young companies - The Citadel Theatre

The Robbins Academy Alumni Newsletter 

June 2012 • Issue 1 

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2011/2012 Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre 

Program participants Michael Antonakos and Lora Brovold 

appear in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 

Inside this issue: 

Welcome letter from 

Bob Baker and Penny Ritro 

Professional Theatre 

Program 

Play Development 4 

Alumni Spotlight 

Featuring Citadel/Banff Centre 

Professional Program Alumnus 

Alana Hawley 

The Young Companies 6-7 

Foote Theatre School 7 

Audience Development 8 

In Memoriam 8 

Robbins Academy Alumni 

Send your update to Megan 

mwenger@citadeltheatre.com 

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3 

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WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER 

Stamina, Strength and Agility of Body, Mind and Heart 

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the pages of 

the Robbins Academy Alumni newsletter, Next Stage. 

At the Robbins Academy, we strive to develop and foster theatre 

artists in many different capacities. Through the Citadel/Banff 

Centre Professional Theatre Program, we further develop the 

skills of emerging and established actors; through the Young 

Companies, we train and mentor aspiring young adult artists; 

the Foote Theatre School is the oldest and largest theatre school 

in Edmonton, and this is where for many people the love of 

theatre begins – and for others, this is where they reconnect with theatre after years away. In addition to our work with actors, we have an ongoing 

commitment to Play Development. 

It has been two years since the establishment of the Robbins Academy at the Citadel Theatre, and we both couldn’t be more pleased with the success 

and growth we have witnessed in our alumni and with the Academy as a whole. 

We have alumni who have gone on to have successful artistic careers across this great country and far beyond. In this issue, you will read about many 

accomplishments your fellow alumni have achieved, including Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Program alumna Alana Hawley who, following her 

experience with the Robbins Academy, went on to teach in El Salvador – you’ll have to check out her story on page 5. 

We are extremely proud of all of your accomplishments, and so honoured that the Robbins Academy has made a mark in your paths. 

Bob Baker, Artistic Director Penny Ritco, Executive Director 

A t t h e Citad el we do not just put on plays — W E BUILD THE AT R E 

I t i s t h ro u g h y o u r genero s i t y t h a t w e a r e a b l e t o c o n t i n u e f u n d i n g s c h o l a rs h i p s , p ro v i d e l e a rn i n g re s o u rces, a t t r a c t 

t h e b e s t f a c u l t y , m e n t o rs a n d g u e s t s , s u p p o rt pla y c o m m i s s i o n s , w o r k s h o p s a n d m o re! 

Consider a donation to t h e Robbins A c a d e m y t o d a y ! C l i c k h e re fo r more d o n a t i o n i n f o rm a t i o n . 

The Citadel Theatre hopes to raise $100,000 from this campaign through generous donations from individuals. Funds raised are used to support the Robbins Academy, Citadel productions and operating costs. 

The estimated cost associated with this campaign is $15,00. If you have any questions please contact Sydney Stuart at 780-428-2142 or sstuart@citadeltheatre.com. 

June 2012 • Issue 1 

The Robbins Academy Alumni Newsletter 

2 

Next Stage • June 2012 • Page 2

THE CITADEL/BANFF CENTRE PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM 

2011/2012 PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS 

2011/2012 Participants: Michael Antonakos, Marc R. Bondy, Justin Bott, Lora Brovold, Sochi Fried, Jesse Griffiths, Ellie Heath, Patrick Lundeen, Alex McCooeye, Eric Morin, Rose Napoli, Jonathan Purvis, Jon Lachlan Stewart, Shannon Taylor 

PAST PARTICIPANT UPDATES 

Anna Hardwick • 2009 

Anna has been busy developing an 

all-female retelling of The Fall of the 

House of Usher, a co-production 

between Sweden, Finland & Nightwood 

Theatre, integrating deaf and hearing 

theatre practices. Anna has also been 

busy co-producing and starring in the 

smash hit Where’s My Money by John 

Patrick Shanley with the Alley Co-op. 

