The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the Author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: http://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists
“Witness for the Prosecution” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Witness for the Prosecution show sponsors
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the cast
(in alphabetical order)
Rais Clarke-Mendes (Clerk of the Court/The Other Woman)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Returning, Reshaping, Re (Obsidian Theatre); The House That Will Not Stand, Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery of The Human Heart, The Apple Cart, and The Shadow of a Doubt (Shaw Festival). Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC). Rais is a proud graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Alongside her acting, Rais is engaged in arts education and programming through her work with the Nia Centre for the Arts. Rais is grateful to be a part of this process and to bring this thrilling play to life!
Eric Craig (Plain Clothes Detective/Thomas Clegg/Policeman)
Drayton Entertainment: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Kiss Me Kate, Evita, The Prom. Other theatre (selected): Pride and Prejudice (Grand); Stick Around (Here for Now); Paradise Square (Original Broadway Cast); Matilda (1st National); Sunday in the Park with George (Eclipse Theatre); Intimate Apparel (WJT); The Secret Garden (Theatre Calgary); Fun Home, Pride and Prejudice (Arts Club); Hamlet (SLSC); The Last Five Years (Angelwalk); Edges (Musical Stage). TV/Film: The Handmaid’s Tale, Workin’ Moms, Good Witch, Reign, Murdoch Mysteries. Far more importantly, Eric is a proud dad and husband. Thanks and love to Penny, as always. www.ericcraig.ca
Patrick Galligan (Sir Wilfred Roberts, QC)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Patrick is delighted to be making his debut with Drayton Entertainment at the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge in this exciting production of one of Agatha Christie’s best mysteries. A veteran of the Shaw Festival, where he has appeared in over forty productions, Patrick recently played Undershaft in Major Barbara (Shaw Festival) and multiple roles in GNIT (Shaw Festival), an adaptation of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. He has also performed in Oslo, King Charles III, NSFW (Studio 180); Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale (Groundling Theatre); War Horse (Mirvish Productions/National Theatre of Great Britain); The Misanthrope, Courageous (Tarragon Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Soulpepper); and Saint Joan (Chicago Shakespeare), among others.
JJ Gerber (Inspector Hearnes/Policeman)
Drayton Entertainment: Wizard of Oz, A Few Good Men, Anne of Green Gables, Priscilla. Other theatre: Wait Until Dark, Blues for an Alabama Sky, My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Clearing, Damn Yankees (Shawfest); Hairspray (Theatre Aquarius); Chicago (Globe Theatre); Guys and Dolls (Capitol Theatre); Anne of Green Gables, Jesus Christ Superstar (Charlottetown Theatre); Mamma Mia! (Citadel); Grease (Winter Garden Theatre); A Chorus Line, Hypochondriac (Stratford Festival); Parade (Lincoln Center). FILM/TV: My Little Pony G5, Transformers: BotBots, Hello Luna, Never Doubt I Love Blues Clues, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Take Note, Ollie’s Pack, RocKids TV. MUSIC: @JonoJosh on streaming platforms.
David Jansen (Mr. Myers, QC)*
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre (selected): Sense and Sensibility (RMTC); Love and Information, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale (Canadian Stage); The Ugly One, Alice’s Affair (Tarragon); Ubuntu (Citadel, PTE, Tarragon); Cloud 9 (Mirvish Productions); Moon for the Misbegotten, Little Foxes, A Month in the Country, The Circle, Design for Living (Shaw Festival); Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cherry Orchard, As You Like It, Death of a Salesman (Stratford Festival). David is also a director, educator, and proud father of Nora and Molly. He lives with his wonderful partner Alix Sideris in Toronto and sends big love and thanks to all three!
*Fight Captain
Claire Jullien (Mrs. Janet MacKenzie/Mrs. Brogan-Moore for the Defense)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Over 40 productions and 26 seasons with the Shaw and Stratford Festivals; Screwball Comedy (The Foster Festival); Middletown (Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre); King Lear (Lincoln Center Theater); Blithe Spirit, An Inspector Calls (Theatre Aquarius); The Turn Of The Screw, Miracle On 34th Street, A Streetcar Named Desire, Einstein’s Gift (The Grand Theatre); The Homecoming, Medea (RMTC); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (Festival Of Classics). Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC); Elizabeth Rex (Rhombus Media). I am grateful for my beautiful family, my amazing kids, Liam & Anwen and my always supportive partner, Tom.
Ron Kennell (Carter/Mr. Justice Wainwright)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Fresh off his debut at The Shaw Festival where he appeared in Major Barbara and Tons of Money, Ron Kennell proudly makes his debut at Drayton Entertainment. A ten-year member of the Stratford Festival, he spent two seasons at The National Arts Centre, toured with Theatre New Brunswick in The Boat and performed the role of Tracy Mills in The Legend of Georgia McBride at the Arts Club. He is a two-time Dora Award nominee, a screenwriter and playwright and the first of the R’ongovian race of aliens on Star Trek Strange New Worlds.
