Bios
Peter Abando - Accompanist
When he's not teaching K-7 music in West Van, you can find Peter composing, improvising, directing, or performing music somewhere around Metro Vancouver. Select music direction credits includes Dogfight (Semper Fi Collective, 2016), the Jessie nominated production of Edges (Two Monkeys Production, 2015), and the Ovation nominated Connected: The Musical (Whirlwind Theatre, 2013). You can regularly find him conspiring with Jennifer Pielak and Off Key Musical Improv. He music directed Spring Awakening in March, and was the rehearsal pianist for Align Entertainment’s February presentation of The Little Mermaid.
Martha Ansfield-Scrase - Performer
This is Martha's first foray into the Vancouver Fringe and she is excited to be foraying alongside this fantastic, talented group! What a thrill to be doing an original, historical and entirely culturally relevant piece of theatre, with a kick-ass score and terrifyingly accurate Boss. Martha is a graduate of The Poor School in London where we knew little of the 1% elite and has been in Canada for the last four years. Most recently she has been rocking it out in Spring Awakening at the Pacific Theatre, standing very still as 'Dot' in United Players' Sunday in the Park with George and joining the loonies in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at the PAL. While this show is highly entertaining, Martha hopes you take away more than its very humm-able tunes and revolutionise the world from your backyard. The little man does make a difference.
Katie-Rose Connors - Performer
As a graduate of the Musical Theatre Program at Capilano University, Katie-Rose is thrilled to be taking part in the Fringe Festival and Draining The Swamp. She would like to thank the production team for this wonderful opportunity to work on a new musical, and the cast and crew for their dedication. Along with performing, Katie-Rose enjoys stepping back stage to teach and music direct. Select credits include: Annabel Glick in Lucky Stiff (Arbutus Studio), Betsy/Dreamer in The Secret Garden (Exit 22), Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (Exit 22), Kit Kat Girl/Accordionist in Cabaret (Exit 22), Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Align Entertainment) , and Andrina in The Little Mermaid (Align Entertainment). Enjoy the show!
Amy Gartner - Performer
Amy Gartner is a classical and musical theatre performer hailing from the Alberta prairies. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in vocal performance, from the University of Alberta. Before moving to Vancouver four years ago, Amy caught the travel bug, touring the world as a featured singer onboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Recent credits include: Come Along and Listen to (Lande Productions), The Who’s Tommy (Renegade Arts Company), Hair (Renegade Arts Company), Company (United Players), Murder Ballad (Fighting Chance Productions – CTC Nomination), Legally Blonde (TUTS). This is Amy’s first time performing in the Fringe. She would like to thank Curious Creations for this awesome opportunity.
Karen Kelm - Performer
Karen Kelm began her musical theatre career – back in the previous millennium - with Theatre Richmond, and continued with Vancouver companies including MUSSOC, TUTS, Marpole Community Theatre and Dunbar Theatre. Favourite roles include Nancy in “Oliver!”, Gittel Mosca in “Seesaw”, and Reno Sweeney in “Anything Goes”. Karen performed as the Theatre Royal’s Gold Nugget Queen for two seasons in Barkerville, and was a principal in the musical revue, “Way Off Broadway” for an eight-month run at Old Angelo’s Dinner Theatre in Toronto. Karen sang swing tunes and torch songs from the 1930s and 40s with Vancouver’s Preservation of Swing Band for 22 years, and has accompanied herself on the guitar (and accordion, although she doesn’t like to talk about it) in both solo and duo acts. She is familiar with the challenges of a Fringe production, having written, produced and performed in her own original musical, “Like a Fly in Amber” in the 2016 Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals. Karen is pleased to be part of the “Draining the Swamp” project, and looks forward to both writing and performing in more musical theatre productions.
Jacques Lalonde - Performer
Jacquesis a graduate of Studio 58. He has appeared in a record 32 Vancouver Fringe Festivals in a row, has over 25 hold-over Picks of the Fringe and is the only recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fringe. Past favourites include The Kenny Rogers Experience, Nucklehead Fever (Best Production 1999), How I learned to Drive (5 Jessie nominations including Best Production) and last year’s sold-out sensation Trump the Musical. He has guest starred on Sesame Street, The New Addams Family and was the French host of Live City Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics.
Emily Matchette - Choreographer
Emily is trilled to be have been a part of Curious Creations this year. A recent graduate of the Musical Theatre program at Capilano University, she is now attending Douglas College studying in the Bachelor of Performing Arts program. Select performing credits include: Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Exit 22), Ensemble in Rent (URP), Lou Ann in Hairspray (TUTS). Recently, Emily was the assistant choreographer for The Drowsy Chaperone (TUTS) and The Little Mermaid (Align Entertainment), and choreographed Ten Blocks on the Camino Real (Arbutus Studios) and Legally Blonde Jr (Lindbjerg Academy). Up next, see Emily in the ensemble of Joseph (Align) and as Pilar in Legally Blonde (Align). A giant thank you to Dawn, Des, Kevin, and her amazingly supportive family.
