The Gut Girls
January 20 - February 4, 2017
The Gut Girls
by Sarah Daniels directed by Maya Rabinovitch January 20 - February 4, 2017 Surprisingly funny and hard-hitting, this beautifully written piece follows the fortunes of the brash and proud working-class gut girls. When the gutting sheds are shut and their way of life disappears, the girls must try and find a place in the new world order of late Victorian London. Part of the Alumnae Retrospective Series, leading up to our 100th Anniversary in 2017/18. |
Special Pre-Show Events
Stories, Snacks & Theatre
Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 6:45pm
in the Alumnae Lobby
Arrive at 6:45pm to hear Erin Rodgers, producer of the 2016 Storytelling Festival, as she leads a group of storytellers relating tales of women's and workers' rights prior to the 8pm performance.
Featuring:
Anne Thériault is a Toronto-based writer, activist and social agitator. Her comments on feminism, social justice and mental health have been featured on TVO's The Agenda and CBC.
Evan Smith is a United Church minister. She speaks candidly about her experiences in the sex trade, as a squeegee kid and while transitioning from female to male to genderqueer.
Sage Tyrtle is a storytelling instructor at Seneca College and Second City. Her stories have been featured on both CBC Radio and NPR.
Erin Rodgers is a writer and performer, and producer of the storytelling show Storystar. Her one-person show Tough debuts this summer in the Toronto Storytelling Festival.
Steelworkers & Snacks
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 6:45pm
in the Alumnae Lobby
POSTPONED
Featuring:
Arrive at 6:45pm to hear Carolyn Egan speak to the rise of the labour movement and particularly its impact on women in the work force. been very involved in campaigns for reproductive justice as well as women's rights in the work place. She is the president of United Steelworkers Local 8300 and the Steelworkers Toronto Area Council. She has been awarded the Constance Hamilton Award for her work by the City of Toronto and the Women of Distinction award by the YWCA.
Stories, Snacks & Theatre
Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 6:45pm
in the Alumnae Lobby
Arrive at 6:45pm to hear Erin Rodgers, producer of the 2016 Storytelling Festival, as she leads a group of storytellers relating tales of women's and workers' rights prior to the 8pm performance.
Featuring:
Anne Thériault is a Toronto-based writer, activist and social agitator. Her comments on feminism, social justice and mental health have been featured on TVO's The Agenda and CBC.
Evan Smith is a United Church minister. She speaks candidly about her experiences in the sex trade, as a squeegee kid and while transitioning from female to male to genderqueer.
Sage Tyrtle is a storytelling instructor at Seneca College and Second City. Her stories have been featured on both CBC Radio and NPR.
Erin Rodgers is a writer and performer, and producer of the storytelling show Storystar. Her one-person show Tough debuts this summer in the Toronto Storytelling Festival.
Steelworkers & Snacks
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 6:45pm
in the Alumnae Lobby
POSTPONED
Featuring:
Arrive at 6:45pm to hear Carolyn Egan speak to the rise of the labour movement and particularly its impact on women in the work force. been very involved in campaigns for reproductive justice as well as women's rights in the work place. She is the president of United Steelworkers Local 8300 and the Steelworkers Toronto Area Council. She has been awarded the Constance Hamilton Award for her work by the City of Toronto and the Women of Distinction award by the YWCA.
Watch the Video Trailer!
