Chrysothemis Program

Chrysothemis by Meg Braem Cast: Clytemnestra (The Queen) ……………….…..Alexis Moore Chrysothemis (The Queen’s Daughter) ………………..Amelia Kuntz Electra (The Queen’s younger Daughter) ………………..Sydney Stiles Cassandra (Trojan Woman) ………………... Teagan Goerz Young Man ….………………. Griffin Wadelius Aegisthus (Clytemnestra’s Partner, King Agamemnon’s Cousin) ………………... Randy Ritz Vendor ………………... Chenuse Aitchedji Young Soldier …………………. Remy Ntongho Shopper and Palace Servant ………………... Emma Bleau Chorus of Citizens Ancient Ones ………. Amara Bell, Israa Hussein, Carolina Belloc Janke, and Jobandeep Singh Middle Ones ………. Carlene Lloyd, Daniel Medema and Ananya Tripathi Youngest Ones ………. Casey Hawkings, Maria Pottle and Rhyll Chrysolite Velasquez

Artistic Team Director Patricia Darbasie

Lighting Operator Olivia Jackson

Production Designer & Technical Director Josiah Hiemstra

Design Assistant Calli Mitchel

Movement Coaching Glenda Stirling

Scenic Painter Amy Powell

Wardrobe Betty Kolodziej

Publicity and Front of House Ashley Oloske

Fight Choreography JP Fournier

Hair and Make-up Sainthavi Iyer

Stage Manager Kristin McLagan

Poster Design Aaron Parker

Assistant Stage Managers Rubi-Ann Armson and River Buhler TIME: Ancient Greece. Greece has just won the Trojan War. Chrysothemis was commissioned by the University of Alberta Theatre Department and is the winner of the 2020 Alberta Playwriting Competition. Chrysothemis received its world premiere in December 2020.

We wish to acknowledge that the land on which we gather and create is Treaty 6 territory, and a traditional meeting ground and home for many Indigenous peoples, including Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, and Nakota Sioux Peoples.

Director’s Notes This story is over 2000 years old and yet the people in the story still resonate with modern audiences.

What is the right thing to do when you have been wronged? Do the laws of the land not apply to you because of a change in circumstance? What is it like to come out of a time of isolation and hardships?

I feel that this is the perfect play to do coming out of a pandemic - where our world was turned upside down. We now have the visceral experience for some of the things that these people lived through over the time of their ten year war.

How do people return to ‘normal’ after such extreme times?

I'm so glad that Meg wrote this play from the perspective of the often forgotten daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, giving a different yet credible glimpse of this historic family. A family’s story differs depending on who is telling the story and yet somehow the family still gels.

The students of Concordia have embraced the challenge of telling this ancient story with its modern overtones and we are so happy that you have come to share our journey. We hope you come away with a new perspective on this story and an appreciation for why we tell these old stories.

Enjoy the show!

Special Thanks Edmonton Opera, Opera Nuova, Gabby Keizer, JP Fournier, Cassidy Hoekstra, stagecraft students in DRAMA 276, CUE’s Marketing team, Tix on the Square, Dr. Danielle Lisboa, Jill Fraser-Bittner, Tyrion Hiemstra.

Company Biographies Chenuse Aitchedji - Vendor Chenuse is an eccentric international second year student at Concordia. Majoring in theatre, and minoring in history. Chenuse’ love of the ancient world melds well with Chrysothemis' ancient Greek aesthetic. With a talent for the comedic, having performed in absurdist comedies such as The Universal Language by David Ives, and renditions of Monty Python’s Flying Circus skits, he also danced with the ensemble in last year's performance of Tuck Everlasting! Chenuse is jumping into his role as the comical Vendor with energy and pizazz, while trying to lean into that ancient Greek majesty. Having jumped from a small theatre class back in his previous school, Chenuse is foreign to a cast and crew constituting more than 6 people, nevertheless, he’s had a great time being a part of such a large cast. Fun Fact! Chenuse has lived in over 7 countries, and has had a blast trying to peddle his goods while impersonating various different merchants from around the world. Together he and the rest of the cast and crew are excited to bring Chrysothemis to Concordia's stage!

