The Steady State Theatre Project

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Eden Montgomery, a Toronto-based, self-loathing novelist, is being haunted.

Fantastic Extravagance, which was short-listed for the 2014 Toronto Fringe new play contest, follows the struggle of an up-and-coming author as she battles fame. Eden’s book has become a misunderstood best-seller and, while the public is marveling at her ironic genius, she is determined to take back her book.

And through it all, Eden is being haunted by her novel’s protagonist whom she killed off… …Maybe she shouldn’t have…

Steady State has been working with Lara Stokes on developing this play through its programming over the last two years, and is so excited to bring this hilarious gem to the Fringe.

Playwright: Lara Stokes
Director: Maya Rabinovitch
Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Cheyenne Scott
Set/Costume Designer: James Bolton
Sounds Designer: Michael Serres
Graphic Designer: Danny Tran
Photographer: Scott Murdoch
Cast: Jon Blair, Lindsey Clark, Simon Esler, Janelle Hanna, Jen Pogue Alison Smiley, Clyde Whitham

COMPANY BIOS

Cast:

Jon Blair

Jon’s most recent work has been with CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes, where he has worked as a staff writer and occasional performer, as well as a frequent guest performer in the show’s online content. In recent years Jon has worked primarily in Toronto’s sketch comedy community, most notably over his 5 years as a member of The Sketchersons and former head writer of their weekly revue Sunday Night Live. Other recent stage credits include various roles in The Hungry Hungry Games (Mills Productions), which he also co-wrote, and hosting the PB&J Sketchprov Show at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

Lindsey Clark

Lindsey most recently appeared at the Next Stage Festival in Scheherazade for Nobody’s Business Theatre. Favourite recent performance credits include: Family Story (Birdtown Swanville), The Charge of the Expormidable Moose (One Little Goat), Lear (Harbourfront World Stage Festival), Post Eden (Suburban Beast/Next Stage Festival); Antigone Dead People (Small Wooden Shoe); Vacant (Triangle Pi Productions); A Thousand Words (UnSpun Theatre); And so, the animal looked back (Alex Wolfson); Gilgamesh (Groundwater Productions); and Dog Sees God (Six Degrees). Lindsey is a graduate of the University College Drama Program, as well as the National Theatre School of Canada.

Simon Esler

Simon has been performing on stage throughout Toronto for over seven years, exploring and developing characters throughout this city’s flourishing indie theatre scene. Recent stage credits include I Will Not Hatch! (Steady State Theatre), Suddenly, Last Summer (Red Light District) and over 15 different characters with Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre. He is pleased to be working with Steady State again and excited to be a part of the Fringe Festival magic!

Janelle Hanna

Janelle is a Toronto-based actor, educator and short sassy woman and is thrilled to be joining the cast of Fantastic Extravagance. No stranger to the Toronto Fringe, this will be Janelle’s 4th time performing in the festival. Previous credits include: Swell Broad (LabCab Festival/Peanut Butter Prod.), Carly in Out With Dad (www.outwithdad.com), Virginia Aldridge, BSc (Toronto Fringe), Eternal Friendship with a Spotless Smile (Toronto Fringe, Patron’s Pick), Emily in Clutch (www.clutchtheseries.com, Indie Soaps Actress of the Week). Janelle is a graduate of the MFA Acting program at York University where she played such roles as Cordelia/Foole in King Lear, the Knight in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Volumnia in Coriolanus, and Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is also a graduate of the joint acting program at Sheridan College and the University of Toronto Mississauga (Theatre Erindale). Upcoming you can see Janelle in a show or on a screen, and as soon as she knows which show or screen that is, she’ll tell you. @janellemhanna

Jennifer Pogue

Jennifer Pogue grew up in Stouffville, Ontario where she began acting and singing in every church and community production that would let her. She continued her training at Humber College’s Acting Program, and has since been working steadily in various film, television, theatre, voice over, and web series worlds. She’s delighted to join the fabulous team of Fantastic Extravagance and to be back at the Toronto Fringe Festival having preformed the title roles in Poor Little Rich Girl in 2005, and A Tranny Tale in 2009. Upcoming, she recently completed principle photography for her role on the feature film The Masked Saint starring Diahann Carroll and Roddy Piper, set for theatrical release this fall. Jen also holds a B.A from York University and recently completed a post-grad degree in Children’s Media from Centennial College. Check out more at http://www.jenpogue.com

