PROGRAM B

PLAYS in this set: Spunk’d, Letter From A Soldier, The Lost Sole.

BIOS: In the order of the plays in the set, playwright, director(s) and actors.

SPUNK’D

ELLA SIMON- - Spunk’d – Playwright

Ella originally hails from Alberta. She is an acting student at Studio 58 and will be completing her final term this fall. You can see her this summer in Townsville, which is part of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. This is the first play she’s written, and hopefully not her last. Ella would like to tip her hat to Travis, her inspiration of this show.

DES HUSSEY- Spunk’d- Director

Since Co-founding Spectral Theatre Society in 2002, Des Hussey has been actively engaged in creating original tales of horror, science fiction, mystery and spectacle for the stage. His love for the creative process (not to mention necessity) has inspired him to wear many hats over the years. This has allowed him to poke his creative finger in a wide variety of departments, such as writing, directing, acting, set, prop, light, costume and music design, puppetry and mask work. Always intrigued by original and challenging material, he is excited to be lured out of the dank dungeons of Spectral by the tantalizing prospect of walking some mutant fishies around for this years festival. He humbly hopes you enjoy the innocent, playful, though morally uncertain, deliquance of “Spunk’d”. Thanks to: The Buddhagrass Boys, Blake Drezet and all the folks at Spectral Studios.

JENNIFER-LEE GUNSON – Spunk’d- Assistant Director

Jennifer-Lee has just moved back from Vancouver Island. Where she just graduated with her BFA in directing from the University of Victoria. Before venturing to the island she had received her acting diploma from Capilano College. Her favourite directing credits include, Beef, Cuffed , the Photograph and Suicide Anyone?: Loyalty. As well as her favourite acting credits include, As You Like it, the Lion Witch and the Wardrobe and Renovations. Jennifer-Lee is excited be a part of the Walking Fish Festival and to be back in the Vancouver theatre community.

CHRISTINE QUINTANA – Spunk’d – Actor

Christine Quintana is an actor, writer, and costume designer from Vancouver BC. Recent projects include directing the original one-act Daybreak at the VECC and costume design for The Pillowman at the Firehall Theatre. Favorite acting credits include Cinderella in Cinderella at the Metro Theatre, Suzie Ward in Babes in Arms with Applause Musicals, and High School Musical with Uncle Randy Productions. Christine looks forward to her first term in UBC’s BFA Acting Program in September. Enjoy the show!

LETTER FROM A SOLDIER

DEB VICTOROFF – Letter from a Soldier – Playwright

Deb Victoroff started her writing career producing humor essays and articles for magazines and newspapers, including The Village Voice, Penthouse, Cosmopolitan and Healthy Living magazines as well as local newspapers. Her humor commentary has been broadcast on National Public Radio’s (NPR) daily program Morning Edition.

She has written several short plays that have appeared in off-Broadway venues and regional theatres around the country. Her drama “Et Tu Kelly” was a finalist in the annual Samuel French one act competition, the New York City-based Strawberry One-Act Festival, The Source One-Act Festival in Washington, D.C. and The First Stage One-Act Festival in Los Angeles, CA. Her one act comedy “Table for Two” was recently performed at Producer’s Club and at the Theatre Studios in Manhattan, and at the Black Box Festival by The Gallery Players in Brooklyn, New York.

To actually make a living, she works as a video and music editor, most recently on the HBO hit “Sex and the City”. Her horoscope parody appears monthly online at www.happywomanmagazine.com. This is her first work to appear at the Walking Fish Festival.

JOSUE LABOUCANE- Letter From a Soldier – Director

This is Josue’s first time with the Walking Fish Festival and he is extremely pleased to be working on this strong timely piece with very talented people. Primarily an actor, Josue has begun to expand his artistry with teaching, writing and directing. Acting credits include The Hobbit (Carousel Theatre), The Emperor’s New Threads (Axis Theatre), Timon of Athens, Julius Caesar, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Bard on the Beach). Josue is a graduate of Studio 58.

EVAN FRAYNE- Letter from a Soldier -Actor

Evan is very excited to be working on this great new play in Walking Fish. Credits include Death and Taxes written and directed by Patrick Gauthier(UBC), Lady Windermere’s Fan(United Players), Mother Courage and her Children, Big Love, and Beautiful Thing(Theatre @ UBC) Life After God(Touchstone/UBC), Mary Stuart(Blackbird) and Antigone(Seven Tyrants). Evan also works in film and tv, most recently a lead role in Tom Scholte’s directorial debut, Crime. He can next be seen on stage in Kamloops, in Project X’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Evan is a graduate of the BFA acting program at UBC.

Lost and Found Puppet Co- LOST SHOE

Lost and Found Puppet Co. is a new Vancouver Puppetry and Object Theatre collective. Founded by puppeteer and performance artist Maggie Winston, Lost and Found presents the stories of various objects through object animation and various forms of puppetry.

Synopsis of show: Lost and Found Puppet Co

Do you ever wonder what happens to your socks when they go missing in the dryer? In the Lost Sole, tragedy strikes in the dryer! A sock is thrown from a life of monotony into a world of excitement and hardship. Weirdness abounds as he wanders through a crazy world of odd socks. Matchless, shoeless, and drawerless, he must find out who he is without his match. Join introspective Al, from the topsy turvey world of the dryer to the snobbish top-drawer, on his solo quest of self discovery. Will he meet more than his match or cling to his destiny and sort his true self from the lint?

MAURI BERNSTEIN – Lost and Found Puppet Co –

Mauri is new to Vancouver fresh from Los Angeles. Theatre appearances include South Coast Repertory, Sacred Fools, Rogue Artist Ensemble, and ComedySportzLA. Lost & Found once again proves the old adage, “you put a sock on your hand and it’s magic.”

TANIA CONLEY -Lost and Found Puppet Co-

Tania Conley has spent the last 4 years with KOB Educational puppet troupe, and has worked on a variety of theatrical shows over the years, most recently the ‘Sticky Fingers’ Fringe show “Down the Drain”. Currently she teaches secondary film/video, and drama and is completing a post graduate diploma at SFU. She also dabbles in motherhood, writing, dancing, photography, hiking, and is in the planning stages of two documentary films.

PATRICK KEARNS – Lost and Found Puppet Co –

Patrick has been involved in a number of community projects including Vancouver Car Free Days, The Purple House Collective, The Oddball, The Illuminaires Festival, The Parade of Lost Souls, and the Vancouver International Fringe Festival. His current work with the YWCA in the Mount Pleasant Area (Windows at the Y) has brought him widespread acclaim between 30th and 12th Avenue on Main Street.

GREGOR PHILLIPS- Lost and Found Puppet Co – Sound Design

Gregor has been active in the independent film community as a sound designer, composer and audio mixer. He also keeps busy performing and recording with the band Language-Arts.

MAGGIE WINSTON- Lost and Found Puppet Co -

Maggie is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, NY, where she studied experimental performance and puppetry. Some of Maggie’s puppet shows have been featured at Firehall Arts Center, Vancouver Fringe Festival, The Western Front, In the House Festival, and Walking Fish Festival. She has also been active with Vancouver Moving Theatre and “Condemned” a DTES Community Opera. Maggie is a theatre instructor for children ages 2-19 at Arts Umbrella and a puppeteer for Kids on the Block.