We recently completed the fourth year of the Program, with the highly successful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Tom Wood. This 

year’s participants have dispersed to regions across the country to continue their careers with a new sense of process, discipline and determination. 

It gives us great pride to look at the successful careers of the actors who have completed the Program over the past four years. Their careers have taken 

them in diverse paths: some have taken more “traditional” routes, starring at major theatres across the country, including the Shaw and Stratford 

Festivals. Others thrive in less obvious, but equally notable ventures: appearing in exciting new work in theatres across the country, participating in 

important independent projects and furthering their careers in the areas of directing, playwriting and producing. 

The intent of the Program is ultimately to inspire these artists – to re-invigorate their acting skills en route to deepening their ability to thrive in the 

profession in as many different genres as possible. This inspiration should also take the form of enhancing their overall skill set and appreciation for many 

facets of the theatre and to encourage them to take the reins as the future leaders of the Canadian professional theatre community. 

We anticipate that over the next few years we will see the participants of the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program emerge as real leaders of 

the theatre in this country – as actors, but also as artistic directors, playwrights and administrators. This work has truly changed their lives. 

James MacDonald, Director, Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program 

We would like to acknowledge the generous and visionary support of: The Eldon and Anne Foote Fund of the Edmonton Community Foundation, The John and Barbara Poole Family Fund, Canadian 

Western Bank and the Pechet Family in the establishment and ongoing funding of this professional training program. 

Courtney Lancaster • 2009 

Many exciting opportunities in both TV and 

theatre opened up for Courtney since she 

completed The Program. Currently a member 

of the 2011 Soulpepper Academy in Toronto, 

Courtney is preparing to create and perform in 

a collective theatre piece with her fellow 

graduates. This summer she will also be 

playing various roles in Soulpepper Theatre 

productions including The Crucible and The 

Royal Comedians. 

Tess Degenstein • 2010 

Following her stint at the Robbins Academy, 

Tess went on to work on Nichole Moeller’s 

play, An Almost Perfect Thing, produced by 

Workshop West and winner of the 2011 

Sterling Award for Best New Play. Learning 

much about herself, Tess was inspired to 

begin writing again. An Almost Perfect Thing 

earned Tess a Best Actress Sterling Award 

nomination for her role as Chloe. 


Jonathan Seinen • 2010 

Returning to Toronto following his involvement in 

The Program, Jonathan has performed onstage at 

Theatre Passe Muraille and Buddies In Bad Times 

Theatre. His company Architect Theatre is now a 

Resident Company at Theatre Passe Muraille and 

is currently developing their next creation piece, 

currently titled The CN Tower Show which will 

debut this October. Jonathan is currently developing 

Lily, a TYA show about food and sustainable living 

in North Carolina. 

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PLAY DEVELOPMENT 

2011/2012 PLAYWRIGHTS’ FORUM FEEDBACK 

I cannot thank you enough for your support of 

the Citadel Playwrights' Forum. This has 

been the most rewarding play development 

process that I have had the privilege to be 

a part of. It has been extremely rigorous, 

intimate and enlightening. Working with 

Colleen, Brian and my fellow playwrights has 

enriched my understanding of the craft. The 

things that I have learned in the Forum 

will aid me throughout my career and I 

am excited to continue work on my play 

into the next year. Again, thank you so 

much. 

— Jason Chinn 

I would love to let the Citadel know that I 

have found the Forum invaluable. To 

meet with other playwrights to discuss 

our process and work is rare indeed- but 

to do so in such a generous and productive 

environment is even more rare. Both 

Colleen and Brian have been instrumental 

in helping us define our own methods of 

working and our own individual processes 

- all while encouraging us to take risks 

while remaining true to our own integrity 

of vision. There is no other workshop or 

circle like this in our theatre ecology here 

in Alberta. I hope to see plays from this 

forum produced on stages across the city, 

province and country soon.... 

