Cast
Susan Applewhaite
Mother, Grace, Sandra, Margery, Kate, Bertha, Ruth
Susan Applewhaite is a film and television actor, and theatre creator based in Hamilton. Favourite theatre roles include: Tucked In The Lonely Purple (Theatre Gargantua), Cracked (Theatre Disruption), A Funny….Forum (The Rose), Amadeus (WEST), and Trip To Bountiful (WEST).
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Mischa Aravena
Arthur, Architect, Kid, Paul, Chris, Stuart
Mischa Aravena is an actor, singer and teacher. He holds an MFA from the University of Houston, Texas. For the past 6 years, Mischa has been performing with Disney all over the southern United States, Carribean and Europe. Shows and roles include: Cinderella, (Grand Duke, Franco), Aladdin (Sultan, Jafar, understudy), and Tangled (Big Nose, Stabbington Brother). Other Professional roles include: Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice (Texas Shakespeare Festival), Boolie in Driving Miss Daisy (Hope Repertory theatre), Marco in A View From the Bridge (HRT), and Juan Peron in Evita (Lower Ossington Theatre). Amateur roles include: Ken in John Logan's RED (NorteSur), Ash in Evil Dead the Musical (Mavis) and MacDuff in Macbeth (Hart House Theatre).
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Roxanne Hill
Sally, Ellie, Kid, Dora, Old Lady, Helen, Claire
Roxanne is excited to be re-joining this talented cast of actors for The Dining Room. As an actor and musician, Roxanne led theatre arts classes and summer camps for children. She has studied at WEST for the past several years, developing her skills in scene study, character development and ensemble performance. You can occasionally spot Roxanne performing with Oakville Improv in Theatresports and at the Moonshine Cafe. She is grateful to Yo and his creative team for the opportunity to help bring this witty and heartfelt production to life.
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Brian Melanson
Charlie, Billy, Nick, Ben, Tony, Standish, Richard
Brian is honoured to be joining this cast for this remount of The Dining Room. Brian has been involved with community theatre in the GTA for over 30 years, most recently playing the frustrated Vanya for WEST’s production of Vanya, Sonya, Masha & Spike, and Howard in Dundas Little Theatre’s Death of a Salesman. Past favourite performances include Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace for Dundas Little Theatre, Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Moises in The Laramie Project, and Marc in Art (all with WEST). Brian extends his gratitude to this amazing cast and crew, to Yo for always bringing out the best, and to his family for their continued support and love!
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Chris Reid
Father, Michael, Brewster, Grandfather, Gordon, David, Harvey, Host
Chris is grateful for the opportunity to reunite with Yo and the wonderful folks at West End Studio Theatre. His previous projects with WEST include God of Carnage, 12 Angry Men, The Laramie Project and ART. He has also appeared in Love Letters (Theatre Bacchus), The Merchant of Venice (Tottering Biped Theatre), Glengarry Glen Ross (Dramatic Hat Productions), Cemetery Club (Erin Theatre) and Tuesdays With Morrie (Act of Faith Theatre). Thank you for supporting the arts in your community.
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Linda Spence
Agent, Annie, Aggie, Peggy, Beth, Aunt Harriet, Emily
Linda is thrilled to be working again with West End Studio Theatre and such a talented team, and under the direction of the uber talented Yo Mustafa. Linda is an Actor/Director for both stage and screen working in the GTA for 30+ years. Selected stage credits include Katherine in Taming of the Shrew with the City of Brampton, M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias with Theatre Etobicoke; the female roles in The 39 Steps with Galahad Theatre Productions; and with West End Studio Theatre Linda performed Mrs. Linde in A Doll’s House, Mary in It’s A Wonderful Life and multiple roles in The Laramie Project. Most recently she played Maggy in Remember, Maggy with Theatre Burlington and performed a monologue in Talking With... here at the Oakville Centre. Thanks for supporting local theatre!
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Jason Swenor
Client, Howard, Psychiatrist, Ted, Fred, Jim
Jason has been acting in the Hamilton area for over 20 years and is making his WEST debut in The Dining Room. Favourite previous roles include Greg in Sylvia (Village Theatre, Waterdown), James in It’s Only a Play (Players’ Guild of Hamilton), and Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace (Peninsula Players, Grimsby).
Jason is grateful to be working with an incredibly talented cast, crew, and director in The Dining Room.
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Kayla Whelan
Girl, Carolyn, Winkie, Nancy, Sarah, Meg
Kayla is thrilled to be working with Yo and WEST again, having previously appeared in Waiting for the Parade (“Catherine”), The Crucible (“Elizabeth”), The Dining Room (“Various”), A Doll’s House (“Nora”), and Trojan Women ("Athena"). Her career in voiceover, television and commercials has taken her across Canada, and most recently, her work in theatre brought her all the way to Osaka, Japan, where she originated the role of “Professor/Sensei” for Hippogriff Magical Lesson in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Windsor.
