Zita Nyarady: Artistic Instigator
For Cryptozoology Playground: Bird Brains and City Hearts, A Bee Sees, Sky Dress, The Darkness Chapter and Eco(n) o'me
Zita Nyarady (B.Phill, BA, MES, PTP) is a Canadian independent dance-theatre artist and stilt walker. She trained at the small but mighty theatre program at the University of New Brunswick, studied at the School of Dance in Ottawa, obtained a Masters in Environmental Studies focusing on community arts from York University, and is a graduate of the PTP at Dell’arte International School of Physical Theatre. She is currently working on a PhD in Performance Studies at York University.
Her choreography and interdisciplinary collective creations have been presented at Lab Cab, Clay & Paper’s Day of Delight, Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Buddies in Bad Times Rhubarb Festival, Notable Acts Theatre Festival and Theatre Passe Muraile. She has also created work internationally at the National Gallery in Kingston Jamaica, Dance House in Glasgow Scotland, Wapsipinicon Theatre Festival in Iowa, International Stilt Council with Odin Teatret in Denmark and Klintkalaset in Sweden. She is inspired by performances with a sense of wonder, spectacle and play.
Zita Nyarady (B.Phill, BA, MES, PTP) is a Canadian independent dance-theatre artist and stilt walker. She trained at the small but mighty theatre program at the University of New Brunswick, studied at the School of Dance in Ottawa, obtained a Masters in Environmental Studies focusing on community arts from York University, and is a graduate of the PTP at Dell’arte International School of Physical Theatre. She is currently working on a PhD in Performance Studies at York University.
Her choreography and interdisciplinary collective creations have been presented at Lab Cab, Clay & Paper’s Day of Delight, Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Buddies in Bad Times Rhubarb Festival, Notable Acts Theatre Festival and Theatre Passe Muraile. She has also created work internationally at the National Gallery in Kingston Jamaica, Dance House in Glasgow Scotland, Wapsipinicon Theatre Festival in Iowa, International Stilt Council with Odin Teatret in Denmark and Klintkalaset in Sweden. She is inspired by performances with a sense of wonder, spectacle and play.
Caitlin Morris-Cornfield
For Cryptozoology Playground: Brid Brains and City Hearts, Sky Dress
Caitlin is a Toronto based creator/performer, who completed her training in theatre performance at Humber College in 2006. Currently she is trying her turn in the world of circus, training on aerial silks and dancing on stilts. She is a founding member of the Kadozuke Kollektif (zuke.ca), and has been part of the creation and performance of all their work, including: The Gulliver Project, Figaro His Marriage and the Fine Art of Dressmaking, The Sandman, Dream Pandemic, Codex Nocturno, and The Desperate Tenderness of Hydraulic Displacement. Other selected theatre credits include: The Great Gatsby, The Children`s Hour, and A Midsummer Nights Dream (Upper Canada Repertory Company), Mute (An Act of Pluffie/BergARTS), The Blackheart Princess (Sunnyleo), John/Yoko Bed Piece (Draft 89/Toronto Centre for the Arts), The Land of I Told You So, Dog Days, The Emperors New Clothes, and The Man in the Moon (Shrimp Magnet), Adventures in Slumberland (Frolick), Gaggle (Hysteria Festival 09), The Nightwood (Back Burner/Luminato Festival 09), Caribbean Dream (Speakeasy productions), and The Bird (Union8/Buddies in Bad Times).
Caitlin is a Toronto based creator/performer, who completed her training in theatre performance at Humber College in 2006. Currently she is trying her turn in the world of circus, training on aerial silks and dancing on stilts. She is a founding member of the Kadozuke Kollektif (zuke.ca), and has been part of the creation and performance of all their work, including: The Gulliver Project, Figaro His Marriage and the Fine Art of Dressmaking, The Sandman, Dream Pandemic, Codex Nocturno, and The Desperate Tenderness of Hydraulic Displacement. Other selected theatre credits include: The Great Gatsby, The Children`s Hour, and A Midsummer Nights Dream (Upper Canada Repertory Company), Mute (An Act of Pluffie/BergARTS), The Blackheart Princess (Sunnyleo), John/Yoko Bed Piece (Draft 89/Toronto Centre for the Arts), The Land of I Told You So, Dog Days, The Emperors New Clothes, and The Man in the Moon (Shrimp Magnet), Adventures in Slumberland (Frolick), Gaggle (Hysteria Festival 09), The Nightwood (Back Burner/Luminato Festival 09), Caribbean Dream (Speakeasy productions), and The Bird (Union8/Buddies in Bad Times).
Samantha Aylsworth
For Cryptozoology Playground: Bird Brains and City Hearts
Samantha is a costume designer and stage manager. Originally from Nova Scotia, Samantha grew up in Toronto. She graduated with honors from the Theatre Arts: Technical Production program at Humber College. In 2011, Samantha was the Wardrobe Apprentice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and also took part in the Summerworks Leadership Intensive Program for emerging producers, where she met director Zita Nyarady!
Select Costume Design credits include; The Swashbuckling Adventures of Pete Winning and the Pirates (Web Series), And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens (Afterglow Theatre/The Tennessee Williams Project), Confess.Confess (Directed by Marsha Courneya), Tick, Tick…BOOM! (Half-Pint Theatre), and A Freudian Slip of the Jung (SugaJam/Toronto Fringe)
Samantha is a costume designer and stage manager. Originally from Nova Scotia, Samantha grew up in Toronto. She graduated with honors from the Theatre Arts: Technical Production program at Humber College. In 2011, Samantha was the Wardrobe Apprentice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and also took part in the Summerworks Leadership Intensive Program for emerging producers, where she met director Zita Nyarady!
