MISSION
We Few is the banner under which a collective of emerging and established theatre artists in transition band together, independently or in co-production, to develop and produce meaningful work of the highest quality that can both showcase artists in need of an opportunity and provide a provocative and satisfying theatrical experience for the audience.
We focus on theatre that is inclusive, accessible, moving and entertaining.
We believe in theatre that enlightens, inspires, gives hope and promotes change.
We engage in a collaborative process that challenges artists to push themselsves beyond their limits.
We are passionate about new work and Canadian talent.
VISION
We Few seeks all types of partnerships with likeminded collectives and established venues interested in creating meaningful work with a focus on utilizing emerging and established artists in transition.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Together we have produced Toronto Fringe Festival productions of The Shift by Tee Schneider (2008), Looking After Eden by Stephen Massicotte in co-production with Agnesmonster Inc (2007), Jewel by Joan MacLeod (2006), a Harvest production of After Words by Adam White in co-production with Tailspin Productions (2005) and an additional independent production of Jewel by Joan MacLoed (2004).
MEDIA RELEASES
For Immediate Release – Please add to your listings/announcements
THE WE FEW COLLECTIVE (Toronto) presents
The Shift
Written by Tee Schneider
For the 2008 Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival at the Royal St. George
(Toronto – May 18, 2008) The We Few Collective is thrilled to be bringing a new Canadian hockey drama to the 2008 Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival! The Shift will feature Dora award winner *Greg Ellwand, (Democracy – Tarragon), Kyle Mac (Triple Sensation – CBC), Saad Siddiqui, Jennifer Simic, Ryanne Chisholm (Big Comfy Couch – Treehouse Live!), Adam White and Tee Schneider. The production will be directed by Greg Schneider.
Douglas and Jasmine are at the bottom. Two kids with nothing in the world except for each other and their beloved Calgary Flames. But... nothing ever changes! Nothing seems possible! Will this unlikely pair finally have a reason to believe? It’s 2004 and the Flames are in the Finals!
A brawling new Canadian hockey drama by Tee Schneider. Murder, arson, Kandahar, Calgary, bombing, hijacking, playoff hockey and the racial divide; from the war in Afghanistan to the battles within ourselves, from debate surrounding who actually won the 2004 Stanley Cup to the debate surrounding Parminder Singh Saini, “The Friendly Hijacker”, The Shift takes a jarring look at the fights we fight and what it takes to keep on keepin’ on, even when all seems lost.
Will you go the full sixty?
Husband and wife duo Greg and Tee Schneider founders of the Toronto-based production company The We Few Collective, return to the Fringe after a successful run of last year’s, Looking After Eden, by Stephen Massicotte and in 2006 with Joan MacLeod’s one-woman play Jewel.
The Shift
Written by Tee Schneider
Producers The We Few Collective (www.wefew.ca)
Directed by Greg Schneider
Featuring Greg Ellwand, Kyle Mac, Saad Siddiqui, Jennifer Simic,
Ryanne Chisholm, Adam White and Tee Schneider
Associate Producer Robert Allan • Stage Manager Katie White
Royal St. George (120 Howland Ave.)
At the Toronto Fringe Festival July 2-13, 2008, Tickets: $10, hotline: 416-966-1062
absolutely no latecomers
Wed July 2 at 8:15 PM
Sat July 5 at 1:45 PM
Sun July 6 at 9:00 PM
Wed July 9 at 12:00PM
Thu July 10 at 6:00 PM
Sat July 12 at 7:00 PM
Sun July 13 at 4:00 PM
Media Contacts:
For The Shift: Tee Schneider – 416-997-3482 – tschneider@wefew.ca
For Toronto Fringe: Liz Worth – 416-966-1062 – media@fringetoronto.com
*Greg Ellwand appears courtesy of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.
For Immediate Release – Please add to your listings/announcements
AGNESMONSTER INC. (Calgary) and THE WE FEW COLLECTIVE (Toronto) presents
LOOKING AFTER EDEN
Written by Stephen Massicotte
For the 2007 Toronto Fringe Festival at St. Vladimir’s Theatre
“An insightful and profound work” - Calgary Sun
“Massicotte writes with an earnestness that is rare in this cynical day and age.” - San Jose Mercury News
(Toronto – June 15, 2007) Award-winning Canadian playwright Stephen Massicotte (Mary’s Wedding, The Oxford Roof Climber’s Rebellion, Pervert and The Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook) brings sex, David Suzuki and Jesus’ stepfather, along with an unforgettable Britney Spears dance number to this year’s Fringe in this dark comedy. The Toronto premiere of Looking After Eden will feature Greg Schneider as Kepler, Jayne Collins as Halley and will be directed by Tee Schneider.
