DAVID JAN JURASEK
Writer & Conductor
David is passionate about co-creating real communities of powerful, authentic, and healthy human beings. He recognizes the unmet needs we all share & believes in the innate capacity within all of us to heal ourselves.
David is the founder of Inspired and Free & The Inspired Playback Theatre Company. He is also a Drama Therapist, a Mindfulness Martial Arts Instructor & a Child & Family Therapist at INTEGRA.
STEPHEN DOUGLAS
Stephen is a Gestalt psychotherapist helping families, individuals, and groups in Toronto. He has co-facilitated psychodrama workshops at University of British Columbia and is currently is a Board Member and Chair of the Professional Development Committee of the Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psycho- -therapists (OACCPP). To learn more about Stephen's work, go to
www.familycounselling.net.
JEFF ROSENTHAL
Musician
Jeff is a professor and author working at the University
He is also an amateur musician and improvisational
comedian who has performed on and off at various
Toronto clubs including the Bad Dog Theatre.
This is his first performance with Playback.
NAOMI TESSLER
Actor
Naomi Tessler, M.A. is an actor, theatre educator/ workshop facilitator, director, playwright, poet, and energy healer. She is a graduate of the Masters in Arts program in Educational Theatre for Colleges and Communities at New York University. She is passionate about using theatre as a tool for social change, encouraging self expression, community building and environmental awareness.
She believes in uniting community through stories to build bridges towards personal and collective transformation and healing. She loves Playback Theatre and is delighted to be co-creating and performing in Learn Dis with the Inspired Playback Theatre Company.
VICTORIA HAIST
Actor
Victoria has loved playback ever since her first experience with it many years ago when she studied in Montreal. She truly believes it is a powerful and wonderful art form that is entertaining, while having the power to be healing at the same time.
Victoria is a Drama Therapist and currently works counselling Children and Youth. She is very excited to be part of the Learn Dis project.
DEREK LINDMAN
Actor
Derek is a student at the University of Waterloo majoring in Drama with a minor in English. He is excited and humbled to be part of Learning Dis with the Inspired Playback Theatre Company. He would like to thank David for his tremendous vision, warmth, and generosity, the collective wisdom of this group, and, of course, his family for their love, patience, encouragement and understanding.
JANE HUSAK
Actor
Jane is an actor and dancer with incredible passionate and creativity. She is a gifted facilitator and guide to doctors in training. She also loves to engage in Contact Dance and choreograph and perform in one woman musical plays.
ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ
Actor
Alejandro is an International Language instructor for the TDSB. He is eager and passionate about sharing stories and cultures from around the world & facilitating his Multicultural Project in Toronto for this purpose. He is a Playback Theatre Performer who enjoys the free expression and energy of the dance and the theatre.
CARLYNN REED
Actor
Carlynn Reed is founder of Imagiscape Theatre and co-director with Jonathon Neville. She is an actor, dancer, playwright, and director in community and professional theatre. Formerly a high school teacher in History, English, Law, and Drama, she currently works with kids in a Church in Scarborough. In her theatre work, Carlynn loves to explore the upside down inside out experiences of faith. Her most recent learning curve is soaring the heights of swing dance and its connection with what we believe. Carlynn also cares for her son who is slowly recovering from a 14 year complex pain nightmare, turning the experience into a stage show and documentary, Heal Thyself. www.imagiscape.ca
JONATHON NEVILLE
Actor
* plays with Alzheimer's (10th anniversary!)
* answers when his mom calls "Mommy?"
* sleeps with his mother
* imagines homes as eco-systems within ecosystem
* imposes constraints/disabilities to discover other abilities.
* is disabled by his abilities (he thinks he can do things he can't).
* turns free market relationships into co-creating friendships.
Together with Carlynn, Jonathon develops ecological economies through theatre, providing training & tools for performing your real live drama.
Dance/Theatre Creations include:
- "Heal Thyself" - featured in a 2-part special on CBC TV; keynote presentation at conferences.
- "NeuroRehabilitation" - special event presentation at FICCDAT international medical conference.
- Co-leader, Imagiscape's Improv Theatre course and Musical Theatre camp.
www.imagiscape.ca
