WHO'S WHO?
THE writers
AARON POSNER
(PLAYWRIGHT)
Aaron Posner is a Helen Hayes and Barrymore award-winning director and playwright. He is a founder and former Artistic Director of Philadelphia's Arden Theatre, is an Associate Artist at the Folger Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and has directed at major U.S. regional theatres from coast to coast. Life Sucks. is his second re-imagining of a Chekhov play. His first was Stupid Fucking Bird (a re-imagining of The Seagull) which has received more than 250 productions worldwide. His adaptations include Chaim Potok's The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev (both of which has enjoyed successful runs at more than 50 theatres across the U.S.), Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion, Mark Twain's A Murder, A Mystery and a Marriage, and an adaptation of three Kurt Vonnegut short stories, entitled Who Am I This Time? (And Other Conundrums of Love). Aaron was raised in Eugene, Oregon, and now lives near Washington, DC.
ANTON PAVLOVICH CHEKHOV
(FAMOUS DEAD PLAYWRIGHT ~1860 - 1904)
Anton Chekhov was one of the greatest dramatists of the nineteenth century. From Chekhov, many contemporary playwrights have learned how to use mood, apparent trivialities, and inaction to highlight the internal psychology of characters. Chekhov's four major plays — The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard — are frequently revived in modern productions. Uncle Vanya was first staged at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1899. In 1904, after the first production of The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov suffered two heart attacks, and most agree that this was an ill-advised decision on Chekhov's part. He died at the age of 44 in the German spa town of Bradenweiler and was buried in Moscow. Along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, he is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early Modernism in the theatre.
THE ACTING COMPANY
HILARY ADAMS
(ELLA)
Selected Theatre: Twelfth Night, London Assurance, Grand Magic, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Miser, Hamlet (Stratford Festival); Schoolhouse, Macbeth, The Ruins, As You Like It, Iliad by Fire (Two Planks); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It (Shakespeare BASH’d); Old Man and The River (Theatre Direct); Goodnight Moon (Mermaid Theatre); As You Like It, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare by the Sea). Film / TV: Lakeview, Compulsus, King & Pawn. Recordings: ‘Wildflower:Lakeview Version’, ‘Hold Me’ (Lakeview), ‘Ophelia’, ‘Sending Love’ (Spotify, Apple Music) Composer: WOLF, Flimsy (Hurricane Productions) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare BASH’d) Awards: Merritt Award for Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role (Schoolhouse) Training: Birmingham Conservatory, Dalhousie University. Online: @hilary_adamss.
HAYDEN FINKELSHTAIN
(VANYA)
Hayden is a performer and writer based in Toronto; recent theatre credits include Mark and Others in Dead Elephants (Good Old Neon), Samuel Rosenthal in The Riot at Christie Pits (The Hogtown Collective), and Ron Bloom in Taking Liberties (Dave Carley / Campbell House). Hayden has also been featured in several film and television projects including SEE, Ghosts, Murdoch Mysteries, and Bakugan: Battle Planet.
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He has two cats: Jack Black and Egg.​​
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Online: @haydenfinkelshtain​​
SEAN JACKLIN
(DR. ASTER)
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Sean is an actor / writer / musician based in Toronto. He is also the co-artistic director of The Lakeside Players and has had the privilege of escaping Toronto now and then to perform and create with them throughout the country. Thanks to all who have helped along the way.
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Recent Credits: Working Stiff in Rear Window (Bygone Theatre), Titius Tatus/Iracundus in Fatal Charade (El Kabong Theatre / Toronto Fringe Festival), and Cruikshank in Robin Hood and Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac (The Lakeside Players). ​
SCOTT McCULLOCH
(THE PROFESSOR)
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Scott has been a professional actor since 1984, performing in more than 150 plays and over 50 film and television productions. His last Toronto stage appearance was at the Assembly Theatre pre-pandemic in Shakespiere (which had only two performances before the first lockdown forced its closure), but he has appeared in the Ottawa based Odyssey Theatre's production of The Miser in 2023, as well as their staged readings of The Girl with No Hands. This production is Scott's first Posner, but his fifth Chekhov. Two examples of his recent film work: Dada and Darkest Miriam are currently making the film festival rounds. He holds a BFA from the University of Windsor and an MFA from Northern Illinois University.
LISA NORTON
(BABS)
Lisa Norton is a Scarborough-raised, Toronto-and Meaford-based actor who’s been pretending all over the country for twenty-eight years. T.O. most recently saw her in Eldritch Theatre’s Requiem for a Gumshoe. Some favourite Toronto appearances: Space Opera Zero! (also Eldritch), Blood of Our Soil (Pyretic Prod. at the Tarragon), The Model Apartment (Harold Green Jewish Theatre), And Up They Flew (Theatre Columbus), Better Living (Factory), Of Mice and Men (Canadian Stage). Lisa acted at the Blyth Festival for three summers and the Shaw Festival for five. Currently in shows such as FUBAR, Bomb Girls, Carter and Murdoch Mysteries; or hear her in tons of ads and in cartoons like Transformers: Botbots, Glowbies, and right now as Dr. Repairo on Go Togo (CBC Kids).