Kepler and Halley are exact opposites. Halley is an optimistic young bride to be. Kepler is a nihilist. They meet after they both accept a job to house sit for a rich eccentric who is off on a climbing expedition, leaving post-it note instructions for Kepler and Halley all over his loft. Keeping their word to THE boss, they both refuse to leave, but will this house-sitting adventure be the end of everything? Or will it give them just enough spark to survive? …And will they ever find the TV remote?
Stephen Massicotte is best known for his work Mary’s Wedding which won the 2000 Alberta Playwriting Competition, the 2002 Betty Mitchell Award for Best New Play and the 2003 Alberta Book Award for Drama. It continues to be produced in English and French throughout Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. His most recent play, The Oxford Roof Climber’s Rebellion, premiered this year at the Great Canadian Theatre Company and the Tarragon Theatre and is the 2007 recipient of the Carol Bolt Award for Drama. His film writing credits include the feature films Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning and The Dark.
Husband and wife duo Greg and Tee Schneider founders of the Toronto-based production company The We Few Collective, return to the Fringe after a successful run last year with Joan MacLeod’s one-woman play Jewel, which was directed by Greg and starred Tee.
LOOKING AFTER EDEN
Written by Stephen Massicotte
Producers Agnesmonster Inc. (www.stephenmassicotte.com) The We Few Collective (www.wefew.ca)
Directed by Tee Schneider • Featuring Greg Schneider as Kepler and Jayne Collins as Halley
Associate Producer Melissa Fischer • Stage Manager Katrina Moore • Choreography Robert Allan
St. Vladimir’s Theatre, 620 Spadina Avenue
At the Toronto Fringe Festival July 4-15, 2007, Tickets: $10, absolutely no latecomers
Thu, July 5 at 8:15pm
Fri, July 6 at 3:00pm
Sun, July 8 at 5:15pm
Mon, July 9 at 8:30pm
Tue, July 10 at 1:00pm
Thu, July 12 at 7:00pm
Sat, July 14 at 10:30pm
Media Contacts:
For Looking After Eden: Alison Salinas – 416-648-8844 – alisonsalinas@gmail.com
For Toronto Fringe: Josée Duranleau – 416-652-7672 – jduranleau@rogers.com
May 14, 06
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release:
The 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival &
The We Few Collective Present
Jewel
By Joan Macleod
TORONTO: The 2006 Toronto Fringe Festival and The We Few Collective present Jewel, award winning Canadian playwright Joan MacLeod’s inspiring one-woman play of love, loss, and finding the courage to let go.
Valentine’s Day 1982. A raging storm off the coast of Newfoundland sinks the infamous oil rig Ocean Ranger, killing all 84 men aboard. Valentine’s Day three years later. One of the “Ranger widows”, Marjorie Clifford, continues to mourn her lost husband but must find a way to conquer her grief, say goodbye to the past and embrace a future filled with possibility and perhaps even love.
Originally produced in 1985, Jewel is Joan MacLeod’s first play and was nominated for both the Chalmers and Dora Awards. Since its premiere, Jewel has become a contemporary Canadian classic and a staple in theatres across Canada and abroad. In the over 20 years since Joan MacLeod burst on to the scene with Jewel, her plays, including Toronto Mississippi, Amigo’s Blue Guitar, The Hope Slide, 2000, Little Sister and The Shape of a Girl, have all become integral parts of our country’s theatrical landscape. Her most recent play, Homechild, received its world premiere at CanStage this past January.
Jewel will be directed by Greg Schneider and features Tee Schneider in the role of Marjorie Clifford. Tee returns to this role for the third time in her career. Joining the husband and wife team will be Composer Adam White and Singer/Songwriter Natasha Pasternak who will be writing and performing original music for the production. The company is thrilled to be presenting the play in the Tarragon Extra Space, home of its Toronto premiere in April of 1987.
