THE CHRISTMAS MARKET

Kanika Ambrose

Playwright

For Studio 180 Theatre: debut. Kanika Ambrose is a two-time Dora Award winning playwright, opera librettist, and screenwriter. Her play our place, was first produced by Cahoots Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille in November 2022 and received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for “Outstanding New Play” in 2023. She received a second “Outstanding New Play” Dora in 2024 for Truth which premiered at Young People’s Theatre.

Her opera Of the Sea with composer Ian Cusson premiered at the Bluma Appel Theatre in 2023, commissioned by Tapestry Opera and Obsidian Theatre Company. Other credits include: writer and co-creator of the concert The Big Easy: Music of New Orleans at Soulpepper in 2024, writer of two pieces on Juno nominated classical album Known to Dreamers: Black Voices in Canadian Arts Song produced by Canadian Art Song Project.

Other short works have premiered across North America including celebrated digital work Tak-Tak-Shoo with composer Rene Orth. Kanika is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and is Associate Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company. She is a former Artistic Producer of Paprika Festival. She was featured as one of Cahoots Theatre Company’s 30 for 30 theatre makers for their 30th anniversary season. She is a graduate of Canadian Film Centre’s Bell Media Primetime TV Program (2022-2023). This year she is Tarragon Theatre’s OAC Playwright in Residence and will have another new work, Moonlight Schooner premiering in Toronto this November.

Philip Akin

Director

For Studio 180 Theatre: debut. Select theatre credits: The House That Will Not Stand, Gem of the Ocean (Shaw Festival); In 7 Days (The Grand Theatre/Harold Green Jewish Theatre); Fat Ham, The Lehman Trilogy (Canadian Stage); Heroes of the Fourth Turning (The Howland Company/Crow’s Theatre); Maanomaa, My Brother (Blue Bird Collective/Canadian Stage).

AWARDS: Toronto Theatre Critics award (Best Director, 2019: Actually and Pass Over); Canadian Stage Artistic Achievement Prize; The Herbert Whittaker/CTCA award (distinguished contribution to Canadian theatre); Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts; William Kilbourn award (the Celebration of Toronto’s Cultural Life); C.A.E.A. Lifetime Membership award (outstanding contributions to the performing arts); PGC Women’s Caucus Bra d’Or award (supporting and promoting the work of Canadian women playwrights); Mallory Gilbert Leadership award; T.A.P.A. Silver Ticket Award (Outstanding Contribution to the Arts).

Matthew G Brown

Joe

For Studio 180 Theatre: debut. Select theatre credits: Romeo and Juliet (Dream in High Park), Is God Is (Canadian Stage, Obsidian, Necessary Angel), Controlled Damage (Neptune, NAC), The Real McCoy (Blyth Festival), Appropriate (Associate Director, The Coal Mine Theatre), Intimate Apparel (Belfry), Billy Elliot, Little Shop of Horrors, To Kill A Mockingbird, (Stratford Festival), Sister Act (Drayton), Wizard of Oz, Cinderella: A RATtical retelling (YPT), I Think I Can (YPT, The National Arts Centre), Jersey Boys (Dancap, Dodgers). Selected film & TV: Mother Father Sister Brother Frank (Highball TV), Fellow Travelers (Showtime), Pretty Hard Cases (CBC), Pinkalicious and Peterrific (PBS Kids), The Kennedys (History Television), Hailstorm (CFC) Instant Star (CTV) Training: Randolph College, The Canadian Film Centre Actors Conservatory.

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Danté Prince

Lionel

For Studio 180 Theatre: debut. Danté Prince is an Artist born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario. He self describes as having an obsession with the craft of storytelling. Committing himself to refine his discipline. To be the best Actor, Playwright, or whatever else he can be. He feels very grateful to have been able to do this as a career. Living out long time dreams that even he didn’t know were there. And he hopes to eventually be able to share his art with everyone reading this.

Savion Roach

Roy

For Studio 180 Theatre: debut. Savion Roach is a multidisciplinary artist from Scarborough, ON. He has studied Jazz Vocal at the New Conservatory of Music and is a self taught Hip-Hop, Krump, Step, and Contemporary Dancer. He also writes, produces and performs his own music with multiple releases on Spotify and Apple Music under the Alias (SAATURN).

Selected credits: Simeon Whyte in Get That Hope (Stratford Festival); Miles/Rashaad/Shawn in Gloria (Crow’s Theatre); Scotch in Is God Is (Obsidian Theatre/Canadian Stage/NAC); AJ in Choir Boy (Canadian Stage/Arts Club Vancouver). Training: National Theatre School of Canada.

Love.

Brenda Robins

Ryan

For Studio 180 Theatre: debut. Brenda has performed extensively in theatres across Canada. Selected recent appearances include: Steel Magnolias (Capitol Theatre), From Alaska, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Children (Belfry Theatre), Escaped Alone, A Delicate Balance, Noises Off, King Lear (Soulpepper Theatre), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Citadel Theatre, RMTC, Grand Theatre), The Lion in Winter (Grand Theatre), August: Osage County, The Constant Wife (Citadel Theatre), Doubt, The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Centaur Theatre), Death and the Maiden, Hedda Gabler (Vancouver Playhouse), and Cruel and Tender, Private Lives (Canadian Stage). Brenda has also been a company member at both the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival. Other Work: Brenda co-adapted the scripts for Picture This and the award-winning Parfumerie for Soulpepper Theatre. Awards: She is the recipient of Dora, Sterling, Jessie, and MECCA Awards.