JADA RIFKIN
(PICKLES)
Jada is thrilled to be part of Life Sucks.
Selected Recent Theatre: The Thanksgiving Play (Mirvish/Pop-Up Theatre Canada), GoldiRocks! Tour (Education Arts Canada), Tape (Toronto Fringe Festival), Merrily We Roll Along (Shifting Ground Collective), Jada Rifkin: I’M PERFECT* (Now Toronto Critic’s Pick), Alice in Wonderland (Creativiva Inc - Qatar, Singapore Tour), and Every Silver Lining (Next Stage Festival).
Selected TV / Film: Discovery Channel 2, Amazon, OutTV/Go Button Media, Whistler Film Festival, and multiple national / international commercials. Rifkin is a graduate of Randolph College for the Performing Arts.
Online: @jadarifkin
KIANA WOO
(SONIA)
Kiana Woo (she/her) is a Dora Award winning Chinese-Canadian actor, mover and creator with a special love for clown, physical theatre, and classical works. She attained her BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta and has since worked across Canada. Kiana has been a Shaw Festival ensemble member and is a graduate of the Soulpepper Academy. She also creates her own work, in clown, cabaret, and devised creation. Some of Kiana’s work includes her long-form clown solo, Inga and the Date and Hello Chinese, an exploration of mixed-race identity through the lens of mahjong, which is currently in development.
Selected credits include: Insert Clown Here (Parlous Theatre), Prince Caspian, The Playboy of the Western World, A Christmas Carol (Shaw Festival), King Lear, Peggy Picket Sees the Face of God (Soulpepper Theatre), The Fiancée (Citadel Theatre), Alice in Wonderland (Guild Festival Theatre), and Cymbeline (Shakespeare Bash’d).
THE CREATIVE &
PRODUCTION TEAM
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TOM McHALE
(DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER)
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Tom is the Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director, and Co-Producer of Outliers Theatre Collective. Past Directing work include two seasons and eight plays at The Newmarket National 10 Minute Play Festival (NNPF), highlights at NNPF include Break In, On Beauty and Iphigenia. Other Directing credits: Charlie Blake’s Boat (Social Capital Theatre Short Short Play Festival/Eastern Front STAGES Festival - Halifax, NS.), U.S. Drag (Zaw Theatre /Toronto Fringe), The Good German (Shadowpath Theatre), Look Back In Anger (Shiftless When Idle Theatre), Co-Director of As You Puppet (Hank’s Toy Box Theatre /Toronto Fringe {Best of Fringe and Now Toronto Critic’s Pick}/Young People’s Theatre /Springworks Festival in Stratford). Assistant Director Credits: Blue/Orange (Canadian Stage), Fool for Love and The Zoo Story (Soulpepper). Tom is a graduate of The University of Windsor with an Honours B.A. in Drama.
ALESSANDRO SIMARI
(ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/CO-PRODUCER)
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Dr. Alessandro Simari the Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director, and Co-Producer of Outliers Theatre Collective. He is an award-winning researcher and university lecturer who has taught theatre studies and English Literature in the United Kingdom and Canada, including most recently at University of Windsor, Concordia University, and University of Ottawa. His research on Shakespeare performance histories and the political economy of theatre has been published in leading academic journals and has been presented at international conferences. He is a member of the Performance & Political Economy Research Collective (www.pperesearch.com). Alessandro has extensive experience writing and directing devised performances for children’s community theatre and amateur theatre. He is currently writing his first full-length play. Assistant Director credits: Midnight Coachman (dir. Enrico Ferri, Stanley Wood Film, 2024).
JANICE PETERS GIBSON
(CO-PRODUCER)
Janice Peters Gibson is an arts manager, freelance producer, and award-winning stage manager who has been a theatre maker for as long as she can remember. Originally from PEI/Epekwitk, Janice has worked with various companies across Toronto including That Arts Group (Angels in America, That Choir); Shakespeare in the Ruff (Otîhêw, Richard Three, A Witch in Algiers); The Company Theatre (The Test, Speaking in Tongues, Belleville, Domesticated, The Seagull, John, Jerusalem, Things I Know to be True); and Theatrefront (The Orange Dot, Mules). Janice is also a founder of and Digital Manager for Intermission Magazine (intermissionmagazine.ca).
LEAH WILTON
(STAGE MANAGER)
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Leah Wilton (she/her) is a graduate of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, where she trained in contemporary dance. Wilton has enjoyed performing in events such as Meaningful Movement’s @profile, Short&Sweet at Sappyfest14, and the Common Ground Dance Festival. She was shortlisted for the Winchester Prize for choreographic excellence and maintains her choreographic practice through residencies such as the Town of Sackville’s Performing Artist in Residence, and ArtsLinkNB’s Introspect: A Nature Residency. Wilton is also an emerging stage manager with credits including Alice, A Dance Tale (Perpetual Motion Dance Studio); gutted (Toronto Fringe Festival); and Prove A Villain (Panoply Theatre Collective). Currently, Wilton lives and works between Toronto and Atlantic Canada.
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