Vox Animae 2004
Profiles for Vox Animae 2004
Joshua Browne:
Performer
Joshua is very excited to be a part of such an dynamic ensemble, and to be working with Gina again, having been under her direction in the live adaptation of her film, Commedia Fantasia, in 2005. Originally trained in classical and modern dance, Joshua’s relationship with theatre started in high school, leading him to pursue a B.F.A. in Acting at the University of Windsor. Some of his favourite roles with University Players include Hatch in The Sea with director Brian Rintoul, and Hart in Unity: 1918 with director Sonia Norris. Joshua recently completed an intensive workshop at the University of Windsor with Ellen Lauren and J. Ed Araiza of the SITI Company. After Vox Animae, Joshua plans to compose and perform new work in Grand Bend with a newly formed company of artists, The Around the Bend Players. This fall, he travels to Sokcho, S.Korea, to explore and create while teaching English to take care of a hefty student loan. Joshua would like to thank his friends and family for their continued support. Enjoy the show. .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Court:
Set Designer
David is very excited to be working with Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises again. He is honoured to be involved in this production of Vox Animae. It is an experience that has been both challenging and rewarding.
David graduated from the University of Windsor in 1996 with a B.A. Honours in Drama. Since then he has been a freelance designer and scenic artist for University Players, the Capitol Theatre, Cogeco Cable Television, The Chrysler Theatre, and the Art Gallery of Windsor. David has recently completed his M.F.A. in scenic design from Wayne State University in Michigan.
Born and raised in Windsor, David enjoys spending time with his wife Shari and their son Evan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melissa D’Agostino:
Performer
Melissa D’Agostino is a Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist and a graduate of the B.F.A. Acting Program at the University of Windsor. Past productions include: The Maddest Kind of Love (Dreamers Take Your Mark Productions), Downtown (The Question Company), Innana (Tiny Bird Theatre – formerly Donikers Daily), Mambo Italiano (Waterloo Stage Theatre), Happy (Urban Spine Theatre), and In Translation (Nightwood Theatre, Write from the Hip). She can be heard in The Novena Sisters for CBC Radio and seen in the Independent film Calogero (Mexican Monster Productions). Melissa and her co-creator, Adam Lazarus, were recently awarded a grant through The Theatre Centre to continue development for a series of live performance installations with her character Lupe Dominguez. They are also co-producing an Internet Series with Lucky Friday Productions entitled “I Love Lupe” atwww.ilovelupe.com. Melissa was the co-curator of the acclaimed Harper’s Bazaar Political Cabaret with Adam Paolozza. She spends the rest of her time teaching and coaching around the city, most notably at the Toronto Film School, Learning through the Arts (Royal Conservatory of Music), the Children’s Peace Theatre and as a former mentor for the A.M.Y. Project (Artists Mentoring Youth). Melissa is thrilled to be in this Toronto production of Vox Animae and to be working with Gina Lori Riley again! www.myspace.com\meldag
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe DeAngelis:
Sculpture Designer
Joe DeAngelis is a retired professor from the University of Windsor School of Visual Arts. He received his B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design and his M.F.A. from Syracuse University. His sculptures have been in selected exhibitions in numerous galleries across Canada and Germany; in Florence, Italy; New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and throughout Michigan. He has been commissioned for numerous public commissions including Windsor Public Library; Mackenzie Hall; Essex Civic Centre; the University of Windsor Law School; a large exterior wall relief sculpture for the Ontario Government Building in Windsor; two sculptures for the City of West Vancouver, British Columbia; and a sculpture for the Odette Sculpture Park in Windsor. His private commissions include a large wall mural for the Ciociaro Club of Windsor, an environmental outdoor sculpture for the Chelton Corporation in Old Yorktown Place, Toronto, a large sculpture for the Portofino Corporation and several sculptural/set designs for Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises. These include the set design and construction for Sleeper (1987); a 25’ x 12’ moveable sculpture set for Things That Go Bump In the Night (1986); a multi-level set installation, View From the Periphery for the Festival of Life (1992-93); and the traveling contraption for the independent film Commedia Fantasia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chelsea Ferrando:
Performer
Originally from the Greater Toronto Area, Chelsea has studied dance and performed from a young age. Fresh off the heels of the workshop for a new dance and physical theatre piece with Gina Lori Riley, this is Chelsea's first appearance with Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises. Chelsea is continuing her training and studies at the University of Windsor in the B.F.A. Acting Program. Recently she completed an intensive workshop with Ellen Lauren and J.Ed. Araiza of the New York based SITI Company in Suzuki and Viewpoints Trainings and Composition. Chelsea is very excited to be a member of the ensemble of the Toronto Production of Vox Animae.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lana Fruitman:
