Welcome to your Panto Digital Program Guide
Please use the menu bar on the left to navigate or simply scroll down!
The Cultch and Theatre Replacement are positively chuffed to welcome you back to the theatre. It has been far too long! Here you’ll find the Panto Digital Program, which is much like a regular program only programmed with pixels and code instead of paper and ink.
Scroll on, dear Panto-goer, for delights incalculably curious or use the menu bar on the left to hop-skip-and-jump to whatever makes your heart most content!
Hello everyone, we missed you!
Welcome to this celebration of gathering together. We are so happy to hear the sounds of the Panto bouncing around this theatre once again. The East Van Panto is about sharing joy and being in community with each other, something we all need right now. We were incredibly moved to see so many of you online last year and felt privileged to be invited into your homes, where we could all dance together safely on Zoom.
This Panto is our most ambitious yet. We hope it fills you with joy and that you can share that with everyone around you. It is a time to be gentle and kind with one another and to carry the Panto magic into the streets.
I know that last year many of you shared the Panto with your family and friends across the country and around the world—we invite you to do that again this year! We have streamed performances running alongside the live ones for the last three weeks of December. And as a special treat, the show will be available on-demand on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So get your smiles on, look behind you! and have a fantabulous Panto!
Love,
Heather Redfern | Executive Director of The Cultch
Work on Alice in Wonderland began waaay back in 2018, when we first met with playwright Sonja Bennett and director Meg Roe about collaborating with us on our East Van Panto. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then. Novelist and thinker Arundhati Roy suggests that the “pandemic is a portal”. If that is true then, like Alice, we’ve all taken a trip through the looking glass and had our world turned upside down.
When things got locked down, we hit pause on Alice, wanting to give it the premiere that it deserved. We felt that a full-scale production, live at The York, was the only way to properly honour the dozens of artists, designers and technicians that created our Grandview-Woodland Wonderland.
And, so, like everyone else, we pivoted. We loved beaming Panto Come Home! into your living rooms last year. It was the perfect way to keep our beloved Panto tradition alive. But we missed you! We missed seeing you and your families gather in the lobby before the show. We missed your cheers, your boos, and your look-behind-yous!
Hopefully, now that we can gather together again – whether at the York, or with a group of friends at home—we all laugh a little longer, cheer a little louder, and hold each other a little closer, knowing that nothing should ever be taken for granted.
Welcome back! Thanks for being here.
Corbin, Maiko, James, Chelsea and Arthi
Theatre Replacement
Okay, I’m going to be honest. I wrote the East Van Panto because I have a crush on Veda Hille. There are other reasons but that’s the main reason.
I saw the very first East Van Panto with my son, Maxwell, and it was a bit of a game-changer. I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this but we’re both a little twitchy and the idea that you could stand and sing and shout during a theatrical event was absolutely thrilling. We left with sore faces from smiling so hard. It became a tradition.
When Theatre Replacement approached me to write this year’s Panto, I was super surprised and very honoured. I was positive I couldn’t do it, which of course meant that I absolutely had to do it. I’m so glad I did. Writing the East Van Panto has enabled me to achieve so many things on my bucket list. Some of which include:
1. Write a love letter to the Drive – the creative, friendly, energizing neighbourhood that has shaped me.
2. Fulfill a lifelong dream of writing a musical, even if I wrote literally none of the music.
3. Collaborate with my talented camping friends and rehearse a show on a campsite.
4. Get cred with my kids.
Why Alice in Wonderland, you ask? Partly because all the best fairy tales had already been done by my Panto playwright predecessors. But also! I wanted to see a version of Alice that resembles the sassy, rebellious, strong-willed pre-teens girls I know.
At the East Van Panto, Alice is in the driver’s seat of her journey through (Grandview-Woodlands) Wonderland.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Sonja Bennett, Playwright
The Performance
East Van Panto: Alice in Wonderland
24
NOV
to
02
JAN
Written by Sonja Bennett | Directed by Meg Roe | Music by Veda Hille
When Alice follows the White Rabbit onto the Skytrain she finds herself lost in a Grandview-Woodlands Wonderland! Can she track down that elusive bunny and find her way home? She’ll have to keep her head, even after she meets the dastardly Queen of Hearts. The East Van Panto has never been so upside down. Hope we all come out of this trip in one piece!
Playwright
Sonja Bennett
Director
Meg Roe*
Music and Lyrics
Veda Hille
Musical Director and Additional Music
Ben Elliott
Choreographer
Amanda Testini*
Associate Director
Arthi Chandra
Starring
Ghazal Azarbad*
Mark Chavez
Dawn Petten*
Amanda Sumh
Raugi Yu*
Visual Concept Design/Illustrations
Cindy Mochizuki
Set and Props Design
John Webber
Costume Design
Barbara Clayden
Head of Wardrobe (Theatre Replacement)
Alaia Hamer
Videographer
Cameron Anderson
Lighting Design
Sophie Tang
Props Master
Heidi Wilkinson /Flying Fox Prop Shop
Sound Designer / Recording Engineer/ Mixer and Post-Production Editor (Video)
Brad Danyluk
Production Manager (Theatre Replacement)
Adrian Muir
Technical Director (Theatre Replacement)
Jennifer Stewart
Stage Manager
Joanne PB Smith*
Assistant Stage Manager
Yvonne Yip*
Apprentice Stage Manager
Jasmin Sandhu*
Apprentice Stage Manager
Mariana Munoz*
Production Assistant (Studio 58)
Jess Jandera+
Youth Wrangler/ Apprentice Stage Manager
Even Ren*
Orchestra
Ben Elliott
Barry Mirochnick
Chorus
Samantha Levy+
Katherine Matlashewski+
Angus Yam+
Teen Chorus
Milo Engleman
Emery Gatley
Maia Gillard
Anders Hille Kellam
Maxine Kassis
Nora Pontin
Hazel Pontin
Poppy Rodgersmith
Kiyo Roth
Keira Steele
Ashlyn Talbot
Lu Ella Woffinden
Production Manager (The Cultch & The York)
Andrew McCaw
Technical Director (The Cultch & The York)
Cody Biles
Noise Maker
Kyra Soko
Head Electrician
Nico Weismiller
Head Carpenter
Kaden O’Reilly
Head of Wardrobe
Therese Hartwig
Props Buyer
Carol Macdonald
Props Assistant
Stephanie Barclay
Wig Design
Donnie Tejani
Stitchers
Sarah Sosick, Emma Knock, Jess Jandera
Great Northern Way Scene Shop
Shop Production Manager
Leigh Kerr
Head Carpenter
Kyle Sutherland
Head Painter
Amira Routledge
Painters
Deidre Roberts, Sandy Margaret
Rigger
Richard Hansen
Shop Manager
Chris Fader
Grips
Blaine Johnson, Mathew Kowalyk, Steven Tong
Shop Administration
Kiki Lightburn
Theatre Replacement Staff
Co-Artistic Director
James Long
Co-Artistic Director
Maiko Yamamoto
Managing Producer
Corbin Murdoch
Operations Manager
Chelsea MacDonald
* Appears with the permission of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Theatre Replacement engages professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the terms of the Independent Theatre Agreement.
