Programme – Program

PRODUCED WITH SPECIAL PERMISSION FROM HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS AND STANKÉ
CETTE PRODUCTION EST MONTÉE AVEC L’AUTORISATION SPÉCIALE DE HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS ET STANKÉ
CAST / DISTRIBUTION

JENNA BERENBAUM
KENDRA CHOMYN
GABRIELLE DUFRESNE
GABRIEL GOSSELIN
LANCELOT KNIGHT (MUSICIAN – GUITAR)
ANTONY SALISBURY (UNDERSTUDY)
 
CREW / ÉQUIPE
MACKENZINE DAWSON – CO-DIRECTOR / CO-METTEUR EN SCÈNE
LAURA NEGREAFF – CO-DIRECTOR / CO-METTEUR EN SCÈNE
DONOVAN SCHEIRER – MUSIC DIRECTOR AND COMPOSER / DIRECTION MUSICALE ET COMPOSITION
FRANK ENGEL – TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / DIRECTEUR TECHNIQUE
RICARDO ALVARADO – STAGE MANAGER / RÉGIE
JOEL BERNBAUM – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / DIRECTEUR ARTISTIQUE @ SUM THEATRE
BRUCE MCKAY – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / DIRECTEUR ARTISTIQUE @ LA TROUPE DU JOUR
YVETTE NOLAN – COMPANY DRAMATURGE SUM THEATRE / DRAMATURGE DE SUM THEATRE
ÉMI LEBEL – MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS @LA TROUPE DU JOUR
JUDITH SCHULZ – ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE AT SUM THEATRE / ASSISTANTE ARTISTIQUE À SUM THEATRE 
KRYSTLE PEDERSON – ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE SUM THEATRE / ASSISTANTE ARTISTIQUE À SUM THEATRE 
SYNOPSIS
The Hockey Sweater is based on a real experience Roch Carrier had in 1946 in his home town of Sainte-Justine, Quebec. The story centres on the obsession he and his friends had with the Montreal Canadiens’ organization and their star player, Maurice « The Rocket » Richard. His old sweater having worn out, Carrier’s mother seeks to replace it. She writes a letter to Eaton’s in French to order a new sweater from their English-only catalogue. When the package arrives, the young Carrier is horrified to discover the sweater of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs was sent by mistake.
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Le Chandail de hockey est basé sur une véritable expérience vécue par Roch Carrier en 1946 dans sa ville natale de Sainte-Justine, au Québec. L’histoire est centrée sur l’obsession que lui et ses amis avaient pour l’organisation des Canadiens de Montréal et leur joueur vedette, Maurice «The Rocket» Richard. Son vieux chandail d’équipe étant bien usé, la mère de Carrier cherche à le remplacer. Elle écrit une lettre à Eaton en français pour commander un nouveau chandail dans leur catalogue en anglais seulement. Lorsque le colis arrive, le jeune Carrier est horrifié de découvrir que le chandail du rival des Maple Leafs de Toronto a été envoyé par erreur.

CREW / ÉQUIPE

LAURA NEGREAFF
 CO-DIRECTOR / CO-METTEUR EN SCÈNE


Laura Negreaff (she/her) is a writer, director, performer, assistant stage manager, and educator who recently joined the Sum Theatre team as a producer/artistic associate. She holds a BA in English, a Masters of Educational Foundations from the University of Saskatchewan and an Advanced Certificate in Human Resources from SaskPolytechnic. After twelve years teaching Business at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, Laura is thrilled to be be combining her knowledge of business with her passion for community engagement and the arts. Laura has been an active volunteer with Saskatoon Summer Players for many years with select credits including, The Addams Family: A New Musical (director), Annie (Miss Hannigan), and Cabaret (Fräulein Kost). She has also worked with Ppl r Ppl Productions on Avenue Q (Assistant Stage Manager) and The Rocky Horror Show (Phantom). She is excited for the opportunity to share, learn, and create as part of the Sum Theatre team.

Mackenzie Dawson 
Co-Director / Co-metteur en scène

 

Born and raised in Saskatoon, Mac is proud to call the prairies home. He received his BFA in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan, and has since diversified his practice to include playwriting, direction, and stage management. Mac is grateful to play a role in Sum’s ongoing commitment to community-oriented art and radically-inclusive theatre-making. Projects with Sum Theatre include TheYoung Ones (Assistant Stage Manager) and The Hockey Sweater / Le Chandail (Co-Director).