Stage Manager
A lifelong theatre practitioner and recent graduate from the University of Windsor, Honours B.A. Programme, Lana is thankful for the chance to be working on such a unique project. The recipient of the Alumni Drama Award, her past Stage Management credits with University Players include: As You Like It, Barefoot In The Park, The Mousetrap, The Sea, and 7 Stories. She is currently working towards Equity membership, and would like to thank all of the appropriate people who have helped her along the way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Gingerich:
Performer
David is thrilled to be back under Gina’s direction this summer, having worked with her on a staged gala adaptation of Commedia Fantasia during the summer of 2005. A recent grad of the University of Windsor’s B.F.A. Acting program, David was heavily involved in the University Players’ stage performances having recently enjoyed roles in The Sea with director Brian Rintoul and 7 Stories with director Sonia Norris. He recently completed an intensive workshop in Suzuki/Viewpoints Trainings and Composition with Ellen Lauren and J.Ed. Araiza of the SITI Company. When not playing shinny, David has performed with Theatre Cambridge; Drayton Festival; Windsor Theatre Festival; and various community theatre groups in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Following Vox Animae, David is excited to be working in Brampton again this August with director Rod Ceballos playing the two Dukes in As You Like It. Hoping you can immerse yourself in the show and thanking his friends and family for all their support, David looks forward to sharing with you his passion for the theatre.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Henry:
Performer
Jacob was born in Brockville, Ontario and began his training with the St. Lawrence Stage Company. He has appeared in West Side Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Vladeck. Jacob studied and trained at the University of Windsor in the B.F.A. Acting Program and has performed with the University Players in Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii, and The Soldiers Tale for the Windsor Symphony. Jacob was part of the 2004 cast of Vox Animae and is pleased to be returning to work with such a talented group of artists. He would like to thank Jack, Ava, Amanda, Corey and Tiffany for their love and guidance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sean Hooper:
Production Manager
Born in Montreal, and raised in Elora, Ontario, Sean is currently an undergrad at the University of Windsor in his final year of a 4-year Bachelor of Arts program. Splitting his time between Theatre and Rock n’ Roll, Sean likes to keep his fingers in many different pots, from Theatrical Lighting and Sound Design to Production Management and Technical Direction. He is pleased to have this opportunity to work with Gina Lori Riley and such an incredible creative team in order to mount this production of Vox Animae.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brent Lee:
Composer
Brent is a Canadian composer, musician, scholar, and educator. He studied at McGill University and later the University of British Columbia, where he completed his doctoral degree in 1999. His compositions range from orchestral music to electroacoustic pieces, and include jazz and incidental music. He has received awards or commissions from CAPAC, SOCAN, the Canada Council, the Alberta Heritage Fund, The Gaudeamus Foundation (The Netherlands), the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France). In addition to performances and broadcasts in many countries, several of his works have been commercially recorded. His compositions and improvisations often explore the relationship between acoustic instruments and digital sound processing; this interest has extended to his work as a performing member of a number of improvising ensembles including gems, Strictly Plutonic, Modus Vivendi, and the Electric Improv Lab. In 2002, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at the University of Windsor, and served as composer-in-residence with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2006. He has been an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre since 1991.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Lefebvre:
Performer
Mark is a Windsor based professional actor who has earned a B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Windsor. Notable stage roles include the title role in the world premiere of Brebeuf’s Ghost by Daniel David Moses, Lee in Sam Shepard’s True West, Gandalf in The Hobbit, and Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. Mark has worked extensively with choreographer Gina Lori Riley, including a major tour of Canada’s eastern arctic, and in two feature films. He also sings with jazz vocal group Spectrum, and currently teaches at St. Clair College. His clown doctor alias is Dr. Dan D. Lion with Fools for Health.
