Zero Gravity

Johanna (she/her) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist who works primarily as an actor, writer, stage manager and newbie director. A selection of her theatre credits include: The Last Children (SM; Curtain Razors Theatre), Shadows Among the Prairies (SM; GTNT), The Winter’s Tale (actor; Bridge Theatre Co.), The Wolves (actor; littleBIG Theatre & Evilstick Productions), You Said We’d be Together Forever (director; We Treaty People Burnt Thicket Theatre), and Breaking the Curse (co-director; 25th Street Theatre & Ferre Play). Johanna is thrilled to be a part of the Sum Theatre team again this summer.  When she’s not working in theatre, Johanna enjoys knitting, saying hi to dogs, and doing crosswords with her partner.

Amanda Trapp (she/they) is a Cree Saulteaux (member of the White Bear First Nation)/settler theatre artist based in Saskatoon. Select acting credits include: The Herd, Persephone Theatre; My name is Rachel Corrie, Chrysalis THeatre; Half-Breed Vaudeville, Sorry/Grateful Theatre (writer/performer); The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Catalyst Theatre; It's a Wonderful Life:  A Live Radio Play, Persephone Theatre; The Other Side of the River, Sum THeatre (composer/performer). "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff." - Carl Sagan 

Jesse Fulcher Gagnon is a Métis experimental artist whose scattered mind leaves him frequently moving between mediums. He is a theatre rat, dabbling in directing, sound designing, stage managing, acting, and teaching. He has been teaching at La Troupe du Jour's L'école de Théâtre for seven years now and has loved every minute of it. As a performer Jesse has taken on such roles as a ladybug, a cow, a rock, and a corner— like, the corner of a square. Outside of the theatre he holds an MFA in Studio Art and makes silly videos of himself eating junk food.

Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye (she/her) is an African-Canadian Interdisciplinary Poet, Public Speaker, Chorus-Poem Playwrighter, and Thespian residing in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Organically from Yorubaland Nigeria, Peace explores the intersectionality of the artist community from an explorer's perspective, dipping her honey-stained fingers into poetry, dance, performance art, critical research, and the theatre world. When she is not contemplating the wonders of humankind, she can be found in the nearest cafe, people-watching and writing quirky questionnaire

Mitchell Larsen is a performer and creator based in Saskatoon. They remember days of magic: of building vessels out of cardboard boxes, of climbing trees and whispering them secrets. They remember the feeling of worlds unfurling overtop of ours, tapestries of creation that interweave and relate to our own. They are so grateful that their career is to continue to explore and share these visions of possibility with others. Mitchell is a genderqueer human happily residing with their husband and two cats in the midst of a small young suburban orchard

Leze J. Pewapsconias (Nehiyaw, she/they) was born into a quiet country life along the Rez, Little Pine First Nation. Growing up in nature and escaping into the worlds of a boxful of VHS’ was the gateway to their fascination for art and acting, and love for fun and play.

Since their theatre debut in 2020, Leze has acted in a number of Greystone Theatre productions, Sir John A: A Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion by Drew Hayden Taylor (2022), Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill (2021), and Gordon Winter by Kenneth T. Williams (2021), as well as dabbled in design/tech with lighting in Margin of The Sky by Stewart Lemoine, and with sound in Unity (1918) by Kevin Kerr (2021). In recent years, Leze has also participated with the Poundmaker Indigenous Performance Festival as a production assistant and an actor. Whenever they are not acting or creating, they are off catering and concessioning it up around the community.

This year, they will be completing their BFA degree in acting at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as obtain a minor in studio art. It is their hope that they can go out into the world to expand their repertoire as an actor and designer, learn and share stories among the Indigenous nations on Turtle island, and one day bring it all back to their home community, Little Pine, where they can open doors to modes of healing, and help to bring up the next generation of Creatives.

In the Spring, Leze will continue their acting career alongside Sum Theatre as a performer in this year's Theatre in the Park production. They are excited to get to know their team better, meet fellow performers and creatives, and reach out to a new audience! If you care to follow them on social media, check em out on Instagram @sconez23

Dean Stockdale grew up in Treaty 6 territory Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and is a player and writer of music, a dancer, and a pacifist. They want to create art that educates, informs, questions, and brings people together through the expansion of perspectives. Some of their most recent productions include Little Women (Jo March) with Theatre Calgary, The Wolves (#00) with The Maggie Tree and Citadel Theatre, and Midsummer Night’s Dream (Francis Flute, Peaseblossom) with Freewill Shakespeare. This is their first year with SUM Theatre and they couldn't be more excited. If a project carries truth, they want to be a part of it

Donovan (he/him) is a Saskatoon-based educator and theatre artist. He is a frequent collaborator with SUM Theatre and is honoured to perform in one last summer of Theatre in the Park before he focuses his attention on his teaching career. Donovan received the SATAward for best musical direction and outstanding composition for Two Corpses Go Dancing (Live Five). He is also a proud uncle to his wonderful niece and nephews. Past credits with SUM Theatre include wâhkôhtowin, The Other Side of the River, Turn Turn Turn, The Young Ones, Earth Diver, The Hockey Sweater, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, and Hercules. 

