Acting Students Explore Themes of Misery and Hope in Stage Production of Jim Cartwright’s Road

Life is long. Life is hard.

Those are the two key points hammered home in Road – Toronto Film’s School’s latest stage production about a rundown town and its scruffy, yet hopeful, residents.

“The town’s inhabitants compel us to look beyond their socially and emotionally miserable lives into what makes them move forward; how they manage to survive their drug- and booze-driven existence,” said Patricia Telford, who’s set to direct her fifth-term Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre students in the Jim Cartwright scribed play.

“Cartwright’s characters ask, ‘Why is the world so hard?’ and ‘Who’s to blame? Me, us, them or God?’ Finding no answers, the people in the town show us how and why they go on.”

Telford said she had “quite the experience” exploring such difficult themes with her students – especially in the midst of the times we now live in, and thanked her talented cast for “diving in so completely” on the project.

“We hope you will find the show entertaining, thought provoking, and ‘somehow a somehow’ help you to escape the mundane and hope for something better – if only for a little while,” she said.

Road, which is stage-managed by Megan Morand, will take to the stage at The Papermill Theatre for a three-performance run on Sept. 13, 14 and 15 as follows:

Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 15 at 9 p.m.

The Papermill Theatre is located at Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery Rd. Tickets are free and are available at the door.

The Creative Team Behind Road:

Adélaïde Schoofs as Clare/Chantal

Adélaïde Schoofs was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. In 2021, she graduated from the acting program at Saint-Laurent Cegep. She then moved to Toronto to pursue her learning at Toronto Film School, where she studies acting, writing, and directing for Film and TV. Always looking for new challenges, Adélaïde started her career in the professional industry at the age of 16. She had the opportunity to be part of the cast on the second season of the TV series Can You Hear Me (now streaming on Netflix) and the first and second seasons of La Vie Compliquée de Léa Olivier. She has also appeared in multiple commercials and had professional voiceover coaching. She’s able to act in French and in English. Furthermore, Adélaïde spends her free time writing scripts, practicing guitar and skateboarding. She believes that hard work and curiosity are the keys to becoming an accomplished actor.

Buot Kuet as Professor/Mr. Bald/ Eddy’s Father

Buot Madit Kuet, the third oldest of five children, was born in Khartoum, Sudan, to Elizabeth Andrea Chol, a social worker who works for a non-profit organization, and Madit B. Kuet, a civil lawyer. Buot’s parents are originally from the south of Sudan, but Buot and the rest of his siblings were born in the north of Sudan, which is now an independent country of its own. Kuet moved to Canada in 1998 with his parents, brothers and older sister. Kuet was raised in a Christian family household, which had a huge influence on his beliefs. Buot Kuet attended Northern Kansas City High School in Kansas City, Missouri, where he took drama acting courses as electives in order to graduate. Kuet was an athlete in school, from junior high all the way to high school, competing in all types of sports, including soccer, baseball, volleyball, basketball, and track and field. Kuet studied marketing for two years at George Brown College. During the pandemic in the summer of 2021, Kuet decided to pursue acting studies at Toronto Film School, which offers a fast-track diploma programs in the areas of film, entertainment, fashion, design, and video games. He is currently in the fifth term of Acting for Film, TV and the Theatre program. Kuet is a long time Toronto resident and a fan of Toronto Raptors basketball team, and the L.A. Lakers. An avid traveller, he is often seen posting pictures on Instagram on places he travelled to and visited. Kuet is proficient in playing guitar and can sing a little, he has also self-taught himself on how to drive and operate a vehicle that’s manually driven, and written and directed his own silent film movies.

Alya Daneault as Louise

Alya Daneault was born and raised in Saint-Eustache, Quebec and now lives in Toronto, Ontario. She speaks two languages fluently, French being her native language and English. When she was younger, Alya appeared in several music videos, which is one of the reasons she fell in love with acting. The first reason was because of the movie Martha Marcy May Merlene. Alya is currently enrolled at Toronto Film School in the Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program. Along with her passion for acting, Alya loves lacrosse, which she played for two years in high school, soccer for 15 years, and snowboarding since 2015. Some of her other talents include knowing how to drive stick. Alya studies and works hard to become a successful actor and scriptwriter.

