Red Earth Online Program
The World Premiere of Red Earth, a One Trunk Theatre Production runs May 8-18, 2019 at Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg. Presented by Theatre Projects Manitoba, in partnership with PTE.
Company
Andraea Sartison | Co-Creator/Director/Producer
GMB Chomichuk | Co-Creator/Illustrator/Producer
Rick Chafe | Playwright
Kristian Jordan | Playwright
Ross McMillan | Assistant Director
Jane Buttner | Stage Manager
James Thurmeier | Technical Director
Daina Leitold | Set Design/Costume Design
Matthew Waddell | Projection Technologist
Laura Anzola | Illustration
Itai Erdal | Lighting Design
jaymez | Sound Design
Brian Perchaluk | Design Mentor
Featuring
Dutchess Cayetano | Piper
Gwendolyn Collins | Irving
Toby Hughes | Ptolemy
Alicia Johnston | Glory
Arne MacPherson | Voice of Mason
Ardith Boxall | Voice of Mom
Natalie Stefanson | Apprentice
Victoria McNeil | Apprentice
Cover version of Major Tom (Coming Home) features Sarah Jo Kirsch, arrangement by jaymez (original song and lyrics by Peter Schilling, David Harland Lodge). Listen here: http://tiny.cc/ufhc6y
About the Artists
Andraea Sartison is a theatre artist and event producer in Winnipeg, MB. She is the founding Artistic Producer of One Trunk Theatre where she has captained the creation of 13 original productions and one festival, since the company’s inception including Red Earth, Boundary Avenue, A Dollhouse of Commons, I Dream of Diesel, Mission Potluck, Taste and 204FM. She is known for boldly creative performance concepts, interdisciplinary collaboration, devised theatre and integrating technology into live performance. She works as Co-Leader of Manitoba Theatre for Young People’s Creators Unit (with Rick Chafe!), and Co-Owner of Event Production and Arts Consultation Company Fête Jockey (with Jennie O!). Andraea has travelled internationally as a performer and director of new Canadian plays, from the Canadian fringe circuit to Broadway, New York.
GMB Chomichuk is an award-winning writer, illustrator and public speaker. His work has appeared in film, television, books, comics and graphic novels. He writes and/or illustrates occult suspense stories like Midnight City and Underworld, science fiction works like Infinitum, or inspirational all-ages adventure stories like Cassie and Tonk and Snow Troll’s Daughter.
Rick Chafe has been collaborating to make plays since grade two – most recently with best friends Yvette Nolan on Both Alike in Dignity for PTE, Danny Schur on the soon-to-be-released movie Stand! and the completely re-invented musical Strike! (opening in June at Rainbow Stage), Kristian Jordan and a dozen other artists on Red Earth, and Andraea Sartison on Five Moments (commissioned by Theatre Projects Manitoba) and on co-facilitating the Creators Unit at MTYP. Other plays include GG Finalist The Secret Mask (PTE), Marriage: A Demolition in Two Acts (PTE, and published by Playwrights Canada Press this summer), Shakespeare’s Dog (RMTC/NAC), Beowulf (Two Planks and a Passion), The Last Man and Woman on Earth (TPM), and The Odyssey (Shakespeare in the Ruins).
Kristian Jordan is a Winnipeg-based performer/playwright/creator, and a graduate of the University of Winnipeg honours program for performance. As an actor he has worked for a number of professional stages across the city, including the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, and Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Shakespeare in the Ruins, and has had the opportunity to perform in schools and communities across Northern Manitoba and Ontario on five regional tours. He recently appeared as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (SIR), Peter in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (MTYP) and Wilf in Prairie Nurse (PTE). He is a member of the Emerging Playwrights Unit with Prairie Theatre Exchange and the Manitoba Association of Playwrights. As a founding member of the company Make/Shift Theatre, he has collaborated on a variety of projects including a production of his original script, Lantern Town (2016) and the forthcoming The Party: A Scientific Romance. He is a frequent collaborator with One Trunk Theatre, most recently as co-playwright on Red Earth with playwright Rick Chafe. He also makes coffee.
