The Neverending Story

David has written over 30 dramatic works including Athabasca for Convergence Theatre (2019, written with Richard Greenblatt), Lysistrata and the Temple of Gaia at the Odyssey Theatre (2018), BOMBERS: Reaping the Whirlwind at the 4th Line Theatre (2017) and Double Trouble at Imagination Stage (2015). His hit comedy Having Hope at Home has been performed across Canada. He has won the Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Production three times, the Chalmers New Play Award three times, the Rideau Award, the Canada Council Prize, the Writer’s Guild Prize for Radio Drama and a Harold Award. In 2014, the City of Toronto awarded Mr. Craig the Barbara Hamilton Award for Artistic Excellence. He is a past president of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.

Jillian Keiley is an award-winning director from St. John’s, Newfoundland and founder of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. Jillian has directed and taught across Canada and internationally. She received her BFA in Theatre from York University and was awarded Honorary Doctorates of Letters from both Memorial University and York University. She was the winner of the Siminovitch Prize for Directing in 2004 and the Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize in 1997. Jillian assumed her role as NAC English Theatre Artistic Director in August 2012, and her productions at the NAC have included Between Breaths, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, A Christmas Carol, Twelfth Night, Metamorphoses: Based on the Myths of Ovid, Tartuffe, Oil and Water and another Stratford collaboration, Alice Through the Looking-Glass. She has also directed Bakkhai, The Diary of Anne Frank and As You Like It for the Stratford Festival. Tempting Providence, her collaboration with Robert Chafe for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, toured internationally for 12 years and will be the inaugural production at the launch of the Nurse Myra Bennett Theatre in Cow Head, Newfoundland this summer.

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Gmork, Urgl and Engywook, Ensemble

Theatre credits include 17 seasons at the Stratford Festival, appearing in such works as The Crucible, Twelfth Night, Guys and Dolls, King John, Pericles, The Pirates of Penzance, 42nd Street, Titus Andronicus, Three Sisters, The Merchant of Venice, Cabaret, Trojan Women, Macbeth, The Tempest, As You Like It, Timon of Athens, The Swanne: Princess Charlotte, London Assurance, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Other theatre credits include the Segal Centre, Canadian Stage, the Grand Theatre, Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theater, New York Shakespeare Festival; The Importance of Being Earnest (Broadway); and Copenhagen (U.S. National tour). Film and TV credits include 12 Monkeys, Murdoch Mysteries, Dark Matter, Reign, Defiance and Law & Order.

Bastian’s Father, A Purple Buffalo, A Traveller, A Refugee, Ensemble

Tim Campbell is a Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning actor whose theatre credits include Twelve Angry Men, Death of a Salesman, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Soulpepper); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.); Private Lives (Chicago Shakespeare), and 11 seasons with the Stratford Festival, where recent credits include John Proctor in The Crucible, Chris Keller in All My Sons and Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband. Film and TV credits include Beltran in Season 4 of The Expanse, Designated Survivor, Reign, Republic of Doyle, Warehouse 13, Nikita, The L.A. Complex, Saving Hope, The Firm, Lost Girl, Combat Hospital, Flashpoint and Murdoch Mysteries.

Ygramul, Chancellor of the Ivory Tower, A Refugee, Ensemble

Laura has appeared with theatre companies across the country including Mirvish Productions, Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper, Tarragon Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, Canadian Stage, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Segal Centre, Necessary Angel, Grand Theatre, Globe Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, and 13 seasons with the Stratford Festival. Film/TV credits include Murdoch Mysteries. Laura is the recipient of two Toronto Theatre Critics Awards for Best Actress in 2018 for Fun Home (Mirvish Productions/Musical Stage Company), and in 2016 for Enemy of the People (Tarragon Theatre). Upcoming: Wendy & Peter Pan and Frankenstein Revived (Stratford Festival).

Maya, Ensemble

Ijeoma is excited to be coming to Ottawa with The Neverending Story. Ijeoma recently finished her fifth season at the Stratford festival, appearing in over 15 productions including The Crucible, The Changeling, As You Like It, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Macbeth, Hay Fever and five HD cinema recordings. Prior to Stratford, she spent five seasons at The Shaw Festival and has performed on stages across Canada. She is a graduate of the Stratford Festival Birmingham Conservatory (2016–17) and holds a BFA from the University of Windsor. Much love to her family, especially J and Z!