Kevin Michael Cripps - Music Director
Kevin Michael is an instructor in the Musical Theatre and Acting for Stage and Screen programs at Capilano University. He recently completed his Masters Degree in the Practice of Voice and Singing at Guildford School of Acting (UK). Kevin is an active music director, vocal coach, accompanist and actor. Recent music direction credits: Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Align Entertainment), Peter and the Starcatcher (Arts Club), The Rocky Horror Show (Capilano University) The Drowsy Chaperone and Titanic (TUTS). Recent acting credits: Cowboy Bob in Footloose (Chemainus), Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Align Entertainment), The Bishop in Les Miserables (Arts Club). Kevin also contributed music and arrangements to The Bakewell Bakeoff, a New Musical now published by the Rodgers and Hammerstein European Union office.
Dawn Moore - Director, Writer
Dawn Moore is a theatre director, teacher and writer with a BFA in acting from the University of Victoria and a MA in directing from Western Washington University. Retired from a career at Capilano University, she taught and was a founding member of the theatre faculty. Dawn’s training highlights include Keith Johnstone, Powys Thomas, Josh Pais, Karen Kohlhaas and Italian mask-maker Prof. Agostino Dessí. Dawn has over 40 directing credits that include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, The Laramie Project, The Heidi Chronicles, Charlotte’s Web: The Musical, Crimes of the Heart, Dancing at Lughnasa, Search and Destroy, Romeo and Juliet and 7 Stories. Last year Waiting for Garbo, a play co-written and directed with Desmond Price, won praise at the Edinburgh Scotland and the Vancouver Fringe festivals. Dawn’s professional career started with one of Canada’s first improvisation companies, Company One Theatre, a group that specialized in improvisation and the co-creation of original Canadian work and it is fitting that her career once again turns to original work and co-creation with Curious Creations Theatre. The experience of team writing and directing and the focus on political comedy is exhilarating.
Desmond Price - Director, Writer
Desmond Price is a Vancouver based playwright, director, actor and lighting designer. He writes plays in partnership with Dawn Moore and their last play, Waiting for Garbo, played at both the Edinburgh and Vancouver Fringe Festivals. He was previously the Artistic Director of Novus Theatre for whom he directed The Dance of Death, The Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Jennie’s Story, Molly’s Dream and Elizabeth – Almost By Chance a Woman. His production of Canadian Gothic was picked by the Vancouver Sun as one of the best ten theatre production of the year for 1999. Other directing credits include: Top Girls, The Roaring Girl, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Waiting for Godot, The Seagull, Dracula, Mad Forest, Arabian Nights, The Tao of Ron and Treasure Island. He has twice been nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design, for the original Tamahnous production of Haunted House Hamlet and for Novus Theatre’s production of Scary Stories. Acting credits include parts in The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Taming of the Shrew, Laura, Bus Stop, Suicide in B Flat , Don’t Drink the Water, The Three Sisters, The People We Know and Primo Nana.
Sari Rosofsky - Performer
A recent graduate of the Capilano Musical Theatre program, Sari is excited to make her second appearance in the Vancouver Fringe Festival as the Wife in Draining the Swamp. Previous credits include Dorothy Parker and Ensemble in Thoroughly Modern Millie by Exit 22, Carolyn and Kate in The Dining Room by Arbutus Studios, The Acid Queen in Tommy by Arbutus Studios and the Janitor in Lost in Twine: The Untold Stories of the Net Loft by Kelsey Blair. You can also catch Sari at the upcoming Vancouver Pole Dance competition at the Waterfront Theatre during October 28-29th. She would like to thank the directing team for giving her this wonderful opportunity and her friends, family and instructors for always believing her on this amazing journey.
Marco Walker-Ng - Performer
Marco Walker-Ng is very grateful to be making his Fringe debut with this show. A second year Musical Theatre student at Capilano University on the North Shore, his theatre credits include: PIT Collective's City of Angels (Ensemble). Special thanks to my family and friends, my teachers, Rebecca, Fringe 2017 and the wonderful team from Draining The Swamp.
Dennis Virshilas - Performer
Dennis is thrilled to take part in his first ever theatre production outside of high school and university. Dennis has been professionally playing pretend since his prepubescent years and he is now heading into his second year of studies in the Acting for Stage and Screen program at Capilano University, where he was taught in class by Draining The Swamp directors Dawn Moore and Desmond Price. He wants to thank them and Kevin Michael Cripps for all the support and guidance throughout rehearsals, as well as choreographer Emily Matchette for somehow converting his tall lanky frame into a ballet dancer... you'll see. Dennis loves his mom very much, and he hopes she can contain herself for everyone's sake.
Thanks to Laura Pummell (graphic design), Moore Media, and Chad Matchette (Lindbjerg Academy).