Panels

Sarah Garton Stanley

Director, dramaturg and PhD Candidate in Cultural Studies at Queen’s University, Sarah Garton Stanley is originally from Montreal, now lives here in South West Nova Scotia. During her tenure as the Associate Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre, she led The Cycle(s). Sarah co-founded SpiderWebShow and  FOLDA and co-invented SketchSpace. Sarah has worked across Canada and overseas. Most recent directing credits include Everybody Just C@lm the F#ck Down (Artistic Fraud) Marigold (Musical Stage), carried away on the crest of a wave (Arts Club) Fun Home (RMTC) Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes (Tarragon)The Big House (TOFringe) Unsafe (Canadian Stage); Out the Window (Luminato/Theatre Centre. She continues her work with Marcus Youssef and Neworld Theatre, and their co-created and co-performed piece Awkward and Embarrassing Conversations. Sarah received the 2016 Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas’ Elliot Hayes Award, the 2017 Manitoba Theatre Award for best direction for Kill Me Now and the 2018 Honorary Member Award for Canadian Association for Theatre Research. Next up: Calpurnia (RMTC and NAC).

Rooks Field-Green

Rooks Field-Green (He/They) is a white, Jewish, and trans/non-binary theatre artist settled in Kjipuktuk.  Rooks has a combined-honours degree in Psychology and Theatre Studies from the University of King’s  College/Dalhousie University. Rooks has worked behind the scenes with Zuppa Theatre Co. (City Ditties,  This is Nowhere, F.I.S.H.), 2b Theatre (The Bridge), DaPoPo Theatre in association with Shakespeare by  The Sea (Queer Theatre Ensemble: Shakesqueer) and The Fountain School of Performing Arts (Don  Juan Returns from the War). He has also performed with Zuppa Theatre (F.I.S.H., 50 Things) Villain’s  Theatre (M: The Berlin Murders, Isolate Nights, Scene of the Crime), Neptune Theatre (Boys, Girls, and  Other Mythological Creatures, Jabber) and Ship’s Company Theatre (Good Grief). Rooks produces,  writes and directs queer children’s radio plays (Frog and Toad are Together: Ice Cream, A Swim,  Cookies). Rooks was enrolled in Tarragon Theatre’s Young Playwright’s Unit Extended Cohort as he  developed his play Translating with Dramaturg Makram Ayache. Rooks is currently in a workshopping  period of his play Translating with the help of Arts Nova Scotia, Playwright’s Atlantic Resource Centre,  Eastern Front Theatre, and the Bus Stop Theatre’s Writer’s Circle. Rooks’s writing focuses on childhood  development, transgenerational trauma (with queer and jewish lens’s), and subversive depictions of  gender and queerness. Rooks is also the Chair of Eastern Front Theatre’s Board of Directors and is a  trained safe space facilitator, consultant and active listener. To find out more about Rooks please go  to rooksfield-green.com.

Jay Northcott

Jay Northcott (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on: directing, performance art, playwrighting, burlesque/drag, and  producing. Jay works to decolonize their art and practice through storytelling, movement, gesture and joy  to create the fundamentals of their work.  They continue to grow and make it their mission to uplift projects that put BIPOC Queer artists in the  spotlight. Their goals: to make you cry and piss yourself at the same time, they want to bleed, break,  grind, make money, fuck, fight and blow some shit up. Inspired my pop culture, aesthetic, lived experience  and finding truth to develops techniques and experiences that questions: Why theatre is still relevant?

Dillan Chiblow

Dillan is an Ojibwe storyteller from Garden River First Nation. He is a Sheridan Music Theatre  Performance grad, as well as having a master’s degree in Musical Theatre from The Royal Conservatoire  of Scotland. Dillan is also honored to have been awarded the Musical Stage Company’s Syd & Shirly  Banks Prize (2020-2021). Dillan is also known to dip into the education field where he taught Indigenous  Education, and currently teaching singing lessons at Sheridan in the Music Theatre program. Dillan is  passionate about re-Indigenizing/decolonizing stories and looks to further explore his artistry through this  method.  Selected credits : Murdoch Mysteries (CBC) Children Of God (Urban Ink, Citadel, Segal Center, Western  Theatre Canada, Vancouver, B.C provincial tour) Sedna (Urban Ink/ Caravan Farm) Only Drunks and  Children Tell The Truth (Magnus) Weesageechak Festival (Native Earth) Highrise (National Film Board Of  Canada)

