Darrin Hagen - Playwright

DARRIN HAGEN is an award-winning playwright, author, composer, performer, and Queer historian, and is also the artistic director of Guys In Disguise. He has created over 40 plays, and dozens of published essays and articles, many dealing with the history of sexual minorities in Alberta.

In addition to the full-length documentary Pride vs. Prejudice: The Delwin Vriend Story, he has created and directed the award-nominated music video for Only Here on Loan by King of Foxes, the dance film Shadow of a Doubt with Gerry Morita, the silent experimental short Presence in the Third Space, and the comedy short The Foxy Lady Disco Dancing Lounge Rhinestone Turkey Baster Relay Marathon. He also hosted the web series Queer Places, produced by TelusOptik.

Plays by Darrin include his award-winning 1996 debut, The Edmonton Queen (published by Brindle & Glass Publishing, now in its fourth printing). Other published work includes Tornado Magnet: A Salute to Trailer Court Women. More plays include the Sterling-nominated  Buddy, Witch Hunt at the Strand, The Empress & The Prime Minister, Metronome, 10 Funerals. as well as the international hit BitchSlap!, and With Bells On which was adapted into a musical by New York City’s Live & In Color.

He has received 7 Sterling awards for his work in Edmonton theatre, and the AMPIA for Best Male Host for the series Who’s On Top? In 2005 he was named one of 100 Edmontonians of the Century. In 2013 he was inducted into the Q Hall of Fame Canada for his contribution to Queer Canadian culture, and was named by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts as one of the 25 Most Influential Alberta artists in the last 25 years.

Heather Inglis took the helm of Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre as Artistic Producer  in November 2019. A  graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Heather is an award-winning director, producer, and dramaturg whose career has taken her across the country. In 2019, Heather was nominated for the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada’s Bra D’Or Award, recognizing her support and promotion of Canadian women playwrights via Theatre Yes. Heather has directed and assistant directed over 40 productions, many of which have been new Canadian works.

Credits include: The Shaw Festival, Citadel Theatre, Workshop West Theatre, Northern Light Theatre, Azimuth Theatre, Theatre Junction, Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre (SK), Live Five (SK), The Doppler Effect Productions (NS), Alberta Playwrights Network, Saskatchewan Playwrights' Centre, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre, The Notable Acts Festival (NB) and Universities in Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon. Heather has received Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award (2014) for her work at Theatre Yes, the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund (twice), the Celebration of Women in the Arts Award (twice), and the Telus Courage to Innovate Award (Edmonton). Nine of Inglis’ productions have been nominated for 17 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, including 7 nominations for Outstanding Independent Production and nominations for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Fringe Director. Theatre Yes received a special Sterling Award for Outstanding Innovation in Theatre (2014).

Andrea House sings, she composes; she tells universal stories in music. She writes her own original songs and performs them; she pays homage to the master songwriters of the past. And she creates in a vast spectrum of styles from jazz and country to folk.

Edmonton’s Andrea House is a stunningly, and mysteriously, multi-dimensional artist who lives and performs in the musical world — and steps across the frontier from time to time, theatre visa in hand, to communicate to audiences through bold narratives. Andrea’s star-dusted voice is richly multi-angled and many-sided, lush to ethereal.

She has released three studio albums and has performed in Canada, the US, and even a few times very far from home. Yet, when asked, she names the Varscona Theatre in Edmonton, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and Arrowwood, Alberta as her favourite places to sing. Her album, Fire (2019), produced by Mitch Watkins, (Lyle Lovett, Leonard Cohen) can be found on Spotify and Apple Music. 

Jason is an actor, choreographer, and improviser proudly from Edmonton. He has received a Sterling Award for his performance in Don't Frown at the Gown with Guys In Disguise at the 2018 Fringe. Some favourite credits include: Microwave Coven, Puck Bunnies, Crack in the Mirror (Guys in Disguise); Elf: The Musical (Western Canada Theatre); Cinderella: A Pantomime (Capitol Theatre Fort Edmonton); First Date, All Shook Up (Mayfield); Mary Poppins (Globe Theatre); Scenes from the Sidewalk, Get Happy Revue, Ah, Romance!, A New Brain (Plain Jane Theatre Company). You can see pictures of Jason's cat and his other adventures on Instagram @jasonjay. Jason can also be seen at Die-Nasty! The Live Improvised Soap Opera every Monday Night at 7:30pm at the Varscona Theatre. 

