WRITER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, NARRATOR/DOCTOR RENICK

Karen Hines’s satires have traveled the globe: from Toronto to Boston, Calgary to Kuala Lumpur, her plays and ‘little films’ have won critical acclaim, charmed and horrified her audiences, and cemented her reputation as “One of the most original artists in the city” (Toronto Life), and "One of the gems of Canadian theatre" (Toronto Star). Raised by scientists, Hines’ keen musings on modern life combine disparate elements such as magical realism, pink-brand feminism, real estate and climate change. Karen is a prize-winning performer, director, short filmmaker, and magazine writer. She has appeared in Canadian and American films and TV including her Gemini-nominated turn in Ken Finkleman’s Married Life, his Foreign Objects and the Emmy-winning PBS/CBC Newsroom. Karen has collaborated on the making of over twenty new productions by other artists, including Linda Griffiths, Michelle Thrush, One Yellow Rabbit, Jamie Dunsdon, and she is the long-time director of internationally beloved adult horror clowns Mump & Smoot. Her prize-winning plays include Crawlspace, Drama: Pilot Episode, and The Pochsy Plays – the latter two having been finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Her recent projects include her latest All the Little Animals I Have Eaten (in English and in French) and Pochsy IV, the fourth in the Pochsy series. Crawlspace is currently touring in English and en francais, and is a podcast on CBC’s Radio One.

COMPOSER, LEAD SOUND ENGINEER/MIXER, POST-PRODUCTION EDITING/MIX

A native of Calgary, Dewi has a lifetime of experience in an extensive and diverse range of projects with soundtracks for television and film, commercial audio, theatre, radio, dance, Internet, immersive and interactive media.
He has contributed award winning original music scores and sound design for clients including Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, NASA, Nike, P&G, Critical Mass, CBC, Ashes & Snow, NFB, Hidden Story, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, ATP, E=MC2 Events, Vertigo Theatre, Alberta Ballet and One Yellow Rabbit.
His scores have been heard internationally, at the Lincoln Center, MOMA, Sundance Film Festival, and the National Arts Centre. He is a recipient of an AMPIA Rosie Awards in both the Best Original Music Score as well as Best Overall Sound categories.
Dewi is thrilled to collaborate with Karen Hines on this production of Drama. The depth of her writing and storytelling, when combined with such intuitive and inspired performances by all of the incredible cast and creative team assembled, has made this project an absolute pleasure.
Eternal heartfelt thanks to my wife Serena and daughter Aria for their support and inspiration.
Dewi continues to work from his own boutique music and recording studio Infinite Loop. infiniteloop.com

DIRECTOR

Blake is an award-winning director and writer and Artistic Director of One Yellow Rabbit. OYR produces adult-oriented performance theatre. Co-founded in 1982 with Michael Green, with a vision to engage and inspire the Calgary community, the company has become one of Canada’s leading creation-based ensembles, having toured to theatres on four continents. Blake has directed most of the company’s more than 100 productions and is often also writer, adapter or co-writer with his ensemble. Productions include Kawasaki Exit, Dream Machine, Doing Leonard Cohen, Tears of a Dinosaur, Serpent Kills, Thunderstruck, Breeder, Ilsa Queen of the Nazi Love Camp, The Land The Animals, Permission. Blake’s collaborations beyond OYR’s walls include Douglas Coupland’s September 10 (Royal Shakespeare Company), Friction (Frascati, Amsterdam), and three years directing MT7 Cultural Society’s Making Treaty Seven. 

THE DECISION MAKER/DEITA/DEE DEE

Denise is a choreographer/theatre artist working in Calgary and is the Associate Artist and a permanent member of the One Yellow Rabbit Theatre Ensemble where several of her plays have been produced including her solo works; A Fabulous Disaster, Smash Cut Freeze, Wag and Room 333. The OYR Ensemble have created, performed and toured original work, nationally and internationally since 1983.
Clarke designed and was the Director of the OYR Summer Lab Intensive from 1997-2019. In 2018 she wrote The Big Secret Book, An Intense Guide To Creating Performance Theatre. Today she directs the beautifulyoungartists program which provides training and mentoring while introducing emerging local artists to the OYR stage.

Clarke also works as a free-lance choreographer and director. She has choreographed for Theatre Calgary, The Citadel Theatre, Vancouver and Calgary Operas, the Canadian Opera Company, The Shaw Festival and Canadian Stage and directed several productions outside of her OYR work.
Clarke is the recipient of numerous awards including local theatre awards in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto, the Alberta Lieutenant Governor General Distinguished Artist Award and The Calgary Mayor’s Distinguished Artist Award.
She was appointed as a Member to the Order of Canada and also recognized by the University of Calgary with an Honorary Doctorate in 2013.

DOCTOR MEREDITH GORDON/THE SAGE

Andy Curtis is a longtime member of One Yellow Rabbit and has performed and toured with the company in many shows.
Some favourites include Ilsa Queen of the Nazi Love Camp, Dream Machine, Alien Bait and….the list is long. 
A few other favourite shows are: the premiere of Making Treaty 7,  Black Radish Theatre’s production of Waiting For Godot, Vertigo Theatre’s The 39 Steps. 
Andy appeared in Echo Of Everything- a film about music directed by Cam Christiansen, which was recently nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Warsaw International Film Festival. 
Drama by Karen Hines is his first ever podcast! 