Ross McMillan is a Winnipeg actor, playwright and director who has been working in theatre for several decades. Recent work includes playing Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler, staged at Dalnavert, an old house in downtown Winnipeg, and playing with my band, Yes We Mystic (accept no substitutes!). Ross is currently writing a play titled People Being Shown Things, which is about, well… y’know. Looking forward to working with George Toles in Will Eno’s The Open House at the Winnipeg Fringe. Red Earth has been a very enjoyable and unusual collaboration – thanks to all involved. Thanks also to my partner Wanda and our dog Eddy, who is a very good boy.
Jane Buttner is delighted to continue working with this talented team of collaborators and artists, having been part of the most recent workshop production of this show. In her free time, Jane likes to keep grounded by sleeping under the stars and enjoying other outdoor pursuits on terra firma. Other credits include The Threepenny Opera, Sargent & Victor & Me (Sick + Twisted/AA Battery, S+T/TPM respectively); A Short History of Crazy Bone, Reservations (Theatre Projects Manitoba); I Dream of Diesel (One Trunk Theatre); The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe (MTYP); Stripped-Down Antony & Cleopatra (2017 tour), Romeo & Juliet, Antony & Cleopatra(mainstage – SIR); Last Train to Nibroc (RMTC).
James Thurmeier is a Technical Director, Lighting Designer, and Programmer currently based out of Winnipeg. He is excited to be joining such a dynamic and innovative team on the world premiere of Red Earth. He currently holds the position of Assistant Production Coordinator at the University of Winnipeg. James has spent the past two summers at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and will be returning this coming summer as a Lighting Technician working with artists from Canada and around the world. Recent credits include: Assistant Lighting Designer-Matilda (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), Lighting Designer-Women of the Fur Trade (Vault Projects), Head of Lighting-Orphee+ (Banff Centre), Apprentice Lighting Designer-Black Coffee (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). James would like to thank One Trunk Theatre for reminding him of the wonder and beauty of theatre, and of what we are capable of when we set our minds to it. Mars or Bust!
Daina Leitold has had the great fortune of maintaining her designer designation on this project from devised workshop, thru further development and testing, thru lift-off. Huge thanks to Design Mentor, Captain Perchaluk, for keeping this department inspired and focused. Past favourite design missions: Timon of Athens (Shakespeare in the Ruins), Stage Frights (One Trunk Theatre), Edward II, Cock, Bull (Theatre by the River), The Cherry Orchard(Theatre by the River / Echo Theatre), Wild Wild Wilderness (Green Kids Inc.), Die!Shakespeare!Die! (Saucy Gals), Etoile (a KDSZ show). Future favourite design mission: Hamlet (Shakespeare in the Ruins). In an effort to avoid having to colonize Mars, Daina is working to save Planet Earth through her work with Green Kids Inc., where she creates eco-savvy theatre for young audiences across Canada.