Avery-Jean Brennan

Avery-Jean Brennan is a Transfeminine actor, director, musical  director, playwright, and producer. Over the past five years, they  have facilitated workshops on Trans Inclusive Practices in the  Arts; which they have led for theatre and film production  companies across Canada. Recently, they were nominated for the  Bra d’Or Award from the Playwrights Guild of Canada for their  advocacy work. Avery-Jean received their musical direction  training through various Associate and Apprentice positions in  theatres across Canada, including a residency through Neptune  Theatre’s RBC Chrysalis Project. They have studied writing under  Leslie Arden, Christopher Weddell, and through The Musical  Stage Company’s NoteWorthy Program, where they are currently  the RBC Apprentice Artistic Director. Avery-Jean’s first original musical, THE PANSY CRAZE, was the  recipient of Queer Theatre Toronto’s inaugural LGBTQ Fringe  Award for pushing boundaries in representation for Queer & Trans  characters in musical theatre. They are currently writing the book  for multi-award-winning songwriter Gabrielle Papillon’s new  musical, MIND THE LIGHT. Their most recent appearance as a  performer was for a digital semi-staged presentation of their latest  original work, NO COUNTRY FOR THEY/THEMS, produced through Eastern Front Theatre’s Stages Festival

Waawaate Fobister

Waawaate Fobister – is an actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, instructor, and a producer, currently residing in Shoal Lake. A proud Anishnaabe from Grassy Narrows First Nation. A recipient of two Dora awards for outstanding actor and play for Agokwe, Humber College outstanding actor, Mark S. Bonham Centre award from University of Toronto for their advocacy and public knowledge in sexual diversity. 

Waawaate has performed in many major theatre companies across Canada and their work and research has taken them to many places as an artist, including Japan, UK, US, and many coasts across Turtle Island.
Currently, Waawaate is working for a political organization The Grand Council Treaty #3 as the LGBTQ2S+ Council Coordinator. The mandate of this position is to assemble an LGBTQ2S+ Advisory Council, the first of its kind on a governance level, to include/bring back the 2S voices back in the community in a profound way. 

Upcoming, Waawaate will take on the iconic role of VERONIQUE ST. PIERRE of Tomson Highway’s The Rez Sisters at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg. 

Nenookaasi Ogichidaa

Nenookaasi Ogichidaa (She/They/Them) is an Afro-Indigenous 2S Queer Womam fro Treaty 13 Tkaronto.

Activist, truth seeker speaker, singer and song composer, Neno has found a way of sharing her good medicine with others when much needed. 

Owner of Toronto based business Hummingbird Spirits, created during the beginning of COVID 19, supporting communities with traditional medicines for both comfort and healing through a harm reduction lense. 

Laureen (Blu) Waters

Laureen (Blu) Waters: Istchii Nikamoon: Earth Song, Wolf clan. Cree/Metis/Micmac, Blu is a member of the Metis Nation of Ontario.

Blu’s family is from Big River Saskatchewan, Star Blanket Reserve and Bra’dor Lake, Eskasoni First Nations, Cape Breton Nova Scotia, and the Red River. Blu grew up with their grandmother and learned about traditional medicines, learning healing methods and care of the sick. Their grandmother also shared her knowledge of the great teachings. 

Blu is currently working at Seneca College as an Elder on campus providing traditional teachings and one-to-one counselling.

Blu spent 2.5 years working for the National Inquiry for Murdered and Missing Women as a Grandmother to Commissioner Brian Eyelfson and sits on the Grandmother Circle.

Blu sits on the Thunder Women Healing Lodge as a Director of the Board.

Blu also sits as the Ontario representative for Metis people with 2 Spirits In Motion Board.

Blu also provides ceremony, teaching, and counselling for 2 Spirit People of the First Nations, in Toronto.

Blu was also the national caucus representative for the Toronto Urban Aboriginal strategies for five years working with the community of Toronto and the government. They are also a graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology receiving their business software micro-computer architecture and A+ certification.

Blu’s gifts include: Traditional teachings, giving traditional spirit names, hand drumming, song writer, creative writings, and full moon conductor. Pipe ceremonies and sweat lodge ceremonies and Traditional counselling. 

