7 Stories

Director

Jessica Buchanan is an MFA Directing student who holds a BA in Theatre/History. She has been busy working in all aspects of theatre for the past decade. She is the current Artistic Associate at Project X Theatre (Kamloops, BC), where she has also acted in several productions and served on the directing team. She has worked as an assistant director/writer/performer with Western Canada Theatre (Jesus Christ Superstar, International Women’s Day, Tales from the Cookie Jar, Highwire Festival) and The Second City Toronto (100% A Show, Friday Night Sketch). She is a Featured Player with The Kinkonauts Improv Lab here in Calgary. She has been involved as a Shadow Director/Co-Director with Theatre Calgary (Dial M for Murder) and Wee Witches/Inside Out Theatre (Allergic to Water). Jessica loves theatre education and has worked as an instructor with Stage One Theatre School (WCT) and The Second City Toronto. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Set, Props, and Costume Designer

Polina Kaulio is a Calgary-based scenographer and costume designer with international theatre experience. She is an MFA candidate in Theatre Design at the University of Calgary and holds a Master’s degree in Theatre Studies and Performing Arts Management. Polina is the co-artistic director of MurMur Theatre, an independent company dedicated to intimate, visually driven, and conceptually rigorous performance.

Her work aims to develop a strong visual identity through unconventional scenographic solutions and an integrated approach to space, light, costume, and technology. Polina approaches scenography as an active creative force, exploring how spatial composition can shape atmosphere, rhythm, and storytelling on stage.

Alongside her academic practice, she collaborates with Calgary theatre companies including Quest Theatre and Artis. Seven Stories reflects her emerging scenographic voice and her commitment to contemporary, image-driven theatre-making.

Lighting Designer

Lane Shordee is an artist based in Mohkinstsis / Calgary, working at the crossroads of theatre, public art, and sustainability. His work challenges traditional ideas of set design and public art installations by prioritizing the incorporation of found objects and repurposed materials. Whether creating theatre sets or props, community-engaged art projects, or unconventional storytelling spaces, Shordee’s practice is rooted in the belief that art-making should prioritize sustainability as much as being in community with one another.

Sound Designer

Juno Fairweather (they/them) is a fifth year drama student and sound designer at the University of Calgary. Juno’s work has been featured in productions for The Ignite Festival, Common Ground Festival, and the ND Play Fest. Juno is currently the senior sound technician for UofC’s ND Theatre. 

Juno worked with director Jessica Buchanan in the 2025 Alchemy Festival as sound designer for This is a Play and they are  grateful for the opportunity to be working alongside someone who encourages others to challenge the way they think about theatre.

Juno’s hope is to bring the elements of theatre often not thought about into the light and highlight their importance to the life of a play. This idea inspired Juno to invite their fellow student - and friend - Maya Whitbread to compose alongside their design. Juno is thrilled to be working with such talented creatives and hopes you love the show. 

Projection Designer

Awstin Davies is a Canadian-based Creative Technologist, Creative Technical Director, and Designer working across theatre, live performance, and emerging media. His creative background spans lighting design, projection, XR media, immersive environments, and advanced show control systems, with professional experience in both traditional theatrical contexts and experimental, technology-driven productions.

Awstin’s creative practice is multidisciplinary by nature, exploring how emerging technologies inform creative decision-making, storytelling, and live performance workflows. Shaping creative elements of live production, from lighting and media to spatial composition and performer–audience interactions.

His professional experience includes working with Canadian Stage on productions such as Tartuffe, He Who Falls, and Betroffenheit, as well as The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring, and motion capture integration for Carrie Underwood's The Storyteller Tour, Disney On Ice and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child through his work with CAST Software and BlackTrax. Beyond theatre, Awstin has contributed to large-scale medical simulation training programs for critical services and healthcare institutions across Canada and North America.

Seven Stories reflects his growing interest, blending technical innovation with theatrical craft to support meaningful, human-centred storytelling.

Stage Manager

Laura is an emerging artist currently studying Drama at the University of Calgary. She is passionate about movement, acting, and stage management and has a background in dance, circus, and theatre. She is super excited about Stage Managing for the first time! She is also extremely grateful to be a part of this project and to be working with this team! Some other great teams she’s been a part of throughout the years are Lights Out (UCalgary, 2024), Our Town (UCalgary, 2025), Women of the Fur Trade (UCalgary, 2025), Esperanza! (Festival of Animated Objects, 2025/26), and The Da Vince Code (Vertigo Theatre, 2025). 

Assistant Stage Managers

Kyle Pacheco is an emerging artist currently in their third year in the BFA Drama program at the University of Calgary. They’ve worked on Shakespeare in Love (UCalgary - SCPA 2023), Good As Gold (FlipSide Theatre Collective 2024), Our Town (UCalgary - SCPA 2025), ESPERANZA! (Festival of Animated Objects 2025), and Every Waking Second… (Common Grounds Festival 2025). Their main interests are to improve their skills as an actor and expand their knowledge on Stage Management but are still open to learning other aspects of theatre. Kyle's excited to be a part of the 7 Stories team and is thankful for the amount of opportunities presented to them so far.

Assistant Stage Managers

Brylle (Gian) Dayrit, is in in his fourth-year of study pursing a BFA in Drama at the University of Calgary. He’s worked on A Monster Calls (UCalgary – SCPA). Throughout his academic career, he has studied to improve his skills as an actor with a keen interest in animated and commercial voiceover. Now, he is putting his learnings from the Stage Management class into practice as part of the 7 Stories team. He is incredibly thankful for the exciting opportunity to be a part of this show’s production team. 

