Studio 58 The Birds
Live at Studio 58
October 8-18, 2026
“We cannot forget our history
It is a part of us
But the remembering
Connects us
To our ancestors
Forward to our descendants
Through our feet to the earth which connects us all.”
In this fresh and transformative adaptation of Aristophanes’ classic, two humans venture to the land of the birds in search of a new way of life. The pair quickly become preoccupied with the opportunity to create a paradise of their own, without regard for the land’s occupants. Interlaced with poetic songs and witty dialogue, The Birds explores the realities of colonialism and reconciliation.
Creative Team
Playwright – Yvette Nolan | Director – Michelle Olson | Assistant Director – Lynny Bonin | Stage Manager – Lucy McLachlan* | Set and Costume Design – Starlynn Chen | Assistant Costume Design – Sharon Dallas | Props Design – Emma Knox | Lighting Design – Hina Nishioka | Assistant Lighting Design – Hazel Ivy Ogden** | Sound Design – Kate De Lorme | Composition – Russell Wallace | Production Assistant – Anne Constance Osborne** | Fight Consultant – Mike Kovac | Voice and Dialect Coach – Brad Gibson
Music
- Journey Song – Russell Wallace
- Eagle Drum – Russell Wallace
- A Song for My Sister – Kobe Lim*
- Creation Story Song – Payton Gowdar*
Content advisories: use of haze, brief references to violence and sexual assault, coarse language
Run Time: approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes without an intermission
The Birds is produced by special arrangement with the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
*Current Acting Program student
**Current Production Program student
A Note From Michelle Olson, Director
From the moment I stepped into my first Indigenous-run rehearsal room over 20 years ago and subsequently traversing the landscape of my performance practice since then, I have arrived in the land of The Birds. Upon this arrival, I have unpacked a bundle that holds the values taught to me by my mentors, colleagues and elders. It is a joy to share this bundle with the cast and crew of Studio 58. They have all brought such care, respect and enthusiasm to this production. Yvette Nolan has invited us into a world that is grappling with the invasion of humans and the colonial legacy that trails behind them. Stretched out before us like hide on a frame, the story and its images scrape the hide clean, so we too can see the story of our country. I thank you for being here and being witness to this work.
Let us dream our way forward.
Cast & Crew
Cast
In alphabetical order by character:
Eagle – Keely Coleman (she/her)
Grackle/Poet – Kaliyana Denham-Rohlicek (she/her)
Grebe/Surveyor – Alex Christie (he/him)
Gulliver – Jacob Joseph (he/him)
Heron – Dre Zachary-Mattias Ayisi-Nyarko (he/him)
Hoopoe – Evan Makowecki (he/him)
Hummingbird – Ava Knight (she/they)
Jack – Kobe Lim (he/him)
Nightingale – Payton Gowdar (she/her)
Osprey/Priest – Alexander Markovina (he/him)
Oystercatcher – Christo Zouzoulas (he/him)
Pheasant/Lawyer – Joel Bakajika (he/him)
Raven – Irene Lozano-Garcia (she/her)
Robin/Agent – Linden Kienzle (she/her)
Sandpiper – Emma Tow (she/her)
Swan – Abby Anna Zacharias (she/her)
Woodpecker/Surveyor – Daniel Marte (he/him)
Understudy Cast List
Agent – Christo Zouzoulas (he/him)
Eagle – Abby Anna Zacharias (she/her)
Gulliver – Linden Kienzle (she/her)
Hoopoe – Alex Christie (he/him)
Jack – Christo Zouzoulas (he/him)
Lawyer – Abby Anna Zacharias (she/her)
Nightingale – Emma Tow (she/her)
Poet – Ava Knight (she/they)
Priest – Alex Christie (he/him)
Raven – Dre Zachary-Mattias Ayisi-Nyarko (he/him)
Sandpiper – Kaliyana Denham-Rohlicek (she/her)
Surveyor – Alexander Markovina (he/him)
Surveyor – Dre Zachary-Mattias Ayisi-Nyarko (he/him)
Crew
Studio 58 offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. The six terms of practical training consist of intensive classroom work as well as performance and backstage experience in productions. Production students and third term acting students operate sound, lighting and video and act as running crew and stage management.