Donovan Scheirer
Composer/Musical Director


Donovan (he/him) is a Saskatoon based theatre artist originally from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is a frequent collaborator with SUM Theatre, and wrote the music for their original adaptation of The Hockey Sweater. Donovan received the SATAward for best musical direction and outstanding composition for Two Corpses Go Dancing (Live Five). Donovan also works as a youth care worker with at-risk youth in the city of Saskatoon. He is also a proud uncle to two wonderful nephews. Past credits with SUM Theatre include Turn Turn Turn, The Young Ones, Theatre in the Pool, The Hockey Sweater, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, and Hercules. Stay safe, everyone!

Ricardo Alvarado
Stage Manager/ Régie

 

Ricardo Alvarado is a local theatre artist who believes in energy and music and colouring outside the lines. He is the co-founder of Ppl r Ppl Productions, a long time member of Artists Against Hunger, and spends his spare time playing with paint and pretending to be a grown up. This is Ricardo’s third season with SUM Theatre and his first with La Troupe du Jour. He is grateful for the opportunity to create with such a diverse group of artists on a regular basis. Past Credits: Persephone Theatre, SUM Theatre, Saskatoon Summer Players, Live Five, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, Greystone Theatre, and Saskatoon Opera. Up next, he’s directing and starring as Jeff in [Title of Show] for Ppl r Ppl Productions and getting ready to hit the parks in both Saskatoon and Regina with SUM’s Theatre in the Park this summer!

CAST / Distribution

Jenna Berenbaum 


An award-winning actress, Jenna holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan. Recent credits include J. Caesar, Midsummer, Titus. A puppet revenge, Merry Wives of Windsor, Comedy of Errors, As You Like It (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan), I and You (Globe Theatre), Jack and the Snow Queen (Dancing Sky Theatre), The Penelopiad (Ferre Play), The Wolves (Live Five/Little Big/EvilStick) and Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island (Persephone Theatre). In quarantine she has been writing and starring in her own YouTube series for kids called Labrastories! Check it out at YouTube: Labrastories.

Kenni Chomyn
 

Kenni Chomyn hails from Dalmeny, SK and is so happy to be back performing in Saskatchewan. Kenni grew up doing dance and theatre with Sask Express – Saskatoon before she moved to study at Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto, followed by getting her Masters of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre at Guildford School of Acting in England. She has taught theatre and dance classes from Saskatoon to Shanghai, China. Favourite past productions include leading the world premiere cast of The Country of the Blind, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Eileen Sherwood in Wonderful Town. Most recently, she was the Dance Captain of Saskatoon Summer Players production of The Addams Family. Kenni would like to thank her family and friends for their continuous support through her adventures and hopes you enjoy the show!

Gabriel Gosselin

 

Gabriel Gosselin is a theatre artist living in Saskatchewan for the last year-and-a-half or so. He is now Administrative Director and Co-General Manager of La Troupe du Jour, Saskatchewan’s French theatre company. He has worked as an actor, director, writer, dramaturg, improviser, and, occasionally, as a stand-up comedian over the last twenty years. The rant format is not new to him, as he has commented on current events in the Franco-Manitoban and Fransaskois communities through his satirical news programme, Café Froid.

Gabrielle Dufresne 


Gabrielle Dufresne is a Fransaskois actor and theatre artist from Regina, now based in Saskatoon. When not onstage, you can find her writing, creating, working as AD for the Tic Toc TEN Festival, or teaching French theatre workshops in schools around the province with La Troupe du Jour. She is very happy to be able to lace up her dusty skates for this wonderful production, her first with SUM Theatre!

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Gabrielle Dufresne est une commédienne et artiste de théâtre Fransaskoise de Regina, maintenant basée à Saskatoon. Lorsque’elle n’est pas sur scène, vous la trouverez en train d’écrire, de dessiner, de travailler comme directrice artistique du festival Tic Toc TEN, et d’enseigner des ateliers de théâtre partout dans la province avec La Troupe du Jour. Elle est très reconnaissante de pouvoir épousseter ses vieux patins et de monter sur la glace pour cette belle production, sa première avec SUM Theatre!

Lancelot Knight 
Musician/Guitar


Lancelot Knight is a singer songwriter. He has toured in Germany, New Zealand and across North America. Spanning genres and all forms of artistry, He also plays guitar for his fathers band Chester Knight and the wind, and was nominated for a Juno, through the guitar work created on Joey Stylez album « The Blackstar ». He also plays guitar on the upcoming Tomson Highway’s Musical, Lynx Lamour goes to Nashville! Lancelot Knight Recently co-created, composed the music for the play Reasonable Doubt.

