Announcing the Canadian Festival of New Musicals Performers & Panelists
Meet the incredible cast, band, and panelists bringing the CANADIAN FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS to life June 6 & 7 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.
Be the first to experience excerpts and works-in-progress from The Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre and Luminato Festival. Featuring a dazzling showcase of 4 books & stands readings from visionary creators shaping the future of Canadian musical theatre, with the opportunity to engage in panel discussions and the electric energy of storytelling in motion.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PERFORMERS & PANELISTS
CLARA AT THE DOOR WITH A REVOLVER
CAST
James Daly
FRANK & OTHERS
James Daly is an award-winning Canadian Actor from St. John’s Newfoundland. Recent theatre credits include; The Importance of Being Earnest (Grand Theatre), Narnia (Bad Hats Theatre), Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Menier Chocolate Factory, in London & New World Stages, off Broadway), La Cage aux Folles, Wendy and Peter Pan (Stratford Festival), Damn Yankees, Grand Hotel, Oh What A Lovely War (The Shaw Festival), Mythic (The Segal Centre), Master Harold… and the boys (The Shaw Festival/Obsidian Theatre). On-camera credits include: Crave’s hit comedy series Letterkenny, CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries, Netflix’s Workin’ Moms and CBC’s Frankie Drake. He is a proud graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Instagram: @jamespatrickdaly
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Lori Mayes
CLARA FORD
Canada Debut! Lori Mayes is an Actorpreneur currently residing in Caledon, ON. During her time in NYC, favorite credits include Orange is the New Black, FBI: Most Wanted, her sold-out solo show Audra on a Budget, and appearances as a featured vocalist in André De Shields’ concert series at 54 Below and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Lori is the Founder of Natural Talent, an experiential staffing agency that exclusively employs actors across North America. Over the past decade, the company has staffed more than 12,000 events, providing “survival jobs” for over 1,000 actors across the U.S. and Canada (www.naturaltalent.co). Passionate about cultivating the next generation of artist-entrepreneurs, Lori also leads entrepreneurship workshops for the Entertainment Community Fund and universities nationwide.
Many thanks to Michael Rubinoff for this opportunity. All for her family, Bilbao, and Sean—with a love that bridges every mile. Instagram: @themarvelousmrsmayes
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Samantha Mbolekwa
FLORA / ENSEMBLE
Samantha has recently returned to Canada after working in the UK and USA. Credits include RENT 25th Anniversary Tour (Joanne Jefferson), Dear Evan Hansen (West End, cover Zoe Murphy/Alana Beck), The Bodyguard UK Tour (Rachel Marron Alternate), The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Original London Cast, Clarisse La Rue), and Titanique (Lido Paris, BGV cover Rose, Molly & Iceberg), and most recently, she appeared in Way Out There, a new Canadian musical, as Ms. Vance (Yes Theatre Sudbury). Samantha is grateful to be part of a story as poignant as Clara at The Door with a Revolver.
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James Pattison
GUS / ENSEMBLE
James is a multi-instrumentalist Actor Musician from the UK. Since graduating from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, he has worked on a number of musicals, most notably working alongside Sting in The Last Ship, as Musical Director of the UK National Tour and Toronto production of Fisherman’s Friends The Musical, and Assistant Musical Director of Once the Musical UK Tour. Other theatre credits include The Simon and Garfunkel Story International Tour, Dirty Dancing in London’s West End, and The Hired Man UK Tour, and most recently the world premiere of the new Canadian musical, Way Out There, at Yes Theatre Sudbury.
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Mitch Wood
SLEMIN & OTHERS
Mitch Wood is a stage and screen actor you may have seen while scrolling through your social media, whether on TikTok or Instagram. He’s appeared Off-Broadway in Ginger Twinsies and on Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia. Mitch has performed across Canada and the US with his hit solo show My Impression of a Show. A Sheridan graduate, he also trained at The Groundlings in Los Angeles.
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BAND
Steven Jackson
PERCUSSIONIST
Steven Jackson is a versatile drummer and percussionist whose career spans the prestigious stages of Broadway to international stadiums. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Steven’s musical foundation is built on a deep study of diverse rhythmic styles. He honed his craft at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he mastered a wide collection of drumming and percussion techniques. Now based in New York City, Steven has become a sought-after musician for high-profile productions and global tours. His Broadway credits include performing in acclaimed shows such as The Wiz and The Great Gatsby. His ability to seamlessly navigate different musical landscapes has allowed him to collaborate with an eclectic array of world-class talent, ranging from Afrobeat sensation Asake to legendary folk icon David Byrne.