Stage Management
Assistant Stage Managers – Amelia Kondor (she/her), Taylor Weeks (they/she)
Set & Paint
Set Crew Head – Megan McGregor (she/they)
Paint Crew Head – Gabriel Eum (he/him)
Crew – Christian Asimakos (he/him), Vada Collins (she/her), Micah Da Costa (he/him), Jordin Yewchuk (she/her)
Costumes
Crew Head – Kay Foord-Catterall (they/them)
Crew – Evangeline Facundo (she/her), Dayna Underhill (she/her), Rodrigo Vera (he/him)
Makeup
Crew Head – Aurora Maher (she/her)
Crew – Edan McLeod (she/her)
Props
Crew Head – Sappho Brown (they/them)
Crew – Rémy Amaya Humphreys (she/her), Kamryn Skye (she/her)
Lighting
Crew Head – Ava Joy (she/her)
Crew – Teresa Dacanay (she/her), Taya Girard (she/her), Jeremy Lin (he/him), Erin McLeod (she/her), Peter (he/him), Ren Sinclair (she/her), Preston Traynor (he/him)
Sound
Crew Head – Lucy Bennett (she/her)
Crew – Michael De Guzman (he/they)
Extreme
Crew Head – Sally Montgomerie (she/her)
Marketing
Crew Head – Tad Wicht (he/they)
Crew – Olivia Muir (she/her), Fraser Read (they/them)
Creative Team
Michelle Olson | Director
Michelle Olson is a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and the Artistic Director of Raven Spirit Dance. She studied dance and performance at the University of New Mexico, the Aboriginal Arts Program at the Banff Centre and was an Ensemble Member of Full Circle: First Nations Performance. Michelle works in areas of dance, theatre and opera as a choreographer, director, performer and movement coach. Her work has been seen on stages across Canada and most recently, overseas at the Kia Mau Festival in Aotearoa. She received her MFA in Directing from the UBC Theatre and Film Department and is a current faculty member at Langara’s Studio 58.
Lynny Bonin | Assistant Director
Lynny Bonin is a Métis actor and multidisciplinary artist from Manitoba, Treaty 1 Territory and the Homeland of the Red River Métis. She holds a B.A. (Honours) in Psychology and Theatre from the University of Manitoba and is a graduate of Studio 58.
Her recent work includes touring with Arts Club Theatre Company and Savage Society as Marie in You Used to Call Me Marie, as well as touring with Axis Theatre’s Where Have All the Buffalo Gone.
With a background in child psychology and a lifelong love of storytelling, Lynny brings thoughtfulness, curiosity and playfulness to her work. She is thrilled to be part of this production and to be working alongside such a talented group of artists.
Lucy McLachlan | Stage Manager
Lucy McLachlan is an actor from Vancouver, BC. She is grateful for the ability to live and work on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Lucy has a passion for physical theatre. She finds joy in bringing stories to life through movement and play. She is also deeply fascinated with how theatre functions behind the scenes. She is delighted to be stage managing her first show at Studio 58 for this production of The Birds. Her Studio 58 credits include Taxidermist’s Wife/Madam Opera (A Journal of the Plague Year), Antonia (Romeo and Juliet), Meg (Something May Come Down on You - Risky Nights) and Ensemble (Something Rotten!).
Starlynn Chen | Set and Costume Design
Starlynn Chen (she/her) is an emerging set and costume designer and a graduate of the Production Program at Studio 58.
Recent credits: set and costume design for Avenue Q (Metro Theatre), set design for Running Wilde (United Players), The Paper Bag Princess (Carousel Theatre), A Journal of the Plague Year (Studio 58), Jack and the Beanstalk (Metro Theatre) and Linck & Mülhahn (Studio 58); costume design for A Streetcar Named Desire and Peerless (ETC), The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium Light (Firehall Arts Centre), The Replacement Wife (United Players), The Odd Couple (Theatre NorthWest) and James and the Giant Peach (CTORA).
Her set and costume design for RENT (Metro Theatre) received the 2025 Ovation Award for Outstanding Set Design (Large Theatre).
Sharon Dallas | Assistant Costume Design
Sharon Dallas is an artist and professional theatre costumer, grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She graduated from Capilano University's Costuming for Stage & Screen program with distinction in 2023. Sharon is currently working as a costume designer, assistant costume designer and costume builder for theatre, with specialties in draping, pattern drafting, garment construction and costume research. It has been her sincere pleasure to help bring the world of The Birds to life with the wonderful staff and students at Langara's Studio 58.
Emma Knox | Props Design
Emma is a Vancouver-based props designer and fabricator with a background in mascot making. Her work focuses on crafting detailed, durable and functional objects that serve storytelling in live performance, with a particular love for puppet design and construction.
