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WHO’S IN ASPHALT JUNGLE SHORTS Vi?

Richard Ballon		RICHARD BALLON’S work has been performed in New York City at Manhattan Theater Source’s Sola Voces / Estrogenius Festival, Stage Left’s Women at Work, Left Out and MamaDrama Festivals, Emerging Artist Theater’s One Man Talking, One Woman Standing Festivals and NativeAlien’s Short Stories 5. Other work has been performed at The Shea Theater, Turners Falls, Universal Theater, Provincetown, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Out of the Blue Gallery, Cambridge, Devanaughan Theater, Boston, Last Frontier Theater Conference, Valdez, Dylan Thomas Festival, Chicago, Walking the Wire Festival, Iowa City The Inspirato Festival and New Ideas Festival in Toronto, and Asphalt Shorts in Kitchener. Richard Ballon?s work is minimal. He believes the short play is the poem of the theater and the monologue, its lyric. He is a member of the Dramatist?s Guild. Richard’s plays, SWANANOA & LAST WORDS will be performed.
Robin Bennett		ROBIN BENNETT’S most recent directing credit was 'Salt-Water Moon' by David French.As an actor, Robin appeared as Norman in 'The Norman Conquests' by Sir Alan Ayckbourn, as well as four plays in AJS VI. Directing credits include several plays for AJS VI, 'The Affections of May', 'The Vagina Monologues', 'No Exit' and 'The Woman in Black'. Robin has studied with the British American Drama Academy and the Juilliard School .  Robin is directing WORDS ARE NEVER ENOUGH, THE POINT OF SURRENDER & 600 SECONDS.
Samuel Liam Bentley		SAMUEL LIAM BENTLEY is doing his victory lap at KCI and has been part of the Tech Crew since starting there, which he loves. He emerged from the womb looking for the stage. He had his first agent by five, much to the horror of his mum. He has been in several films and television shows. He has taken several drama courses, including a three week Shakespeare intensive with Prof. Leslie O’Dell, when he was eight. His favourite performances were in Due South (Paul Gross is really cool!), The Spreading Ground with Dennis Hopper and Witch Blade. His live performances include playing Puck and Macbeth in ‘A Midsummer’s Afternoon Nap’. But what he really wants to do is direct………………….film! Sam has been our Everything Man for Asphalt Jungle Shorts, She Speaks and UNHINGED. He and Zoe will work as our ASMs for AJS VII.
Michael Bettencourt		MICHAEL BETTENCOURT is an award-winning playwright with productions in New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and Buffalo, to name just a few cities. He is a member of Scene4, an online community of theatre professionals, for which he writes a monthly column which can be seen HERE. He graduated with an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. All of Michael's scripts are at http://www.m-bettencourt.com A very special thanks to his wife, María Beatriz. Michael’s play, AIN’T A DATE IN EIGHT GREAT will be performed.
Virgil Burnett - Artist		VIRGIL BURNETT was born in Kansas in 1928, Virgil Burnett is an author and illustrator whose work has been widely published in Europe and North America. He received his undergraduate education at Columbia University in New York, where he studied with Edward Melcarth, a Social realist painter. In 1950 he was drafted, trained as a combat engineer and sent to Europe where he served for two years in a propaganda company as an artist-illustrator. After his military service he attended graduate school at Berkeley, taking a master's degree in art history. When a Fulbright scholarship took Burnett to Paris in 1956, he encountered other expatriate artists including David Hill, who remained a close friend until his death in 1977. Burnett also met Maurice Darantiere, a French publisher, who made him aware of the expressive possibilities of the book arts. By 1960 he was working primarily as an illustrator. A professor in the Fine Arts Department at the University of Waterloo since the early 1970's, Burnett has created an artistic oeuvre of extraordinary scope and breadth. (From Beglo, Jo Nordley. "Text,Image, Memory, and Illusion" in Virgil Burnett: a Retrospective Exhibition 1960-1990. Waterloo, Ont.: University of Waterloo Library, 1991). Last year, Virgil’s piece, Enigmas (with Paddy Gillard-Bentley), was performed in AJS VI. Virgil’s monologue, TRANCE FIGURAGION, will be performed.
