Mickey Brown (Germaine Lauzon)

Mickey is delighted to have the opportunity to debut with Encore Entertainment on Les Belles Soeurs. She is thrilled to be working with such a talented director as Mario D'Alimonte once again having just completed Blood Brothers in Scarborough as well as Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean previously. Some of her other favorites include Vera Charles in Mame (SMT), Rose in Steppin Out (Herongate Dinner Theatre), Mildred in When The Cat's Away (Herongate Dinner Theatre), Featured in Godspell (SMT), Stella Deems in Follies (SMT) and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (SMT). She is looking forward to a wonderful run with a fabulous cast and crew. Special thanks to Danica for letting her stay out late!!

Kate Josephson ( Linda Lauzon)

Kate Josephson recently moved back to Toronto after a long stint in theatre school at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She also had the honour of studying with some fabulous Brits at the British American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Oxford, England. She has been apart of many wonderful productions in Halifax, her favorites being Noises off as Belinda Blair, a "Dalhousie Theatre department production", and Tough as Jill, a "Bunnies in the Headlights" show. She has recently celebrated her first clown birthday, and she hopes to bring clowning into her theatre work. She has enjoyed working with the ladies in the cast and has learnt so much from her kind director, Mario. And if there is one thing she has learnt from Tremblay's play is that: bravery and nobility comes from facing and surviving the everyday.

Gail Evans (Rose Ouimet)

Gail has worked with numerous theatre companies in both Toronto and in Kelowna, British Columbia. She has been acting since her first appearance as Snow White (in the play of the same name!) when she was 8. And in the last few years she has added directing to her list of great loves. Out West, she directed an award-winning production of Sam Shepard’s A Life of the Mind; and she recently directed 7 Stories by Morris Panych for East Side Players. Some of her favourite acting roles include The Dancing Pig in The Big Bad Wolf, a children’s pantomime, Sissy in Come Back to the Five and Dime, Babe in Crimes of the Heart, Dolly Levi in The Matchmaker, Stephanie in Cactus Flower and her one and only singing role as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. Playing Rose in Les Belles Soeurs is challenging and exciting – and she is delighted to be appearing in her first production with Encore Entertainment. She will be appearing with Mario this spring in Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue, also with Encore Entertainment.

Marion Hirschberg (Gabrielle Jodoin)

Marion is delighted to be working with Encore Entertainment again, after playing the role of Miriam in Beau Jest and the sequel, Jest A Second. Marion has been involved in theatre for more than thirty years, playing a variety of roles from musical comedy to cabaret to drama. Some favourite roles include Golda in Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Webb in Our Town, Mrs. Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank, to name a few. She has also made television commercials and was an original member of the Thornhill Theatre of the Performing Arts. She has worked with Markham Little Theatre, Seneca Players, and Leah Posluns Theatre. Most recently she played the role of Yente the Matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof for Scarborough Music Theatre. She is looking forward to returning to this stage in the spring in The Prisoner of Second Avenue. Her greatest role to date is that of mother, grandmother, and wife of Canadian artist Martin Hirschberg.

Jennifer Giancola (Lisette De Courval )

This is Jennifer's Encore Entertainment debut. A graduate of the Theatre Program at York University, she is thrilled about her premiere performance as "Lisette" in Les Belles Soeurs. Jennifer works as a high school drama teacher and is currently co-directing a student show. Jennifer is equally passionate about dance; she performs regularly with both her Flamenco and Middle Eastern Dance Schools. Jennifer would like to thank her family and close friends for their constant love and support.
 

Pauline Helferty (Marie-Ange Brouillette)

Pauline is joining Encore Entertainment for the first time and looking forward to working with Mario.She has been active in Community Theatre for over 25 years. Some of her previous roles include: Mame Dennis in Mame, Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly, Golda in Fiddler On The Roof, Cousin Nettie in Carousel, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma, Sally Adams in Call Me Madam, and the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella. Pauline has been involved in Music Education in Toronto Schools for many years and was a music consultant for 15 years. She is happy to be performing with her daughter, Lisa (Yvette ) on stage once again. When not performing, Pauline is a photographer for theatre groups, teaches private vocal lessons and is enjoying her Act 11 in life since retiring from the teaching profession..

Lisa Malcolm (Yvette Longpre)

Lisa is thrilled to be joining Encore Entertainment for the first time. She is very active in Community Theatre Productions and some of her favourite roles have been: Hodel in Fiddler On The Roof, Marian in The Music Man, Cinderella in Cinderella, Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Julie in Carousel, Isabel in Scrooge, and Glinda in The Wizard of Oz.She has sung the National Anthems at several Blue Jays games and is a soloist for many community events.Thanks to Mario and Merle for giving her the opportunity to work with this great company.

Linda C. Race (Des-Neiges Verrette)

Linda is happy to be back working with Encore after a 3-year absence. Some of her favourite roles have been Cookie in Rumors, Rose Kirk in Nuts, for which she won a Thea Award, Aunt Girlie in This Year Next Year, Grandma Kurnitz in Lost in Yonkers, and of course Marilla in Anne of Green Gables for Encore. Linda is thrilled & delighted to be working with such a talented group & would especially like to thank Mario & Merle for allowing her to play such a tender role as Des-Neiges. Thanks also to her family & friends for all their love & support.