Matthew Waddell is an audiovisual artist, multimedia programmer and educator. He has been involved with digital arts production and education for the last eleven years – creating 3D visual art, designing award winning sound and video for theatre, programming innovative custom playback servers, and recently, exploring large-scale video installation and architectural projection mapping. His work has been presented at Mutek Montreal, The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, the Calgary GLOW Festival, Canada Day at the Forks Winnipeg, and on stage with Alberta Theatre Projects and Ghost River Theatre. Over the last six years he has taught courses in audiovisual technology at the National Theatre School of Canada, as well as at numerous workshops in Calgary, Montreal, Winnipeg and Bogota, Colombia. Matthew has received two Betty Mitchell Awards: Outstanding Projection Design, (The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, 2015) and Outstanding Sound Design (ONE, 2011) and a Calgary Critics Award for Best Technical Design (Tomorrow’s Child, 2014). Website: www.matthewwaddell.me
Laura Anzola has always been fascinated with images: how they work, how they are captured and composed, and how people react to them. This fascination led her to work with visual arts. She is an artist based in Calgary working with animation, digital arts and design. She conducts her work with an attention to detail and focus on the process of image making and visual composition. She explores many different animation and projection techniques, ranging from traditional animation styles to live interactive video. Throughout her practice she has maintained an interest in how technology and arts can work together. This curiosity and enthusiasm has led her to do many projects, that explore the influence of technology and media on our daily lives, our bodies and recently she is questioning their impact on physical and geographical borders. (Photo by: Krista Bell)
Itai Erdal– An award winning lighting designer, writer and performer, Itai is the founder of The Elbow Theatre in Vancouver, for whom he co-wrote and performed in Hyperlink, This Is Not A Conversation and A Very Narrow Bridge. Itai’s one-man show: How to Disappear Completely (The Chop, directed by James long), premiered in 2011, had 30 remounts in 26 cities and continues to tour nationally and internationally. It won the best director award at the 2013 Summerworks Festival. As a lighting designer, Itai has won four Jessie Richardson Awards (22 nominations), Toronto’s Dora Mavor Moore Award, the Jack King Award, Victoria’s Spotlight Choice Award and the Design Award at the 2008 Dublin Fringe Festival. He was shortlisted to the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in 2018. Itai has designed over 300 shows for theatre, dance and opera companies all over North America and Europe. Some of the companies he worked with include: New Victory (Off Broadway), The Stratford Festival (11 shows), The Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Playhouse, Arts Club Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Soulpepper, Tarragon, National Arts Centre, The Citadel, MTC, The Segal Centre, The Electric Company, The Jerusalem Lab, Haifa Theatre, Tamasha, Box Clever and Teatro Villa Velha in Salvador, Brazil. www.itaierdal.com, www.theelbow.ca
jaymez is thrilled to be touching down as sound designer after this multi-year mission known as Red Earth. It’s been an epic journey and he’s grateful to have been part of this spectacular away-team of artists! With a multi-faceted and distinct visual style, jaymez has traveled through multiple dimensions visual art, dance, theatre and music. His work has appeared in a number of international festivals, theatrical and dance productions and he has performed live video alongside dozens of musicians and artists. He has created lighting, video and sound designs for a wide and diverse range of companies and choreographers including Zone41, Theatre Projects Manitoba, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, The Globe Theatre, Making Treaty 4 Collective, Ray Films, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Ming Hon, Adhere + Deny, Company Link, Out of Line Theatre, Sarasvàti Productions, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, One Trunk Theatre, Sawdon Dance, Nova Dance Collective, and .6 Ricochet. His work has been featured in a number of cities including Stratford, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Edinburgh, Osnabrück, Germany and, Utrecht, Netherlands. He recently won the Winnipeg Theatre Award for outstanding design for his work on ‘Deserter’ (Moving Target Theatre). jaymez currently sits on the board of Video Pool Media Arts Centre and he holds a BFA in Video from the University of Manitoba. “Second star to the right and straight on ’til morning!”
Brian Perchaluk is very pleased to be involved in this exciting project as mentor to set and costume designer Daina Leitold. Brian’s designs for theatre, opera, and dance have been featured on stages across the country, in the US and Europe. Most recent credits include: The Cottage, John, and A Doll’s House for RMTC, Prairie Nurse for PTE, New Magic Valley Fun Town for PTE, Tarragon Theatre, and Neptune Theatre, and Beauty and the Beast for Rainbow Stage. Brian is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg, and the National Theatre school of Canada, and has received Gemini, Jessie Richardson, Prix Rideau, and Evie awards for his work.