+Student of Studio 58, Langara College
Cameron Anderson (Videographer) is a professional videographer with a special focus on live performance. As a filmmaker, he has collaborated on several short documentaries, and directed the short narrative film Do Not Go. He is the resident process videographer of Neworld Theatre, and the current in-house video director of The Cultch. He has collaborated with several dozen local arts organizations, including Music on Main, Theatre Replacement, and Green Thumb Theatre. He has also built promotional videos for the Vancouver Green Party, and current BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria, and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with distinction. His film training includes a diploma in documentary filmmaking from In Focus Film School, and a year-long practicum with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Ghazal Azarbad (Ensemble) This is Ghazal’s first year with the East Van Panto and she’s very excited about it. Born in Mashhad, Iran and raised in Vancouver, Ghazal is an actor & creator whose theatre credits include Being Here: The Refugee Story(Belfry); The Seagull, Wedding at Aulis, La Bête, Innocence Lost (Soulpepper); Shakespeare in Love, Taming of the Shrew (Bard); It’s a Wonderful Christmas-ish Holiday Miracle, Curious Incident (Arts Club). TV/FILM credits include Float (Lionsgate), Charmed (CW), The Slowest Show (CBCGem), Kim’s Convenience (CBC). She is the writer/creator of Dear Konstantin (Spotify) and REAL (Babelle Theatre Maker’s Lab). Enjoy the show, plebes!
Sonja Bennett (Playwright) In 2012, Sonja decided to apply some of what she learned from ten years in front of the camera and took up screenwriting. Her feature film, Preggoland, was supported by Movie Central, Telefilm Canada and was selected for the Telefilm/CFC Comedy Exchange. The film had a theatrical release in May 2015 with James Caan and Danny Trejo in lead roles opposite Sonja. Preggoland premiered as a special presentation at TIFF, was awarded “most popular film” at VIFF, was nominated for “best BC film” by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, won “most popular film” at the Omaha film festival and “best screenplay” at the Fargo film festival as well as receiving Leo nominations for Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Film.
For television, Sonja has written on Kim’s Convenience for CBC (Leo win for best screenwriting in a comedy), Ghost Wars for Netflix and Letterkenny for Crave/Hulu (Nominated for Writer’s Guild of Canada Award and two-time recipient of the Leo for best screenwriting in a comedy), The Murders and Hudson and Rex for Rogers and Family Law for Global. She is a graduate of Studio 58.
Sonja would like to thank her partner, Adrian, for always letting her tape cue cards on his windows and her children, Maxwell and Scout, for inspiring her imagination and being sassy, can-do kids.
Arthi Chandra (Associate Director) is a Vancouver based director, writer, and theatre maker. Her practice is rooted in devising text-based new works, and adaptations of contemporary and classical plays. Her work examines ways in which identities of race, gender, class, and queerness intersect with one another, and how people and ideas are shaped by systems and institutions. Recent works include Done/Undone at Bard on the Beach, and Passenger Seat, a theatre concert centring on queerness and being seventeen. She has performed in Vancouver and New York. Arthi teaches Directing as a contract Lecturer at X University (formerly Ryerson University). She is a graduate of the theatre performance stream from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
Mark Chavez (Ensemble) is an actor, writer, and comedian who is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico but now lives in East Vancouver. Superfans of the East Van Panto might recognize Mark’s name as the writer of Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. And/or you might even remember (half of) his face from last year’s streamed show, Panto Come Home, where he ran around the stage pretending to be the Phanto of the Panto. He also wrote that show too. But, if you don’t remember any of these things that’s ok. Fresh start. Clean slate.
Barbara Clayden (Costume Designer)
For Theatre Replacement: East Van Panto: Panto Come Home (2020), Pinocchio (2019), Wizard of Oz (2018), Dress Me Up in Your Love (2011)
Other selected theatre: Coriolanus, Lysistrata (Bard on the Beach); Beauty and the Beast (Arts Club Theatre)
Other: Six-time Jessie award winner for Costume Design
Brad Danyluk (Sound Designer / Recording Engineer/ Mixer and Post-Production Editor (Video)) Brad is a Vancouver-based sound designer who specializes in musical theatre. His past work includes many productions at Arts Club, TUTS, Gateway Theatre, Patrick Street Productions, Theatre Calgary, and others. He also works as a sound system consultant, a music recordist and mixer, and as an operator for live music and theatre shows. Post-pandemic he has shifted to primarily working as a recording and broadcast sound engineer for acoustic music, helping all kinds of productions sound their best in recorded or streamed formats.
Ben Elliott (Musical Director/Orchestra/Additional Music) is delighted to return for his 3rd Panto! Recent credits include sound design for I, Claudia (The Arts Club), A Christmas Carol (Rosebud). This fall, Ben was in the Windy City musical supervising the Beatles version of As You Like It (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Next, he heads to the land of cheese to do the same thing at Milwaukee Rep. When not musical directing, Ben acts, composes for musical theatre, film and television, and himself. Ben lives in Vancouver with his smoking hot wife Kori, is a Jessie award recipient, graduate of Bishop’s University and Studio 58. www.benelliott.ca
Veda Hille (Music and Lyrics) now keeps track of the years by figuring out which panto happened when. When she is not writing silly lyrics for this show she continues to make records (Little Volcano, 2020), write musicals (new shows coming with Amiel Gladstone and with Marcus Youssef), and moon around the neighbourhood thinking about the seasons, and soup. www.vedahille.com
Jess Jandera (Production Assistant) grew up in the concrete jungle of Vancouver, Canada, the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people. In the summers he would retreat to a small summer camp on the Sunshine Coast. Out in the woods, surrounded by strangers, he learned the value of stories and how they can benefit those willing to listen. Jess then stepped into a leadership role as a camp counsellor to pass these lessons on. These storytelling and community gathering experiences gave root to Jess’s love of theatre and the belief that theatre has the power to change lives. While at Studio 58, he has stage-managed THEATRE: THE PLAY, worked on costumes for URINETOWN THE MUSICAL, and was assistant to the costume designer (Melicia Zaini) during the run of TOMORROWLOVE. He is currently the assistant to the set and props designer (Jessica Oostergo) for CERULEAN BLUE. His passions lie in the tactile aspects of theatre, such as costumes and set. He plans to go into the industry and diversify his skills—there are no limits except for how far you can dream!
Samantha Levy (Chorus) has been acting, singing and dancing since age five and is thrilled to be a part of this delightful show! Born and raised in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), she is grateful to live here now, on the unceded traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Samantha is currently completing her final year in the Acting program at Studio 58 and, among other learning opportunities, previously trained at the Stratford Festival’s theatre arts programs. Select past theatre credits include: Cerulean Blue (Kanatan Wavey / Peal, Studio 58), Risky Nights: I, Myself, Am Strange and Unusual (co-creator, Chris Lam, Studio 58), Take This Soul: A TomorrowLove Story (Shekhar Paleja, Studio 58), Fancy Nancy: The Musical (Cameron/Terriault, Segal Centre / CSLDS), and Love, Loss and What I Wore (Ellen David, Centaur Theatre). Samantha also happens to have an Honours DEC in Health Sciences but is most passionate about the performing arts. She looks forward to continuing to build a lifelong career as a performer, director, writer, and arts educator. Samantha would like to dedicate her work on this show to Michael Ian Levy. I miss you already, Daddy.
Katherine Matlashewski (Chorus) is an interdisciplinary artist completing her final year of acting training at Studio 58. Based in Vancouver, BC, she is privileged to live, work, and create on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Most recently, Katherine appeared as Jennifer in Cerulean Blue and Robin in TomorrowLove (Studio 58). Other credits include: Mopsy (King Arthur’s Court, Metro Theatre), Luisa (The Fantasticks, Stage 43), and Little Red Riding Hood (Into the Woods: In Concert, RCMT). She is a proud recipient of the Cheryl Hutcherson Award (Applause! Musical Society, 2021) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (CTC Award, 2019). Katherine would like to thank her Mom and her instructors at Studio 58 for their ongoing guidance and encouragement. Welcome to Wonderland and enjoy the show!
