Little Shop of Horrors

CAST (in alphabetical order)

JOEL CUMBER- ENSEMBLE/PUPPETEER

For the Capitol:  The Little Mermaid, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Billboard 1994

Selected credits: Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods (YES Theatre-STC); Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (Talk is Free Theatre); Noel in Ride the Cyclone (Tweed & Company); The Fox in The Adventures of Pinocchio (YPT - Dora Nomination 2020); Ensemble in Freaky Friday (Theatre Aquarius).

Other: Joel is an actor-singer based in Toronto, Ontario with an affinity for pop culture and reality television. He is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program, Class of 2017, and has spent the last 5 years performing on stages around Ontario, with a specific interest in new Canadian musicals. He was named one of the 2019 Fringe Festival’s 10 Artists to watch in 2019, and is currently the host of The Winning Reality Podcast with colleague Georgia Bennett, where he  interviewed contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Painted with Raven, and Netflix’s The Mole. 

MICHAEL DE ROSE- ORIN (THE DENTIST)

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: Blackout (Canadian Stage/The Musical Theatre Co.); Reprint (The Musical Stage Co., DORA Nomination- Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role); Ross Petty's Lil Red Robin Hood and The Wizard of Oz (Elgin/Winter Garden); Grease (Elgin/Winter Garden); Return to Grace (Niagara Fallsview); Rock of Ages (Stage West Calgary- Betty Nomination Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role); Jukebox Hero (Annerin Productions); Legends of Rock n’ Roll (Drayton Entertainment); Freaky Friday (Theatre Aquarius); My Dinner with Casey Donovan (Theatre Passe Muraille); Blood Ties (Edinburgh Fringe); Avenue Q (STC); Merrily We Roll Along, Parade (Toronto Musical Concerts); and US National tours of Godspell and Saturday Night Fever (Mirvish). Michael was recently named among NOW Magazine's Top 10 Toronto Breakthrough Stage Artists. 

Other: Thank you to Rob, Jeff, the Capitol Theatre team, my family, Clayton, and YOU for supporting live theatre!

AMIR HAIDAR- SEYMOUR

For the Capitol: Stag and Doe 

Selected credits:  Come From Away (Broadway National Tour and Mirvish); James and the Giant Peach (YPT); The Music Man, Darling of the Day, The Prince of Homburg (Talk is Free Theatre); Treasure Island, Rapunzel (Stirling Festival Theatre); Bloodless (Theatre 20); Sweeney Todd, Oklahoma!, Love's Labour's Lost (Theatre Sheridan).

Other: Amir is delighted to be back at Capitol Theatre. Hailing from Lebanon, Amir has loved performing since his inception and could be seen in his early days performing at the local swimming pool, which naturally led him to obtaining a BA in mathematics from the American University of Beirut. He has since immigrated to Canada, graduated from the Music Theatre Program at Sheridan College, and has a Master’s Degree in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Toronto.Love always to Jonathan, Mom, Haitham (ommak), Randa, and Yasmina. Amir dedicates this show to Artie.

SIERRA HOLDER- RONNETTE

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: Peter’s Final Flight, The Wizard of Oz (Ross Petty Productions); The Adventures of Pinocchio (Young People’s Theatre); A Belly Full, Freaky Friday (Theatre Aquarius); Pal Joey (Talk is Free). Film & TV: Accused; Bring It On: Cheer or Die (Jackie); Locke & Key; The J Team; Y: The Last Man.

Other: Sierra is her biggest, brightest self when she is performing or with loved ones. She is passionate about telling stories that are truthful, human, challenging, and joyous. Community is everything.

TAYLOR LOVELACE- CHIFFON

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: Singer/performer for: CODE Conference; Outside the March/Musical Stage Company and Studio; Gathering in Memory of Dr. Gordon P Silver; Be Kind Rewind  (Edge of the Sky Production /Toronto Fringe Festival); True North Mixtape (Edge of the Sky/Toronto Fringe Festival); Flight Singers Inaugural Concert; Rhythm and Soul Ensemble  (Album Recording, Dunk Tank) by Jeffery Newberry).

Other: Follow my socials at  @taylorlovelace_

TYLER MURREE - MR. MUSHNIK

For the Capitol:  A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline 

Selected credits: Les Misérables (Broadway and Mirvish Productions); The Lord of the Rings: The Musical and Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage (Mirvish Productions); Disney’s The Lion King (North American Tour); The Canadian and A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline (Thousand Islands Playhouse); A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Stage West Calgary); A Christmas Carol (Upper Canada Playhouse). Film/TV: Kim’s Convenience, Frankie Drake Mysteries (CBC), Shelved (CTV); Titans (HBO Max); The Hardy Boys, and Popularity Papers (YTV); The Love Club: Nicole’s Story (W); Blue’s Clues & You (PBS).