Rubi-Ann Armson - Assistant Stage Manager Rubi-Ann is Assistant Stage Manager in charge of Props. She is from Sucker Creek First Nations and is currently in her third year at CUE. In High School Rubi-Ann did Cyrano de Bergerac, Nobody Sleeps, Tom Jones, Memory and Jane Eyre. Her favourite part of the production has been learning a side of theatre that is new to her. Learning how important these backstage roles are to theatre and getting to know people. A fun fact about Rubi-Ann is that she has 8 siblings and 6 of them are brothers. She would like to remind the audience to appreciate the people behind the scenes!

Amara Bell - Chorus (Ancient) Hi all, I’m Amara, and I am playing the role of one of the Ancients. I grew up in Barrhead, Alberta, not that any of you know where that is. This is my third year at Concordia. I'm majoring in Drama and minoring in Early Childhood Education. I’m also the vice president of operations for the Concordia drama club. Last year I was on the advertising team for Concordia’s production of Tuck Everlasting. The top three roles that I have played are Rosie from Mamma Mia, Narrator from Cinderella, and Wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast. Chrysothemis will be the 9th production that I have gotten to act in. I am also currently working on a short film that will premiere in the winter term. My favourite moment from rehearsals woas when we all decided in what order our characters would die in a zombie apocalypse. My character would die fifth, if you were wondering, so go me for not being first, but I am also sad that I die so soon. I guess I'm just too nice to die later. That's all I have to say, so enjoy the show.

Emma Bleau - Shopper and Palace Servant Emma is from a small city, out past Edmonton, called Camrose. This is her second year at CUE and she is loving it. Emma has been acting for about 6 years without the Covid break and she is so happy to be back. Emma has been involved in many other shows such as musicals and straight plays.

Some of her favorite memories from the play were the tech call times.

There were some funny moments that she will never forget. This is Emma’s first ever performance at CUE and she can’t wait for further performances!

Emma is a bubbly outgoing person and the stage is her second home. Emma feels most comfortable there and loves doing it!

Meg Braem - Playwright Meg is an Alberta based playwright and dramaturg. Her plays have been nominated for a Governors General’s Literary Award and won the Alberta Literary Award for Drama, the Alberta Playwriting Competition and Playwright Theatre Centre's “The News Competition”. Most recently, Meg premiered Chrysothemis at the University of Alberta and her play The Josephine Knot was published by Playwrights Canada Press. Meg is co-author of Amplify: Graphic Narratives of Feminist Resistance (University of Toronto Press, 2019) with Norah Bowman and Dominique Hui. Meg spent three years in Edmonton as the Lee Playwright in Residence and was the 2020/2021 Canadian Writer-in-Residence as part of the Calgary Distinguished Writer's Program at the University of Calgary. Her play Flight Risk will be published in the Brave and Brilliant series at the University of Calgary Press. Meg is the 2022 Author-in-Residence at the Calgary Public Library.

River Buhler - Assistant Stage Manager River is an assistant stage manager in Chrysothemis. They are a cellist in their second year of a Music Concentration here at CUE and a Drama minor. They are from Grande Prairie and have been in Little Shop of Horrors and Annie, and was in the orchestra for The Addams Family. This is their first show as an ASM, besides jumping in last fall for shows of CUE’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and they are hoping to do more tech work while attending Concordia.

Patricia Darbasie - Director Pat is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting and MFA Directing programs. Pat’s directing credits include: Her thesis show Ribbon, a one -woman show about Amber Valley that she wrote and performed at Studio Theatre, Henry V and The Ash Girl at Concordia University of Edmonton and The Domino Heart at the Edmonton Fringe.

