A Phoenix Too Frequent

Trevor Schmidt

Director & Costume Designer

Trevor is the Artistic Director of Northern Light Theatre as well as a performer, designer of set and costume, a published playwright and a multiple award winner. He has been awarded twice for playwrighting (THE WATERMELON GIRLS, and CHANGE ROOM),for directing the Canadian premieres of Carol Anne Duffy’s THE WORLD’S WIFE and Sean Graney’s THE 4TH GRADERS PRESENT AN UNNAMED LOVE-SUICIDE and the outstanding production award for the Canadian premiere of Elise Forier Edie’s THE PINK UNICORN. For Guys In Disguise, where he is an Artistic Associate, he has also performed the one-man show COFFEE DAD, CHICKEN MOM, AND THE FABULOUS BUDDHA BOI, penned by Nick Green in New York as part of the FRIGID FESTIVAL for which he also received the award for Outstanding Performance, and the Outstanding New Fringe Play (co-written and created with Darrin Hagen) for FLORA & FAWNA’S FIELD TRIP (both at the Sterling Awards), and Outstanding Touring Production at the Critic’s Awards in Calgary. Also for Guys In Disguise, he received an Orlando Fringe award for his performance for Bette Davis in the much-lauded BITCHSLAP.

Julia van Dam

as Dynamene

Julia is so grateful to be returning to Northern Light Theatre after appearing in last season’s A Phoenix Too Frequent. She has just wrapped up her work on Jean Genet’s THE MAIDS which she co-produced and acted in. Favourite credits include Dracula (Studio Theatre), Little Women (Opera Nuova) and Under the Banner of Heaven (FX on Hulu). She is a graduate of Red Deer College Theatre Performance and Creation program and has a BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta. Catch Julia next in After the Trojan Women by Amena Shehab and Joanna Blundell presented by Common Ground Arts Society. Much love to her family, friends and Joel for their love and support.

Brennan Campbell

as Tegeus

Brennan is a theatre and dance artist from Edmonton. He has been involved in more than a hundred productions and has performed on four different continents. He is a graduate of the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts program and Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre’s internship program (Brisbane, Australia). Previous work includes touring his original plays to nearly every Fringe Festival in Canada, dancing with the legendary butoh company Dairakudakan (Tokyo), and playing a corpse in Lucifer Season 2, Episode 16. Some recent credits include performing in Concrete Theatre’s Sterling Award winning production of CTRL-ALT-DEL, dancing in the Brian Webb Dance Company’s The Liminal, and playing Liono in ThunderCATS the musical (Grindstone Theatre).

Brennan is a Residency Artist for Trickster Theatre, Quest Theatre, and Theatre Prospero. He has taught physical theatre for Bard On The Beach, Circofit Aerial Arts, Azimuth Theatre, The Royal Theatre Exchange (UK), Mile Zero Dance, SmartyPantz Entertainment, Human Theatre, NOW! Theatre, and the Fojo Festival.

Ellen Chorley

as Doto

Ellen is an Edmonton-based playwright, producer, performer and arts educator. She is the current Festival Director of Nextfest, Edmonton’s annual festival showcasing and support emerging artists. From 2009-2023 Ellen served as the Artistic Associate/ Box Office Manager of Northern Light Theatre. NLT also commissioned and produced the world premiere of Ellen’s play “Everybody Loves Robbie” which was awarded the Gwen Pharis Award for Best New Play by the Alberta Writers Guild in 2020. Ellen is also the Academy Director of the Theatre Network Summer Academy, the Student’s Club Facilitator for the Citadel Theatre, a Sessional Instructor for MacEwan University and a playwrighting and acting teacher with Foote Theatre School at the Citadel. Ellen is a two-time Sterling Award winner for her play “Murielle” co-produced with Blarney Productions and was awarded Edify Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2013. Ellen is thrilled to back on stage after a few years behind the scenes and is eternally grateful for her long relationship of mentorship and learning with the NLT Team.