Select Costume Design credits include; The Swashbuckling Adventures of Pete Winning and the Pirates (Web Series), And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens (Afterglow Theatre/The Tennessee Williams Project), Confess.Confess (Directed by Marsha Courneya), Tick, Tick…BOOM! (Half-Pint Theatre), and A Freudian Slip of the Jung (SugaJam/Toronto Fringe)
Virpi Kettu
For Cryptozoology Playground: Bird Brains and City Hearts
Virpi Kettu blackmailed her parents for a violin when she was 5 years old, then ran away with the witches who let her eat cake before dinner.
Since then, she has travelled the world animating films, tightrope walking, playing along with many bands and writing songs about hysterical love, historical magical realism and nature's unpredictability...
Virpi Kettu blackmailed her parents for a violin when she was 5 years old, then ran away with the witches who let her eat cake before dinner.
Since then, she has travelled the world animating films, tightrope walking, playing along with many bands and writing songs about hysterical love, historical magical realism and nature's unpredictability...
Penny Chivas
For Cryptozoology Playground: The Darkness Chapter
Dance artist, teacher and traveller, Penny Chivas is orginally from Australia and a graduate of WAAPA and VCA. Upon graduating, Penny moved to Toronto where she worked with choreographers such as Heidi Strauss and Pam Johnson as well as studying at Movement Research (NYC) and Circuit-Est (Montreal). Now in Glasgow, she has shoogled with Plan B and worked with Ian Spink and visual artists Kelly Nipper and Pablo Bronstein. She has guest taught for WAAPA and El Centro Nacional de las Artes (Mexico City), and currently shares her passion for contact improvisation at Dance House and Anniesland College.
Dance artist, teacher and traveller, Penny Chivas is orginally from Australia and a graduate of WAAPA and VCA. Upon graduating, Penny moved to Toronto where she worked with choreographers such as Heidi Strauss and Pam Johnson as well as studying at Movement Research (NYC) and Circuit-Est (Montreal). Now in Glasgow, she has shoogled with Plan B and worked with Ian Spink and visual artists Kelly Nipper and Pablo Bronstein. She has guest taught for WAAPA and El Centro Nacional de las Artes (Mexico City), and currently shares her passion for contact improvisation at Dance House and Anniesland College.
Guy Doucette
For Cryptozoology Playground: eco(n) o'me
Guy Doucette is a freelance artist and the artistic director of Back Burner Productions.
As a performing artists he acts, stilts, dances and sings! He loves to make music playing a 12 string guitar and build puppets all of shapes, sizes and kinds!
As an artistic director Guy strives to create opportunities for emerging and mature artists to present their work, collaborate and learn, and build stronger communities by developing arts and culture.
Guy Doucette is a freelance artist and the artistic director of Back Burner Productions.
As a performing artists he acts, stilts, dances and sings! He loves to make music playing a 12 string guitar and build puppets all of shapes, sizes and kinds!
As an artistic director Guy strives to create opportunities for emerging and mature artists to present their work, collaborate and learn, and build stronger communities by developing arts and culture.
Aaron Rothermund
For Cryptozoology Playground: The Darkness Chapter, Sky Dress
Aaron Rothermund was born in Ottawa, and spent his formative years living in Nova Scotia, British Colombia, and Ontario. Aaron studied Comedy: Writing and Performance at Humber College, and Performing Arts at George Brown College. Then Aaron joined the Buddies in Bad Times youth programme, and the Modern Times Stage Company’s youth unit. In 2009, Aaron became a proud graduate of the Humber Theatre Performance program with Honors, and in his final year he received the Acting Achievement award. Aaron has appeared in Antigone (FRINGE 2012), Smother (Theatre Lab), Death (Art & Lies), Marat/Sade (Soup Can), Yerma (Canstage Festival of Ideas and Creation), Trudeautopia (Banquo’s Banquet), Emperor (Twitches & Itches), Holding Boundaries (Mixed Company), Little War (Back-Burner), The Apology Project (Nuit Blanche), Greedy Fisherman (Cyclops), Pentheus (City of Wine), and Horse Feathers (Clay & Paper). He is pleased to have worked with Cryptozoology Playground fusing stilt-walking, dancing and movement to explore the sky.
Aaron Rothermund was born in Ottawa, and spent his formative years living in Nova Scotia, British Colombia, and Ontario. Aaron studied Comedy: Writing and Performance at Humber College, and Performing Arts at George Brown College. Then Aaron joined the Buddies in Bad Times youth programme, and the Modern Times Stage Company’s youth unit. In 2009, Aaron became a proud graduate of the Humber Theatre Performance program with Honors, and in his final year he received the Acting Achievement award. Aaron has appeared in Antigone (FRINGE 2012), Smother (Theatre Lab), Death (Art & Lies), Marat/Sade (Soup Can), Yerma (Canstage Festival of Ideas and Creation), Trudeautopia (Banquo’s Banquet), Emperor (Twitches & Itches), Holding Boundaries (Mixed Company), Little War (Back-Burner), The Apology Project (Nuit Blanche), Greedy Fisherman (Cyclops), Pentheus (City of Wine), and Horse Feathers (Clay & Paper). He is pleased to have worked with Cryptozoology Playground fusing stilt-walking, dancing and movement to explore the sky.
Our Photographers and Videographers
We would like to thank the following photographers and/or videographers for there great talent and generosity in capturing the Zoo:
Eva Szabo, Myque Franz, Tanja Tiziana, Sam Alysworth, Erika Hild, Virpi Kettu
If you have any questions about the photos on the web page or would like to get in contact with one of the photographers please contact us.