An experienced international performer, Steven has graced iconic venues including Town Hall
and The Kings Theatre. He recently completed a multi-continental tour with performances in
China, Ireland, and Las Vegas, further establishing his reputation as a dynamic performer
capable of commanding both intimate theater settings and massive stadium crowds.
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The Crossroads
CAST
Justin Eddy
ENSEMBLE & OTHERS
Justin Eddy is a Chinese-Canadian actor based in Toronto, ON. SELECTED THEATRE: Slave Play (Canadian Stage), Narnia (Bad Hats/Crow’s/Soulpepper), Salesman in China, Wendy and Peter Pan, Richard II, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Grand Magic (Stratford Festival), Anne of Green Gables the Musical, Tell Tale Harbour (Charlottetown Festival) Hello Dolly, Evita, A Christmas Carol (Grand Theatre). FILM AND TELEVISION: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC). AWARDS: John Hirsch Award (Stratford Festival Guthries). TRAINING: National Theatre School of Canada. UPCOMING: Spring Awakening (Soulpepper). SOCIALS: @jstneddy / www.justineddy.ca
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Heeyun Park
EMILY / ENSEMBLE & OTHERS
Heeyun Park 박희윤 is an actor, singer and creator based in Toronto, raised in Edmonton and born in South Korea. She won both the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Toronto Critic’s Choice Award for her performance as Princess Mary in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Mirvish; Crow’s and The Musical Stage Company). Select Credits: WITCH (Soulpepper Theatre), Little Red Ridinghood in Into the Woods (Koerner Hall), Phoebe in MONEY (WYRD Prod.), Daisy in I Was Unbecoming Then (NextStage; Dora Nomination for Outstanding New Musical), Aerwyna in Rosamund (Toronto Fringe), Madeleine Bejart in La Bête (Talk is Free Theatre). She is the composer and co-lyricist for Ye Xian: A Musical Retelling (Bad New Ideas 2024). Training: Acting at National Theatre School of Canada, Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at University of Alberta.
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Aaron Reid Ryder
SCOTT
Aaron Reid Ryder (he/him), is honoured to be appearing in The Crossroads and to be part of the Canadian Festival of New Musicals. Aaron was born and raised in Charlottetown, PEI, where he made his professional debut in the classic Canadian musical Anne of Green Gables at age 8. A graduate of Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program, his recent work on stage includes How The Other Half Loves (Neptune/TIP), Discovering Allan Sherman (HGJT), Maggie (Aquarius/Charlottetown/Savoy), The Play That Goes Wrong (Charlottetown) and Written in Blood (TIFT). His film/TV credits include Fellow Travelers (Showtime), FUBAR (Netflix) and What We Do In The Shadows (FX). He is grateful to you all for supporting new music theatre, and he sends his love to Ruby, Mum and Dad, and the rest of his family and friends.
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Jonathan Tan
KEVIN
Jonathan is an actor, singer, and avid home cook who is delighted to return to MSC, where he made his Toronto theatre debut when the company was known as Acting Up Stage. Since then, he has had the pleasure of working with Bad Hats, the NAC, Soulpepper, YPT, Smile Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, Théâtre du Châtelet, TIFT, and fourteen seasons at the Shaw Festival, where his roles have run the gamut from sympathetic sex worker to fast-talking private, gentleman caller to ukulele-playing pirate, a fatuous French general, a talking frog, and everything in between. In the world of animation and gaming, Jonathan has voiced dozens of characters across a variety of series and projects. He is a proud alumnus of Western, Sheridan, and the Amabile Choirs of London, whose love of music and community has always been a source of joy and inspiration.
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Nadine Whiteman
JANICE / TINA
Nadine Whiteman is a Canadian actress and singer based in Toronto, Canada. Theatre credits include Gultch/Wicked Witch Wizard of Oz Citadel Theatre, Trix in The Drowsy Chaperone at Theatre Calgary and MTC, Sylvia In All Shook Up at Drayton Entertainment and Stage West, Frankie Blow Wind High Water at Theatre Calgary, ensemble u/s Tanya/ Rosie Canadian Pemier/1st National/Broadway/ Las Vegas.