The Syringa Tree, another one -woman show, she directed using voice techniques from her year of Voice Pedagogy at York University. Mesa for Atlas Theatre at the Varscona Theatre. Pat was the assistant director on The Color Purple pre-pandemic at the Citadel. Last summer Pat reopened the Citadel’s Shoctor theatre when she directed Heaven. Last fall Pat returned to Studio Theatre to direct God of Carnage with some of the BFA graduating class. Pat ended the season at Shadow Theatre with a production of The Mountain Top. And this summer Pat made her debut at the Mayfield Dinner theatre with Sexy Laundry. Pat is happy to be back at Concordia with the Greeks - enjoy the show!

Teagan Goerz - Cassandra Teagan is a second year drama and music student from Spruce Grove. She has been in several musical productions with her high school and most recently, Tuck Everlasting, here at Concordia. Chrysothemis will be the first non-musical play that Teagan has been a part of. Her favourite memory from rehearsals is when Remy instinctively threw a pillow at her face because he got so into the scene. A fun fact about Teagan is that she can speak gibberish. Teagan is super excited to be in this show and get the opportunity to play such an iconic character that is so different from anything that she has played before.

Casey Hawkings - Chorus (Youngest) Casey is from Airdrie, Alberta and is currently in her first year at CUE. Although she hasn't been involved in any other shows here at CUE, Casey has always had a passion for acting including: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Alice Through the Looking Glass, as well as so many others! Her favourite moment from this production, so far, has been getting to know the other chorus members. A fun fact about Casey is that she is great at pogo sticking and is actually able to do tricks. She also loves to travel and hopes that acting will be able to help her travel more!

Josiah Hiemstra – Production Designer and Technical Director Josiah is the Technical Director for the Al and Trish Huehn Theatre and an instructor for the Concordia Drama Department. He has a BFA in Technical Production from the U of A and is a member of IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. His credits include, Head Electrician for Freewill Shakespeare in the Park, Venue Technician for The Edmonton International Fringe Festival and the St. Albert Children’s Festival.

Josiah has done many school tours with Concrete Theatre, a company producing theatre for young audiences. Josiah currently works as production designer and technical director for all of the mainstage productions at Concordia including: The Secret Garden, Dido and Aeneas, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Urinetown, Waxworks, as well as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Tuck Everlasting this past year. Josiah also designed lights for All Shook Up at Mayfield Dinner Theatre and Bluebirds with Wishbone Theatre. Josiah continues to pursue his professional career while working with new and returning students at CUE; introducing them to the massive world of technical theatre and design.

Israa Hussein - Chorus (Ancient) Israa (also known as Izzy) is a third year at Concordia University of Edmonton and is majoring in English and minoring in Drama. Israa Is excited to take on the role of an actor as one of the Ancients and to embrace her inner “old soul”. Despite her passionate love of theatre, this is actually one of Israa’s first times in a proper play and her first experience on stage. Between her love of literature/ writing and theatre, she is excited for this opportunity and excited to be a part of more to come. A fun fact about Izzy is that she is a writer in Concordia’s school newspaper and loves all animals! The friendlier the better! She has enjoyed and loved being a part of this production and making new friends along the way and sincerely hopes you enjoy the show!

Sainthavi Iyer - Hair and Makeup Sainthavi is a fourth year psychology student at Concordia University of Edmonton and Eveline Charles Makeup Artistry Graduate. She has worked in the beauty industry for over 5 years as a freelance bridal makeup artist and has been the lead artist in various dance productions.

Olivia Jackson - light and projection operator Olivia is a fourth year student at CUE working on her BA degree in psychology and minoring in drama. She has always had a passion for theater from a young age. Olivia has also been a competitive Cheerleader since she was 8. She was the stage manager for her high school’s productions of A Few Good Men and The Drowsy Chaperone. She was also in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night as Mrs. Sheers and the Cue 100 Cabaret here at Concordia. What Olivia loves about theater is the collaboration with all different members of the team and seeing everything come together at the end. Her favorite Musicals consist of Heather’s, West Side Story, and Mama Mia.