Barry Mirochnick (Orchestra) is a Vancouver-based musician originally from Winnipeg, MB. He has been active in the music and Theatre scenes since 1998, with highlights including recording and touring extensively with Veda Hille, playing on 4 records with Great Aunt Ida (including the 2021 release ‘Unsayable”), and touring for 5 years with Neko Case (and playing on Neko’s Grammy-nominated album “Middle Cyclone”). Barry has also played drums recently with Patsy Klein/Tony Wilson Quartet, and Rice and Beans Theatre’s “Made in Canada, an Agricultural Song Cycle”. Theatre credits (musician) include: The Birthday Boy, Leaky Heaven Circus; A Craigslist Cantata, Hille/Gladstone/Richardson; Onegin, Gladstone/Hille ; King Arthur’s Night, neworld; and five previous East Van Pantos!! Barry is very happy to be back this year for Alice in Wonderland, although how could I not have aged out by now??
Cindy Mochizuki (Visual Concept Design/Illustrations) creates multi-media installation, animation, drawing, audio fiction, performance, and community-engaged projects. She has exhibited her work in Canada, US, Australia, and Japan. Recent exhibitions include the Surrey Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery, Burrard Arts Foundation, Richmond Art Gallery, and Frye Art Museum. She is the recipient of the Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Award in New Media and Film (2015) and the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts VIVA Award (2020). She has worked collaboratively with theatre and dance companies including Theatre Replacement, Dream Walker Dance Company, Lisa Mariko Gelley, Carousel Theatre, and the Arts Club Theatre. Her illustrated children’s book Things on the Shoreline was published with Access Artist Run Centre in 2016. Cindy is delighted to be back to join the Panto team and to contribute her illustrations to the fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland.
Mariana Munoz (Apprentice Stage Manager) is an award-winning bilingual (Spanish/English) interdisciplinary artist who lives and works on the traditional unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver, BC). She is a force like no other and can find her backstage and onstage in both theatre or film, working as a producer, set designer, writer, director, actor, stage manager, or video editor. As a graduate of Studio 58 and with a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts, Mariana hopes to share and create diverse stories in her community. Past credits include original virtual performances like Backyard Warriors-A Virtual Interactive Online Adventure created in the summer of 2021, One of a Kind shown at Vancouver’s International Children’s Festival, and Mission Jolly- A Holiday Online Extravaganza in winter 2020.
Dawn Petten (Ensemble) Oh it’s thrilling to be back in this theatre with you all. Dawn feels like the luckiest actor in the world that this is her 6th East Van Panto. In last year’s iteration she played herself as a Diva as well as reprising her Hansel; in previous years she had the pleasure of being a harp, a Prince, a Tin Them, and Gloria Macarenko (among others). Most recently Dawn acted in an audio play version of The Cull with the Arts Club “Listen to This” podcast series. Other favourite theatre companies Dawn has trod the boards with include Bard on the Beach, Caravan Farm Theatre, and Touchstone Theatre. Dawn is a grad of UBC’s BFA Acting Program and has a bunch of Jessie nominations and received some of the hardware/glassware. It IS the most wonderful time of the year, because it includes celebrating her daughter Marlowe’s 5th birthday (a kid-who-can), and being reunited with family for Christmas after the pandemic-induced separation. Special thanks to her dear Mama.
Evan Ren (Youth Wrangler/Apprentice Stage Manager) is a stage manager and lighting designer based in Vancouver. Graduated from UBC theatre production and design in 2020, her former stage management credits include: Revolt, she said, Revolt again (UBC); Cariboo Magi (Far from the tree production); Guards at the Taj (SACHA); The Winter’s Tale (ASM, Carousel Theatre); Melville Boys (Vagabond players); The Drowsy Chaperone (ASM, TUTS). She is very grateful being able to join such a wonderful production and hope everyone enjoy this magical piece.
Meg Roe (Director): Meg’s work as an actor, director, dramaturg, composer and sound designer has been seen across the Canada at Crows Theatre, Shaw Festival, Theatre Calgary, Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, PuSh Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects, Bard on the Beach, Theatre Junction, Citadel Theatre, Ruby Slippers Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, Blackbird Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Arts Club, Belfry, Theatre SKAM, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Catalyst Theatre, RealWheels, Intrepid Theatre, Elbow Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Western Canada Theatre, National Arts Centre, Centaur Theatre, The Banff Centre, Yukon Arts Centre, Why Not Theatre, Savage Society, and internationally with the American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), Center Theater Group (Los Angeles), and as a collaborator with Crystal Pite’s renowned dance company Kidd Pivot.
Jasmin Sandhu (Apprentice Stage Manager) is an independent stage manager & CAEA apprentice stage manager working & living on the traditional, unceded, and occupied territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Select credits include; No Child (ApSM, Arts Club Theatre Company), House at Pooh Corner (ApSM, CTYP), It’s a Wonderful Life, Herringbone (ApSM, Patrick Street Productions), Danceboy (Summer POP! Festival), Youthless: It’s a Bit Grimm, Peter Pan-demic & The Windsinger (Place des Arts) Jekyll (Douglas College) and Next to Normal, The Nether, Spring Awakening & Dogfight (West Moon Theatre).
Joanne P. B. Smith (Stage Manager): Joanne has an extensive resume of stage managing live performances, but not in the last 18 months. So here we go! Enjoy the Panto!
Jenn Stewart (Technical Director) Jenn Stewart is a Vancouver based theatre artist who works in a variety of capacities. Selected credits include: Hamlet (Set, Honest Fishmongers), Studies in Motion (Wardrobe Supervisor, Electric Company), Selfie (Set & Costumes, Seizieme), Motherload (Stage Manager, the chop), Wet (Set & Props, Itsazoo). Jenn was the Production Manager for the 2015 Season at Caravan Farm Theatre and she has been an ASM at Bard on the Beach since 2013. She is a three-time Jessie nominee, studied at Studio 58 and is now pursuing her Masters at UBC. She is a member of Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE ADC-659) and a core member of the Vancouver Design Forum. This is Jenn’s fourth Panto and her first as Technical Director. www.jenniferannstewart.com
Amanda Sum (Ensemble) is a performer and creator dancing between theatre and music. Recent theatre projects include do you want what i have got? a craigslist cantata (The Cultch), East Van Panto: Pinocchio and Panto Come Home! (Theatre Replacement), and Chicken Girl (rice & beans theatre). Amanda’s indie-pop music has been played on CBC Radio, and this year, she played at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival with her Asian girl band. She wrote and arranged a full-length album, which will be released next year. Recent dance projects include short film Wide Stance Dance (co-director/co-choreographer with Justin Calvadores), and her music video Groupthink (choreographer). Amanda is Theatre Replacement’s current COLLIDER Artist in Residence, developing her “pop-up book performance”, New Age Attitudes: Live in Concert. She will present an in-progress showing of this piece at PushOFF 2022. Amanda holds a BFA from SFU. Antics and updates can be found on Instagram @amanduhsum, or www.amandasum.com
Sophie Tang (Lighting Design) is a lighting and set designer working in Theatre, Opera and Dance. She is a Jessie Award Winner and Nominee, as well as an Ovation Award Nominee. She has worked with companies include Stratford Festival, Push Festival, Artsclub Theatre, City Opera, Theatre Replacement, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Belfry Theatre, Neworld Theatre and so on. Recent credits: Rez Sisters (lighting and set)- Stratford Festival, At the Statue or Venus (Lighting)-City Opera, Limb(e)s (Lighting)- Company Ci, Being here (Lighting)-Belfry Theatre, TomorrowLove (Lighting and Projection)- Studio 58, East Van Panto: Panto Come Home! (Lighting)- Theatre Replacement, The Human Voice (Lighting)- City Opera, 12 Dates of Christmas (Lighting)- Artsclub Theatre, Little Volcano (Lighting)- Veda Hille X Theatre Replacement. Portfolio website: sophieyufeitang.com
Amanda Testini (Choreographer/Standby Performer) is a performer, choreographer and director based on the unceded territories of the Musquium, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She is elated that in-person theatre is back, and equally delighted to be back for another Panto! She has worked with the Belfry Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Savage Society, Axis Theatre, Theatre Kelowna, Theatre Under the Stars, Carousel Theatre for Young People, the response, Shameless Hussy Productions, Vancouver Opera, Opera Kelowna, the Firehall and, of course, Theatre Replacement and the Cultch! Amanda is a Jessie Award nominee and a graduate of Studio 58. www.amandatestini.com
John Webber (Set and Props Design) John is honoured to be a part of the East Van Panto family and to be back once again at The Cultch. A long time designer of both Sets and Lighting he has had the privilege of working with some of Canada’s most talented and adventurous artists. He has received nine Jessie Richardson Awards, an Ovation Award, in Ottawa a Critics Circle award and a Prix Rideau Award, in Saskatoon a SAT Award, all for outstanding design. Past favorites include: The Great Leap and Onegin for the Arts Club and The Marriage of Figaro for Vancouver Opera. During the pandemic days John has been a part of live streams for Vancouver
Intercultural Orchestra, Green Thumb Theatre, and The Cutch. Up next, is How the World Began for Pacific Theatre.