Nicholas Cumming		NICHOLAS CUMMING is a local theatre creator with a BA in Drama and English from the University of Waterloo. He has been a company member of the Multicultural Theatre Space since 2004. He has appeared in Exit Strategy, Yes or No!, Seasons of Immigration, Legion of Memory I + II, Me Here/Me Happy, Motio X Industria, and Three Legged Horse with the MT Space; Tennessee Williams’ I Can’t Imagine Tomorrow with Poor Tom Productions; Asphalt Jungle Shorts I, II & III with Flush Ink; and Mimetic Flesh/Mimetic Hotel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Spring Awakening with UW Drama. He directed and wrote The Children’s Crusade for the UPStart Fringe 2007, and HE for UPStart 2004.  He is a poet and playwright currently working on several plays with Pat the Dog, KW’s professional playwrights’ development centre. He is also a member of the earthling collective, whose WARMER project is examining the environment and human dynamics in a local context. Nick wrote COPY PROTECTION – part of UNHINGED ’08 and co-wrote TIMED RELEASE with Katharine Mills which they performed in UNHINGED ’09 at Exhibit Café. Nick is part of Urban Scrawlers. Nick is directing THE ORDER, SWANANOA & SNIFF TEST. Nick will be performing in THE POINT OF SURRENDER & AIN’T A DATE IN EIGHT GREAT.
John Fielding		JOHN FIELDING - With nothing but a burning desire, John got “bitten” in 2006 when he was cast in his first stage opportunity, as the Vicar in the play Prelude to a Kiss. At the age of 65 John did not have time to waste so he immediately signed up for intensive summer courses with Brenda Kamino at Theatre Ontario (3 years) and in 2007 he registered for Second City classes and went to level E. He very much enjoyed the private tutoring from Dr. Leslie O’Dell and Ms. Brenda Kamino. Also in his second year, John learned (on the firing line) when he stage managed Mambo Italiano for Marion Rogers and produced Lettice and Lovage for Alex Kanarek. Another passion for John is to raise money for local theatre and in 2008 he raised $21,000 for Guelph Little theatre (Lettice and Lovage) and in 2010/2011 he has raised $18,000.00 for Elora theatre company with the Community Partners Program. John will be performing in LIFE-THE EPILOGUE & SWANANOA.
Andrew Frey		ANDREW FREY Andrew Frey is, in no particular order, an actor/singer/world-traveler/student/etc. Andrew has been involved in theatre for over ten years. Favourite roles include Jim in "The Weir" (Next Level Theatre), Teddy in "Arsenic and Old Lace", Finbar in "The Weir", and Lee in "The Melville Boys" (Theatre Three-Eleven), Axel in "Maggie's Getting Married" and Hamish in "Hamish" (Elmira Theatre Company). Andrew will appear in WHAT’SINALINE? and YOU’LL GO BLIND.
Paddy Gillard-Bentley L.H. Grant		PADDY GILLARD-BENTLEY has been involved in one aspect of theatre or another since her Mother, Tessa, was four months pregnant with her, performing in Time Out For Ginger. Her full-length play, Shaking the Dew from the Lilies, debuted in Kitchener, Ont. Canada, in November 2002 and received its American premier in 2005, in Denver, Co. Quantum Entanglement has been produced several times (Philadelphia, Calgary, Kitchener). Her one-acts, White Noise, Sanguine Sonata & Comic Strip, and many shorter plays have been produced in Canada, the US, and UK. Frailty Thy Name is Woe has been published by Meriwether in Volume II of Young Women's Monologues from Contemporary Plays (between a play by Arthur Miller and Steve Martin’s Underpants). And Then Full Circle has been published in Mother/Daughter Monologues Volume 4: Urgent Maturity Paddy is the Artistic Director and founder of Flush Ink Performing Arts and a former President of ICWP (International Centre for Women Playwrights). Paddy’s plays online. Paddy’s plays – CHOAS OF THE MINDS, LIFE-THE EPILOGUE & THE POINT OF SURRENDER will be performed. Paddy is directing CHAOS OF THE MINDS, WORDS ARE NEVER ENOUGH, DALI’S TIMEPIECE, YOU’LL GO BLIND, TRANCE FIGUARTION and AIN’T A DATE IN EIGHT GREAT . L.H. (LEE) GRANT has written many full-length and one-act plays. His work has been produced in New York, Massachusetts and Vienna, Austria. Lee is also an artist whose paintings have been exhibited in several galleries. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Lee took advantage of the closeness to the border with Canada and spent a good deal of time visiting many places in Ontario including Algonquin Provincial Park where the cry of the loons and majesty of the aurora borealis left an indelible mark. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Lee currently resides in Northern California. Lee’s plays 600 SECONDS, AJS I, MAN_WOMAN_MAN in AJS III and PIECES OF MIME in AJS IV – practically everywhere. Lee’s play, 600 SECONDS, will be revived this year.