Mark’s Canada South Performing Arts has produced a new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Tooth of Crime by Sam Shepard, George F. Walker’s Zastrozzi, and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett as well as a number of edgy short works in theatre and dance. Last year he programmed entertainment during Superbowl XL, and in 2005 created two works of art for the international exhibition CarTunes on Parade.
Mark is married to the lovely and talented dancer, singer, actress Susan Doucet, and together they have created three masterpieces named Jacques, Sylvan and Cavelle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicole Maroon:
Performer
After having the privilege of seeing the 2004 production of Vox Anime, Nicole was thrilled when given the opportunity to join this powerful team of artists to remount the show. This is Nicole Maroon’s first professional performance after graduating from the University of Windsor B.F.A. Acting Program in 2007. During her studies, Nicole has appeared in the University Players’ productions Unity 1918, That Summer, and The Women. Nicole just completed an intensive Suzuki, Viewpoints Trainings and Composition Workshop with renowned theatre artists Ellen Lauren and J.Ed. Araiza of the New York based SITI Company. Nicole is very thankful and proud of her education because it has given her the chance to work with so many talented artists while living in her home town of Windsor, Ontario. Nicole has also performed for and is a member of the Windsor Feminist Theatre and strongly believes in the power of theatre for social action. She will be moving to the United States shortly after this production closes to continue her training in the University of Southern California’s M.F.A. Acting Program. Nicole would like to thank her family for their undying support; they make her acting career possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kimberly Palazzi:
Costume Designer
Relocating to Windsor Essex four years ago from Los Angeles, this is Kimberly's 4th time collaborating with Gina to design costumes. Kimberly has an Associate of Arts in Fashion Design from Bauder College in Atlanta, Georgia and has extended Fashion design training from Trade Tech in Los Angeles, California. Over the past seventeen years Kim has worked with various clothing design companies in New York, Toronto, and Hollywood focusing mainly on the music, club, fetish, and street wear. She has gained most of her knowledge designing for various companies. These include Lust in Manhattan, Just a Girl in Cocoa Beach, K Warrior in Toronto, Red Balls on Fire, Siren, and Unconscious Reality in Los Angeles. In film, her work has been seen in features such as for Showtime Dead Weekend and in Strange Days by Twentieth Century Fox. Since 1991, Kim has designed clothes, focusing mostly on the club, music, and street wear markets. She has dressed notable musicians from hip hop artist Genuine to Paula Abdul. Kim has represented her own wholesale lines in Florida and California and is currently focused on custom orders, working with leather and knits; and developing her own accessories line.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meaghen Quinn:
Performer
Raised in the town of Cobourg, Ontario, Meaghen graduated from the B.F.A. Music Theatre Program at the University of Windsor in 2001. After graduating, she spent four years living in Toronto working on a number of productions including; West Side Story and Swing!Swing!Swing! with the Ganaraska Festival Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing with the Ontario Renaissance Festival, Coriolanus with Toronto’s Hart House Theatre, Vox Animae (2004) with Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises, and The Magic School Bus at Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre. Currently she is in the process of completing her M.F.A in Acting at Pennsylvania State University. This past year she has played such roles as; Valerie in Speaking In Tongues, Viola in Twelfth Night and Kattrin in Mother Courage. Meaghen feels that Vox Animae has taught her about survival, love, unity, loss, terror, destruction, and courage. She feels that it is a piece that can reach the audience of today and hopefully promote awareness and change. She would like to thank the cast and crew for an unforgettable experience; Gina Lori Riley for her inspiration; Lionel Walsh for his guidance; her family for their love and generosity; her dearest friends for their encouragement; and God for bringing all of these beautiful people into her life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arun Srinivasan:
