Education Team

Meet our team of experienced Artist Educators, all of whom are working theatre professionals who have a passion for teaching and connecting with young people!

I have witnessed some of my students’ bravest work as a direct result of the collaborations with Studio 180 Artist Educators.

Robert Hamilton, Drama Teacher, Jean Augustine Secondary School, Peel

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Yolanda Bonnell

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Ramona Gilmour-Darling

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Jessica Greenberg

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Jenna Harris

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Andrew Johnson

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Heather Johnson

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Ryan Kelly

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Mark McGrinder

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Jeff Miller

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Rachel Mutombo

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Ngabo Nabea

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Marissa Orjalo

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Kimwun Perehinec

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Marcel Stewart

Yolanda Bonnell

Yolanda Bonnell (she/they) is a Bi/Queer 2 Spirit Anishinaabe-Ojibwe, South Asian mixed storyteller and multidisciplinary creator/educator. Originally from Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Superior Robinson Treaty territory), their arts practice is now based in Tkarón:to. They are the Co-artistic leader of manidoons collective, that they run with Michif (Métis) artist, Cole Alvis. In February 2020, Yolanda’s four-time Dora nominated solo show bug was remounted at Theatre Passe Muraille while the published book was shortlisted for a Governor General Literary Award. Yolanda was the Indigenous artist recipient of the Jayu Arts for Human Rights Award for her work and won the PGC Tom Hendry Drama Award for their play, My Sister’s Rage. Yolanda has taught at schools like York University and Sheridan College and proudly bases her practice in land-based creation, drawing on energy and inspiration from the earth and her ancestors.

Drama-based education provides an outlet and encouragement to use their voices, have an opinion and say something about the world as well as tell their own stories.

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Ramona Gilmour-Darling

Ramona (she/her) is an actor, singer, director, choreographer and teacher based in Toronto. A music education graduate from McGill University in voice (Honours in Music for Children, and Choral Music), she spent ten seasons at the Thousand Islands Playhouse, and has performed at Young People’s Theatre and Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon. In 2006, Ramona took over the role of ‘Loonette the Clown’ on TV’s Big Comfy Couch. Ramona works as an Artist Educator around the city in various schools, for Studio 180 and as a Resident Artist Educator for Y.P.T. She spent five summers directing over forty children in a musical at Camp Art House, and teaches drama, performance practice, and musical theatre at various studios in Toronto. Ramona ran Glee Choirs with The Music Project, and community chamber choirs for children independently in the west end. She currently leads three choirs with Sistema Toronto and is developing their choral curriculum, and has created the Children’s Arts Club at Calvin/Deerpark.

High school students straddle a really cool world between playful youth and serious adult questioning. They have strong opinions but are also often open to changing those strong opinions when given more information or upon hearing new thoughts.

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Jessica Greenberg

Jessica (she/her) is an actor and artist educator who has worked on and off stage with Studio 180 since 2004. As an actor, she has appeared in our productions of Indecent, King Charles III, NSFW, Cock, Our Class, Parade, Blackbird, Offensive Shadows and The Passion of the Chris. As the Director of Youth and Community Engagement, Jessica creates our production study guides and lobby exhibits, runs our Studio 180 IN CLASS and Beyond The Stage programs, and contributes to Studio 180 IN DEVELOPMENT and AT HOME programming. She has acted on stages across Canada and the United States including Canadian Stage, Crow’s Theatre, Project: Humanity, Magnus Theatre, YPT, The Citadel, MTYP, Passe Muraille, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Theatre New Brunswick, Willow Cabin Theatre and Theatreworks/USA. She has appeared on The Handmaid’s Tale, Murdoch Mysteries and Being Erica as well as the animated series Fish ‘n Chips. Jessica has more than 20 years of experience as a guest artist and educator with children and youth of all ages from preschool to post-secondary, was Education Coordinator for ARCfest: Toronto’s Human Rights Arts Festival, and is the Director of Child Engagement for the Child-ish Collective. She holds an Honours BA in political science and women’s studies from McGill University and completed her classical acting training at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York and as an apprentice at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky.