R.K. Greg		R.K. GREG - In 1961 Kate climbed up the dark and narrow stairway of the Galt Little Theatre clubrooms and  got her first whiff of a proscenium arch and from that moment Theatre became her life-long passion.  In 1976 Kate graduated from Niagara Collage Theatre School and began working as Wardrobe Mistress at Sudbury Theatre Center.  For the next ten years Kate lived the life of a gypsy working with various regional theatres and touring groups.  The early eighties found her working with the Globe Theatre in Regina acting on their school tours.  After so long on the road Kate settled into Regina where she became Co-Artistic Director of Wheatland Theatre until 1990.  Kate began clowning at Wheatland and spent the 1990’s touring the province of Saskatchewan with her husband as The Regina Ragamuffins.  Since returning to Ontario Kate has enjoyed working at with various community theatres, been in numerous films as well as continuing to clown as Aunt Dot. Kate will be performing in THE ORDER, CHOAS OF THE MINDS, FILTHY RICH, et al
Brian Z. Kelly		BRIAN Z. KELLY became involved with Flush Ink as a corporate sponsor, and in the wee cracks chiseled out of his entrepreneurial existence began to try his hand at writing, acting and directing. Having recently jumped off the executive roller coaster he is now finding the time to properly explore his passions for the performing and visual arts. He has resumed and deepened his delving in photography and film and is composing songs that sound not at all like gibberish. Mr. Z. Kelly plays guitar, plays and coaches soccer, plays pond hockey, but more than all these things, he loves to hang out with his son, Liam. Brian was our M.C. for She Speaks 2007 & 2008, directed and read in 2010 & 2011, performed a hilarious song for AJS VI and has done most of the promo photography for Asphalt Jungle Shorts. Through the years, Brian has imprinted his unique creativity on our organization. Brian performance piece, DALI’S TIMEPIECE, will be a departure in the year’s show. Brian is our photographer.
Tracey Kenyon		TRACEY KENYON is proud to be working with Flush Ink Productions Inc. She has been an active member in theatre for the past 16 years. Her favourite stage credits include Flush Inks Productions of “Asphalt Jungle Shorts I – V, Elmira Theatre’s “Ten times Two” (Constance et al), and Theatre in the Trees’ “Funny Valentine” (Zan). Tracey is the Artistic Director of Mysterious Players and can be seen performing murder mysteries and comedy improv shows in many interesting locations. Tracey has been involved with Flush Ink Productions from the beginning, and served on the Board of Directors. Tracey is directing WHAT’SINALINE?, LIFE-THE EPILOGUE & FILTHY RICH. Tracey will be performing in THE ORDER & YOU’LL GO BLIND.
Shareen Knight Tamarlaine Houston Kruger		SHAREEN KNIGHT is a painter, writer and landscape photographer, who, after an earlier life in California, now lives in a remote part of British Columbia with her dog and cat, where she is renovating a 1910 farmhouse, chasing the bears out of her orchard and writing plays, poems and a novel based on a lifetime of experience. Already a successful artist, she is an emerging playwright, with work done in the U.S. and Canada. Contact Shareen Shareen’s play, WORDS ARE NEVER ENOUGH, will be performed. TAMARLAINE HOUSTON KRUGER is a student in the tenth grade. She is a prolific artist with a beautifully unusual taste for emotionally intense subjects. This is her first foray into theatre, but has, she assures me without it being a school assignment, read much of Shakespeare’s plays. She is very active in The Society for Creative Anachronism – a medieval recreation organization. She might be the funkiest dresser we know. Tamarlaine – we call her Zoe, was our everything girl for UnHinged ’11 and She Speaks ’11. Tamarlaine will work with Sam as an ASM.
Kate McCamy		KATE McCAMY was raised in lower Manhattan by bohemian artist parents and grew up surrounded by creative minds. She has worked in film and theatre all her life from off off Broadway to Hollywood films. She is a published and produced playwright, screenwriter and songwriter, has been employed as a script doctor; taught playwriting at Julia Richman High School in Queens for Theatre For New Audiences; ran an improvisation workshop and was a Teacher-Director for the Circle Repertory Company Lab and their Arts and Education outreach program. She studied film and screenwriting at New York University, but has learned the most from the school of life, traveling the world and working in the “Business”. For She Speaks ’11, she was thrilled to add to her list a Canadian debut with Flush Ink Productions. Kate’s play, WHAT’SINALINE, will be performed.