Other: Tyler lives in Toronto with his wife, son and two cats. He might look familiar from TV commercials, and he may sound familiar as the voice of the “Eggs for dinner aren’t weird” campaign. He’s a voice actor, an acting coach, a pizza lover (shout out to Jim’s Pizza in Port Hope) and video game amateur. Thanks to Rob Kempson for inviting me back to beautiful Port Hope.

CHRIS TSUJIUCHI - AUDREY II, KEYBOARDS

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: As a performer - Ride the Cyclone (Tweed & Co;, Rocky Horror (Hart House Theatre;

Box 4901 (SummerWorks Festival); Recurring John (SummerWorks Festival); As Music Director: Alice in Wonderland (Bad Hats); Into the Woods (Talk is Free); Onegin (Musical Stage Co., National Arts Centre, Western Canada Tour).

Other: Cabaret performer, Asian Riffing Trio, teacher, accompanist, and AD of the SING! Toronto Vocal Arts Festival.

TAHIRIH VEJDANI - AUDREY

For the Capitol:  Aurora/Junior in Sleeping Beauty: A Panto Awakening

Selected credits: HMS Pinafore, Treasure Island, The Pirates of Penzance, Elektra (Stratford Shakespeare Festival); Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Talk Is Free Theatre/Timbre 4); Grand Ghosts (Grand Theatre); The Invisible – Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare (The Cultch/Catalyst Theatre); Portia’s Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in the Ruff); The Men in White (Factory Theatre); Taming of the Shrew (Driftwood Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Tarragon Theatre); The Jungle Book (Young People's Theatre/Cleveland Playhouse Square); The Hobbit, Shrek The Musical, Honk! The Musical Tale of the Ugly Duckling (Globe Theatre).

Other: Tahirih Vejdani (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist of Iranian and South Indian heritage. She has acted in several TV shows and movies, including CBS’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, CBC’s Kim’s Convenience and InSecurity, Netfllix’s Let it Snow, and stars in the short film Receiver on CBCGem. Tahirih is also a vocal instructor at Sheridan’s Bachelor of Musical Theatre program and is a co-founder of ARCS and the Two-Way Mentorship program. In January 2024, Tahirih will return to play the lead role of Anna Sidiqui in Catalyst Theatre's production of The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare at The Grand Theatre. More info at @tahirihvejdani or www.tahirihvejdani.ca

MICHELLE YU - CRYSTAL

For the Capitol:  Debut.

Selected credits: An Incomplete List… (Toronto Fringe); One Hit Wonders (Stage West Calgary); MEAT (Musical Stage Co.); Divine Interventions (Corpus Dance Project); Head Over Heels (Theatre Sheridan); Working Title (Theatre Sheridan); Destination Wedding (Musical Stage Co.) Upcoming: Cinderella in Cinderella (Neptune Theatre)

Other: Training: Honours BFA Music Theatre Performance - Sheridan College.Online: @michyuu. To Mama, Baba, Andy, my wonderful agent Shari, and lovely Adrian xoxo. 

CREATIVE

ROB KEMPSON - DIRECTOR

For the Capitol: Artistic Director; Director - A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, 9 to 5: The Musical, Sleeping Beauty: A Panto Awakening, Billboard in Concert: 1994, The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom.

Selected Credits: Director for Martyr (ARC); Box 4901 (timeshare/Buddies); Electric Messiah (Soundstreams); The Places We Are (Theatre Erindale); The Snow Queen (Canadian Children’s Opera Company); The Little Mermaid (St. Lawrence College); 9 to 5: The Musical (Randolph College); The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom (Sudbury Theatre Centre); The Canadian, Maggie and Pierre, Million Dollar Quartet, Daisy Amazed Me, Violet’s the Pilot, Rose’s Clothes (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Writer/Director for Trigonometry (timeshare/Factory); Mockingbird (Next Stage Theatre Festival); SHANNON 10:40 (timeshare/Videofag); explicit (Rhubarb Festival); #legacy (Harbourfront Centre); The HV Project (Community).  

Other: Rob is also the Co-Artistic Producer of ARC, a Toronto-based ensemble company. More info at robkempson.com or on twitter at @rob_kempson.

JEFF NEWBERRY- MUSIC DIRECTOR & PIANO

For the Capitol: 2023 Resident Music Director; A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline (Music Director); Billboard in Concert (Arranger/Music Director); Prairie Nurse (Sound Designer and Composer).

Selected credits:  Music Director - Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (Stratford Festival); Summerland (Toronto Fringe Festival); Blood Ties (Next Stage Theatre Festival; Edinburgh Fringe Festival).