Man

Laurel “El” Spring is a fourth-year Arts Education student at the University of Calgary. 
Originally from Fort McMurray, AB, El began acting with Keyano Theatre’s Drama Force and the Holy Trinity Theatre Academy before transitioning to directing in their final years up north. Since relocating to Calgary, Laurel has worked as a stage manager and designer on University productions and has continued directing with ND Student Theatre. El is currently the Co-Artistic Director of ND Student Theatre on campus and is a dedicated advocate for mental health and inclusion, fighting to make both the classroom and the stage a welcoming place for all. Laurel would like to thank Nancy Lawson and the infinite list of Arts Educators, teachers, and education support staff who helped them get to where they are today. This is their first time in a University of Calgary Mainstage, and they hope you love this show as much as they do!

Leonard

Iván Guevara García is a Mexican-Canadian Artist studying Drama & Communications. He loves that theatre shows are called “plays” in English because they capture the essence of his work so perfectly. The more we play, the more we discover! He's always excited to push the boundaries of theatre and has found a passion in CLOWNING, Devised theatre and Mask work. Check out his directing work, Esperanza at the Festival of Animated Objects, March 18-19 and La Danza de los Viejitos at the Calgary Regional One Act Festival, April 1-4! Iván has written plays for Verb Theatres Queer Playwrighting unit, Clowned at Play the Fool in Edmonton and is learning to DJ. The never ending quest of art is what fuels his desire to play!

Michael, Al, Effie & Nieghbour 1

Sunny (she/they) is an artist based in Moh'kinstsis, currently finishing their combined degrees in Psychology and Drama. You (the audience) may have seen them acting in Hookman or Green Key, as well as their writing and directing in Kiss & Cry. When not bouncing and bounding across the stage and secretly setting traps to make you (the audience) laugh, they might be oil painting, singing slick snowboarding stories, making props, or weaving dreams. Sunny believes that storytelling is an avenue to tell the truth to each other and see ourselves reflected back; stark in all our humanness, but safe with our companions. As such, Sunny is delighted to play a part in telling you (the audience) 7 Stories tonight, and hope you (the aforementioned audience!) garner as much bubbling joy watching it, as they did making it. Thank you (ditto!!) for coming. Hope you (okay!!!) have a great time.

Charlotte & Neighbour 4

Brooke (she/her) is a sixth year Drama major at the University of Calgary. While not on stage or in class, you can find her continuing to explore the arts with an interest in music and writing. Previous works include Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare in Love, Stand Up, and Bears. She is thrilled to be working with such an amazing cast and crew on this show and is looking forward to sharing this story with you all!  

Marshall & Percy

Ryan (they/he) is in their fourth year of study at the University of Calgary, pursuing a BFA in drama with a minor in psychology. Throughout his time at the university, he's had the pleasure of acting in several shows; from main stage shows like Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare in Love, and understudying for Our Town, to ND Theatre's So What's the Vibe? They've also acted in several play festivals, such as the ND Play Fest (Kiss and Cry, Pigeon Coop) and SCPA's Alchemy Festival (The Fog Experiments, The Final Chorus). Outside of theatre, they're a passionate hockey fan. He can often be spotted sporting the blue and orange of the Edmonton Oilers, which is only ever swapped out for the red and white of Team Canada or the black and yellow of his little sister's team. They're thrilled to be a part of this team, and are looking forward to bringing this absurd dark comedy to the University of Calgary's stage. 

Rachel & Jennifer

Sarah Innes (she/her) is an emerging performer, stage manager, and writer. She is currently in her fourth year, pursuing a BFA in Drama, a BA in English, and a Certificate in Creative Writing. SCPA projects include Women of the Fur Trade, But What Is Natural, The Student Mask Showcase (in Collaboration with the Festival of Animated Objects), and The Wolves. Other Projects include Every Waking Second (Common Ground Festival), The Interview Play (Levity Theatre, Calgary Fringe Festival), Esperanza (Festival of Animated Objects), Feed (Nickel and Dime Theatre), and Tea Parties with Friends (Ignite Festival). Sarah is also the current co-president of the Drama Undergraduate Society.  

Rodney & Neighbour 3

Stephen is a fourth-year Drama Major with a minor in English. An aspiring actor and playwright, he hopes to pursue a career in the performing arts and in the classroom, teaching drama and literature. Stephen has been involved in a number of productions on campus in the past few years, appearing in Shakespeare in Love, This is a Play, and Women of the Fur Trade, as well as having his own show So, What’s the Vibe? be recently produced with the student-run theatre company Nickle and Dime. Stephen is especially excited to be a part of 7 Stories and to share the experience with the rest of the acting class.   

Joan & Nurse Wilson

Jordan (She/Her) is a fifth-year student at the University of Calgary pursuing a BFA in Drama. She has a love of acting, singing, writing, and many other arts. She has been a part of multiple SCPA shows, both on and offstage, including Shakespeare in Love, the 2025 Student Mask Showcase in collaboration with the Festival of Animated Objects, The Wolves, and Women of the Fur Trade. She is so excited to be working on 7 Stories and cannot wait for you all to see it! 

Lillian

Gabriëlle Vos de Wael (she/her) is currently in her fourth year of Drama/Mathematics. When she isn’t at school cramming lines or desperately trying to solve a math equation, Gabriëlle loves to spend time with her two horses - Fenesse and James Joyce. Gabriëlle loves the theatre because tonight we will tell a story that will never be told the same way again. Gabriëlle hopes that you enjoy watching the show as much as she enjoys creating it! Past productions include This is A Play, Wolves, Home, Where Have All the Witches Gone, Shakespeare in Love, Absence, Lights Out, Argonautika, and Without Rule of Law.