Radiant Vermin

Trevor Schmidt

Director, Set & 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.

Rain Matkin

as Jill

Rain is so excited to be making her NLT debut! She is a multidisciplinary performer and recent graduate of the Music Theatre Performance BFA program at MacEwan University. Select credits include: The Vinyl Cafe, Double Bubble (Citadel Theatre), Sunday in the Park with George, Legally Blonde (MacEwan), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Die Harsh (Grindstone Theatre), and Romeo & Juliet’s Notebook (Spotlight Cabaret). Thank you to her best friend Eli, her parents, and to all of you for supporting live theatre. @rainmatkin

Eli Yaschuk

as Ollie

Eli is thrilled to be making his Northern Light Theatre debut in this production of Radiant Vermin. He is an Edmonton-based actor, singer, and dancer, and is a recent graduate of MacEwan University’s new BFA in Music Theatre Performance. Recent credits include The Noon Witch (Teatro Live!), Die Fledermaus (Edmonton Opera), Boy Trouble (Amoris Projects), In My Room: A Cabaret/Play (Thought Train), Sunday In The Park With George, [title of show], London Road, (MacEwan University). You can catch Eli and Rain together again in Victor and Victoria’s Terrifying Tale of Terrible Things at the Edmonton Fringe Festival this upcoming summer. Much love to Rain and his family for their constant support.

Holly Turner

as Miss Dee

Holly trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse and performed in New York and regional theatres before moving to Edmonton. After a career in law, Holly has performed with Northern Light Theatre, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, L’Uni Théâtre, the Citadel, and Wishbone Theatre. Her Fringe performances in The Year of Magical Thinking and Love Letters were particularly well received. She received a Sterling nomination for her performance in the NLT production of Testament of Mary. Thanks to Don for his unfailing support.

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

Chris Scott

Sound Designer/Composer

Chris Scott is ecstatic to be making his Edmonton premier as a Theatrical Sound Designer/Composer with Northern Light Theatre’s Radiant Vermin. A recent graduate of Berklee Valencia’s Master’s program in Scoring for Film, TV, and Video Games, he has seen his work premier in multiple international film festivals, North American stages and screens all over the world. He looks forward with great anticipation towards the premier of his next film score/sound design at California Art’s Bijou film festival, Coyotes Eat Everything with experimental animator Ayden Lamb. Select sound design credits include Haunted House (Stuttgart International Film Fest), ARC Trilogy – Highschool and Elementary (Concrete Theatre). Select music composer credits include Passages: An Animated Short (CalArts), Insecticida (UPV-Valencia) Erlking: A New Musical and Killing Jar: A New Musical (SATCO).

Matt Schuurman

Projection Designer

Matt is thrilled to return to NLT as projection designer. He has designed video for over 50 productions across Canada and has received numerous award nominations for his work, including Edmonton’s Sterling Award for NLT’s A HUNDRED WORDS FOR SNOW.

Recent credits include Rock of Ages, First Date, Vegas: Live, Mamma Mia!, Nashville Outlaws, and Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story for Mayfield Dinner Theatre, and The Blank Who Stole Christmas for Rapid Fire Theatre, where he is also the Artistic Director. In 2019 he was named one of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40. Enjoy the show!

Ainsley Hillyard

Choreography

Ainsley Hillyard is an Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton)-based artist of settler descent. She is a choreographer and performer who works in contemporary dance and theatre. Ainsley was a co-founder, and a co-artistic director/general manager for the Good Women Dance Collective from its inception in 2009 to 2023. She has worked as a choreographer and performer for various theatre and dance companies in Amiskwacîwâskahikan and received numerous Sterling nominations and awards for her performances and choreographies. Select choreography credits include; Frozen the Musical (Citadel Theatre/the Grand Theatre) The Sound of Music (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre/Citadel Theatre/The Grand Theatre) Deafy by Chris Dodd (Citadel Theatre), Cardiac Shadow (Northern Light Theatre) and Mermaid Legs by Beth Graham (Skirts A Fire). She is very grateful to be back at NLT this season.

Liz Allison-Jorde

Stage Manager

Kade Mazury

Production Manager

Kade Mazury is a  Theatre artist and Stage Manager based in Alberta, they are  excited to be back working with Northern Light Theatre as  Production Manager Mentee for Radiant Vermin.  Up next Kade will be working in Drumheller on the Badlands Passion Play as one of the Assistant Stage Managers. Some  recent projects you may have seen Kade on  include: Production Manager Mentee for Angry Alan with Northern Light Theatre, Stage Manager for Krampus:A New Musical by Seth Gilfillan and Stephen Allred, Stage Manager for Lets Not Turn on Each Other (by Walters and Watt).  Kade would like to thank all the incredible artists they got to collaborate with and his supportive friends and family.

Tiana McLean

Production Manager Mentor

As graduate of Grant MacEwan University’s Theatre Production program, Tiana has spent the last two decades working in Edmonton Theatre, where extreme weather, fire, illnesses, broken scenery, aggressive prop handling, and squirrels have taught her much about problem solving and remaining calm in a crisis. Past credits include working as Production Manager for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Head of Lighting and Carpentry for Theatre Network, and Technical Director for Alberta Musical Theatre (formerly Alberta Opera). Her favourite show experiences include scenic construction for AMTC’s Pinocchio while 7 months pregnant, and building the fun and creepy set for Theatre Network’s The Woman in Black, with all its ghostly tricks. She is very lucky to have an incredibly supportive family who pressured her into theatre so they could get free tickets.