Here are some of my recent projects :)
playwright - Days Since Bo's Been Gone
Alumnae Theatre Fireworks Festival 2025
Synopsis
Days Since Bo’s Been Gone brings to the stage the raw and ridiculous world of grief. Jade is in her early twenties, starting her job at a small art gallery in Toronto, when her boyfriend Bo dies. Suddenly she must take on the responsibilities that come with death while trying to keep the other relationships in her life alive. One day at a time, fragmented and over the course of years, we witness Jade’s journey through imposter syndrome, impossible decisions, and the search for relief in this dramatic comedy.
Photos By: Nicholas Porteous
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
Jade: Nadine Maranan
Chloe: Ava Rain Patterson
Atlas: Jules Auckland
Rick: Nate Bartoshuk
Host: Bronwyn Keough
Director: Sarini Kumarasinghe
Producer: Tsipporah Shendroff
Stage Manager: Lidia Foote
Assistant Stage Manager: Marisa Roggeveen
Costume Designer: Gabe Woo
Set Designer: Zahra Lokhandwala
Fight Choreographer: Koy Santillo
A Little Bit More About the Journey
I started writing this play in playwriting courses at UofT in 2023. Inspired to find humour in my own experiences, I began this passion project. An early draft of DSBBG was nominated for the Playwright Guild of Canada's 2024 Robert Beardsley Award. And then the play was selected to be one of three new plays produced as a part of Alumnae Theatre's fireworks festival, celebrating Canadian women in theatre.
Writing this play and working through its many many edits (from new game show 'episodes' to Bo being a character until the final draft) it was a dream to see so many hard working artists help me bring this story to life.
playwright, director, co-producer - Crybaby Theatre: Workshop Reading of Days Since Bo's Been Gone
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
Jade: Emily Beaubien
Chloe: Ava Rain Patterson
Atlas: Valentine Leger
Rick: Jules Spizzirri
Host: Jenn Tan
Bo: DJ Wright
Stage Directions / Officer: Kate Pasula
Director: Miriam Sossin
Producer: Sydney Scott, Miriam Sossin
Stage Manager: Emma Davidson
Dramaturg: Sarini Kumarasinghe
Marketing / Production Assistant: Marty Zimmerman
Leading up to this workshop reading I worked for months with my dramaturg. I wanted to edit a draft of the play that felt complete, see it performed, and get feedback from my peers.
After deciding I was going to make this reading happen, I brought together a creative team and held auditions for the cast. I created Crybaby Theatre as a vehicle for this project, and as a company to bring together emerging artists who want to create work that makes us hahaha and waaaaah.
As director, I planned and led rehearsals, ensuring a cohesive creative vision for the project. Working with my co-producer, I organized the rental of Assembly Theatre, and set up a budget for the project.
director - CDTPS Director's Showcase: Sure Thing by David Ives
Synopsis
Sure Thing (1994) tells the story of Betty and Bill, who meet in a café one night. The two strangers fall in love, though not on their first try, over the course of a conversation. Through the structuring presence of a bell that gives the couple infinite chances to say the 'right' thing, the play presents a satire of the American rom com. It's a comedic exploration of our need to control and perfect people, conversations and perceptions. But, does something magical happen when we give up on acheiveing perfection? And is this chair taken???
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
Betty: Mika Deneige
Bill: Alex Toma
Director: Miriam Sossin
Stage Manager: Unwoo Ho
Lighting Designer: Madeleine King
Costume Designer: Val Vergara
Set Designer: Jingyuan (Jessie) Chen
Assistant Set Design: Athen Go
I made Betty the protagonist of this story, and had most of the play be a projection of her own boredom, dinging the bell whenever she didn't like what imaginary Bill had said or did. As the story goes on, and Bill seems to catch on to the game, Betty has to question her desire to control everything. And as a result, takes a chance on a stranger. This love story is not one to be taken seriously, and we should not be lowering our expectations, but we can learn something from Betty and Bill's arch. I hoped that this play would serve as a time-capsule to when cafés were a place of social opportunity, and inspire us to be curious about the person who is sitting across from us.