Performers

CAYLE CHERNIN (Ruth Steiner)

Toronto actor, writer, award-winning documentary film maker, teacher Cayle Chernin got her start as Selina in Don Shebib’s acclaimed feature Goin’ Down the Road, has worked with indie film maker Henry Jaglom, and written a script for Anais Nin, “so the mentor/protégé relationship that is explored in Collected Stories has great resonance” for her.

“My independence has always been important to me as a Woman and as an Actor and playing the fiercely independent Ruth in Collected Stories is a very wonderful merging of my truth and Margulies’s superb play. For me, it doesn’t get any better.”

The road has proved to be a journey into the world of a Canadian actor. An actor who delights in the work: “it’s a way of being in the world and living the life of the imagination.”

Chernin is here, there and everywhere: from Little Mosque on the Prairie to “a lot of shorts and independent film.” At the 5^th Annual Female Eye Festival, Car Lady and Bike Girl won Best Short Short: A very funny piece about the prosperity gap in Toronto.

Cayle’s signature is that she is often unrecognizable from one role to the next. Chameleon should be added to the lexicon of Canadian actors. With a huge body of work that includes Sara’s Cave, The Blood Of A Coward, Vagina Monologues, Georges Sand Chopin Concert, Fear of Flying Solo show, Mephisto, Caresses, Bingo Babes, and The Lover.

Cayle co-produced Letter To Liza: an experimental drama which places a live actor into a hyper-real computer-generated environment and stars in The Light House Keeper’s Wife, another experimental live action/animation in post production.

Her own play Moon Shadow written in one night for the Fringe all night playwriting contest won third place in the Fringe New play Contest and The University of Guelph last year bought her documentary I Am Home about finding her Russian Relatives.

Cayle thrives on her eclectic existence with each week beginning with Chris Owens Monday night group where veteran actors prepare scenes for each other.

Cayle writes a tell-all blog about her L.A. daze etc. for the Wild Sound website which can be accessed from her website:
www.cayle.ca

ERIN MACKINNON (Lisa Morrison)

Erin is pleased to be working on this exciting piece with such a talented group of people. Some of her past theatre credits include Cold Meat Party at Factory Theatre, Salt-Water Moon with Festival of Classics, Unity 1918 at GCTC, Anne at Upper Canada Playhouse and Pains of Youth with Theatre Voce. Film/ TV credits included True Crime Scenes, History’s Courtroom, and UKM: Ultimate Killing Machine with Peace Arch Productions. Erin is a graduate of George Brown Theatre School.

DANIEL JAMIESON (saxophone)

Young saxophonist, Daniel Jamieson is from Toronto, Ontario where he attended the Claude Watson Arts Program at Earl Haig Secondary School and participated in the Humber College Community Music School Program. Currently, he is in his third year of the jazz program at the University of Toronto and studies with Alex Dean. He was a guest artist at the Ottawa Jazz Festival 2005, and was a featured soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Daniel has also performed with the Brampton Symphony Orchestra. Daniel has worked with artists such as P.J. Perry, Alex Dean, Kevin Turcotte, Nancy Walker, Quinsin Nachoff, Renee Rosnes, Chase Sanborn, and Dave Young. Some of his major influences include P.J. Perry & Vincent Herring. Daniel works as a freelance musician, a teacher, and a composer / arranger in the Toronto area and performs regularly with the “Jonah Cristall-Clarke Nonet”. Daniel currently writes for his own 10 piece jazz ensemble, “The Daniel Jamieson Tentet”. For more info including upcoming events see
www.danieljamieson.com

