Carousel Theatre Society 2015/2016 Annual Report · 2019-07-02 · Carousel Theatre Society - Annual Report - 2015/2016 6 with their innovative and interactive production of Where

Carousel Theatre Society - Annual Report - 2015/2016 1

Carousel Theatre Society2015/2016

Annual Report


Carousel Theatre for Young People1411 Cartwright StreetVancouver, BC V6H 3R7

Administration 604.669.3410Box Office 604.685.6217Fax 604.669.3817Web www.carouseltheatre.caEmail [email protected]

11883 9497 RR0001

Table of Contents

Cover Photos. 1: Karyn Mott as Tabaqui. Photo by Tim Matheson. 2: The company of James and the Giant Peach (2015). Photo by Tim Matheson. 3: CJ McGillivray, Victor Mariano and Marcie Nestman. Photo by Faye Campbell. 4: The company of Henry V. Photo by Faye Campbell.

About Carousel Theatre for Young People 3

Message from the President of the Board of Directors 4

Artistic Director’s Report 5

Managing Director’s Report 8

Mainstage Season Statistics 10

Board and Staff 2015/2016 11

Supporters 12

2015/2016 Supporters 13

2015/2016 Volunteers 15

Financial Statements 16


About Carousel Theatre for Young People

Our Mission, Vision and ValuesCarousel Theatre for Young People (CTYP) provides playful, exceptional and accessible theatrical experiences that inspire, involve and educate. We envision a community that empowers people to be more imaginative, expressive and engaged. At our core, our values are playfulness, artistic excellence, accessibility to live theatre, integrity and financial accountability.

HistoryCarousel Theatre for Young People (CTYP) was incorporated in 1976 and has produced over 150 plays in 39 seasons. CTYP has been based on Granville Island since 1981, where we operate a small arts complex that includes rehearsal halls and classrooms, a costume workshop and administrative offices.

Each season approximately 40,000 young people and their families benefit from CTYP’s diverse programming and activities, which include a Mainstage Season of Literary Classics, a summer Teen Shakespeare Program, and a year-round Drama School for Young People aged 3 to 17 years. We are the only theatre company in British Columbia that stages a fully professional season of Mainstage programming for young people, educators and families. At CTYP we believe that the arts, and specifically theatre, play a vital role

in a young person’s development; we are invested in developing the next generation of artists and arts patrons in Metro Vancouver and beyond.

The company’s dedication to artistic excellence has resulted in critical acclaim and multiple Jessie Awards in the Theatre for Young Audiences category. CTYP was awarded Outstanding Production, TYA for Busytown in 2014. The company was recognized by Vancouver’s theatre community for our success in Community Engagement with a nomination for Significant Artistic Achievement, Community Engagement, Wondrous Tales of Old Japan. Other recent productions of note include A Year with Frog and Toad, Seussical, Bird Brain and The Odyssey, all of which received multiple Jessie Awards, including Outstanding Production, TYA. CTYP strives to provide access to live theatre for all young people through ticket donations to enhanced support schools, bursaries and scholarship to CTYP’s drama school and adapted performances for children with autism and sensory disorders.


Message from the President of the Board of Directors

This past year has been an exciting one at Carousel Theater for Young People. And how could it not be when we welcomed over 40,000 young people and their families to 4 main stage shows (James and the Giant Peach, Where the Wild Things Are, Go, Dog.

Go! and The Jungle Book), continued the success of last year’s introduction of our “Bee Stage”, theater for very young audiences, with On My Walk, and celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Teen Shakespeare Program with our first history, Henry V.

Expanding on our core value of accessibility in our performances, we were overjoyed to be the first theater for young audiences company in British Columbia to stage a specially designed “relaxed performance” for children with autism or sensory and communication disorders.

Let’s not forget our Drama School programs. Which have continued to grow and benefit from the first full year of our third classroom and have seen record levels interest and enrollment.