Mark Harvey Levine		MARK HARVEY LEVINE has had over 600 productions of his short plays all over the world from New York to Seoul to Sydney to Prague.  Evenings of his work have played in Amsterdam, Sao Paulo (in Portuguese!), New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Indianapolis and Columbus, OH.  His play TAKE OUR PICTURE was performed beneath the Clock Tower in Victoria Park for AJS V, and BALANCE on the streets for AJS VI.  Other Ontario productions include "Up On The Roof" and "The Kiss" at the InspiraTO Festival in Toronto and "Howard" for Monkeyman Productions just last month, also in Toronto.  He lives online at www.markharveylevine.com, and in real life in Pasadena, California with his lovely wife and son.  More info at http://www.markharveylevine.com.   Mark’s plays, THE ORDER & FILTHY RICH will be performed.
Ian McKellar		IAN McKELLAR is looking forward to being a part of AJS once again. He made his debut with Flush Ink in AJS V, and has appeared several Flush Ink projects since, including She Speaks 2010. Ian has been involved in community theatre for about six years now, performing in KW, Guelph and Elmira. Ian is currently attending the University of Waterloo for Psychology. Ian will be performing in 600 SECONDS & SNIFF TEST.
Katharine Mills		KATHARINE MILLS has stalked the Asphalt Jungle in various guises since AJS II. She is a regular reader for She Speaks. She has also appeared in What!sInThere? Productions’ Rehabilia 2: Timed Release, Copy Protection, and Children’s Crusade, Galt Little Theatre’s Queen Milli of Galt, and Poor Tom Productions’ I Can’t Imagine Tomorrow. She is a designer, poet and painter who studies piano, singing, movement and clown, and is perpetually fascinated by the interconnectedness of everything. Katharine will be performing in WHAT’SINALINE & THE POINT OF SURRENDER. Photo credit: Girl Crimson::Alt Portraiture.
Joe Musso		JOE MUSSO’S plays have been presented at numerous theatres across the country. From June 30-July 17, his full-length play VOODOO TODAY HERE NOW 5 will be produced by Alley Stage in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. His full-length play ABSINTHE won HRC Showcase Theatre's W. Keith Hedrick Playwriting Award for its 2010-2011 season and will receive a staged reading in Hudson, New York, on May 7. ABSINTHE was also named a 2011 Long Beach Playhouse New Works Festival Winner and will receive a staged reading at Long Beach Playhouse on May 28. Joe's short plays have been produced in New York, California, Illinois, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, Delaware, North Carolina, West Virginia, Rhode Island, and Canada. Joe's website. Joe’s play, YOU’LL GO BLIND, will be performed.
Jessica Singh		JESSICA SINGH got her start in the acting world when she was 14. Currently about to start her fourth year in the Drama Department at the University of Waterloo, Jessica’s first acting experience had been competing throughout high school in Sears Drama Festival, getting a part in shows such as Beauty and the Beast, and Into the Woods as the Baker’s Wife. During her University career, Jessica has taken up roles in The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare and The Vagina Monologues as well as taking on a the role as director for this show this past January. Jessica is very excited to be part of Asphalt Jungle Shorts for the first time and cannot wait to perform with a group of such unique and talented actors. Jessica will perform in 600 SECONDS, & LIFE-THE EPILOGUE.
Abigail Slinger		ABIGAIL SLINGER. ABIGAIL SLINGER. Although a relative newcomer to the stage, Ms.Slinger will be entering her Third Year of an English and Theatre Studies Hon. BA program at the University of Guelph this September. In 2008, she appeared in Guelph Little Theatre's ensemble productionof The Curious Savage and landed the role of Constanze in Galt LittleTheatre's 2009 production of Amadeus (Western Ontario Drama League selection). This spring, she appeared in the University of Guelph's Mainstage ensemble production of George F. Walker's Love and Anger. Abigail joined Flush Ink Productions for Asphalt Jungle Shorts VI, where she performed One Night, Double-Edged Word & Necrosexology. In She Speaks 2011, she read THE OTHER SHOE and STUPID & TERRIBLE. Additionally, she would like to thank Ms. Gillard-Bentley for giving her the opportunity to help make some freakin' amazing art! Abigail will be performing in WORDS ARE NEVER ENOUGH & SNIFF TEST.