Lighting Designer
Arun has worked extensively in Toronto’s performing arts industry for the last 13 years in dance, theatre, music, and special events. For dance, collaborators have included Danny Grossman, Robert Desrosiers, Claudia Moore, Denise Fujiwara, Ballet Jörgen, Peter Chin, and Holly Small. Theatre credits include The New World Stage/Spark Productions, fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Co., SummerWorks, Cahoots Theatre Projects, Theatre Asylum, Shakespeare In Action, and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Arun has been an assistant to lighting designers for new galleries at The Royal Ontario Museum and was the Toronto associate lighting designer for The Lion King. Special events include The Walk of Fame Gala, The Dora Mavor Moore Awards, CTV’s Fall Launches, The David Suzuki Foundation and It’s Always Something for Gilda’s Club. Arun was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Lighting Design in 2003 for Romeo/Juliet ReMixed. Productions have taken him across North America, Ukraine, Malaysia, India, and Singapore. When not working in the dark all the time, he can be found at the park on the monkey bars with his wife and kids. Arun is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max Wedge:
Vox Animae Photographer
Max Wedge (aka Mark Palazzi) recently relocated to Essex County from Hollywood, California where he has been working in the film and music business. Max studied photography at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, and spent the next five years in Toronto working in the field. In 1994 he moved to Los Angeles to continue his photography. Max has worked as a First Assistant on large scale brochure assignments on location in Las Vegas at hotels Luxor, MGM Grand, and Circus Circus. His photography credits include work in studios such as CBS, Saban, Miauhaus, Quixote, 5th and Sunset, and Smashbox. In 2004, Max formed “Max Wedge Photography” and divides his time between the Windsor/Detroit area and Los Angeles.
Joshua Browne:
Performer
Joshua is very excited to be a part of such an dynamic ensemble, and to be working with Gina again, having been under her direction in the live adaptation of her film, Commedia Fantasia, in 2005. Originally trained in classical and modern dance, Joshua’s relationship with theatre started in high school, leading him to pursue a B.F.A. in Acting at the University of Windsor. Some of his favourite roles with University Players include Hatch in The Sea with director Brian Rintoul, and Hart in Unity: 1918 with director Sonia Norris. Joshua recently completed an intensive workshop at the University of Windsor with Ellen Lauren and J. Ed Araiza of the SITI Company. After Vox Animae, Joshua plans to compose and perform new work in Grand Bend with a newly formed company of artists, The Around the Bend Players. This fall, he travels to Sokcho, S.Korea, to explore and create while teaching English to take care of a hefty student loan. Joshua would like to thank his friends and family for their continued support. Enjoy the show. .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Court:
Set Designer
David is very excited to be working with Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises again. He is honoured to be involved in this production of Vox Animae. It is an experience that has been both challenging and rewarding.
David graduated from the University of Windsor in 1996 with a B.A. Honours in Drama. Since then he has been a freelance designer and scenic artist for University Players, the Capitol Theatre, Cogeco Cable Television, The Chrysler Theatre, and the Art Gallery of Windsor. David has recently completed his M.F.A. in scenic design from Wayne State University in Michigan.
