Missy Chr
istensen Missy is a performer, creator, director, dramaturg, educator, producer, SM, production manager, production designer and inspirational speaker whose work in theatre and film has taken her across Canada. After studying Creative Writing at UVic, Missy plied her craft as a newscaster and editorialist at CITR Radio and as an advertising copy writer. A ‘life epiphany’ then led her to pursue acting at the National Theatre School of Canada. Playwrights’ Workshop was a frequent and favourite workplace when in Montreal, as was PTC in Vancouver. The investigative journey leading to discoveries of what a show, character or moment can be remains a driving force, as does the desire to work collectively toward understanding possibilities more deeply. A personal brush with death, and a subsequent acquaintance with the same as a palliative caretaker, strengthened Missy’s resolve to explore humanity; seeking connection, transformation and remembrance opportunities in art and life. Technology’s role is also of particular interest.
Yasser Is
hmael Yasser is a versatile theatre-maker, writer, actor, clown, friend and lover. Yasser grew up in the Republic of Maldives. Somewhere between ages six and nine, he read Bapsi Sidhwa's An American Brat, a book that he did not understand but fuelled him enough to fall in love with words and imagine the journeys that awaited him beyond his small island nation. Yasser moved to Canada on his own at the age of sixteen and was introduced to the theatre, mainly training as an actor at first, at Simon Fraser University. During his acting training, Yasser also developed an interest in somatics, and currently is a student of Continuum technique (studying with Master Teacher Susan Harper on a continuing basis). His interest in the actor's craft, ensemble dynamics and somatics coupled with his love of modernist and world literature often lead to warm but unsettling theatrical events that uses a heady mixture of language and visceral aesthetics.
Martu L
asso Martu Lasso came to Vancouver in September 2010. Since then she has collaborated on PTC´s Catalan Connection project, has engaged in Acting Workshops (Larry Moss), and the ongoing actors workout workshops at Vancouver Acting School. She is now a participant in the Community Dinner theatrical project for Rumble Productions. Before moving to Canada she received an MA in Hispanic Studies from the University of Washington, with a focus on 20th century plays in Latin America. Martu has performed as an actress both in Ecuador, where she was part of Malayerba Theatre Company, and in the United States where she worked with the Spanish and Drama departments at the University of Washington. In Ecuador she was part of the production team of prestigious theatre and film festivals such as Cero Latitud, and assisted the production of diverse TV and radio cultural shows. Outside of professional interests, she travels, reads, paints and cooks wonderful food for her family and friends. She enjoys living in Vancouver with her partner and two children.
Marilyn N
orry Marilyn Norry graduated from York University with a BFA in Theatre Performance. A Jessie award winning actor, she played Heidi in The Heidi Chronicles (Edmonton Citadel/ Vancouver Playhouse) and Hagar in The Stone Angel (Firehall), as well as performing in many new Canadian plays. Film credits include Battlestar Galactica, Reaper, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. She was story editor on the series Madison and a dramaturg at Playwrights Theater Centre from 1996 to 2007, where she also directed many staged readings. A member of the Writers Guild of Canada, she has written television episodes and feature screenplays. On stage her play One Morning I Realized I Was Licking the Kitchen Floor: a comic look at depression was a hit at the Edmonton Fringe with subsequent runs in Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto and Denver. Since 2004 she’s been developing the changing complexities of My Mother’s Story, a project dedicated to gathering women’s history one mother at a time.
Joy Ru
ssell Born in Belize, Joy Russell is a poet, budding playwright and writer. She attended Simon Fraser University, studying contemporary dance, film, English and American Literature. She lived in London, England where she played in Afro-Bloco, an Afro-Brazilian band, worked in community arts and television as a researcher and assistant producer on documentaries such as Rebel Music: The Bob Marley Story, Pump Up The Volume, and BAFTA-nominated The Hip Hop Years. Her work has appeared in a number of literary journals and anthologies including The Best Canadian Poetry in English 2008, Beyond the Pale: Dramatic Writing from First Nations Writers and Writers of Colour, Bluesprint: Black British Columbian Literature and Orature, The Capilano Review and Crab Orchard. She currently lives in North Vancouver.
Charlene S
ayo Charlene Sayo is the co-author of Canada: The New Frontier for Filipino Mail-Order Brides and is a founding alumni member o f the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance/Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada-BC, the Tinig ng Masa Radio Collective on Vancouver's Co-op Radio and Sinag Bayan Cultural Collective. She has spoken on issues regarding Filipino-Canadian women and youth across Canada, the United States and Europe. Charlene has performed at a of number of Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society literary events, at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, at Vancouver's annual Word on the Street Literary Festival and in the closing production of Vancouver's Sistahood Celebration in 2009, Myrtle Silverspot: Kitchen Confidential. She has served as a production consultant for the Canadian premier of Dogeaters (Studio 58, Vancouver) for Pinoyville (Sinag Bayan, Montreal) and was an apprentice assistant director for Nanay: A Testimonial Play at the 2009 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver.