— Trevor Schmidt 

The Citadel’s continued commitment to produce world premieres on our stages had led to many opportunities for Canadian playwrights and this year was no 

exception. A noteworthy story of triumph from our Play Development department would be the success and recognition alumni member Collin Doyle has 

received for his full-length play Let the Light of Day Through—which he developed while being a part of the 2010/2011 Playwrights’ Forum. Collin went on to 

win the 46 th annual Alberta Playwriting Competition this year, and we couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishment. 

The Playwrights' Forum proudly sponsored by the BMO Financial Group, is a vital part of play development at the Citadel and it provides a unique and cherished 

opportunity for playwrights to create, nurture and develop their work for our stages and beyond. 

Brian Dooley, Director, Play Development 

Being part of the Citadel’s Playwrights’ 

Forum has been and continues to be a 

tremendous opportunity and certainly a 

highlight in my young career. There are 

fewer and fewer new play development 

programs in this country with the rise of 

performance-based theatre. It is so 

important for theatres like the Citadel to 

invest in new work to ensure the future 

of Canadian plays and text based 

creation. 

As an emerging playwright who has 

studied at the National Theatre School 

of Canada, I greatly appreciate the Forum 

on many levels; the rigor, resources and 

perspectives that are always present in 

the room; in depth discovery and the 

effective structure of the weekly sessions. 

Colleen Murphy and Brian Dooley fearlessly 

guide their playwrights and inspire that 

same fearlessness in their work. I have 

met some incredible peers, engaged in 

important discussions about theatre, 

new work, classics and craft, to name a 

few. 

I thank you a thousand times for this 

opportunity and your investment in new 

play development. 

— Amy Lee Lavoie 

Thank you so much for supporting the 

Playwrights’ Forum. The Forum has been 

such an important part of the last few 

months of my life that I have a hard time 

putting how I feel about it into words. I 

am so fortunate to have been selected to 

participate in its second year and to have 

the guidance of Colleen and Brian in the 

room and the support of the entire 

Citadel staff surrounding us as we met 

each day for our sessions. 

The Forum has allowed me to stretch as a 

dramatist and push my own writing in 

directions that I may not have had the 

courage to go to on my own. It has given 

me a group of colleagues possessing 

strong and unique voices with whom I can 

share, debate, celebrate and critique our 

work. It has given me a glimpse of what 

play development in this country could 

be, what my work could be, what the 

future of Canadian theatre could be. 

There is no other program like this in 

Canada and what a gift it is. 

— Elyne Quan 

Want to share your feedback? Email your thoughts to Megan mwenger@citadeltheatre.com 


Under the stewardship of Colleen and 

Brian, our collected pages reflect our 

passion for the power of theatre. Thank 

you for these precious days. Your support 

of this remarkable forum is a testament 

to your vision and your role as the rare 

arts leader who values original creation 

and the time it takes to craft new work. 

The Citadel Playwrights’ Forum has 

offered me something that I have longed 

for all my life: the time and space to write 

with a collection of like-minded artists, all 

of us so hungry to carve out a work of 

profound truth that might both entertain 

and enliven. The mentorship of Colleen 

Murphy is laser-focused and clear, rigorous and 

tough but with deep compassion, allowing me to 

examine facets of my art that I had sought 

after but felt too green and clumsy to 

attain. My project has grown immeasurably 

and the skills that I have learned will 

enrich the rest of my career as a writer, 

actor and educator. 

— William Marchant 

Thank you so much for your support of 

the Playwrights' Forum and further to 

that, your support of play development in 

Canada. The Forum has played a pivotal 

role in my development as a writer, and 

couldn't have come at a better time. For 

the past five years, I have been paving a 

career for myself on my own, learning 

only by doing. Under the guidance of 

Colleen Murphy and Brian Dooley and by 

sharing work and experiences with my 

fellow writers, I have gained essential 

knowledge about the craft of writing and 

a vocabulary in which to express myself 

when working with other artists. During 

the Forum, I challenged myself to write a 

style of play that I haven't attempted 

before. I would not have taken a risk like 

that without that support. The variety of 

tools placed at my disposal has not only 

made my play stronger, but has made me 

stronger as a writer, giving me a confidence I 

lacked eight months ago. Thank you again 

for this invaluable opportunity. 