And if all that wasn’t enough we celebrated the

40th anniversary of the society and the 35th anniversary of our home here on Granville Island.As always I must thank the ever hard working and dedicated staff that really makes Carousel Theater for Young People tick. Particularly the co-captains of this ship: Artistic Director, Carole Higgins, for your vision and creativity and Managing Director Aliyah Amarshi, for your leadership and incredible attention to detail. Without both of you I would have been lost long ago.

We have had to say a few goodbyes and I’d like to recognize three board members who departed this year: Tory Ross, Gwen Floyd, and Jennifer Atkinson. Thank you for the dedication and passion you always showed for Carousel.

And as I must personally say goodbye for now, I’ll let Dr. Seuss get in one last word of wisdom for the next board:

“And will you succeed? Yes you will indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)”

- Dr. Seuss

- Keith


Artistic Director’s Report

The last season was a time of celebration, renewal, and artistic growth as CTYP continued our strong commitment to investing in emerging artists and creating engaging theatrical storytelling for young people in our community.

The Teen Shakespeare Program celebrated 25 wonderful years of inspiring teen actors by staging its first history play - Henry V. Sixteen teen actors from across Metro Vancouver honed their acting and leadership skills under the tutelage of Mike Stack. Audiences of all ages were treated to 14 free outdoor performances in Ron Basford Park on Granville Island. Noah Heyl played the title role and graduating participant Laura Reynolds received the TSP Scholarship for her outstanding commitment during her three summers with the program.

In October, we welcomed actor/choreographer/drama educator and emerging director Kayla Dunbar as CTYP’s Artistic Associate. Kayla’s artistic exploration with Carousel is made possible through a grant by the BC Arts Council’s Early Career Development Program.

Our delightful musical James and the Giant Peach returned for the holiday season; this gave us the opportunity to challenge ourselves to raise the bar, and take an already good production to a higher level of artistic excellence. Cast members Julian Lokash, Patti Allan, Andrew Cownden, Kayla Dunbar, Makayla Moore, Alex Rose, Jonathan Winsby and Deb Williams inhabited the wacky world of Roald Dahl with panache, as did music director Steven Greenfield and musicians Todd Biffard and Laurence Mollerup. The stage management team was led by Rebecca Mulvihill with Ashley Noyes, Corey Bullock and Sarah Mabberley.

December was a busy time as we also welcomed our friends Presentation House Theatre to our season

The company of James and the Giant Peach (2015). Photo by Tim Matheson.


with their innovative and interactive production of Where the Wild Things Are. Audiences applauded this very engaging piece crafted by Kim Selody, Linda A. Carson and Raes Calvert.

March saw very young audience members ages 3-8 years venture into the charming world of our stage adaptation of Go, Dog. Go! A strong ensemble cast of Steffanie Davis, Dustin Freeland, Mike Gill, Alexandra Lainfiesta, Sereana Malani and Alan Zinyk brought the many kooky dogs to life, Clare Wyatt made her professional debut as music director, and emerging designer Shizuka Kai created a kaleidoscope of colourful props and set pieces, with Darren Boquist and Stephanie Kong rounding out the design team, and Kelly Barker and Tessa Gunn as the stage management team.

Kayla Dunbar directed our spring production of The Jungle Book by Vancouver playwright Tracey Power. The production also marked

Ashley Noyes’ stage management debut. Ashley apprenticed with Carousel for two years and is now a full member of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Joining Ashley and Kayla were actors Leslie Dos Remedios, Kyle Jesperson, Karyn Mott, Luc Roderique and newcomer Camille Legg as Mowgli, with designers Marshall McMahen, Carmen Alatorre, Darren Boquist, and Anton Lipovetsky, musician Todd Biffard and apprentice stage manager Ruth Bruhn. The production sold out completely and was very well-received.

This season CTYP continued our new initiative of creating theatre for newborns to age three years and their parents/caregivers through our Bee Stage with our own commission- On My Walk by Marcie Nestman and Kari-Lynn Winters, based on Kari’s book of the same name. This new work was workshopped throughout the season, and its world premiere was met with enthusiasm. This is some of the most challenging work that

The company of Go, Dog. Go!. Photo by Tim Matheson. Camille Legg, Kyle Jespersen, Leslie Dos Remedios, and Karyn Mott. Photo by Tim Matheson.