Cast
Claire Keating Annie/Emily/Eady
Kaya Bucholc Maggie/Nora/Edna
Sarah Thorpe* Ellen/Priscilla
Alexandra Augustine Polly
Tasia Loeffler-Vulpe Kate
Nicole Arends Lady Helena
Mike Hogan Harry/Arthur/Len/Madjacko
Brendan O’Reilly Jim/Edwin
* Appearing with the permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
Kaya Bucholc Maggie/Nora/Edna
Sarah Thorpe* Ellen/Priscilla
Alexandra Augustine Polly
Tasia Loeffler-Vulpe Kate
Nicole Arends Lady Helena
Mike Hogan Harry/Arthur/Len/Madjacko
Brendan O’Reilly Jim/Edwin
* Appearing with the permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
Creative/Production Team
Maya Rabinovitch Director
Alia Ettienne Assistant Director
Madeleine Monteleone, Jackie Smulan Stage Managers
Marysia Bucholc Set Design
Julie Skene Lighting/Sound Design
Sarah Thorpe Producer
Wendel Wray Producer/Costume Design
Alia Ettienne Assistant Director
Madeleine Monteleone, Jackie Smulan Stage Managers
Marysia Bucholc Set Design
Julie Skene Lighting/Sound Design
Sarah Thorpe Producer
Wendel Wray Producer/Costume Design
Cast Bios (in alphabetical order)
Nicole Arends Lady Helena
Nicole Arends is thrilled to playing Lady Helena in Alumnae's production of The Gut Girls! Previous acting credits include: Fallen Apples (Faustwork Mask Theatre), One Butterfly (Cheshire Unicorn), Inanna (Donikers Daily), Downtown (The Question Company), Nuts (Scarborough Players) - winner of ACT-CO Thea Award, and Curse of the Starving Class (York University). Upcoming, Nicole will be directing Evidence to the Contrary for Tree of Life Theatre Company. |
Alexandra Augustine Polly
Alexandra is so pleased to be a part of the cast and crew of Gut Girls. She would like to dedicate her performance to her late grandmother Annette Augustine, who always knew how to be a lady. For credits and works visit: www.alexandra-augustine.com. |
Kaya Bucholc Maggie/Nora/Edna
Kaya is a graduate of York University’s Acting Conservatory (2014). Most recent credits include: Julia in Claire Holland’s new play Rattled (2016), Lady Capulet in the Guild Festival Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet (2015) and the title role in Antigone in Alumnae Theatre’s 2015/2016 season. Kaya would like to thank Mom, Dad, William, and Evan, she is so grateful for you all everyday. Thank you for this incredible experience; this ten-year vegetarian has never spent so much time talking about meat. |
Mike Hogan Harry/Arthur/Len/Madjacko
University of Windsor grad, Mike has trained with the Saratoga International Theatre Institute, the Moscow Art Theatre School, and the Michael Chekhov Association. Selected credits: Brody in Choking the Butterfly (Rarely Pure Theatre), Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest (Hart House Theatre), Jaques in As You Like It (Rarely Pure Theatre), Mace/Tamagotchi/Pale Person in Trashman’s Dilemma (New Fangled Stages), Pozzo in Waiting for Godot (Sweet Nothing Productions). |
Claire Keating Annie/Emily/Eady
Born and raised in Co. Dublin, Ireland, Claire recently relocated to Toronto, after completing a BA in Drama and English (University College Dublin) and an MA in Drama and Theatre (National University of Ireland, Galway). Theatre credits include Yerma, at The Mick Lally Theatre, Galway, The Ward (Jerome Hynes Theatre Festival), A Crucial Week in the Life of a Grocer (Blackrock Theatre), and 2thegrave (Bank of Ireland Theatre). Claire was also an inaugural cast member of the long running Story of the Irish show (Beyond the Gateway Theatre. She is so excited to be making her Toronto debut. |
Tasia Loeffler-Vulpe Kate
Tasia found her passion for acting early in life and then jumped into any type of theatre she could get her hands on, from high school to community theatre productions, in her hometown of Aylmer, Quebec. Years later, she found herself in Toronto studying Musical Theatre at Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Some of her favourite roles in the past have been Agnes in A Dream Play, Anne in Anne of Green Gables, Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. Fresh out of school, Tasia is thrilled to be a part of such a fun and cutting-edge production with Alumnae Theatre. |
Brendan O’Reilly Jim/Edwin
Brendan O’Reilly is an actor from Toronto. Brendan was last on stage in Bill, written by Daniel Bagg, produced by Filament Incubator. Brendan is excited to be working on The Gut Girls with such a talented team. He would like to thank his mother Rebecca and his father William for their love and support |
Sarah Thorpe* Ellen/Priscilla
