The Belfry Theatre presents
Serving Elizabeth
By Marcia Johnson
CAST
Lucinda Davis – Mercy / Patricia
Sia Foryoh – Faith / Tia
Ryan Hollyman – Talbot / Maurice
Amanda Lisman – HRH Princess Elizabeth / Robin / Ashley
Nathan D. Simmons – Montague / Steven
CREATIVE TEAM
Marcia Johnson – Playwright
Nigel Shawn Williams – Director
Camellia Koo – Set Designer
Carole Klemm – Associate Set Designer
Vanessa Magic – Costume Designer
Itai Erdal – Lighting Designer
Joelysa Pankanea – Composer & Sound Designer
Jennifer Swan – Stage Manager
Becca Jorgensen – Assistant Stage Manager
Adrienne Smook – Dialect Coach
Rosemary Jeffery – Assistant Director
Justin Francis Lee – Assistant Videographer
Serving Elizabeth is two hours and twenty minutes in length including one twenty-minute intermission.
This production is supported by a generous gift from Dr. Stephen Tax.
Serving Elizabeth is generously supported by
The Belfry Theatre is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the terms of the jointly negotiated Canadian Theatre Agreement.
Serving Elizabeth is produced with the co-operation of the Union of B.C. Performers.
SEASON SPONSORS
PUBLIC FUNDERS
…from the Artistic Director
Welcome back to the Belfry—!
I’ve written those words many times over many seasons—but never have they meant as much as they do now. Serving Elizabeth is the first show the Belfry has produced for a live audience since The Ministry of Grace—which closed on March 1, 2020.
Thank you to from the bottom of my heart for all of the support—both moral and financial—and for expressing so eloquently how important the arts—and theatre at the Belfry—are to your hearts and souls. It has been an incredible reminder that we as humans have always had a need to share stories. We need to know more about the world around us, to see it from different perspectives, and to learn about worlds and cultures with which we are unfamiliar. And watching humans onstage grappling with extraordinary and everyday challenges helps us to understand others—and understand ourselves.
For me, there is nothing more exciting than an actor floating an idea from the stage to the auditorium—where it is heard and absorbed by a group of open, thoughtful human souls. Mankind has always needed this. We have been denied this human necessity for almost two years. So once again: Welcome back—!
with great affection—
Michael
Executive Directors Notes
Welcome back to the Theatre! These performances mark an exciting time for us all. Not really a return to normal, but on the path to a new beginning of seasons of activity, buzz, and your wonderful presence in our beautiful theatre. Our staff, volunteers, Board, and guest artists are so excited to share the magic of live theatre once again.
Our world is a different and changing place, but one constant is the laughter, tears, and stimulation that comes with being present as talented artists tell a story that engages us with new perspectives. The theatre is a world of imagination, both yours and that of the artists who created the performance, and we are thrilled to re-engage our and your imaginations. So welcome to this start of a new season with a production that brings us a unique perspective, laughter, and hope.
From our hearts thank you for your patience and loyal support over the past twenty months – WELCOME back.
Ivan Habel
About the Belfry
What to Expect – Live in-person attendance
In Rehearsal – Gallery
Cast & Creative Team
Lucinda Davis – Mercy / Patricia
Lucinda Davis is beyond thrilled to be so warmly welcomed to her first production on the Belfry’s stage with such a diverse group of dynamic artists. Hailing from Tiotíake/Montreal, she found her way into the profession through a weird twist of fate, when she was called by mistake to audition for a leading role in a television series, and got the part. Twenty years later, she has amassed an impressive list of credits for stage, television and film and has lent her voice to video games and animation. She co-founded Metachroma Theatre, whose mandate is to normalize the presence of diverse performers on Canadian stages. She has been the proud recipient of performance awards from the Montreal English Theatre Awards, the Prix Rideau Award, the ACTRA Montreal Awards for voice performance, and was ACTRA Montreal’s Woman of the Year in 2017. Her list of theatre credits includes random, (Imago and Black Theatre Workshop), Adventures of a Black Girl In Search Of God (National Arts Centre), How Black Mother’s Say I Love You (Great Canadian Theatre Company), Doubt, Intimate Apparel (Centaur Theatre), Top Girls (Segal Centre for Performing Arts) and Harlem Duet (Black Theatre Workshop).
