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Suitcase Theatre is an independent arts company operated under the auspices of the Seeds of Hope Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation that oversees five social rejuvenation projects in downtown Toronto aimed at nurturing the talents of people facing special challenges.
Behind the Scenes- Our Creative Team
Stuart Gilchrist
Stuart Gilchrist, now retired, continues his commitment to philanthropic projects and brings a lifetime of experience in the media and performing arts. Throughout his career, he was directly involved in many notable television and radio programs. Stuart is the creator and original producer of Mr. Dress Up, the longest running children’s program in Canada which has impacted millions of children by its gentle approach to child development. The program continues to affect future generations through the release of DVD collections.
Stu was personally invited by Fred Rogers to produce a series of his television programs in Pittsburgh, PA. He developed creative programming ideas that would later become part of Mister Rogers’ extraordinary legacy. Stu’s commitment to children’s radio and television programming is unwavering and he was also asked to serve as the CBC representative in the creation of Sesame Street.
His contribution to various boards of directors in capacities including education, outreach, fundraising and special events has spanned over thirty years.
Doug Price
Doug Price got the theatre bug from performing in a talent show at 7 years of age. He’s been in theatre ever since.
Throughout high school, Doug played key musical roles in school plays and wrote and directed his own award-winning musical. He was the recipient of a Youth in Motion Top 20 Under 20 Award in 2006 and in the same year, also won the Fen Watkin Scholarship of Music from the Charlottetown Theatre Festival for an orchestral arrangement.
In 2008, Doug graduated from Sheridan College’s Musical Theatre Performance program and was the first winner of the Teacher’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to his Peers.
Since graduating, Doug has performed with Carnival Cruise Lines, the Globe Theatre in Regina and the Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque. He is currently working on a music-inspired project with a cast of nine.
Excited by creativity, Doug looks forward to being a part of this new chapter of Suitcase Theatre.
Hildy Stollery
Hildy Stollery is acclaimed for her curriculum-related school programs and as a keynote/after-dinner speaker who weaves together contemporary and traditional material. Reviews in Canada, U.S.A., Denmark and the Netherlands have applauded her “warm stage presence”, “beautiful voice”, “expressive face”, and “captivating sense of humour along with a touch of magic”.
She has told stories and discussed storytelling on CBC radio and television, CJRT radio and TVO. She has performed at conferences, venues and festivals across the United States and Canada and was most recently a part of Scotiabank’s NUIT BLANCHE in Toronto.
Having performed in more than 1,000 schools, historical sites and libraries across Canada, she co-founded the Canadian Association of Storytellers for Children, a non-profit organization which promotes storytelling as an art form and an educational/public health tool.
Hildy has recently retired from the teaching faculty at the University of Toronto, The Institute of Child Study, Faculty of Education and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/UT. She now freelances as a storyteller, dramaturge and arts-in-education consultant.
She enjoys collaborating with a variety of creative thinkers and performers. She is eager to be a part of the conceptually innovative company known as SUITCASE THEATRE, a dynamic, intimate travelling theatre group touring schools, faculties of education and many other local groups.
Alanna Kirsten Balicki
Alanna’s vibrant energy engages art in all of its forms: she has studied drama and children’s literature overseas in England, acting by audition in Halifax, and directing and dramaturgy in Ottawa. With a BA in theatre, she has over twelve years of practice participating, developing and teaching creative programming in residential camps, after-school and theatre environments with numerous companies.
She shares tremendous joy for youth and education; and thus founded and developed Dancap Production’s Cool Cap Club: a free program for theatre lovers under 30 to experience affordable Broadway-style theatre with pre and post show events. As Educational coordinator, her initiatives with teachers, youth and theatrical institutions facilitated an active relationship between audience and actor, and a strong appreciation for theatre education.
Currently, Alanna leads youth and individuals with special needs as drama and leadership facilitator for DramaWay. Alongside her teaching, Alanna leads the musical puppetry company Suitcase Theatre as General Manager.
ALUMNI
Suitcase Theatre is privileged to have worked with these veterans of the performing arts: Whitney Smith (past artistic director, composer/musician), Anne Barber (director and puppeteer), Brad Harley (artist, designer/builder).
Anne Barber is a director and puppeteer who was born and trained in theatre in the UK. She worked for ten years with Horse and Bamboo Theatre, the UK's only horse-drawn theatre company. She has performed with Bread and Puppet Theatre in the US and joined Shadowland Theatre in 1992. Anne has worked extensively in mask and puppet performance and with a wide range of communities at both indoor and outdoor venues. Anne is also an experienced educator and clinician in puppet and mask theatre. She is the recipient of three Dora Mavor Moore awards for costume design.
Brad Harley is an artist, designer and theatre craftsman and graduate of York University, Fine Arts program. Inspired by Welfare State's Tempest on Snake Island, he was involved with a group of Toronto Island artists who presented Shadowland Theatre’s first major community production, Island Follies. He has worked extensively as a theatre designer with VideoCabaret, Peter Minshall's Callaloo productions in Trinidad, Horse and Bambo (UK), Bread and Puppet Theater (US) and is Shadowland's chief designer. Brad teaches design and visual theatre crafts in his extensive experience working with community groups. He is the recipient of three Dora Mavor Moore awards for costume design.
Whitney Smith is a guitarist, pianist and composer-lyricist who has worked in a variety of media in the arts in Toronto for the last twenty-five years, including theatre, art performance, radio broadcasting, and publishing. As an editor/publisher he founded the Journal of Wild Culture. Whitney is an active member of the Toronto music scene as the leader of the 17-piece jazz orchestra, The Big Steam Band, a jazz quintet, Swing House, and the originator of the JazzCab vocalist series. Whitney has also been involved for many years as an activist in environmental and municipal politics. In 1982, he founded Shadowland Theatre with poet Victor Coleman and was active in the company until 1985 when it was operated by a collective of artists on Toronto Island, which included Brad Harley.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
If you are interested in joining our theatre-craft workshops please send us an email to info@suitcasetheatre.com.
If you know of people or organizations who could benefit from our shows and programs, let us know.
If you wish to make a tax-deductible donation it will greatly assist our efforts. Thank you for supporting live theatre!
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