Samuel Walmsley-Byrne, Daniel Tompkins, L Danger, Rhys Davies, Emma Rose Gold, Yana Vitkovic, Cassidy Hergott, Brynna Drummond, Hikari Terasawa, Terrence Zhou; Photo by Emily Cooper
By: Sami Ibrahim, Laura Lomas, Sabrina Mahfouz
Directed by: Daniela Atiencia
Stage Manager: Katie Voravong
Set and Props Design: Kimira Reddy
Set Design Assistant and Props Builder: Elliot Roberts
Lighting Design: Jonathan Kim
Assistant Lighting Designer: Andie Lloyd
Sound Design: Owen Belton
Costume Designer: Emily Friesen
Costume Assistant: Melissa McCowell
Movement Director: Vuk Prodanović
Intimacy Director: Julie Murphy
November 17–24, 2022
Live at Vancity Culture Lab at The Cultch
Run time: 2 hours plus a 15-minute intermission
Content advisory: references to sexual assault; descriptions of sexual acts; coarse language; mature language (including the use of the word r*pe)
"We are here to make sense of it.” Inspired by Roman poet Ovid’s powerful myths and reimagined for our current times, Metamorphoses is a collection of transformative and gripping tales of grand proportion. This epic and playful ensemble piece uses the power of storytelling to expose our basic needs and desires. Experience glorious chaos and humbling adventures with familiar characters like Orpheus and Euridyce, Medea and her doomed children, ancient Gods and audacious heroes.
Creative Team
Daniela Atiencia is a Latinx-Canadian theatre artist born and raised in Colombia. She works as a freelance bilingual director, dramaturg, and deviser. Daniela holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts and an MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of Essex where she graduated with Distinction. As dramaturg she is currently working with several different playwrights including Tetsuro Shigematsu’s latest commissioned piece for Pacific Theatre. You can listen to Daniela's work as Spanish Language Dramaturg in Made in Canada: an agricultural podcast by rice & beans theatre. Daniela’s recent directing credits include Neworld's world premiere of Clean/Espejos by Christine Quintana, which was described by theatre critic Colin Thomas as "one of the best shows in years." It won 5 Jessie Richardson awards, for which Daniela won for Outstanding Director. Daniela also recently directed Green Thumb Theatre's livestream production of Cranked! As a deviser, she is working on creating her own piece about her lived experience with dyslexia with fellow neurodiverse collaborator June Fukumura. She is currently based on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples (Vancouver, BC) where she has worked with several theatre companies across British Columbia including Rumble Theatre, The Arts Club, Playwrights Theatre Centre, Ruby Slippers Theatre, Western Canada Theatre and is serving as Associate Artistic Director for Touchstone Theatre.
Katie Voravong is a theatre artist who has worked with companies such as the Chop, the frank theatre, ITSAZOO, Green Thumb, jkjk, and Neworld theatre since graduating Studio 58’s acting program in the Fall of 2019. Katie is very grateful to be back at Studio 58 to be on board the Metamorphoses team. Katie is also currently assistant directing The Three Little Pigs at Carousel Theatre.
Some select credits include: (Performance) I Know What I Saw, Mortified, Cabaret, Antony & Cleopatra, Anon(ymous) with Studio 58, End of the Line with the IGNITE! Youth-Driven Arts Festival; (Production) SM for Hot House with Studio 58, ASM for Straight White Men with ITSAZOO, ASM for Be-Longing with the frank theatre, SM for The Marvelous Wonderettes with Theatre NorthWest, Production Coordinator for Awkward and Embarrassing Conversations (workshop) with Neworld theatre; (Direction/Misc.) Music Director for Our Town with Peninsula Productions, Playwright’s Gym with Green Thumb theatre, Assistant Director for Six of One: New Play Festival with Studio 58.
The most heartfelt of thank yous to the company (cast/crew), Ruth, Kevin, Halla, David, Courtenay, Marielle, Alyson, Emma, Julie, Emily, Melissa, Owen, Jono, Andie, Kimira, Elliot, Vuk, Sebastian, and Daniela. It’s such a joy to support the art that you do.
Image credit: Kim Ho
Kimira is an accomplished artist gratefully creating and practicing her art on the unceded Coast Salish Territories. As a Set Designer, you can see her work on theatre stages around BC. She is also the Communications Director of Raven Spirit Dance. By combining her creative imagination and technical expertise, Kimira brings artists' visions into the innovative world of virtual reality. Originally from sunny South Africa, she holds an MFA in Design from UBC. Credits: Featured artist for Indian Summer Festival. VR 360 Logo Design for Ruby Singh’s VOX.INFOLD song; VR Technician for Uninterrupted (Canada Wild Arts Society). Set Design for The Pearl Fishers (Vancouver Opera); The Five Vengeances (Affair of Honor); Cranked: The Remix (Greenthumb Theatre); 90 Days (Western Gold Theatre); Catalina La O (JKJK), Himmat (Theatre Conspiracy), Peace Country (Rice & Beans Theatre); Men Express Their Feelings (Zee Zee Theatre), Ominous Sound at the River Crossing (Touchstone Theatre); In Response to Alabama (Little Thief Theatre); we the same (Ruby Slippers); Like It Or Not (Greenthumb Theatre); Zoning Out (Blackout Theater); No Child (The Arts Club). Props for Foolish Operations. More at kimirareddy.com.