Young people aren’t asked how they see the world nearly enough. I love when they unapologetically make themselves heard.

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Jenna Harris

Jenna (she/her) is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and is a Dora-nominated actor, playwright, devised theatre creator and arts educator. Jenna is also the Artistic Producer of Discord and Din Theatre and a founding member of [elephants] collective. Jenna has been a participant of Studio 180 IN DEVELOPMENT (2015 & 2019), the Tarragon Playwrights Unit, the Thousand IslandsPlayhouse Playwright’s Unit, The Company Theatre New Play Development Program, La MaMa Umbria International Playwright Retreat (Italy, led by Lisa Kron), and a Resident Playwright at ArtHouse Jersey (Channel Islands). Jenna was also a Playwright in Residence at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and a member of their Artist Residency program with her play MINE. In addition to her extensive work with Studio 180 IN CLASS, Jenna has taught at Randolph College for the Performing Arts, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Tech and the 92nd Street Y in New York.

I love the collaborative nature of the IN CLASS workshops! Each one is unique and special because of the collaboration between both of the IN CLASS artist educators, as well as with the teacher and the students. The IN CLASS 3-session workshop has a framework that not only supports this collaborative work, but also promotes it – by being both structured and open – so that each time I lead it’s a new and exciting experience.

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Andrew Johnson

Andrew (he/him) is a broadcaster, sound engineer and voice talent. Working for 106.5 Elmnt Fm, Andrew Johnson is currently one of the only black station managers in Canada. He was named as one of Radio INK Magazine’s, 2021 recipients of Radio’s Future African American Leaders. Graduating in 2008, Andrew has since contributed to the growth, and sonic development of several major market stations. Starting as a board operator, he worked his way through various station roles, before finding a passion for production. Andrew’ s work experience has allowed him to develop a strong understanding of the fundamentals of Radio. Andrew Johnson is also a national voice talent who has voiced commercials across North America for clients like Honda, Lexus, Universal Music Canada and Spotify. A current member of Advance, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective, Andrew is passionate about inclusion and showcasing Toronto’s diversity.

The discussions are deep and insightful and giving students a glimpse into the world of sound design allows them to see all the elements of a great piece. These youth have so much passion, intelligence, and creativity in them. The future is looking bright!

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Heather Johnson

Heather Johnson (she/her) is a Black, Queer workshop facilitator and educator. Her experience has mainly been centred around youth and youth working adults. Her work focuses on media literacy, healthy relationships, sexual health, and how to practice consent. In the past she has worked with Bad Subject, a non-profit dedicated to teaching youth how to have healthy relationships and how to navigate consent both in their relationships and their lives. Heather also writes and develops workshops on topics such as attachment theory and media analysis, and is committed to making learning spaces accessible.

The most exciting thing about working with youth about consent is the way in which it sharpens my own consent practices. Kids don’t have the same conditioning as us to accept discomfort and they really let you know what’s what. I hope to be that responsive to my needs one day, haha.

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Ryan Kelly

Ryan  (he/him) has been a part of the Canadian Entertainment Industry for over 25 years. A graduate from Sheridan College’s Music Theatre Program Ryan has enjoyed opportunities to perform on many stages and in many mediums. Some stage credits include: Falsettos (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre), Avenue Q (Citadel Theatre – Sterling Award), Assassins (Toronto Musical Concerts), Rocky Horror Show (Sudbury Theatre Centre), The Normal Heart (Studio 180 – Dora Nom), Living with Henry (Off Bway – Performance Award), Will the Real JT LeRoy Please Stand Up (Buddies in Bad Times – Dora Award Winner). TV and Film credits include: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), Saving Hope (CTV), Bitten (SyFy), Warehouse 13 (Space), Queer As Folk (Showtime), The Dog Walker (TIFF), Cosmopolis (Cronenberg). As Director: Matilda & Secret Garden (MainstageTheatre Company), Two Kittens and a Kid (Edinburgh Fringe), Downtown Jay (Toronto Fringe). Finally, as an Arts Educator Ryan has taught in the GTA for Studio 180, Wexford Collegiate, Bishop Strachan, Spectrum Arts School and Cardinal Carter. Ryan is currently on faculty at George Brown Dance where he teaches the Acting programme as well is performance and show consultant for their Next Stage and In Haus presentations.