— Nicole Moeller 

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After finishing my training with the Robbins Academy Professional Program in April 2011, I have had a myriad of opportunities open up to me. Firstly, 

this program enabled me to come back to Western Canada to explore the theatre scene here (I am a graduate of the University of Alberta, but 

have spent my professional acting career thus far in Ontario) that I have admired and adored for many years. Suddenly the ability to audition for 

companies in person here in British Columbia and Alberta became a reality. I was able to connect with many companies, including Alberta Theatre 

Projects in Calgary. As a result, I ended up performing in their three-month long playRites Festival that started in December 2011. I was thrilled to 

be able to work on new Canadian work and to bring the sense of “Stamina, Strength and Agility of Body, Mind and Heart” that we explored during 

our time in Banff and with our faculty, peers and director at the Citadel. 

Before this and immediately following the Robbins Academy, I flew off to El Salvador to volunteer at an arts school there as a member of the 

Stratford Shakespeare Festival working in conjunction with international volunteer organization CUSO-VSO. This school, Es Artes, is located in the 

small town of Suchitoto, El Salvador and is meant to help youth stay out of gang violence by giving them a safe community, a sense of passion and 

purpose, and by creating more jobs within their country for themselves as working artists in the future. I 

served as a voice/singing coach, a choreographer, and dance instructor for six-weeks during their 

rehearsal period of Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid. I have acted and performed all my life, however singing and dance remained two performance aspects 

that were, let’s just say, not my finest. Ironically, this is what they needed me to do, and I know that it was only possible for me to help the school in this 

way thanks to the encouragement and vocal and movement training that I had just received for five-months during the Professional Program with the 

Citadel. Although singing and dancing have always been a small part of my theatrical career thus far, they terrified me; however, since completing this 

program, my ability to understand them, to teach them and to love them has grown exponentially. 

After El Salvador, I moved to Toronto to work on new play development with companies such as Pleiades Theatre and to explore the film and television 

scene in the city through professional development workshops and auditions. I then went on to teach with the 

Stratford Shakespeare Festival all over Ontario and the States, spending two weeks teaching acting intensives to 1 st and 

3 rd year students at MSU, and continue to teach with the Festival throughout the year. Again, I was able to draw on 

lessons learnt in Banff and my experiences had while in Edmonton. This past March I was fortunate enough to be able 

to return to El Salvador to direct a public performance piece there and will continue to return to work on this project in 

the years to come. 

I recently just completed this world-premier of Drama at ATP, and have now moved back to Toronto to explore the 

theatrical and cinematic job opportunities that are available out here in Ontario. I continue to work with Academy 

instructors such as Brenda Bazinet on acting for the camera and continue to connect with new found friends and fellow 

actors that I met while participating in the Citadel/Banff Professional Theatre Program. I am looking forward to 

performing in Joyful Noise at Theatre North West this coming fall as well as directing a production of Hamlet with the 

young adult summer performers at The Stratford Festival. In the midst of this, I of course didn’t pass up the opportunity 

to travel back to Alberta to catch the most recent academy production - A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Maclab 

Theatre! 

This program changed my life and I am still walking through doors that it opened for me over a year and a half ago. 

With love and gratitude, 

Alana Hawley 

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 

Featuring 2011 Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Program Alumni Alana Hawley 

Want to be featured in our next Alumn i Spotli ght? Email your story to Megan mwenger@citadeltheatre.com 


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YOUNG COMPANIES 

This year saw a big leap forward for the Young Companies in all aspects. We were inundated with applications and were able to choose the top 12 for 

both the acting and musical theatre programs, 6 for the playwriting program and 3 for the theatre production program. Each of these represents 

substantial growth. And not only were the numbers better, the overall talent level was higher too. Our Young Companies feature some of the best young 

students from local high schools and the BA drama program at the U of A, in addition to several who have taken a year off. 