CTYP stages, and the opportunity for artists and audiences to engage so directly is profound. Cast Members Marcie Nestman, Victor Mariano and CJ McGillivray provided the platform for young audiences to explore the four seasons in this very sensory driven play.

Our drama school continued to flourish under the leadership of Jessica Gutteridge, CTYP’s education manager, and our excellent faculty: Steffanie Davis, Kayla Dunbar, Dustin Freeland, Mike Gill, Steven Greenfield, Laura Jaszcz, Alexandra Lainfiesta, Marcie Nestman, Victor Mariano and Melissa Oei.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the playwrights, actors, musicians, choreographers, music directors, directors, stage managers, designers, technicians, wardrobe personnel, drama school faculty, staff, volunteers, the CTYP board of directors, Artistic Associate Kayla Dunbar for the passion, talent and dedication that they brought to our stages and programming this year.

Respectfully submitted,Carole HigginsArtistic Director

CJ McGillivray, Victor Mariano and Marcie Nestman in On My Walk. Photo by Faye Campbell.


Managing Director’s Report

The 2015/16 season featured CTYP’s joyful expansion into its newly renovated space, including the growth of existing programs, the creation of new ones, and a focus on capacity building to increase our ability to serve our audiences better and more efficiently in the

coming years.

Accessibility was a key theme for CTYP during the 2015/16 season, and we thank those who donated to the Ignite the Imagination campaign. Through this campaign, we were able to expand access to theatre for young people and families in multiple ways.

Our accessibility initiatives reached a high point with our first ever relaxed performance for children with autism and sensory and communication disorders. Working as a team with the Autism Society of BC, the company offered a specially tailored theatre experience to families, including a “Meet the Theatre” day to orient children to the space and encounter the process of attending a live performance, a customized “visual story,” access to extra space to move around and buffer

children from crowding, and sensory accessories and space to allow children to experience the work comfortably.

Other accessibility initiatives also included the donation of 1,000 tickets to schools receiving enhanced support, and our Drama School Bursary Fund offered grants to more than a dozen families.

We welcomed our second Education Manager to CTYP, who oversaw a robust school matinee program and the continued expansion of our drama school programs. We offered for the first time a full year drama school program, the Performance Collective, which presented Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for two nights in


June. We expanded the resource materials made available to teachers attending school matinees, and launched family activity guides for our public patrons. We have also initiated programs to survey our education program participants on an ongoing basis.

Our marketing and communications programs continued to expand to reach our audiences more effectively, including a lively social media program and expanded online advertising. We engaged our ticketing system provider to enhance our ability to process transactions online, improving the customer service experience for our patrons and providing greater efficiency for our office operations.

Our partnership with John Fluevog Shoes continued to flourish with a second annual StepUp4CTYP event last November. 50% of shoes sales during the event were donated to CTYP, totaling over $12,000. This exciting and fun event continues to attract new and old friends of the organization.

The Lawyer Show, our annual fundraiser with Touchstone Theatre, saw over 35 volunteers from the legal community donate hundreds of hours of their time in rehearsals, production, and sponsorship/reception committees, raising significant funds for both organizations with a run of Hairspray. We are grateful for the continued

support of all of those who enthusiastically get involved each year.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who gave thousands of hours to CTYP this year, and our staff for their admirable dedication to CTYP’s mission and values. We also thank our sustaining funders, various private foundations, and in-kind sponsors, all of whom are listed in the annual report. And we’d like to especially thank all of you, our CTYP family of subscribers, donors, drama school participants and patrons for being so dedicated in championing the organization. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Respectfully submitted,Aliyah AmarshiManaging Director

The company of Hairspray! Photo by Michelle Morelos.