Joel Bernbaum is an actor, director, playwright, journalist and the founding artistic director of Sum Theatre. He is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts and Carleton University, where he did his Master’s Thesis on Verbatim Theatre’s Relationship to Journalism. Produced plays include Operation Big Rock, My Rabbi (with Kayvon Khoshkam), Home Is a Beautiful Word, Reasonable Doubt (with Lancelot Knight and Yvette Nolan) and Being Here, The Refugee Project.. Previously for Sum Theatre, Joel has performed in Alice in Wonderland and The Pied Piper and has directed Walk the Trail, Hercules, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Nutana Talks, The Hockey Sweater, Theatre in the Pool: Earth Diver, Queen Seraphina and the Land of Vertebraat and The Young Ones (with Judy Wensel), Through the Window (with Judith Schulz) and The Other Side of the River (with Judy Wensel). Joel is currently a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, where he is investigating the potential of theatre companies to strengthen cities

Born and raised in Saskatoon, Mac is proud to call the prairies home. He received his BFA in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan, and has had the pleasure of making theatre with many of Saskatoon’s theatre companies. As Associate Artistic Director at Sum, Mac is grateful to create art that serves and strengthens communities across Saskatchewan. Projects with Sum Theatre include The Young Ones (Assistant Stage Manager) and The Hockey Sweater / Le Chandail (Co-Director). Coming up, Mac will be Co-Directing Theatre in the Park 2023 alongside Joel Bernbaum.

Sam (she/her) is thrilled to be returning to parks around Saskatoon for summer 2023, having first worked with SUM Theatre on their 2019 Theatre in the Park show Queen Seraphina and the Land of Vertebraat. She is a theatre artist based in Saskatoon, working in various roles such as a stage manager, performer, and choreographer. If you looked closely in the booth you may have seen her stage managing past productions Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Theatre Naught), After Sundown (Pegasus Productions), and Fruitcake (25th Street Theatre). Next, you’ll see her in the classroom of the Persephone Theatre summer camps, where she will be guiding the next generation of artists to pursue their creative dreams. The majority of Sam’s time is spent trying to keep up with her best friend Pippa, a two-year-old border collie. Enjoy the show! 

A versatile theatre artist, Jalisa works hard to balance acting, stage management, clown and writing. They hold a BFA in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan and have trained at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance. Select work: The Revolutionists, The Mountaintop, Stones in His Pockets (ApSM, Persephone Theatre), No. 7, Pot Roast (Playwright, Shortcuts),The Wolves (Little Big Theatre/Evil Stick Productions/Live Five - SATAward recipient for outstanding supportive performance as #2). Most Recently they spent the summer devising clown as part of a duo (Oblong & Oboe) with Charlie Peters - find them on Instagram @OblongandOboe 

Up next they will be a part of the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centres, Write Like You Mean It Program. Where a staged reading of their new script The Olive Suitcase will be a part of the online festival.

Taegan O’Bertos (she/her) is an multi-disciplinary artist from Saskatoon. She specializes in set & prop design, with extensive experience in scenic painting. She has also been contracted as Puppet Builder with Sum Theater for three consecutive years, as well as Projection designer for Flush (Fittonia Films, 2022) and Reasonable Doubt (Persephone Theater, 2020). Taegan’s design work has led to positions including Head of Props at the University of Saskatchewan, and Production Assistant at Persephone Theater. She’s also found other artistic outlets such as shadow puppetry, graphic design, miniature building, and body painting. More recently, Taegan has plunged into a new world of design, adapting and broadening her skill set for film. She looks forward to pursuing her passion for theatre and film design to help bring these unique worlds to life right here in the prairies

Conor (He/Him) is an emerging designer and artist based out of Saskatoon, SK; on the lands of Treaty 6. He holds a degree in Design from the University of Victoria and is excited to be back designing in the city he calls home. 

He believes in the power of immersive design and the importance of fun. And that everyone has a story to tell.

