Raina Shepherd is bi-polar, schizophrenic, visited by ghosts…and she likes to bite. A spellbinding journey into the mind of a disturbed woman, struggling to find the truth, plagued by what is real and what is hallucination. All Raina really wants is to love and be loved……
But is it too late?
ANIMAL plays at the Alumnae Theatre’s Fireworks Festival. Tickets: $15
Performance Dates:
Wed. Nov 21 @ 8pm
Thurs. Nov 22 @ 8pm
Fri. Nov 23 @ 8pm
Sat. Nov 24 @ 2:00 pm (talk-back with artists)
Sat. Nov 24 @ 8 pm
Sun. Nov 25 @ 2:00 pm
BUY TICKETS online, visit HERE
To reserve tickets, phone the box office at
416-364-4170, Press 1
Box Office accepts CASH ONLY
Alumnea Theatre is located at 70 Berkeley Street. Directions HERE
Romeo Ciolfi, Playwright
Romeo is a graduate of York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. His screenplay Play Ball was a winner of the Kairos Prize in Screenwriting and was optioned by Pâté Productions. Screenplays Who Is Molly Steele? and, The Great Surrender, were finalists in the Chronos Prize in Screenwriting. His plays include OverTime (Toronto Fringe), Blue (The Village Playhouse) and Stillborn (Annex Theatre). He has written and directed seasonal theatrical productions, creating shows from the ground up.
Evelyn Long, Director
Evelyn is an emerging director from Calgary, Alberta. She has a passion for creating theatre that brings a voice to the marginalized and misunderstood in our community. She is very honoured and excited to take on the challenge that is Animal. She has previously directed Watch Me Drown in Alumnaes New Ideas Festival, Hexen in the Toronto Fringe Festival and her next piece Futch/ Bemme will be in Kitcheners OutFest at the end of September. Additionally she works as a dramaturge and producer/performer for a variety of shows in Toronto.
ACTORS
Alexandra Milne, Raina Shepherd
Alexandra Milne is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Company 2011). NYC theater credits include: When the Party’s Over (Planet Connections Festival, Best Actress Nominee), Macbeth (Aquila Theatre) and Kutsukake Tokijiro (Flea Theater). Toronto theater credits include: This Will be Our Last Transmission (Fireworks Festival 2017) and Six Stories, Told at Night (Fringe Festival 2018). Film: Dim the Fluorescents (Clumsy Ophelia, Slamdance 2017 Jury Prize), Cave Small Cave Big (Joële Walinga), The Feed (TonMan Productions). Television: The Blacklist (NBC).
David Planche, Daniel Shepherd
David has had a passion for theatre since the age of 7. He’s performed in productions ranging from The Crucible, to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Antigone, and, Reasons to be Pretty. Since graduating from Ryerson University, he’s taken more of a behind-the-camera approach having written and directed numerous short films and commercials. Recently, he’s returned to his love of acting and is excited to be part of Animal.
Spencer Streichert, GriffinShepherd/Mark
Spencer is an actor, writer/producer and comedian from Calgary, Alberta. Since 2012, Spencer has worked in film, and created a comedy web-series, Dr. Face: Time 2 FACE Justice, and recently a Telus Storyhive short, Red Water Valley. In 2018, he was also nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award. Spencer studied Drama at the University of Calgary before moving to Toronto, and was in many of their mainstage plays, and is currently enrolled in George Brown’s Theatre School.
Patricia Pariselli, Mercedes Shepherd
Patricia is a Theatre graduate from Bishop’s University in Quebec, starring in productions from Brecht’s Mother Courage And Her Children, to Chekhov’s The Seagull and Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. A student of improv at Second City, she has numerous roles in independent films and TV commercials to her credit, as well as TV series such as Forbidden, Fear No Evil and Fear Thy Neighbor.
Craig Martin, Cliff Shepherd
This is Craig’s first show at Alumnae Theatre and he is thrilled to be a part of the talented Animal team. Craig has worked extensively in theatre in Durham Region in a diverse range of roles from Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, to Colonel Jessup in A Few Good Men, and has appeared in independent films. Craig is also an avid back-country hiker.
PRODUCTION TEAM
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Molly Thom, Producer |
Director, dramaturg, writer and sometime actor, Molly is best known as the author/director of The Bush-Ladies. She has dramaturged and directed several plays by Shirley Barrie, including; Beautiful Lady, Measure of the World, I Am Marguerite, as well as The Gambler by Ronald Weihs. And because in the theatre you don’t do just one thing, Molly is the co-founder of Alumnae’s New Ideas Festival and resident director of Shoestring Opera, a company that presents opera for children in schools and theatres.|
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Liz Best, Associate Producer |
Liz is an actor, director, producer and playwright. Acting credits: Surrender, Dorothy (FireWorks Festival), Inked Heart (FireWorks Festival), Meet the Family (City TV). Playwright credits: The Bay (Big Ideas Festival, PAL Reading). Surrender, Dorothy (FireWorks Festival, Procunier Hall, Palace Theatre in London, February 2019). Directing credits: The Dining Room (Marion Abbott Productions), Crossing Delancey (Encore Entertainment), The Goodbye Girl (Scarborough Players).|
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Lucy Collingwood, Assistant Director |
Lucy is a director, writer, and theatre artist based out of Toronto, Ontario. She completed her MFA in Theatre Direction at the University of Alberta. A few notable credits include: Tape, and Shakespeare’s Richard III in the Bleviss Laboratory Theatre in Edmonton; Art at the Bandeen Hall in Sherbrooke, and The Violet Hour at the Timms Centre Theatre in Edmonton. |
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Leslie Ann Walcott, Stage Manager
 Born and raised in Toronto, Leslie Ann’s been a perpetual dog owner since 4 months of age. Her love of theatre began in high school when the creative arts group performed The Music Man. She has been involved in choirs over the years and picked up stage managing while working with Romeo Ciolfi on his seasonal dramatic productions where she dealt with all aspects ofstage production. |
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Joan Burrows, Dramaturge |
Joan has won awards at both ACT-CO and Theatre Ontario Festivals for her work as a director, stage manager and playwright. As a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada her play credits include: Staff Room; The Photograph; Gloria’s Guy; Willow Quartet; Four Hours. Last year she did the dramaturgy and directed Surrender, Dorothy by Liz Best for Fireworks 2017. This past summer she has enjoyed working with playwright Romeo Ciolfli on his very challenging play, Animal.Haley Duncan, Sound Designer
Liam Stewart, Lighting Designer
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