In addition to their regular classes with outstanding instructors such as Stephen Delano, Kate Ryan, Shannon Boyle, Heather Inglis and Linda Rubin, 

students have been fortunate to have workshops with amazing professionals like Don Horsburgh, Bob Baker, James MacDonald, Phil Nero, Greg 

McArthur, Mieko Ouchi, Colleen Murphy and others. In addition, the Acting and Musical Companies got to work with Bridget Ryan, Dave Horak, Cindy 

Kerr and Ryan Sigurdson on their final productions. 

Members of the Citadel/Banff Professional Theatre Program were matched up with the Young Company students to serve as mentors during their stay in 

Edmonton. This year the program culminated with performances of Cloud 9 and Spring Awakening as well as staged readings of the plays written by 

members of the Young Playwriting Program at the end of May. This year for the first time ever, two of the Young Theatre Production Company members 

designed the sets and costumes for both Cloud 9 and Spring Awakening! 

Doug Mertz, Director, Young Companies 

2011/2012 YOUNG COMPANIES PARTICIPANTS 

Y oung 

A c ti ng 

Compa ny 

2011/2012 Young Acting Company Participants: Owen Bishop, Liam Coady, Laura Duguay, Sarah Feutl, Sophie Gareau-Brennan, Caitlin Goruk, Josh Greschner, Johnathon Lovett, Jordan Parasynchuk-Buhat, Kyle Sanscartier, Calla Wright 

Y oung 

Musical 

T heatre 

Compa ny 

2011/2012 Young Musical Theatre Company Participants: : Hunter Cardinal, Celina Gado, Cynthia Hicks, Cameron Kneteman, Maddy Lakutsa, Harley Morison, Erin Orris, Ben Platten, Dylan Rosychuk, Michael Strean, Ellicia Viera, Julia Vos 

Y oung 

Playwri ti ng 

Compa ny 

Y oung 

T heatre 

Production 

Compa ny 

2011/2012 Young Playwriting Company Participants: Anna Fitz, Bevin Dooley, Cameron Lewis, Josh Languedoc, Kathleen Steil, Liam Salmon 2011/2012 Young Theatre Production Company Participants: Mia Calic, Stephanie Bahniuk, Travis Metzger 


No 

Photo 

A vail ab le 

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YOUNG COMPANIES: PAST PARTICIPANT UPDATES 

Brett Dahl • 2009, 2010 

Since Brett finished up with the Young Acting 

Company, he has gone on to be accepted to 

the University of Alberta’s Bachelor of Fine 

Arts Acting program. He recently wrapped up 

his third year at the U of A and is eagerly 

looking forward to next year when his class will 

be featured on the Timms stage for their Studio 

Theatre season. 

Michelle Jasmine • 2009, 2010 

Michelle has much gratitude for the Robbins 

Academy for cultivating her passion and skill 

for the arts. Since finishing up with the Young 

Companies, Michelle was accepted to New 

York University’s prestigious Tisch School of 

the Arts with plans to graduate in 2015 with 

her BFA in Drama. 

Daniel Bowen • 2009 

After finishing up with the Young Companies, 

Daniel went on not only to have roles in various 

productions at Victoria School of the Arts, but he 

even sang for Broadway legend and veteran Ben 

Vereen. The Young Companies provided Daniel 

with the necessary training and skills needed to 

gain acceptance into the Bachelor of Applied Arts 

in Musical Theatre Performance at Sheridan 

College in Oakville, Ontario. 

Andrew Boyd • 2011 

Since completing the Young Musical Company 

program last year, Andrew has gone on to 

receive a Cappie nomination for his 

performance of Curly in Oklahoma!. He also 

landed the lead role in his school’s production 

of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas which was 

well received by both audiences and critics 

alike. 

Mark Vetsch • 2007 - 2010 

A long time participant, Mark started out with 

the Robbins Academy by attending the Foote 

Theatre School. The Young Acting Company 

gave him many skills and experiences that 

have led him to a BA Honors degree at the 

University of Alberta majoring in Drama. Since 

graduating in 2011, Mark has gone on to 

produce and direct a show called Tuesdays 

and Sundays. Currently in California, Mark is 

completing a 9-month certification in Physical 

Theatre and Ensemble at Dell ’Arte 

International. Once he is finished the program, 

he plans to return to Edmonton where he 

hopes to direct and devise work around the 

city. 

