About Us
Our History
City Stage New West, a not-for-profit society, was originally formed in July of 2005, with the intention of filling the cultural gap left in New Westminster by the closure of the Raymond Burr Theatre.
Our Aim
Our aim at City Stage New West is to produce professional theatre in New Westminster that entertains, educates, and strengthens respect for Canadian diversity.
Our Structure
The society is governed by board members selected once a year at the November annual general meeting. The Board may also add members by vote if it is deemed necessary. Many of the activities of the Society are performed by committees. Non-board members may also serve on committees.
The 2008 Board
President - Pansy Jang
Pansy Jang served as City Stage New West's President from March 2006 through 2007, and returns again after a brief hiatus. Pansy is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Registered Acupuncturist, Registered Massage Therapist, Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist, current student of Osteopathic Manual Therapy, with her own private practice in New Westminster for the past fourteen years. A life-long love of theatre fuels her determination to keep professional theatre alive in New Westminster.
Vice President - Judith Berlin
Judith Berlin entered U.C. Berkeley and finished her B.F.A. – Theatre Specialization at U.C.L.A. She attended John Fernald’s Academy of Dramatic Art in Michigan on a one year scholarship, then emigrated to Toronto. She Acted with Sylvia and Ben Lennick, then joined the alternative theatre scene. She acted at the Global Village and worked with Jim Gerrard as he founded Theatre Passe Muraille. A string of national TV commercials led from extra work to guest-star as Bruno Gerussi’s girlfriend on an episode of “Actioneer”. She was fortunate to spend a summer working with John Juliani at S.F.U., and she fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. A year later, Judith moved to Vancouver where she acted, single-parented, and attained her B.C. Teaching and E.S.L. Certificates. She performed with early Touchstone, was a co-founder of the Vancouver feminist media collective ReelFeelings, and did Fringe stints and assorted film and TV roles. Retired from the V.S.B., Judith now acts, writes, and decorates interiors. She has two beautiful adult children. She is glad to be in the company of culturally diverse actors.
Artistic Director, Acting Treasurer/Secretary - Renée Bucciarelli
Renée Bucciarelli, a resident of New Westminster, recently relocated with her family to beautiful British Columbia after enjoying a two-decade career in New York theatre. As a professional actress, she has performed extensively in classical and experimental theatres Off-Broadway and regionally in the United States, including with Theatre for a New Audience, Julie Taymor, New Jersey Shakespeare, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, and Kings County Shakespeare. She received critical acclaim for her work as the title role of The Duchess of Malfi, and for the NY Fringe Festival world premiere of C.J. Hopkins’ The Installation, as well as raves from The New York Times for her portrayals of Kate (Taming of the Shrew) and Helena (Midsummer Night’s Dream).
As Associate Artistic Director of Kings County Shakespeare Company in Brooklyn, New York, (2000-2003) Renée produced KCSC's branch of the Lysistrata Project, an international theatrical anti-war event, and a critically-acclaimed production of Hamlet starring Sean McNall. Renée created educational programming designed to interface with the students of St. Francis College (KCSC's venue host) as well as with the diverse community that the company served.
Other work in theatre education include The Shakespeare Playground™, a theatre and literacy program developed by Renée eleven years ago. It was dubbed “the hottest” theatre workshop for children by The New York Post in 2000, and has been hosted by a handful of Shakespeare festivals on boath Coasts, as well as in Queens Park in August 2008 with Arts Council of New Westminster. At the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music she and her teen students developed Midsummer in the Key of Dreams—an original hip-hop version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream--that was featured on National Public Radio, Television NY1, and at several arts festivals in 2000.
An honours graduate of Wesleyan University, and of the Eugene O'Neill Theater National Theater Institute, she has taught as an adjunct professor at St. Francis College and the Universtiy of Rochester. In 2004 she chaired a panel on “Innovative Educational Outreach” for the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America.
Director - Damon Calderwood
Born in Vancouver, Damon began acting at age nine, when he appeared onstage as a shepherd in a Christmas version of Battlestar Galactica! Since then he has appeared in over 125 plays and has directed or designed another 40.
Recent roles include performing in A Man For All Seasons at Pacific Theatre, Tom Jones and others in the musical revue, Songs and Nonsense (Fallen Angels Theatre Company), several characters in I love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Oregon Cabaret Theatre), and The Sicamous Follies Encore (SS Sicamous Restoration Society), Mickey in Blood Brothers (First Impressions Theatre), Rufus in the Jessie-nominated Beggars Would Ride (Wild Excursions Theatre), Adam in The Diary of Adam and Eve (Vancouver Fringe Festival), Dylan Thomas in Dylan (Presentation House Theatre), several roles in The Brementown Musicians (Kaleidoscope Theatre), Mozart in Mozart and Me (The Vancouver Symphony), Mr. Phillips in Anne of Green Gables (Kaleidoscope Theatre), the title role in The Elephant Man (Pacific Theatre), The Wizard of Oz (Chemainus Theatre Festival), The Selfish Giant (Kaleidoscope Theatre), The Garter Girl Theatre Cabaret (Garter Girl Theatrical Productions) in Whitehorse, Thomas T (First Impressions Theatre), Tomfoolery (Ace Productions), and Ghosts of Dawson City: The Palace Grand Prize (Garter Girl Theatrical Productions) which Damon also directed in Dawson City in 2004.
Other favorite roles include Motel and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (Royal City Musical Theatre), Leslie Williams in The Hostage (Elder College), Sir Benjamin Backbite in The School for Scandal (Presentation House), Bardolph in Henry V (Bard on the Beach), and Hucklebee in The Fantasticks (Elder College).
More recently, Damon has ventured into the world of film and television, appearing in several commercials and independent films, including the title role in The Meat Man, and featured roles in Cockwood in Hollywood (which he also directed) and the upcoming mockumentary feature, Timothy A. Perdue: Director.
Damon has also co-written a musical, Shining Star, based on the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, and in 2004 he edited the 16mm feature film Salvador’s Deli. Other interests include wildlife photography; Damon recently finished his first book, entitled Flights of Fantasy: Photographing North American Birds. He is currently writing his second book, entitled Moments of Discovery: The Ethics of Bird Photography. Trained at U.B.C. and at the Actor’s Working Academy, Damon now resides in Port Coquitlam, where he also teaches high school part-time.
Webmaster - Sally Wong
Sally is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University, claims she's just as normal as everybody, but we at City Stage New West know she's a rather special and unique person, and that we're lucky to have her as a volunteer webmaster. She's currently working as a freelance web designer, and would welcome any project that needed her creativity.
Special thanks to the following Board Members and Contributors:
Jemma Downes, Denise Gaines, Barb Ganger, Patty Holmes, Chantal Hudspeth, Vicki Johnson, Ellie King, Vance Mcfadyen, Keri Minty, Heidi Mueller, James Rowley, Glen Sergius,Wendy Smith, Anne Sutthery, Nancy Weston.
Honourary Members
David C. Jones 2006 - 2007
Craig Doyle 2007 - Life
Our thanks to Heidi Mueller for her continued support with promotional materials. |