Past credits include: The Birds and the Bees (Design Apprentice - Persephone & the Globe Theatre[s]) Evergreen (LX - Burnt Thicket Theatre), and Othello (Set - Phoenix Theatre).

Next up: Romeo & Juliet and As You Like It (Set -  Shakespeare on the SK).

Jensine Emeline is a theatre designer, stage manager, and arts administrator from Saskatoon and an alumnus of the U of S drama department. Their theatre career started in 2016 at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, where they worked as a production assistant and backstage on J. Ceasar. Select costume designs include The Revolutionists (Persephone Theatre, recipient - 2020-2022 SATAward for Artistic Excellence), The Penelopiad (Ferre Play Theatre, recipient - 2020 SATAward for Oustanding Costume Design), and Girl in the Box (Scantily Glad/Live Five). They are endlessly grateful to be able to work in and share their passion for the arts and community in and around Saskatoon, and are elated to be with SUM!

Bio coming soon!

Ricardo Alvarado (Production Manager) is a local theatre artist who believes in the power of music, positive energy, diversity, and teamwork. He is the Artistic Producer for Saskatoon Summer Players, the co-founder of Ppl r Ppl Productions, a long-time member of Artists Against Hunger, and he spends his spare time daydreaming and pretending to be a grown-up. This is Ricardo's third season with SUM Theatre and he is grateful for the opportunity to create with such a wonderful group of artists on a regular basis. Past Credits: La Troupe du Jour, Persephone Theatre, SUM Theatre, Ppl r Ppl, SSP, Live Five, Shakespeare on the SK, Greystone Theatre, and Saskatoon Opera. Up next, he's directing and starring as Jeff in [Title of Show] for Ppl r Ppl Productions and getting ready to once again hit the parks in both Saskatoon and Regina with SUM's Theatre in the Park show this summer!

Kei Tanaka (she/her) is an artist from Treaty Six Territory. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio arts with a focus on painting and with a sprinkle of theatre design on the side. She does illustration work and in 2019, she self-published her first picture book, The Nutcracker. Her theatre credits include design on set on Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Sparrow Theatre, 2020), props on Les Gars (La Troupe Du Jour, 2022) and Dead Hand Signal (GTNT, 2022) and costume design on Beauty and the Beast (Saskatoon Summer Players). This is her first year with SUM and definitely took the job only for the title of Traveling Puppet Master because it sounds cool. Kei is always ready to share a smile and happiness through art!

Krystle Pederson is a Cree/Metis Actor, singer, songwriter with an outstanding career performing all across North America and New Zealand. Krystle’s list of acting credits include: The (Post) Mistress, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Gabriel Dumont Wild West Show, Penelopiad, and Reasonable Doubt. Krystle is the lead vocalist for Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville a one-woman Cree musical written and composed by Tomson Highway. 2023 has been a year so far of composition and musical direction. Krystle is very excited to be sharing these new skills for this years Theatre in the Park. See you in the park. 

Andrina Turenne is a Métis/Franco-Manitoban artist whose early passion for music first sparked around family campfires. She appears on over 50 albums, has performed on stages across five continents and has been featured on television and radio. Formerly of Juno award-winning group Chic Gamine, her solo debut drops in 2023.

Yvette Nolan (Algonquin) is a playwright, director and dramaturg. Her work with Sum Theatre includes Thicker Than Water, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Queen Seraphina and the Land of Vertebraat, The Young Ones and Last Sunday. Other work includes The Tempest (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan), Reasonable Doubt (Perspehone), The Unplugging (Arts Club; Factory; GTNT), the dance-opera Bearing (Signal Theatre), and the libretto Shawnadithit (Tapestry Opera). Her book, Medicine Shows, about Indigenous performance in Canada was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2015. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Policy at Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.

Paige Francoeur (she/they) is a playwright, actor and dramaturg born and raised right here in Saskatchewan. Drawn to storytelling from birth, she has always aspired to create art that is magical, daring, and reminds us what it means to have connection with others. Recently you may have seen Paige as Angela in Evergreen (Burnt Thicket Theatre) or Mariana in Measure for Measure (Live 5 / The Coterie). This summer, when not in parks across Saskatchewan, you can also catch them aboard the Wheatland Express Excursion Train. Lately she has also turned her focus to spending time on original creative projects through the newly-formed company, the Hagstone Collective. This is their fourth year with Theatre in the Park, also having had a hand in Little Badger and the Fire Spirit (2016), The Woodcutter and the Lion (2017), and Queen Seraphina and the Land of Vertebraat (2018). They are so excited to be back working with SUM and its incredible team of theatre artists!