As a recent graduate of Studio 58’s Production Program, Elliot is very excited to work alongside Kimira Reddy as the Assistant Set Designer and Props Builder for Metamorphoses! She grew up in Winnipeg, but moved to Vancouver in 2017 to pursue her career as a costume/prop designer, artist and stage manager. She is excited for the opportunity to help facilitate new works and feels honored to be able to create and grow alongside so many other emerging artists and peers!
Previous credits include: Design Associate: Derwent is Different (Green Thumb), Stage Manager: Six of One: New Play Festival (Studio 58), Props Designer: King Lear (Promethean Theater), Assistant Set/Props Designer: Like It or Not (Green Thumb), Stage Manager: Tomorrowlove (Studio 58), Costume Designer: Our Town, (Peninsula Productions), Co Set/Prop Designer: Hot House (Studio 58).
Jonathan Kim (he/him/his), better known as Jono, is a Korean-Canadian artist born and raised on unceded traditional Coast Salish territories, who currently works and lives on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories (Vancouver). He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Production and Design from Simon Fraser University. Jono is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada and Chimerik似不像, an interdisciplinary collective. His recent lighting design works include: Kim's Convenience (Arts Club Theatre Company); The Mountaintop (Pacific Theatre); Passages of Rhythms (Co.ERASGA); Marjorie Prime and Pass Over (Ensemble Theatre Company); Maamawi: Together Through the Fire (O.Dela Arts and Pepper's Ghost New Media & Performing Arts Collective); The Five Vengeances (Affair of Honor); Redbone Coonhound (Arts Club Theatre Company); and Murder on the Orient Express (Vertigo Theatre).
Andie Lloyd is a queer interdisciplinary artist and community advocate, currently based on unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories. She works internationally as a lighting designer and media artist. Recent projects include her Jessie Award Nominated Surtitles & Projection Design work for Neworld Theatre’s Clean/Espejos (Vancouver), Lighting Design for Shion Skye Carter’s Residuals (住み・墨) (Montréal, Vancouver) and she looks forward to working alongside Derek Chan on his new subversive play: Happy Valley 馬照跑。舞照跳. www.andielloyd.ca 光復香港，時代革命
Owen Belton lives in Vancouver, Canada and graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in Fine and Performing Arts. He has been composing for dance for the last 25 years as well as creating sound design and music for live theatre for 15 years. Owen has created for Electric Company, The Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, as well as Nederlands Dans Theatre, Ballet Nuremberg, The Paris Opera and Kidd Pivot. Metamorphoses will be his 4th play with Studio 58.
Emily is delighted to be making her Studio 58 debut. She is a multi-disciplinary theatre designer, artist, and maker. Recent credits include: costume design for Ride the Cyclone (Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre), Kindred (Belfry Theatre), Salt Water Moon (Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre), and Othello (UVic Phoenix Theatre,) as well as set design for The Children’s Hour (UVic Phoenix Theatre). She is a graduate of the Phoenix Theatre at the University of Victoria. For more information, go to emilyfriesen-theatredesigner.com.
Melissa is a theatre artist based on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples (Vancouver), with a focus on Costume Design and Stage Management.
She has had the pleasure of working with a number of incredible companies including After Party Theatre, Bard on the Beach, Caravan Farm Theatre, Carousel Theatre for Young People, Green Thumb Theatre, ITSAZOO Productions, Presentation House Theatre, Ruby Slippers Theatre, Studio 58, The Elbow Theatre, Theatre Replacement, Théâtre la Seizième and Touchstone Theatre
Recent credits include: Head of Backstage Wardrobe with Bard on the Beach for their 2022 season and Costume Designer for CRANKED: The Remix with Green Thumb Theatre.
Melissa is a graduate of Queen's University and Studio 58.
Vuk Prodanović (he/they) is a first-generation Serbian Canadian actor and choreographer born and raised in Vancouver, BC on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. He graduated from Studio 58 in 2021 and is excited to be back and working on Metamorphoses. Acting credits include: Simon (The Code, Green Thumb Theatre), Brian (What’s Your Wish, Children’s Theatre of Richmond), and Jonah (The Big Draw, Industry Plant Inc.) Vuk would like to thank Daniela Atiencia, Courtenay Dobbie, Kathryn Shaw and the faculty and staff of Studio 58 for allowing him this opportunity.
Julie is thrilled to be back at Studio 58 after intimacy directing The Rocky Horror Show last season! She is an award-winning choreographer, dancer, and educator who currently works as a movement specialist in universities, schools and studios. Julie has worked as a professional intimacy director, violence choreographer and movement coach in multiple provinces across Canada, and is currently based in Vancouver, BC.
She is the resident fight & intimacy director for Get Off the Stage Productions theatre company (Sterling award-nominated); was the first fight director for Canada’s elite horror attraction DARK (Fort Edmonton Park); and the first intimacy director to facilitate workshops in the province of New Brunswick through the Groundworks workshop series. Julie holds a Bachelors degree in Education (Fine Arts) and a Bachelors degree in Arts (Drama) from the University of Alberta. She is currently a certified teacher in the province of Alberta, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance (Adv II); and actor combatant working towards her Advanced level with the Academy of Fight Directors Canada.
She recently finished intimacy directing Cabaret with Raincity Theatre in Vancouver, and is looking forward to directing intimacy and violence for the world premiere of an upcoming show at the Waterfront Theatre this winter. Julie is the founder and creative director of Proximity Movement, a company which offers workshops and choreography for ensemble-based, trauma-informed theatrical intimacy and violence. Enjoy the show!