SoCo Theatre
About
SoCo Theatre engages under the terms of the Indie 2.1, professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors' Equity Association
SoCo Theatre is a new Toronto-based company committed to developing and producing Socially Conscious theatre.
We are dedicated to producing new Canadian plays, and bringing the premieres of socially conscious international theatre to Toronto audiences.
We make theatre that is provocative, political, and that examines humanity both on a local and global level.
Michelle Alexander: Dramaturge, Co-Director
Michelle Alexander is an actor, director, current Associate Artistic Director at Nightwood Theatre and acting teacher at Armstrong Acting Studios. Selected directing credits: The Philanderess (Toronto Fringe 2015) *outstanding direction NOW Magazine, Second City Best New Comedy Award; the world premiere of February by Lisa Moore (Alumnae Theatre); multiple staged readings for Nightwood Theatre as well as four years of directing the annual Lawyer Show; three successful seasons of her summer touring company, Seeds and Salt Theatre, on Vancouver Island. In the film and television world Michelle is best known for the role of Alison on Darknet* (Netflix CAN/US/UK; Superchannel). Other selected acting credits include Orphan Black (Space/BBC America); Played (CTV) and Beauty and the Beast (CW). Upcoming Michelle will be taking on the world and having funny things happen to her in the new series ‘Overachieving Underdogs’ with Sophia Fabiilli. www.michellealexander.ca
*nominated for a Canadian Screen Actors Award in Best Cross-Platform Project
Nikki Duval: Actor - BABY
Nikki would like to thank SoCo Theatre for making this 31-year-old baby’s dream come true. Finally her inner baby is allowed to come out and play! Nikki comes all the way from Winnipeg, Manitoba and is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada. Her past theatre credits include: Polina in The Seagull, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scarlett/Rhonda in Lion in The Streets, Dabby Bryant in Our Countries Good, Vermandera in The Changeling (NTS); Queen in Prey, Kit in The Circle (New words Festival, NTS); Woman in Fishing (What She Said Productions); and The Player Queen in Hamlet (Hart House Theatre). Film and TV credits: Hyena Road (Rhombus Media); Murdoch Mysteries (CBC); Mary Goes Round (CFC).
Sophia Fabiilli: Co-Producer, Actor - ELIZABETH
Sophia is an Toronto-based actor, writer, and producer. She has performed across the province at the Sudbury Theatre Centre, Theatre Aquarius, Lighthouse Festival Theatre, Theatre Kingston, Litmus Theatre, The Playwright Project, Shakespeare Bash'd, among others. Her first play ‘The Philanderess’ premiered at the 2015 Toronto Fringe and was remounted at The Second City last fall (NNNNN's from NOW Magazine, Patron's Pick, and Second City Award for Best New Comedy). Her and Michelle Alexander are the collaborators behind Truth'n'Lies Theatre and are currently developing a new web series called Overachieving Underdogs.
Laura Gardner: Designer
Select Theatre Credits: set and costume designer of Cunning Little Vixen (GGS); set and costume designer of Sunday in the Park with George (TIFT); set and costume designer of Lady Windermere's Fan, Mad About Munsch and Ideal Husband (GBC); costume designer of Emily's Piano (YPT); production designer of Boston Marriage (Headstrong Collective); costume designer of Canada 300 (Watermark Theatre); set and costume designer of Les Zinspirees 3D (Theatre Francais); set designer of Kitchen Radio (Blyth Festival); costume designer of New Jerusalem (Harold Green Jewish Theatre); costume designer of Chess and set and costume designer of Parade (Sheridan); costume designer of Bea (Actors’ Repertory Company). Training: BFA, York University, theatre production and design program. Please visit lauragardnerdesign.ca
Jeremy Loughton: Stage Manager
Jeremy is excited to work on a new Canadian play after working on back-to-back Hamlet’s (Apprentice Stage Manager for Driftwood Theatre Group, Stage Manager for Hart House Theatre). He is a recent Ryerson Theatre School graduate where he dabbled in theatre and dance stage management, as well box office and front of house administration. Other credits include ASM for Burpee/Chin: Two New Works (Toronto Dance Theatre), and an ensemble member in Clay and Paper’s Our Last Best Hope.
Darwin Lyons: Co-Director
Darwin Lyons is an Actor, Producer, Director and Teacher. Selected Directing credits: Desperately Seeking Something (Toronto Fringe); Something Unspoken (Playwright Project). Selected acting roles: Flo, This is Not a Picnic (32Teeth Collective); MacDuff/Ross/Weird Sister, Macbeth (Theatre by the Bay); Juliet Romeo and Juliet (Hart House Theatre); Tina, Tough! (Factory Theatre at The Magnetic North Festival). She associate produced and starred in, 9 9 . 7 %, which was an Official Selection at the AGLIFF Film Festival. Upcoming: Dead Roads (or you too can become a crow) at The Riser Project at the Theatre Centre. Darwin is the Artistic Producer of The Paprika Festival.
Michael Musi: Actor - CHRIS
Michael was born and raised in Montreal, studied in NYC, and now lives in Toronto. You may have recently seen him at The Storefront Theatre in Kat Sandler's latest hit Liver, giving Jay Baruchel some serious stink eye in Man Seeking Woman, or eating a donut on some random bench in the city. He is thrilled to be the only dude in this INCREDIBLE team of kick-ass ladies. This one's for my mama. Always.
Celeste Percy-Beauregard: Playwright, Co-Producer
Celeste received her BFA in Acting from University of Windsor, and a post-graduate certificate in Comic Scriptwriting for television from Humber College. She has performed across Canada and in the United States as an actor, and has done script consulting work for theatre and television. For her writing, Celeste has received grants from Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts. She started SoCo Theatre in 2012 with the site-specific fringe show ENGLAND, which she produced, directed, and acted in (Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble, NOW Magazine). She is currently developing a tv pilot, a historical drama. Well Born is her first full-length play.
Samuel Sholdice: Sound Design
Recent Theatre: Cowboy vs. Samurai, Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Soulpepper), Fury, Falling A Wake, Beyond The Farm Show (Blyth Festival), Mr. Burns, Vitals, Passion Play (Outside The March), Paolozza-pedia (Bad New Days), As You Like It / Titus Andronicus (Canadian Stage's Shakespeare In The Park), The Speedy (Harbourfront), The Boy In The Moon (GCTC),
Other Media: Barbelle (web series 2016), Vitals (film, 2015), editor/composer for the Spoke Podcast.
Astrid Van Wieren: Actor - EILEEN
Astrid originated the roles of Beulah in the new smash musical COME FROM AWAY (La Jolla Playhouse/Seattle Rep) and Germaine Lauzon in BELLES SOEURS -a stunning new musical to be remounted this April at The NAC (Copo De Oro/Seagal Centre). Other favourite, recent roles (all premieres): Fielding in THE COLONY OF UNREQUITED DREAMS (Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland); Grandma in THE WAY BACK TO THURSDAY (Passe Muraille); Constance in SUCKER (Brouhaha) and Holly in MYTH OF THE OSTRICH (Toronto Fringe Festival/NSTF). Astrid received a Dora award for her work in the riveting drama, THIS WIDE NIGHT (Mercury/Mermaid Parade).