Darius Kiskotagan

Playwright

Darius Kiskotagan (he/him) is a local, Indigenous theatre artist from Red Pheasant Cree Nation on Treaty 6 territory, and a recent graduate of the USask BA Design program. Darius has a passion for creation and works in a number of areas, including set/sound/light design, playwriting, directing, and some independent video and animation work. Darius’ recent credits include, sound design – The Music Man (Saskatoon Summer Players, 2024), director – The Stalker of Bradford Woods (The Little Company that Could, 2024), and set design – Metamorphosis (Greystone Theatre, 2024).

Julia Kowalski

Playwright

Julia Kowalski (she/her) is an emerging, Metis theatre artist and graduate of the USask BFA Acting program. She is a lover of all things theatre and enjoys getting to know every step of theatre creation. Primarily an actor, ‘That’s Life’ is Julia’s first endeavor into playwriting and is excited to share it with an audience! Julia’s recent credits include, costume design – In the Next Room (Lolabrickida Theatre, 2024), acting – Breaking the Curse (Riser Regina, 2024), and Tayen and the Mimi Kwesak (GTNT, 2024).

Bob Wicks

Ensemble

Born and raised in Saskatoon, Bob Wicks (he/they) is an Actor, a Director, a Producer as well as a Voice & Text Teacher & Coach (and now a Dramaturg!) who received his MFA in Acting and Voice Teacher Certificate studying with David Smukler at York University (Toronto, ON) in 2015. He has been a member of the International Actors’ Fellowship at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (London, UK,) an Associate with Canada’s National Voice Intensive, a faculty member of the Training Department at Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA,) and has previously spent 10 seasons with the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival, both on and offstage. Recently he co-directed LEAR, co-produced by La Troupe du Jour, Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre, and Never Never Shakespeare. Bob is a founder and current Creative Director of Never Never Shakespeare.

Shawn Cuthand

Ensemble

Shawn Cuthand is a nehiyaw (Cree) and Kanien kehá:ka (Mohawk) writer, comedian, producer, actor and director living in so-called Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory. Currently, he is a part of the satirical news group called The Feather News, where he has both on screen and behind the scenes writing and producing roles. The Feather recently won the APTN/ImagineNative web series pitch competition and spent 2022 professionally producing their series from conception to final edits. Currently, The Feather Entertainment, founded by Ryan Moccasin, completed their second season for APTN which will be aired in 2025.

Being a part of The Feather series has encouraged Shawn to further his acting skills by taking roles with theatre organizations such as the Gordon Tootoosis Nikawinan Theatre’s (GTNT) A Rez Xmas series for 4 years in a row playing multiple roles. He has also done voice acting in an audio play released by Burnt Thicket Theatre and GTNT called Remnance. This past winter he also acted in the children’s play “Tayen and the Mimi Kwesak” which toured communities in Saskatchewan. Through these opportunities, Shawn continues to build his acting skills and portfolio.

Shawn has also written articles for CBC online and was invited to be a storyteller for the Indigenous Cities project for the National Arts Centre.

Also, Shawn has been doing stand up comedy for 5 years and it is a major passion of his. Some notable performances include the Winnipeg Fringe, Woke Comedy hour, Laughter is Medicine and multiple YukYuk’s Comedy Clubs across Canada, and has made it to the finals of Edmonton’s Grindstone Comedy Competition in 2021. For the last four summers, Shawn and co-collaborator, Danny Knight produced a stand up comedy show for the YXE Fringe called Full Metal Comedy. The show received 4 stars Star Phoenix in 2021 and was at the Broadway Theatre in 2022 and this past year was awarded best local show of 2023. This past summer they also held the show at the YXE and Vancouver Fringes. Full Metal Comedy is also the name of the open mic comedy show that Shawn and Danny host at the Black Cat Tavern and Art Bar. Currently Shawn is working on a few scripts which he hopes to produce in the future. 

Nicole Gillis

Ensemble

Hi! My name is Nicole and my pronouns are she/her. I am a 3d year drama student at the UofS with a background in Ballet.
I have a passion for acting, I enjoy hiking, singing, dance, and my current hyper fixations are sewing and Arcane.

Cynthia Dyck

Ensemble

I have been involved in professional theatre, one way or another, for many years. My first job after high school was running the box office at the fledgling Persephone Theatre. Since graduating from the UofS Drama Department I have performed, designed, produced; stage managed, house managed, and have been a general manager. I co-founded On the Boards Staging Company.

Clare Middleton

Company Dramaturg

Clare (She/her) has BFA in Acting U of S, MFA in Creative Writing UBC has been working in and around theatre for the past several decades. Clare loves to teach adults and kids alike and has held several Artist in Residence positions around the province. She has taught theatre classes for U of S, U of R, and UBC, and is a founding member of Live Five theatre season in Saskatoon. Her passion for theatre takes her in all directions and she especially loves when she gets to work on projects that involve her doing puppetry, clowning, new plays, storytelling, theatre for young audiences and directing. Clare lives in Treaty 6 territory (Saskatoon) with her husband, two kids, three dogs and plants – too many plants.

Yvette Nolan

Yvette Nolan (Algonquin) is a playwright, director and dramaturg. Born in Prince Albert, raised in Winnipeg, she has lived and worked across the country. Her plays include The Unplugging, Annie Mae’s Movement, The Birds. The Diviners – which she wrote with Vern Thiessen – premiered at Stratford in 2024; in 2025, Stratford will produce her play The Art of War. She also works in opera, as the librettist and co-director of Shanawdithit, the librettist of Sophia, and the director of Indians on Vacation. She co-created, with Joel Bernbaum and Lancelot Knight, the verbatim play Reasonable Doubt, about relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan. She served as the production dramaturg for Burnt Thicket’s We Treaty People and company dramaturg for Sum Theatre for six years.  In 2014, she founded the Short Cuts Festival, which contributed to the development of Saskatchewan plays and playwrights for eight years. From 2003-2011, she served as Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts, Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. Her book, Medicine Shows, about Indigenous performance in Canada was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2015.

Angus Ferguson

Angus is a theatre director, designer, dramaturge and teacher who is dedicated to creating art and developing artists in Saskatchewan.

He is the founding Artistic Director of Dancing Sky Theatre in Meacham, where he develops and produces new plays. He teaches at the U of S Drama Department and at St. Peters College in Humboldt, just to see if he can preach what he tries to practice.

He lives in the small village of Meacham Sask. with his wife, dog, cat and a garden
that is far too big.

Jalisa Gonie

A Saskatoon based theatre artist, Jalisa balances many hats on their head and wears the occasional red nose on their face. Working as a Stage Manager, Production Manager, Performer, Emerging Playwright and one half of a clown duo: Oblong & Oboe. They hold a BFA from the University of Saskatchewan and have trained at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance. Her work has taken her to stages and parks throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Select work: The Olive Suitcase (Playwright, SUM Theatre’s First Monday 2024), Pot Roast (Playwright, Shortcuts), Luna (SM, 25th Street Theatre), The Adventure of Young Turtle (SM, So.Glad Art), The Velveteen Rabbit (SM, Persephone Theatre), The Unplugging (ASM, Belfry Theatre), It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (ASM, Chemainus Theatre), Women of the Fur Trade (ASM, Globe Theatre).