Emma holds a BFA in Technical Theatre & Design from the University of Lethbridge. Her design and production credits include: Props Designer for Moonweavings (Neworld Theatre), Petite Ondine (Théâtre la Seizième), Something Rotten!, A Journal of the Plague Year, Linck & Mülhahn and Into the Woods (Studio 58). As a Props Builder/Buyer, her credits include: Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B and Lionel Bart’s Oliver! (Gateway Theatre); La Bohème, The Garden of Alice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Pearl Fishers and HMS Pinafore (Vancouver Opera); Heathers: The Musical (Studio 58); and The Neverending Story, Curious George, Sister Act, Return to Treasure Island, The Giver, Goosebumps The Musical, Junie B. Jones and Into the Woods (Storybook Theatre).
Hina Nishioka | Lighting Design
Hina is a Japanese Canadian lighting designer for live entertainment and events based in Metro Vancouver and Southern Ontario. After Blue Stockings (2022), she is excited to work at Studio 58 again on the production of The Birds. In the past two seasons, she focused on developing her knowledge in lighting design by assisting designers such as Kevin Lamotte at the Shaw Festival (2025 & 2026 season). As a lighting designer, she has worked at Bard on the Beach, Belfry Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, Pacific Theatre and more. She holds a BFA in theatre from the University of Victoria.
To learn more about her work, please visit hinalighting.com
Hazel Ivy Ogden | Assistant Lighting Design
Hazel Ivy Ogden (any pronouns) is an aspiring lighting and costume designer who grew up in Squamish, BC, on the traditional and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation. Hazel fell in love with theatre working on community theatre shows in their hometown and has been exploring this passion ever since. She is a second-year Production student at Studio 58, where they were the lighting crew head for A Journal of the Plague Year. He is looking forward to assisting for the first time on The Birds! You can check them out on Instagram @hazel.ivy.ogden
Kate De Lorme | Sound Design
Kate De Lorme is a Vancouver-based sound artist and designer whose work spans contemporary dance, theatre, musicals and immersive performance. A graduate of the University of British Columbia (BFA, Theatre Design & Production), she integrates spatial sound, technology and environmental composition to create immersive sonic experiences. Kate co-founded Lobe Spatial Sound Studio and continues to work as a sound designer, audio systems consultant and creator of original spatial sound works. Previous works at Studio 58 include Baggage (2024) and The Time Machine (2025). Kate is delighted to return for The Birds. katedelorme.com
Russell Wallace | Composition
Russell Wallace is an award-winning composer, producer and traditional singer from the Stʼatʼimc and Lil’wat Nation. Wallace learned about traditional singing from his mom Flora Wallace from Xaxlip/Lil’wat. His music can be heard on soundtracks for film, television and theatre/dance productions across Canada and the U.S. Wallace received a Leo Award for best music for a documentary for his work on the TV series 1491. Wallace’s music has been performed internationally and was featured at Biennale Arte 2022, the 59th international art exhibition in Venice. Wallace works with many choirs in Vancouver and is currently the Director of Indigenous Vocal Ensemble at Vancouver Community College.
Anne Constance Osborne | Production Assistant
Anne Constance Osborne is a sixth-term Production student at Studio 58 and has been an active member of the theatre community for over a decade. Her theatrical experience spans multiple disciplines, including set design, stage management, sound design and lighting design. She is honoured to get this opportunity to work so closely with Pamela Jakobs as her Production Assistant. Previously at Studio 58, she has stage managed A Journal of the Plague Year and assistant set designed Something Rotten! This past summer she apprentice stage managed a production of Arsenic and Old Lace at the Globe Theatre in Regina. Her upcoming projects include stage managing Twelfth Night at Studio 58 and apprentice stage managing Evil Dead The Musical at the Globe next summer. She hopes you enjoy the performance.
Mike Kovac | Fight Consultant
A certified Fight Director and Instructor with Fight Directors Canada, Mike is also active in the film and television scene in Vancouver and across Canada. In between teaching stage combat at places like UBC, Capilano University and TRU (among others), Mike has a habit of getting beaten up in various forms of stage and screen.
Staff & Faculty
Meet the Team
Artistic Director – Paul Moniz de Sá (he/him)
Associate Director – Raes Calvert (he/him)
Communications and Marketing Manager – Halla Bertrand (she/her)
Production Manager (On Leave) – Ruth Bruhn (she/her)
Production Manager – Pamela Jakobs (she/her)
Technical Director (On Leave) – Kevin MacDonald (he/him)
Technical Director – Neil Tamboline (he/him)
Acknowledgements
We Extend Our Thanks
A big thank you to the following people, organizations and companies for supporting The Birds!:
- Rachel E. Ross – lighting support
- Emerenne Saefkow – scenic painting
- Scott Lee – supplies donation
- The Jane Heyman Fund for Creative Collaboration for supporting Russell Wallace’s work
- Kathryn Shaw – opening night cake sponsorship
- Anjali Mandapaka/Lynn Burton – Eagle staff. Courtesy of the UBC Theatre props department
