Meet the artists
Peter Duschenes - Artistic Director, Writer and Actor
Co-founder and Artistic Director of Platypus Theatre, Peter Duschenes has been widely praised for his innovation in presenting symphonic music to young audiences. His ability to bring the concert stage to life by combining theatre and music has led to commissions with orchestras from coast to coast. An award winning playwright, Peter’s writing credits include all seven of Platypus’ symphony plays, the television adaptation of “How the Gimquat Found Her Song” and the one-act play “Lost River” which was the 1991 winner of the Theatre BC’s Canadian National Playwriting Competition. As an actor and director Peter has worked with companies across Canada and the United States most recently directing the world premier of the stage adaptation of Arto Paasilinna’s “The Howling Miller” for Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA. Among his favourite stage roles are Richard in Shakespeare’s “Richard II” also for Quantum Theatre and Louis Ironson in “Angels In America” at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal. Peter received his MFA in theatre from the California Institute of the Arts in 1988 and now lives in Ottawa with his wife, Sarah and their two children, Magda and Theo.
Danielle Desormeaux - Actor
Ms. Desormeaux has been a part of the Platypus Theatre touring company since 1998. Film and television credits include: “How the Gimquat Found Her Song”, the Oscar-winning “Affliction” (dir. Paul Schrader), “Stardon” (dir. Denis Arcand), “The War of 1812, Big Sugar” (dir. Brian McKenna). Stage credits include: “The Comedy of Errors” (dir. Peter Hinton NAC/Centaur), “Romeo and Juliet” (dir. Jean Asselin), “National Capital/e Nationale” (dir. Robert Lepage – NAC), “The Anger In Ernest and Ernestine” (dir. Alain Goulem), “The Tempest” (dir. D.D. Kugler), “The Brazilian” (dir. Micheline Chevrier). Ms. Desormeaux’s work in improvisation and clown has lead to the creation of new theatre and independent film works including “Rhythm In Your Rubbish” for Platypus Theatre, the critically acclaimed “Umloüt” and “MöcShplat” (clown-gibberish versions of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth) and “Les aventures de Matante et Madame”. When left to her own devices, Ms. Desormeaux can be found jamming with her pals and cooking up a storm at her home in Montreal.
Emmanuelle Zeesman – Actor
Emmanuelle is thrilled to be back for her third season touring with Platypus Theatre! Training includes: Philippe Gaulier's Theatre School in Paris, Carter Thor Studios and the University of Windsor's Musical Theatre Performance Program. Recent Credits include “Blood Brothers” (for which she won the Capital Critics Circle Award for Best Actor), “Guys and Dolls” (National Arts Centre), “Launch Pad: Magnetic North Theatre Festival” (Great Canadian Theatre Company), Sister James in “Doubt” (Gladstone Theatre), Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” and as Titania in the smash hit “A Midwinter's Dream Tale”. Favorite theatrical highlights include: “The Snow Show” (National Arts Centre), “La Vie Parisienne” (Theatre Lyrique), Julie Andrews in “Forbidden Broadway” (Experimental Theatre), “Ahmal and the Night Visitors” (The Windsor and Detroit Symphony Orchestra), touring France as a lead vocalist for the “New Rochelle Festival”, and a dancer for Colin Mochrie's hit TV show “Getting Along Famously”.
Wendy Rockburn - Stage Manager
Wendy Rockburn is an Ottawa-based stage manager with over 20 years in the business. She has worked in theatres mostly in eastern Canada, including The National Arts Centre and Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa, Centaur Theatre in Montreal, Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque, Neptune Theatre in Halifax, and Canadian Stage and Tarragon in Toronto. She is also a world traveler and photographer, just returned from Ethiopia, having previously explored China, India, Kenya, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco.
Walter Kubanek - Dancer, “Emily Saves the Orchestra”
Walter Kubanek is from Edmonton, Alberta. As a dancer he has worked with Le Groupe Dance Lab in Ottawa, Dancearts, Kinesis Dance and the Royal City Youth Ballet in Vancouver, and Bunting Dance and the Brian Webb Dance Company in Edmonton. When he's not helping save the orchestra, Walter is building houses or washing windows on tall buildings.
Steve Arnold – Actor, “Emily Saves the Orchestra”
Steve Arnold is a bilingual actor residing in the National Capital Region. He studied theatre at the University of Ottawa. Since 2006, he has acted in ten professional productions and two Ottawa Fringe Festivals. Some of his appearances on stage include: “Le Désir” for Le Théâtre de l'Île, Shakespeare's “Henry V” for Third Wall Theatre Co. (GCTC), “Drôles de vacances!/Wacky Vacations!” during the 2009 Ottawa Winterlude, “INC.” a commedia dell'arte play written and directed by Benjamin Gaillard (le Groupe des Deux), “Regarde-moi!” for Le Théâtre la Catapulte, Michel Ouellette's “Duel” for Le Théâtre du Trillium and “Charles et Bertin” during the Festival Zones Théâtrales 2007 (NAC, Fourth Stage).
Janet Irwin - Director “Charlotte and the Music-Maker”
Janet Irwin has over thirty years experience in the theatre, working as director, playwright/librettist, producer, dramaturge, consultant and teacher. She has great affection for the classics, political theatre, large casts, plays for family audiences, spectacle, outdoor theatre, stories about Ottawa, new work, opera and other theatre forms wherein music is integral. Her work has been described variously as “an audacious triumph” (“Blue Window”), “advocacy theatre of intelligence, imagination, precision and stunning effectiveness” (“Side Effects”), “le courage et la grace” (“Dialogues des Carmélites”), “many parts great theatre” and “a production that soars” (“Medea”). She has directed for Great Canadian Theatre Company, National Arts Centre’s English Theatre and Orchestra, Upper Canada Playhouse, Easy Street Productions, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Deluxe Hot Sauce, and Third Wall Theatre.
