STORYTELLING IS OUR SPIRIT

Sandy Morris, known to his musical friends as “the easternmost guitar player in North America” is an accomplished and multi-talented musician, producer, and engineer based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Picking up his first guitar at the age of 15, Morris has made his living as a versatile and ingenious performer since 1965. An original member of the legendary Wonderful Grand Band, his more recent collaborations include Rasa (with Erin Best), and the Eight Track Favourites. Sandy has contributed his own compositions, performances, musical expertise to film and television projects for more than 30 years. His credits include serving as musical director or producer for Land and Sea, Violet, Tommy, East Coast Music Awards, and Codco, among many other projects. In addition to his own projects and featured appearances, he continues to perform with numerous other musicians on their recordings and live performances.

Julia Dunne is a Singer, Actor, Dancer and Choreographer from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She’s a graduate of Sheridan College with an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theatre Performance. She is a voice and dance teacher at Spotlight Academy, sharing her passion for musical theatre with young children. She continues her dance training at The Underground Dance Centre in styles such as Hip Hop, Jazz Funk, Contemporary, Heels, Reggaeton, and Dance Hall.

Julia has had the opportunity to play a few of her dream roles, including Belle in Beauty and the Beast for Rennie’s River Foundation, Mary Poppins in RuBarb Productions’ Mary Poppins, and Sophie in Mamma Mia! with Theatre St. John’s. Past theatre credits include Zena in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town for RuBarb Productions, Elena in If/Then at Theatre Sheridan, Ensemble in Kiss Me Kate with Theatre Sheridan, and Ensemble/Mona u/s in Trap Door with Theatre Sheridan. Julia was also an understudy in the hit Terra Bruce production No Change in the Weather.

Steve Maloney is a Musician and Actor hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. This contemporary crooner is known for his velvet-tinged baritone and expansive range. He has been touring eastern Canada with his own music for the past several years, with excursions south to Barbados (Bell/Flow Networks) and north to Dawson City (DCMF Songwriter in Residence 2017). Steve took home three 2017 MusicNL awards, including: Country Album of the Year, Alternative Album of the Year, and the Ron Hynes SOCAN Songwriter of the Year. In January of 2018, The Memory Game was awarded the Borealis Music Prize, a triple juried award for Album of the Year from the NL arts community. He was also nominated for ArtsNL’s 2018 Artist of the Year.

Steve appeared in TaDa Event’s production of Rent as Roger Davis, and continues to perform and tour with Artistic Fraud’s production Between Breaths. Maloney has also appeared on CTV’s Hudson & Rex, and can be seen in the upcoming run of the hit Terra Bruce production, No Change in the Weather, as Johnny Power.

Tamsyn Russell plays button accordion and also enjoys singing and playing guitar. She has performed extensively with the family group Russells in the Corner, most notably in A Time in Pigeon Inlet, a dinner theatre show which ran for five summers in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the family’s Dance Up events. Other credits include her special guest performance at A Feast of Cohen in 2017, and many years performing in Young Folk at the Hall and on the Neil Murray Stage of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. Tamsyn is a regular performer each year at The Beaches Accordion Festival in Eastport and is invited annually as an opening act youth performer at the Lunchtime Concert Series at Harbourside Park in St. John’s. Tamsyn will be performing with her father Kelly Russell on the Main Stage of the 2019 Folk Festival in St. John’s. She also enjoys accompanying her father in his Tunes and Tales show in downtown St. John’s. Tamsyn is currently a student at Memorial University of Newfoundland, pursuing her keen interest in Political Science and Communications.

A Professional Musician since 1975, Kelly has been a member of landmark groups Figgy Duff, The Wonderful Grand Band, The Plankerdown Band, Bristol’s Hope, The Irish Descendants, The Punters, and Kelly Russell & The Planks. Working closely for many years with legendary fiddlers Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit, learning, recording and documenting their music, Kelly has inherited genuine status as one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s leading traditional music promoters and performers. His record label, Pigeon Inlet Productions, released over 30 LPs and CDs from 1979 to 1997. Kelly performs his solo show Tunes & Tales of Pigeon Inlet weekly in summer at The Crow’s Nest in St. John’s, featuring Tales from Pigeon Inlet by his father, Ted Russell, and the unique fiddle music of Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been recognized with The Marius Barbeau Award for his significant contribution to Canadian folklore, designated as the Province’s first Tradition Bearer, awarded The Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal, and named to The Order of Canada.