High school students today are very sharp. They come from a place of honesty, and compassion with a kindness that wasn’t around as readily when I was in high school.

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Mark McGrinder

A co-founder of Studio 180, Mark (he/him) is an actor, writer, and artist educator who coordinates the Studio 180 IN DEVELOPMENT program and works as a Studio 180 IN CLASS workshop leader. Select Studio 180 performing credits include: Oslo, The Nether, You Will Remember Me, Clybourne Park and Stuff Happens. Mark adapted and directed, Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, for PANAMANIA, directed Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays and worked as Associate Director for Blackbird (Metcalf Foundation Internship), God of Carnage and our 10th Anniversary reading of The Laramie Project. He has performed in several reviews with The Second City’s National touring company and was a member of the acting company at the Shaw Festival for five seasons. His directing credits include the issue-based comedy Power Play and a workshop production of the musical Parade at the Shaw Festival. He has been head- or co-writer on several collective creations (Single and Sexy, That Artz Show and The Berlin Show) and his play MacHamlet was presented as part of the Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival.

High school students have the capacity to be our mentors, leading change in the world and endlessly challenging systems that oppress, and that’s inspiring.

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Jeff Miller

Jeff (he/him) is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School and currently teaches in the Theatre-Performance and Broadcasting departments at Centennial College in Toronto. He taught modern scene study, text analysis, audition technique and improvisation at North Bay’s Canadore College. As an actor, for Studio 180, he appeared in My Night With Reg, Cock, The Normal Heart, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook and The Laramie Project. Other theatre includes productions with Theatre Passe Muraille, Young People’s Theatre, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Florida Shakespeare Theater and Boston’s Speakeasy Theater.

Knowing that many of the young people that we meet in IN CLASS workshops will soon be in leadership positions in governments, cultural organizations, faith institutions, gives me hope that real help is on the way.

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Rachel Mutombo

Rachel Mutombo (she/her) is an award-winning actor and writer. An acting graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, some recent theatre performance credits include Antigone (Young People’s Theatre) and School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian Theatre/Nightwood Theatre). Rachel is also featured in the recurring role of Darby Gruss on Freeform’s The Bold Type. Rachel’s first stage play, Vierge was recently awarded the first place prize in Infinitheatre’s annual playwriting competition. Vierge is set to have its world premiere at Factory Theatre in April 2023. She was also recently awarded the inaugural IBPOC Commission from Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon and is developing a brand new play called Wake. Currently, Rachel’s play 6X10 is being developed through Obsidian Theatre’s Playwright’s Unit.

The students give me hope, their empathy, their kindness, their maturity – the future is in good hands.

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Ngabo Nabea

Though born in Toronto, Ngabo Nabea (he/him) spent much of his childhood travelling and studying abroad. He returned to Toronto to study theatre performance at Ryerson University. His first experience working with Studio 180 was for a reading of Common by Marie-Beath Badian as part of their new works IN DEVELOPMENT program. Upon graduating, he has performed in various shows around Toronto, including leads in Twisted (Factory Theatre), The Postman (Appledore Productions, Pan Am Games), The Number’s Game (Storefront Theatre), I and You (Globe Theatre), As You Like It and Fences (Grand Theatre). He has continued to hone his skills with the Factory Theatre Mechanicals and the Stratford Birmingham Conservatory and in 2022 performed in Death and the King’s Horseman and Hamlet at the Stratford Festival. He has also appeared in various TV shows, including Pretty Hard Cases, The Strain, Salvation and The Expanse. Ngabo is also an avid self-taught illustrator, having recently drawn promotional artwork for events hosted by Stratford Theatre, Suddenspark Collective and Soulpepper.