Other: Outside of theatre, Jeff’s choral music is performed by a growing number of choirs across North America. More at jeffreynewberry.com and on Instagram @jeffnewberrymusic. Thanks to Kavone and Hanuel for their work on “Team Music!"

GENNY SERMONIA: CHOREOGRAPHER

For the Capitol: Snow White: The Panto

Selected Credits: Choreography/Movement Direction - Gypsy (Shaw Festival); Grand Ghosts (The Grand Theatre); Take the Moment (Musical Stage Co.); Follies: In Concert (Royal Conservatory of Music); Little Women and Once On This Island (Stage Door Academy); The Barbecue King (Theatre Sheridan, Toronto Fringe Festival, Globus Theatre). Appeared in Mary Poppins (Broadway, National Tour) and in productions at the Stratford Festival, Ross Petty Productions, Globe Theatre, Drayton Entertainment, Grand Theatre, Vancouver Opera, Neptune Theatre, Stage West, Charlottetown Festival, and Disney Cruise Lines.

Film/Television/Digital:  Just short of Reality, Monster, Blue’s Clues & You!, Take Note, Odd Squad, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Warehouse 13, Beauty and The Beast, Hellcats, Hotel Noir, Really Me, and Mirror Mirror; Commercials: Tostitios, Questrade, Best Buy Canada, and McDonald’s. 

Other: Genny trained with Music Theatre Performance at Sheridan College, Performing Dance Arts, and Canadian Dance Company.

SARAH MILLER - STAGE MANAGER

For the Capitol: A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline

Selected credits:Send You This Cadmium Red (Art of Time); Fall On Your Knees(Canadian Stage/Grand/N.A.C/Neptune/Vita Brevis Arts); MixTape (Crow’s/Grand); Bang Bang, The Crackwalker(Factory); The Runner(Human Cargo/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Monday Nights(Luminato/Theatre Centre); Of Mice and Morro & Jasp (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child(Mirvish); Lil’ Red Robin Hood (Ross Petty Productions); Innocence Lost, Of Human Bondage, Spoon River, A Christmas Carol, Hosanna, The Heidi Chronicles, Angels in America (Soulpepper Theatre); Orestes, Yaga (Tarragon); The De Chardin Project(Theatre Passe Muraille); Freedom Singer (Project Humanity).

HANNAH MACMILLAN- ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

For the Capitol:  Assistant Stage Manager - 9-5: The Musical

Selected credits: Book Assistant Stage Manager – A Wrinkle In Time (Stratford Festival); Assistant Stage Manager – Martyr (ARC); Stage Manager – New World (George Brown Theatre School); Stage Manager – Storybook Search Workshop (Bad Hats Theatre); Stage Manager – The Antipodes (Coal Mine Theatre); Apprentice Stage Manager – Gloria (ARC); Apprentice Stage Manager – Lady Sunrise (Factory Theatre); Production Stage Manager – Matilda (Mainstage Theatre Company); Apprentice Stage Manager – Reprint (Musical Stage Company); Apprentice Stage Manager – The Wolves (Howland Company/Crows Theatre); Apprentice Stage Manager – The Philosophers Wife (Paradigm Productions); Stage Manager – Dry Land (Cue 6); Stage Manager- PunkRock (Howland Company); Assistant Stage Manager - A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare in the Ruff).

Other: Hannah (she/her) is a stage manager for musicals, dance and theatre. In her spare time she loves board games, ultimate frisbee and eating great food!

ARIELLE VOGHT- ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

For the Capitol:  Head of Wardrobe- Sleeping Beauty: A Panto Awakening; Assistant Stage Manager  - Shirley Valentine; Head of Wardrobe - The Ballad of Stompin' Tom; Assistant Stage Manager - Prairie Nurse. 

Selected credits: Assistant Stage Manager - I Forgive You (Artistic Fraud/National Arts Center); Jersey Boys (Thousand Island Playhouse); Music Man (Thousand Island Playhouse); The Sting (Lawyer plays, Great Canadian Theatre Company); Persistent Stain (Ottawa Undercurrents Festival); Heartlines (GCTC/Calalou); Blissful State of Surrender (GCTC/Tactics). Assistant Artistic Director - playGround festival (Theater@York).

Other: Arielle Voght is a young emerging theatre artist working in Ontario. She graduated from York University's Theatre Production and Design Program with a focus on Stage Management and costuming.

TAIJA SHONÉE CHUNG - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: Assistant Director for Martyr (Director - Rob Kempson), Chorus, The First Stone (Director - Yvette Nolan), Brigid in The Humans (Director - Christopher Stanton).

Other: Taija is an emerging playwright and actor based in Toronto where she enjoys singing loudly in her apartment.

