Krampups:
A New Musical
Team
Bios
SETH GILFILLAN
(Playwright/Krampus)
Seth is a pharmacist by day, and has co-written several musicals showcased at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, including Cult Cycle (2018), Imaginary Friend (2019), and Conjoined (2022), the last in which he also performed. Seth is thrilled that Workshop West has selected one of their works to showcase in their season. He hopes this production brings you a ton of holiday joy... and maybe a touch of holiday fear.
STEPHEN ALLRED
(Playwright/Director)
Stephen is a multiple Sterling Award nominated writer, director, producer, and an occasional dentist. He's known for co-writing multiple original musicals which have previously been featured at the Edmonton Fringe including horror comedy hits Cult Cycle, Imaginary Friend, and Conjoined, the latter two of which he also directed. He is a passionate performer himself having performed in the Edmonton Opera Chorus, with Edmonton Pops Orchestra, and various theatre groups in the city. Stephen is excited and ready to unleash more holiday horror into the world with the extended version of Krampus: A New Musical, including fresh new songs and jokes. Some more of Stephen's recent work can be seen in the brand new podcast musical And I'm Home: A Holiday Radioplay that he also co-wrote and co-directed and is fortunately safe for the whole family on the car ride to Grandma's. Huge thanks to Workshop West for featuring our work as a part of their season, and we wish all of you a scary Christmas, and Happy Holiday Season!
MICHAEL CLARK
(Musical Director)
Michael Clark is a versatile music director, conductor, composer and pianist with over a decade of experience. Raised in a rural community, he has developed a passion for musical theatre and storytelling. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Edmonton Pops Orchestra and Music Director of the Edmonton Philharmonic Orchestra. Michael has led the music for over three dozen theatre productions and numerous concerts, with collaborations at The Lincoln Centre and Goodspeed Musicals. His music has been performed across Canada, and include works for orchestra, wind ensemble and the theatre.
AMANDA NEUFELD
(Rhonette)
Amanda is excited to be returning to the Gateway Theatre stage (last seen when performing in Guys in Disguise's production of Klondykes). Amanda continues a curious streak of supernatural-themed roles, including Margaret in Carrie: The Musical, Annie in Evil Dead: The Musical, Mae in Reefer Madness, Elvira in Blithe Spirit, Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show, and Emma Borden in Lizzie: The Musical. In addition, she has directed other off-beat musicals at the Fringe such as, Hair: The Musical, bare: A Pop Opera, Reefer Madness, and Bat Boy. After her first stint as Ronnette in last year's Fringe production of Krampus, this Christmas season, she's thrilled to be back with the horror-camp, the festively-frightful, Krampus: A New Musical!
JACOB HOLLOWAY
(Douglas)
Jacob Holloway is an Edmonton-based theatre artist and articling student who is thrilled to be reprising the role of Douglas in this season’s production of Krampus: A New Musical. Selected past theatre credits include Tim in Walter (Pansy Craze Collective), Tragi-Dean in Local Diva (Low Hanging Fruits Productions), David in Harun (In Arms Theatre Collective), William Barfée in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Uniform Theatre), John Wilkes Booth in Assassins (Loose Ends Theatre), and Ken in Red (Fred Skeleton Theatre Company). Having recently graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of Alberta, Jacob is currently weaponizing his BFA in theatre (also from the University of Alberta) to defend the rights of workers throughout the province.
VICTORIA SUEN
(Tilly)
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Victoria has trained extensively in ballet, jazz, contemporary,tap, musical theatre, and hip hop. She is thrilled to be making her Workshop West debut! Victoria also holds a PhD in Psychiatry and works as Director of a large team specialized in health research, evaluation, knowledge management and innovation. Previous selected credits include the Sterling award winning Ride the Cyclone (Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg; Uniform Theatre/SatCo), the Sterling Award nominated productions of Krampus (Tilly; Straight Edge Theatre) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park; Uniform Theatre), LIZZIE the Musical (Lizzie Borden; Uniform Theatre/SatCo) Little Women (Megan March; SatCo), Xanadu (Euterpe; Uniform Theatre/SatCo), Once More With Feeling in Concert (Buffy Summers; Heart and Soul Productions), The King and I (Dancer; Rainbow Stage), Franklin at the Symphony (Franklin the Turtle; KOBA), The Backyardigans on Tour (Pablo the Penguin; KOBA) and HMS Pinafore (Dance Captain/Sailor; Opera Nuova).
