HardSell | Creative Team | NECESSARY ANGEL THEATRE COMPANY

Rick Miller
RICK MILLER – Performer & Co-Creator

For Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus

Other: Rick Miller trained in Montreal as an architect, actor, musician, and playwright, and has performed in five languages on four continents. As Artistic Director of WYRD Productions, he has created and performed shows such as Art?, Slightly Bent, Into the Ring, and the worldwide hit MacHomer. The two latest WYRD Productions are co-creations with Daniel Brooks and Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus, and HardSell. Bigger Than Jesus, which won 3 Dora Awards in 2005, is now in its fourth year of international touring, and has been performed in English, French, German, and Italian. Rick is also a frequent collaborator with director Robert Lepage, having worked on such plays as La Géométrie des Miracles, Zulu Time (co-created with Peter Gabriel), on the film Possible Worlds, and on the new play Lipsynch, a 9-hour epic which will tour through 2009. Rick is also the host of the ABC TV series “Just For Laughs”. He lives in Toronto with his wife Stephanie Baptist and their daughters Vivian and Ellen.

Daniel Brooks
DANIEL BROOKS – Director & Co-Creator

For Necessary Angel: Half Life; Bigger Than Jesus; Insomnia; The Eco Show

Other: Daniel has been a mainstay of Canada’s theatre community for the past 20 years. He has worked as a director, writer, actor, producer, and teacher. Some of his creations include Red Tape and 86; An Autopsy (with Don McKellar and Tracy Wright); The Lorca Play, House, Here Lies Henry, Monster, and Cul-de-sac (all with Daniel MacIvor); The Noam Chomsky Lectures and Insomnia (with Guillermo Verdecchia); Bigger Than Jesus (with Rick Miller); and The Good Life. His work as a director includes John Mighton’s PossibleWorlds and Half Life, Goethe’s Faust, and Beckett’s Endgame. His most recent play is The Eco Show. He has won and been nominated for many theatre awards. He was the first recipient of the prestigious Elinore and Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for directing. His work has traveled across Canada and around the world. He is currently the Artistic Director of The Necessary Angel Theatre Company.

Ben Chaisson BEN CHAISSON – Sound Designer; Co-Set & Projection Designer
For Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus; The Eco Show
Other: Ben Chaisson is a Certified Montessori Classroom Assistant, Bartender, former radio personality and an award nominated Sound and Projections Designer. Ben has worked on stages in places as far off as New Zealand, Scotland, Italy and Germany. In Canada, Ben’s designs have been seen and heard in theatres in St. Johns, his native Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. As Asst. Technical Director: Merlin (LKTYP). As Sound Designer: Into the Ring (Wyrd/MTYP); Wit, Very Heaven (Centaur); Anaconda (L’espace Tangente). As Projection Designer: The Eco Show (Necessary Angel). His sound, video and set designs for Bigger Than Jesus (with wife Beth Kates) were nominated for two 2005 Dora Awards, as well as two Betty Awards. He is currently creating a number of his own new works.

BETH KATES – Lighting & Costume Designer; Co-Set & Projection Designer
For Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus

Other: Lighting Design: Miinigoowezewin, Spurt of Blood (Banff Centre Arts Festival); Urban Industry, Blue, Strictly Montreal (MYTH Prod.), Slightly Bent (Wyrd Prod.); Music for Contortionist (Shaw Festival/Tarragon). Lighting & Set Design: Songs for a New World (Color+Light Prod.); MacHomer (Wyrd Prod.). Set & Costume Design: All The World (Geordie Theatre Prod.), Anaconda (L’espace Tangente). Set, Lighting & Projection Design: Bigger Than Jesus, Into The Ring (Wyrd Productions), The Backyardigans (Koba Ent.). Asst. Lighting Designer: Geometry of Miracles (ExMachina/Robert Lepage), Hunger Striking (Theatre Passe Muraille). In 2005, Beth was nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and won one for Outstanding Lighting Design for her work on Bigger Than Jesus. She was also nominated for a Dora in 2007 for her lighting design of Songs for a New World. Having designed and stage managed her way around the world, she is happy to be back home for a few days at TPM. Beth would like to thank Necessary Angel & WYRD Productions for their support, Rick for his trust and talent, Daniel for his vision and humour, and Ben for everything else.

Tanya Greve
TANYA GREVE – Stage Manager

For Necessary Angel: Insomnia; The Eco Show

Other: Three Squares a Day, The Yoko Ono Project and Alien Creature for Theatre Passe Muraille; A Short History of Night, Glace Bay Miner’s Museum, The Gwendolyn Poems and Trout Stanley for Factory Theatre; Girl in the Goldfish Bowl for Tarragon Theatre; Treasure Island, Jacob Two Two’s First Spy Case, The Nutmeg Princess and The Secret Garden for Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People; What Lies Before Us and Time After Time: The Chet Baker Project for Crow’s Theatre; and eight seasons at the Blyth Festival. Ms. Greve has also been part of the workshop processes for Half Life for Necessary Angel; Bear With Me for Nightwood Theatre; Director’s Cut for Crow’s Theatre and Baby Finger and The Last Dog of War for Linda Griffiths.

	RICK MILLER – Performer & Co-Creator For Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus Other: Rick Miller trained in Montreal as an architect, actor, musician, and playwright, and has performed in five languages on four continents. As Artistic Director of WYRD Productions, he has created and performed shows such as Art?, Slightly Bent, Into the Ring, and the worldwide hit MacHomer. The two latest WYRD Productions are co-creations with Daniel Brooks and Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus, and HardSell. Bigger Than Jesus, which won 3 Dora Awards in 2005, is now in its fourth year of international touring, and has been performed in English, French, German, and Italian. Rick is also a frequent collaborator with director Robert Lepage, having worked on such plays as La Géométrie des Miracles, Zulu Time (co-created with Peter Gabriel), on the film Possible Worlds, and on the new play Lipsynch, a 9-hour epic which will tour through 2009. Rick is also the host of the ABC TV series “Just For Laughs”. He lives in Toronto with his wife Stephanie Baptist and their daughters Vivian and Ellen.
	DANIEL BROOKS – Director & Co-Creator For Necessary Angel: Half Life; Bigger Than Jesus; Insomnia; The Eco Show Other: Daniel has been a mainstay of Canada’s theatre community for the past 20 years. He has worked as a director, writer, actor, producer, and teacher. Some of his creations include Red Tape and 86; An Autopsy (with Don McKellar and Tracy Wright); The Lorca Play, House, Here Lies Henry, Monster, and Cul-de-sac (all with Daniel MacIvor); The Noam Chomsky Lectures and Insomnia (with Guillermo Verdecchia); Bigger Than Jesus (with Rick Miller); and The Good Life. His work as a director includes John Mighton’s PossibleWorlds and Half Life, Goethe’s Faust, and Beckett’s Endgame. His most recent play is The Eco Show. He has won and been nominated for many theatre awards. He was the first recipient of the prestigious Elinore and Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for directing. His work has traveled across Canada and around the world. He is currently the Artistic Director of The Necessary Angel Theatre Company.
	BEN CHAISSON – Sound Designer; Co-Set & Projection Designer For Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus; The Eco Show Other: Ben Chaisson is a Certified Montessori Classroom Assistant, Bartender, former radio personality and an award nominated Sound and Projections Designer. Ben has worked on stages in places as far off as New Zealand, Scotland, Italy and Germany. In Canada, Ben’s designs have been seen and heard in theatres in St. Johns, his native Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. As Asst. Technical Director: Merlin (LKTYP). As Sound Designer: Into the Ring (Wyrd/MTYP); Wit, Very Heaven (Centaur); Anaconda (L’espace Tangente). As Projection Designer: The Eco Show (Necessary Angel). His sound, video and set designs for Bigger Than Jesus (with wife Beth Kates) were nominated for two 2005 Dora Awards, as well as two Betty Awards. He is currently creating a number of his own new works.
	BETH KATES – Lighting & Costume Designer; Co-Set & Projection Designer For Necessary Angel: Bigger Than Jesus Other: Lighting Design: Miinigoowezewin, Spurt of Blood (Banff Centre Arts Festival); Urban Industry, Blue, Strictly Montreal (MYTH Prod.), Slightly Bent (Wyrd Prod.); Music for Contortionist (Shaw Festival/Tarragon). Lighting & Set Design: Songs for a New World (Color+Light Prod.); MacHomer (Wyrd Prod.). Set & Costume Design: All The World (Geordie Theatre Prod.), Anaconda (L’espace Tangente). Set, Lighting & Projection Design: Bigger Than Jesus, Into The Ring (Wyrd Productions), The Backyardigans (Koba Ent.). Asst. Lighting Designer: Geometry of Miracles (ExMachina/Robert Lepage), Hunger Striking (Theatre Passe Muraille). In 2005, Beth was nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and won one for Outstanding Lighting Design for her work on Bigger Than Jesus. She was also nominated for a Dora in 2007 for her lighting design of Songs for a New World. Having designed and stage managed her way around the world, she is happy to be back home for a few days at TPM. Beth would like to thank Necessary Angel & WYRD Productions for their support, Rick for his trust and talent, Daniel for his vision and humour, and Ben for everything else.
	TANYA GREVE – Stage Manager For Necessary Angel: Insomnia; The Eco Show Other: Three Squares a Day, The Yoko Ono Project and Alien Creature for Theatre Passe Muraille; A Short History of Night, Glace Bay Miner’s Museum, The Gwendolyn Poems and Trout Stanley for Factory Theatre; Girl in the Goldfish Bowl for Tarragon Theatre; Treasure Island, Jacob Two Two’s First Spy Case, The Nutmeg Princess and The Secret Garden for Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People; What Lies Before Us and Time After Time: The Chet Baker Project for Crow’s Theatre; and eight seasons at the Blyth Festival. Ms. Greve has also been part of the workshop processes for Half Life for Necessary Angel; Bear With Me for Nightwood Theatre; Director’s Cut for Crow’s Theatre and Baby Finger and The Last Dog of War for Linda Griffiths.