Lawrence Libor (Leonard Vole)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (The Royal Alexandra Theatre/Mirvish, Crow’s Theatre); One Man, Two Guvnors (Shaw Festival); The Play That Goes Wrong (Charlottetown Festival); ONCE (Citadel Theatre); Cabaret (The Grand Theatre); American Idiot (West End). Screen credits: Star Trek (Paramount); TakeNote (NBC); FrankieDrakeMysteries (CBC). Lawrence is overjoyed to be making his Drayton Entertainment debut, returning to the provocative world of Agatha Christie in this incredible production! Originally from the UK, Lawrence has been working and exploring as an actor in Canada for the past eight years. Instagram - @lawrencelibor
Marla McLean (Romaine Vole)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Dear Liar, Playboy of the Western World, Uncle Vanya, Juno and the Paycock, The Philanderer, Lady Windermere’s Fan (Shaw Festival); St. Joan (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Oslo, Mamma Mia! (Mirvish); Tristan (Tarragon Theatre); It’s a Wonderful Life (Canadian Stage); Evita (MTC/Theatre Calgary); Gypsy, Cabaret (Neptune Theatre); Into the Woods, Three Sisters (Atlantic Theatre Festival). Directing credits: Dear Liar, Shaw Grounds (Shaw Festival); Teaching (National Theatre School).
Patrick McManus (Mr. Mayhew)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Patrick most recently performed in The Drawer Boy at Thousand Islands Playhouse. Other theatre: Shaw Festival (11 seasons); Stratford Festival (2 seasons), most recently Much Ado About Nothing. Favourite Credits: Arcadia, Uncle Vanya, Pygmalion (Shaw Festival); The Realistic Joneses (Tarragon Theatre); The Outdoor Donnellys (Blyth Festival); and many productions with the late Marti Maraden, during her term as Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre. He can be seen in Cows Come Home (Bell Fibe TV One), and can be heard narrating the audiobook of Michael Redhill’s new novel, The Trial of Katerfelto.
Cheryl Mullings (Dr. Wyatt/Mrs. Barton for the Prosecution)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Originally from Canada, Cheryl now lives in NYC... for better or worse! Other theatre: Marie Josephine in The House That Will Not Stand, Dr. Wyatt in Witness for the Prosecution (The Shaw Festival of Canada); 10 seasons (23 shows!) at The Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth, NH; Marry Me a Little directed by Brent Carver (Niagara Chamber Music Festival); Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense (Stage West Calgary & Mississauga); Andrea in Once on this Island and several shows at Stirling Festival Theatre; Rain in Somewhere in the World (Charlottetown Festival). Some fun-filled adventures aboard Disney Cruise Line! Love to my family & friends.
Amelia Sargisson (Greta/Court Stenographer)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Paradise Lost, Comedy of Errors, The Front Page, Othello, Hamlet 911 (Stratford Festival); Red Velvet — Dora Nomination, The Watershed, Seeds (Crow’s); Hamlet, Twelfth Night, King Lear (Canadian Stage); The Importance of Being Earnest (Citadel); La Bête, Amadeus (TIFT); All I Want For Christmas, The 39 Steps — META Nomination, The Madonna Painter (Centaur); The Wolves, If We Were Birds — META Nomination, down from heaven — Cartes Premières Best Actress Award (Imago). Video Games: Nora Malakian in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod). Film/TV: The Boys (Amazon); See (Chernin Ent./Apple TV+); Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury/CBC/UKTV).
Patricia Ziegler (The Mysterious Woman)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre credits: Present Laughter; Dottie Otley in Noises Off; What the Butler Saw; One for the Pot; Kristine in A Doll’s House; Mary in Long Day’s Journey into Night;five seasons at the Goodlye Theatre Festival in Cheshire, England. As an avid Agatha Christie fan, Patricia couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this production. Thank you to my partner Marty, Rylee and Addyson for your continued love and support!
the author
Agatha Christie
Born in Torquay, England in 1890, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. With over one billion books sold in English and another billion in over 100 languages, she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She wrote 80 crime novels and collections of short stories, over 25 plays (including The Mousetrap, the world’s longest running play), and six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced the world to the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, followed a decade later by the shrewd and often-underestimated Miss Marple.
the creative team
Alistair Newton (Director)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Witness for the Prosecution, Three Short Plays by Samuel Beckett (Shaw Festival); Love and Information, King Lear (Canadian Stage); Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical (Ecce Home/Buddies in Bad Times); Bella: The Colour of Love (Philadelphia Theater Company). Alistair holds a BFA from the University of Victoria, and an MFA from York University, is an alumni of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, and has worked as an educator at training institutions across the country. Next up, Alistair will be directing The Importance of Being Earnest at The Grand Theatre London.
Karyn McCallum (Set & Projection Designer)*
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Karyn has designed set, costume and projection designs across the country, envisioning the visual elements as characters in the story. Karyn’s work has ranged from designing traditional text-based theatre, to devising experimental work in non-traditional spaces. Regardless of the format or the origin of the production, Karyn honours the contribution of her collaborators as amongst the greatest strengths in her process. Karyn is based in British Columbia where as well as designing, she also teaches at the University of Victoria. With respect, Karyn acknowledges the privilege to be working on the traditional land of the Anishinaabe, Chonnonton and Haudenosaunee peoples.