Antony Salisbury
Understudy


Antony is very excited to be able to sing, act and skate en français et en anglais in this fun adaptation of Roch Carrier’s classic beloved story. He is a 13 year-old 8th grader at École St. Matthew. Credits: Elf: The Musical (Persephone Theatre), The Addams Family, SSP’s Got Talent, Annie (Saskatoon Summer Players). He would like to thank all of his hockey and dance coaches, teachers as well as his family and friends. Amusez-vous bien!

SUM THEATRE & LA TROUPE DU JOUR

JOEL BERNBAUM
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / DIRECTEUR ARTISTIQUE @ SUM THEATRE


Joel Bernbaum is an actor, director, playwright, journalist and the founding artistic director of Sum Theatre in Saskatoon. He is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts and Carleton University, where he did his Master’s Thesis on Verbatim Theatre’s Relationship to Journalism. Produced plays include Operation Big Rock, My Rabbi and Home Is A Beautiful Word. Previously for Sum Theatre, Joel has performed in Alice in Wonderland and The Pied Piper and has directed Hercules, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Nutana Talks, The Hockey Sweater, Theatre in the Pool: Earth Diver, Queen Seraphina and the Land of Vertebraat and The Young Ones. Joel is currently a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, where he is investigating the potential of theatre companies to strengthen cities. Upcoming productions include Reasonable Doubt (Persephone Theatre) and The Refugee Project (Belfry Theatre).

Bruce Mckay
Artistic director / Directeur artistique @ La Troupe du Jour

 

Originally from Sackville, New Brunswick, Bruce earned a B.A. in French and Drama from Mount
Allison University, then continued his training at the National Theatre School of Canada. Credits
include Will et Ernest, Et le reflet de notre lune dansera (La Troupe du Jour), The Young Ones (Sum
Theatre), Monday Night (Highway 55), Death of a Salesman (Theatre Naught), Where It Hurts
(Chasing Our Tales), Henry IV (YXE Shakespeare Lab ), Chickens (Rosthern Station Arts Centre),
Short Cuts (Hardly Art), Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan). Bruce
received Saskatoon and Area Theatre Awards for his performances in Will et Ernest and Death of a
Salesman. He lives in Saskatoon with his wonderful partner Cheryl Jack and their canine friends Bryn
and Keela. Bruce is Artistic Director of La Troupe du Jour.

YVETTE NOLAN
COMPANY DRAMATURGE SUM THEATRE / DRAMATURGE DE SUM THEATRE

Yvette Nolan (Algonquin) is a playwright, director and dramaturg. Her work with Sum Theatre includes Thicker Than Water, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Queen Seraphina and the Land of Vertebraat, The Young Ones and Last Sunday. Other work includes The Tempest (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan), Reasonable Doubt (Perspehone), The Unplugging (Arts Club; Factory; GTNT), the dance-opera Bearing (Signal Theatre), and the libretto Shawnadithit (Tapestry Opera). Her book, Medicine Shows, about Indigenous performance in Canada was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2015. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Policy at Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.

JUDITH SCHULZ
ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE AT SUM THEATRE / ASSISTANTE ARTISTIQUE À SUM THEATRE


Judith Schulz (she/her) is a theatre designer and practitioner who has a passion for creating theatre with technology and movement and making stories come to life. Recent credits include: « Playhouse Creatures » (Set, Greystone Theatre), « Rooftops » (Lighting, DSA production), “The Wolves” (Stage Manager, EvilStick/littleBig), “This Is Not That Festival” (Set/Production Manager, 25th Street), “La Vie Apres le Hockey” (Lighting, La Troupe du Jour). Judith is also a founding member of SightLine Designs Inc., a theatre design company in Saskatoon.

KRYSTLE PEDERSON
ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE SUM THEATRE / ASSISTANTE ARTISTIQUE À SUM THEATRE

Krystle Pederson is a Cree/Metis Actor, singer, songwriter with an outstanding career performing all across North America and New Zealand. Krystle’s list of acting credits include: The (Post) Mistress, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Gabriel Dumont Wild West Show, Penelopiad, and Reasonable Doubt. Krystle is the lead vocalist for Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville a one-woman Cree musical written and composed by Tomson Highway. Krystle has used her time off during the pandemic to focus on her music. Krystle will be heading into the studio in the fall and will be releasing her first EP in the beginning of 2021.