Donna Orbits the Moon

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.

Patricia Darbasie

as Donna

Patricia is an Edmonton based actor and director; she is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting program and MFA Directing program. Pat is a two time Sterling award winner. Pat has had the pleasure of working with Northern Light Theatre many times over their 50 years. The first time was the Corporate Nightmare of Rembrant Brown with Jillian Raby and more recently she did Something Unspoken and Donna Orbits the Moon with Trevor Schmidt . Some other Acting credits include: Citadel Theatre: Shakespeare in Love and A Christmas Carol, and Little Women Atlas Theatre: Going to St. Ives, Teatro Live!: The Finest of Strangers. Catalyst Theatre: Until the Next Breath Theatre Calgary: Steel Magnolias and Workshop West Theatre: Unsung: Tales from the Front Line.

Rae McCallum

Lighting Designer

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.

Darrin Hagen

Sound Designer/Composer

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 the award-winning FLORA & FLORA’S FIELD TRIP (WITH FLEURETTE) and FLORA & FAWNA HAVE BEAVER FEAVER (AND SO DOES FLEURETTE), the hit musical KLONDYKES, DRAGULA (now available as a radio play through Bandcamp), PSYCHOBABBLE, 2 QUEENS & A JOKER, 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 31 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, BARONESS BIANKA’S BLOODSONGS, and most recently THE LOOK.

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.

Liz Allison-Jorde

Stage Manager

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!

Ruth DyckFehderau

Salon Facilitator

Ruth DyckFehderau (pronounced Dyke-FAY-der-ow) writes fiction and nonfiction, and teaches Creative Writing and English Lit at University of Alberta. Her shorter pieces have appeared in literary journals and anthologies; her book The Sweet Bloods of Eeyou Istchee: Stories of Diabetes and the James Bay Cree (2017 CBHSSJB, distrib WLUP), written with James Bay Cree storytellers, is being translated into five languages; and I (Athena), a novel, is forthcoming in 2023 (NeWest). Currently, Ruth is working on another commission for the James Bay Cree: Finding Our Way Home: Residential School Recovery Stories of the James Bay Cree (Vol One forthcoming 2022, CBHSSJB, distrib WLUP). She has published and spoken in venues around the world and has won many literary awards.