Roll Revues that he co-created. As a Director and Dramaturge he has been actively involved in the development of the new musical Queen For a Day which has its showcase production Sept/Oct 2012 in Richmond Hill. He has worked as Resident Director for the Toronto Mirvish productions of The Producers and Dirty Dancing. Tim’s work has been regularly nominated in multiple categories for Dora, Betty Mitchell, and Sterling awards.

Sarah Gibbons, Cordelia

Originally from St. John’s Newfoundland, Sarah is thrilled to be making her professional debut with Acting Up Stage. After graduating from The Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, she obtained her Masters Degree in Musical Theatre from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Favorite Credits include “Dot/Marie” in Sunday in the Park with George (Edinburgh Fringe) “Polly Baker” in Crazy for You (St Andrews College), “Kitty Bennet” in Pride and Prejudice (The Annex Theatre) “Sally Brown” in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (The Arts & Culture Center). Sarah would like to thank her family and friends for all their love and support.

Adam Harendorf, Sound Design

Adam Harendorf is a sound designer and record producer based in Toronto. Select design credits include: The Cherry Orchard (Soulpepper); Sweeney Todd, Elf - The Musical, La Cage Aux Folles, The Jungle Book (Neptune); Lost In Yonkers, Visiting Mr. Green (HGJT); For The Pleasure Of Seeing Her Again (Festival Players of Prince Edward County); Crazy To Kill (Toronto Masque Theatre); How To Succeed: A Tribute To Des McAnuff (RTS); Third Floor (SummerWorks); Fool For Love (Red One Theatre); Short Story Long (Best of Fringe); The Shepard Plays (Candles are for Burning). Assistant design credits include: The Aleph (Soulpepper); A Year With Frog And Toad, Seussical (YPT). As a record producer, Adam’s work has been featured on CBC Radio, 102.1 The Edge, Bravo Television and the TV show Nikita. Notable clients include Juno award winners Jayme Stone and Mansa Sissoko, Grand Prix Du Jazz award winner Nick “Brownman” Ali, and The ElastoCitizens.

Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Dr. Charlotte

Sara-Jeanne is an actor, director and choreographer returning to Toronto after living on the west coast for the past 10 years. She could not be happier to be a part of Falsettos with Acting Up Stage. Favourite credits as an actor include; Patsy in A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline (Nationally); Betty in White Christmas, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Sarah in Company, (Arts Club Theatre); Velma Kelly (Sterling nomination) in Chicago; Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Mayfield Theatre); Rona in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Jessie Award); Babette in Beauty and the Beast (Citadel); Ernestina in Hello Dolly (The Playhouse); Audrey in Little Shop (Bluebridge Rep Theatre); Vaudeville and Damn Yankees (Drayton); Nellie in South Pacific (CTF) For more info please visit www.sjhosie.com.

Reza Jacobs, Music Director

Reza Jacobs is an award winning composer, lyricist, sound designer and music director, known for his versatility in style and genre. His credits include sound design and composition for the Shaw Festival, Factory Theatre, Volcano Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Acting Up Stage Theatre, the Luminato Festival, & Harbourfront’s World Stage Festival.
As Music Director, he has won Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Caroline, or Change (Acting Up Stage, Best Music Direction & Best Musical 2012) and Assassins (TIFT, Birdland Theatre, Award for Best Musical, 2010).
He is also the resident Canadian Music Director for Andrea Martin’s one-woman show, Everything Must Go.
Currently Reza is teaming up with Andrew Kushnir to write a new musical, commissioned by the Belfry Theatre and Acting Up Stage.

Melanie Klodt, Stage Manager

This is Melanie’s first production with Acting Up Stage. Her stage management credits include: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Pirates of Penzance (2012), Shakespeare’s Universe, Triumph of Love, Gigi (Stratford Festival); Golden Dragon (Tarragon Theatre); Billy Elliot, The Lord of the Rings, Mamma Mia!, e-dentity (Mirvish Productions); Jersey Boys (Dancap Productions); Peter Pan the Musical, Beauty & the Beast (Ross Petty Productions); Fool For Love, The Long Valley, The Play’s the Thing (Soulpepper); a nanking winter (Nightwood Theatre). Melanie is a graduate of the University of Waterloo, Arts Applied Studies Program and Cultural Management Specialization.