Sarah is a theatre artist and co-founder of Soup Can Theatre. Acting credits include: Titus Andronicus (Seven Siblings), Behold, The Barfly! (Spoon Vs. Hammer/Toronto Fringe), The Comedy of Errors (Confidential Shakespeare Project). She wrote and performed the solo show Heretic, a retelling of the Joan of Arc, which won Fan Favourite and a nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance in MyTheatre’s 2015 Toronto Theatre Awards. |
Creative/Production Bios (in alphabetical order)
Marysia Bucholc Set Design
Selected designs include: A Better Place (LilyRose Productions), Alumnae Fireworks Festival (2014-2016), I Am Marguerite (Alumnae), If We Were Birds (Randolph Academy), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Randolph Academy), Peggy’s Song (Montybaby Productions), Heart and Music 2010 (Winter Garden Theatre), Little Murders (Riverdale), Adam’s Attic (Bespoke Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (Upper Canada Repertory Company) and Kafka and Son (Theaturtle), for which she received a Dora nomination. Marysia is currently an English language tutor at Centennial College, narrates audio books for the CNIB Library and rejoices in her wonderful family. |
Alia Etienne Assistant Director
Alia Josephine Ettienne is an emerging playwright born and raised in Toronto. She participated in Bcurrents summer arts program two years in a row and later moved on to The A.M.Y Project, taking on multiple roles on- and offstage for five years (including performingin shows such as Checkout and Step Right Up). She has now completed the performance program at Sheridan College and is also the main writer, director and performer in the solo show YellowZoned that debuted in the Toronto Fringe Festival this summer. |
Madeleine Monteleone Stage Manager
Madeleine is currently a student at Theatre@York's production programme, focusing her studies on stage management for devised theatre and dance. Some of her favourite credits include Eraser (Homeland Collective, Toronto Fringe Festival 2016); stage and production management, The Birds (Theatre@York, 2016); asst. sound designer and head sound, Giselle (Bravo Ballet Company, 2015). She is so excited to be a part of the cast and crew of The Gut Girls, and thanks them all for their incredible work on this show! |
Maya Rabinovitch Director
Maya is a director, dramaturg and produce, with various directing credits in Summerworks, Edmonton Fringe, Next Stage Festival, and Hysteria Festival. Maya’s company, the Steady State Theatre Project, focuses on creative methods for new play development. Maya’s first libretto, with musical composition by Elisha Denberg, was presented by Essential Opera in Toronto in 2013, at the Open Ears Festival in Kitchener, and recently in Halifax. Maya sat on Factory Theatre’s Board of Directors from 2006-2012. |
Julie Skene Lighting/Sound Design
A recent graduate of York's Theatre Production & Design Program, Julie has been working in both management as well as lighting and sound design since leaving school. Recent credits include: The Stage Manager's Guide to Dating Assholes Directed by Scarlett Larry - Lighting and Sound Design (Toronto Fringe 2016), Canada's Wonderland Halloween Haunt - Production Manager (2016), and Cloud 9 Directed by Nigel Shawn Williams - Lighting Design (Theatre@York 2015). |
Jackie Smulan Stage Manager
Jackie has loved the short time she has been involved with The Gut Girls cast and crew. Previous credits include: SM on Behold, The Barfly! (Spoon vs. Hammer), ASM on Lemon (Filament Incubator) and Yvette Nolan's The Birds (Theatre@York) and various crew positions for Scarborough Music Theatre. Thanks to Madeleine, Riley, Michael, and Sam for always being available; and her parents for being supportive of her dream to be a theatre artist, and understanding of the late nights and crazy hours. Thanks to the cast for being so welcoming to all the new crew members coming in at the final hour. Break legs! |
Sarah Thorpe Co-producer
Sarah holds a BAH in Theatre from York University, where she received the theatre department’s Mira Friedlander Award for her achievements in theatre writing, criticism, world, and Canadian theatre studies. She has also trained as a performer, writer, director, and creator with Volcano Theatre, Canadian Stage, Theatre Rusticle, The Second City, Directors Lab North, and the Stratford Festival. Sarah has received numerous local theatre award nominations for her work in the indie scene. |
Wendel Wray Co-producer, Costume Design
Wendel is thrilled to be a part of the Gut Girls team. Typically working in wardrobe/hair and makeup, Wendel is excited to be stepping outside the box as a co-producer on the show. When not working in theatre, Wendel can be found working in Child and Youth Activities at a private club. |