I like seeing students passionately (and respectfully) sharing their differing opinions on things, born out of different cultures, identities and experiences. Honestly, the world could definitely use more of that (or you know, if not the world, at least Twitter).

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Marissa Orjalo

Marissa (she/her) is an interdisciplinary Filipina-Canadian actor, writer, composer, and academic based in Toronto. She is currently an M.A. Candidate at the University of Toronto, working with the Centre for Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies. Her research areas of interest include Asian-Canadian theatre, Filipinx-Canadian theatre, and radical theatre creation through music and technology. Marissa has been fortunate enough to participate in the actor enhancement training program at Factory Theatre as well as Carlos Bulosan Theatre’s joint HASA Initiative with the Stratford Festival in 2019. She holds certificates from the Royal Conservatory of Music for Operatic Voice and Classical Piano Performance. Marissa is currently creating with the Disconnect(ed) Collective at Carlos Bulosan Theatre, developing a new piece entitled Pedestal Pinays. She has performed in several Toronto-based productions including A (Musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream (Driftwood Theatre), and FEARLESS (fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre). Marissa is thrilled to be with the Education Team and looks forward to inspiring the next generation of theatre creators!

Young people are just as creative and revolutionary as they are inquisitive!

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Kimwun Perehinec

A co-founder of Studio 180 and co-creator of the Studio 180 IN CLASS program, Kimwun (she/her) is an actor, independent theatre producer and artist educator. From 2002 to 2016, she was a member of the company’s Core Artistic Team. With Studio 180, she has appeared in You Will Remember Me, Love, Dishonor…, Clybourne Park, Our Class (Dora Nomination – Ensemble), Offensive Shadows, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, The Laramie Project and The Passion of the Chris. She also directed and facilitated the first Studio 180 IN DEVELOPMENT process for Marie Beath Badian’s Common. Her work onstage includes performances with VideoCabaret, Howland Company (Dora Award – Ensemble for Casimir & Caroline), Theatre New Brunswick, Canadian Stage, Mirvish Productions, Tarragon Theatre, MTC, Gateway Theatre, Theatre Junction, the GCTC, Roseneath Theatre (Dora Nomination – Ensemble for Wrecked), Eldritch Theatre and the Stratford Festival. Kimwun is also a communications coach, working with Practica Learning and SoulPepper. She holds a Joint honours Co-op BA from the University of Waterloo and is a graduate of George Brown College.

When students step into imagining the point of view of a character, extrapolating and exploring what this other person might be feeling or how they’re looking at a situation, there are great surprises and sometimes very moving discoveries.

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Marcel Stewart

Marcel (he/him) is a father, award-winning theatre maker, director, writer, educator, and arts administrator who serves as an Associate Artist for FOLDA (Festival of Live Digital Art). Marcel’s curiosity about history and lineage – beyond the context of colonialism – is at the basis of his artistic practice. He holds a degree in Dramatic Arts from Brock University, was a member of the Soulpepper Academy, and completed the Theatre Enhancement Program (as a Directing Foreman) through Factory Theatre. Some of Marcel’s Acting Credits include: The Brothers Size (Soulpepper); The Drawer Boy (Festival Players); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Soulpepper); Father Comes Home From the Wars (Soulpepper); We Are Proud To Present… (The Theatre Centre); Toronto the Good (Factory Theatre). Marcel has directed the podcast play Toronto Pigeons (Factory Theatre); the digital play Meet Chloe (Carousel Players) and the live theatre production of Serving Elizabeth (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Marcel often returns to the questions: Who am I? How am I? How did I get here? Who have I lost? What is my purpose?

Drama-based education can immediately help create an environment for focused inquiry and cross-curricular learning opportunities. Also, the skills learned can support a variety of learning styles and can keep students actively involved in the learning process.

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Education Advisory