Alain Trudel - Composer "Charlotte and the Music-Maker"
Montreal native Alain Trudel has distinguished himself as a conductor and soloist, but has also used his creative genius as a composer and arranger. Many of his works have been performed by orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the Americas and in Europe and Japan, In 1997, the CBC commissioned the work “Passage”, a small ensemble piece written for trombone, trumpet, accordion and piano. This piece has been played more than fifty times, including at the Winnipeg New Music Festival and in the United States, and rebroadcast nationally on Radio Canada and the CBC. In 1992 he composed “Vision” which was broadcast on the radio and performed more than fifteen times across Canada. Alain has also written many times for his instrument, the trombone, including “Grand Louis”, which was premiered at the International Trombone Congress of 1991 and two pieces for trombone and tape: “Yo” and “Vital” which premiered at the Festival de Strasbourg in 1993 and 1995 respectively. “Charlotte and the Music-Maker” is not Alain’s first collaboration with a theatre company. He recently composed the music for a musical puppet play created by Productions Felix Mirbt. As an arranger, Alain Trudel has adapted an almost incalculable number of works for both choir and orchestra. Of special interest is his fifteen year engagement with the CBC radio and television sing-in for which he arranged Christmas pieces from all genres and eras. Alain Trudel is recipient of the Virginia Parker Prize, The Prix du Président de la République of the Académie du disque Charles Cros (France), an Opus Prize and a Juno Award.
Patrick Cardy - Composer “Rhythm in Your Rubbish”(1953-2005)
Born in Toronto in 1953, and raised in Kitchener, Patrick Cardy earned three music degrees: a Bachelor degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters degree and Doctorate from McGill University. He was a Full Professor at Carleton University in Ottawa where he had been teaching since 1977. Patrick received over 40 commissions from numerous performers and institutions, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Newfoundland Symphony and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra. His works have been performed and broadcast frequently in Canada, in the United States, in Europe and in the Middle East. “Rhythm in Your Rubbish” was not the first time Patrick had written music for a dramatic story. He composed music for performances of “The Little Mermaid” and “The Snow Queen” both done with a narrator and string instruments. His music is characterized by colorful, evocative sounds, a strong dramatic sense, an elegant lyricism and an accessible directness of expression, traits that have captivated both listeners and performers. Patrick died suddenly in 2005. He is sorely missed.
Brian Smith - Designer, “Rhythm in Your Rubbish”
As well as having designed set and costumes for Platypus Theatre's “Rhythm in Your Rubbish”, Brian’s designs have been mounted across Canada and internationally for both English and French theatre. His credits include: set and costume design for The Fall and A Number at the Great Canadian Theatre Company; set design for La Baronne et la truie and 15 secondes for Le Théâtre du Trillium; Major Barbara for the Saidye Bronfman Centre; L'Inconception for Théâtre de la Vieille 17; Farce for Theatre Omnibus and Infinitheatre; and Des mondes possibles for Théâtre la Catapulte and Théâtre la Seizième. He has also designed set and costumes for “Music For Contortionist” for Tarragon Theatre. Brian is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Trevor P. Wagler - Arranger
Canadian composer & arranger Trevor P. Wagler first discovered he had an affinity for arranging music when he was a teenager, and was asked to transcribe Top 40 songs for his high school band. Having played piano since the age of eight, and French horn since his grade seven music class, music seemed to be a natural career choice. After high school, Trevor received a Bachelor’s degree in music composition and a Master’s degree in French horn performance. Since then, Trevor has donned many hats in the musical community, meeting an increasing demand for new compositions and arrangements, as well as performing regularly with several Canadian orchestras as a freelance French horn player, all while running a successful arts academy (Renaissance School of the Arts) and a music publishing company (Flamingo Soup Music Publishing). He currently teaches orchestration at Wilfrid Laurier University, and is the conductor of several local ensembles. On Sundays, he’s also the organist at his church. Trevor studied composition with Canadian composers Peter Hatch, Glenn Buhr and Melissa Hui. A self-taught arranger, the consistently high quality and creative flair of his orchestral arrangements have earned him a reputation as “Canada’s next Howard Cable.” His work has been performed throughout Canada and the world by many world-class orchestras, largely due to the wide-reaching appeal of Platypus Theatre’s productions. Trevor has also written arrangements for the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Licorice Allsorts clarinet quartet, the UWO Convocation Brass and Canadian trumpet sensation Guy Few. His arrangements can periodically be heard nation-wide on CBC radio. Trevor resides in scenic Waterloo, Ontario with his wife, flutist Wendy Wagler, and their new daughter Nina.
Bob Bergner - Choreographer
A member of Platypus Theatre since 1995 Bob Bergner's choreographic and musical works have been presented throughout North America. Well-loved (and hated!) as the evil monster Cacopholous in “Emily Saves The Orchestra” Bob has also choreographed and performed the roles of Melody and Timpi in “Emily”. In addition to his work with Platypus Bob is bass soloist and composer in residence at St. Matthew's Church in Montreal and the modern dance accompanist for the dance programs at Concordia University and Studio 303. As a dancer he has worked with many well-known choreographers including Andrew Harwood, Jose Navas and Pierre-Paul Savoie. Bob received a Bachelor of Arts in dance and theatre from Middlebury College in Vermont and holds a diploma in music from the McGill conservatory.
