The Sweat Company

AЯT IS A CUPBOAЯD

MELYSSA ADE	Marina
The Cast
This is Melyssa's Sweat Company debut, after appearing on stage, television and in films for more than 15 years. Stage roles include Carol in Oleanna, Pretty Girl in Descent by Ed Gass Donnelly and her Dora-nominated performance in The Teenage Girl Diaries at the Factory Theatre. Among her feature film credits are "Jason X," "Interstate 60," "Home Beyond The Sun;" MOWs include "Dear America" for HBO, "Hitched" for USA Films, and she was recently in Halifax filming a Lifetime thriller with Anne Heche. Television roles include "The Eleventh Hour," "Blue Murder" and the new series "Beautiful People." Melyssa spent two wonderful years as host and producer of CTV's premier children's program "Master Control." She is an alumni of Earl Haig, and has studied acting with Uta Hagen, Patrick Tucker and David Smukler.
AAЯON FЯANKS	Semyonovich
This is Aaron's Sweat Company debut. After a 10-month hiatus and a sojourn back to school, he reports feeling privileged to be invited to the dance again. Aaron appeared most recently in Working Girls (SummerWorks), Take Me Out (CanStage) and Heat Wave (Blyth Festival) — two for three in nudity — after spending four seasons at the Stratford Festival (Elizabeth Rex, The Seagull, Richard III, Troilus and Cressida). He begins his MA in Social Justice and Equity Studies at Brock University in September.
DAVID FЯISCH	Introduktor
This is David's Sweat Company debut; he loves playing the Fringe. In 2005, he played record company lawyer Nathan Grubb in Lust's Labours Lost at the Tarragon; in 2004, he produced and acted in the site-specific Below the Belt at the Dupont Woodworking Cooperative, winning mentions from NOW for Outstanding Use of An Unusual Space and Outstanding Ensemble. Upcoming film and TV work includes roles in "Breach," "Ultra," "Shades of Black" and "The Novel Life of Jane."
ЯYAN HUGHES	Vaginov
This is Ryan's Sweat Company debut. He is an award-winning writer, director and actor newly arrived from Edmonton, where he served as artistic director of Sound & Fury Theatre, and as co-founder/resident director of Human Loser Theatre. He has recently appeared as Banquo in Sound & Fury's Macbeth, as various yuppies and angels in Dave Owen's No Entry, and as Bowl in Ned Dickens' Jocasta. Ryan is a graduate of the Playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada.
ЯOBERT KINGSTON	Bakhterev
Robert is pleased to be returning to the Fringe and joining the Sweat Company for their production of Art is a Cupboard. After spending the better part of the past two years trekking throughout Europe and working in Rome, it is wonderful to come back to the stage through a festival like the Toronto Fringe. This production is a mini 'reunion' of sorts for Robert, having studied at George Brown for Theatre, he joins classmate Brendan Murray on stage and co-artistic director of Unspun Theatre, Christopher Stanton, who directed Brendan Gall's Panhandled in which Robert starred.
CAЯOLYNE MAЯAGHI	Chorus
This is Carolyne's Sweat Company debut. She has been a professional musician and actor for over 10 years. Most recently she appeared as Paula in the Factory Theatre's Dora-nominated production of The Leisure Society, and in productions of You Can't Take It With You and Romantic Comedy for The Burr Theatre in Vancouver. She has also appeared in numerous TV and film productions including "Mysterious Ways," "Dark Angel," "11 Cameras" and most recently in her self-produced film, "Harbour Road." As a trumpet player, Carolyne performs regularly with various jazz, funk and R&B bands in Toronto, as well as overseas in such cities as Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. Carolyne is a graduate of Concordia University's Theatre Performance and Music programs.
BЯENDAN MUЯЯAY	Daniil Kharms
Brendan appeared as Mesrin is The Sweat Company's 2005 production of The Dispute. Most recently, Brendan traveled to South Africa to act in a film about the Jonestown tragedy. He then traveled to Switzerland to visit family, ending up in the U.K. to see some plays. He has worked at theatres across the country; for example: the Citadel Theatre, the Stratford Festival, the National Arts Centre, Centaur Theatre, the Grand Theatre etc. Some favourite plays in which he has acted: Relatively Speaking, The Comedy of Errors, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Love's Labour's Lost, Blue/Orange, Two Noble Kinsmen. Upcoming: Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre by the Bay) and Lucy (CanStage).
KATHEЯINE ALISON POЯTER	Chorus
Alison has lent her performance talents to many musical and theatrical projects over the years. She has performed along side east coast singer Aselin Debison and Nashville recording star Johnny Reid, busked on street corners in New Zealand, and entertained in the Royal courts of French Fry Kings (the sometimes feuding but always loveable McCains). Recently for theatre she has played fiddle/violin and acted in the critically acclaimed Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (Lovesick Productions), Dora nominated Thy Neighbour's Wife (Unspun Theatre), Cavan Blazers (4th Line Theatre), Panties on Fire (Going Commando Productions) and Much Ado About Nothing (Resurgence Theatre).
CHЯISTOPHEЯ STANTON	Zabolotsky
This is Christopher's Sweat Company debut. He was most recently seen in the Canadian premiere of David Mamet's Romance (Pilot Group Theatre Co.) and last year's Fringe saw him playing David in the hit production of Brendan Gall's A Quiet Place (Single Threat/Cold Read Series) also directed by Geoffrey Pounsett, as well as Dusan in crowd-favourite Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (UnSpun Theatre). Other selected credits include Einstein in Picasso At The Lapin Agile (Lost & Found Theatre) and Josef in José Teodoro's The Tourist (Toronto Fringe). Chris is the co-artistic director of UnSpun Theatre, with whom he co-created and co-directed minotaur, which is also onstage at this year's Fringe. Upcoming: don't wake me (August 2006), Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump [Version 2] (November 2006).
MATT STEINBEЯG	Vvedensky
This is Matt's Sweat Company debut. Recent theatre includes a reading of Soheil Parsa's Hallaj at the Tarragon and Albee's The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? at Neptune Theatre. New York credits include The Wars directed and adapted by Dennis Garnhum, Classic Stage Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre and others. Matt was last seen at the Fringe back in 2000 with Prime Targets. Film work includes "Dirty Work" directed by Bob Saget. Matt trained at HB Studio and The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre.
EЯIC WEINTHAL	Chorus/Doktor
This is Eric's Sweat Company debut. Other theatre includes Dr. Dussel in The Diary of Anne Frank (Bathurst Street Theatre), The Actor in — and playwright for — On The Door (Brooklyn Lyceum), N.Y. roles in plays by Shakespeare, Cocteau, Jarry and Bulgakov. Film & Television: "Hollywood," "Firehouse Dog," "Citizen Duane," "Mutant X," "Brave New Girl," "Monk." Upcoming: Iago in A Taste of Shakespeare: Othello. Writer: many television shows. Guitar player and singer: many bands, solo and duo gigs over the years.