Film and Television credits include; Dr. Yana Noah Symed, Tiny Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell
Claire Designated Survivor, Bree Take Note, Eleanor Davis Fake Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
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Jeff Yung
MR. ZHOU / WAN
Jeff Yung is a Toronto based actor, martial artist, sometimes poet and a member of the Shakespeare in the Ruff Leadership Collective. His most recent on-stage role include Theseus as part of the Dora nominated cast of Two Noble Kinsmen with Shakespeare BASH’d.
Other credits include: Prodigal (Howland/Crow’s), Trojan Girls (OtM/Factory), Monday Nights (PuSh/LUMINATO/TC), An@gone (YPT), Vietgone (MTC/fu-Gen), and Banana Boys (Factory). On screen you can catch Jeff in the A24 horror flick undertone and in the action thriller Infiltrate, as well as an appearance on the upcoming season of Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. Other screen credits include: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix), Kung-Fu (CW) and as Dr. Rory Zhao in the David Cronenberg film The Shrouds.
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A PERFECT BOWL OF PHO
CAST
Norman Abraham
KEVIN / ENSEMBLE
Norman Abraham (he/him) is a recent graduate from Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor’s of Music Theatre Performance program. He is super excited to be joining the A Perfect Bowl of Pho team as he loves jumping into new works! Past credits include; Into the Woods, The Drowsy Chaperone (Theatre Sheridan) / Potato Potato (Toronto Fringe Festival, Choreographer) You can keep up with his work on instagram @abrnorman. Enjoy the show!
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Belinda Corpuz
FARMER / BACH & ENSEMBLE
Belinda Corpuz (she/her) is an award-winning Filipina-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto, Treaty 13. Her EP, All I Am, has garnered national radio-play, including features on CBC Radio. Her voice has been featured on film soundtracks: Robert Eggers’ The Witch, and Netflix’s In the Tall Grass. Belinda is a member of multi-award-winning group, Tita Collective. A graduate of the University of Toronto-Faculty of Music (BMus in Performance – Jazz Voice) and the Soulpepper Academy. She is a recipient of Dora and BroadwayWorld awards. SELECTED THEATRE: Mary Mary Mary Mary (Crows), Narnia (Bad Hats/Soulpepper/Crows), Steel Magnolias (Capitol Theatre), Ladies of the Canyon (Soulpepper), Alligator Pie (Soulpepper), Dear Rita (Tweed & Co), Ms. Titaverse (Tita Collective), Ursa: A Folk Musical (Tweed & Co/Uncommon Folk Collective), As You Like It (Canadian Stage), Tita Jokes (Tita Collective), Lady Sunrise (Factory), Hilot Means Healer (Cahoots/bcurrent), Prairie Nurse (Factory/Thousand Islands Playhouse). SELECTED FILM & TV: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (CBS), Lola’s Wake (Canadian Film Centre). @belindacorpuz / www.belindacorpuz.com
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Mishael Eusebio
NAM / ENSEMBLE
Canadian-Filipino tenor Mishael Eusebio is recognized for his expressive artistry and compelling stage presence across opera, concert, and new music. He has appeared with leading ensembles and organizations across North America, including Opéra de Montréal, Ammolite Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from early music to contemporary creation.
A committed advocate for new work, Mishael has been involved in the
development and performance of recent operatic creations, including Awakenings
(Opera Theatre of Saint Louis) and Le Flambeau de la nuit (Opéra de Montréal), as
well as projects with companies such as Tapestry Opera and Against the Grain
Theatre. Equally at ease in workshop and performance settings, he brings a collaborative and responsive approach to new music theatre. Recent engagements include serving as a juror at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and recital performances. Upcoming projects include commissioned works, concert and opera performances with several companies in Canada.
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Nam Nguyen
NAM’S DAD / ENSEMBLE
Nam Nguyen is a playwright & lyricist of Viet descent from Mississauga, Ontario known for quick-witted genre-bending musicals laden with hip-hop & world history. Past theatre writing credits include the Toronto Fringe hits A Perfect Bowl of Pho, CAEZUS, and Quiz Icarus. Currently, Nam is working on a play adaptation of The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse, a memoir of refugee childhood by Vinh Nguyen. Nam was also the Jeopardy! champion on April 22, 2024. namnguyenplaywright.com
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Kimberly-Ann Truong
JEN’S MOM / AMY & ENSEMBLE
Kimberly-Ann Truong is an accomplished artist from a small town on the northwest coast of British Columbia. Known for her work across Broadway, The Stratford Festival, film, television, and animation voiceover, she is passionate about telling meaningful stories that amplify underrepresented voices and push industry boundaries. Alongside her performing career, she is completing her Master’s and currently practicing as a Psychotherapist (Qualifying), connecting her skills and lived experiences in her work with clients from all walks of life. She is also a college professor for Music Theatre Performance, where she mentors emerging performers and aims to integrate mental health into training environments to create a more sustainable, compassionate, and artist-centred industry culture.
