Candy & The Beast

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.

Jayce McKenzie

as Candy

Jayce is thrilled to return to Northern Light Theatre after making her Sterling-nominated debut in EVERYBODY LOVES ROBBIE in 2019. A graduate of the 2010 Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan, Jayce has worked to continuously expand her skill set, adding writer, producer, improviser, and hypnotist to her bag of tricks. In addition to NLT, Jayce has had the pleasure of working with some of Edmonton’s finest theatre companies, including Teatro La Quindicina, The Maggie Tree, and Whizgiggling Productions. Her outstanding work has earned her three Sterling nominations and a Sterling award for her performance in Whizgiggling’s Fringe production of SALT WATER MOON. Her next opportunity is another new work written by Trevor Schmidt, called ROBOT GIRLS premiering in March 2024 at Shadow Theatre.

Jayce’s passion for theatre opened doors for her to work in film, TV, and commercial acting and she has also established herself as a professional voiceover artist. She recently recorded the voice of a lead character for the new children’s cartoon and video game, TIME HOPPERS: SILK ROAD and has been doing commercial voiceover work for Shaw Communications since 2019.

Jayce is the owner and operator of Alpha Awakening and when she’s not playing pretend, she helps people heal and level up with meditation, hypnosis, and spiritual coaching. She loves all things magical and unexplainable so naturally, she is dying to jump into the weird world of Candy and The Beast!

Jake Tkaczyk

as Kenny

Jake is an Edmonton-based theatre artist with a passion for creating new and engaging work collaboratively. He graduated from the BFA Acting program at the University of Alberta and is currently in the midst of his PhD in Creative Practice from the Transart Institute and Liverpool John Moores’ University. Also a graduate of Red Deer College’s Theatre Performance and Creation program, Jake has worked as an actor, director, creator, and educator in central Alberta. Jake had the extreme pleasure of working as an Artist Intern at Northern Light Theatre for a few years and he Assistant Directed NLT’s production of THE TESTAMENT OF MARY. His selected acting credits include: FLORA AND FAUNA HAVE BEAVER FEVER (and so does Fleurette!) (Lunchbox Theatre), MR BURNS, a post-electric play (Blarney Productions/You are Here), 10 FUNERALS, LUNGS (Shadow Theatre), THAT’S DANGER! (Alberta Workers’ Health Centre), CRACK IN THE MIRROR, WITH BELLS ON, DON’T FROWN AT THE GOWN (Guys in Disguise), URINETOWN (Grindstone Theatre), YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN! (Opera Nuova). Directing and creating credits include: WHITE GUY ON STAGE TALKING, BEDEUTUNG KRANKENWAGEN, POST, LIKE, SHARE – BEWARE!, THE BIG FAT SURPRISE, ALL PROCEEDS GO TO:, and PRIDE AND PRE-JEU-DICE (Innocent Operations), THE LAND THAT ART FORGOT, and DEVOUR CONTENT HERE: OF LOVE AND WHEAT (Kristine Nutting). Jake has taught workshops for The Citadel Theatre’s Foote Theatre School and Grindstone Theatre, as well as guest instructing at Augustana University. Jake was previously employed as Theatre Alberta’s Program Coordinator and the Program Manager at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. Jake recently received the AFA Young Artist Prize and is the current General Manager at Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre.

Dave Clarke

Sound Designer

Dave is a musician, actor and writer. He has composed music and produced sound designs for theatre, film, dance and multi-media for three decades. Watch out for the 2024 Western Canadian tour of his family musical performed in spoken English and American Sign Language, SONGS MY MOTHER NEVER SUNG ME (Concrete Theatre).

Previous designs for Northern Light Theatre include ENOUGH, THE CARDIAC SHADOW, WISH, SPACE/SPACE, THE ECSTATICS and 6.0 – HEAP AND PEBBLE. Other recent designs include AFTER FAUST (Invisible Practice), DEAFY, THE ROYALE (Citadel Theatre), and ALL THE LITTLE ANIMALS I HAVE EATEN (Shadow Theatre).

Alison Yanota

Lighting 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.

Rae McCallum

Production Manager

Rae (she/her) is an Edmonton-based freelance production manager, technical director, lighting designer, and technician in Edmonton. She has been part of the Edmonton backstage community for over a decade. She is also a proud board member of the Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology (CITT/ICTS) Alberta Section, promoting professional development and advancement of the theatre community.

Yvette Martens

Stage Manager

Yvette is thrilled to be with this production at Northern Light Theatre. Previous credits include Mob (Workshop West), The Royale, Almost A Full Moon, The Herd (Citadel Theatre), CTRL-ALT-DEL, The Sprouts 20th Anniversary (Concrete Theatre), Bathsheba & the Books, Woman Caught Unaware, Return of the Tenors (Edmonton Fringe), 87 productions over the past 23 years at (Mayfield Dinner Theatre) too many favorites to mention. The last three years been working with The Edmonton International Street Performers. I’m also honoured to have been nominated twice for a Sterling Award for Individual Achievement in Production. It’s a great pleasure to work with such talented cast and production teams! Enjoy the performance