Jake Tkaczyk is an Edmonton-based theatre artist with a passion for creating new and engaging work collaboratively. He graduated from the BFA Acting at the University of Alberta and is currently in the midst of his PhD in Creative Practice from the Transart Institute and Liverpool John Moores’ University. Also a graduate of Red Deer College’s Theatre Performance and Creation program, Jake has worked as an actor, director, creator, and educator in central Alberta. His selected acting credits include: Flora and Fawna Have Beaver Fever (and so does Fleurette!) (Lunchbox Theatre), Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (Blarney Productions/You are Here), 10 Funerals, Lungs (Shadow Theatre), That’s Danger! (Alberta Workers’ Health Centre), Crack in the Mirror, With Bells On, Don’t Frown at the Gown, (Guys in Disguise), Urinetown(Grindstone Theatre), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown! (Opera Nuova). Directing and creating credits include: White Guy on Stage Talking, Bedeutung Krankenwagen, Post, Like, Share—Beware!, The Big Fat Surprise, All Proceeds Go To:, and Pride and Pre-Jeu-Dice (Innocent Operations), The Land that Art Forgot, and Devour Content Here: Of Love and Wheat (Kristine Nutting). Jake has taught workshops for The Citadel Theatre’s Foote Theatre School and Grindstone Theatre, as well as guest instructing at Augustana University. Jake had the extreme pleasure of working as an Artist Intern at Northern Light Theatre for a few years and is was previously employed as Theatre Alberta’s Program Coordinator and the Program Manager of Performing Arts at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Jake recently received the AFA Young Artist Prize.

D'orjay is a gender non-conforming human who creates through several mediums of art and facilitates energy medicine in amiskwaciwâskahikan (so-called Edmonton) on Treaty 6 land.

Read up, and listen up for more D’orjay HERE!

Caley Suliak is an Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) based writer and performer. As a founding member of Girl Brian, she is delighted to be part of an award-winning comedy group that explores and celebrates the goriest parts of a girl’s brain.

Her theatrical and written endeavours have taken her to stages across Canada, the United States, and Gloucester, England! Caley is a two-time Sterling Award nominee and a regular cast member of Die Nasty Improv. Caley has been fortunate to work with Edmonton theatre companies such as Shadow Theatre, WWPT, Trunk Theatre, Theatre Network, Theatre Prospero, and THEATrePUBLIC.

As a social media contractor, Caley believes that telling a story is the best way to create impact and human connection. This past year, she was thrilled to co-host some Edmonton Riverhawks games with her fellow Girl Brains, and join the Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre team, putting a soft end to waitressing, and supporting what she loves most - THE THEATRE, DARLING! 

Davina Stewart is an award-winning theatre artist and graduate of the U of A BFA Acting program, Davina is delighted to be back performing at Workshop West.

Recent performances include MOB & Unsung: Tales from the Front Line (WorkshopWest Theatre), The Importance of Being Ernest at the Citadel Theatre, It’s A Wonderful Christmas Carol (Edmonton Christmas Market). Upcoming Where You Are at Shadow Theatre. 

She’s had the good fortune to have performed in a number of Darrin Hagen’s plays over the years select credits include Bitchslap! Dracula and Witch Hunt at the Strand. 

Doug is thrilled to return to Springboards and be reading a new play by Darrin Hagen. Doug appeared in the world premiere of Darrin’s play 10 Funerals for Shadow Theatre in 2023. He read Colin Doyle’s new play, Summer Solstice, for Springboards 2024. Other recent performance credits include Governor Sampson in Civil Blood: A Treaty Story for Thou Art Here Theatre at Fort Edmonton Park last summer and playing the two manservants, Lane and Merriman, in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Citadel Theatre. Doug is full-time faculty in the Music Theatre Performance program at MacEwan University.

Josh is an Edmonton-based actor and singer.   Some recent credits include Songs My Mother Never Sung Me! (Concrete Theatre), Everybody Goes To Mitzi’s! (Teatro Live!), 10 Funerals (Shadow Theatre), and Sweeney Todd (Plain Jane Theatre). Josh received a Sterling Award nomination for Outstanding Fringe Performance by an Individual for his performance in Conjoined (Straight Edge Theatre). Other credits include Evil Dead: The Musical, Bat Boy, Ordinary Days, The Wind and the Rain, Witts: Ballad of Queer Cowboys, Cinderella, and Scenes from the Sidewalk. Josh was part of the record-breaking 312-performance tour of Pinocchio (Alberta Musical Theatre Company). Josh is also half of pop-duo Homofonik with Daniel Belland.

Michael Watt is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Amiskwacî (Edmonton) interested in creation, production, and performance. Michael can frequently be found creating and indulging in music and theatre projects both independently and with frequent collaborator, Jacquelin Walters, with their company Walters & Watt Theatre Projects. Recent acting credits include: Shrek the Musical (NUOVA); Bea (Shadow Theatre); Witch (Bleviss Lab Theatre); and Let’s Not Turn On Each Other (Walters & Watt).

Michael can be seen next performing in 366 at the Mile Zero Dance Lab this May, and producing the premiere production of their new play Reign Check this summer, which you can catch an excerpt of at the Springboards Cabaret!