“Theater is a place where we can be whoever we want to be, and it allows us to explore new aspects of ourselves.”
~ Stephen Sondheim
“Theater is a collaborative art, and it’s at its best when it feels like a big, warm hug.”
~ Lin-Manel Miranda
The Company
David Allen
David Allen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA of Central East Ontario, whose region includes YMCA Branches in Belleville, Trenton and Peterborough. David became involved in the theatre back in 2019, playing a role in the Belleville Theatre Guild production of “The Sting”. Even though that was his first time on the live stage, David is accustomed to performing as he has competed or danced in Dancing with the Stars Quinte on three occasions, earning first and third-place finishes in the two competitions in which he competed. David has been married to his college sweetheart wife Elaine for coming up on 36 years, they have three children, Teresa, Carter and Emma.
In 2019 he participated in the Belleville Theatre Guild's One Act Festival and travelled to the Eastern Ontario Drama League One Act Play Festival in Perth where he received an honourable mention in the Best Actor Category.
At Theatre in The Wings, David has played the role of Jack in "Conversation Park". He played Danny in "Taking Care of the Browns". He played Bill Reach in "Down The Road". He played "Dave" in "We'll Always Have PARIS", which he also directed. His first play, "About Her", had its world premiere at Theatre in The Wings in 2023.
Emmy Bernice Allen
Emmy Bernice Allen was born in Ottawa. She currently lives in Belleville with her parents, David and Elaine, and her fur baby Lilly, the cutest rabbit in the whole world. She has a twin brother and an older sister. Emmy enjoys concerts and plays. "Kate and Krampus" is her first play since public school.
Teresa Marie Allen
Teresa has been active in the arts since she was young. Finding her passion for music and theatre very early on, Teresa was part of the Hastings and Prince Edward Children’s Chorus for four years and made her way to Carnegie Hall to perform with them in 2007. Teresa went to the University of Waterloo, where she graduated with her Bachelors in Theatre and Performance with a focus in stage management and tech. She continues to work on her musical side by taking private lessons with Michael Faulkner, as well as performing in Porchfest, Night Kitchen Too, and Theatre in The Wings Christmas performance. She worked for many years at the Quinte Ballet School as their Recreation Division Coordinator and stage managed many of their holiday and year end productions. Teresa has done the sound and lighting design for Queen Victoria’s Tea Room and Frankenstein at The Wings and looks forward to many more shows with this wonderful group.
Adri Boodoosingh
Adri discovered play writing after his wife convinced him to sign up for a course one winter several years ago. He was immediately hooked, realizing the "high" that comes from creating characters, putting words into their mouths and having actors bring them to life. His class project, “Sales Pitched,” was performed during the BTG Evening of One-Act Plays in 2018, and his second effort, “The Discombobulating Greeting,” was the BTG’s entry in the EODL One-Act Play Festival in 2019. Adri's play "Some Unsettling News" was one of the three winning entries in the First Annual Belleville Playwriting Competition. It was performed as a staged reading at Theatre in The Wings in April 2022.
Jocelyn Brant
Marc Coyle
Marc Coyle is the Manager of Information systems for the City of Belleville and a board member of both the Information systems Associations of Ontario and Canada. He has appeared in "The Sting" and "Cliff Hanger" with The Belleville Theatre Guild. He is a long time supporter of the Quinte region as a whole and Belleville's theatres in particular. Marc's play "We'll Always Have PARIS" was a resounding success at the First Annual Summer Short Play Festival in 2023. Marc is a full member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Sabina Coyle
Sabina has dedicated over 30 years to the IT Industry, specializing in the Public Sector and Health Care. Her early fondness for theatre ignited during high school and eventually she found her way to the community stage. In 2019, Sabina seized the chance to audition for the Belleville Theatre Guild’s production of "The Sting" and landed the role of Ginger/Loretta, an unforgettable experience that led to lasting bonds and cherished memories. When her husband Marc Coyle wrote "We’ll Always Have Paris" inspired by interactions with some very dear friends, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play the role of Sabina. Outside work and the stage, Sabina explores the outdoors, travels, learns piano and singing, and enjoys spending time with family and friends that results in the occasional karaoke and dance party.
Kathryn Dalmer
“From my early theatre years, I have done all the theatre roles from backstage to on-stage to directing. My first play here in Belleville was “The Throne” by Ian Feltham which was followed by several others at Belleville Theatre Guild and The Old Church Theatre in Trenton.
