An original musical by Vincent de Tourdonnet and Jane Miller based on the Chekhov short play, The Bear. Directed by Vincent de Tourdonnet. Musical Direction by Stephen Woodjetts. Runs April 10 to June 17, 2006. Click for workshop photos, show photos and the tour schedule.
Artist Biographies
Amy Sellors, Popova
Amy is delighted to be a part of How To Get Rid of a Monster and to have the pleasure of performing for such a wonderful audience. Recently she performed in her second Norm Foster World Premiere, Bedtime Stories (Theatre Orangeville). Prior to that, she toured around the province in a pink beehive wig playing Dee Dee in Suds (Tribal Productions) and played all 8 female characters in Sitting Pretty (Lighthouse Festival Theatre). In the not too distant past Amy had the great thrill of playing Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and prior to that she spent two seasons at the Stratford Festival in My Fair Lady, The Threepenny Opera, Gigi, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Favourite roles include Petra in A Little Night Music (PAL Benefit Concert, Stratford), Pascal in Evangeline (New Musical workshop Performance, Stratford), Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore, Pitti Sing in The Mikado, Anita in Wrong Turn at Lungfish, and Agnes in I Do I Do.
Jameson Kraemer, Smirnov
Having performed throughout Ontario, Nova Scotia, and England, Jameson is looking forward to exploring the neighbourhood with the friendly folks at Smile! Some favourite past roles include Claude the Camel in Aladdin (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice, and Launce in The Two Gentleman of Verona (Shakespeare in the Rough), Bonno in Amadeus (CanStage), Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and Estragon in Waiting for Godot (Shakespeare by the Sea), and The Man in 7 Stories (SamePlane Co-op at the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace). Enjoy the show everyone!
Stephen Woodjetts, Musical Director, Luka
In his thirty-plus years of theatre work in Canada and the USA, Mr. Woodjetts has worked as a music director/conductor, composer, actor, and director. He won the 2004 Dora Mavor Moore award for his music direction of Urinetown (CanStage) and was honoured with a Betty Mitchell award for outstanding music direction for Cabaret and Berlin to Broadway (Theatre Calgary). His compositions have been heard at the Stratford Festival in productions of Wingfield, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, The Seagull, Sweet Bird of Youth, Pride and Prejudice, The Cherry Orchard and the world premiere of Elizabeth Rex, as well as Homechild at CanStage, and Dancing in Poppies and Einstein’s Gift for the Grand, London. Stephen has appeared as an actor in Billy Bishop Goes to War, and as Kemp in Vigil at the River Run Centre. He has taught master classes at the University of Manitoba, University of Windsor and Sheridan College, and received his training from the National Ballet School, the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, and every theatre along the way. Stephen dedicates this performance to the memory of Tom Kneebone, who inspired and amused all who knew him.
Vincent de Tourdonnet, Writer and Director
Vincent de Tourdonnet has been committed to the musical theatre since 1984. His epic musical Pélagie, (book & lyrics) co-written with Allen Cole, (book & music) was co-produced in 2004 by CanStage in Toronto and The National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Last summer, Vincent directed a touring production of Pélagie with a bilingual cast alternating performances in French and English. Produced by Two Planks and a Passion, Pélagie will tour Quebec in 2007 and 2008. Vincent’s premiere production of Snappy Tales, Short Satirical Musicals (book, lyrics & direction) at the Factory Theatre in Toronto was nominated in 2003 for 7 Dora awards (produced by his own company, Theatre Non Nobis). In 2004 he directed a second production for Talk is Free Theatre. Book, lyrics and direction for other projects stretch back over 20 years and across Canada. de Tourdonnet is president of the Canadian Association of Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. He taught musical theatre writing at Long Island University in New York City.

Jane Miller, Composer
Jane is thrilled to pieces to be working with Smile Theatre and wants to thank Tom Carson and the company for their immense support in creating this new work! As a composer, she created the a capella music for Lake Nora Arms from the book of poetry by Micheal Redhill, which she co-adapted with Nightswimming’s Brian Quirt. As a songwriter, her work has been featured on HMV’s Fresh Blood Indie Compilation and C’est What?’s Local Flavour CD. As a vocalist, she has opened for Arlo Guthrie, Ani DeFranco, Jeff Buckley and Moxy Fruvous. Jane appeared as Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona for Shakespeare in the Rough two summers ago, for which she also provided Musical Direction. She wrote, produced and performed her solo show, Disco Goalie, to sold out houses across Canada, and was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her performance in the musical Shaking the Foundations at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

Alexa Carroll, Stage Manager
How to Get Rid of a Monster marks Alexa’s fifth engagement with Smile Theatre. She previously stage managed The Light In Winnie’s Window, The Ukulele Man, Bet Your Booties and Soldier of Fortune in for the 1999-2000 season. Other selected credits include the hit Bella Donna at the 2005 Toronto Fringe, Moons and Mermaids and When Dinosaurs Dine By Moonlight for Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief for Portrait Productions, The Sea for Actors’ Repertory Company, The Chairs for Modern Times Stage Company, as well as Lysistrata, Assemblywomen! and Clouds: the Musical for the Ancient Comic Opera Company. To TK’s indomitable spirit!

Michelle Blore, Set, Costume, and Props Design
This is Michelle’s Third Season with Smile having designed Popcorn Princess, Good Morning Cottage Country, Girl Crazy, Everything’s Coming up Rosie and many more. She has spent the past several years across Ontario as a Set and Costume Designer, Props builder and Scenic Artist. Her most recent credits include: Three Squares a Day at Theatre Passe Muraille, Jesus Christ Superstar with Toronto Youth Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Classical Theatre Projects, The Emperor’s New Clothes with Solar Stage Children’s Theatre and a summer season at the Blyth Festival. She is delighted to be working with the charming folks at Smile and looks forward to every bright moment shared with them.