Born and raised in Windsor, David enjoys spending time with his wife Shari and their son Evan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Melissa D’Agostino:
Performer
Melissa D’Agostino is a Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist and a graduate of the B.F.A. Acting Program at the University of Windsor. Past productions include: The Maddest Kind of Love (Dreamers Take Your Mark Productions), Downtown (The Question Company), Innana (Tiny Bird Theatre – formerly Donikers Daily), Mambo Italiano (Waterloo Stage Theatre), Happy (Urban Spine Theatre), and In Translation (Nightwood Theatre, Write from the Hip). She can be heard in The Novena Sisters for CBC Radio and seen in the Independent film Calogero (Mexican Monster Productions). Melissa and her co-creator, Adam Lazarus, were recently awarded a grant through The Theatre Centre to continue development for a series of live performance installations with her character Lupe Dominguez. They are also co-producing an Internet Series with Lucky Friday Productions entitled “I Love Lupe” atwww.ilovelupe.com. Melissa was the co-curator of the acclaimed Harper’s Bazaar Political Cabaret with Adam Paolozza. She spends the rest of her time teaching and coaching around the city, most notably at the Toronto Film School, Learning through the Arts (Royal Conservatory of Music), the Children’s Peace Theatre and as a former mentor for the A.M.Y. Project (Artists Mentoring Youth). Melissa is thrilled to be in this Toronto production of Vox Animae and to be working with Gina Lori Riley again! www.myspace.com\meldag
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe DeAngelis:
Sculpture Designer
Joe DeAngelis is a retired professor from the University of Windsor School of Visual Arts. He received his B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design and his M.F.A. from Syracuse University. His sculptures have been in selected exhibitions in numerous galleries across Canada and Germany; in Florence, Italy; New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and throughout Michigan. He has been commissioned for numerous public commissions including Windsor Public Library; Mackenzie Hall; Essex Civic Centre; the University of Windsor Law School; a large exterior wall relief sculpture for the Ontario Government Building in Windsor; two sculptures for the City of West Vancouver, British Columbia; and a sculpture for the Odette Sculpture Park in Windsor. His private commissions include a large wall mural for the Ciociaro Club of Windsor, an environmental outdoor sculpture for the Chelton Corporation in Old Yorktown Place, Toronto, a large sculpture for the Portofino Corporation and several sculptural/set designs for Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises. These include the set design and construction for Sleeper (1987); a 25’ x 12’ moveable sculpture set for Things That Go Bump In the Night (1986); a multi-level set installation, View From the Periphery for the Festival of Life (1992-93); and the traveling contraption for the independent film Commedia Fantasia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chelsea Ferrando:
Performer
Originally from the Greater Toronto Area, Chelsea has studied dance and performed from a young age. Fresh off the heels of the workshop for a new dance and physical theatre piece with Gina Lori Riley, this is Chelsea's first appearance with Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises. Chelsea is continuing her training and studies at the University of Windsor in the B.F.A. Acting Program. Recently she completed an intensive workshop with Ellen Lauren and J.Ed. Araiza of the New York based SITI Company in Suzuki and Viewpoints Trainings and Composition. Chelsea is very excited to be a member of the ensemble of the Toronto Production of Vox Animae.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lana Fruitman:
Stage Manager
A lifelong theatre practitioner and recent graduate from the University of Windsor, Honours B.A. Programme, Lana is thankful for the chance to be working on such a unique project. The recipient of the Alumni Drama Award, her past Stage Management credits with University Players include: As You Like It, Barefoot In The Park, The Mousetrap, The Sea, and 7 Stories. She is currently working towards Equity membership, and would like to thank all of the appropriate people who have helped her along the way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Gingerich:
Performer