Alison Smiley

Stage credits include: The Vagina Monologues (V-Day Toronto); Fallen Angels, Having Hope at Home (Red Barn Theatre); Gathered in the Light: Canadian Stories on Stage (GITL Co-op); Elevator (Toronto & Edmonton Fringe Festivals); ‘Night, Mother, Female Transport, My Mother Said I Never Should, Reckless (Eclectic Theatre); A Map of the World (Canadian Stage); A Moon for the Misbegotten (Theatre Newfoundland & Labrador); and Mary Barnes (Eclectic Theatre/Equity Showcase).
Film & TV credits include: The Firm; Warehouse 13; The Path to 9/11; The Altar Boy Gang.
Training: York University; Classical Theatre Lab; Kate Ashby Academy; Pirate Voice

Clyde Whitham

Clyde recently appeared in Scheherazade for Nobody’s Business at the Next Stage Festival. Other credits include Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in Action), George in Muhammed of Yorkville (Nobody’s Business), Clayton Fry in Opening Night (Theatre Aquarius), Marcus in The Shop on Main St. (Te-Amim Music Theatre), Alfred in Generations (Theatre North-West), Victor in When the Reaper Calls (Showboat Festival), Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (Red Barn Theatre), Leontes in The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare in the Rough) and Gandalf in The Hobbit (Playbill Theatre). This August he’ll be playing Inspector Hubbard in Dial M For Murder at the Classic Theatre Festival in Perth.

Production Team:

Lara Stokes – Playwright

Lara is thrilled to have her twisted brainchild produced after much development through The Steady State’s Playwright’s Unit. Various incarnations of Fantastic Extravagance have appeared in The Steady State’s Script Scrap festival, as well as Theatre Passe Muraille’s Crapshoot Series. Lara’s upcoming play, She Is All There is in development with the Paprika Festival’s Artist’s Lab, and will appear in the 2014 Paprika Festival. Lara is a graduate of York University’s Theatre and Creative Writing program where she was a recipient of the b.p nichol award in Creative Writing. This is Lara’s first Fringe production and she is very excited to be working with such a talented and generous team!

Maya Rabinovitch – Director

Maya is a Toronto-based director, dramaturg, educator and producer. Since her time at York University studying dramaturgy and collective creation, she has focused on developing and directing new plays. Recent writer/director credits include 18 Twitching Cheerleaders (Edmonton Fringe), I Will Not Hatch! (Steady State Theatre Project/Edmonton Fringe/Toronto Fringe/Hank Marvin Theatre Company), Double Double (Toronto Fringe) and collaborator/co-director for The Green Show (Mixed Company). Recent directing credits include UnIntentionally Depressing Children’s Tales (Videofag), Zero Visibility (SummerWorks/AMY Project), Don’t Look (Next Stage Theatre Festival), How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Abortion (Toronto Fringe) and A World of Bananas (Hysteria Festival). Maya has collaborated on a number of projects including The Famous Remains of Piggy Palace (18 Hands Theatre Collective) and Rule of Thumb (Toronto Fringe). Maya is the Artistic Producer of the Steady State Theatre Project, and is Co-Session Director for the AMY Project (Artists Mentoring Youth) for 2014. Maya spent four years as Youth Representative on Factory Theatre’s Board of Directors until 2011.

Cheyenne Scott – Assistant Director/Stage Manager

Cheyenne is an emerging artist based in Toronto. She is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts where she studied acting, singing, and dancing. Recent theatre credits include: Passion Play (Convergence, Outside the March, Sheep No Wool), Co-Writer/Mazie of Zero Visibility (AMY Project, SummerWorks), Script Scrap (Steady State Theatre), Assistant Director of the AMY Project 2014, and currently a participant of the young writers program Animikiig with Native Earth Performing Arts.