Michael Levinson, Jason

Michael Levinson is thrilled to be back with Acting Up Stage to perform the role of ‘Jason’ in Falsettos. In 2012 he was a proud cast member of Acting Up Stage’s award winning production of Caroline, or Change. His portrayal of ‘Noah’ earned him a Dora award nomination for “Outstanding Performance by a Male”. In 2012 Michael joined the cast of The LA Complex as a series regular playing the role of ‘Simon’. Other selected theatre credits: Theatre Aquarius: The Full Monty (Nathan), The Rose Theatre: A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim). Most recently, Michael shot the lead role of ‘Iggy’ in the feature film, Algonquin (Jonathan Hayes) set to be released later this year. Michael thanks Mitchell, Rob and Reza for this incredible opportunity! Much love to his family for all their support!

 

Robert McQueen, Director

For Acting Up Stage Company Robert has directed Caroline, or Change and The Light in the Piazza. His other recent work includes productions of Capriccio for Pacific Opera Victoria, The Magic Flute for Vancouver Opera and La Boheme for the Canadian Opera Company. Internationally Robert directed Carousel at the Galaxy Theatre, Tokyo and the world premiere of Where Elephants Weep in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Favourite past productions include The Spitfire Grill, The Cradle Will Rock, I Am My Own Wife and You Can’t Take it With You. Robert has worked in the development of new musicals and operas in Canada, the US and internationally for companies including The O’Neill Centre, Vancouver Opera, The Canadian Opera Company and Cambodian Living Arts, in Phnom Penh. Most recently Robert directed a workshop of Leslie Uyeda and Rachel Rose’s new opera When the Sun Comes Out, which will have it’s premiere production next summer as part of the Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver.

Eric Morin, Whizzer

Eric is honored to be making his Acting Up Stage debut with such an incredible cast and crew. He was a participant of the 2011 and 2012 Banff/Citadel Professional Theatre Training Program which led to such roles as Fred in A Christmas Carol, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and d’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers. Other selected credits include: Little Women- the Musical, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Citadel Theatre); Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canadian Stage); The Wizard of Oz (Ross Petty Prod.); Gabe in Next to Normal nominated for an Ovation Award (The Arts Club); and Luke in the Dora-nominated production of The Altar Boyz. Eric is a graduate of the distinguished Ryerson Theatre School Program and attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where he had the opportunity to take part in a Master Singing Class with Stephen Sondheim. Many thanks to his family, friends, and Adrian for their undying love, support and passion. www.ericmorin.ca

Stephen Patterson, Marvin

Stephen Patterson has spent 3 Seasons at the Stratford Festival, most recently in Wanderlust and as Snoopy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Other Stratford credits include: Camelot, Jesus Christ Superstar, As You Like It, Jacques Brel. Elsewhere: Guys and Dolls in Concert (NAC Orchestra); James Bond/ABBA in Concert (Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra); Bob in White Christmas (MTC, Neptune); Freddy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (North American tour – Drayton); Che in Evita, Chris in Miss Saigon, Joseph in Joseph, Jeff in Brigadoon, The World Goes ’Round (Drayton); Marius in Les Misérables (Broadway, U.S. national tour); Laurie in Little Women (first U.S. national tour); Bobby Strong in Urinetown (Canadian Stage); Jerry in The Full Monty (Stage West); Twist and Shout (Grand); I Love You, You’re Perfect… (Aquarius); Gilbert in Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown). Stephen’s CD, Tonight at Eight, is available on his website, www.stephenpatterson.tv. Stephen resides in Stratford with his wife, Robin Hutton, and their two sons, Hutton and Wesley.