Michele Riml - Playwright

Michele is an award-winning playwright from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her play Sexy Laundry has been produced extensively throughout Canada and will open in the USA in 2008.  Other critically acclaimed plays include Miss Teen, Under The Influence and RAGE, which won the 2005 Sydney Risk prize for Outstanding Original Play as well as the Jessie Richardson award for Outstanding Theatre Production and was recently staged at The Globe Theatre in Saskatchewan. A production of the French translation of RAGE will tour Canada in 2008. Her plays for young audiences include the Cool, Invisible Girl, The Skinny Lie and Tree Boy for Green Thumb Theatre and continue to tour throughout Canada and the USA. Her newest work Poster Boys, a play about love and branding, will premiere March 2008 at The Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver. She is currently completing Souvenirs, a main stage play commissioned by Green Thumb Theatre. Michele has been nominated for ten Jessie Richardson Awards and won BC’s Young Playwright Search way back in high school. When she’s not writing, she’s happily hanging out with her son Christopher, who is her constant joy and inspiration.

Sexy Laundry marks Walter Learning’s directorial debut at Lighthouse Festival Theatre.  He is very pleased to be working with such a talented cast and supportive crew and staff.  Learning is the founding artistic director of Theatre New Brunswick and has also served as artistic director of The Vancouver Playhouse and The Charlottetown Festival.  Directing and acting assignments have seen him working coast to coast in Canada as well as stints in the USA and Australia.  After the opening of Sexy Laundry, Learning’s next project will be acting in the LFT production of Norm Foster’s Outlaw. Soon after that he will travel to Canberra, Australia to direct at the Canberra Repertory Theatre.

Richard is happy to be returning to Lighthouse Festival Theatre.  You may remember him from Bedtime Stories and as Martin in Ethan Claymore.  Recent credits include Amadeus for Theatre Aquarius, Tom, Dick and Harry, Run For Your Wife, and Caught in the Net for Upper Canada Playhouse, as well as the premiere of Bedtime Stories for Theatre Orangeville. Enjoy the show!

Melodee Finley - Alice Lane

Melodee is thrilled to be back at LFT for Skin Flick and Sexy Laundry.  She was last here in 2007 when she played Betsy, Sandy, and Yolanda in Norm Foster's Bedtime Stories. Some of you may remember her as Twink//Beth in Separate Beds or Emeline in Jasper Station.  Love it here…so glad to be back!!! Xxoo to D.B.B.

Bill Chesney - Set & Costume Designer

Bill is delighted to continue his long association with Lighthouse Festival Theatre in beautiful lakeside Port Dover. Bill combines teaching at the University of Waterloo with professional set and costume design and scenic painting, and has been working in the Canadian theatre for more than thirty years. His next project is a first-time-ever visit to Italy in June. He lives in Guelph with his wife Jane Macleod and three almost-grown kids, and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Steve Lucas - Lighting Designer

Steve has designed sets and lighting for more than 200 productions of theatre, dance and performance art throughout his 20 year career.  His work has mainly focused on new and original plays, designing the world premieres of many shows, including Breath[e], Tequila Vampire Matinee, 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, and The Stompin' Tom Show.  He has been nominated for several of Canada's most prestigious awards including the Simonovitch Prize, the Pauline McGibbon award, and 29 Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations.  In 2005, Steve moved to a little slice of heaven north of Shelburne, where he lives with his wife Jennifer and his greatest design yet: their sixteen-month-old son Griffin.

Rob Middleton - Stage Manager

Five years ago, Rob became a member of the Lighthouse family.  In the years since 2004 when Rob was originally employed as the house technician, Rob has been the Assistant Stage Manager for productions of Sitting Pretty, Jenny’s House of Joy, Jasper Station, Ethan Claymore, Bedtime Stories, The Long Weekend, and the Southern Ontario Tour of Jasper Station.  This season, Rob is excited to work with all of his talented friends (old and new) on Sexy Laundry, and Grounded.  Elsewhere, Rob has stage managed Rope’s End for Theatre Aquarius, Mary’s Wedding and Playwrights’ Cabaret for The Grand Theatre, The Long Weekend for Theatre Orangeville, and Mambo Italiano for C-Factor Inc.  Memorable shows include:  Seussical The Musical – Theatre Aquarius, Carmela’s Table – Centaur Theatre,  Mary’s Wedding – Grand Theatre,  My Fair Lady and CATS (tour) – Drayton Entertainment.  This August, Rob will celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary with his lovely wife Julie to whom he owes a debt of thanks and gratitude for her never ending support and understanding.

Josephine Ho - Assistant Stage Manager

Josephine is looking forward to spending another summer at Lighthouse. Some of her favourite credits include: SM for Barefoot in the Park (Theatre & Company), SM for the workshop of Singkil (fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company), apprentice for Time after Time: The Chet Baker Project (Crow’s Theatre), Mosley and Me (DVxT) and Fiddler on the Roof (Stage West). Thanks to Phil, family and friends who come out to watch all her shows (even though she is always backstage and never seen!)