Renée Olbert
Simone/Co-Creator
Renée Olbert was born and raised in Brampton Ontario … home of Michael Cera and Olympic gold medalist Cassie Campbell (that’s a shout out for all you hockey fans!) Growing up, Renée was convinced that she would attend law school…until she took her first drama class in high school and discovered that making people laugh is way cooler than suing them. She is a graduate of York University’s theatre program and ultimately moved to Toronto to pursue her dream.
Renée has worked as a producer, tv presenter and as an actor in tv, theatre and commercials. Recent credits include Anne and Diana were Totally Doing It, Forensic Factor, Paradise Lost and CTV’s upcoming controversial tv movie Pickton, directed by Academy Award winner Malcolm Clarke. Renée has also worked as an assistant director under Nightwood Theatre’s artistic director Kelly Thornton on their critically acclaimed production of Mathilde starring Martha Burns and Tom McCamus.
Renée can honestly say that bringing Seeking Simone to life has been one of the most fulfilling creative experiences she has had so far.
Anna Chatterton
Audrey
Anna Chatterton is a performer, playwright and librettist based in Toronto. She was recently nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Opera/Musical and was a nominee for the KM Hunter Award for Theatre twice.
Anna is director of Youth Initiatives at Nightwood Theatre and is currently writing a full-length opera, Donna (with composer James Rolfe), commissioned by the Canadian Opera Company and working on Voice-Box (with composer Juliet Palmer and urbanvessel), commissioned by Harbourfront Centre. She has performed and co-written five plays with Evalyn Parry (independentauntie.ca), most recently the triple Dora-nominated Breakfast.
Anna’s plays and operas have been performed across Canada.
Michelle Girouard
Elisa
Michelle Girouard is an actor, educator and musician. She has performed professionally throughout Central and Eastern Canada, as well as France. Michelle is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and Concordia University's Theatre Performance Program.
Michelle also teaches voice, movement and acting classes across Canada.
Liz Pounsett
Gina
Liz Pounsett is an actor, theatre-maker, teaching artist, and the artistic director of the independent theatre company, The Question Company. Liz’s theatre credits include The Question Company’s critic's pick at last year’s Fringe Festival You Mean Now?; Hamlet, Theatre WhyNot; Platinum Travel Club, Theatre Passe Muraille, as well as The Question Company’s Summerworks 2005 hit Downtown.
Liz spent two years in Paris at Ecole Jacques Lecoq, and while there shot the film Le bruit du fond. Currently, Liz is working on developing the next instalment of The Question Company’s Time Trilogy, The Future, a working title, with the generous support of Nightswimming and the OAC.
David Bronfman
Stone
David Bronfman has a degree in molecular biology, but refuses to use it properly.
He can be seen in an upcoming episode of Mayday, being crushed by a wayward 737. Previous credits include Angela’s Eyes, where he is shot twice in the chest, and ReGenesis, where he succumbs to a horrible mysterious ailment.
He has also appeared in other films, television and stage productions where he has died of heart attacks and various infections, been skewered by swords, and in other cases been brutally shot or beaten to a bloody pulp.
Had he continued his pursuits in biology, David no doubt could have contributed to saving some of his characters from their untimely ends, but is otherwise happy with the decisions he has made in life.
Kiran Friesen
Caramel Kiss
Kiran Friesen graduated theatre school to an industry where school is a
drop in the bucket. Her real education continued on set, on stage and
in workshops after she moved to Toronto.
Kiran recently bared her soul (and more) with her self-written/self-produced show, Peeler, which premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Other selected theatre credits include Desdemona in Othello, Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Gertrude in Hamlet (all with the Classical Theatre project), Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Maddy in Tony 'n Tina's Wedding. Selected film credits include Lady Godiva in Bruiser, Julie in Odyssey 5, and "perfect woman" in Love Rules, and she was the hot pizza chick in the two year running McCain's rising crust pizza ad.
Her ultimate goal is to pull a "Sling Blade" and become an instant star.
Zoie Palmer
Rebecca
Born in Wilthshire and raised in Cornwall, England, Zoie Palmer's love of acting began at an early age. Determined to follow her dream, Zoie moved to Toronto where she graduated from York University's Theatre Program.
Zoie has appeared in an array of television productions, notably starring as Ronald Reagan's daughter, Patti, in The Reagans, the critically-acclaimed MOW that was nominated for a slate of Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Palmer also appeared in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie, Out of the Ashes, starred in the pilot Devil's Perch, and, most recently, portrayed Goth musician Patsy in the series Instant Star. Palmer also starred in Snapshots for Henry, which was nominated for a Genie Award as Best Live Action Short Drama, and was honoured with the Best Actor Award at the Baja California Film Festival for her performance in Terminal Venus, a short by Alexandre Franchi.
Currently Zoie stars as Coast Guard rescue swimmer Carly Grieg in the hit Global series The Guard.
Jennifer Brown
Neil - Drummer - Beaverettes
Jen started playing drums at age 13 after a conversation where her parents asked "Are you on drugs? Why do you keep tapping on things?" After a long, long apprenticeship in her basement with Stewart Copeland of The Police (via Walkman headphones) she was ready by age 21 to start playing in bands, including The Fletcher Valve Drummers, The Other 90% of Your Brain, Jersey Skirt, In Mittens, and the current indie rock outfit Leonids - who just released a CD!
Jen lives in Toronto with her greyhound, Pixie.
Eli McIlveen
Shawna - Bass - Beaverettes
Eli sings and plays bass in Flickershow, occasionally in a dress.
He also makes odd electronic noises under the name Geometer, does the occasional bit of sound design for theatre, and is at work on a comic about musicians and mad science. He also blogs at Forgery League.
Julian Sark
Stank - Lead Guitar - Beaverettes
Julian graduated from the Theatre Studies program at York University in 1997. With upstart comedy troupe Cavalcade of Whimsy, he helped mount the hilarious fringe productions Three Zeros, and Citizen X-K12, both of which received favourable attention from the local alternative press.
Currently, Julian is the songwriting machine behind the Toronto based band Flickershow, who will be releasing their first full length effort entitled "Drawing A Blank" in September. In general, Julian divides his time between the rigorous exercise of Ultimate Frisbee, and hours upon hours of utter sloth in front of his personal computer playing video games. In his spare time, Julian stars as the Vintages Old World Category Clerk at the LCBO head office. Whoops. I mean “works as”.
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