Tarragon Theatre Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Avenue
Wednesday, July 5 @ 7:00 pm
Friday, July 7 @ 3:30 pm
Sunday, July 9 @ 11:00 pm
Tuesday, July 11 @ 1:00 pm
Wednesday, July 12 @ 2:30 pm
Thursday, July 13 @ 5:15 pm
Saturday, July 15 @ 8:45 pm
Tickets: $10 The Fringe Hotline (416) 966-1062
ABSOLUTELY NO LATECOMERS
For more information about The Toronto Fringe Festival please visit www.fringetoronto.com.
For more information about Jewel by Joan MacLeod, The We Few Collective or its members please visit www.wefew.ca or call Greg Schneider at (416) 997-3481 or email gschneider@wefew.ca.
Proudly Sponsored by Tailspin Productions.
This Toronto based theatre artist, originally from the northern community of Chapleau, Ontario landed her first role in 1986 as Felicity Cunningham in Tom Stoppard's, The Real Inspector Hound, for a small dinner theatre in Peterborough, Ontario. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree in theatre at the University of Ottawa, Tee worked regionally as an actress before moving to Toronto to complete an MFA in acting at York University. Tee also attended the University of Guelph theatre program for two years prior to transferring to the University of Ottawa. Recent television and film appearances include, Flashpoint (CTV), ‘da Kink in my Hair (Global), Cold Blood ((Channel V, UK) and, This Can Happen to You (CBC). She appeared at the 2007 Toronto Italian Film Festival as Professor Roberta in Quarter Life Crisis. In 2004 Tee worked on the set of the reality series Situation Critical currently airing on Discovery Health. You may also have seen her in one of many television commercials recently on air. Tee has been producing theatre since the early 90's and has over 15 productions to her credit. Now, working along side her husband Greg, she is the co-founding, Artistic Producer of We Few. As a playwright, Tee recently completed the first draft of her 3rd full-length play, Dynamitaktiengesellschaft (or Nobel). In 2004, her first full-length play Smoke and Mirrors, participated in a short workshop under the guidance of noted Canadian playwright John Lazarus. She produced a workshop production of her second play, The Shift, at the 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival. Tee wrote and directed her very first piece at the tender age of 17- it involved a lot of sequins and some “Dirty Dancing’esque” choreography. Tee is the Director of Student Services at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts.
Greg Schneider is a professional actor, director and teacher in Toronto, Canada. Greg was most recently seen on stage as Kepler in the 2007 Toronto Fringe Festival production of Stephen Massicotte's Looking After Eden. In 2008 Greg directed We Few's Toronto Fringe production of The Shift by Tee Schneider, and in 2006, Jewel by Joan MacLeod. Other favourite projects include Lion in the Streets by Judith Thompson, Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman, Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton, The Changeling by Middleton/Rowley, Piano by Trevor Griffiths, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Dale Wasserman and One for the Road by Harold Pinter. Greg has appeared as Agent Roberts in the syndicated television series Earth: Final Conflict and is currently in the process of writing his first full-length play, Shooting Wyatt Earp. Greg is a graduate of the University of Calgary and holds an M.F.A. in Acting from York University.
As an actor, Adam has appeared as Cosme McMoon in Glorious! (Stage West Calgary, Globus Theatre), and created the role of Ray in Tee Schneider’s hockey drama The Shift. He has also appeared in the Canadian classic Anne of Green Gables and as Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Randolph Academy). Most recently, Adam was Musical Director of A New Brain (Theatre Sheridan). As Resident Musical Director of the We Few Collective he has created original music for productions of Jewel, Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses and Lion in the Streets. Adam has also musically directed workshops of My Side of the Country and Hard Hats (ScriptLab), and presents an on-going cabaret series with performer Kyle Golemba. As a teacher, Adam is on the College Faculty of the Randolph Academy of Performing Arts, and has taught in the Randolph Kids Program for over five years. He has also taught music and vocal classes at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and various Toronto-area studios. Adam maintains a private studio and has prepared voice students for auditions, recitals and Royal Conservatory of Music examinations. A graduate of the Randolph Academy of Performing Arts, Adam has also studied Jazz Performance (Voice) and Arranging and Composition at Humber College, and completed Grade Nine Voice and Piano with the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Robert began studying dance at Vancouver’s Goh Ballet. Following his time there he performed in several musicals, then moving to Toronto to study voice and acting at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. He continues to perform in musicals across Canada, and more locally to produce and choreograph theatre with The We Few Collective. Robert hopes you didn’t miss Greg Schneider’s performance of Robert’s “Hit Me Baby One More Time” choreography in the 2007 Toronto Fringe Festival production of Looking After Eden. He looks forward to many more collaborations with the team but recognizes it will be difficult to top that performance. Selected credits include Anne of Green Gables at the Capitol Theatre, The Producers at Neptune Theatre, Oklahoma at Capitol Theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar at Stage West, Jesus Christ Superstar at the Sunshine Festival and Kiss Me Kate at the Sunshine Festival. Robert’s film and television credits include Paul in the feature film Save the Last Dance II and Snotty Twink in the televisions series Queer as Folk. This summer Robert acts as Associate Producer for The We Few Collective’s production of The Shift at the 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival.