James Ferreira as Brink/Soldier

James Ferreira was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised
in Mississauga. He is currently a student at Toronto Film School, where he’s studying acting, writing, and directing for film and TV. While in school, he created a short film called Role Models, which he not only wrote, directed, and starred in, but also produced and edited. After attending York University for English and Wilfred Laurier University for film production, he finally set his sights on acting and auditioned for Toronto Film School. He spends his free time skateboarding, driving, and playing guitar – all skills he hopes to incorporate into future acting roles. James is currently submitting his short film into festivals and plans to continue with his studies and work towards a successful acting career.

Jil Kindlimann as Carol

Jil Kidman was born and raised in Switzerland and moved to Toronto to pursue her career in acting. She’s bilingual in English and German. Growing up in Switzerland, skiing and snowboarding were a big part of her life. She also enjoyed gymnastics and cheerleading. She has a background in music, which began with the violin and later shifted towards singing and song writing. She hopes to incorporate her musical skills into her acting career. At Toronto Film School, she has starred in the student films Rebel and Immersion. Overall, Jil is passionate about the psychology behind acting and telling other people’s stories.

Joshua Bishop as Scullery

Joshua Bishop is an actor from Hamilton, Ontario who is currently studying acting at Toronto Film School. During his time at TFS, he wrote and starred in his own short comedy Audition 027, where he played an ornery casting director for a Sprite commercial. He has also accumulated acting credits in multiple student films, including a leading role in Jennifer Bendle’s Runners, in which he played Levi, a father who has just lost his infant child. In addition to acting, Joshua is a promising screenplay writer with a passion for witty comedy and honest, human-driven dramas. He is looking forward to completing his studies and then diving headfirst into the industry with the stories and characters he has been creating over the past years. In his personal time Josh enjoys playing or watching any sport with a ball/puck and watching Peaky Blinders on repeat.

Kieran Stephenson as Joey/Brian

Kieran Stephenson was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, but moved to Toronto to pursue his acting career. Kieran is currently studying Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program at Toronto Film School. Since moving to Toronto, Kieran has appeared in several short films, including Making A Friend and Speaking Silence. Kieran has wanted to be an actor his whole life and was a part of every school theatre production he was able to join, but only recently kicked off his career after a deep epiphany occurred after life changing circumstances. Kieran has worked as a receptionist and as a restaurant manager and hopes to one day bring those experiences to life in projects. Kieran is currently writing a mockumentary-style short film that will utilize his piloting and musical skills in a unique and fun way. At the end of the day, all Kieran wants is to utilize his passion for acting and bring stories to life by continuing to put in the work and make a name for himself in the industry.

Liam Stricker Burrowes as Brother/Eddy/Blowpipe/Barry

Liam Stricker-Burrowes grew up in the town of Listowel, Ontario. He got his start in acting when he attended Listowel District Secondary School, where he starred as Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and as Gary Coleman in Avenue Q: School Edition. From 2012 to 2019, he was in a punk rock band called Chachi on Acid, where he sang back-up vocals and played the bass guitar. In 2021, he came to Toronto to pursue a career in acting. He is currently studying in the Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program at Toronto Film School, where he directed a short silent film called Dead Roses For Me.

Madelyne Walelo as Dor

Madelyne Walelo was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario and lived in Gatineau, Quebec for four years. She is now living in the GTA, going to Toronto Film School. She is currently in her fifth term, studying all kinds of roles found in the industry. She has a background in music, playing piano since she was four years old, and has been going on stage singing since she was five years old. She hopes to use all her skills for the greater good, helping people through music, theatre and film.

Maral Bannayan as Skinlass/Brenda

Maral Bannayan was born in Calgary, Alberta and is now living in Toronto. Maral is part-Arab and part-Armenian, and lived in the Middle East for a portion of her life. Since childhood, she has always loved film and acting and always used film as expression of herself and/or her emotions. She credits Star Wars for making her fall in love with film and acting. Now in her fifth term of the Acting program at Toronto Film School, she will soon set out for auditions. Outside of film and acting, Maral loves a good adventures – be travelling to new cities, or exploring the city she lives in on her free time. She’s also interested in psychology, welding, and forensics. While Maral’s number one goal is to appear in feature films, her backup is being a forensic psychologist.