Bonnie Gold (Therese Dubuc)

Bonnie is delighted to be working with Encore Entertainment for the second time. Last Spring, she appeared as Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense. Over the last eight years, Bonnie has performed in such wonderful musicals as Gypsy (Mama Rose), Once Upon A Mattress (Queen Aggravain), and 42nd Street (Maggie Jones). She originated a new characterization of the Wicked Witch of the West in a brand new musical version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Bonnie has studied singing, acting and improvisation with some of the most respected teachers in North America, such as Allan Guttman and Uta Hagen.

Karyn Pellatt (Olivine Dubuc)

Karyn is excited to be making her debut performance with Encore Entertainment, especially in such a fabulous show with Merle and Mario at the helm! In the theatre world, Karyn was last seen in 2000 when she appeared in Company. Karyn dedicates this role to her own grandmother and she extends a huge thank you to her family and friends for their continued support in all of her endeavours.

Victoria Curran (Angeline Sauvé)

Once asked by a theatre adjudicator if English was her first language (?!), Victoria is relieved to get the okay to chew her words in fine east Montreal tradition. Her first time on this stage, it’s a treat to be in such a fun, intelligent play, working with so many dynamic and talented women—and especially with Mario, who she acted with in her first community play. Favourite roles include Mags in Painting Churches, Janet in Waiting for the Parade, Mary in 1949, Regina in The Little Foxes, the world’s first puritan at Milton’s Renaissance Festival and Julia in Elegy for Auntie, an original Canadian play workshopped on the Fringe circuit.

Julia Gall (Rheauna Bibeau)

Not a stranger to the theatre, Julia has appeared in many productions from the Fringe last summer to musical theatre. Her professional debut was with Harbourside Playhouse in the role of Simone in Bedful of Foreigners. Some of her favorite roles have been Mona from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense and Nunsense 2, and Frau Schneider in Cabaret. This is Julia's debut with Encore and she is delighted to be working with a talented cast and a terrific Canadian play.

Lucy Eveleigh (Lise Paquette)

As Lucy is neither French nor Canadian she feels very honoured to have been cast in this play, especially as she gets the chance to work with Mario again after performing in his production of Blood Brothers (SMT).After living in TO for nearly a year (yes, she survived the winter.) Lucy has made a second home for herself, finding a constant flow of acting work, and amazing new friends. Her next venture will be performing at the Orlando Fool Festival with The Impatients in February, which should make this winter a little easier.

Mary Rose Talani (Ginette Menard)

Mary Rose Talani is glad to be back in Toronto and working on this show. She has just finished the two year theatre program at Algonquin College. She has been given the chance to stage-manage shows, and has acted in other shows, such as The Crublie and Desire Caught By the Tail. Mary Rose hopes to do more shows, and she would like to start working on films, and improving her dance skills.

Karen Hoffman (Pierrette Guerin)

Karen is relatively new to Toronto theatre, having just made her debut as the dominatrix "Benita" in Brad Fraser's Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. Before that - way before that - she was active in the Kitchener-Waterloo Live Theatre as an actor, director and costume designer. She appeared as "Emma" in Harold Pinter's Betrayal and part of the chorus (okay, a horse) in Peter Schaffer's Equus. She has also done several original children's shows. Les Belles Soeurs is Karen's first show with Encore, and she is delighted to be able to form a creative relationship with the company.

Mario D'Alimonte (Director)

Mario is very familiar to Encore's audience from last season's portrayal of Lenny in Rumors, and his previous roles of Bob in Beau Jest and its sequel, Jest A Second, Bellomy in The Fantasticks, George Schneider in Chapter Two, and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. Other favourite roles include Petie Maxwell in Love and Anger, Jake in Jake's Women, and the Emcee in Cabaret. Mario directed Encore's production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and last season's Nunsense. He is delighted to be directing Les Belles Soeurs. In the spring, he will be playing the role of Mel in Encore's production of The Prisoner of Second Avenue.

Merle Garbe (Producer)

Merle is the founder of Encore Entertainment and was seen last season as Claire Ganz in Rumors. She directed Encore's productions of Enter Laughing, Fiddler on the Roof, Anne of Green Gables, Beau Jest, The Fantasticks, Jest A Second, and most recently, On Golden Pond. Some of her favourite roles have been Mrs. Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank, Faye in Chapter Two, Florence in The Odd Couple - Female Version, Trudy in Social Security, Yente the Matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof, and Mrs. Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie. She is thrilled to be working with this talented cast and crew on Les Belles Soeurs. She wants to send a big thank you to the Encore audience (especially the subscribers) who have been so supportive of our efforts over the past four years, and have made our efforts worthwhile by appreciating our work.

Laurie Cresswell (Stage Manager)

Laurie is very happy to be working with Encore Entertainment again on this production of Les Belles Soeurs. She has enjoyed stage managing for several theatre companies, and last season, she stage managed Encore's productions of Nunsense and Jest A Second, as well as Gwendoline for East Side Players. Favourite productions include Jake’s Women, Nuts, and Cabaret. Beau Jest was Laurie’s first show with Encore Entertainment and was followed by You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and The Fantasticks. Most recently, she stage managed Blood Brothers for Scarborough Music Theatre.

Encore Entertainment
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