Eribo, A Bully, Ensemble

Jordin hails from the one and only Chatham, Ontario. He is a graduate of Brock University’s Theatre (Performance Concentration) program, as well as the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre. Theatre credits include The Crucible, Henry VIII, Julius Caesar, An Ideal Husband, To Kill A Mockingbird (Stratford Festival); Othello (Driftwood Theatre); Titus Andronicus (Seven Siblings Theatre); The Winter’s Tale, Love’s Labours Lost (Dauntless City Theatre) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Humber River Shakespeare). Thank you, Mom, Dad, Grandma and anyone who has ever supported me, and to everyone else… Love, peace, and SOULLLLLL TRAIN.

Morla, Elder of the Grassy Ocean, Sassafranian Child, Ensemble

Through a rich and varied 45-year career, Kim has appeared in well over 70 productions across Canada and in England, a few of which include Miranda in The Tempest; Charlotte in Don Juan (NAC); Sylvia in The Two Gentleman of Verona (NAC/Stratford Festival); Karen in Talking Dirty (NAC/Arts Club Theatre); Duchess of Norfolk in Henry VIII, Lady Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Constance in The Madwoman of Chaillot, Marina in Pericles, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Princess Katherine in Henry V, Miss Hoyden in The Relapse, Louise in Private Lives (Stratford Festival); Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Chesterfield Repertory, England); Caroline in Childhood/Infancy (Kings Head Theatre, London, England); Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer (Arts Club Theatre); Lady Nijo in Top Girls (Tamanhous/Grand Theatre); and co-creator, with Anika Johnson and Barbara Johnston, of Cowboy of the Western World, A Musical. Most recently in film, Kim’s credits include Believe Me: The Lisa McVey Abduction; J.J. Abrams/Stephen King’s 11/22/63 opposite James Franco; A Family Man as Gerard Butler’s mom; and Cardinals (Touchpoint Films); Romeo and Juliet and Henry VIII (Barry Avrich Productions/Stratford Festival). “I’m grateful to have shared my creative life with so many outstanding artists and friends. Love to my family, Georgina, Spencer, grandson Aiden, and Ian.”

Atreyu

Andrew’s credits include two seasons at the Stratford Festival, appearing in Henry VIII in 2019, Harold in An Ideal Husband, To Kill a Mockingbird and understudying in Julius Caesar in the 2018 season. Elsewhere, Andrew appeared as Katurian K. Katurian in The Pillowman (Orlando Fringe 2016). In Film/TV, he has been a guest star on episodes of Reign (CW Network); and Murder U (Discovery ID). Andrew trained at the University of Windsor, and the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre.

Bookseller, Cairon, Sassafranian Child, Ensemble

Roy has spent 14 seasons at the Stratford Festival where he recently played Lord Sandis and the Chorus in Henry VIII, and had the honour of writing the play’s Epilogue, and Judge Hathorne in The Crucible. Additional Stratford roles include Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird, Publius Lepidus in Julius Caesar, Morocco in The Merchant of Venice, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Cyclops in The Odyssey, and Stage Manager in Our Town. Other credits include Abel Magwitch in Great Expectations (Neptune Theatre); Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life (Theatre Northwest); Charley in Death of a Salesman (Drayton Festival Theatre); and Camillo in The Winter’s Tale (Groundling Theatre Company). He has directed ten plays, and is a founding member of Obsidian Theatre Company and a published poet.

Ensemble

Hilary’s theatre credits include Christophe, Jane Rochford in Wolf Hall (2020 Stratford Festival); Othello (Stratford Festival); Olivia in Twelfth Night, Liz in Hanger (Toronto Fringe/Kildare Company); Desdemona in Othello, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Olivia in Twelfth Night (Ale House Theatre Company). Film/TV credits include Sugar Daddy (supporting); Killjoys (guest star); Benson (lead); Sup Meg (lead); Samanthology (supporting). Hilary trained at Ryerson Theatre School and at the British American Drama Academy, BADA (Midsummer in Oxford program). She is the recipient of an Emerging Artist Award (MyTheatre Awards) and the Perry Schneiderman Award (Ryerson).