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Mya Wong
JEN / ENSEMBLE
Mya Wong is an actor and dramaturg based in Toronto, Ontario. Since graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University with a BFA in Acting, Mya has been building her practice with a focus on new work development. Select theatre credits include: Hera, The Virgin, Mary (Sheep’s Clothing Theatre); Couch and the Voice of 6, Concord Floral (Puckers Co.); Program Associate, Write from the Hip (Nightwood Theatre); Dramaturgy Fellow, This-Gen Fellowship (Why Not Theatre); Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Louie the Goat); Jen, A Perfect Bowl of Pho (Toronto Fringe Festival); Performer, Risk! A Climate Cabaret (United Nations with Live Canon).
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BAND
Justin Han
DRUMS
A versatile drummer, percussionist, and sheet music arranger, Justin has worked in the GTA’s music and theatre communities since completing his studies at University of Toronto (under John Rudolph, Beverley Johnston). Career highlights include time with recording artists (incl. Andee, Gillian Nicola, Sun K), and acclaimed Toronto-originated musicals including Boy Falls From The Sky, Chasse-Galerie (Dora award winner), Drama 101, The Perilous Predicament of Polly Peel, In Real Life, and the long-form improvised One Night Only.
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Benjamin Kersey
PIANO / CONDUCTOR
Benjamin Kersey is a Franco-Ontarian music director and pianist, known for his stylistic versatility within theatre and classical music. In addition to performance work for major companies such as Mirvish, the National Ballet, and the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, he has helped develop over a dozen new musicals by established and emerging Canadian writers at The Musical Stage Company, Second City and Sheridan College. Benjamin is a two-time Dora nominee and a graduate of the University of Toronto. He is proud to be a member of the AFM and to be represented by Talent House, and he is forever thankful to those who have helped shape his artistry. He is thrilled to be part of this chapter of Pho.
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Anh Phung
FLUTE
“Anh Phung is a shining example of the modern musician: as a child, she earned her virtuosity while sweeping flute contests across Canada, and has since used her mastery of the flute as a compass to navigate countless styles of music, constantly learn new instruments and consistently deliver exciting performances. Not bothered by the conventions and standard limitations of the flute, her powerful musical voice steers her through everything from hip-hop to bluegrass to Bulgarian folk music, and she is the leader of prog-rock tribute band Tullstars and performance art act Hairbrain. Catch Anh Phung on the mainstage at a summer festival facing off with the lead guitarist, or slinking around the basement after-hours at a free jazz club, but blink and she’s off chasing the next new sound.” – Alan Mackie
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THE VIBE IS ON
CAST
Luke Reece
CO-CREATOR & PERFORMER
Luke Reece is the Associate Artistic Director at Soulpepper Theatre, and works as a playwright, performer and director across Canada. FOR SOULPEPPER: Co-Creator: The Thrill of Hope: A Holiday Concert (upcoming); Associate Director: Spring Awakening (upcoming), The Welkin, Wildwoman; Associate Artist: Bad Parent; Assistant Director: Pipeline; Dramaturg: Six Characters in Search of an Author; Writer: 1851:Spirit and Voice (with Myseum of Toronto). OTHER THEATRE: Associate Director: Anne of Green Gables (The Stratford Festival); Writer/Performer: As I Must Live It (Theatre Passe Muraille); Writer/Director: The Wonderful (Caravan Theatre). FILM & TELEVISION: Writer: Notice (Obsidian & CBC Arts). OTHER: Luke is one of Toronto’s most decorated slam poets, and has represented the country internationally.
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Stew Stewart
CO-CREATOR & PERFORMER
As a Tony Award and two-time Obie Award winning playwright/performer, Stew is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and veteran of multiple dive-bar stages. Stew’s classes are hothouses of multi-disciplinary, self-challenging experimentation which encourage celebratory transformation via myth-making. His courses are equally informed by the spontaneous immediacy of rock-club survival tactics and the human grandeur of theater. As an instructor, Stew strives to demystify the creative process for students, while simultaneously inviting them to create myths out of their truths, so that those truths might go deeper and shine brighter.