After I did “Rosewood Art Society, Est 1903” by Peter Paylor, I was hooked on Peter’s writing. I have been in “The Green Thumb Gang”, “Tea With Roger”, “The Consultants” and “Christmas in Rosewood”, all by Peter. He gets little old ladies more than anyone else.”
Toby Farrell
Toby has quickly become a valuable member of our company, both on stage and off since moving to Belleville from Vancouver this year. Toby received rave reviews for his portrayal of Oscar French in our Remembrance week staged reading of "Letters to Vimy" by Orland French.
Ian Feltham
Ian is a Newfoundlander who has been living in the Quinte area for nearly 20 years. His interest in theatre stems back to just five years before his move to Ontario when he was cast in a lead role in “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” with absolutely no clue what that involved. He soon found out! Community Theatre has since become a passion for him, having acted, directed, and produced in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as with local theatres in the Quinte region. He has written several plays, most notably “A Second Wind”, a full-length play about occupational asthma in the snow crab industry, written while he was a Medical Officer of Health in Labrador. He directed “Tempting Providence” by Robert Chafe at the Pinnacle Playhouse in Belleville which completed its run in February 2020 just before the COVID shutdown.
Jane Gardner
Jane Gardner is a successful manager in the arts and non-profit sector with considerable experience in revenue generation, grantsmanship, community outreach, marketing, arts advocacy, finance, arts education, fundraising, facility management, contracting, producing events, strategic planning, health & safety, human resources, and volunteer management. Among the organizations that have benefitted from her many talents include Theatre Ontario, Blyth Theatre Festival, Carousel Players, Great Canadian Theatre Company, Theatre New Brunswick, and the Quinte Ballet School of Canada.
Nancy Garrod
Shalyn Gurr
Shalyn started musical performances and acting at an early age. In her adult life, Shalyn discovered community theatre after moving to the area. After meeting her husband (whom she met in a play), she took a brief hiatus from acting to have a baby and nurture a family. Shalyn is now incredibly happy to be returning to “walk the boards”, at the wonderful and unique Theatre in The Wings. Shalyn played the role of Angela in "Conversation Park". She would like to thank her husband, Jim West, for his support. Cathie Gurr, for her unwavering support and encouragement; and her children, Rowan and Sienna, who continue to be her light and inspiration.
Lisa Guthro
Since her retirement, Lisa Guthro has resumed her childhood passion of acting. She has performed with the Lindsay Little Theatre and the Belleville Theatre Guild. Lisa is thrilled to be a part of the creative energy at Theatre in the Wings.
J. P. Harvey
J. P. Harvey lives in Belleville, Ontario with his partner and their cat. J. P. played the role of Marvin in Queen Victoria’s Tea Room and Darren in Scenes from a Park. J. P. provides the voice of Jackson Nash in “The Jackson Nash Mysteries” series of podcasts.
Christine Hayman
Christine found her way to The Wings from just around the corner at the Village Theatre Company. She is a woman of few words. When asked to say something about herself, Christine wrote: "Don't worry about me alone backstage, alone in the dark, moving prop after prop after prop...I love it!"
Rebecca House
Sarah Ives
Sarah played the role of Sue in "Last Summer at Bluefish Cove"
Rachel Kelleher
Rachel is delighted to be appearing in her first River & Main production! Rachel has worked with various theatre companies in southeastern Ontario, and her previous credits include She Stoops to Conquer, Anne of Green Gables: The Musical, and In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play). Her thanks go out to a wonderful and talented cast and crew, and please do enjoy the show!
Sarah Kirby
Christine Leggat
Shannon Lochhead
I was thrilled to be the Stage Manager for “A Christmas in Rosewood”. Being back stage is not a new thing for me. My parents were involved with theatre when I was little, with my mom on stage and my dad back stage, it was an inevitable choice for me. I was the Stage Manager for Lisa Morris when she directed “Cliffhanger” for the Belleville Theatre Guild. I have been Assistant Stage Manager for a couple of one-act plays and made my acting debut in this community in “Finding My Way Back To You” by Judie Preece. I look forward to many more opportunities from our wonderful theatrical presence in this community.
Janet LoSole
Jocelyn LoSole
Jocelyn is a graduate of the Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a Masters Degree in Musical Theatre Performance. She is the Artistic Director of Sole Theatre. She will be directing "Last Summer at Bluefish Cove" at Theatre in The Wings in January 2024.
