Theatre

While a student at Concordia, Rob made his professional acting debut in Godspell at the Segal Centre. He’s played lead roles in theatres across the country from Theatre New Brunswick to the Banff Centre. Locally, he’s performed for Centaur, Geordie, the Segal and six seasons at Theatre Lac Brome. Catch him on film opposite Sharon Stone in a Different Loyalty, opposite Taylor Kitsch in The Covenant, with Marlon Brando in Free Money and with Christopher Plummer in Nuremburg. The diversity he’s experienced professionally he brings to the classroom whether working on drama, comedy, music or Shakespeare. John Abbott directing credits include Hair, Romeo and Juliet, Rumors, Twelfth Night, Fiddler on the Roof and To Kill a Mockingbird. Teaching what he loves has been the greatest reward of his career.

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.

Pierre Dussol has been a member of the Department of Theatre at John Abbott College since 2003. He has taught Stagecraft, Theatre Orientation, Theatre Workshop, Media and AutoCAD. He graduated from the Professional Theatre Program at John Abbott in 1991. He has worked on over 200 productions in theatre, television and film in Stratford, Montreal, Nova Scotia and London, England. He holds a Bachelor Degree in History and Archaeology from Concordia University. He also received a Master’s in Education from the University of Sherbrooke. In 2012 Pierre published his first book “AutoCAD For The Theatre” with the CCDMD. He has served as a member of the Faculty Professional Development Committee since 2007.

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.

Francis LePage has been a member of John Abbott College’s Department of Theatre and Music for 23 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bishop’s University. He presently teaches all three years of shop classes in the Theatre Program. He began his professional career at Bishop’s working for Festival Lennoxville for 3 years, as a technician and a carpenter. Upon graduating, he moved to Montreal and started work at Centaur Theatre, where he spent 11 years working as both a technician and carpenter. He also worked for 4 summers at a scene shop building movies, commercials, and industrial shows.

Maggi Macaulay trained in acting at John Abbott, graduating in 1980. After a number of acting roles she worked in Film Production as an Animator and Illustrator for the N.F.B. and as a freelance Costume Designer for Theatre and Video production. Maggi has been “running” the Wardrobe at Abbott for over twenty years, supervising the costuming of hundreds of actors and actresses in Department Productions. Maggi teaches Costume Construction and the History of Styles, architecture, costume, furniture and interior design. Graduates work in costume at Cirque du Soleil, Disney Productions and the Stratford Festival Theatre, Ontario, Canada.

Carolyn Murdoch has been happily part of the JAC Theatre Department Family for 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.

Nadia Rowsell hails from Harrington Harbour, Quebec and moved to Montreal in 2007 to pursue her post secondary education. She graduated from the Professional Theatre Program (Set & Costume Design) in 2012. Upon graduation she was the co-recipient of the Pamela Montgomery Award & the recipient of the Jason Panich Scholarship. She also has a DEC in Creative Arts: Theatre Workshop. In addition to beIng the wardrobe technician, Ms. Rowsell teaches Costume Execution to the 1st & 2nd year technical students.