ARTISTS TO WATCH

By Jon Kaplan and Glenn Sumi

Morwyn Brebner

MORWYN BREBNER
Who: Author of Our Father and Matador Love, a pair of two-handers about love and rejection.
Buzz: Catapulted into the spotlight with Music For Contortionist, Brebner has a great ear for dizzying, quirky dialogue and almost surreal situations. Plus, Matador Love was a must-see Rhubarb! show a few years ago.

MATT BARAM
Who: Actor directs Caveman Rainbow, a gem of a play by Caroline Gillis about the search for security.
Buzz: Let's see if Baram, after nearly stealing the stage version of Reefer Madness as a drug-addled musician, can translate his Second City skills to directing.

KARIN RANDOJA
Who: Writer/performer of Think On Her, set at a seance and drawn from stories by Katherine Mansfield.
Buzz: The magnetic actor's uncanny blend of music, physical performance and vocal skills always gives her stage work deep resonance.

DINAH WATTS
Who: Performer in Sarah Martyn's Sparta, a darkly comic piece about a dysfunctional farming family.
Buzz: Equally at home in classics and contemporary pieces, Watts - a reliable late addition to the cast - nails characters with voice and gesture, proving she's rooted in every figure she plays.

JAMES HARKNESS
Who: Author of Ontario, 2055, in which ongoing Harrisment pushes an impoverished small-town group to chilling acts.
Buzz: A hit at Rhubarb!, this ambitious script should provide intense playwright Harkness (Pills, Homage) with a broader socio-political canvas to work on.

STAVROULA LOGOTHETTIS
Who: Plays the title character in The Singular Life Of Albert Nobbs, in which a Victorian woman masquerades as a man in order to improve her social and economic lot.
Buzz: Logothettis brings a sensuality to her stage work that should give fascinating overtones to a character caught between genders and roles.

M.J. KANG
Who: Performer in Laurie Fyffe's The Malaysia Hotel, in which two women confront each other over secrets and survival in a world that's falling apart.
Buzz: Playwright and actor known for exploring her roots in a theatrical context (Noran Bang), Kang should bring edge and charm to her character.