The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Cast & crew

Farren timoteo

Artistic Director/Playwright/Director

Farren is an actor, writer and director. He became the Artistic Director of Alberta Opera in 2006, and has since co-written and directed a number of productions for the company, including Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, and Rumpelstiltskin.Other directing credits include Songs for a New World at the 2005 Edmonton Fringe Festival; Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for the Mayfield Theatre; Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s and The Infinite Shiver for Teatro La Quindicina (both of which he also wrote the lyrics for);Pippin for the Young Companies at the Citadel Theatre; and The Light in the Piazza for Grant MacEwan University. Acting credits include As You Like It and Coriolanus for Freewill Shakespeare Festival; Make Mine Love, and Monty Python’s Spamalot for the Citadel Theatre;Marvelous Pilgrims, The Scent of Compulsion and A Rocky Night for His Nibs For Teatro La Quindicina;Waiting for Godot for Wishbone Theatre; Early Bloomer for Concrete Theatre and Little Shop of Horrors for the Mayfield Theatre. Farren has been honored by the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes on a number of occasions, most recently for his performance in Monty Python’s Spamalot and for his direction of Pinocchio. This season, in addition to his work at Alberta Opera, Farren can be seen performing in the Citadel Theatre’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. Farren resides in Edmonton with his wife, celebrated performer Patricia Zentilli, and their incredible four year-old son, Leonardo.

steven greenfield

Composer

Born and raised in Calgary, Steven has been based out of Vancouver since 2006. A member of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association, he has been seen with Alberta Opera in The Frog Prince and Puss in Boots. Other credits include The Pirates of Penzance and Closer Than Ever for 1000 Islands Playhouse; Gunmetal Blues for Globe Theatre; The Secret Garden for Capilano University; James and the Giant Peach, Busytown, The Wizard of Oz and Seussical for Carousel Theatre; Darling for Springboard Theatre Productions; Red Rock Diner for Arts Club; The Spitfire Grill for Midnight Theatre Collective; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for Western Canada Theatre; Edges for Streamlight Productions; Songs for a New World for Take Me Back to Manhattan; Winter's Tale: The Musical for Grant MacEwan College. Steven is the receipient of a Jessie Award (seven nominations) and an OVATION! Award (three nominations) for outstanding music direction. He is a graduate of the Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan College. Steven is a member of the Theatre faculty at Capilano University.

arielle ballance

Musical Director

Arielle is thrilled, thankful, and honoured to join the incredible team of The Steadfast Tin Soldier as musical director. This marks Arielle’s second Alberta Opera production - the first being Sleeping Beauty in 2012-2013, in which she played Princess Violette. Since then, Arielle has been involved in the accompaniment of a number of shows, including The Nutcracker Unhinged for Teatro la Quindicina; Big Fish, Catch Me If You Can, Young Frankenstein for Grant MacEwan University; and I Love You Because, Ordinary Days, Zanna, Don’t! for Three Form Theatre. She has musical directed James and the Giant Peach for St. Albert Children’s Theatre, and will be doing more musical direction at Grant MacEwan this year for their winter production, Curtains.

melissa cunningham

Melissa is an actress from Edmonton, Alberta. She is a recent graduate from MacEwan University's Theatre Arts Program this Spring, and she is very excited to be working with Alberta Opera on their next project, The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Melissa's theatre credits include: Catch Me If You Can, Big Fish and Sondheim on Sondheim for MacEwan's 2014/2015 season; and A Man of No Importance for the Walterdale.

jaclyn keppler

Jaclyn is thrilled to be working with Alberta Opera in The Steadfast Tin Soldier! After spending the last two yaers moving around to small towns pursuing her husband's career, Jaclyn is ready to hit the stage again! Jaclyn studied Musical Theatre at MacEwan University, with continuing studies at Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC. Favourite credits include; Ado Annie in Oklahoma for RCMT; Riley McBride in Role Call(BC Tour) for Green Thumb Theatre; Sissy Cornwall in A Cottage Community Christmas for TheatreK; Ensemble in All Shook Up for Chemainus THeatre Festival and Gateway Theatre; Sharpay in High School Musical for Viva Musica; and most recently, Heather in American Idiot for SAT Co at the Edmonton Fringe. Jaclyn would like to thank her husband, family and friends for all their love and support!