Sia Foryoh – Faith / Tia
Born In Sierra Leone West Africa, Sia and her family fled during the Civil War. Her parents made the hard decision to give her up in Guinea to a lady they met at the U.N. camp. Sia lived in Senegal for a year then reunited with her family. They then moved to Edmonton, Alberta as refugees in 1999. In the middle of her university courses, Sia realized she was not happy with what she was studying. She decided to take advantage of a scholarship to attend Vancouver Film School. Upon finishing her program, she received another scholarship to attend New York Film Academy. You can catch her on various Youtube Prank shows, and Comedy Skits. She is also in the Web-series Total Truth & GPS. Catch her on Charmed, Road to Christmas and Memoir of An Honest Voice. Sia can also be seen on various Netflix shows doing stunt work. Her voice can be heard in the very popular Disney Video game Marvel Realm Of Champions. She has been on stage in Romeo and Juliet and many other plays in Los Angeles.
Ryan Hollyman – Talbot / Maurice
Ryan is an award-winning actor, who was born, raised and based in Toronto.
He is an ensemble member of the Actors Repertory Company (ARC) and has worked with many theatres throughout Canada, including the NAC, Mirvish, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage, Centaur, Citadel and Neptune. He was also fortunate enough to tour internationally with the productions of The Overcoat and Helen Lawrence, bringing him to the London’s West End, off-Broadway and to some of the world’s most renowned theatres.
Ryan is also known for his extensive work in television and film, with recognizable roles on The Expanse, The Strain, Suits, Murdoch Mysteries, The Detectives and Georgetown.
He is thrilled to making his Belfry debut with this production.
Amanda Lisman – HRH Princess Elizabeth / Robin / Ashley
Amanda is delighted to return to the Belfry stage (last seen in A Christmas Carol), and to work on Serving Elizabeth again, having appeared in the world premiere at Western Canada Theatre in early 2020. A graduate of the University of Victoria (Anthropology), the University of Alberta (Acting), The Citadel Banff Theatre Program and the Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory, Amanda’s credits include three seasons at the Stratford Festival (Titus Andronicus, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Tempest and others), and performances with Alberta Theatre Projects (Betty Mitchell Award for Venus in Fur), Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg Theatre Award Nomination for 23.5 Hours), The Segal Centre (Montreal English Theatre Nomination for Noises Off), Blue Bridge Repertory (Critic’s Choice Spotlight Award and M Award for My Fair Lady), Theatre Aquarius, The Arts Club, The Citadel, and Atomic Vaudeville. TV credits include Suits, iZombie, Supernatural, and Private Eyes.
Amanda is also an educator, having taught with the Stratford Festival’s Teaching Shakespeare Program, the Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the University of Victoria, and has the privilege of being a community support worker for adults with disabilities at Lifetime Networks.
Nathan D. Simmons – Montague / Steven
Coming from the community of East Preston Nova Scotia, and a graduate of the Fountain School of Performing Arts, Nathan D Simmons is an award-winning Halifax-based actor and musician. Nathan has been seen on-screen in Diggstown or Hustle and Heart, for which he won an award, and onstage at the Neptune Theatre in Controlled Damage and Salt Water Moon. More recently, Nathan appeared in Eastern Front Theatre and Shakespeare by The Sea’s co-production of Fat Juliet, a new play that set fire to the Halifax theatre scene. Nathan is more than excited to break bread and share this special moment on the Belfry stage.
Marcia Johnson – Playwright
Marcia Johnson is a theatre artist in Toronto. Serving Elizabeth had its world premiere in February 2020 at Western Canada Theatre, in a co-production with Thousand Islands Playhouse, in which she also acted. It also had productions at the Stratford Festival and Thousand Islands Playhouse earlier this year. Serving Elizabeth has been published by Scirocco Drama.
Marcia’s 5-minute play A Magical Place, written for Zoom, is available as part of the National Transformations Project, produced by the National Arts Centre and Stratford Festival. She directed the two-hander starring Kaleb Alexander and Amaka Umeh.