Henry VJuly 24 - August 8, 2015Performance Works Outdoor Stage Total Performances: 14 Total Audience: 3,500 Free Outdoor Performance

James and the Giant PeachDecember 5, 2015 - January 3, 2016The Waterfront Theatre Total Performances: 34 Total Audience: 5,810 Capacity: 80%

Where the Wild Things AreDecember 18-20, 2015Performance Works Total Performances: 10 Total Audience: 1,495 Capacity: 100%

Go, Dog. Go!February 27 - March 20, 2016The Waterfront Theatre Total Performances: 39 Total Audience: 6,862 Capacity: 79%

The Jungle BookApril 16 - May 1, 2016The Waterfront Theatre Total Performances: 27 Total Audience: 5,845 Capacity: 97%

On My WalkJune 7-18, 2016CTYP Bee Stage Total Performances: 26 Total Audience: 1,003 Capacity: 84%

Mainstage Season Statistics


Board of Directors

Keith DavidsonPresident

Tory RossVice-President

Kathie SchwaiaTreasurer

Stephen P. RobertsonSecretary

Jennifer AtkinsonDirector

Tanja Dixon-WarrenDirector

Gwen FloydDirector

Fila TestiniDirector

Staff

Carole Higgins Artistic Director

Aliyah AmarshiManaging Director

Faye CampbellMarketing & Operations Manager

Jessica GutteridgeEducation Manager

Tammy IsaacsonDevelopment Manager

Melissa OeiSeamus FeraBox Office Staff

Drama School Faculty

Steffanie DavisKayla DunbarDustin FreelandMike GillSteven GreenfieldLaura JaszczAlexandra LainfiestaMarcie NestmanVictor MarianoMelissa Oei

Board and Staff 2015/2016


Supporters

Angela Rinaldis Law CorporationBlake, Cassels & Graydon LLPBorden Ladner Gervais LLPIMA SolutionsLawson Lundell LLPMcMillan LLPSlater Vecchio LLPTrial Lawyers Association of BCDentons LLPCollette Parsons Harris Trial Lawyers

Hakemi & Ridgedale LLPFasken MartineauThe Canadian Bar Association BC BranchVancouver Bar AssociationBomber BrewingAnna’s Cake HouseStanley’s Bar & GrillStanley Park PavilionMiki SushiNütrl Vodka

The Lawyer Show 2016


MembersRosalind AdnaniShana Alexander and

Michael BrittainAliyah AmarshiYasmin and Shabir AmarshiAnonymous x17ARC WorksSheila ArcheckMs. Jennifer AtkinsonJennifer AtkinsonAttollo Construction Ltd.The Bailey FamilyElizabeth Ball & Douglas

WelchJulian BarnbrookEmi and Ethan BensonMargarita BoseBrian Higgins Personal Real

Estate CorporationChristina CampbellCam & Chris CathcartAlan ClutcheyMr. Daryl W CockleTam CummingsPilar DeanAnne-Marie DekkerSam and Tom DezellAmy DisbrowTanja Jane Dixon-WarrenBianca DongThe Dow FamilyDuffy-Vanderfluit (Team

MSDV+C&R)Kayla DunbarSusan EwingKondor FamilyIan FarthingJocelyn FernandezJacqueline Firkins

Edward Fisher BergmanFloyd FamilyAl FriskViola GanzRyan GristSutton GroupThe GutteridgeMr. Chris HampelTammy HampelLisa HansenSherri HaydenStephen HeatleyRebecca HeylCarole HeylMs. Jane HeymanCarole HigginsHenry HodgeSheila HodgkinsonErin Hollins & Greg PassmoreMingjia HuangDeborah HuangTerence Kelly & Anna HaganRoger KoebelD. Wendy LeeRhona LichtenwaldYing LiuMs. Nina LoboMichael MaAlexander and Isabel MallenKatrina McCarthyMadison McCordMcDonald-Heyl FamilyRosemary McGinnisBarbara Milacek WeltersNorman & Sandra MillerMs. Sandy MossThe MukerMiss Evi MustelBianca PinkCatalina Policzer