Are you a Robbins Academy Alumnus? 

Want to be featured in our next newsletter? 

Send your update to: 

Megan 

m weng e r@ ci tad el thea tre .c om 


FOOTE THEATRE SCHOOL 

Left: Alumnus Andrew Boyd 

(green jacket) performs in White 

Christmas. 

Bottom: Some friendly faces 

from the Foote Theatre School 

Instructors from left to right: 

Meghan Koshman, Eileen 

Sproule, Barb Mah, Anna Paquin, 

Liana Shannon, Matt 

Schuurman, Brad Heintzman, 

Ashley Buttler 

The children’s classes portion of the school is still our backbone. Children, ages 3 and up, 

through teens make up over 80% of our student population, although the adult program con- 

tinues to grow. This year saw the introduction of some six-week courses for adults, in addition 

to the regular full term ones. We’ve introduced new topics to our students, including Public 

Speaking, Clowning, Improv and Gleek Out! (based on the success of the TV show Glee) to 

varying degrees of success. 

As for children’s classes, we introduced a Child and Parent Creative Dramatics Class for a child 

age 3 and his or her parent. This class is off to a slow start but we’re convinced that once the 

word gets out, it will be a popular addition to our roster. We’ve also added levels to several of 

the classes for students ages 8 and up, so that those who are more advanced can move on to 

a more challenging class within their own age group. 

We also added shorter, six-week courses for teens. These were very popular. Improv, Acting 

for the Camera and Auditioning were the three biggest sellers. 

Many of the faces you see throughout this newsletter got their start at the Foote Theatre 

School – we are thrilled to be able to continue this tradition for generations to come. 

Doug Mertz, Director, Foote Theatre School 

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AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT 

It has been a busy season of Audience Development at the Citadel Theatre and one that has seen a record number of Citadel artists involved in our various 

programs. 

This season the Maclab Enterprises Student’s Club launched with a dazzling lighting demonstration by Assistant Head of Electrics Scott George Lafluer, 

followed by The Rocky Horror Show’s costume and lighting designer Cory Sincennes providing a vivid glimpse into the process of creating the stunning visual 

world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s castle. In January students were taken on a detailed video introduction and backstage tour which highlighted many members of 

the A Christmas Carol production team whose invaluable work above, below and behind the stage is seldom seen. 

Our Seniors Club luncheons featured discussions with a number of this season’s directors, a conversation with our own James MacDonald, as well as a 

presentation by the Wirth Institute’s Professor Joseph Patrouch detailing the remarkable true life events of the Von Trapp family beyond The Sound of Music. 

This season also marked some exciting new initiatives in Education Outreach. In particular, this season saw the launch of the Citadel Theatre Teachers 

Advisory Board - a group of Edmonton and area teachers who provided invaluable perspective as we look to continue to better serve the educational 

community. 

It is with great anticipation we look forward to the 2012/2013 season. 

Geoff Brumlik, Director, Audience Development 

The Citadel would like to honour and remember those who have gone before us, leaving us with 

memories and inspiration. 

Though no longer with us, their spirit lives on through our ongoing work, and their eternal legacy. 

Lester Myhr 

Head of Scenic Carpentry 

Sept. 5, 1950 - Sept. 21, 2011 

Michael Becker 

Composer, Sound Designer 

Nov. 26, 1954 - Jan. 16, 2011 

Michelle Dias 

Head of Scenic Paint 

Dec. 13, 1960 - Sept. 6, 2011 


Clockwise From Top Left: The Maclab theatre awaits its next audience, Cory Sincenne’s sketch of Columbia’s costume 

for The Rocky Horror Show, a Seussical themed event took place on Literacy Day at St. Benedict Elementary School, a 

close-up shot of one of the many boots worn in The Rocky Horror Show. 

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young companies - The Citadel Theatre

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