Marcia has participated in playwrights’ groups at Thousand Islands Playhouse, Obsidian Theatre Company, Theatre Passe Muraille, as well as Ontario Arts Council Playwrights’ Residencies at Blyth Festival and Roseneath Theatre. She has twice participated in Tapestry New Opera’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory. Her training also includes a musical theatre workshop with William Finn at Canadian Stage Company, and the Siminovitch Prize Playwriting Master Class with Carole Frechette. Marcia collaborated with Stephen Taylor on Paradises Lost, an opera for the University of Illinois, based on the Ursula K. Le Guin novella. As an actor, Marcia has had small roles on TV and in film. Recent theatre roles include the world premiere of The New Canadian Curling Club and a revival of 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt both at the Blyth Festival and the audio drama Every Minute of Every Day produced by Factory Theatre.
Nigel Shawn Williams – Director
Nigel is the former Co-Artistic Director of Factory Theatre. He is a four-time Dora Mavor Moore Award winner as an actor and director, with numerous nominations for MECCA and Betty Mitchell Awards. His theatre credits as an actor include six seasons at the Stratford and four seasons at the Shaw Festivals, as well as performing in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. His theatre career spans over 25 years as an artist, including the Canadian premieres of Six Degrees of Separation, Angels in America, Harlem Duet, Two Words for Snow, Belle, Race, Topdog/Underdog, among others. As a director his productions have garnered critical and artistic success, collaborating with theatre companies across Canada, such as, Othello, To Kill a Mockingbird (Stratford Festival), Disgraced (Alberta Theatre Projects), The Invisible Hand (Theatre Aquarius), Merchant of Venice (Bard on the Beach), The Mountaintop, Art (Grand Theatre), Brothel # 9 (Factory Theatre), and The Monument (Obsidian Theatre). Nigel is also heavily active in new play development and has helped develop over 40 new plays in Canada, either working as an actor, director or dramaturge. He is also an educator, having taught at York University, University of Windsor, and the National Theatre School of Canada.
Camellia Koo – Set Designer
Camellia is a Toronto based set and costume designer for theatre, opera, dance and film/tv. Recent designs for theatre and opera include collaborations with Factory Theatre, The National Arts Centre, Soulpepper Theatre, The Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Why Not Theatre, Against the Grain, Boston Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Edmonton Opera, Helikon Opera (Moscow), Minnesota Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Santa Fe Opera, and Tapestry Opera. Previous designs for The Belfry Theatre include Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, and The Children’s Republic.
Carole Klemm – Associate Set Designer
Carole is a Victoria-based set designer and scenic artist. Recent work includes virtual designs for Being Here: The Refugee Project for the Belfry and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime for Theatre Inconnu. At the Belfry, her set designs include: Atlantis, The Sum of Us, Skylight, The Complete Works of Wllm Shakespeare, Mesa, Big Mama, Helen’s Necklace and Taking Off.
She has designed and painted for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Belfry Theatre, Pacific Opera Victoria, William Head on Stage, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Theatre SKAM, Chemainus Theatre Festival, Blue Bridge Theatre, Kaleidoscope Theatre, Western Canada Theatre, Studio 58 Langara College and many others.
Special thanks to my family and the Belfry production team!
Itai Erdal – Lighting Designer
Itai is delighted to be back at the Belfry where he previously designed lights for Where The Blood Mixes, Billy Bishop Goes To War, The Life Inside and The Valley; and wrote and performed in How to Disappear Completely (The Chop) and This Is Not A Conversation (The Elbow).
Itai has designed over 300 shows, winning six Jessie Richardson Awards, Toronto’s Dora Mavor Moore Award, a Winnipeg Theatre Award, the Jack King Award, Victoria’s Spotlight Choice Award and the Design Award at the 2008 Dublin Fringe Festival. He was shortlisted for the Siminovitch Prize in 2018. www.itaierdal.com, www.theelbow.ca
Joelysa Pankanea – Composer & Sound Designer
Joelysa is a multi-award-winning composer based in Vancouver BC, a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in composition, musical direction, and sound design. Her music has been featured in multiple theatre productions, short and feature films, as well as chamber orchestras and choirs. In the realm of theatre, Joelysa has composed dozens of theatre shows, multiple large-scale musicals, and sound designs. Recent credits include Anywhere But Here and REFRAMED for Electric Company Theatre, Buffoon and Carried Away on the Crest of a Wave for the Arts Club Theatre Company, and a short film The Star-Maker by Matthias Falvai. Upcoming: We Shall Eat When the River is Full, a feature-length documentary film by Smayaykila Films. Please visit www.joelysa.com for more info.