Angus Yam (Chorus) is an artist based in Vancouver, B.C. on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Born in Hong Kong, he is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin. Angus will be graduating from Studio 58’s Acting Program in Spring 2022 and is incredibly grateful for all his peers and mentors. Some recent acting credits include: CHIMERICA (United Players of Vancouver), TOMORROWLOVE: OFFICE FRIENDS (Studio 58), CERULEAN BLUE (Studio 58). Angus translated the script for TomorrowLove: Office Friends into Cantonese for Studio 58’s first ever non-English main stage production, directed by Lauren Taylor. He is committed to his career and artistic development in Theatre and Film/TV. Besides the guitar, Angus also loves to play a sport people here call “soccer” (but it’s really “football”) in his spare time. As he really should, Angus would like to shout-out to his mother and sister for their immense love and tolerance for him since day one.
Yvonne Yip (Assistant Stage Manager) Yvonne is delighted to be back with the East Van Panto family this year.
Yvonne was born in colonial Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada with her family. Yvonne is a Stage Manager based on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, and also an Artistic Associate of Neworld Theatre. Favourite credits include Neworld Theatre’s King Arthur’s Night; ItsaZoo’s Competition Is Fierce; Boca del Lupo’s Fall Away Home; Electric Company Theatre’s Palace Grand, Caravan Farm Theatre’s Mother Courage and Her Children; Gateway Theatre’s King of the Yees; and touring with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia through Canada, USA, Bahrain and South Korea.
Raugi Yu (Ensemble) originally from Montreal is a graduate of The Dome Theatre program at Dawson College and The BFA Acting program here at UBC. Raugi now makes his home in BC with his lovely wife and their two kids, he’s been acting professionally on Stage and in TV/Film since the 90’s. Raugi was in the first Panto that opened the York and is super excited and honoured to be in this, his 3rd Panto!!!!!
Jess Cheetos’ shoes and Alice’s boots generously provided by John Fluevog Shoes.
Many thanks to the neighbourhood kids that added their voices to the Panto chorus:
Fraser Thomson
Stella Pudsy
Malaika Bernard Massey
Karama and Iman Sijenyi
Max and Scout Lobo
Ida, Otto, and Alma Juliani
Marlowe Petten
Eliott Brechtel
Cosmo Chavez
Huge thanks to Charles Demers, Ami Gladstone, Marcus Youssef, Anita Rochon, Stephen Drover, Laura Zerebeski, Jan Hodgson and all of the past Panto artistic and production teams; Don and Christine Farion and Bomber Brewing; Courtenay Dobbie, David Hudgins, Yvan Morissette, Daniel Dolan, Kevin MacDonald and Studio 58; Borja Brown and the UBC Department of Theatre and Film; Jennifer Reidle and the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association; Elia Kirby, Leigh Kerr and the GNW Scene Shop; Max Forsyth, Jonathan Ryder, Lauren MacDonald, Amy MacDougall, and Bard on The Beach; Ace Martens and the Arts Club Theatre Company; Kirsten McGhie and the Artsclub Wardrobe Department; Phil Miguel and Presentation House Theatre; Patrick Davidson and John Fluevog Shoes; Cherry Wen Wen Lu; Justin Kellam; All of the Panto Teens and their families; and Theatre Replacement’s amazing board of directors.
Theatre Replacement is an ongoing collaboration between James Long and Maiko Yamamoto. Whether working together or apart, we use extended processes to create performances from intentionally simple beginnings. Our work is about a genuine attempt to coexist. Conversations, interviews, and arguments collide with Yamamoto and Long’s aesthetics resulting in theatrical experiences that are authentic, immediate, and hopeful. In 2019, Yamamoto and Long were the first co-recipients of the Siminovitch Prize in Directing. theatrereplacement.org
Mon-Fri: 12-6PM
Sat: 12PM-4PM
Dec 24: 12-4PM
Christmas Day: Closed
Dec 26: 12-4PM
*Box Office agents are available 2 hours prior to all live stream performances via Live Chat, Email and Phone.
Panto Playlist
Join Us Down the Digital Rabbit Hole in Gather!
Dec 18: 6pm-10pm
Dec 19: 1pm-5pm
Dec 19: 6pm-10pm
Dec 21: 1pm-5pm
Dec 22: 1pm-5pm
Dec 22: 6pm-10pm
Dec 23: 1pm-5pm
Dec 23: 6pm-10pm
Dec 28: 11am-3pm
Dec 29: 1pm-5pm
Dec 29: 6pm-10pm
Dec 30: 1pm-5pm
Dec 30: 6pm-10pm
Dec 31: 1pm-5pm
Jan 1: 1pm-5pm
Step into a virtual Wonderland before or after Panto performances! Explore an interactive version of the world illustrated by Alice in Wonderland’s Visual Artist Cindy Mochizuki.
Meet some of the Panto team after the show, take a peek backstage, hang out with the Panto community, or play mini-golf! This happening takes place in Gather.town, where a Cultch staff member will always be present to help.
It’s the most fun to come after you’ve seen the show, but really, come any time we’re open!
For the best experience, join us using a computer with a webcam and microphone, using Chrome as your browser.
Thank you to our Panto Sponsors
Digital Presentation Sponsor:
Panto Champions:
Thank you to the following organizations for your support:
Restaurant Partners
Famoso
1380 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC V5L 3X6
Giveaway alert! Enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Famoso.
How to enter: Take a photo of yourself in front of the York Theatre (or your screen with Panto Online in the background) and post to Instagram. Tag @thecultch and use the hashtag #EastVanPanto!
Bomber Brewing is once again partnering with The Cultch and Theatre Replacement on a special Panto beer! Introducing The Dortmouse, a delicious Dormunder Export Lager, available in select liquor stores and at Bomber Brewing, 1488 Adanac St, Vancouver, BC V5L 3J7. Bomber Brewing also offers home delivery within Greater Vancouver!
About The Cultch
The Cultch is Vancouver’s most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hub.
For 47 years, The Cultch has presented cutting-edge performances in contemporary music, theatre, and dance as well as producing outstanding community arts and educational initiatives for children, youth and their families. More than 300 performances each season are seen by over 50,000 people.
As a presenting theatre, The Cultch curates unique and diverse performances from Vancouver, across Canada and the globe, bringing world-class theatre, dance, and music to our community in East Vancouver.
The Cultch is home to three performance spaces: Historic Theatre, Vancity Culture Lab, and York Theatre. The Historic Theatre and Vancity Culture Lab are housed in a renovated church, constructed in 1909. The York started its life as The Alcazar Theatre in 1913. After being rescued from the wrecking ball, it was renovated to become the Cultch’s third theatre space; reopening in 2013 with the very first East Van Panto, produced with Theatre Replacement.
