Biographies
Amiel Gladstone - Director
Amiel's recent directing work in Vancouver includes The Dissemblers for Touchstone, 20 Minute Musicals for PuSh, Theatre SKAM's contribution to HIVE2, Yu- Fo for Theatre Replacement, and in the opera world he most recently directed Veda Hille's Jack Pine for Vancouver Opera. He has extensive experience staging plays in a variety of unusual venues, including cars, docks, tents, nightclubs, garages, lobbies, city squares, beneath the Burrard bridge and the Aquabus. He has directed world premieres at Alberta Theatre Projects, the Belfry Theatre, Caravan Farm Theatre, the National Arts Centre, Ramshackle Theatre, Rumble Productions, Theatre Bombus, Touchstone Theatre, Theatre Replacement, Theatre SKAM, Vancouver Opera, University of Victoria and Langara College’'s Studio 58. His work has been performed across the country, in Seattle, Philadelphia and New York City and France and Romania. He has been a member of the Banff Playwrights Colony as both a playwright and a dramaturge. A collection, Hippies and Bolsheviks and other plays was published by Coach House Books. Previous posts include former Artistic Director / founding member of Theatre SKAM, Artistic Associate at the Belfry Theatre and Artistic Associate at the Caravan Farm Theatre. He has won Jessie Awards for both writing and directing.
Daniel Arnold - Vince
A graduate of the UofA's BFA Acting program, Daniel's Vancouver credits include Summer of my Amazing Luck (Gateway), Beauty and the Beast, Poster Boys (Arts Club), Influence (Touchstone), Tideline (Touchstone/neworld), The Dunsmuirs (Sea Theatre), Triumph of Love (Blackbird), and Einstein's Gift (Firehall/Gateway). He has also performed in numerous theatres across Canada and acts for the screen when they allow him to. Also a writer, Daniel co-wrote/performed the published and multi-award winning Tuesdays & Sundays with Medina Hahn, most recently nominated for the Jessie Award for Outstanding Production. Daniel also made the NSI Drama Prize winning short film The Janitors (co-written/directed with Matthew Kowalchuk), and is currently adapting two plays into feature films: his own play Any Night (with Medina Hahn), and Morris Panych's Lawrence & Holloman (with Matthew Kowalchuk). Watch for the award-winning and soon-to-be published stage production of Any Night, presented by The Cultch and Touchstone Theatre this October. For more visit www.dualminds.com.
Matthew Kowalchuk - Jon
Matthew is a Vancouver based artist who works in theatre and film as an actor, writer, and director. As an actor he recently starred in the award winning The Devil and Billy Markham (The Unknown Theatre Co.) at the 2009 Chutzpah! Festival, The Secret Son (Theatre Terrific), and has taken on various roles for Upintheair Theatre’s Walking Fish Festival (actor, director, writer, festival dramaturge). His short film, The Janitors (co-written and directed, with Daniel Arnold), has been seen worldwide and was a recipient of the National Screen Institute’s Drama Prize. He was recognized as one of Canada’s Emerging Playwrights by Solo Collective for his play, Penguins (are so sensitive to my needs). Currently in development is his Shakespeare riff, Titus (As Told On The Street), which premiered in workshop form at BC Buds (Firehall) and the feature film adaptation of Morris Panych’s Lawrence & Holloman (with Daniel Arnold), and is one of the director-dramaturge’s for the Gateway Theatre’s Sea of Stories project in October. Matthew is also a long time improvisor, having trained in Alberta with Rapid Fire Theatre and Loose Moose Theatre, and works locally with Jest For Joy as an on-call Clown Doctor. Matthew is a graduate of UBC’s department of Theatre, Film, and Creative Writing.
Marisa Smith - Amy
Marisa is really excited about acting in and producing this unique production of Tape. In last year's Fringe Marisa performed and produced Confessions, staged in a coffee shop on Granville Island. Recently Marisa directed The Little Things at the Walking Fish Festival. Other acting credits include And This is This One (Walking Fish Festival), As You Like It (VSS), Woyzeck Songspiel (Victoria Fringe), Carnage (Pi Theatre), Leisure (Walking Fish), The Apprentice Bride (Queens Players), The Crackwalker (Vancouver Fringe), Aladdin (North Shore Theatre for Children), The Shoes (Belfry Incubator Project), The Susan Smith Tapes (Bumble Bee Theatre), and November (Brave New Play Rites). While working on her BFA at UVIC, Marisa performed in Sophocles’ Electra (Britt Small), Taming of the Shrew (Alisa Palmer) and Listen to the Wind (David Ferry). Marisa is a graduate of The University of Victoria's BFA acting program.
Almeera Jiwa - Assistant Director and Stage Manager
Almeera is a graduate of the Studio 58 Acting Program with a focus on Directing in her 2nd year. Selected theatre credits include Bollywood Wedding (Newworks, South Asian Arts), As You Like It (Blue Bridge Theatre), Ride the Cyclone (Atomic Vaudeville), Fuse (Felix Culpa), Tideline (Touchstone Theatre), The Boyfriend, Fire Alley (Studio 58). Almeera's favourite performance was when she sang the National Anthem in front of Prince Edward for the Duke of Edinburgh awards. She has worked on Film/TV shows such as Romeo (Nickelodeon), Psych (USA Network) and can be seen next on Sanctuary and Mrs. Miracle (MOW). Ms. Jiwa recently completed a six month program as Intern Artist Director at Touchstone Theatre and currently teaches theatre at Arts Umbrella. She has Assistant Directed for Touchstone Theatre, Carousel Theatre and The Art’s Club Theatre, Felix Culpa, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Studio 58 and Directed for Burnaby Arts Council and Aga Khan Arts Council. Almeera is a recipient of the Beta Sigma Pi Scholarship, Earl Klein Memorial Scholarship and a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Achiever. She is thrilled to be a part of this distinctive production of TAPE.