Vanessa Magic – Costume Designer
Vanessa Magic is an award-winning costume designer and writer. She loves the magic that comes from storytelling and using costumes and textiles as a medium. Vanessa was a Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award nominee and was nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding Costume Design in Independent Theatre for her work on The Solitudes (Aluna Theatre / Nightwood). Her recent credits include Pass Over (Obsidian Theatre Company), burn, burned (SummerWorks Festival), and Mine (Buddies in Bad Times). When she is not designing, she helps facilitate workshops to promote diversity and inclusivity in costume design / wardrobe styling for film and television.
Jennifer Swan – Stage Manager
Born and raised on Lekwungen territory, also known as Victoria, she is thankful to the Songhees and Esquimalt nations, on whose land she has the immense privilege to be living. Jen has been a part of the Belfry since 1999, and it remains one of her favourite places. When not stage managing, she has a side job in theatre administration, and during Covid found work as the Associate Producer for Electric Company Theatre, and as Interim General Manager for Neworld Theatre. She thanks both of these companies immensely. She is spending the rest of this season stage managing in Vancouver and Calgary.
Becca Jorgensen – Assistant Stage Manager
Becca is a Vancouver Island-born and raised Indo-Canadian Marathoner. As a Stage Manager, Becca has supported teams throughout Western Canada from theatre to opera, to dance, and beyond. She is beyond thrilled to be back creating with the Belfry for her sixth season. When not working in the theatre, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Larry. Becca is a proud auntie to Audrey Nora, Clara Jane, Ellie Mae, Otis, and Primrose.
Rosemary Jeffery – Assistant Director
Rosemary Jeffery is excited to intern as Assistant Director on Serving Elizabeth as a participant in the Arts Leadership Training Program sponsored by the Belfry Theatre in partnership with other arts organizations. She is Associate Director of Attitude Theatre, and recently co-directed and performed in a Docu-Drama, Until The Flood by Dael Olandersmith, co-produced by Langham Court Theatre and Bema Productions.
Rosemary is a graduate of the University of Calgary BA Music & Vocal Studies Program and the Mount Royal University-College Theatre Arts program.
She will be continuing her mentorship program at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in January 2022.
Rosemary’s position is funded by the RBC Emerging Artist Project.
Justin Francis Lee – Assistant Videographer
Justin is a writer, filmmaker, and sailor. He is passionate about exploring the stories of everyday people caught between subcultures. Intent on spearheading a closer relationship between the Canadian theatre and film industries, he hopes to make quality art more accessible. He and Ciaran Volke run a writer’s room “The Apartment of Writing” creating short plays and films. As a big fan of The Crown Netflix show, he is ecstatic to be working at The Belfry on Serving Elizabeth. In the new year, he goes to Vancouver to intern at Electric Company Theatre.
Recent Credits: writing The Open Gate (SKAMpede), co-writing audio drama A Way Out, and acting in I and You (Langham Court Theatre). For film as an Asst. Director and Asst. Camera: The Batshits, Dream Book, Bubba Lou, and All in Madonna.
Justin F. Lee’s position is funded by the RBC Emerging Artist Project
Bravo!
The Belfry Theatre gratefully acknowledges the financial support of The Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, the Capital Regional District Arts Development Office and the City of Victoria.
Sponsors
Belfry Legacy Circle
The support of visionary philanthropy ensures that the Belfry will continue to flourish as Greater Victoria’s premier contemporary theatre company.
Donors
Our thanks to the 187 Believers ($75 – $149) and 277 Friends (up to $74)
Donor moved up a category *
New donor **
Through the Victoria Foundation †
As of November 1, 2021
Capital Donors
The Belfry Theatre thanks our generous donors who contributed to the 2020 / 21 Capital Retrofitting Project. Their support made it possible to install a wheelchair elevator and washroom backstage, making our stage and dressing rooms accessible to all artists, visitors, volunteers and staff.