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BAND
Joel Joseph
PIANO
Joel Joseph was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. FOR SOULPEPPER: Revolutionary Women in Blues (upcoming); Detroit: Music of the Motor City; Billie, Sarah, & Ella: Revolutionary Women in Jazz; The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience. FILM & TELEVISION: Canadian Idol, The Toronto Show, Tonight show OTHER: JJ toured with Canadian hall of famers Nelly Furtado and Serena Ryder, JJ has also toured with Jully Black, Saukrates, Kardinal Offishall, Ivana Santilli, Glenn Lewis, Natasha Beddingfield. JJ also played in Canadian Jazz legend Archie Alleyne’s Band Kollage.
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Joe Bowden
DRUMS
FOR SOULPEPPER: Detroit: Music of the Motor City; The Big Easy; On A Night Like This. A Nova Scotian by birth, Joe Bowden moved to Toronto in the 1980’s to pursue his music career at Humber College. He subsequently toured with the great vocalist, Salome Bey, from ’84-’88, highlighting in a performance at Expo ’86 in Vancouver. Joe’s worked with some of Toronto’s top jazz, R&B and pop artists: Divine Brown, Alana Bridgewater, Maestro Fresh Wes, Jackie Richardson, Rich Kidd and Dave Young, to name a few. Joe performed in multiple episodes of the Showtime hit series, Soul Food, the Frankie Drake Mysteries and various commercials. Joe was the drummer for CanStage’s 2009 production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ featuring Jackie and Kim Richardson. Joe was nominated for the 2021 African Nova Scotian Entertainer of the Year and Jazz Recording of the Year awards by the East Coast Music Association. In 2023, Joe was awarded the prestigious ECMA Bucky Adams Memorial Award.
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THE ART (AND BUSINESS) OF MAKING A MUSICAL
HOST
Olivia Ansell
Olivia Ansell is the Artistic Director of Luminato Festival, presenting her inaugural festival programme in June 2025. She concluded her tenure as Festival Director of Sydney Festival, completing her fourth and final festival in January 2025. Previously, Olivia spent three years as Head of Contemporary Performance for Sydney Opera House Presents. A graduate of Queensland University of Technology, the Australia Council’s Executive Leadership Program and Chief Executive Women Leadership Program Sydney, Olivia was voted one of Vivid Sydney’s Top 100 Creative Catalysts. She is also a lecturer in Movement for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Con Opera School.
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PANELISTS
Mara Isaacs
SATURDAY PANEL
Mara Isaacs is a Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning creative producer and founder of Octopus Theatricals, developing and producing plays, musicals and multi-disciplinary work across the globe. Selected highlights from 200 productions: Hadestown (Broadway, West End, North American Tour–Best Musical Tony and Grammy); Gypsy with Audra McDonald (Broadway); Patrick Page’s All the Devils Are Here (off-Broadway, North American Tour); …(Iphigenia) by Wayne Shorter and esperanza spalding; Film: Hadestown: The Musical (release July 2026); I Feel Myself to be Part of Something (documentary anthology). Music: Founder and President, Octoverse Media (record label and multi-genre platform). Upcoming: Kunene and the King; A Beat of Our Own; Goddess; Get Out Alive; musical adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit. She is Entrepreneur in Residence with Yale Ventures, Co-Founder of Producer Hub, and Co-Founder of Arts Impact Collaborative. Previously: Producing Director, McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ; Associate Producer at the Mark Taper Forum/CTG in Los Angeles.