damon pitcher

Damon is a recent graduate from MacEwan’s Theatre Arts program and couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Alberta Opera’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier. He is born and raised in Edmonton and developed a love for musical theatre through his high school’s theatrical productions. Damon’s favourite performance credits include: Nine, Catch Me If You Can, Big Fish, and Sondheim on Sondheim (MacEwan productions) as well as The Book of Ashes (Theatre Of The New Heart Society) and this year’s Sprouts Festival with Concrete Theatre. In addition to his love of theatre, Damon also has a passion for music and plays a total of nine instruments. Some of his favourite band performances include: Winds at the Winspear, the Heritage music festivals in Los Angeles and Seattle, and his performances at the NAIT convocation. Damon is so excited to be a part of such a talented and amazing team!

Stephanie urquhart

Stephanie Urquhart is a pianist based in Edmonton, Alberta. She grew up in Calgary and moved to Edmonton to study piano at MacEwan University where she just completed her Bachelor of Music in Composition. During her time there, she was the pianist in the school's top Big Band for four years while simultaneously performing in the Jazz Combo and Percussion Ensemble. She also began playing regularly around town in a wide variety of ensembles performing as a frontman, sideman, and accompanist. Stephanie continues to be an active performer, composer, and frequent collaborator in the Edmonton music community.

tiana tolley

Technical Director

Tiana is a graduate of Grant MacEwan University’s Theatre Production program, Tiana has spent the past decade in the Edmonton Theatre scene. Her credits include serving as the Resident Technician and Carpenter for Theatre Network since 2006, the past 9 summers with the Freewill Shakespeare Festival and the last 2 seasons as Technical Director for Alberta Opera’s Touring Association. Well-known for her scenic carpentry skills and love of hotdogs, Tiana is also known throughout the community for her organizational abilities and her rather unique sense of humour.  She was nominated in 2013 for an Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for “Excellence in Production” for her work as a Technical Director/ Production Manager. Tiana hearts Dr. Pepper, Sexy Joe and making faces with her hilarious 3-year-old!

megan koshka

Set/Costume Designer

Megan Koshka is a freelance Canadian theatre designer, based in Edmonton Alberta. She is a graduate from the University of Alberta with a degree in set, costume and lighting design (BFA). Upcoming projects include set and costume design for three of the 6 shows chosen for the Citadel Theatre-Robbins Academy's 50th Anniversary 2016 Made in Edmonton Cabaret Series.Select credits include assistant costume design for Oh Canada What a Feeling (Annerin Productions) which will be going on a national tour in October 2015, set design for Freewill Shakespeare Festival (Free Will Player's Theatre Guild), and associate costume design for Vigilante (Catalyst Theatre, 2015 Sterling Award Best Costume Design). 

stephanie bahniuk

Lighting Designer

Stephanie Bahniuk is a freelance set, costume and lighting designer based in Edmonton. She recently graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design. This past summer Stephanie worked as an Assistant Costume Designer for Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. During her time with Williamstown she had the opportunity to assist Jane Greenwood on a production of A Moon for the Misbegotten. Stephanie also designed the costumes for a new musical adaptation of Lorca's Once Five Years Pass (directed by Dustin Wills). Other recent credits include costume design for Adult Entertainment and The End of Civilization (Punctuate! Theatre's Suburban Motel Series), lighting and set design for Miss Julie (Bleviss Laboratory Theatre) and Assistant Costume Designer for A Dream Play (Studio Theatre). Stephanie exhibited work at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space. This is her first time working with Alberta Opera.