Carolina Belloc Janke - Ancient (Chorus) Carolina is an international exchange student from Brazil and only just began attending Concordia at the end of August! Throughout her adolescent years, Carolina remained extremely active in the theatre. She performed in plays, such as A Galinha Xadrez, which translates to The Plaid Chicken (Carolina was the chicken!). More recently, Carolina was involved in the production of the Brazilian show Incômodo, which translates to Discomfort in English. A fun fact about Carolina is that she loves to watch television series, as well as speaking with people on the phone, while taking her showers! Carolina’s biggest dream is to become a writer. She loves to write poetry and fictional stories!

Betty Kolodziej - Costumes Betty Kolodziej became involved with costumes while getting her voice opera degree from University of Alberta. Since then she has worked as costume co-ordinator, builder and/or designer for numerous theatre groups including Concrete Theatre, Concordia University, Keyano Theatre, Red Deer College and Beaumont High School. She was the costumer for Kompany! Dance and Edmonton Musical Theatre for over 20 years and has been the in-house costumer for Opera Nuova for 22 years. Besides her costuming work she has been a member of the Edmonton Opera chorus for over 30 years.

Amelia Kuntz - Chrysothemis Amelia is a drama major and an English minor in her second year at Concordia.

You may have seen her last fall in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime or in her hometown of Sherwood Park where she performed in high school productions, such as: Bring it On and Diary of Anne Frank. Amelia loves her little interactions with the chorus or any family scene and she always smiles when she thinks about how people kept trying to make her break during early rehearsals. A fun fact about Amelia is that she loves rollerblading.

She hopes you enjoy the show as much as she does!

Carlene Lloyd - Chorus (Middle) Carlene is a second-year student at Concordia who is majoring in drama and minoring in English. She is one of the Middle Chorus. Carlene went to high school at Thorhild Central School and has had an interest in drama and performing arts since grade seven. This is her second show at Concordia, her first being Tuck Everlasting. After university, she is hoping to become a voice actor, but if that doesn’t work out, to come back for an education after-degree and become a drama teacher. Some of her favourite moments from rehearsing Chrysothemis are getting to know her fellow cast members and putting together a backstory for her character. Something that could be considered a fun fact about myself is that I’m from a farming community, born and raised. Yeehaw!

Kristin McLagan - Stage Manager Kristin is in her third year at Concordia, she is majoring in drama and her minor is in education. She has been involved with theatre programs for 12 years where she acted and danced. In high school she changed directions and started working backstage, specifically sewing and creating costumes for performances such as Into The Woods, Chicago, and Sister Act. She has also been involved in productions at CUE such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night and Tuck Everlasting where she was an assistant stage manager and helped create props. She’s thrilled to have the opportunity to step into her first role as Stage Manager for this production and would like to thank all who were involved for their hard work, support and determination in putting together a great show.

Daniel Medema - Chorus (middle) Daniel is a first year drama major at Concordia and he is playing the middle chorus! He was born in Lac La Biche, Alberta but has moved over 36 times so he just calls Canada home. He has been involved in a few shows in his life, mostly musicals, like She loves Me, Big Fish, Newsies (as a co-director), and some other plays and one acts (This is a play, Never Swim Alone, Almost, Maine.) If Daniel had to pick just one favorite memory from this amazing cast he would have to say the rehearsals in which he got to know his fellow cast members or getting to know them outside of the play! Did you know that Daniel took a year off school just to learn how to be a chef and run a kitchen?

He hopes you enjoy the show as much as Amelia does. Because that is slightly more than him. Critics Reviews: “Daniel brings an energy and force to the stage that Concordia has rarely seen.”

Calli Mitchell - Assistant Designer Calli is from Slave Lake, Alberta. She started attending Concordia in the fall of 2019 and is currently in her 4th year! This is the first show that Calli has been involved in and her favourite part of being involved in the show has been having the opportunity to get to know and work alongside others! A fun fact about Calli is that she has a twin brother!