Judith Bowden (Costume Designer)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: 20 seasons at Shaw, including White Christmas, Murder-on-the-Lake, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Tons of Money, Desire Under the Elms, Gaslight, Playboy of the Western World, The Apple Cart, Holiday Inn (2019), The Ladykillers, Grand Hotel, Saint Joan, Sweeney Todd, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Mountaintop, Sunday in the Park with George, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, Witness for the Prosecution, The Secret Garden. Othello (Royal Shakespeare Company); Junk, Watch on the Rhine, My Fair Lady (Arena Stage); Paradise Lost (Centaur Theatre, Stratford Festival); The Scarlet Letter (Theatre Calgary); Sense and Sensibility (Royal MTC); The Humans (Citadel/Canadian Stage); Chimerica (Canadian Stage/Royal MTC); The Other Place, London Road (Canadian Stage) designed numerous productions with theatres across Canada, including NAC, ATP, Prairie Theatre Exchange, GCTC, YPT.
Siobhán Sleath (Lighting Designer)*
Drayton Entertainment: Halfway There, Steel Magnolias, The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, Sexy Laundry, The Ladies Foursome, The Men’s Foursome, It Runs in the Family, Unnecessary Farce. Other theatre: Witness for the Prosecution, Horse and His Boy, Wilde Tales (Shaw Festival); The Hobbit (Adirondack Theatre Festival); Ring of Fire, Steel City Gangster (Theatre Aquarius); Ann (Arkansas Rep Theater); Figaro’s Wedding (Against the Grain); The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Alberta Theatre Projects); Wow Factor: A Cinderella Story (Canadian Opera Company); Brighton Beach Memoirs, (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company). For more information: www.siobhansleathdesign.com.
Lyon Smith (Sound Designer)
Drayton Entertainment: Dear Jack, Dear Louise. Other theatre (selected): Witness for the Prosecution (Shaw); The Donnelly Trilogy, The Real McCoy, The Drawer Boy, Liars at a Funeral, and Quiet in the Land (Blyth); Pipeline (Soulpepper); The Gig (Theatre Aquarius); Stag and Doe and Shirley Valentine (Capital Theatre); Hamlet, Macbeth, and Liv Stein (Canadian Stage); The Waltz and Prairie Nurse (Factory Theatre); The Great Divide and Dear Jack, Dear Louise (Harold Green Jewish Theatre); In Seven Days (The Grand); 4 Minutes 12 Seconds and A Public Display of Affection (Studio 180).
*Indicated designers on this production are represented by the Associated Designers of Canada, IATSE Local ADC659.
Alexis Milligan (Movement Director)
Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other theatre: Eight seasons at The Shaw Festival as Movement Director - Gnit, Witness for the Prosecution, One Man Two Guvnors, Desire Under the Elms, Sex (by Mae West), Saint Joan, Othello (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Lehman Trilogy (Canadian Stage). Podcast Host: Let’s Get This Shaw on the Road! and Finding Creativity. Alexis has developed “The Theatre of Medicine”, in partnership with the Canadian Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, an accredited program which teaches strategies for human connection through the performing arts. Website & Socials: alexismilligan.com @milligan.spike.
John Stead (Fight Director)
Drayton Entertainment: Sleuth. John Stead has worked as a Fight Director across Canada and the U.S. including 25 Seasons with both the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. He is a Master Instructor with theAcademy of Dramatic Combat. As a Stunt Coordinator, John has numerous credits for television and film in Canada and abroad. He’s received several awards for his work, including 2 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Stunt Coordination. He has also directed on several television and film projects. Websites: johnstead.com and steadstunts.com
Jane Vanstone Osborn (Stage Manager)
Drayton Entertainment: Witness for the Prosecution. Other theatre: Wait Until Dark, Snow in Midsummer, The Amen Corner (Shaw Festival, 8 Seasons). Jane has worked across Canada including shows at the National Arts Centre, GCTC, Belfry and 10 tours of Nova Scotia. Jane’s career and life got a boost at the Huron Country Playhouse, many seasons ago, when she completed her apprenticeship and got engaged. Still with both loves today.
Kevin Etherington (Assistant Stage Manager)
Drayton Entertainment: Oliver!, Camelot, Evita, On Golden Pond, Melville Boys, Who’s Under Where?, Harvey. Other theatre: ASM: Tons of Money, Major Barbara, One Man, Two Guvnors, Witness for the Prosecution (Shaw Festival). As an actor Kevin has performed in several Drayton Entertainment productions since 1993 and was last seen as the Mailman in Anne of Green Gables in 2015. Love and thanks to his lovely wife Director/Playwright/Lyricist Lezlie Wade. In his spare time Kevin likes to play chess, watch NFL football and spend time with his new puppy Digby.