Blu is a 2 spirit person, a mother of 3, a grandmother of 3, a sun dancer, and a pipe carrier.

B Solomon

Multi-award nominated, winner and loser, creator b solomon is of Anishinaabe and settler heritage, born in Shebahonaning on the North Channel of Lake Huron. His work is multidisciplinary, raw, challenging and full of spirit. He is passionate about helping people relearn the nature of their ancient bodies, and take back the space those bodies occupy as caretakers. More info at: electricmoose.ca

Samaqani Cocahq (Natalie Sappier)

Samaqani Cocahq-(Natalie Sappier) is a Wolastoqey Indigenous multidisciplinary storyteller from Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick. She began creating stories through painting and design and is alumni of the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.  For her, creating  awakens her connection to the land and her Wolastoqey knowing and being. Her community and Ancestral landscapes are teachers and is home to where she navigates stories and creativity.  She realized early in her painting career that she was not painting just for herself-she was painting for her people and is now creating stories louder than a painting can speak.

She wrote and composed her first play “Finding Wolastoq Voice” which toured Nationally as was part of the First Indigenous Theatre season at the National Arts Centre “Moshkamo”. Guided by the traditional teaching of knowledge sharing for the unborn- her path is led by creating stories weaved with multi-disciplinary art forms that include Visual Arts, Writing, Song, Spoken word, Movement and Dance with guidance and collaboration with many Wabanaki knowledge carriers. 

In 2019 she was gifted the name  Namkomacomit (the ancestral storyteller that carriers the vision forward) at University of New Brunswick-being the first artist in residency at UNB in 50 years. She is currently developing a series of work  titled Stories of Maw with a circle of Indigenous Artists.  Aside from her own artistic practice, Samaqani Cocahq dedicates much of her time in the advocacy of Arts, Culture and Two Spirited Sacredness. She carries a passion for Indigenous Youth Mentorship and the belief of Wellness and Art is held in one braid of medicine.

Ravyn Wngz

Ravyn Wngz “The Black Widow of Burlesque” is a Tanzanian, Bermudian, Mohawk, 2Spirit, Queer and Transcendent empowerment storyteller.  Ravyn is an abolitionist and co-founder of ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company. She is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, A co-founder of the Wildseed Centre for Arts & Activism, A Canadian Best Selling Author, Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada recipient of 2021, Ravyn is committed to eradicating all forms of anti-Black racism, nurturing Black healing and liberating Black communities.  

Carr Sappier

Carr Sappier (Wolastoqew) is a two-spirited multi-genre filmmaker from Neqotkuk who just returned home from Vancouver after receiving a BFA in film at Simon Fraser University. Carr’s passion for filmmaking stems from an aspiration to decolonize the screen, and to offer an alternative and non-binary perspective of Wolastoqew storytelling. Blending and morphing different genre styles and film mediums provides Carr with methods to express their two-spirited and Wolastoqew identity. Currently Carr is remotely co-instructing the Skoden Indigenous Film Festival course offered at Simon Fraser University. Carr co-founded and co-directed the festival in their final year of study at SFU. Moreover, Carr is sharing their time with like-minded individuals in their community to encourage Neqotkuk to create space and support for the Two-Spirit/LGBTQ+ youth. 

Links to films: 

APOTAMKIN (2016) (SEA MONSTER) 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/artgplhwfityr16/APOTAMKIN%20%282016%29.mov?dl=0

WASIS (2017) (BABY) 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3g9472hroex68y5/WASIS%20%28CARR%20SAPPIER%2C%202017.%29. mov?dl=0 

NISUWOK COCAHOQ (2018) (TWO-SPIRITED) 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h8znah90y3tzd5p/Nisuwok%20Cocahoq%20%28Two%20Spirited%2C%20 Carr%20Sappier%29%202018.mp4?dl=0 

MANAPE MANI (2019) (WALKING SOLDIER) 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nt40hs9vyfl02r7/MANAPE%20MANI%20%282019%29.mp4?dl=0

SAGE FROM THE CITY (2020) 

MAW WALKS WITH WARRIOR SPIRIT (Samaqani Cocahoq, Theatre New Brunswick 2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duhrus5b56I&t=1s 

SAHKI PITIYAHTE-BRIGHT LIGHT COMES FORTH FROM IT- (CBC GEM, 2021) https://gem.cbc.ca/media/sakhi-pitiyahte-bright-light-comes-forth-from-it/s01

Ajahnis Charley

Ajahnis Charley (they/them) is a Black, non-Binary comedian based in Toronto. They use comedy to tackle themes such as Queer identity, racism and Italian-American prestige actors. Their solo sketch show ‘THOTS AND PRAYERS’ won the Producers’ Pick Award at the 2021 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. As a director, they wrote, directed and featured in the short documentary I AM GAY, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, which played in festivals including Inside Out, Reel 2 Real International Film Festival, and Caribbean Tales, where it won the 2021 Intersect Award.