Gary Magwood
M J Mari
Dani Marks
Bill McMahon
Following a thirty-year withdrawal from theatre, Bill rekindled his love for stagecraft and has been involved in the Quinte Region theatre scene for the past ten years as an actor, director, and "whatever needs to be done" guy. Bill is an accomplished director, working principally with Prince Edward Community Theatre where he directed “God of Carnage”, “The Mousetrap”, “Time Stands Still”, and “Veronica’s Room” and where he is currently directing “Crimes of the Heart” which opens November 12th at Mt. Tabor Playhouse in Milford. His onstage roles include Sydney Brunel, in Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap”, Robert, in David Auburn’s “Proof”, and James in Peter Paylor’s “The Black Chair”.
Having enjoyed working with both Ian Feltham and Peter Paylor in the past, Bill is looking forward to treading the boards at Theatre In The Wings and being a part of “An Evening With Beckett”.
Paulina McMahon
"One of the many joys of retirement is being able to get involved in all aspects of the community theatre scene and I'm truly thankful for that. My husband and I moved from Toronto to Prince Edward County in 1999. I became involved with the Prince Edward Community Theatre group and The Marysburgh Mummers. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know and work with a coterie of talented and creative people. Now my journey continues with the River & Main Theatre Company."
Paulina played the role of Alice in "A Single Step", one of the "Scenes From a Park".
Candace Meeks
Candace Meeks has been acting since the age of six when she was cast in her school's Easter pageant. Her teacher told her she was vivacious. How a six year old could be vivacious we may never know, but from then on Candace had caught the performance bug. She went to college for Theatre at Sheridan in Oakville and Acting for Film and TV at Humber in Etobicoke.
Candace has been a comedian and improviser for over 14 years, having studied improv in Toronto, Chicago and New York.
She has performed all over Canada and the US, including Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, and Detroit. Some notable festivals include Del Close Marathon in NYC, Chicago Musical Improv Festival, Chicago Women's Funny Festival and Detroit Improv Festival.
She has taught improv in Toronto, Niagara Falls and Chicago. She also worked with Fierce Funny Femmes to teach women with Anxiety and Depression improv techniques to sooth symptoms and attended the first Yes And Mental Health Conference, a conference about improv and psychology in Chicago.
She worked at Impatient Theatre Co. as a teacher and coach and at Bad Dog Theatre Company as their community engagement manager where she facilitated programs and produced shows and taught classes.
She is a former producer for Mediajunkie Studios where she produced and acted in two web series: "(My) Immortal" and "No Boys Dorm". Candace worked for many years with Daisy Productions where she acted in plays and sketch comedy shows including Stuck in the Sky by Melly Magrath, Dial "L" for Latchkey by Scott Fivelson, The Waiting Room by Joe Leone, and wrote for and acted in Binge Watching You Sleep and The Daisy Show. She also directed Life Boat by Marc Prey. She's been involved in the Toronto Fringe Festival, Hamilton Fringe Festival, and most notably the Orlando Fringe Festival with Daisy Productions' sketch comedy revue LOL LOL Land. She is an avid fan fiction writer and has even sold some of her work! She has read her fan fiction with Fan Fiction The Show at NXNE and Automic Lollipop, and has performed solo at Anime North and ComicCon and the Bedpost Sex Show in Toronto.
Candace has a podcast called Riverdale Rude Dudes, a comedy podcast about the teen drama Riverdale. She loves to sing and has a been taking private lessons since she was little, and when she's not performing she can be found singing karaoke at Smokin' 116 Bistro in Belleville every Thursday night of her life.
Candace is very involved in queer community in Belleville and is Secretary for Bay of Quinte Pride and part of the Rainbow Network HPE. Candace's first play at Theatre in the Wings is "Last Summer at Bluefish Cove" in January 2024 and she hopes to be part of many more!
Beth Milligan
Beth is the author of "The Jackson Nash Mysteries", a series of radio plays produced by River & Main, available on our podcast page. Her play "Beatrice" was one of the three winning entries in The First Annual Belleville Playwriting Competition. It was performed as a staged reading at Theatre in The Wings in April 2022.
Lisa Morris
Lisa Morris is an award-winning stage and costume designer, a director, an artist, a community builder, and an advocate for the arts. She is a founding member of the company and its current Vice President. Lisa played the role of Marilyn in "Conversation Park". She directed "Dear Ray" and "Queen Victoria's Tea Room".
Margaret Murray
Margaret Murray is a life-long resident of Belleville, a lover of theatre, and she is feeling blessed to be back on the boards. As a teacher of languages and dramatic arts for 30 years, Margaret values sharing her cherished experiences in the Belleville theatre community so that her students might come to see her play and plays as sources of artistic joy.