Donna Spector		DONNA SPECTOR’S play GOLDEN LADDER (Women Playwrights: Best Plays of 2002 , Smith & Kraus) was produced Off Broadway in 2002 at the Players Theatre, as was her first play, ANOTHER PARADISE, in 1986. This year GOLDEN LADDER was produced by Hope College in Michigan. Spector’s plays have also appeared Off Off Broadway, regionally and in Canada, Ireland and Greece. A member of Dramatists Guild, Poets & Writers and International Centre for Women Playwrights, she received two N.E.H. grants to study in Greece and production grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New York Council for the Arts. She has been a finalist in the Beverly Hills/Julie Harris, Mill Mountain Theatre, Herbert Mark Newman and Theatre Unbound contests, a semi-finalist in the Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project and short-listed in the BBC/British Council International Playwriting Competition. Her play SHORT-TERM AFFAIRS is in 35 IN 10: THIRTY-FIVE TEN-MINUTE PLAYS (Dramatic Publishing) and was the winner in the Palm Springs National Short Play Fest, a finalist in ATL National Ten-Minute Play Contest and produced at Playwrights Circle in Palm Springs, Gallery Players, Brooklyn, and Actors on the Verge, NYC. She has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and her poems, stories, scenes and monologues have appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies. Donna’s Website Donna’s play, SNIFF TEST, will be performed.
Lindsay Stewart		LINDSAY STEWART has been a fixture in the region's arts and entertainment scene for more than two decades. As a singer and well regarded songwriter, he made the college radio charts and continues to record original material. He co-wrote a song that reached the finals of the 1994 CFNY New Music Search and has received airplay around the world. As a writer, he has published articles, features and interviews regionally and internationally covering theatre, music, politics and culture. His performance resume includes appearances in numerous television and film productions, most notably portraying Jimi Hendrix's producer Eddie Kramer in an MGM/Showtime feature. He portrayed a gun toting villain along side Milla Jovovich in .45, a jungle warrior in 16 episodes of Peter Benchley's Amazon and a variety of criminals, medieval warriors and small character parts. As a founding member of the board of directors of Flush Ink Performing Arts, Lindsay brings his unique talents and experience to the table. He operates a small video production company under the name GNP Moving Pictures, archives and produces the Flush Ink events and has been sought out by some of the regions finest musical talents as a videographer. He is a three time nominee for the region's performing arts awards. Lindsay is part of Urban Scrawlers. Lindsay is our filmographer.
Roger Sumner		ROGER SUMNER has dabbled intensively with acting, writing and improvisation for a little over twenty years, and figures he’s starting to get the hang of it. You may have seen him in EVERY SINGLE Asphalt Jungle Shorts to date, dead on the floor in a Mysterious Players murder mystery, or sword-fighting for coin and honour on the deadly streets of downtown Elora. A dedicated dilettante and unrepentant neodymium addict, Roger likes to play with words, obsolete weapons, improvised musical instruments and gravity. Roger will be performing in CHAOS OF THE MINDS, TRANCE FIGURATION & LIFE-THE EPILOGUE.
Arlene Thomas		ARLENE R. THOMAS is a local actor and producer and co-founder of Shadow Puppet Theatre. She is a graduate of the University of Windsor’s B.F.A-acting program and since then has appeared in numerous productions both in and outside Waterloo Region. Past productions include Asphalt Jungle Shorts I, II and III, Zazztrozzi, and Shadow Puppet Theatre’s Macbeth for which she was both performer and producer. She is now hard at work on Shadow Puppet Theatre’s next project, Faust, which is being produced in conjunction with The Centre for German Studies and for which she has received a grant from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. Arlene has been in Asphalt Jungle Shorts I – VI, She Speaks, and she played the role of Jenna in White Noise in Unhinged 2009 Arlene will be performing in CHAOS OF THE MINDS & AIN’T A DATE IN EIGHT GREAT.
Bruce Wolff		BRUCE WOLFF is an Asphalt Jungle veteran. This will be his sixth tour thru the jungle, and each one has been unique and amazing. Bruce has also been a regular cast member for She Speaks, held again this past March, 2010 at Kitchener City Hall. He lends his time to Flush Ink Productions on their Board of Directors, and has been proud to do so since its inception. Of course all this happens when he’s not working at the Biology Department at the University of Waterloo as an Instructor, and being a dad to two teenagers… ‘nough said. Bruce will be performing in THE ORDER, LAST WORDS & CHAOS OF THE MINDS.
	Bios from all past shows THE PLAYWRIGHTS THE ACTORS THE CREW FLUSH INK PERFORMING ARTS ~ BOARD OF DIRECTORS FLUSH IN PRODUCTIONS IS GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY OF KITCHENER THE TRILLIULM FOUNDATION THE KITCHENER-WATERLOO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION THE WATERLOO REGION ARTS FUND THE ONTARIO ARTS COUNCIL