Our Guests
Maja Ardal:
A theatre professional since 1970, Maja was trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow.
Writer and performer of You Fancy Yourself (published by Playwrights Canada Press) Maja and You Fancy Yourself won Toronto's 2009 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female. You Fancy Yourself was nominated for three Dora awards in total: Outstanding Direction (Mary Francis Moore) and Outstanding Production (Contrary Compnay). Maja is also the recipient of the 2002 George Luscombe Award for Mentorship in the Theatre.
In
2008 Maja completed a year as Interim Artistic Director at Nightwood Theatre
(Canada's national Women's Theatre).
In January 2009 You Fancy Yourself
was produced in association with Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto; a near sold
out run to enthusiastic audiences and notices. A remount is planned for January
2010 in Theatre Passe Muraille's Main Stage.
Maja is a director, theatre instructor and the former Artistic Director of
Young People's Theatre (now Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People). Her
production of Whale received the
1992 Dora Award for Outstanding Production and toured to Washington D.C. She
began her career performing at TorontoWorkshop Productions under the guidance
of her mentor, the late George Luscombe. Maja returned to her native Iceland in
2001 to direct her play Midnight Sun,
which was also co-produced by Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, and the National Arts
Centre, Ottawa, as well as Gloucester Playhouse, Massachusetts.
She wrote the book for the musical Joy,
(music by Joey Miller), produced by the Workman Theatre, Toronto, 2002.
Maja has directed at The Shaw Festival, The Grand Theatre, Alberta Theatre
Projects, Nightwood Theatre (at Factory Theatre), and Great Canadian Theatre
Company, Outstanding productions include: Two Weeks with the Queen and Oliver Twist, both with Young Peoples Theatre. In the 2004 season,
she directed Stones in His Pockets
at Alberta Theatre Projects (which received the Betty Mitchell Award nomination
for Outstanding Direction) and The
Foursome at The Grand Theatre, London.
Brenda Bazinet:
Brenda is an actor, theatre director, teacher and private acting coach. She has performed on stages across the country receiving four Dora nominations. Her recent credits include Linda in Death of a Salesman at Neptune Theatre; Stevie in Edward Albee's The Goat, Hesther in Equus at the Citadel; Lily in End of Civilization at Factory Theatre; Mary in Leaving Home for the Blyth Festival; Mrs. Sorby in The Wild Duck for Soulpepper. Brenda's directing credits include Blown Sideways Through Life for the 2006 Toronto Fringe Festival (Best of the Fringe); Of the Fields, Lately for Sudbury Theatre Centre; The Sea for the Actors Repertory Company which received three Dora nominations, winning in the category of Best Actress in a Leading Role; Under Milk Wood, also for ARC. She has over 80 film and television credits to her name including the critically acclaimed TV movie Sins of the Father starring Tom Sizemore and Richard Jenkins, Puppets Who Kill, Rabbittown, Haven, This is Wonderland, Redemption, The Secret Path and A Grief Shared for TVO (Gemini Award). She has taught for George Brown Theatre School, Humber College (Acting for Television and Film Program), Ryerson University (Act II), Equity Showcase, the Actors Workshop, Actraworks and has conducted Acting for the Camera classes across the country.