HANEUL YI - ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR

For the Capitol: The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom

Selected Theatre Credits: Spring Awakening (Sheridan College), Aqsarniit (Charlottetown Young Company).

Other: Haneul (he/him) is a Korean Canadian multi-instrumentalist, actor-musician, & music director. He is a graduate of the Bachelor of Musical Theatre Performance program at Sheridan College and the recipient of the 2021 Jon Kaplan Award. He is delighted to be rejoining the Capitol as a member of the Creative Team.

DEANNA H. CHOI- SOUND DESIGNER

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: A Wrinkle in Time (Stratford Festival); Beautiful: The Carole King Story (Arts Club); The Darkest Dark (Young People’s Theatre); Cockroach (Tarragon); Bad Parent (Soulpepper/VACT/PTE);

Things I Know To Be True (Company Theatre/Mirvish); The Music Man (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Deanna has worked with theatre companies in nearly every Canadian province, having designed sound systems and created original scores for over 80 stage productions. Her duo cabaret show Love you Wrong Time premiered in April 2023.

Other: Deanna (she/her) is chuffed to be working on this production after listening to the original Broadway cast recording on infinite repeat in Grade 11. www.splitbrainsound.com.

BRANDON KLEIMAN - SET DESIGNER

For the Capitol:  9 to 5: The Musical; The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom

Selected credits: Brandon is a set and costume designer based in Toronto with work appearing on stages across Canada. This summer you can catch his set designs for Rent (Stratford Festival) and The Sound of Music (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Some other recent favourites include: Mamma Mia (Drayton Entertainment); Boy Falls From the Sky (Mirvish Productions); and Blackout (Musical Stage Co. and Canadian Stage Company). 

Other: Brandon is a multiple Dora Award nominee and two time winner. He recently won a Merritt Award for his work bringing Viola Desmond to life in the world premier at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. For more information and to see his portfolio please visit www.brandonkleimandesign.com

JOSHUA QUINLAN- COSTUME DESIGNER 

For the Capitol:  Sleeping Beauty: A Panto Awakening 

Selected credits: Casey and Diana, Every Little Nookie (Stratford Festival); Uncle Vanya (Crow’s); Yerma (Coal Mine Theatre); The Sound of Music, The Music Man (TIP); My Hero, Giving Up the Ghost, Book Club, The Drawer Boy (PSFT); All My Pretty Chickens, The Last Five Years (Langham Directors’ Workshop); 

An Enemy of the People, Don Giovanni, Stupid F*cking Bird, Spring Awakening (OSU); Beauty and the Beast, Love and Information (UWindsor).

Other: MFA Theatre – Design, The Ohio State University; BA Honours Drama, University of Windsor; Off the Wall Theatre Production Arts Program. Awards: 2021 Siminovitch Protegé Designer, 2019 Tom Patterson Award, 2017 Ian and Molly Lindsay Design Fellow, and Pauline McGibbon Award Nominee. More Info at joshuaquinlan.com.

MICHELLE RAMSAY - LIGHTING DESIGNER

For the Capitol:  9 to 5: The Musical

Selected credits: Women of the Fur Trade (Stratford Festival); Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (ArtsClub); Prison Dancer (Citadel Theatre); Redbone Coonhound (Tarragon Theatre and Imago Theatre); Martyr (ARC); The First Stone (New Harlem); The Waltz, among men (Factory Theatre); The Doctors Dilemma (Shaw Festival); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatre Rusticle).

Other: She has received eight Dora Awards, a SATAward, the 2008 Pauline McGibbon Award, and was a finalist for the 2021 Siminovitch Prize. She is on the Board of the Associated Designers of Canada. 

ZA HUGHES- APPRENTICE LIGHTING DESIGNER 

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: Lighting Designer - Cabaret (St. Lawrence College); Peter and the Starcatcher (StoryBook Theatre;, between root and bloom (ZESTcreative); How to Tame a Dog/The Intention of Teeth (Intrepid Theatre YOUSHOW); Antigones: A Movement Exploration (Phoenix Theatre MFA Proforma);

 A Scandal for All Seasons (Theatre by the Bay). Assistant Lighting Designer - Jacob Marley’s A Christmas Carol (Magnus Theatre); Martyr (ARC).

ANTHONY ALLAN- ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER 

For the Capitol:  Debut

Selected credits: Technical Director - MASHUP pon di road (Why Not); Technical Director - Middletown (NTS); Sound Designer - Metamorphoses (NTS); Technical Director - Lay Hold to the Softest Throat (FTA); Lighting Designer - New Words Festival (NTS); Production Manager: Maybe Not Tomorrow (NTS).

Other: Anthony is a recent graduate from the National Theatre School of Canada’s Production Design and Technical Arts program. He is beyond excited to make his debut at the Capitol with some beautifully creative collaborators.