The Creative Team

	SASHA WENTGES (Director) Sasha co-founded as artistic director, Mea Culpa Productions in Montreal, 1994. Since re-locating to Toronto she has assistant directed on *One Night Stand* (Carol Bolt) at the Belfry Theatre (Victoria) and then directed at Theatre Passe Muraille Back Space. Recent credits include: *The Darling Family* (Linda Griffiths) as actor/producer; *Uninvited* as Director, (Sheldon Inkol) at New Ideas Festival, Two Acts and a Pie Festival and Summerworks Festival; *Maggie Mae and Saucy Sue* as Director at Hamilton’s Staircase Theatre and upcoming projects include: giving birth to her first child, summer, 2007; and Director: *The Factory Project* (curated by David King) in Montreal, 2008.
	MARIE DAME (Production Manager) Marie is a graduate of The University of Alberta and The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City. After spending a decade in Manhattan, Marie moved to Toronto. She has had recurring roles on *Street Time* and *Patti* and guest spots on *Show Me Yours* and *Doc.* Film roles include Victoria in *American Psycho, Karen in Dash and Lilly* and *Moochie in City of Champions. NYC Stage credits include: Love in The Eyes of Hope, Dinner Guests, Forever Yours Marie-Lou, As I Write My Secret, God’s County, Waiter Waiter, Blaming Mom, Marie and Bruce, Tricks of the Triangle, Crimes of the Heart, and Breakdown in Wakefield*. Marie has worked in regional theatres across the United States and Canada. www.mariedame.com
	JACKIE MCCORMICK (Stage Manager) Jackie is delighted to be joining Mea Culpa Production’s *Collected Stories. She recently was the Stage Manager for Smile Theatre’s, At The Hop, and ASM for Theatre Orangeville’s The Drawer Boy. Jackie graduated from Ryerson in 2005 and will be off to Stage Manage Bedtime Stories* at Upper Canada Playhouse in June. Thanks as always to her family.
	WENDY LEE (Assistant Stage Manager) After graduating at Carleton University with a B.A. Honours in Political Science, Wendy decided to take another route and pursue a career in theatre. Since then, she has graduated from Humber College’s Theatre Production Program, and is working her way to be an Equity Stage Manager. Within the past year Wendy has finished working on projects for the Fringe Festival, Summerworks, and The Children’s Art Theatre Festival at Equity Showcase Theatre. Through these various projects, Wendy was able to gain her first credit with Cahoots Theatre Projects and Modern Times Stage Company’s production *The Sheep and The Whale* at Theatre Passe Muraille. For the next period of time, Wendy aspires to find more positions, apprentice stage managing for Equity theatres, and eventually accomplish her goal to join Equity as a Professional Stage Manager.
	AKIVA ROMER-SEGAL (Set and Costume Designer) Akiva is a recent graduate from Ryerson University. Previous set design credits include *Guys and Dolls* (Summerstock Conservatory), *West Side Story, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat* (HWW Musical Theatre), *The Unseen Hand* (Paved Productions), *Between the tree and the sweetest pea...* (Alumni Theatre), and *The Chosen* (Teatron Theatre). He was the set designer for the 55th annual *Mass Exodus 2005: Metro fashion show, as well as a consultant on Toronto Wildlife Fashion Show. He has assisted Dora-winning designers Joanne Dente (The Hostage) and Camillia Koo (Helen’s Necklace, The Wrestling Season, Reverend Jonah). His next design is for George F. Walker’s Tough!* at the Factory Theatre, directed by Ken Gass.
	KRISTINA MCNAMEE (Lighting Designer) Kristina McNamee is a recent graduate of Ryerson University where she studied technical theatre. Kristina is an ambitious young lighting designer hoping to break out onto the Toronto theatre scene. Selected lighting design credits include *The Government Inspector, The Unseen Hand, and Nine: the Musical. She was also the assistant lighting designer for Reefer Madness*.
	VICTORIA SHILLINGTON (Costume Designer) Victoria Shillington is an undergraduate of Ryerson University’s Fashion Design Program (4th year). She has previously won awards at both district and regional levels of the Sears Ontario Drama Festival for costumes in *When Shakespeare’s Ladies Meet. Victoria has also created costumes for William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. She joined Globus Theatre in the summer of 2006 creating costuming for Trudy in Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. She later returned as the costume designer for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs*, creating more than 10 original costumes. Victoria wishes to pursue future education in costume design after graduating from Ryerson.
	MISHANN LAU (Sound Designer) Mishann Lau was born in Saskatchewan, raised in Ontario and is currently based in Toronto. Graduating from York University’s Film & Video program, she has been working as a sound editor for the last 10 years. In her spare time she writes, directs, shoots and edits her own films as well as teaching workshops for independent filmmakers at LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers in Toronto). She has been selected and commissioned to create several short films, all of which have screened internationally. Mishann is currently developing her first feature film. www.mishann.com
	MICHAEL HALTRECHT (Webmaster) At the University of Waterloo Michael studied Psychology and Drama during short breaks from stage managing, production managing, technical directing, and operating sound, lights, and special effects. He juggles involvement in the theatre world with software and database development. Recent fun credits include *Hair* for CanStage (apprentice stage manager); *Storm Warning* (stage manager) for Out of the Norm; *Gypsy, Journey's End, and Pasque Flower* for The Shaw Festival (apprentice stage manager); *The Laramie Project* for Studio 180 (stage manager); *Unbecoming* for Summerworks (stage manager); and *La Fille du Regiment, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Otello* for Opera Ontario (apprentice stage manager); Toronto, Dubai, Sundance, and HotDocs Film Festivals. Also on his plate is developing software for stage managers. standbygo@computergeek.ca