Mrs. Dina PrepelitaTodd and Valerie ProdanukValerie ProdanukReese Moore FamilyElizabeth Reid & Roger WattsStephen P. RobertsonDarya SavageRandy SchaeferJesse SchuhleinKathie SchwaiaKathryn ShawJohn ShenMs. Nicole SorensenNural SumbultepeTestini FamilyDana ThordarsonFulton TomJohn and Linda TruemanFlorence UstareJulia VaughanNancy VoJerry WassermanDeborah WilliamsLorraine WilliamsJack WrightCheryl YaremkoMs. Amy YeungLaura ZhangBill Zhu

SupportersCassandra Lorraine Allard Anonymous x36Mandana BellamySheena BhatiaKate BurrowsMs. Judy BushnellGreg CahillLinden CamleyMr. Trevor Campbell

Ella Carter & Charlie Grondin

Sandra ClarkYvonne CoadyThe Cohen FamilyKaren DahriMs. Damienne Fox DarbyLakhani FamilyMetz FamilyTasha GildemeesterMs. Laurie-Ann GoodwinMs. Jo Anne GrayMrs. Jaime Vina HakkarainenBilquis HiraniLjubica IvanovskaNarjess JalaliMr. Elwood Johnstonscott kaidenDuncan KnightCarol LamMrs. Hui LimMrs. Gina Shareen Kuar

Mahil MaxDeanna McFeelyMs. Loretta Lee McGovernSandra MillerKate MukerMr. Andre OlivierElide OrellanaYu (Jenny) PanTara ParkinsonMrs. Anthea R. PietsElla PuderDr. Ana-Luiza Sayao Sebastian and FamilyMrs. May StewartMike SugimotoMs. Ariet SungMax Thain

2015/2016 Membersand Supporters


Hilary ThomsonMichael ThorsonMartha & Pauline ToffolettiMr. Remi TrepanierLorin VeltkampMrs. Olecia WalkerElinor WilsonMs. Kitty Yang

The Lawyer ShowJoachim AchtzehnterDina Acoca in Honour of

Cobi DayanMs. Sheri AdamsTariq AhmedMr. Michael AirtonMay AllinghamMrs. Marina Andrei AnonymousPat ArmstrongJen ArnoldMay AuMargo BarberMrs. Ricki-Lynn Marie BarnesSarah BatutIan BeardmoreAlicja BeldhamRhonda BenderMrs. Heather BennaJody BennaKeri BennettMs. Judy K. BenwickRichard BerrowMiss Genevieve BlondinJonathan BraunBenjamin BuckinghamMr. Rob BurnsClayton CampbellMrs. Maylene CervantesAlbert ChiuEric ChowSerene ChowNicole ClarkeRonith CogswellGary CohenKatie Comley

Liz CordonierMs. Pamela CostanzoMr. Vince CritchleyChristy CruikshankDulce Cuenca D Michael Bain Law

CorporationSalimah DamjiBahareh DanaeiKaren DanderferKeith DavidsonGlynis DavissonCobi DayanMr. Oliver DemuthDentons LLPMrs. Naomi DogenRachel DyckDennis EdwardsRobynn ElaschukRyan ErwinMs. Shahdin FarsaiMs. Delaram FarshadMs. Jennifer FloodReena GacadKathleen GallagherMrs. Jolene Elizabeth GillKaris M GilleranCaity GoerkeLindsay GoldbergDr. Murray GoldbergFrani GoodmanPeter GoodwinJohanna GoosenLiese GoosenEmily GrayKelsey GrimmSara GrujinClaire HaafJacob HaasMs. Brooke HansonMs. Michelle HarperKim HawkinsDavid W. HayesHolly HayesMs. Caitlin HayesHeather Dale Law Offices

Ms. Natalie HillKelly HoLisa HoMr. Jeremy HoSheila HodgkinsonShannon HoesingErik HoibakMr. Roger E. HollandAshley HolmCarolina HornaMs. Nicole R. HowellStephanie HuJeanine JaramilloMrs. Lynn KateyKearns & CompanyKestrel Holdings Ltd.Sanjana KhairaMs. Irina KordicMs. Sandra KovacsSanja KralijevicMr. Paul KressockAlam LakhaniJulia LawLarina LaytonJerry LecovinD. Wendy LeeDanielle LemonSarah LemonDonna LemonShelby LemonLinda Leong SumRalph LibbyRhona LichtenwaldLinda LooMichelle LouieAinsley MacCallumMs. Ritu MahilFarah MalikColleen MalliLeodegario MalongMr. Patrick J. MarchMs. Barbara MartensMs. Madison McCordBernadette McGrathDaniel K. McLeodMs. Julie Ann Menten

Mr. Rob MerloKaitlyn MeyerAlexandra MitretodisMr. Derek K. MiuraMrs. Ronda MorganMs. Sandy MossNelson Tsui Law CorporationMs. Claire NicolaKevin O’CallaghanMonique OrieuxGlen OrrisAnna OsadchyyElizabeth PanMary PappajohnNikki PearsonMr. Jared PenlandMr. Gord PlottelRitchie PoElaine PritchardMark RayterMs. Kelly RayterElizabeth ReidTheresia ReidMs. Katherine ReillyAngie RianoLisa RidgedaleMrs. Janice RittenhouseMr. Peter RobertsStephen P. RobertsonMs. Florence RobertsonAmanda RobinsonDavid RobinsonRolfe Benson LLPTory Ross & Keith Martin

GordeyMs. Diana M. SandbergSarah B Pollard Law CorpKathie SchwaiaScottie ScottCaroline SeniniMs. Sonali SharmaKelsey SherriffRebecca ShiuMichael ShizersAndrew SionJessica Slater


Mr. Mark R. SlayKathleen SorochanMr. Robert StationMiss Emily SticklandMike SugimotoCindy SwitzerKen TakagiErica TangLindsey TaylorMs. Sheila TempleMs. Danielle ToigoVista TretheweyDorothy UytengsuMs. Cher Van de Sande

Mr. Ron Van HalenSean Vanderfluit & Miranda

DuffyMrs. Bobbi VenierAlice VoSarah VollettCatherine WadeMr. Parker WalshMs. Pat WatsonRoger WattsChristina WendelKenneth WerkerLindsay WilliamsSara Williamson

Mark WolfVoy WongMr. Jonathan WoolleyAlex WorthenDavid WotherspoonMr. Jack WrightClaire YeungLionel YipMr. Andrew Zieger

Joe BakerJohn BarbourMontserrat BermeJan BondRenee BucciarelliSofia Bunting NewmanDarius CainQuinn CartwrightErin CathartTom Catyr ToddChristian ChingCraig DavidsonKeith DavidsonJanice DavisCorinne DeBerryJulia DiazTanja Dixon-WarrenFletcher DonovanBon Dos RemediosBonnie DuffKayla Dunbar

Michael FeraSeamus FeraJulia FitchDustin FreelandBen FullerLia GaviolaLorenzo GaviolaAlex GerogeLaurie-Ann GoodwinMiguel GoquingcoIan HarmonJune HarrisonElliott HedleyNoah HeylSarah HuaJanelle HulmeBreanne JacksonTevia JeffriesAliya JessaBrenda KatzeffJessica Keenan

Mia KriegelScarlett LarryDani LemonLinda Leong SumJudy LernerErica LevyNatalie LichtenwaldIzobelle Lim RocoOwen LockBrent LokashAmy MannJeff MannGail MawhinneyMike MawhinneyNavar MaxtadJenny McDonaldCJ McGillivraySophie McNeillyStefanie MichaudJennifer MiseraJoan Ouellette

Shekar RamTory RossEmily RovinsonChristine Santa MariaMarina SchieveClaire StewartHeather StrainAmanda TestiniVic UstareNaomi VogtLanni WeingartenAnais WestVeronique WestZach WolfmanJacob WolstencroftAudrey ZaharichukMaria Zarillo

2015/2016 Volunteers















Carousel Theatre Society 2015/2016 Annual Report · 2019-07-02 · Carousel Theatre Society - Annual Report - 2015/2016 6 with their innovative and interactive production of Where

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