A Bully, Child of the Grassy Ocean, A Traveller, A Refugee, Ensemble

Katelyn McCulloch is an award-winning actor based in Toronto and is thrilled to be making her NAC debut! Select credits include Abigail Williams in The Crucible, Ben Gunn in Treasure Island, Romeo & Juliet, The Breathing Hole (Stratford Festival); Maid Marion in The Silver Arrow (Citadel Theatre); Pea in Jerusalem (Company Theatre/Outside the March); The Heart of Robin Hood (Mirvish Productions/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Liver (Kat Sandler/Store Front). Katelyn’s Film/TV credits include Mary Kills People (Global TV); Mindfudge (CBC); Incorporated (CBS); Reign (CW); Barbara‑Anne, Club Six, Becoming Burlesque. She holds a BFA in Acting from York University, and also trained at Second City Conservatory, and with the Factory Theatre Mechanicals. She is the recipient of a Dora Mavor Moore Award (Outstanding Ensemble for Jerusalem), and a Broadway World Award (Outstanding Supporting Actress for Ben Gunn). Most recently, Katelyn wrote, produced and starred in the short film Barbara‑Anne, which won Silver for Best Canadian Short at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

Artax, A Bully, Ensemble

Andrew Robinson is a stage and screen actor from Toronto. For the Stratford Festival, he has appeared in 15 productions including this one, in which he plays the voice and head operator of Artax. Select credits include the North-American premiere of Shakespeare in Love (directed by Declan Donnelan) and John Caird’s Love’s Labours’ Lost, in which he met Rylan and Ijeoma respectively: two incredible friends with whom he shares this experience. He has written two plays, appeared in Guillermo Del Toro’s The Strain, and met Maggie Smith exactly once.

Bastian

Jake has fond childhood memories of skating on the Rideau Canal and eating his first Beavertail. It has been a dream of his to return to Ottawa and perform at the National Arts Centre. Credits include Henry VIII (Stratford Festival); I and You (Outlook Theatre); The Secret Garden (Young People’s Theatre); The Nails (SummerWorks Festival); Animal Nature (Clay & Paper Theatre); and Knots (Toronto Fringe Festival). Training: George Brown Theatre School; The Birmingham Conservatory. TV/Film: Impulse (YouTube Premium). Upcoming: Jake will be playing Peter Pan in the Stratford Festival’s 2020 production of Wendy & Peter Pan.

Falkor, The Caretaker, Ensemble

Rylan is excited to share this magical show with the audience at the NAC. He has been a Stratford Festival company member for the past six seasons appearing in over a dozen shows, including The Crucible, Henry VIII, To Kill a Mockingbird, Timon of Athens and Shakespeare in Love. He has also worked at the Grand Theatre, Blyth Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects, Theatre Calgary, Globe Theatre, Caravan Theatre, and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. He has been awarded a Montreal Critics’ Award, a Betty Mitchell Award and Stratford’s John Hirsch Award. Much love to my family and Krystin.

The Childlike Empress, Sassafranian Adult, Ensemble

Mamie is delighted to be continuing her journey with The Neverending Story at the NAC. She previously spent two seasons at the Stratford Festival appearing in The Crucible (Mary Warren), The Tempest (Miranda), The Comedy of Errors and Napoli Milionaria!. She is looking forward to Stratford 2020, where she will be starring in Three Tall Women and featured in Richard III and The Miser. She trained at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and Stratford’s Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre (Chicago Fellow).

Bretta is a set, lighting and costume designer for theatre, circus and opera. She is the resident designer at Catalyst Theatre, where she co-creates and tours new work across North America, the U.K. and Australia. Bretta also designs for companies such as Cirque du Soleil, The Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Arts Centre, the Stratford Festival, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Opera, Vancouver Opera and the Grand Theatre. She is the recipient of over 25 awards in addition to Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 under 40, Global Television’s Woman of Vision, IPL Best Emerging Artist and the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Costume Design. She recently represented Canada in Prague at the Scenography Quadrennial and her costume designs were exhibited in Moscow, Beijing and Taipei. Bretta loves working with Jill at the fabulous team at the NAC.

Recent NAC credits include The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum (co-production with Neptune Theatre) and Metamorphoses: Based on the Myths of Ovid. Other recent theatre credits include The Third Colour (Prairie Theatre Exchange); The Color Purple (Neptune Theatre); The Secret Life of a Mother (The Theatre Centre); The Silver Arrow (Citadel Theatre); Between Breaths, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland); What a Young Wife Ought to Know and The God That Comes (2b theatre). Leigh Ann is proud to bring this show to Ottawa and would like to dedicate her work on it to her own Artax and Atreyu: Tate and Buddy. May their story never end.

Hawksley Workman is a two-time JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A staple of the Canadian music scene for over 20 years, Workman boasts a catalogue of 16 releases, and has performed over a thousand shows worldwide, headlining prestigious venues like Massey Hall and The Olympia in Paris. Workman co-wrote and performed an award-winning one-man cabaret theatre show called The God That Comes, which debuted in 2013 to rave critical reviews and sold-out crowds. The show quickly gained international attention including successful runs at Tarragon Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, New Zealand Festival and Arhus Festival in Denmark. His awards include a 2018 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award nomination for Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical for The Silver Arrow (Citadel Theatre).