Melissa Parsons as Lane/Marion

Melissa Parsons was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and now lives in Toronto, Ontario. She is currently a fifth term film student at Toronto Film School in the Acting
for Film, TV & the Theatre program. Her acting journey began during her high school production program, when she played the lead in one play, as well as supporting roles in a few different musicals, including West Side Story. She enjoys having a place where she can express her creativity. Her goal is to be able to share this place with others and explore whatever opportunities come her way.

Mikayla King as Courtney/Mrs. Bald

Mikayla King is a fifth-term student at TFS in the Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program. Growing up watching her favourite shows, she always wanted to be on screen. When she got to elementary school, she joined an after-school club that put on plays and songs and she immediately fell in love with acting. As she moved into high school, she learned more about what it’s like to be on stage. Along with acting, another passion of Mikayla’s is singing – a skill she hopes to incorporate into her work in the future, whether it be movies, shows, or even musicals.

Refka Al-Kuni as Valerie/Molly

Refka Al-Kuni born in Iraq and moved to Toronto, Ontario in 2011. She can speak three languages: Assyrian, Arabic, and English. After graduating from the Business Management program at Humber College in 2021, she enrolled in the Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program at Toronto Film School. During her studies at TFS, she had the opportunity to create and direct the short silent film, Immersion. She also had the opportunity to take on a role in the short film Speaking Silence. Outside of the creative world, she enjoys swimming and dancing.

Vivien Hawryszko as Helen

Vivien Hawryszko was born and raised in Red Deer, Alberta and relocated to Toronto in 2021. She is currently studying in the Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program at Toronto Film School. When she was in high school, Vivien took part in the Canadian Improv Games, getting the opportunity to compete at Nationals. She has since been involved in many stage productions over the years and has experience in stage managing, stage combat, gymnastics and writing.

Patricia Tedford – Director

Over a 30-year career as an actor, director, teacher, and now writer, Patricia has lived and worked in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Sudbury. Patricia’s most current endeavor was St. Ella of the Camino, a one-person show she wrote, performed and produced. The world premiere of St. Ella of the Camino marked Patricia first writing venture and was performed in October of 2019. Other recent performances in Sudbury include: Escape from Happiness (Thorneloe Theatre), Shakespeare’s Will (Text Me Productions 2011, 2016), Hay Fever (Thorneloe Theatre), Henry and Alice Into the Wild (Blue Water Summer Playhouse), Our Town, How It Works (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Muskeg and Money (North Road Theatre), and Faith Healer (ImPulse Theatre/Text Me Productions). Her most recent film is an ongoing project that was developed in yearly chapters over nine years: Perspective, which premiered in September 2020 at Cinéfest in Sudbury. Patricia is the Founder/Artistic Director/Producer of Text Me Productions in Sudbury since 2012. She was the Founder/Artistic Director/Producer of Ottawa Lunchbox Theatre, 2004-2007. Patricia holds a BFA with a Specialization in Performance from Concordia University, an MFA in Acting, and the Stand- Alone Voice Teacher Diploma from York University. For TFS, she directed Measure for Measure on Zoom in March 2022.

Megan Morand – Stage Manager

Megan Morand is a working actress born in Windsor, Ontario. Megan’s acting career started at the age of four, when she began taking part in theatre productions with The Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts (LAFA). Megan worked with LAFA for close to 10 years before transitioning into the world of TV and Film with LAFA’s talent agency, Fusion, managed by Sarah Illijanich. Megan has had extensive training in theatre and film. She has taken the Stella Adler auditioning 101 class, as well as multiple intensive courses with LAFA. Megan is a recent honours graduate of the Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre diploma program at Toronto Film School. While there, Megan had to opportunity to train with several seasoned industry professionals such as Ingrid Hart, John Tench, Patricia Tedford and Jonathan Higgins, among others. Some of her notable roles from her time at TFS include Mary Snow in Catherine McNally’s Salt Water Moon, The Herald in Jonathan Whittaker’s production of Marat Sade, and her most notable role as the Duke in Measure for Measure, directed by Patricia Tedford. Although she has a rich theatrical background, Megan has developed a passion for film and television and hopes to transition into more serious film work. Megan’s most recent film roles include Michelle in The Spike Ball Chronicles and Megan in Extra Large Medium. Megan also has professional training in Dialects and has a passion for voiceover and animation. In her free time, Megan is an avid athlete and has played competitive-level soccer for nearly 15 years. Megan also enjoys snowboarding, volleyball, and dance. She has classical piano training as well as experience in martial arts as a second Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo.