The Tempest
2020 Shakespeare Canada School Tour Cast
Heather Billington
Ariel / Caliban / Boatswain
Heather is an equal fan of treading the boards and treading behind them. Having been involved (and in love) with theatre since playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz aged 13 (she still has the ruby slippers), she has appeared in many musicals and plays in Ireland and in Canada, and can usually be found working in theatre production in Vancouver city.
With an English degree and many acting masterclasses under her belt, Heather is delighted to make her debut with Shakespeare Canada and make Shakespeare accessible and enjoyable for everyone. She hopes students will have as much fun watching the show as she will acting in it!
Jasmine Eadie
Alonsa / Trinculo / Sycorax
Jasmine has enjoyed theatre and acting from a young age, but it was through the involvement in her University’s musical theatre group that she really developed her love for the performing arts. After many years of working in her hometown of Prince George with UNBC Musical Productions, Judy Russell Presents, and Picaroon Pictures, she wondered what opportunities would lie in the big city. So in December of 2019, she made the plunge and moved down to Vancouver to pursue acting further.
She is absolutely thrilled to be a part of Shakespeare Canada as her first professional project and to bring the magic of the theatre to students in the 2020 School Tour. She would like to thank the cast and crew for their hard work and passion, and to Aaron and Ace for this wonderful opportunity.
Gem Johnson
Miranda / Sebastia
Gem is a very young actress with a passion for Shakespeare. Past credits include Nancy in Oliver!, The Shape Changing Vampire in Frankenstein: The DIY panto and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. She’s a hopeful candidate for Randolph Academy For The Performing Arts next year, and has her fingers crossed!
In her spare time she loves to get tattoos, play Dungeons and Dragons and is a active participant is social causes. As a child, she loved faeries and as a slightly older child, she still loves faeries! So naturally, she’s thrilled to join the lineup for The Tempest, a very fairy-filled play.
She loves the style of theatre that Shakespeare Canada represents and is very excited to continue working with them, perhaps even for years to come.
Marty Lawton
Prospero
Marty Lawton is a self-professed Shakespeare nut, so she is honoured to be working with Shakespeare Canada this coming season.
At sixteen she became a member of a youth theatre group in Cork. Training in all aspects of the theatre, she found her footing in the theatrical ‘scene’. Her theatre credits include 'Romeo & Juliet',- Beach House Theatre, ‘Cyrano De Bergerac’, -Kinsale Amphitheatre, ‘The Mai’- Cork Arts Theatre, ‘Carmen’ –Cork Opera House, and ‘Malice In Wonderland’ / ‘Aladdin Gets Lucky’ - An Spailpin Fanac.
Marty is a founding member of Laughter She Wrote and works as a comedic writer and actress for the company. (‘Sixty Bales of Hay- by E.Z. Ryder’, ‘The BG’s’ and ‘TWITS *Disclaimer not a pregnant goldfish*’).
Always the optimist, Marty hopes for a bright career within the industry. Always the realist, Marty will force one anyway!
Sara Mayfield
Ferdinand / Antonia / Stefano
A lover of Shakespeare since she first flipped through the plays on her grandmother's shelf, Sara is delighted to make her Shakespeare Canada debut in “The Tempest”. She is a graduate of Capilano University’s musical theatre program, a classically trained singer and is excited to share this story with students across western Canada! Recent credits include Mamma Mia (Fraser Valley Stage), Cap in Skis and Skates (Gold Fever Follies), Wall in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CapU), and Lily in The Secret Garden (Arbutus Studio).
