The Ugly Duchess

Janet Munsil

Playwright

Janet is the playwright of more than a dozen plays and the former producer/artistic director of Intrepid Theatre in Victoria (1992–2016). Her plays have been produced internationally by theatres including  ATP, Tarragon, Touchstone, The West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Citizen’s (Glasgow), The Arts Club Stanley Theatre, Persephone, and the Soho Theatre in London’s West End. Her play “That Elusive Spark” was a finalist for the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Awards. Her adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice,” commissioned and co-produced in 2012 by Theatre Calgary and the National Arts Centre, has been seen worldwide. Munsil teaches playwriting at the University of Victoria as a sessional instructor, and is the Instigator of the Canadian Play Thing (plaything.ca), which she operates from her home on Lekwungen territory/Victoria BC. She is currently adapting her most recent play, “Attaboy!”  to a one-hour drama pilot through the CBC Creative Relief Fund (Playwright Stream).

janetmunsil.com

Trevor Schmidt

Director, Set & Costumes

Trevor has been the Artistic Director of Northern Light Theatre for the past 18 years, and involved with NLT for the past 27 years as a performer, director, designer, and playwright, as well as being a multiple Sterling award winner. He has been awarded three times for playwrighting, (THE WATERMELON GIRLS, CHANGE ROOM, and FLORA & FAWNA’S FIELD TRIP!), twice for directing (the Canadian premieres of THE 4TH GRADERS PRESENT AN UNNAMED LOVE-SUICIDE and Carol Anne Duffy’s THE WORLD’S WIFE) and received the Outstanding Fringe Performance award for the one-man show COFFEE DAD, CHICKEN MOM, AND THE FABULOUS BUDDHA BOI, penned by Nick Green, which toured to New York as part of the FRIGID FESTIVAL. His plays have been produced across Canada and far away as Australia (MABEL STARK!). He has created and choreographed a one-woman dance piece entitled MARKED for the Expanse Dance Festival that was extended and nominated for a Sterling award for Outstanding New Work. He was honored to be awarded for Outstanding Choreography for 6.0: HOW HEAP AND PEBBLE TOOK ON THE WORLD AND WON at the Betty Mitchell Theatre Awards in Calgary, and the DIALOG Award for Excellence in Artistic Direction as part of the Mayor’s Evening for the Arts in Edmonton. He is an Artistic Associate of GUYS IN DISGUISE theatre company.

Lora Brovold

The Duchess Margaret

Lora is a Sterling nominated actor and voiceover artist who is thankful to make her home and practice her craft here in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton), on Treaty Six Territory. She is particularly pleased to be returning to Northern Light Theatre, where she began her professional theatre career and performed in their productions of FAT PIG, MO AND JESS KILL SUSIE, and HEROINE.

Lora has been privileged to appear on many stages in our community, including the Citadel Theatre (SWEAT, A FEW GOOD MEN, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE ENCOUNTERS FESTIVAL), Theatre Network (BUST, LET THE LIGHT OF DAY THROUGH), Shadow Theatre (CIRCLE, MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, THE LIARS, THREE DAYS OF RAIN), Workshop West Playwright’s Theatre (THE INVENTION OF ROMANCE) Freewill Players, Theatre Yes, Azimuth Theatre, Concrete Theatre, and others. Lora has also enjoyed working with many of our community’s fine independent theatre companies including The Unconscious Collective, The Serial Collective, Maggie Tree, Broken Toys Theatre, Interloper Theatre, Bedlam Theatre Concern, and Peregrine Theatre, to name a few.

Lora’s most recent productions were courtesy of The Citadel Theatre’s ESC Series, wherein she produced, co-wrote, and appeared in Epic Bedlam Productions three short films (6 Feet Apart, Pandemic Dating, and For You Margaret). All three films were inspired by the spiritual, social, physical, and metaphysical Covid constraints we’ve all been weathering. You may view the films on the Facebook page for Epic Bedlam Productions. Lora is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program and the Citadel Theatre/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program.