DAMON PITCHER
(Billy)
Damon is a graduate of MacEwan University’s Theatre Arts Program and is a multidisciplinary performer in Edmonton. He is so excited to get to step back into the world of Krampus and share it with you all! In addition to teaching at the Citadel’s Foote Theatre School, some credits include: Triassic Parq, Ride the Cyclone (Uniform Theatre); Spring Awakening, Ride The Cyclone (Strathcona Alumni Theatre Co.); Christmas Around the World, Mardi Gras (Vinok Worldance); Anti-Racism and Change Tour (Concrete Theatre).
He hopes you enjoy the show and have a wonderful holiday season!
NICOLE ENGLISH
(Nanny Verla)
Recent performance credits: Sonia in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Walterdale Theatre), Jessica in Austentatious (Walterdale), The Witch in Into the Woods (Foote in the Door), Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd (ELOPE). Previous ensemble member for Blackout Sketch Comedy and The 11 O’Clock Number (Grindstone Theatre). Nicole is a graduate of the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (UK). Many thanks to her family and friends for their support during this production. Enjoy the show!
c.m.zuby (CINDI)
(Set Designer)
What fun to work on a Christmas show and not need to paint a Victorian snow scene or a herd of reindeers. Honestly, the cast and crew, directors, and staff at Workshop West for Krampus have been an absolute holiday joy. I am a set designer for more than 30 productions in Edmonton and Calgary, and almost 10 times that in the States where I grew up. (Officially a Canadian now!!) I design a show a year for the Shadow Theatre Co. With other theatre companies I have been nominated for a design Elsie twice – one for Blood Oranges and CNTALTDELETE. I am also a musician, illustrator and professional scenic painter and a member of the Scenic Artists Guild (USA). With my partner Lynette Maurice we have an event company, Zu-Ma: Talent to Amuz, which specializes in family events, puppets shows and quite a few other kinds of artistic challenges we haven’t thought up yet. We have recently been working with elementary students and elders to create Indigenous school murals, an exciting and wonderful venture. I also teach Theatrical Scenic Painting at U of A. Final word - Krampus is watching. You better be good!
TREVOR SCHMIDT
(Costume Designer)
Trevor has been the Artistic Director of Northern Light Theatre for the past 23 years, and involved with NLT for the past 31 years as a performer, director, designer, and playwright, as well as being a multiple Sterling award winner in performance, director and playwrighting categories. Last fall his one-woman Gothic thriller WE HAD A GIRL BEFORE YOU opened the season in its American premiere at the Greater Boston Stage Company. He has been awarded for Outstanding Choreography for 6.0: HOW HEAP AND PEBBLE TOOK ON THE WORLD AND WON at the Betty Mitchell Theatre Awards in Calgary, and the DIALOG Award for Excellence in Artistic Direction as part of the Mayor's Evening for the Arts in Edmonton. He was on the shortlist for the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award through the Alberta Literary Awards for his libretto for TWO-HEADED/HALF-HEARTED, a musical he wrote with composer Kaeley Jade Wiebe. He was most recently honoured at the AMPIAs for Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role - Male or Non-Binary for his work in the film ME & MR. RIGHT, with Northern Gateway Productions.
AMI FARROW
(Lighting Designer)
KADE MAZURY
(Stage Manager)
Kade Mazury is a Stage Manager and Theatre artist currently based in Edmonton Alberta. They are excited and thankful to be a part of the Krampus: The Musical team and to be working with Workshop West Playwrights Theatre again after being the Artistic Coordinator for their 2024 Springboards Festival. Recently Kade was the Stage Manager for Lets Not Turn on Each Other (by Walters and Watt) at the 2024 Edmonton International Fringe Festival.