David is thrilled to be back under Gina’s direction this summer, having worked with her on a staged gala adaptation of Commedia Fantasia during the summer of 2005. A recent grad of the University of Windsor’s B.F.A. Acting program, David was heavily involved in the University Players’ stage performances having recently enjoyed roles in The Sea with director Brian Rintoul and 7 Stories with director Sonia Norris. He recently completed an intensive workshop in Suzuki/Viewpoints Trainings and Composition with Ellen Lauren and J.Ed. Araiza of the SITI Company. When not playing shinny, David has performed with Theatre Cambridge; Drayton Festival; Windsor Theatre Festival; and various community theatre groups in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Following Vox Animae, David is excited to be working in Brampton again this August with director Rod Ceballos playing the two Dukes in As You Like It. Hoping you can immerse yourself in the show and thanking his friends and family for all their support, David looks forward to sharing with you his passion for the theatre.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Henry:
Performer
Jacob was born in Brockville, Ontario and began his training with the St. Lawrence Stage Company. He has appeared in West Side Story, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Vladeck. Jacob studied and trained at the University of Windsor in the B.F.A. Acting Program and has performed with the University Players in Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii, and The Soldiers Tale for the Windsor Symphony. Jacob was part of the 2004 cast of Vox Animae and is pleased to be returning to work with such a talented group of artists. He would like to thank Jack, Ava, Amanda, Corey and Tiffany for their love and guidance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sean Hooper:
Production Manager
Born in Montreal, and raised in Elora, Ontario, Sean is currently an undergrad at the University of Windsor in his final year of a 4-year Bachelor of Arts program. Splitting his time between Theatre and Rock n’ Roll, Sean likes to keep his fingers in many different pots, from Theatrical Lighting and Sound Design to Production Management and Technical Direction. He is pleased to have this opportunity to work with Gina Lori Riley and such an incredible creative team in order to mount this production of Vox Animae.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brent Lee:
Composer
Brent is a Canadian composer, musician, scholar, and educator. He studied at McGill University and later the University of British Columbia, where he completed his doctoral degree in 1999. His compositions range from orchestral music to electroacoustic pieces, and include jazz and incidental music. He has received awards or commissions from CAPAC, SOCAN, the Canada Council, the Alberta Heritage Fund, The Gaudeamus Foundation (The Netherlands), the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France). In addition to performances and broadcasts in many countries, several of his works have been commercially recorded. His compositions and improvisations often explore the relationship between acoustic instruments and digital sound processing; this interest has extended to his work as a performing member of a number of improvising ensembles including gems, Strictly Plutonic, Modus Vivendi, and the Electric Improv Lab. In 2002, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at the University of Windsor, and served as composer-in-residence with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2006. He has been an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre since 1991.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Lefebvre:
Performer
Mark is a Windsor based professional actor who has earned a B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Windsor. Notable stage roles include the title role in the world premiere of Brebeuf’s Ghost by Daniel David Moses, Lee in Sam Shepard’s True West, Gandalf in The Hobbit, and Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. Mark has worked extensively with choreographer Gina Lori Riley, including a major tour of Canada’s eastern arctic, and in two feature films. He also sings with jazz vocal group Spectrum, and currently teaches at St. Clair College. His clown doctor alias is Dr. Dan D. Lion with Fools for Health.
Mark’s Canada South Performing Arts has produced a new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Tooth of Crime by Sam Shepard, George F. Walker’s Zastrozzi, and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett as well as a number of edgy short works in theatre and dance. Last year he programmed entertainment during Superbowl XL, and in 2005 created two works of art for the international exhibition CarTunes on Parade.