Larissa Poho

Lighting Designer

Larissa (she/her) is a queer Ukrainian artist living and creating in amiskwaciwaskahikan. A multidisciplinary performer, production designer, visual artist and tattooist (owner/artist at Folk Lore Tattoo), she is also a teaching artist with the Citadel Theatre (musical theatre/dance), and is the current Artistic Director of the Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. Select performance credits: Once, All Because I’m A Woman, Hits of Broadway (Citadel) ; Infinity (Theatre Network); Canada Rocks: The Reboot, VEGAS LIVE, Canada 151 (Mayfield); ren & the wake (Catch the Keys); 10 out of 12 (WildSide); Ordinary Days (Straight Edge); Assassins (Loose Ends); Dreamer’s Cantata (Plain Janes). Assistant Music-Direction: Jersey Boys (Citadel); Assistant Direction: Evelyn Strange (Teatro La Quindicina). Lighting Design: A Phoenix Too Frequent (Northern Light Theatre); Joni Mitchell’s Songs of a Prairie Girl, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (Network); An Homage to Billie Holiday, Les Sylphides (Ballet Edmonton); La Raccourcie, Les Neiges, Simone et le whole shebang (L’UniTheatre); Surveil (Hip.Bang!); Fusion – Harmony in Motion, At the Bazaar (Viter Ukrainian Dancers & Folk Choir). Sterling-Nominated Music Direction for the Canadian national tour of Barvinok (Pyretic Productions). You can catch her lighting up the stage again later this season with NLT’s Radiant Vermin. Thanks to everyone who continues to support Larissa on this artistic journey. Much love to Vince and Soaps.

@poho.art – Instagram
@poho.art – Facebook
www.larissapoho.com

Alison Yanota

Set Designer

Alison is a graduate from the Mount Royal University Diploma in Technical Theatre and the University of Alberta MFA and BFA in Theatre Design. She is an artist and educator, who believes in the performance space as a form of interactive sculpture.

Recent design credits include: FEVERLAND – Set and Lighting Design, A SIMPLE HAPPY LIFE – Lighting Design, and LOST LEMOINE – Lighting Design for Teatro la Quindicina; CRIME AND PUNISHMENT – Production Design for Cloudsway Dance; EVERY BRILLIANT THING – Production Design for The Citadel Theatre; THE WEDDING PARTY – Lighting Design, for Alberta Theatre Projects; THE COMEDY COMPANY – Set and Lighting Design, Shadow Theatre; AFTER THE FIRE – Set and Costume Design for Punctuate! Theatre; PREMIUM CONTENT – Production Design for Major Matt Mason Collective; MISS KATELYN’S GRADE THREES PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE – Production Design for Tiny Bear Jaws; MIXIE AND THE HALFBREDS – Set and Lighting Design for FuGEN Theatre; THE LONELY DINER – Lighting Design, and WAIT UNTIL DARK – Lighting Design for Vertigo Theatre.

Amelia Chan

Sound Designer

Amelia (she/they) is a queer artist born and based out of amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). She wears many different hats including sound technician, sound designer, audio engineer, musician, and producer. Amelia graduated in 2023 from MacEwan University with a diploma in music composition. She made her sound design debut with Northern Light Theatre’s production of A Phoenix Too Frequent in 2023. Amelia is grateful to all the artists that have supported and mentored her as she grows.

Chris Hicks

Production Manager

Christopher Hicks – But mostly known as Hicks since there is a saturation of Chris’s in the world – is a seasoned theatre and festival production creator. He has worked with magnitudes of major festivals in Edmonton and beyond, from dinosaur building and electronic music, to downhill canoe racing on snow. Graduating from the MacEwan Theatre Production program 10+ years ago, Hicks is still making art happen and enjoys it!

Like many still giving it out here, Chris has been successfully navigating the feast or famine, zero to sixty entertainment climate that has been the last 3 years. Avoiding burnout and learning all the intricacies of live streaming theatre, along with the reality of more multimedia shows in general, he has been quite proud of some of the recent achievements!

Hicks is stoked to be joining Northern Light Theatre for a return to full season action. This will be his 4th season in a row with NLT. He is once again pleased to be transforming the space into a powerful show you will be enjoying this time around.

However… Who wants to run away to the mountains with me?!

Liz Allison-Jorde

Stage Manager