APPRENTICE & ASSISTANT PROGRAM

We’re so pleased to welcome this talented line-up of artists into our 2020/21 Apprentice/Assistant program. Originally slated to work with us on our 20/21 Mainstage and Warehouse productions, these artists have pivoted to new and innovative training opportunities at Royal MTC. Together with each artist, we’ve crafted individualized work plans to ensure that our commitment to their training can still be fulfilled this season.
 

APPRENTICES (Funded by Jean Murray–Moray Sinclair Theatre Scholarship)

Christine Leslie (directing)
Joyce Licup (set design)
Matthew Paris-Irvine (directing)
 

ASSISTANTS (Funded by Kingfisher Foundation)

Katie German (directing)
Shauna Jones (set design)
Davis Plett (sound design)
Hazel Venzon (directing)
 

---

Christine Leslie

ROYAL MTC First engagement.
OTHER THEATRE Love’s Labour’s Lost, We are (t)here, Balloon Girl, Middletown, Arcadia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Frankenstein (University of Winnipeg); School of Rock (WST); Miracle on 34th Street a Radio Play (Dalnavert Museum).
TRAINING Graduate of the University of Winnipeg’s Honours Acting Program.
ET CETERA Christine is a past Jean Murray–Moray Sinclair Theatre Scholarship recipient and is thrilled to be collaborating with Royal MTC this season. She sends lots of love out to her fellow artists in this very difficult and uncertain time. A huge thank you to her family and friends for their constant support and generosity.

---

Joyce Licup

ROYAL MTC First engagement.
OTHER THEATRE Assistant Set Designer: A Midsummer’s Night Dream (University of Winnipeg). Set Designer: Middletown (University of Winnipeg).
TRAINING Graduate of the University of Winnipeg with a BA in Theatre: Design.
ET CETERA Although COVID has been making things difficult, I am determined to continue and pursue my dreams in the world of theatre. Thank you to Royal MTC for this opportunity during these tough times, and thanks to everyone who has been supporting me!

---

Matthew Paris-Irvine

ROYAL MTC First engagement.
OTHER THEATRE Director: O(phelia) (ShakespeareFest); Bastard (FemFest/Out From Under The Rug). Apprentice Director: Becoming Dr. Ruth (WJT). Actor: Hamlet, The Comedy of Errors (ShakespeareFest); Time and the Conways, Concord Floral, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (University of Winnipeg).
FILM I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight (Mongrel Media); Before Anything You Say (Darkling Productions).
ET CETERA Matthew is a founding member of Out From Under The Rug. Love to Melissa, Sophie and Omar, my closest friends and collaborators.

---

Katie German

ROYAL MTC First engagement.
OTHER THEATRE Directing/Assistant/Associate: Embodying Power and Place (Nightwood Theatre & Harlem Productions); Katharsis (PTE); Elizabeth Rex (Bunbury Productions); Tiny Treasures, Charlie Brown Double Bill (MTYP); Matilda, Newsies, Tuck Everlasting *Canadian Premiere (Junior Musical Theatre Company). Performance: A Year with Frog and Toad, Seussical The Musical (MTYP); Women of the Fur Trade (Vault Projects); Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, South Pacific (Rainbow Stage); Pippin, American Idiot (WST); Evil Dead The Musical, The Last Five Years, The Rocky Horror Show (Wasteland Productions); Sweeney Todd (Dry Cold Productions).
FILM/TV Wolf Joe Cartoon (Media RendezVous/Big Jump Media Inc.).
TRAINING Graduate of Grant MacEwan University, Theatre Performance.

---

Shauna Jones

ROYAL MTC Women of the Fur Trade, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.
OTHER THEATRE Lawrence and Holloman, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Good People, Prelude to a Kiss (Guild Hall – Whitehorse, YT).
TRAINING Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Practicum program (2019) in Scenic Art.
ET CETERA Shauna would like to extend a sincere thanks for the additional and thoughtful support of the Kingfisher Foundation, and to Royal MTC for giving me this opportunity.

---

Davis Plett

ROYAL MTC First engagement.
OTHER THEATRE Select sound design credits include How It Ends (Sick + Twisted); Beautiful Man, Goodnight Desdomona (Good Morning Juliet) (TPM); Ellipsis (Alexandra Elliott); Hedda, Reimagined, Women of the Fur Trade, Riot Resist Revolt Redux (Frances Koncan/Vault Projects); Boundary Avenue (One Trunk Theatre).
ET CETERA Davis is one half of We Quit Theatre along with Gislina Patterson. They have toured their work to festivals and theatres in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa, and were recently commissioned to create new work for the Stratford Festival.

---

Hazel Venzon

ROYAL MTC First engagement.
OTHER THEATRE Kismet, Things Have Changed and Kismet: one to one hundred (The Chop); Blank (Rumble); Happy Place (PTE); Young Drunk Punk (YAC); Jitters (Belfry); Nanay: a testimonial Play (Urban Crawl); Wee Tube (TR); Treeboy (Green Thumb); East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Caravan); The Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces (Boca del Lupo); The Leisure Society (Ruby Slippers); San Diego (Rumble).
FILM/TV Christmas By Starlight, Two Turtle Doves (Hallmark); Let's Meet Again, Forever Christmas (Lifetime); Percy; Reasonable Doubt; The Gesture; Burden of Truth (CBC/Netflix).
TRAINING Director's Process, Suzuki and Viewpoints (PTE); Improv (Second City); Studio 58 (Langara); Black Hole Theatre Program, School of Fine Arts (UofM).
ET CETERA Hazel is the Artistic Director and Producer at U 'N I Together (UNIT) Productions, Dramaturg in Residence at MAP, Mentor for Creative Manitoba’s Youth Mentorship Program, Coach for Creative Manitoba’s Online Coaching Program.