Mark is married to the lovely and talented dancer, singer, actress Susan Doucet, and together they have created three masterpieces named Jacques, Sylvan and Cavelle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicole Maroon:
Performer
After having the privilege of seeing the 2004 production of Vox Anime, Nicole was thrilled when given the opportunity to join this powerful team of artists to remount the show. This is Nicole Maroon’s first professional performance after graduating from the University of Windsor B.F.A. Acting Program in 2007. During her studies, Nicole has appeared in the University Players’ productions Unity 1918, That Summer, and The Women. Nicole just completed an intensive Suzuki, Viewpoints Trainings and Composition Workshop with renowned theatre artists Ellen Lauren and J.Ed. Araiza of the New York based SITI Company. Nicole is very thankful and proud of her education because it has given her the chance to work with so many talented artists while living in her home town of Windsor, Ontario. Nicole has also performed for and is a member of the Windsor Feminist Theatre and strongly believes in the power of theatre for social action. She will be moving to the United States shortly after this production closes to continue her training in the University of Southern California’s M.F.A. Acting Program. Nicole would like to thank her family for their undying support; they make her acting career possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kimberly Palazzi:
Costume Designer
Relocating to Windsor Essex four years ago from Los Angeles, this is Kimberly's 4th time collaborating with Gina to design costumes. Kimberly has an Associate of Arts in Fashion Design from Bauder College in Atlanta, Georgia and has extended Fashion design training from Trade Tech in Los Angeles, California. Over the past seventeen years Kim has worked with various clothing design companies in New York, Toronto, and Hollywood focusing mainly on the music, club, fetish, and street wear. She has gained most of her knowledge designing for various companies. These include Lust in Manhattan, Just a Girl in Cocoa Beach, K Warrior in Toronto, Red Balls on Fire, Siren, and Unconscious Reality in Los Angeles. In film, her work has been seen in features such as for Showtime Dead Weekend and in Strange Days by Twentieth Century Fox. Since 1991, Kim has designed clothes, focusing mostly on the club, music, and street wear markets. She has dressed notable musicians from hip hop artist Genuine to Paula Abdul. Kim has represented her own wholesale lines in Florida and California and is currently focused on custom orders, working with leather and knits; and developing her own accessories line.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meaghen Quinn:
Performer
Raised in the town of Cobourg, Ontario, Meaghen graduated from the B.F.A. Music Theatre Program at the University of Windsor in 2001. After graduating, she spent four years living in Toronto working on a number of productions including; West Side Story and Swing!Swing!Swing! with the Ganaraska Festival Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing with the Ontario Renaissance Festival, Coriolanus with Toronto’s Hart House Theatre, Vox Animae (2004) with Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises, and The Magic School Bus at Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre. Currently she is in the process of completing her M.F.A in Acting at Pennsylvania State University. This past year she has played such roles as; Valerie in Speaking In Tongues, Viola in Twelfth Night and Kattrin in Mother Courage. Meaghen feels that Vox Animae has taught her about survival, love, unity, loss, terror, destruction, and courage. She feels that it is a piece that can reach the audience of today and hopefully promote awareness and change. She would like to thank the cast and crew for an unforgettable experience; Gina Lori Riley for her inspiration; Lionel Walsh for his guidance; her family for their love and generosity; her dearest friends for their encouragement; and God for bringing all of these beautiful people into her life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arun Srinivasan:
Lighting Designer
Arun has worked extensively in Toronto’s performing arts industry for the last 13 years in dance, theatre, music, and special events. For dance, collaborators have included Danny Grossman, Robert Desrosiers, Claudia Moore, Denise Fujiwara, Ballet Jörgen, Peter Chin, and Holly Small. Theatre credits include The New World Stage/Spark Productions, fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Co., SummerWorks, Cahoots Theatre Projects, Theatre Asylum, Shakespeare In Action, and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Arun has been an assistant to lighting designers for new galleries at The Royal Ontario Museum and was the Toronto associate lighting designer for The Lion King. Special events include The Walk of Fame Gala, The Dora Mavor Moore Awards, CTV’s Fall Launches, The David Suzuki Foundation and It’s Always Something for Gilda’s Club. Arun was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Lighting Design in 2003 for Romeo/Juliet ReMixed. Productions have taken him across North America, Ukraine, Malaysia, India, and Singapore. When not working in the dark all the time, he can be found at the park on the monkey bars with his wife and kids. Arun is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max Wedge:
Vox Animae Photographer
Max Wedge (aka Mark Palazzi) recently relocated to Essex County from Hollywood, California where he has been working in the film and music business. Max studied photography at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, and spent the next five years in Toronto working in the field. In 1994 he moved to Los Angeles to continue his photography. Max has worked as a First Assistant on large scale brochure assignments on location in Las Vegas at hotels Luxor, MGM Grand, and Circus Circus. His photography credits include work in studios such as CBS, Saban, Miauhaus, Quixote, 5th and Sunset, and Smashbox. In 2004, Max formed “Max Wedge Photography” and divides his time between the Windsor/Detroit area and Los Angeles.