Roy Jackson

Lighting Design

Roy is a Sterling Award Winning Lighting Designer (A Dybbuk for Two People – NLT) and owner of Roy Jackson Design. He has been lighting up bands, churches, schools and theatres for the past four decades. Recently he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Walterdale Theatre where he was Technical Director and Lighting Designer for many years. Roy is delighted to be working with Trevor and NLT again.

Darrin Hagen

Original Composition & Sound Design

Darrin is an award-winning playwright, composer and queer historian. He is the author of THE EDMONTON QUEEN, which won a Sterling Award and was published in book form by Brindle & Glass Publishing. Darrin is the Artistic Director of Guys In Disguise, marking over 30 years of creating drag comedies that have toured across North America. He has received 7 Sterling awards and over 40 nominations for his work in Edmonton theatre. Other plays by Darrin include BITCHSLAP!: THE NEO-NANCIES: HITLER’S KICKLINE; TORNADO MAGNET: A SALUTE TO TRAILER COURT WOMEN (published by Brindle & Glass), WITCH HUNT AT THE STRAND; BUDDY; WITH BELLS ON; and THE EMPRESS & THE PRIME MINISTER (all nominated for the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding New Play.

Darrin has also teamed up with Trevor Schmidt to create FLORA & FLORA’S FIELD TRIP (WITH FLEURETTE) and FLORA & FAWNA HAVE BEAVER FEAVER (AND SO DOES FLEURETTE), PSYCHOBABBLE, 2 QUEENS & A JOKER, DRAGULA (now available as a radio play through Bandcamp), KLONDYKES, PREPARE FOR THE WORST!, PUCK BUNNIES, DON’T FROWN AT THE GOWN and the upcoming CRACK IN THE MIRROR.

Darrin has created sound and sometimes performed for many Northern Light Theatre productions going back 23 years, including CINDERELLA (THE REAL STORY), DOG’S TEMPER, METASTASIS, SPEECH AND DEBATE, 3 DIFFERENT HEAVENS, I GOOGLE MYSELF, BIFURIOUS, MOTEL HELL, MERCY OF A STORM, THE PASSION OF NARCISSE MONDOUX,  CHRISTINA/PHILIPPE, DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME and most recently BARONESS BIANKA’S BLOODSONGS.

In 2005, Darrin was named one of 100 Edmontonians of the Century. To the best of his knowledge, he’s the only Drag Queen on that list. In 2017 he was named one of the most influential Alberta artists of the past 25 years.

Elizabeth Allison

Stage Manager

Elizabeth was born and raised in Edmonton and has spent most of her adult life working in theatre here. Mostly as a Stage Manager but also as a Costume Designer/Builder, Arts Administrator and every once in a while an actress. After attending both the Theatre Production and Theatre Arts programs at MacEwan University, she spent the better part of her first year out of school playing the role of Jan in Grease at all of the Canadian, Stage West stages, (at that time Edmonton, Calgary and Missasauga). Her history with Northern Light Theatre also goes way back. The first performance she remembers seeing as a child was a production of Winnie The Pooh, which was a part of NLT’s inaugural season, this was just the beginning of her love of Edmonton Theatre. She was on the board of NLT from 1995 to 2003, including the role of Board President for two years and she has stage managed many productions for them over the last two decades including, Love, Some Girl(s), Speech and Debate, The 4th Graders Present An Unnamed Love-Suicide, Slut, 19 Weeks, Origin of the Species, Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs and Everybody Loves Robbie. She has worked at almost every theatre company in town at one time or another including being the Sterling Nominated Costume Designer for Peace, Love and Rock’n’Roll 2, at The Mayfield Dinner Theatre, where she was a part of the costume team for over a decade. Thank you for supporting the Edmonton Theatre Community.

Chris Hicks

Production Manager

Chris Hicks – but mostly just known as Hicks since there is a saturation of Chris’ in the world – is a seasoned theatre and festival production creator. He’s worked a ton of major festivals in Edmonton and beyond from dinosaur building to downhill canoe racing on snow. Graduating from the MacEwan Theatre Production program 9 years ago, Hicks is still making art happen and enjoys it!

After joining the Northern Light Theatre team 2 years ago and being involved in every show in last season, Hicks is once again pleased to be transforming the space into the powerful shows you are viewing this year.