PETRA/THE REALTOR, PRODUCTION CONSULTANT

Ali DeRegt (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist based in Mohkinstsis/Calgary, Alberta and is primarily focused on devising, puppetry, and physical theatre. Ali has recently completed an MFA from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. During her time in the UK, she co-founded HOT TRASH! Theatre, a devised theatre company that focuses on DIY aesthetics, physical storytelling, and general nonsense. Recent collaborations in Mohkinstsis include the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Verb, and Mudfoot Theatre. Recent voice roles include USS ARTEMIS, Cardfight!! Vanguard, and World Trigger. You can also see their puppetry work on the Emmy award winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, streaming now on Apple TV Plus.

THE ACTRESS/LILY/A BABY

Jamie Konchak is an award winning actor, singer, puppeteer based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, Alberta). Her creative curiosity and diverse skill set has nourished a twenty-plus year career of performing everything from classics to contemporary fireside shows in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. She has performed in countless premier productions of new works, devised theatre productions, a one person puppet show in which she sang several duets with herself and recently as a puppeteer on two seasons of Apple TV+ and The Jim Henson Company’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Jamie’s work has earned her 5 Betty Mitchell Awards, 2 Robert Merritt Theatre Awards as well as 13 nominations and The Calgary Critics Award for Best Solo Performance for The Floating Mouse with The Green Fools.

COLUMBIA (PENELOPE’S BEST FRIEND)

Allison Lynch is a Calgary-based artist, appearing as an actor in both stage and film, a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound-designer, musical Director and voice artist. Allison has performed on stages across Canada and internationally, from Theatre Calgary to the National Arts centre, to the Arts Club, and as a soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg and Victoria Symphonies and The Malaysian Symphony Orchestra. She also scores for film, TV and documentaries. Allison received three Betty Mitchell Awards for acting, one for outstanding score, a Greater Victoria Critic’s choice award for outstanding score, and multiple nominations for acting, composing and musical direction in western Canada as well as a 2023 nomination for Best Actress in an indie short film at the Next Generation Indie Film Awards in Hollywood. She wrote and performed the original song, Try, on episode 6 of CBC’s HUDSON. You can stream her album Skin & Flame on all streaming platforms.

THE LITTLE CONCIERGE/FYG

Amy Sawka is a theatre practitioner who creates, collaborates, writes, and performs in and around town. As a performer she has been lucky enough to work with Alberta Theatre Projects, Lunchbox Theatre, The Citadel Theatre, Evergreen Theatre, Dancing Monkey Laboratories, The Shakespeare Company, Sage’s IGNITE festival, Goodger-Pink Productions, Swallow-A-Bicycle, StoryBook Theatre, Third Street Theatre, and Reckless Daughter Creative. Amy is also a graduate of York University’s Devised Theatre program, a Registered Massage Therapist, facilitator of youth drama classes, and photographer of clouds. 

CONTENT PROVIDER/NOAH/HANDSOME DELIVERY MAN

Mike is a Treaty 7-based theatre artist and photographer. He has worked as a co-creator in devised theatre creation ensembles with Downstage, Theatre Junction, and Ghost River Theatre; an acting ensemble member at the Banff Centre Playwrights Lab workshopping new plays from around the world; and as an actor at Vertigo Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, and Theatre Calgary. Mike also works as a documentary photographer for arts and culture organizations, events, and independent artists. He lives with his loves, Di, his son Aiden, and their cat babies, Frankie and Prismo.

DOCTOR PENELOPE DOUGLAS

Daniela is a multiple award-winning Canadian actor and playwright. As an actor she has appeared across the county with many of Canada’s major theatres; Stratford Festival, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Theatre Calgary, Citadel Theatre, Globe Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Canadian Stage Company, Tarragon Theatre, Belfry Theatre, ATP, The Shakespeare Company and many more. Film & Television credits include: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), Private Eyes (Global) and The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (Muse Productions). As a playwright, Daniela’s plays include Sleight of Mind, The Castaways and The Fox (world premiere 2023). She has also co-written several plays with co-writer Beth Graham including: Mules, Comrades, The Last Train, Dora Maar: the wicked one and the multiple award-winning play; The Drowning Girls. Daniela lives in Toronto.

DIGITAL MARKETING AND DESIGN

Kate is a Calgary-based stage manager who has recently expanded her craft into digital marketing, website design, and playbill design for projects such as Pochsy IV (Keep Frozen Productions), and, most recently, on Drama: The Podcast. Kate graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BFA in Technical Design/Theatre in 2017, and she has enjoyed revisiting her design origins in the creation of posts for social media - her works can be found on the keepfrozen instagram account. When not tinkering in video editors or in HTML, Kate enjoys spending time with her husband, Derek, and her orange tabby, Oscar.