Stevey Hunter

Stevey Hunter (they/them) is a queer genderfluid actor, comedian, and writer based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS.) They are a versatile performer known for their work improvising with award winning improv company: Hello City and has taught and performed improv across Canada. They have worked with numerous theatre companies in Nova Scotia including: Neptune Theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, Ship’s Theatre Company, Zuppa Theatre, and more. In Spring 2021, Stevey performed and wrote their first comedic solo show exploring their relationship to gender called When You Leave Please Say Nice Things About Me produced by the Bus Stop Theatre Writers’ Circle and funded by Arts Nova Scotia. In Fall 2021, Eastern Front Theatre and Shakespeare by the Sea produced the premiere production of their play FAT JULIET. The play is a contemporary retelling of Romeo & Juliet through the perspective of a fat Juliet. Stevey starred in the role of Juliet and the production had a very successful premiere run, selling out before opening night. Select TV/Film: Diggstown, Moonshine (CBC); FROM (EPIX); Look At Me (AfroViking).

Tyra Banda

TyraBanda got her start in comedy in 2014 when she joined the University of Alberta Improv Group, and her love of the art was immediate! From there, she performed in many improv festivals around the country, as well as internationally (Seattle Festival of Improv Theatre – 2019). She was part of Rapid Fire Theatre from 2017 to 2019, until moving to Toronto to pursue a diploma in Comedy Writing and Performance at Humber College. While in Toronto she was cast in a Season 7 Featured Players with Bad Dog Theatre, as well as Improv College’s Narrative

Mainstage Team. She is currently teaching improv classes on character at the Grindstone Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta.

Chris Gatchalian

Born and raised on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh peoples (colonially known as Vancouver), C.E. Gatchalian is a queer Filipinx author and theatre creator. He was the 2013 recipient of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize and a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist. He is Co-Founder of Q2Q and co-organized Q2Q-1 in Vancouver in 2016.

Devanand Janki

Devanand Janki is an award winning Director-Choreographer based in New York City. As a performer Dev has appeared on Broadway in Cats, Miss Saigon, The King and I and Side Show and tours of West Side Story and A Chorus Line. He is the Director of the Musical Theatre Division at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and the Artistic Director of Live & In Color, which develops new plays and musicals that celebrate diversity.

Nick Green

Nick Green is a Dora Mavor Moore, Elizabeth Sterling Haynes, and Tom Hendry Award winning playwright in Toronto, and the creator of The Social Distancing Festival (socialdistancingfestival.com) Featured writing credits include Every Day She Rose (co-written with Andrea Scott, Nightwood Theatre); Happy Birthday Baby J (Shadow Theatre); In Real Life (Theatre Sheridan, recipient of the Tom Hendry Award, with Kevin Wong); Body Politic (lemonTree Creations/Buddies in Bad Times, Dora Mavor Moore Award); Fangirl (Musical Stage Company, with Barb Johnston and Anika Johnson); Poof! The Musical (Capitol Theatre, with Darrin Hagen); and Coffee Dad, Chicken Mom, and the Fabulous Buddha Boi (Guys in Disguise, Sterling Award).

Natalie Meisner

Natalie Meisner is an award-winning multi-genre author and 5th Poet Laureate of Calgary.  Her work deploys the power of comedy for social change.  She is a wife and mom to two great boys and a full Professor in the Department of English at Mount Royal University where she works in the areas of creative writing, drama and gender/ sexuality studies. http://www.nataliemeisner.com

Daniel MacIvor

Daniel MacIvor is a queer theatre and film practitioner born and raised in Unama’ki – colonially known as Cape Breton Island.  Upcoming is a feature length theatre-process documentary The Work, and the touring solo performance developed with Daniel Brooks, Let’s Run Away.