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Donna Lynn Hilton
SUNDAY PANEL
Donna Lynn Hilton is a highly-effective creative producer with a significant record of leading, developing and producing new musical theatre works as well as inspiring a re-envisioning of the canon. With Goodspeed Musicals since 1988 and currently in her sixth season as Artistic Director of the two-time Tony award-winning theatre, she led the creation of many of Goodspeed’s most acclaimed productions including Summer Stock, The 12, Anne of Green Gables, and Maggie. An advocate for creators and the creative process, she is committed to prioritizing new work development at Goodspeed. At Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre, she has led the early development of many new musicals, among them Passing Through, Private Jones, A Complicated Woman, and last year’s The Great Emu War. Donna Lynn led the creation of The Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove, the partnership with The Johnny Mercer Foundation which has welcomed over 400 musical theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists to Goodspeed’s campus for one of the premiere development opportunities available to emerging musical theatre writers. She launched Goodspeed’s first formal commissioning program – GoodWorks – which brought to life Joriah Kwamé’s Little Miss Perfect and will welcome the world premiere of the new musical The Snow Goose to the Goodspeed stage this fall. With the development of Hi, My Name Is Ben and No Love Songs, she led Goodspeed’s ongoing international collaboration with Scotland’s Dundee Rep Theatre and helped re-envision The Writers Grove for Scottish, UK and Indian writers on the campus at Cove Park, Scotland. Donna Lynn was invited to represent US musical theatre producers at the 2024 K-Musical Market in Seoul, South Korea. A past president of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, she currently serves as a Trustee for Dundee Rep Theatre/Scottish Dance Ensemble and, closer to home, CT Landmarks. Donna Lynn is proud to have begun her career as a respected stage manager of Musical Theatre and Opera.
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Deirdre O’Halloran
SATURDAY & SUNDAY PANEL
Deirdre O’Halloran is a dramaturg specialising in the development of new plays and musicals. Deirdre is the Head of New Musical Theatre at Birmingham Hippodrome, leading the first in-venue department dedicated to the musical theatre artform in the UK. The department was set up in 2023 to commission, develop and produce new musicals at a variety of scales, alongside nurturing musical theatre artists. In 2025, Birmingham Hippodrome produced the multi award winning Edinburgh Fringe hit HOT MESS by Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, with dramaturgy by Deirdre O’Halloran. Other work in development at the Birmingham Hippodrome includes ONE TINY PENGUIN by Jordan Li-Smith and Julie Tsang which will premiere in December 2026, FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY by Jon Brittain and Miranda Cooper, and the department’s first international collaboration with Artyman and Musical Stage Company CLARA AT THE DOOR WITH THE REVOLVER by Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Susan Wokoma.
Deirdre was previously the Literary Manager at the Bush Theatre, where she designed and implemented artist development programmes, and dramaturged all commissioned work. As a freelancer, Deirdre has worked with many leading producers and theatres, including Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Global Musicals and DEM Productions. Highlights of Deirdre’s produced work include: SHIFTERS by Benedict Lombe (Duke of Yorks’ Theatre), winner of the Evening Standard Award RED PITCH by Tyrell Williams (@SohoPlace), and the Olivier award-winning plays THE P WORD by Waleed Akhtar and SLEEPOVA by Matilda Ibini.
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Michael Rubinoff
SATURDAY & SUNDAY PANEL
Artistic Director of The Musical Stage Company, Michael Rubinoff is an Olivier and Dora Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated producer, widely regarded as Canada’s foremost champion of new musicals. As the originating producer and visionary behind the creation of Come From Away, the most successful Canadian musical in history, he has left an indelible mark on the global theatre landscape. For his groundbreaking work, he was recognized with one of Canada’s highest civilian honours, the Meritorious Service Cross. In 2011, Rubinoff founded the Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP), a groundbreaking incubator for the development of new musicals by both Canadian and international creators. For a decade, the CMTP fostered the development of over thirty new works including Come From Away, The Theory of Relativity and Brantwood. Rubinoff also served as Associate Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at Sheridan College, Canada’s largest post-secondary arts institution, from 2011 to 2017. Selected producing credits: The annual summer production of Come From Away in Gander, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, a new musical featuring songs from the catalogue of Canada’s most iconic band, The Tragically Hip, Maggie, which had its American premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in 2024, Grow, to be presented in 2026 at Montreal’s Segal Centre for the Performing Arts and in partnership with Canada’s most beloved brand Tim Hortons, The Last Timbit: A 60th Anniversary Musical. Rubinoff also produced the live capture of The Last Timbit, which was broadcast on Canada’s Crave streaming platform and received a 2025 Canadian Screen Award Nomination for Best Variety or Entertainment Special.
A dedicated cultural leader, Rubinoff has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and strategic committees. He was a member of the 2015 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, the inaugural co-chair of Canada’s National Centre for New Musicals at Theatre Aquarius and was President of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts from 2013–2015. From 2017–2019, he served as a member of the Minister of Heritage’s Canadian Cultural and Creative Industries Advisory Group for the People’s Republic of China. Most recently, he contributed to Culture Connections: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto, 2025–2035, as a member of the City of Toronto’s culture advisory panel.
Rubinoff is also a trained lawyer. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Western University and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2002.
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