The Cultch’s purpose is to provide a performance space for diverse artists and audiences, serve as a space for artistic experimentation, develop local companies, and present groundbreaking national and international work.
Remember to turn your phone off before the performance and enjoy the show!
Welcome to your Panto Digital Program Guide
Please use the menu bar on the left to navigate or simply scroll down!
The Cultch and Theatre Replacement are positively chuffed to welcome you back to the theatre. It has been far too long! Here you’ll find the Panto Digital Program, which is much like a regular program only programmed with pixels and code instead of paper and ink.
Scroll on, dear Panto-goer, for delights incalculably curious or use the menu bar to hop-skip-and-jump to whatever makes your heart most content!
Hello everyone, we missed you!
Welcome to this celebration of gathering together. We are so happy to hear the sounds of the Panto bouncing around this theatre once again. The East Van Panto is about sharing joy and being in community with each other, something we all need right now. We were incredibly moved to see so many of you online last year and felt privileged to be invited into your homes, where we could all dance together safely on Zoom.
This Panto is our most ambitious yet. We hope it fills you with joy and that you can share that with everyone around you. It is a time to be gentle and kind with one another and to carry the Panto magic into the streets.
I know that last year many of you shared the Panto with your family and friends across the country and around the world—we invite you to do that again this year! We have streamed performances running alongside the live ones for the last three weeks of December. And as a special treat, the show will be available on-demand on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So get your smiles on, look behind you! and have a fantabulous Panto!
Love,
Heather Redfern | Executive Director of The Cultch
Work on Alice in Wonderland began waaay back in 2018, when we first met with playwright Sonja Bennett and director Meg Roe about collaborating with us on our East Van Panto. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then. Novelist and thinker Arundhati Roy suggests that the “pandemic is a portal”. If that is true then, like Alice, we’ve all taken a trip through the looking glass and had our world turned upside down.
When things got locked down, we hit pause on Alice, wanting to give it the premiere that it deserved. We felt that a full-scale production, live at The York, was the only way to properly honour the dozens of artists, designers and technicians that created our Grandview-Woodland Wonderland.
And, so, like everyone else, we pivoted. We loved beaming Panto Come Home! into your living rooms last year. It was the perfect way to keep our beloved Panto tradition alive. But we missed you! We missed seeing you and your families gather in the lobby before the show. We missed your cheers, your boos, and your look-behind-yous!
Hopefully, now that we can gather together again – whether at the York, or with a group of friends at home—we all laugh a little longer, cheer a little louder, and hold each other a little closer, knowing that nothing should ever be taken for granted.
Welcome back! Thanks for being here.
Corbin, Maiko, James, Chelsea and Arthi
Theatre Replacement
Okay, I’m going to be honest. I wrote the East Van Panto because I have a crush on Veda Hille. There are other reasons but that’s the main reason.
I saw the very first East Van Panto with my son, Maxwell, and it was a bit of a game-changer. I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this but we’re both a little twitchy and the idea that you could stand and sing and shout during a theatrical event was absolutely thrilling. We left with sore faces from smiling so hard. It became a tradition.
When Theatre Replacement approached me to write this year’s Panto, I was super surprised and very honoured. I was positive I couldn’t do it, which of course meant that I absolutely had to do it. I’m so glad I did. Writing the East Van Panto has enabled me to achieve so many things on my bucket list. Some of which include:
1. Write a love letter to the Drive – the creative, friendly, energizing neighbourhood that has shaped me.
2. Fulfill a lifelong dream of writing a musical, even if I wrote literally none of the music.
3. Collaborate with my talented camping friends and rehearse a show on a campsite.
4. Get cred with my kids.
Why Alice in Wonderland, you ask? Partly because all the best fairy tales had already been done by my Panto playwright predecessors. But also! I wanted to see a version of Alice that resembles the sassy, rebellious, strong-willed pre-teens girls I know.
At the East Van Panto, Alice is in the driver’s seat of her journey through (Grandview-Woodlands) Wonderland.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Sonja Bennett, Playwright
Bonus Content: Panto Playlist
East Van Panto:
Alice in Wonderland
Written by Sonja Bennett | Directed by Meg Roe | Music by Veda Hille
When Alice follows the White Rabbit onto the Skytrain she finds herself lost in a Grandview-Woodlands Wonderland! Can she track down that elusive bunny and find her way home? She’ll have to keep her head, even after she meets the dastardly Queen of Hearts. The East Van Panto has never been so upside down. Hope we all come out of this trip in one piece!
Thank you to our Panto Sponsors
Digital Presentation Sponsor:
Panto Champions:
Thank you to the following organizations for your support:
24
NOV
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02
JAN
Playwright
Sonja Bennett
Director
Meg Roe*
Music and Lyrics
Veda Hille
Musical Director and Additional Music
Ben Elliott
Choreographer
Amanda Testini*
Associate Director
Arthi Chandra
Starring
Ghazal Azarbad*
Mark Chavez
Dawn Petten*
Amanda Sum
Raugi Yu*
Visual Concept Design/Illustrations
Cindy Mochizuki
Set and Props Design
John Webber
Costume Design
Barbara Clayden
Head of Wardrobe (Theatre Replacement)
Alaia Hamer
Videographer
Cameron Anderson
Lighting Design
Sophie Tang
Props Master
Heidi Wilkinson /Flying Fox Prop Shop
Sound Designer / Recording Engineer/ Mixer and Post-Production Editor (Video)
Brad Danyluk
Production Manager (Theatre Replacement)
Adrian Muir
Technical Director (Theatre Replacement)
Jennifer Stewart
Stage Manager
Joanne PB Smith*
Assistant Stage Manager
Yvonne Yip*
Apprentice Stage Manager
Jasmin Sandhu*
Apprentice Stage Manager
Mariana Munoz*
Production Assistant (Studio 58)
Jess Jandera+
Youth Wrangler/ Apprentice Stage Manager
Even Ren*
Orchestra
Ben Elliott
Barry Mirochnick
Chorus
Samantha Levy+
Katherine Matlashewski+
Angus Yam+
Teen Chorus
Milo Engleman
Emery Gatley
Maia Gillard
Anders Hille Kellam
Maxine Kassis
Nora Pontin
Hazel Pontin
Poppy Rodgersmith
Kiyo Roth
Keira Steele
Ashlyn Talbot
Lu Ella Woffinden
Production Manager (The Cultch & The York)
Andrew McCaw
Technical Director (The Cultch & The York)
Cody Biles
Noise Maker
Kyra Soko
Head Electrician
Nico Weismiller
Head Carpenter
Kaden O’Reilly
Head of Wardrobe
Therese Hartwig
Props Buyer
Carol Macdonald
Props Assistant
Stephanie Barclay
Wig Design
Donnie Tejani
Stitchers
Sarah Sosick, Emma Knock, Jess Jandera
Great Northern Way Scene Shop
Shop Production Manager
Leigh Kerr
Head Carpenter
Kyle Sutherland
Head Painter
Amira Routledge
Painters
Deidre Roberts, Sandy Margaret
Rigger
Richard Hansen
Shop Manager
Chris Fader
Grips
Blaine Johnson, Mathew Kowalyk, Steven Tong
Shop Administration
Kiki Lightburn
Theatre Replacement Staff
Co-Artistic Director
James Long
Co-Artistic Director
Maiko Yamamoto
Managing Producer
Corbin Murdoch
Operations Manager
Chelsea MacDonald
* Appears with the permission of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Theatre Replacement engages professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the terms of the Independent Theatre Agreement.