Josh Ward is a Performer. As part of a musical family, he was exposed from a young age and, feeling that he was probably not much good at anything else, eventually decided to pursue performance as a career. The early years found him playing electric bass in several terrible rock bands, and occasionally jamming traditional music with his family. He later went on to study double bass at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and joined as many ensembles as possible, including the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. During this time he implemented a policy of never ever turning down a gig, and was fortunate to get tons of playing opportunities on stage and in studios, churches, barns, etc. He eventually settled into a life in a van with the band Hey Rosetta! and spent ten years continuing to not ever turn down a gig. Be it jazz, funk, soul, country, bluegrass, traditional, heavy metal, prog, electro, world, or rock. Whatever. Nowadays you can still find him on stage in studios, churches, barns, etc., still not ever turning down a gig and still with a smile on his face.

Sultan Dharamshi, AKA Chuck Bucket, is a Drummer/Percussionist, Teacher, Performer, and Music Director with over 20 years’ experience, dedicated to providing quality. He has been employed for studio session work and live touring performances across Canada, Europe, and the U.S. with many acts including Ria Mae (Sony Music recording artist), DRUM! (musical theatre production nominated for a Juno), Ouroboros, Paul Reddick (Juno Award winner), Garrett Mason (Juno Award winner), Steve Marriner (Monkey Junk), Jim Henman (April Wine), The Junkbeats, Bill Durst (Thundermug), Keith Hallett, Blue Rodeo, and Dolly Parton.

A graduate of York University’s Theatre program (Performance/Playwriting), Philip has had the privilege of working with Newfoundland companies Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland (Under Wraps: A Spoke Opera, Fear Of Flight); Rising Tide Theatre (Summer in the Bight); TaDa! Events (La Cage Aux Folles, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Cabaret, etc.) and others. He has written several plays including Three Tales of Terror: Old Time Radio Drama, an annual series of original live radio plays. He was a co-creator and performer in two bilingual plays developed by Resource Centre For The Arts and Canadian Parents for French which toured the province. He is also a Singer/Songwriter performing as a Solo Artist and as one half of the duo The Duds with Melanie O’Brien, who toured Atlantic Canada in the summer of 2019. Look for their debut album These Words I Can’t Forget in Spring 2020.

Vicki Harnett is a seasoned performer and proud supporter of the development of new musical theatre works. Her stage credits include Isobel Gunn (Best Kind Productions), Hurry Hard: A Curling Musical (Best Kind Productions), Impresario (Best Kind Productions), Red Rock (Best Kind Productions), Underwraps (Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland), and Fear of Flight (Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland). Other notable credits include Fun Home (Best Kind Productions), Beauty and the Beast (QVRRDF), All Shook Up (QVRRDF), Urinetown (Best Kind Productions), and The Who’s Tommy (MUN Musical Theatre Society).

Paul is a fifth-generation Newfoundlander and first-generation Canadian. He was classically trained from age five to sixteen but upon discovering Nicky Hopkins, Rick Wakeman, and Billy Preston as a teenager his musical style soon diverged from his early training. Paul has been contributing to the Newfoundland contemporary music scene for almost 40 years, composing and performing for TV and film, and playing piano, Hammond organ, synthesizers, and accordion on 103 commercially released albums at last count. Selected credits include Dooley Gardens television series, Co-Composer (Rink Rat), Man of a Thousand Songs movie, and performer (Picture Plant). Paul recorded and toured Canada and the U.S. with Alan Doyle, recorded and performed for many years with artists such as Cory Tetford, Sandy Morris, The Ennis Sisters, Barry Canning, and with arguably Newfoundland’s greatest songwriter, Ron Hynes, for the last 20+ years of Ron’s life. Paul is grateful for the opportunity to work with this elite team of professionals, and thanks his loving and supportive family, Phyllis, Thalia, and Wesley.