Dutchess Cayetano is a Philippine born, Winnipeg based artist who is also an alumni of the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, B.C. She has traveled and performed across North America on tour of Shopkins Live! Shop It Up (Koba Entertainment). Selected favourite credits include: Prairie Nurse (Prairie Theatre Exchange), Reefer Madness (Winnipeg Studio Theatre) and Avenue Q (CCPA Alumni Company). She’s ecstatic to aboard this ship to Mars with these extraterrestrial mission specialists and would like to thank her family and friends for all their support. Meteor!
Gwendolyn Collins is an actor, devised theatre artist and the Associate Artistic Producer of One Trunk Theatre. She has co-created and performed in 204FM Radio Plays, Mission Potluck and I Dream of Diesel. Recent acting credits include Munschtopia (Prairie Theatre Exchange); The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); Last Train to Nibroc, Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Penelopiad (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). Gwendolyn has also co-written and performed in a short film called Hypothermia this spring. Big thanks to Theatre Projects Manitoba for believing in this Mars Mission and commander Andraea Sartison for making it all happen!
Toby Hughes lives in Winnipeg, and works as an actor, improviser and pyrotechnician, although he is perhaps best known for completing the Kessel run in 12 parsecs. He has travelled far from his home planet of Downtown to be a part of this (inter)stellar production. He is a voracious consumer of science fiction (fave authors Kim Stanley Robinson, Ursula K. Le Guin and Iain M. Banks) so this project is a real dream come true for him. As an actor, Toby has performed with almost every theatre in town, and as an improviser he has toured across Canada with the musical improv company Outside Joke, making up stories and songs. Many of which take place in space, much to the chagrin of his fellow performers.
Alicia Johnston– Major thanks to Commanders Sartison and Chomichuk for this otherworldy experience. Selected theatre: What To Do With Albert?, Happy Place, The Flats, Butcher (Prairie Theatre Exchange); Outside Mullingar (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Que Faire d’Albert?, Les Flats, Théâtre Sans Animaux, Le Dieu du Carnage, Boeing Boeing, La Maculée, Deux Sur la Balançoire, (Théâtre Cercle Molière); Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare in the Ruins); The Winter’s Tale (Tom Tom); Essay, The Russian Play (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre). Alicia is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Natalie Stefanson is delighted to be a part of Red Earth for her first show with One Trunk Theatre. She is in grade 11 at St Mary’s Academy. Her past performances include: Radium Girls (MTYP’s Young Company), Ted and Bill’s Adventure of Excellence (MTYP’s Theatre School), and most recently, Mamma Mia (MTYP’s Musical Theatre Company). Natalie wants to thank her parents and grandparents for their love and support. She also wants to thank Heather Russell-Smith, Theresa Thomson, as well as the rest of MTYP’s marvellous staff for their constant encouragement and support. Enjoy the show!
Victoria McNeil is thrilled to be apart of Red Earth for her first professional show. Past theatre credits include: Radium Girls (MTYP’s Young Company), Tumbling After (Winnipeg Fringe), and Empowered! How One Girl Scout Nearly Destroyed the World’s Economy (MTYP’s Young Company). She would like to thank all of her friends and family for the constant encouragement and to her mentors Ellen Peterson, Theresa Thomson, and Heather Russell-Smith for all of their endless support. Victoria is excited to attend UBC in the fall as apart of the BFA Theatre program.
A Message from One Trunk Theatre
We have lift off!Welcome to the World Premiere of Red Earth. This project began with a keen fascination in humankinds’ resiliency, and the willingness of some of our species to give up life as we know it for a one way trip to the red planet. About five years ago the project Mars One put out an open call to humanbeings to leave our planet behind forever. Looking to understand this seemingly incomprehensible offer, I turned to Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles- a creative who wanted to imagine this possibility decades before. Wrestling with questions, and inspired by the endless possibilities Bradbury dreamt, I turned to theatre. But how to bring theatre audiences to space- well, GMB Chomichuk of course! Books like graphic novels can transport us through space and time- so we endeavoured to translate that ability onto the stage leveraging the best that comics can offer. Throughout this I have found that science fiction and theatre are two incomparable ways to explore our species’ hardest questions. Looking for myself in this story- as a female, as a new mom, as an artist, and leaning on a world class team of collaborators, these are the particles that whipped about like a Mars sandstorm and eventually settled to become Red Earth.