+Student of Studio 58, Langara College
Cameron Anderson (Videographer) is a professional videographer with a special focus on live performance. As a filmmaker, he has collaborated on several short documentaries, and directed the short narrative film Do Not Go. He is the resident process videographer of Neworld Theatre, and the current in-house video director of The Cultch. He has collaborated with several dozen local arts organizations, including Music on Main, Theatre Replacement, and Green Thumb Theatre. He has also built promotional videos for the Vancouver Green Party, and current BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria, and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with distinction. His film training includes a diploma in documentary filmmaking from In Focus Film School, and a year-long practicum with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Ghazal Azarbad (Ensemble) This is Ghazal’s first year with the East Van Panto and she’s very excited about it. Born in Mashhad, Iran and raised in Vancouver, Ghazal is an actor & creator whose theatre credits include Being Here: The Refugee Story(Belfry); The Seagull, Wedding at Aulis, La Bête, Innocence Lost (Soulpepper); Shakespeare in Love, Taming of the Shrew (Bard); It’s a Wonderful Christmas-ish Holiday Miracle, Curious Incident (Arts Club). TV/FILM credits include Float (Lionsgate), Charmed (CW), The Slowest Show (CBCGem), Kim’s Convenience (CBC). She is the writer/creator of Dear Konstantin (Spotify) and REAL (Babelle Theatre Maker’s Lab). Enjoy the show, plebes!
Sonja Bennett (Playwright) In 2012, Sonja decided to apply some of what she learned from ten years in front of the camera and took up screenwriting. Her feature film, Preggoland, was supported by Movie Central, Telefilm Canada and was selected for the Telefilm/CFC Comedy Exchange. The film had a theatrical release in May 2015 with James Caan and Danny Trejo in lead roles opposite Sonja. Preggoland premiered as a special presentation at TIFF, was awarded “most popular film” at VIFF, was nominated for “best BC film” by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, won “most popular film” at the Omaha film festival and “best screenplay” at the Fargo film festival as well as receiving Leo nominations for Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Film.
For television, Sonja has written on Kim’s Convenience for CBC (Leo win for best screenwriting in a comedy), Ghost Wars for Netflix and Letterkenny for Crave/Hulu (Nominated for Writer’s Guild of Canada Award and two-time recipient of the Leo for best screenwriting in a comedy), The Murders and Hudson and Rex for Rogers and Family Law for Global. She is a graduate of Studio 58.
Sonja would like to thank her partner, Adrian, for always letting her tape cue cards on his windows and her children, Maxwell and Scout, for inspiring her imagination and being sassy, can-do kids.
Arthi Chandra (Associate Director) is a Vancouver based director, writer, and theatre maker. Her practice is rooted in devising text-based new works, and adaptations of contemporary and classical plays. Her work examines ways in which identities of race, gender, class, and queerness intersect with one another, and how people and ideas are shaped by systems and institutions. Recent works include Done/Undone at Bard on the Beach, and Passenger Seat, a theatre concert centring on queerness and being seventeen. She has performed in Vancouver and New York. Arthi teaches Directing as a contract Lecturer at X University (formerly Ryerson University). She is a graduate of the theatre performance stream from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
Mark Chavez (Ensemble) is an actor, writer, and comedian who is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico but now lives in East Vancouver. Superfans of the East Van Panto might recognize Mark’s name as the writer of Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. And/or you might even remember (half of) his face from last year’s streamed show, Panto Come Home, where he ran around the stage pretending to be the Phanto of the Panto. He also wrote that show too. But, if you don’t remember any of these things that’s ok. Fresh start. Clean slate.
Barbara Clayden (Costume Designer)
For Theatre Replacement: East Van Panto: Panto Come Home (2020), Pinocchio (2019), Wizard of Oz (2018), Dress Me Up in Your Love (2011)
Other selected theatre: Coriolanus, Lysistrata (Bard on the Beach); Beauty and the Beast (Arts Club Theatre)
Other: Six-time Jessie award winner for Costume Design
Brad Danyluk (Sound Designer / Recording Engineer/ Mixer and Post-Production Editor (Video)) Brad is a Vancouver-based sound designer who specializes in musical theatre. His past work includes many productions at Arts Club, TUTS, Gateway Theatre, Patrick Street Productions, Theatre Calgary, and others. He also works as a sound system consultant, a music recordist and mixer, and as an operator for live music and theatre shows. Post-pandemic he has shifted to primarily working as a recording and broadcast sound engineer for acoustic music, helping all kinds of productions sound their best in recorded or streamed formats.
Ben Elliott (Musical Director/Orchestra/Additional Music) is delighted to return for his 3rd Panto! Recent credits include sound design for I, Claudia (The Arts Club), A Christmas Carol (Rosebud). This fall, Ben was in the Windy City musical supervising the Beatles version of As You Like It (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Next, he heads to the land of cheese to do the same thing at Milwaukee Rep. When not musical directing, Ben acts, composes for musical theatre, film and television, and himself. Ben lives in Vancouver with his smoking hot wife Kori, is a Jessie award recipient, graduate of Bishop’s University and Studio 58. www.benelliott.ca
Veda Hille (Music and Lyrics) now keeps track of the years by figuring out which panto happened when. When she is not writing silly lyrics for this show she continues to make records (Little Volcano, 2020), write musicals (new shows coming with Amiel Gladstone and with Marcus Youssef), and moon around the neighbourhood thinking about the seasons, and soup. www.vedahille.com
Jess Jandera (Production Assistant) grew up in the concrete jungle of Vancouver, Canada, the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people. In the summers he would retreat to a small summer camp on the Sunshine Coast. Out in the woods, surrounded by strangers, he learned the value of stories and how they can benefit those willing to listen. Jess then stepped into a leadership role as a camp counsellor to pass these lessons on. These storytelling and community gathering experiences gave root to Jess’s love of theatre and the belief that theatre has the power to change lives. While at Studio 58, he has stage-managed THEATRE: THE PLAY, worked on costumes for URINETOWN THE MUSICAL, and was assistant to the costume designer (Melicia Zaini) during the run of TOMORROWLOVE. He is currently the assistant to the set and props designer (Jessica Oostergo) for CERULEAN BLUE. His passions lie in the tactile aspects of theatre, such as costumes and set. He plans to go into the industry and diversify his skills—there are no limits except for how far you can dream!
Samantha Levy (Chorus) has been acting, singing and dancing since age five and is thrilled to be a part of this delightful show! Born and raised in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), she is grateful to live here now, on the unceded traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Samantha is currently completing her final year in the Acting program at Studio 58 and, among other learning opportunities, previously trained at the Stratford Festival’s theatre arts programs. Select past theatre credits include: Cerulean Blue (Kanatan Wavey / Peal, Studio 58), Risky Nights: I, Myself, Am Strange and Unusual (co-creator, Chris Lam, Studio 58), Take This Soul: A TomorrowLove Story (Shekhar Paleja, Studio 58), Fancy Nancy: The Musical (Cameron/Terriault, Segal Centre / CSLDS), and Love, Loss and What I Wore (Ellen David, Centaur Theatre). Samantha also happens to have an Honours DEC in Health Sciences but is most passionate about the performing arts. She looks forward to continuing to build a lifelong career as a performer, director, writer, and arts educator. Samantha would like to dedicate her work on this show to Michael Ian Levy. I miss you already, Daddy.
Katherine Matlashewski (Chorus) is an interdisciplinary artist completing her final year of acting training at Studio 58. Based in Vancouver, BC, she is privileged to live, work, and create on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Most recently, Katherine appeared as Jennifer in Cerulean Blue and Robin in TomorrowLove (Studio 58). Other credits include: Mopsy (King Arthur’s Court, Metro Theatre), Luisa (The Fantasticks, Stage 43), and Little Red Riding Hood (Into the Woods: In Concert, RCMT). She is a proud recipient of the Cheryl Hutcherson Award (Applause! Musical Society, 2021) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (CTC Award, 2019). Katherine would like to thank her Mom and her instructors at Studio 58 for their ongoing guidance and encouragement. Welcome to Wonderland and enjoy the show!