Melanie O’Brien is a performer, singer/songwriter and teacher from St. John’s, Newfoundland. She is a Sheridan College Honours Graduate and scholarship recipient. Melanie has worked with many theatre companies at home and in Ontario such as Canada’s Wonderland, TaDa Productions, The Spirit of Newfoundland and more. Melanie released her debut album of original music in 2016 titled, Shining in the Blue. Melanie was subsequently nominated for MusicNL’s Female Artist of the Year and Rising Star. In 2018 Melanie released two more singles and toured all across Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada. Melanie has operated her own vocal coaching studio since 2009 and in 2017 was awarded MusicNL’s Educator of the year. She is also part of the stylized duo The Duds with Philip Goodridge and they have just released their debut album, These Words I Can’t Forget, available on streaming platforms along with her other works.

Originally from Dublin and a graduate of the Irish College of Music, Mark is an Actor, Writer, Producer, and is a regular performer in film, television, and theatre. Past theatre credits include Stones in his Pockets (Irish Stage company), A Number (Cart/Horse), A Delicate Balance, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Alumnae), Of Mice and Men (Tribal), A Skull in Connemara, James Joyce’s The Dead, Da (TIP), Sunshine Express and Separate Beds (Globus), and Falling A Wake (Lost and Found), to name a few. TV credits include appearances in Republic of Doyle, Mayday, Murdoch Mysteries, The Divide, The Listener, Being Erica, and Breakout Kings among others. Film credits include Crossmaglen, Love and Savagery, Sunday at Tiffany’s, Knights of the South Bronx, Pompeii, and Adam Sandler’s Pixels.

Brendan Agnew is fascinated with people and is intrigued by what drives them. He brings this curiosity, artistry, and rigour to his work in production management, technical direction, and stage management. Brendan grew up in Vancouver, BC and has worked with companies across Canada including Pacific Opera Victoria, Repercussion Theatre, Carousel Theatre for Young People, and the Belfry Theatre. Here in Newfoundland and Labrador, Brendan worked with Perchance Theatre on their 2021 Season and PerSIStence Theatre Company on The Mirror. Brendan is a graduate of the Production Design and Technical Arts program at the National Theatre School of Canada and holds a BFA in Theatre from the University of Victoria.

Pat is a Designer based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Recent Design credits include Video Design for Alice and Other Wonderlands (Kittiwake Dance Co.), Remnants (White Rooster), and Be More Chill (Best Kind Productions). Light Design credits include The Strange Case of Madame D (RCAT Theatre/Wreckhouse Productions), Poison (Dir. Charlie Tomlinson), and Drinking Again (NAX). Sound Design credits include Men of Misfortune (RCAT), Be More Chill, Fun Home, Next to Normal, Urinetown: The Musical, and Avenue Q (Best Kind Productions). Pat also occasionally travels with Artistic Fraud’s Between Breaths as the Assistant Sound Designer. When not designing, Pat also applies his technical skills as the Associate Technical Director at the LSPU Hall Theatre and teaching Technical Theatre at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Originally from Vancouver BC, Jaimie moved to Newfoundland and Labrador five years ago and is now proud to call St. John’s her home. Most recently Jaimie stage managed Remnants for White Rooster Theatre, and Offensive To Some and Original with Persistence Theatre. Last summer she stage managed …float… for Choral Canada and Tosca for Opera on the Avalon. She had the pleasure of working for the St. John’s International Circus Festival this fall. Favourite past credits include Betroffenheit (Kidd Pivot), Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (The Firehall Arts Centre), All The Way Home (The Electric Company), and Kismet one to one hundred (The Chop). Jaimie is honoured to be back again this year with No Change in the Weather, and thankful for the support of her partner Mark, her son Finn, and their dog Walter. Jaimie is a graduate of Studio 58.

Bio coming soon…

Brad’s impressive roster of experience includes being a founding member of Bill’s Bad Dance, c2c theatre, Perchance Theatre, and an associate of The Rabbittown Theatre. He was a member of the Stratford Festival artistic company for 8 seasons and an Associate Director with Toronto’s Groundling Theatre for 3 years. For Tiny Room, a company he co-founded in 2016, Brad has directed Fleeto, Oh, The Humanity and The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love Suicide. Brad holds a BFA (Acting) from the University of Alberta and has trained in both the Birmingham Conservatory and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction.