Alexis Moore - Clytemnestra Alexis is super excited to be playing the character of Clytemnestra in this year's production of Chrysothemis. Alexis was raised in Sherwood Park but recently moved to Edmonton. She is in her third and final year of her Bachelor of Arts in Drama here at Concordia. She has only acted in a couple shows in high school, including a one act and playing Norma Gordon in Flowers for Algernon in grade 12. Even though she doesn't have a ton of experience, she loves acting and wants to pursue a career in it after she graduates. Alexis has had lots of fun getting to know her fellow actors and the crew while working on Chrysothemis. She has enjoyed working together with everyone to help bring this show to life. The process has taught her a lot about acting and all the different elements that come together to make a production. A fun fact about Alexis is that she loves to travel, and went to Ireland this past summer with her sister. She hopes you enjoy the show as much as she has enjoyed working on it.

Remy Ntongho - The Soldier Remy is nineteen years old and is currently in his second semester at Concordia, where he is pursuing an English major. Remy was born in Cameroon but subsequently moved to Montreal when he was three years old. Remy lived there for roughly six-and-a-half years before finally moving to Edmonton. Remy realized he liked acting when he was in the eighth grade, after he decided to take part in a drama elective. Remy later attended St. Joseph High-School, where he quickly became part of the drama community. Remy joined the improv team, took drama classes, and took part in two productions, namely Murder Inn and High School Musical.

He also recalls doing a weird puppet-style production based on Hansel & Gretel back when he was in elementary school but it is more of a fever dream than a tangible experience at this point. As for his favorite memory from this production, Remy would have to say that it would be the first time he got to perform his final scene without looking at his script. It was just so incredibly gratifying and cathartic and he was very proud of himself at that moment. A fun fact about Remy is that he would actually love to be a journalist someday! He dedicates a lot of his spare time to writing about different things that interest him, especially film and music. Experiencing and discussing art is Remy's favorite thing, and he hopes you are able to have a good experience viewing and discussing the play we have designed for you today!

Ashley Oloske - Publicity/FOH

Ashley is an enthusiastic third-year student at Concordia University of Edmonton and is majoring in drama and minoring in education. Ashley has taken on the role of publicity, as well as front of house, for this production but she hasn’t always worked behind the scenes! In high school, Ashley participated in a one-act festival, performing in the one-act play Tracks' by Peter Tarsi. Ashley, along with her fellow cast mates, went on to win the festival and later performed the show at provincials, in Red Deer! A fun fact about Ashley is that she is both a figure skater and football player! She has really enjoyed being a part of this production and thanks you all for coming to watch the show!

Maria Pottle - Chorus (Youngest) Maria hails from Myrnam, Alberta and is playing one of the Youngest in Chrysothemis.

Maria is in her fourth year of a BA in music and drama at Concordia University of Edmonton. Her love of performing started with her first performance at age six and has continued from there. This is Maria’s second show at CUE and is excited to share it with you.

When she isn’t at rehearsal you can find her singing, doing homework, or playing with her many nieces. Fun fact, reviewers say that “Pottle is pretty cool” ~Ryan M. Mackney.

Randy Ritz - Aegisthus Randy is a Sterling Award nominated “Best Actor” and a nominee for “Best Production” for Freud’s Last Session presented at Edmonton’s Fringe Festival. He has performed in Dallas, Berlin, Beijing, and at least twice in Thorsby, AB. As a director, he has over forty drama productions staged—many of them national in scope (including a few at Concordia Theatre). Randy has been an author for Standard Publishing, has produced two independent feature films and is a passionate Educator and Speaker Coach. In a former life Dr. Randy Ritz served as Builder and Chair of the Drama Program at Concordia University of Edmonton. Dr Ritz is delighted to be back on stage–only his second time as an actor in a CUE production— and is proud of the fact that it only took him five attempts to pronounce his character name correctly. In his spare time Randy likes to soar on Pigeon Lake in his Siren 17 sailboat and play passionate guitar with his blues band called ... Dr Blu.

Jobandeep Singh - Chorus (Ancient) Joban is playing one of the Ancients. He is from Ferozpur, Punjab, India. He has been studying at CUE for three years, as a drama major. This is the very first show he is performing in and he feels very excited and lucky to be in Chrysothemis.

Glenda Stirling - Movement Coach Glenda Stirling is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Drama program.