Katie is proud to have pursued a multi-faceted career in the performing arts. As a stage manager, Katie’s recent credits include Twelfth Night, The Secret Garden, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Measure for Measure, and The Penelopiad, as well as WeFew’s premiere production of The Shift, and premieres of Continuum and Adam’s Attic. She is currently a member of the production team at the Canadian Opera Company, where credits include La Bohème, The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, and Otello. Katie has also produced four highly successful cabaret benefits, raising thousands of dollars for Toronto-based charitable organizations. Performance highlights range from plays to musical theatre to opera to concert appearances throughout Toronto, including Roy Thompson Hall and Massey Hall, as well as in Hamilton, Uxbridge, Barrie, Oshawa, Cambridge, and Kingston, and on CBC Radio and 98.1 CHFI. Katie is a graduate of the Bachelor of Music programme at Queen’s University, Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Natasha Pasternak has been writing and performing as a live musician and singer throughout south-eastern Ontario for the past nine years. Inheriting her mother, Suzanne Pasternak’s, (Author and Composer of the Canadian musical Minerva), passion and drive for song writing. Most recently she has co-written and performed the original music for We Few' s 2006 production of Joan MacLeod's Jewel. Other We Few writing credits include the original theme song for Lion in the Streets entitled Hear Me Now and The Kingfisher’s Paean, The Storm and Love’s Trials (Psyche’s Dance) for a recent production of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. She is currently writing and recording an original album. She is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts.
Kyle completed his Theatre training in April 2007 at The Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria,BC, and was lucky enough to follow his graduation by being a finalist in the inaugural season of CBC's Triple Sensation. Recent television and film appearances include, Flashpoint (CTV) and Valemont (MTV). Recent theatre credits include Azdak in Bertolt Brech's Caucasian Chalk Circle(CCPA) and Tito Merelli in Lend Me a Tenor, at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton. The majority of Kyle's theatre experience has been in musical's, taking on numerous Gilbert & Sullivan leads and compilation pieces.
Three magical years at the National Theatre School lapsed in 1981, and Greg came right out of the box to score a Dora with Night and Day. Other recent credits include, Democracy at the Tarragon, Cabaret in Montreal, The Winslow Boy in Winnipeg, The Graduate in Fredericton, Inexpressible Island, The Dark Festival and The Miracle Worker in Toronto. Long ago he was the romantic lead of the T.V. series Red Serge, a sexual pervert harassing Elisha Cuthbert in Lucky Girl, a bi-curious guy in Jeremy Podeswa’s first movie, Eclipse, and a beleaguered salesman in Four Brothers. He portrayed Canadian diplomatic hero Herbert Norman, shot in Egypt and Japan and Congressman Ryan in Jonestown, shot in South Africa. Greg has also appeared as a guest on many of the T.V. shows shot in Toronto such as One True Love (as Hasselhoff’s brother), The Eleventh Hour, Newsroom, Wildcard, etc. He's been in musicals and a few Fringes. He's also a second year art student. Lamentably, he occasionally pines for a way to actually keep his family fed. Being a meat cutter helped, the Federal government -(e.g. C-10)- doesn’t.