Kelly-Ann Evans is an award-winning performer, producer, director and music arts educator. Based in St. John’s, NL she is owner/operator of Rock City Studio where she teaches voice, piano, facilitates performance workshops and directs the women’s community choir, Earth, Wind & Choir. She is also the owner/artistic director of Red Dress Entertainment, which produces and tours pop/rock and soul reviews. Kelly-Ann is a faculty member of The Graham Academy in Corner Brook, NL teaching musical theatre and assisting in the choral program. She has a BMUS from Memorial University, studied Musical Theatre Performance at Sheridan College (James Award recipient) and is a multiple MusicNL award winner (Pop/Rock Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year) and ECMA nominee. Select theatre credits include the original Canadian company of Queen’s musical We Will Rock You (Mirvish), Cabaret (Stratford), The Trojan Women (Stratford), Into the Woods, Phantom of the Opera (Opera on the Avalon), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Talk is Free Theatre) Jesus Christ Superstar (Beothuck Street Players/Tada Events), Next to Normal (Best Kind Productions), The Little Mermaid, Grease (Theatre St John’s), Evita, Cats, Rock of Ages and Chicago (Tada Events). Television appearances include host of Out of the Fog (Rogers Television) and Republic of Doyle. Kelly-Ann is also a regular featured soloist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and can be seen up in flames on vocals and keys with Newfoundland’s premier circus band SMOKESHOW.

A native and resident of St. John’s, in 1993 he and some friends started Great Big Sea, a legendary band that went on to sell over a million and a half records around the world over a 20-year career. Among other accomplishments, the band had twelve gold and multi-platinum albums, including several number one albums in Canada. A master musician steeped in Newfoundland traditional styles, Bob can play a dozen instruments, and wrote and sang many songs with the band. He has played thousands of concerts with Great Big Sea and other artists, and made countless appearances on television and radio. His company Kilbride Music, has managed bands, produced records, created radio specials, and promoted many live concerts. He works with the producers of the Tony & Olivier award-winning Broadway musical Come From Away as a Music Consultant and has also worked at the Stratford Festival as a Composer & Music Director. As an author he has written dozens of magazine articles, essays and several books, including the best-selling memoir Writing Out the Notes, and as an arts entrepreneur he is a frequent commentator on public affairs.

Ann is an Independent Arts Consultant whose practice focuses on blue sky visioning, strategic planning, national and international touring, and representation of the work of female artists. She resides and works in Newfoundland and Labrador, the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk and home to the Mi’kmaq, Innu, Inuit, and Southern Inuit peoples.

Ann is the former Managing Director of One Yellow Rabbit, Curator of the High-Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts, and is the former Managing Director of Canada’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival. Her career as a Administer, Producer, and Presenter in the performing arts in Canada spans over 20 years. She has produced over 30 new Canadian plays, has presented over 300, and has toured work throughout Canada and internationally.

Ann serves on the Board of Directors of the Association for Professional Theatres Newfoundland and Labrador and on the Board of Directors for Newfoundland’s Neighbourhood Dance/Festival of New Dance. She has served as a Board/Committee Member for many organizations across the country; on many national and international initiatives that serve the performing arts across the country, and on many peer assessment juries for the municipal, provincial, and federal levels. She is a passionate and outspoken advocate for the performing artists of Canada.

Nefren Feizo-Gas is a Theatre Manager based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Selected credits include Festival Coordinator of The St. John’s Short Play Festival, Festival Manager and Co-Founder of The Norstead Theatre Festival, Manager for The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Production Manager and Co-Founder of The Serious Sketch Comedy Troupe, and performing as part of the 2009 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Credits also include Production Assistant with Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland and Kingdom (White Rooster), Stage Manager with The Festival of New Dance, Feast of Cohen, Poison by Lot Vekemans (Director Charlie Tomlinson), Blue Box (Nightswimming Theatre), Jewel (C2C), Stones In His Pockets, Glen Garry Glen Ross (Rabbittown Theatre), Top Girls (White Rooster), Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare By The Sea), Assistant Stage Manager for …float… (Choral Canada), and The Pope and Princess Di (Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland).