Theatre

I have worked in Montreal Theatre for many years. I began by operating and then designing lights and sound; eventually, I moved on to technical direction and finally production management, which is my specialty and what I teach at John Abbott. Theatre History is also one of my passions. Based in Montreal, I have also worked in 7 provinces and 1 territory, as well in the United States. Though I have worked for most of the major English companies in Montreal, I particularly enjoyed my years spent working for the Piggery, the Centaur, the Segal Centre and Just for Laughs.

Andrew Cuk, M.A., Ph.D., has been a theatre and music professional for over thirty years. He began teaching at John Abbott in 2005. He is a director, writer, actor and Artistic Director of the Montreal theatre company, Canis Tempus, which produced his plays Sala XVIII and Quixote. Two of his plays premiered at John Abbott: Three Witches, a modern take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Elektra, a reworking of the ancient Greek myth. Andy has directed classical and contemporary plays, operas and musicals. He received his doctorate from the University of California and his masters from Western Washington University. At Abbott, along with directing productions, he has taught acting, text, theatre history and Theatre Workshop.

Recent off-campus directorial credits: Handel’s Xerxès (opera), Patience by Gilbert and Sullivan (operetta), Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Massenet’s Cendrillon (opera), Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (opera), Daisy and the Wonder Weeds by Jean Elliott Manning (musical).

Directing at JAC: Shakespeare’s Lear, Leanna Brodie’s For Home and Country, Moira Buffini’s Welcome to Thebes, The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder, The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill.

Zach Fraser has taught with John Abbott College’s Department of Theatre since 2008. At Abbott, Zach primarily teaches Movement, Mask, and Professional Management for the acting students. He is a graduate of École Philippe Gaulier (London/Paris), UQÀM’s puppetry program (Montreal), and Dalhousie University (Halifax). Zach frequently works within the professional theatre community as an actor, director, movement coach, puppeteer and puppet maker. In Montreal, Zach has also taught at the National Theatre School, McGill University, and Université de Montréal, and was a guest instructor at École Philippe Gaulier in France.

Jason Howell holds a BFA in Theatre Performance and a Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies from Concordia University. A graduate of John Abbott’s Creative Arts program in the 90’s, Jason came to the college as a teacher in 200, where he teaches media, acting and directs the Theatre Workshop shows. He has various professional acting credits from theatre and film projects in Montreal and across Canada. Jason is also a working musician and can be seen with his band Jando in various locations across the Montreal pub circuit. He currently represents the Theatre department on the ALC Program Committee.

Carolyn Murdoch has been happily part of the JAC Theatre Department Family for over 10 years now. Ms. Murdoch is a graduate of Mount Alison University, as well as the National Theatre School of Canada, where she later taught Stage Management, Production managed the Directing Program, and helped co-ordinate the Technical Production department. Over the years, Carolyn has worked and toured throughout Canada in Theatre and Dance, as well as some television & film work…but she enjoys nothing more than being with all the wonderful, clever & creative people in the Theatre Department at John Abbott College.

Anana Rydvald teaches Mime and Improvisation at John Abbott College’s Department of Theatre and Music. Originally from Sweden, she first came to Montreal to study at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens at the age of 12. Since then she trained as an actress and mask artist in both Europe and Canada. Before settling down in Montreal she worked as an actress for several years with the renowned Scandinavian Theatre group Cantabile 2 that creates site-specific performances around the world. She is the artistic director of Level 4 Theatre and does televison, film and voice over work as well.