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Sonia Lindner
is in her final year of high school at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. She has performed in a number of productions at Rosedale.
Her roles include Dorothy (The Wiz), Kathy (Leaving Home), Sheila (A Chorus Line), B (A Life With No Joy In It), Ellen
Terry (The Actor’s Nightmare), Emcee (Fringe Festival and Cabaret Night), and The Queen of Hearts (Alice). She has performed in the SoulPepper Opening Night Club
Showcase as Angela (The King Stag). She was a member of the Upper Canada Junior Repertory Company from 2001 to 2003.
Her roles with the UCJRC include Mrs.Zhigalov (Absolutely Chekov), Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Lady
Macbeth (Her Infinite Variety), and Maria (Twelfth Night). She has also performed with the Zachary
Scott Theatre in Austin, Texas. Her roles with the Zachary Scott
Theatre include Osa Johnson (Chamber Music), and Little Boy (Wild Things). Ms. Lindner won
an award for Excellence in Directing at the SEARS Drama Festival in 2004 and aspires to work in the theatre for the rest of
her life.
Kelly Bedard is a student at The Bishop Strachan School
in Toronto.
She has experience in all aspects of theatre; on stage and off. Kelly recently finished directing an excerpt from As You Like It for a Shakespeare competition in New Zealand.
She also recently stage managed a production of R&J for the BSS/ UCC Young
Company. Kelly is a classically trained violinist, cellist and singer with a focus on musical theatre voice. Most recent musical
theatre credits include the roles of Katisha in The Mikado, Mad Margaret in Ruddigore and Dinah Murray in the world premiere production of Blind Bend which toured Ireland
in the summer of 2004. She also appeared in Oliver Twist, HMS Pinafore, The Sorcerer, and various school productions. She was
a regular participant in Centauri Summer Art and Suzuki Kingston More the Music Programs for many years and has appeared in
many workshop productions. Kelly has 10 years of dance experience ranging from basic ballet to hip hop, lyrical and jazz.
She has performed in pit bands for numerous musical productions including most recently the BSS/UCC Company production of
Blood Brothers. She is thrilled to see her vision of a summer musical theatre program
in Toronto come true.
All the way from beautiful Vancouver Island, Yanik Giroux, is
thrilled to be back to Toronto for his second year with NST!
Singer-Actor-Dancer, Yanik, is a graduate
from the University of Montreal (B.Mus-Voice Performance), the Canadian College of Performing Arts and the Chemainus
Theatre Acting Internship Program.
He has been working for several years as a vocal coach and music director in his
native Quebec, and now on the West Coast, directing shows such as Cancan, Aladdin, A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum (Oak Bay Theatre) and All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (Kaleidoscope
Theatre). Yanik has also been teaching piano and voice, performing arts and different
workshops at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, Vernon School of Drama, Prince George Conservatory of Music, Victoria
Dance Connection and Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Studio to name a few.
On stage as a performer, favorite shows include
Hello Dolly!, Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little House
on the Prairie (Chemainus Theatre), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Kaleidoscope Theatre), West Side Story
(Plein Feux Productions), Dancock’s Dance, Portia White: First You Dream (Theatre North West), Showtime!
(Butchart Gardens), The Vinedressers (Belfry Theatre), La Traviata (Pacific Opera Victoria), Carmen,
The Merry Widow (Drummondville College Opera Studio) Turandot (Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra) and The Merry
Wives of Windsor (University of Montreal Opera Studio).
He participated in national and international tours and festivals across Canada
and in Europe, including France, Germany, Switzerland and Hungary.
Yanik is a BC Registered Music Teacher in
Voice, Associate of Trinity College London (UK), and also music director for Play With Your Food Dinner Theatre
and The Victoria Male Voice Choir (Victoria, BC). www.geocities.com/yanikgiroux
Victoria Slager is an enthusiastic participant in the Divine Dance
of Life, and has been sharing her love and passion for movement for over 30 years. She is a gifted choreographer, dancer
and dance educator, as well as a movement workshop facilitator. She has used her creative talents to choreograph numerous
works for dance, music theatre, choirs, festivals, films, videos and fashion shows, and is presently in her 20th year as staff
choreographer and dance educator for the Etobicoke School of the Arts. She has been the Artistic Director of two Dance
companies, 'We Dance/Nous Dansons' and 'The Runaway Brides' and continues to choreograph and perform as a freelance artist.