Originally from Pakistan, Saad moved to New York at the young age of 8 and instantly fell in love with North American film/theatre. He first began to consider acting as a career in high school in Columbia, Maryland when he learned that another well known Hollywood actor, Edward Norton, had graduated from his school. Having performed in such plays as Guys and Dolls, and A Midsummer Night's Dream in Maryland, Saad moved to Canada in 2002 to pursue his undergraduate degree in Political Science/International Relations at the University of Toronto. For the past few years, Saad has studied with various acting instructors throughout Toronto, and recent television and film appearances include Smart Woman's Survival Guide (W Network)and Crimes of Passion (W Network). The Shift is Saad's theatrical debut in Canada. He is also a dedicated Martial Artist, humanitarian, and adventurer; winning three Maryland State Championships, one U.S. National Championship, and raising funds for orphans in Nepal and Africa by climbing up Mt. Everest.
Ryanne is a Toronto-based actor who recently completed her Master's in Acting at York University. Before beginning her MFA Ryanne worked professionally throughout the Maritimes and Toronto. She made her professional debut with Festival Antigonish in 1999 in Bryden MacDonald's The Exstasy of Bedridden Riding Hood. Most recently she was seen as Faith in the critically acclaimed The Dottie Parker Project with Mustardseed Theatre following a Canadian Tour of The Big Comfy Couch with Treehouse Live!. Other favourite roles include Margaret in The Glace Bay Miners' Museum , Portia in Julius Caesar, Dolly in Orpheus Descending, and Rachel in Shadow Play. Over the past year Ryanne was seen as Ophelia in Twelve Ophelias, Ferapont in The Three Sisters, Duke Senior in As You Like It, Germaine in Les Belles Soeurs and most recently as Catherine in The Great Gatsby. Ryanne is currently working toward the production of her solo work 1227 Chisholm as well as producing a new and exciting play, Les and Dawn, in the fall of 2008.
Originally from Thunder Bay, Jennifer is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts and works as an actor, dancer and choreographer. She has been fortunate enough to have studied under and performed with some of North America’s most accomplished artists and was honoured to make her 2005 theatre debut as Isobel in Judith Thompson’s Lion in the Streets. Other favourite credits include: Footloose at the Alumnae Theatre, Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Celebrity Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, performances with various Canadian dance companies (Dancing in the Dark, Helix Dance Project, JB Danceworx ), shows & industrial events (Buy Design,Toyota, Allstate Insurance), and an assortment of film, television, and music video appearances (MTV Canada, Bravo!FACT, CityTV, CosmoTV). She also co-developed The Renegade Tour, a dance & performance workshop for young artists and can usually be found performing and teaching in and around Toronto.
A Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts graduate, Melissa has been involved in theatre for over a decade. Favourite performance credits include Urinetown, Crazy For You, The Crucible, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Bye, Bye Birdie and West Side Story. In recent years Melissa has been exploring the production side of theatre. Production credits include big, The Musical, Once Upon A Mattress and the award-winning City of Angels and Urinetown; both of which garnered several Thea awards, including Best Production. Melissa is pleased to make her Toronto Fringe Festival debut with the fabulously talented cast and crew of Looking After Eden. 
Jayne is an actor, playwright and musician. Recent acting credits include; Out (Theatre Inspirato), Unseen Summer (Burdock Root), Ride of the Yoga Valkyries (Metal Dog Films/BravoFact), The Shields Stories (W Network). She will be appearing in Core Theatre's Production of 'Canon in D Minor' by Jessica Liadsky at the SummerWorks Festival this August. She is currently developing a new script through Nightwood Theatre's 'Write from the Hip' program.
Adam Barrett is a theatre and performance artist based in Toronto. His recent credits include Dirty Girls by Beatrice Wayne (Fringe 2009), Eve Ensler’s A Memory A Monolog a Rant and a Prayer (Fringe 2008), a workshop production of his play Floor 6 1/2 (ShoddyProddy), last summer’s Karaoke Shakespeare (Fringe/ShoddyProddy), theurbanFarmShow (Fringe/uFS Collective), Hugs from Strangers (Clay and Paper Theatre ‘07, Buddies in Bad Times ‘06), Reefer Madness The Musical (Hart House) and one really funny tv commercial that played about four times. 
Aaron Kyte is a Toronto-based actor/singer/dancer, originally from the East Coast, who now calls Toronto home.A graduate of both The University of New Brunswick and The Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts, Aaron recently completed a lengthy run in the title role of Disney's 'Aladdin.' Prior to that, he was featured in several music videos and played Linus in a Canadian tour of 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.' In addition to performing, Aaron has been writing and teaching for several years, the last three of which have been spent at Act One School of Drama.