Natalie Nolan
Thanks, Lisa, for your direction and for being an amazing human. Thanks, Peter, for writing in general, but especially for giving us QVTR. Thanks Teresa and Nancy for carrying us behind the scenes. Thanks to my fellow cast members, Michael, Jocelyn, Lisa, Barb, J.P. and Rachel. And last but not least, thanks to the audience for your attention. I can only hope your worries are reduced to sore belly muscles from laughing.
Serafima Ostrovskaya
Serafima is a software engineer by practice and burgeoning actor by ambition. They have studied with the LB Acting Studio for the past year and played the roles of Justine in SOLE Theatre's production of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Dan in River & Main Theatre's production of "Down the Road".
Peter Paylor
Peter has written dozens of plays, including a number that have been produced by River & Main Theatre Company. He is a member of the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada and a founding member of the Quinte Playwrights Collective as well as a founding member of the company and its current President. Peter wrote "Queen Victoria's Tea Room", "Dear Ray", "Taking Care of the Browns", and "Christmas in Rosewood", which he also directed. He directed "Conversation Park".
Bill Petch
40-plus years, countless plays: acting, directing, writing, sound design. And I still love it. Many thanks to River & Main for giving locally written plays a moment in the sun ... and a walk in the park.
Judie Preece
Judie retired after thirty-two years in education and hit the ground running...well, actually writing, acting, volunteering, and travelling. She is a published author and has had several of her plays brought to the stage. In 2016 she was the co-recipient with Kathryn Dalmer of the Adjudicator's Acting Award for her role in Peter Paylor's "Tea with Roger" at the EODL One Act Play Festival and received an EODL Adjudicator nomination for Best Actor in "The Consultants", also by Peter, the year following. She is a founding member of River and Main Theatre Company and is proud to be part of the Theatre in The Wings family. Judie directed "A Single Step" in "Scenes From a Park". During the COVID hiatus, Judie was thrilled to bring Nadine to life on video in Peter's play "Dear Ray" before bringing her to life on the stage in January 2023. Judie's play "The Way Station" was one of the three winning entries in The First Annual City of Belleville Playwriting Competition. It was performed as a staged reading at Theatre in The Wings in April 2022. Her play "Lil" was performed on stage at Theatre in The Wings in October 2023.
Wendy Roy
Wendy has been addicted to the stage since they first let her set foot on it, and has been seen in numerous productions on local stages. In November 2019, with the Belleville Theatre Guild, she was the recipient of the Mae Carmichael Acting Award at the EODL One Act Play Festival. She was then, obviously, incredibly displeased to find herself forced into a long hiatus along with the rest of the (stage) world. She is grateful to finally return to her favourite place besides the airport. "Thank you, River & Main!" Wendy played the roles of Doctor Happy and Christine in "Christmas in Rosewood" and the role of Marie in "A Single Step".
Margaret Ruttan
Margaret began writing, mainly fiction, in her twenties. After a lengthy hiatus, she picked it up again and started writing short stories. She noticed dialogue came easy to her and quite naturally led her into writing scenes and one act plays. She joined the Quinte Playwrights’ Collective several years ago providing her with the boost she needed to write more plays. She is grateful to River & Main Theatre Company for picking up “Conversation Park” and thrilled to have it included in Scenes From a Park.
Jay Scott
Matthew Sheahan
Matthew Sheahan is a local actor, director, producer, playwright, and drama teacher at PECI in Picton, Ontario. He is the current president of the Council of Drama and Dance Educators, and has facilitated workshops and webinars all over Ontario and internationally through the International Drama in Education Association (IDEA). He is a founding member and performer with the improv comedy troupe, the Improvmonauts, and one of the producers of the Sharpen the Acts Festival at the Old Church Theatre.
Simon Shonk
Simon was born and raised in Belleville and attended summer theatre workshops during my childhood. He is now back in Belleville and was delighted to have joined the cast for the production of Scenes From a Park.” Simon played the role of Ron in "Conversation Park".
Ria Williams
Sarah Winn
I have been doing art ever since I was a child. It has always been a way to express myself and be creative in a very special way. When I was young, I learned the basics that would later grow and expand as the years passed. As I got older, I began to realize it was a passion that grew every day. This brought me to attend graphic design at St. Lawrence College. Later I would continue my art by making designs for rock bands and paintings for various people. I’m still painting and creating in my own style. I am painting and creating even at this moment. I have projects on the go. I don’t plan on ever giving up my passion. My art is my life.
Mihal Zada
In recent years, Mihal could be seen gracing the stage at the Old Church Theatre and on Zoom with the Belleville Theatre Guild. She is a founding member of the comedy troupe the Improvmonauts and an original and ongoing producer of Sharpen the Acts Festival.