Barry Mirochnick (Orchestra) is a Vancouver-based musician originally from Winnipeg, MB. He has been active in the music and Theatre scenes since 1998, with highlights including recording and touring extensively with Veda Hille, playing on 4 records with Great Aunt Ida (including the 2021 release ‘Unsayable”), and touring for 5 years with Neko Case (and playing on Neko’s Grammy-nominated album “Middle Cyclone”). Barry has also played drums recently with Patsy Klein/Tony Wilson Quartet, and Rice and Beans Theatre’s “Made in Canada, an Agricultural Song Cycle”. Theatre credits (musician) include: The Birthday Boy, Leaky Heaven Circus; A Craigslist Cantata, Hille/Gladstone/Richardson; Onegin, Gladstone/Hille ; King Arthur’s Night, neworld; and five previous East Van Pantos!! Barry is very happy to be back this year for Alice in Wonderland, although how could I not have aged out by now??
Cindy Mochizuki (Visual Concept Design/Illustrations) creates multi-media installation, animation, drawing, audio fiction, performance, and community-engaged projects. She has exhibited her work in Canada, US, Australia, and Japan. Recent exhibitions include the Surrey Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery, Burrard Arts Foundation, Richmond Art Gallery, and Frye Art Museum. She is the recipient of the Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts Award in New Media and Film (2015) and the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts VIVA Award (2020). She has worked collaboratively with theatre and dance companies including Theatre Replacement, Dream Walker Dance Company, Lisa Mariko Gelley, Carousel Theatre, and the Arts Club Theatre. Her illustrated children’s book Things on the Shoreline was published with Access Artist Run Centre in 2016. Cindy is delighted to be back to join the Panto team and to contribute her illustrations to the fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland.
Mariana Munoz (Apprentice Stage Manager) is an award-winning bilingual (Spanish/English) interdisciplinary artist who lives and works on the traditional unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver, BC). She is a force like no other and can find her backstage and onstage in both theatre or film, working as a producer, set designer, writer, director, actor, stage manager, or video editor. As a graduate of Studio 58 and with a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts, Mariana hopes to share and create diverse stories in her community. Past credits include original virtual performances like Backyard Warriors-A Virtual Interactive Online Adventure created in the summer of 2021, One of a Kind shown at Vancouver’s International Children’s Festival, and Mission Jolly- A Holiday Online Extravaganza in winter 2020.
Dawn Petten (Ensemble) Oh it’s thrilling to be back in this theatre with you all. Dawn feels like the luckiest actor in the world that this is her 6th East Van Panto. In last year’s iteration she played herself as a Diva as well as reprising her Hansel; in previous years she had the pleasure of being a harp, a Prince, a Tin Them, and Gloria Macarenko (among others). Most recently Dawn acted in an audio play version of The Cull with the Arts Club “Listen to This” podcast series. Other favourite theatre companies Dawn has trod the boards with include Bard on the Beach, Caravan Farm Theatre, and Touchstone Theatre. Dawn is a grad of UBC’s BFA Acting Program and has a bunch of Jessie nominations and received some of the hardware/glassware. It IS the most wonderful time of the year, because it includes celebrating her daughter Marlowe’s 5th birthday (a kid-who-can), and being reunited with family for Christmas after the pandemic-induced separation. Special thanks to her dear Mama.
Evan Ren (Youth Wrangler/Apprentice Stage Manager) is a stage manager and lighting designer based in Vancouver. Graduated from UBC theatre production and design in 2020, her former stage management credits include: Revolt, she said, Revolt again (UBC); Cariboo Magi (Far from the tree production); Guards at the Taj (SACHA); The Winter’s Tale (ASM, Carousel Theatre); Melville Boys (Vagabond players); The Drowsy Chaperone (ASM, TUTS). She is very grateful being able to join such a wonderful production and hope everyone enjoy this magical piece.
Meg Roe (Director): Meg’s work as an actor, director, dramaturg, composer and sound designer has been seen across the Canada at Crows Theatre, Shaw Festival, Theatre Calgary, Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, PuSh Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects, Bard on the Beach, Theatre Junction, Citadel Theatre, Ruby Slippers Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, Blackbird Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Arts Club, Belfry, Theatre SKAM, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Catalyst Theatre, RealWheels, Intrepid Theatre, Elbow Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Western Canada Theatre, National Arts Centre, Centaur Theatre, The Banff Centre, Yukon Arts Centre, Why Not Theatre, Savage Society, and internationally with the American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), Center Theater Group (Los Angeles), and as a collaborator with Crystal Pite’s renowned dance company Kidd Pivot.
Jasmin Sandhu (Apprentice Stage Manager) is an independent stage manager & CAEA apprentice stage manager working & living on the traditional, unceded, and occupied territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Select credits include; No Child (ApSM, Arts Club Theatre Company), House at Pooh Corner (ApSM, CTYP), It’s a Wonderful Life, Herringbone (ApSM, Patrick Street Productions), Danceboy (Summer POP! Festival), Youthless: It’s a Bit Grimm, Peter Pan-demic & The Windsinger (Place des Arts) Jekyll (Douglas College) and Next to Normal, The Nether, Spring Awakening & Dogfight (West Moon Theatre).
Joanne P. B. Smith (Stage Manager): Joanne has an extensive resume of stage managing live performances, but not in the last 18 months. So here we go! Enjoy the Panto!
Jenn Stewart (Technical Director) Jenn Stewart is a Vancouver based theatre artist who works in a variety of capacities. Selected credits include: Hamlet (Set, Honest Fishmongers), Studies in Motion (Wardrobe Supervisor, Electric Company), Selfie (Set & Costumes, Seizieme), Motherload (Stage Manager, the chop), Wet (Set & Props, Itsazoo). Jenn was the Production Manager for the 2015 Season at Caravan Farm Theatre and she has been an ASM at Bard on the Beach since 2013. She is a three-time Jessie nominee, studied at Studio 58 and is now pursuing her Masters at UBC. She is a member of Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE ADC-659) and a core member of the Vancouver Design Forum. This is Jenn’s fourth Panto and her first as Technical Director. www.jenniferannstewart.com
Amanda Sum (Ensemble) is a performer and creator dancing between theatre and music. Recent theatre projects include do you want what i have got? a craigslist cantata (The Cultch), East Van Panto: Pinocchio and Panto Come Home! (Theatre Replacement), and Chicken Girl (rice & beans theatre). Amanda’s indie-pop music has been played on CBC Radio, and this year, she played at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival with her Asian girl band. She wrote and arranged a full-length album, which will be released next year. Recent dance projects include short film Wide Stance Dance (co-director/co-choreographer with Justin Calvadores), and her music video Groupthink (choreographer). Amanda is Theatre Replacement’s current COLLIDER Artist in Residence, developing her “pop-up book performance”, New Age Attitudes: Live in Concert. She will present an in-progress showing of this piece at PushOFF 2022. Amanda holds a BFA from SFU. Antics and updates can be found on Instagram @amanduhsum, or www.amandasum.com
Sophie Tang (Lighting Design) is a lighting and set designer working in Theatre, Opera and Dance. She is a Jessie Award Winner and Nominee, as well as an Ovation Award Nominee. She has worked with companies include Stratford Festival, Push Festival, Artsclub Theatre, City Opera, Theatre Replacement, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Belfry Theatre, Neworld Theatre and so on. Recent credits: Rez Sisters (lighting and set)- Stratford Festival, At the Statue or Venus (Lighting)-City Opera, Limb(e)s (Lighting)- Company Ci, Being here (Lighting)-Belfry Theatre, TomorrowLove (Lighting and Projection)- Studio 58, East Van Panto: Panto Come Home! (Lighting)- Theatre Replacement, The Human Voice (Lighting)- City Opera, 12 Dates of Christmas (Lighting)- Artsclub Theatre, Little Volcano (Lighting)- Veda Hille X Theatre Replacement. Portfolio website: sophieyufeitang.com
Amanda Testini (Choreographer/Standby Performer) is a performer, choreographer and director based on the unceded territories of the Musquium, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She is elated that in-person theatre is back, and equally delighted to be back for another Panto! She has worked with the Belfry Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Savage Society, Axis Theatre, Theatre Kelowna, Theatre Under the Stars, Carousel Theatre for Young People, the response, Shameless Hussy Productions, Vancouver Opera, Opera Kelowna, the Firehall and, of course, Theatre Replacement and the Cultch! Amanda is a Jessie Award nominee and a graduate of Studio 58. www.amandatestini.com
John Webber (Set and Props Design) John is honoured to be a part of the East Van Panto family and to be back once again at The Cultch. A long time designer of both Sets and Lighting he has had the privilege of working with some of Canada’s most talented and adventurous artists. He has received nine Jessie Richardson Awards, an Ovation Award, in Ottawa a Critics Circle award and a Prix Rideau Award, in Saskatoon a SAT Award, all for outstanding design. Past favorites include: The Great Leap and Onegin for the Arts Club and The Marriage of Figaro for Vancouver Opera. During the pandemic days John has been a part of live streams for Vancouver
Intercultural Orchestra, Green Thumb Theatre, and The Cutch. Up next, is How the World Began for Pacific Theatre.