KIRA FRANCHUK
(Technical Director/Production Manager)
Kira Franchuk (they/them) is a lifelong resident of the prairies and the current in-house Technical Director for Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre. Leveraging a history of using technology creatively in a diverse range of contexts, from high performance computing to “new media” and professional videography, they are excited to facilitate another bleeding-edge season at The Gateway. You’ve assuredly seen or heard of their handiwork on any number of occasions including Workshop Wests’ Stars on Her Shoulders, Mob, Dead Letter, Tell Us What Happened, Unsung, and Subscribe Or Like, among many other credits. Outside of the theatre, Kira has built experiences for and with organizations such as Apple, Grainger, the Edmonton Valley Zoo (in collacoration with Roy Jackson), and MacEwan University. They still collect CDs (vinyl is too heavy!) and greatly enjoy working at a theatre so close to bike lane access. You can check out what they’ve been hearing lately at http://hhhpccc.ca
CARALIE HEINRICHS
(French Horn)
Caralie Heinrichs is a French horn player who studied music performance at the University of Manitoba. After receiving her Bachelor of Music, she completed a Master of Information Studies at the University of Ottawa. Caralie has continued performing in many ensembles while pursuing a career as a librarian, most recently with the Royal Canadian Artillery Band. She is currently a member of the Edmonton Winds, Concordia Symphony Orchestra, and Coyote Brass Quintet.
EPHRAIM SOPULU
(Cello)
Sopulu is a highly-talented cello and bass player from Nigeria who has performed extensively with the Divine Symphony Orchestra, the Loveworld Orchestra, the Abuja Philharmonic Orchestra and for many special events. He graduated with a first-class degree from the prestigious University of Lagos where he studied Mechanical Engineering, and he holds various high-grade certificates in music theory and practical graded exams from The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM). A man of many talents, he is also a cinematographer and video editor for the food mogul Zeelicious Foods.
LUCY GARBETT
(French Horn)
Lucy Garbett grew up making music. She has been playing piano since she was five, and horn since she was 11. Lucy graduated from the University of Toronto with her Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in French Horn Performance, and most recently earned her Professional Counsellor Diploma, Life Coaching Certification and Life Skills Facilitation Certification from Rhodes Wellness College in British Colombia. Lucy was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, The University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. These days, you’ll find Lucy performing with the Northern Horn Quartet, freelancing in Edmonton, managing her private therapy practice, and teaching piano and horn to students at the Youth Orchestra of North Alberta - Sistema program and the Visionary Centre for the Performing Arts.
NICHOLAS YEE
(Cello)
Nicholas is a musician and multidisciplinary artist with a love for movies, the mountains, and milk tea. As a cellist, he has recorded for music labels Seeking Blue and 88rising, performed at the JUNO Awards with artists like Shawn Mendes and Jessie Reyez, and even performed for the Pope when he visited Canada in 2022.
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTES…
We are overjoyed to bring Krampus: A New Musical to the professional theatre season in collaboration with Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre. Our initial concept of creating a Christmas Horror musical to present in the summer during the 2023 Fringe Festival was as campy as the contents of the show itself. Now, bringing the show to the Holiday season it belongs, brings with it a brand new excitement to this production of Krampus.
Krampus is an exaggerated snapshot of a family juxtaposing the bright colors of the holiday season with the darkness that can result from envy and pride. We love writing about dark and uncomfortable topics in a surreal and over-the-top way in order to make shows that are entertaining without shying away from the harsh realities that exist in the dark corners of the world. Ultimately as writers, our primary goal is to make people laugh. So no matter how twisted things get, we hope that you leave with a smile on your face.
The opportunity for the further development of the script and music has given us a new excitement for the project. We are thrilled to share our new and expanded work with you in a freshly polished form, and hope you can enjoy the chaos as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.