Glenda has taught acting, movement, directing, devising, play analysis and directed student productions at Mount Royal University, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and Red Deer College as well as at CUE. Some student productions include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Blithe Spirit, Bloody Poetry, Beyond Therapy, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Glenda has worked professionally across the country directing, choreographing and writing; working at Ship’s Company Theatre in Nova Scotia, The Shaw Festival in Ontario, The Globe Theatre in Saskatchewan, The Calgary Opera and Alberta Theatre Projects. Her plays include The Shopaholic Trilogy for Lunchbox Theatre, Dark Isle for The Globe Theatre and Lillibet for Ship’s Company Theatre. Glenda is also a Certified Movement Analyst (Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, NY) working with performers and corporate clients to develop more supported functional and expressive movement. Glenda is the former Artistic Director of Lunchbox Theatre and former Curriculum Director for Artstrek and holds an M.F.A in Theatre Studies from the University of Calgary and a B.A in Drama from the University of Alberta.

Sydney Stiles - Electra Sydney is a second-year psychology major and drama minor at Concordia. She had previously done sound tech for last year's productions, Tuck Everlasting and The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nighttime. Sydney has acted all throughout her childhood and she is so excited to get back into the theatre after covid shut most things down. Her favourite part of this production is all the lovely people she has had the pleasure of working with, they are all such sweet and talented humans. A fun fact about Sydney is that she has a hairless guinea pig named Daisy and that most people just know her as the naked guinea pig lady. Sydney had so much fun working on this play and is so excited to put on this show!

Ananya Tripathi - Chorus (Middle) My name is Ananya Tripathi. I am a first year student in the bachelor of management program. I play one of the Middle Chorus roles. This is my first production at CUE. I love theatre and am thrilled to be part of the production of Chrysothemis. My most favorite moment from this production is playing cards with friends during lunch breaks.

Rhyll Chrysolite Velasquez - Chorus (Youngest) Rhyll is from Edmonton, Alberta and has been attending CUE since 2018. She is a drama major and education minor. Her favorite moment from the production is in scene 3 when the Youngest notices the young man and tries to flirt with him! Rhyll has only ever gone to one show while in high school and a fun fact about Rhyll is that she was born in Libya, Africa and likes chocolate. She also loves to do art, especially painting, in her spare time!

Griffin Wadelius - Young man Young Man is played by Griffin from The Pas, Manitoba located on the 53rd parallel which is 625km north of Winnipeg. He has taken part in a number of theatre productions such as Pirates of Penzance (Policeman), Anne of Green Gables (Gilbert), Grease (Eugene), Cinderella (Portia/Step Sister), and Les Misérables (Gavroche). He has also acted as the “Hitler Youth Deserter” in the short film The Tomahawk (2022) directed by Stephen Bignell and Sturla Gunnarsson. Griffin loves traveling to new places and gaining new experiences such as on an exchange to Ottawa for Rotory’s “Adventure in Citizenship” where he had the chance to renew his citizenship and meet both the Speaker of the House and various other politicians. Before the COVID pandemic, he spent a year in Lingen, a town in the German state of Niedersachsen on a Rotary exchange learning a new language and experiencing the history and culture.

While in Germany he played hockey in Rheine, Westfalen as the goalie and attended school where he met many new friends. Griffin has had the passion to perform and to be on the stage ever since participating in a talent show when he was in kindergarten which kickstarted his love for acting and performing. He aspires to be an actor in Film/TV and loves acting on the stage for various theatre productions. If he isn’t working as a hockey referee or in hospital admission, he is enjoying one of his hobbies such as hockey, airsoft, or video games. Before University, Griffin had attended acting classes at The International Music Camp (IMC) at the Peace Gardens and at Manitoba’s Theatre for Young People in Winnipeg.

After graduating in 2019 from Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute in The Pas, Griffin came to Concordia University of Edmonton to get his Bachelor of Arts in Drama with an English Minor and is currently in his first year. Some of his

favourite moments from the production of Chrysothemis have been gaining new friends by meeting many new people in the cast & crew as well as learning new acting techniques which will help him on his journey in becoming an professional actor.