The Creative Team
GEOFFЯEY POUNSETT	Director
Geoffrey is the co-founder and artistic director of The Sweat Company. Last year, he directed and dramaturged the critically-acclaimed premiere of Brendan Gall's A Quiet Place at the Fringe Festival, and was the assistant director for Birdland's Canadian premiere production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. As an actor, he has performed on stages across Canada, appearing most recently in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Neptune), The Leisure Society (Factory), No Great Mischief (Tarragon) and in The Sweat Company's 2005 Fringe production of Marivaux's The Dispute. He was nominated for a Betty Mitchell Award for his performance as Hershel in Fire at Theatre Calgary, a role he also performed twice at the Charlottetown Festival. He is a graduate of the Stratford Festival Young Company, Queen's University and George Brown Theatre School.
JESSICA POIЯIEЯ-CHANG	Designer
This is Jessica's Sweat Company debut. She is a recent graduate of the set and costume design program at the National Theatre School of Canada. Past productions include costumes for Crime and Punishment directed by Alexandre Marine, set designs for La Voiture Américaine directed by Robert Bellefeuille, All's Well That Ends Well directed by Nick Hutchinson and costumes for The Old Maid and The Thief produced by I Musici. Upcoming productions include costumes for L'Évangile selon Salomé written and directed by Alexandre Marine and Le monde de la Lune directed by Marc Béland for L'Opéra de Montréal. Jessica is co-executive and designer-in-residence for Montreal's Darkhorse Theatre Company. She has studied fine arts in Florence, Italy and in Montreal, where she resides.
SEAN SULLIVAN	Composer
This is Sean's Sweat Company debut. He has also composed music for Taming of the Shrew (ShakespeareWorks), Skylight (Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon), The Rover (Humber College) and "The Associates" (CTV). As an actor, selected theatre credits include Baby Redboots' Revenge — a Solo Play, Performance Hell (New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Poland, Czech Republic), Red River Rebellion (VideoCabaret), It's All True (GCTC), 12 productions at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego. Selected film: "Foolproof," "Wayne's World," "Back to the Future III," "The Howling VI," "Ski Patrol," "Who's That Girl?" Selected TV: "The Associates" (series regular — Gemini nomination), "RFK" (MOW), "The Murdoch Mysteries," "The Jane Show," "Puppets Who Kill," "Doc," "Blue Murder," "The Zack Files" (recurring), "Eerie Indiana," "CSI Factor," "Caroline In The City," "Babylon 5," "Quantum Leap." Directing: "The Balcony" (Los Angeles); "What The Butler Saw" (Sanibel, Florida); "Jeeves Takes Charge" (Nevada City, California).
AMY LEVETT	Stage Management
This is Amy's Sweat Company debut, though she previously worked with director Geoffrey Pounsett on A Quiet Place (Coldread Series/Single Threat) at last year's Fringe Festival. Other recent credits include Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (Lovesick Productions), The Land of I Told You So and The Really Real Adventures of Scott Free and Will Do (Shrimp Magnet Theatre Company, Solar Stage), Chris Earle's Democrats Abroad (The Night Kitchen), Little Monsters (Chris Leavins) and Don't Get Me Started (Chicken for Supper).

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