Some of her credits include musicals such as West Side Story, Grease, Seussical, Footloose, Gypsy, Les Miserables, Bye
Bye Birdie, Children of Eden, The Lion King and many more for ESA, as well as numerous musical revues for The National
Music Camp in Orillia. She has also worked with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Canadian Childrens Opera Chorus,
choreographing Humperdinks Hansel and Gretel, Garry Freedmans Conga and Gottchalks Night in the Tropics
for Roy Thompson Hall. She has choreographed commissioned works for the Hamilton Art Gallery, Garnegie Gallery,
Orangeville Music Festival, Hamilton Workers Heritage Foundation and for the Simnon Wiesenthal Centre of Toronto.
Victoria - "It has always been and continues to be my passion and joy to move and
create and to share my love of it all!"
(Seussical, 2007)
Dora has just
completed her first year at the University of Toronto, studying history, political science and languages. Beyond her studies,
she is deeply passionate about the performing arts, and has participated in numerous productions both on and off-stage. This
past year, she has served as the Assistant Technical Director with the Victoria College Drama Society, working on such shows
as "Urinetown" (March 2007), "Holiday" (January 2007) and "Miss Julie" (October 2006). In high school she was a member of
the "Northern Lights Showchoir" - a singing and dancing group that performs at competitions in the States. She has also played
the role of the evil stepmother in "Cinderella" (June 2005), and as the school principal Miss Strict in her high school's
musical "Zombie Prom" (June 2006) . It seems every day she is even more amazed by this talented group of students. She's had
an awesome time working with everyone, and looks forward to a wonderful show!
Shirley
Chen, Pianist
(Seussical,
2007)
Shirley is 17 years
old and entering her second year of Music Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University
on Bassoon and Piano. She began studying piano at the age of 9, receiving her ARCT Diploma at age 15. As the former jazz pianist for the RCM Jazz Ensemble, she is very passionate and driven, teaching and accompanying
many different styles of music. A very active performer, Shirley was involved in numerous musical ensembles in high school,
such as the award-winning Northern Lights Showchoir, Stage Band, member and Apprentice Conductor for the Concert Band and
Symphony Orchestra. Although she is a talented pianist, her true passion is being
a bassoonist, which she began studying in Grade 12. Now performing regularly
with the Laurier Wind Ensemble and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra, Shirley often collaborates with professional
musicians across Canada, such as her current project with
soloists Guy Few and Nadina Mackie Jackson. Her credits include Cinderella, Broadway Santa, Zombie Prom, Ravel's L'Enfant
et les sortilèges and Puccini's Suor Angelica. Shirley also performs on saxophone and sings soprano
Our Co-Producer
Esther Raday is a recent graduate from the theatre program at York University. She is currently working on making it
in the film, theatre and voice acting world, as well as expanding her musical skills.
Raymond
George, Keyboards (Seussical, 2007)
Raymond George is
a versatile pianist with a wide range of musical interests. His formal musical
studies were in music education at the University
of Toronto where he studied piano pedagogy with William Aide. He recently was the
music director for Sing Baby Sing, a musical at the Ontario Science
Center. Since 2000, Raymond has been a featured pianist in many jazz, classical
and gospel events
Dustyn Wales, Stage Manager
Dustyn Wales recently finished his first year at Ryerson
University in the Performance Production. Dustyn has been involved in theatre, both on and off stage
for the past ten years. On stage, Dustyn has performed in such plays as The Aliens are Coming,
Fiddler on the Roof, Dear Santa, and many others. Following his true ambition, Dustyn has left
the lime light and traveled into the dimly lit land of backstage. Perusing a career in Stage Management, he has worked on
Steel Magnolias, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Annie Warbucks to name a few.
Dustyn also spent six months in a co-op placement at The Imperial Theatre in Sarnia, Ontario
where he was able to learn the wonders of all areas of theatre. Most recently, Dustyn worked as
a Production Assistant on Ryerson’s 2007 Rep Show, Mass Exodus and Assistant Stage Manager with The Classical
Theatre Project on the Spring 2008 production of Macbeth. He hopes to begin his Equity apprenticeship
in Stage Management this summer
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