Sound design credits include Anne and Gilbert, A Christmas Carol (NAC); Bakkhai, The Diary of Anne Frank, As You Like It (Stratford Festival); The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, Oil and Water, Under Wraps, Afterimage, Fear of Flight (Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland); Ann and Seamus (Shallaway); Rick Mercer’s Show Me the Button, I’ll Push It. Film/TV, Boom Operator: Republic of Doyle, Random Passage (CBC); Love and Savagery (Morag); Rare Birds (Lions Gate Films). Production Sound: Danny (NFB); Misery Harbour (UIP Denmark). Producer/Engineer: Wreckhouse (Sherry Ryan); Hunter Hunter, Spectators (Amelia Curran); Dardanelles, The Eastern Light (Dardanelles); The Once, We Win Some We Lose (The Once); All Will Be Well (Fortunate Ones). Musician: Boy on Bridge (Alan Doyle). Awards: JUNO for Hunter Hunter; East Coast Music Award for The Once, Duane Andrews; MUSIC NL Industry Professional of the Year.

Brad Cook is a movement director and teacher, puppeteer and theatre creator. He has worked as a movement coach and movement director at the Stratford Festival, taught actor movement at numerous colleges and universities including the National Theatre School of Canada, is a co-founder of Blue Bird Theatre Collective, and was a puppeteer for War Horse (National Theatre of Great Britain). Brad is a graduate of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s Movement Studies program (MA). Most recently Brad was intimacy coordinator for Transplant (CTV/NBCU).

Mikaela Davies is an actor, director and creator of new work. She performed in eight shows at Soulpepper Theatre and spent four seasons at the Stratford Festival, as an actor and member of the Michael Langham Conservatory for Classical Direction. Davies is the inaugural recipient of the Jon Kaplan Canadian Stage Performer Award, and was nominated for a Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for her titular performance in Miss Bennet and a Montreal English Theatre Award for her performance in The Last Wife. Davies assistant-directed on Robert Lepage’s Coriolanus at Stratford and recently directed The Winter’s Tale (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Theatre Company).

Brian is happy to return to the NAC, where his previous credits include Girls in the Gang (co-production with Factory Theatre), The Lion in Winter (co-production with Western Canada Theatre Company), A Gift to Last, Endgame, Frida K (co-production with Citadel Theatre) and Alice Through the Looking-Glass (produced in association with the Stratford Festival). He has stage managed at the Stratford Festival for 25 seasons and will return in 2020 for their production of Hamlet.

Assistant Stage Manager credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Comedy of Errors, Paradise Lost, Romeo and Juliet, The Breathing Hole (Stratford Festival); and The Last Wife (The Belfry Theatre/Great Canadian Theatre Company). Stage Manager credits include The CFL 105th Grey Cup (Patrick Roberge Productions); Trudeau Stories (Long Black Car Productions/Great Canadian Theatre Company); and The Amazing Adventures of Pericles, Prince of Tyre (A Company of Fools). Jacki is a graduate of the Theatre Program at the University of Ottawa. This one is for Dad.

Previous NAC credits include Stage Manager for the Siminovitch Prize ceremonies (2016–2019) and for Moonlodge; Assistant Stage Manager for carried away on the crest of a wave, A Christmas Carol (2016 & 2017), Anne & Gilbert: The Musical, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Sound of Music, The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum (co-production with Neptune Theatre), Creation, Salt‑Water Moon. Other theatre credits include Stage Manager for The Drowning Girls, Gracie (Great Canadian Theatre Company); Assistant Stage Manager for Countess Maritza (Pacific Opera Victoria), The Penelopiad (Grand Theatre), The Virgin Trial, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Possible Worlds, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Stratford Festival); The Marriage of Figaro, Tosca, Carmen (Opera Lyra Ottawa); The Ladies Foursome, Man of La Mancha (Globe Theatre); Metamorphosis (Mirvish Productions); Circle Mirror Transformation (GCTC); Civil Elegies (Soulpepper); Dog Sees God (M. Rubinoff Productions) and The December Man (L’homme de décembre) (Canadian Stage). Upcoming: Assistant Stage Manager for Daisy (GCTC) and Stage Manager for Paradise Lost (NAC). Loreen has a BFA Honours in Theatre Production and Design from York University and wishes to thank her family and friends for their love, support and encouragement.