This show, is in many ways like a mission to Mars- a carefully assembled team with expertise in many fields putting their minds together to dream and grapple with a seemingly impossible project- and through toil, inspiration, hope- holding on to a dream- mold the impossible into reality.I am indebted to every member of this team for accompanying me on this journey- especially to Gregory whose endless positivity is the fuel that kept this mission running. To Rick & Kristian for their unparalleled dedication to story. To all of the designers- what you have created is absolute magic, you are the heroes of this mission. To my support team both artistic and personal- Ross, Jane, James, Thomas, Hawksley, thank you- without you we would have never left the ground. To the performers for letting go of gravity. And to our team outside the theatre- TPM, PTE, Walter & Friends, wow, thank you for believing in us. Mars or Bust!
-Andraea
A Message from Theatre Projects Manitoba
TPM and One Trunk Theatre have joined forces for many bold expeditions. One Trunk was our company in residence where they created and premiered audience favorite, I Dream of Diesel for the 2014/15 season. The next adventure was Andraea’s tenure as TPM’s Associate Artistic Director through a Canada Council residency where we created, with an extraordinary team of artists Patrick Friesen’s A Short History of Crazy Bone in 2018. We completed that mission with the launch of the Interlake Chautauqua Tour 2019. Every venture requiring an adventurous and visionary spirit. Every detail researched, plotted, planned and executed with the passion and skill that all great artists (and astronauts) require. We are confident this mission will not be the last! Thank you to everyone on the One Trunk space crew – this bold band of trailblazers! TPM is proud to be part of this inaugural mission to Mars, and to welcome you to Red Earth.
- Ardith Boxall (Artistic Director) & Rea Kavanagh (General Manager)
Our Deepest Thanks
This project was made through the mixing of dynamic creative forces. We thank our collaborators, who throughout the years have lent their vision and talent to this show and in doing so helped shape our mission.
Shakespeare in the Ruins
Michelle Boulet
Andrew Cecon
Ken Gregory
Diane Klisko (Space Suit 1.0 Construction)
Heather Lee Brereton (Space Suit 2.0 Construction)
Brenda McLean
Axis Z Media Arts
University of Winnipeg Department of Theatre & Film
Théâtre Cercle Molière
Audio Works
Miguel Fortier
Khaeler Bautista
Kara Pankiw
Evan Wohlgemut
Further gratitude to the following fine sponsors for their in-kind contributions:
Chasing Artwork
Friesens Printing
The Forks North Portage
Dave Sportster
Miguel Fortier
Sasa Radulovic
Jimi Kinsmen
Video Pool
Red Earth is enormously thankful to our partners:
Theatre Projects Manitoba, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Council, and the Canada Council for their generous support in launching this show. We also extend our thanks to the Downtown Winnipeg Biz and Joanna Nickerson.
Finally- we would not be able to be in orbit without the gifts of Walter Chomichuk/Hillside Heights, Graham Campbell/Foundation Realty, Dave Provincial/Pro-Auto and Dave Smith/Sutton Realty, thank you!
Creating new theatre from scratch with artists of all media- graphic novelists, hip hop dancers, rappers, ballet dancers, videographers, One Trunk is always pushing the boundaries of what theatre can be. Led by founding Artistic Producer Andraea Sartison, One Trunk aims to explore and expand the theatre art form, through collaboration and partnerships with other artists, students, community members and organizations.One Trunk Theatre is honoured to be in residence at Prairie Theatre Exchange, and proud to be a member of Winnipeg Independent Theatre.