Angus Yam (Chorus) is an artist based in Vancouver, B.C. on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Born in Hong Kong, he is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin. Angus will be graduating from Studio 58’s Acting Program in Spring 2022 and is incredibly grateful for all his peers and mentors. Some recent acting credits include: CHIMERICA (United Players of Vancouver), TOMORROWLOVE: OFFICE FRIENDS (Studio 58), CERULEAN BLUE (Studio 58). Angus translated the script for TomorrowLove: Office Friends into Cantonese for Studio 58’s first ever non-English main stage production, directed by Lauren Taylor. He is committed to his career and artistic development in Theatre and Film/TV. Besides the guitar, Angus also loves to play a sport people here call “soccer” (but it’s really “football”) in his spare time. As he really should, Angus would like to shout-out to his mother and sister for their immense love and tolerance for him since day one.
Yvonne Yip (Assistant Stage Manager) Yvonne is delighted to be back with the East Van Panto family this year.
Yvonne was born in colonial Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada with her family. Yvonne is a Stage Manager based on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, and also an Artistic Associate of Neworld Theatre. Favourite credits include Neworld Theatre’s King Arthur’s Night; ItsaZoo’s Competition Is Fierce; Boca del Lupo’s Fall Away Home; Electric Company Theatre’s Palace Grand, Caravan Farm Theatre’s Mother Courage and Her Children; Gateway Theatre’s King of the Yees; and touring with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia through Canada, USA, Bahrain and South Korea.
Raugi Yu (Ensemble) originally from Montreal is a graduate of The Dome Theatre program at Dawson College and The BFA Acting program here at UBC. Raugi now makes his home in BC with his lovely wife and their two kids, he’s been acting professionally on Stage and in TV/Film since the 90’s. Raugi was in the first Panto that opened the York and is super excited and honoured to be in this, his 3rd Panto!!!!!
Jess Cheetos’ shoes and Alice’s boots generously provided by John Fluevog Shoes.
Many thanks to the neighbourhood kids that added their voices to the Panto chorus:
Fraser Thomson
Stella Pudsy
Malaika Bernard Massey
Karama and Iman Sijenyi
Max and Scout Lobo
Ida, Otto, and Alma Juliani
Marlowe Petten
Eliott Brechtel
Cosmo Chavez
Huge thanks to Charles Demers, Ami Gladstone, Marcus Youssef, Anita Rochon, Stephen Drover, Laura Zerebeski, Jan Hodgson and all of the past Panto artistic and production teams; Don and Christine Farion and Bomber Brewing; Courtenay Dobbie, David Hudgins, Yvan Morissette, Daniel Dolan, Kevin MacDonald and Studio 58; Borja Brown and the UBC Department of Theatre and Film; Jennifer Reidle and the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association; Elia Kirby, Leigh Kerr and the GNW Scene Shop; Max Forsyth, Jonathan Ryder, Lauren MacDonald, Amy MacDougall, and Bard on The Beach; Ace Martens and the Arts Club Theatre Company; Kirsten McGhie and the Artsclub Wardrobe Department; Phil Miguel and Presentation House Theatre; Patrick Davidson and John Fluevog Shoes; Cherry Wen Wen Lu; Justin Kellam; All of the Panto Teens and their families; and Theatre Replacement’s amazing board of directors.
Mon-Fri: 12-6PM
Sat: 12PM-4PM
Dec 24: 12-4PM
Christmas Day: Closed
Dec 26: 12-4PM
*Box Office agents are available 2 hours prior to all live stream performances via Live Chat, Email and Phone.
Join Us Down the Digital Rabbit Hole!
Dec 18: 6pm-10pm
Dec 19: 1pm-5pm
Dec 19: 6pm-10pm
Dec 21: 1pm-5pm
Dec 22: 1pm-5pm
Dec 22: 6pm-10pm
Dec 23: 1pm-5pm
Dec 23: 6pm-10pm
Dec 28: 11am-3pm
Dec 29: 1pm-5pm
Dec 29: 6pm-10pm
Dec 30: 1pm-5pm
Dec 30: 6pm-10pm
Dec 31: 1pm-5pm
Jan 1: 1pm-5pm
Step into a virtual Wonderland before or after Panto performances! Explore an interactive version of the world illustrated by Alice in Wonderland’s Visual Artist Cindy Mochizuki.
Meet some of the Panto team after the show, take a peek backstage, hang out with the Panto community, or play mini-golf! This happening takes place in Gather.town, where a Cultch staff member will always be present to help.
It’s the most fun to come after you’ve seen the show, but really, come any time we’re open!
For the best experience, join us using a computer with a webcam and microphone, using Chrome as your browser.
Restaurant Partners
Giveaway alert! Enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Famoso.
Bomber Brewing is once again partnering with The Cultch and Theatre Replacement on a special Panto beer! Introducing The Dortmouse, a delicious Dormunder Export Lager, available in select liquor stores and at Bomber Brewing , 1488 Adanac St, Vancouver, BC V5L 3J7. Bomber Brewing also offers home delivery within Greater Vancouver!
About The Cultch
The Cultch is Vancouver’s most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hub.
For 47 years, The Cultch has presented cutting-edge performances in contemporary music, theatre, and dance as well as producing outstanding community arts and educational initiatives for children, youth and their families. More than 300 performances each season are seen by over 50,000 people.
As a presenting theatre, The Cultch curates unique and diverse performances from Vancouver, across Canada and the globe, bringing world-class theatre, dance, and music to our community in East Vancouver.
The Cultch is home to three performance spaces: Historic Theatre, Vancity Culture Lab, and York Theatre. The Historic Theatre and Vancity Culture Lab are housed in a renovated church, constructed in 1909. The York started its life as The Alcazar Theatre in 1913. After being rescued from the wrecking ball, it was renovated to become the Cultch’s third theatre space; reopening in 2013 with the very first East Van Panto, produced with Theatre Replacement.
The Cultch’s purpose is to provide a performance space for diverse artists and audiences, serve as a space for artistic experimentation, develop local companies, and present groundbreaking national and international work.
