Arts Program Staff Biographies 2010

Aaron Alviano
Aaron is a Guelph born artist with a B.A.,Hons. in Studio Arts from the University of Guelph. He has exhibited at numerous public galleries including Gallery 404 and Zavitz Gallery, Guelph, and currently resides in Toronto where he continues to work on his own creative projects while teaching at the Klim School of Art.

 

Alanna Balicki

Sandra Baumander

Sandra Baumander is an Art director who works in the advertising industry. She is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and her work on some of Canada's most loved brands has appeared on televisions, billboards and in magazines around the country.

 

Heather Bernknopf

Heather graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an honours degree, spending her fourth year in France studying theatre techniques. She also earned a Bachelor of Education at the University of Ottawa in Drama and French. She is currently teaching French and Drama at the high school level in the Toronto District School Board. This will be Heather’s 7th summer at Centauri she is elated to be back for the 2nd summer in a row working on the fabulous Local Tour!

 

 

Sofia Bohdanowicz

Sofia is a freelance editor based in Toronto. She is a graduate of the Toronto film school where she received awards for best screenplay and best documentary. She kick started her career as a film teacher with 'The Directors Cut' where she taught many after school programs, and travelled all the way to the Bahamas Film Festival to teach stop motion animation. She is currently completing her short film 'Falling with Force' which she'll be entering into film festivals this fall. She is elated to be back at Centauri for her third year teaching film. 

 

Valerie Buhagiar

Valerie is an award winning actor and filmmaker. She is know for her roles in Bruce McDonald's HWY 61 and Roadkill. You might have caught her during her 4 year stint at Showcase Review giving you the juice on the evening's movie. Or maybe you caught one of her many award winning shorts at the Toronto International Film Festival., Or perhaps in one of many Dora award winning theatre productions. And soon you'll be seeing her on Degrassi as Riley's mom.
She is constantly coaching actors at film camps and also for the Toronto Fringe Festival.

 

 

Glenn Clifton
Glenn Clifton has an MA in Playwriting from Boston University, and has been a writer of plays, poetry and short stories for many years. Previous progams at Centauri include 'Playwriting and Performance' and 'Writing for Film'. Glenn returns to us for his twelfth summer.

 

 

John-Michael Erlendson
John-Michael is returning to Centauri for his 14th summer, and his 4th on staff. He is a fourth year Mechanics Engineering student at the University of Toronto. He is a professional musician as part of the Sphere Clown Band and a Canadian Cultural Ambassador, having performed in China, Singapore, Portugal, Holland, Scotland and throughout Canada. He currently sings as part of two acapella jazz choirs. He is a recording artist with a gold record and a recent CD release as a member of Onoscatopoeia, the Hart House Jazz Choir. He is also an award-winning photographer, experienced debater and recently represented his university at the World's Model United Nations in Beijing, China. He was the first camper ever, and looks forward to bringing back one of the original Centauri programs: The Quest.
 

Thea Fitz-James

Thea is studying theatre and art history at the university of McGill. She directed her first play at the age of fourteen and founded the Hudson Player Youth Group. She's since taught a number of workshops and acting classes to the youth of her community. She is an active participant in the McGill Theatre community and has been coming to Centauri for 9 years. Now after 3 years of being a counsellor, she is excited to find grails, fight dragons and make magic with a pen or paintbrush in Quest!

 

Hunter Gates

Hunter is the Director of the Academy of Physical Theatre in Alberta.  She holds a PHD in Theatre Philosophy, holds certification as Canada's only Lecoqian intensive instructor and is a certified Stunt Coordinator. Hunter has spent time this year year teaching and lecturing in Russia, Slovenia and the Caribbean. She has written and produced a clown show that will be touring northern Canada called "White Noise". This is Hunter's sixth year at Centauri.
See Hunter Gates' website at www.huntergatesacademy.com

 

Adrienne Gruber

Adrienne has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and has been short listed for several poetry contents including the CBC literary awards. She has facilitated many writing workshops for youth and is the Writer-in-Residence for Notre Dame Secondary School in Toronto through Descant Magazine's S.W.A.T program (Students, Writers and Teachers). Her poetry collection This is the Nightmare was published with Thistledown Press in 2008.

Jeanette Hedley

Jeanette Hedley graduated from the University of Toronto with a (Honours) B.F.A. as a Drama Specialist and from Sheridan College with a Diploma in Acting.  She is an Associate Member of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association, specializing in Tap, though she has also extensively studied ballet, jazz and hip-hop.  Jeanette has combined her passion for travel with work in the arts.  She has developed drama-based programming for educational tours to Quebec City, Ottawa and Niagara Falls.  In California, she studied yoga and improv at the Esalen Institute and in Uganda she participated in a UNESCO funded program that used forum theatre to educate about HIV/AIDS.  Most recently, she has worked for Carnival Cruise Lines where she directs entertainment programs for teenagers onboard cruise ships.  Jeanette pauses from her travels each year to return to her summer home at Centauri where she has been a camper, counsellor and is now a program director and member of the senior staff team.

Jordi Hepburn

"Jordi Hepburn graduated from University of Toronto with a drama specialist and from Sheridan College with a Diploma in Acting. Though she considers herself first and foremost a drama teacher, there is no hiding Jordi’s love for performance as she has spent this past year in transit, travelling, teaching and training aspiring actors, artists and students from Tanzania to Toronto. Since graduation, Jordi has been combining her love for travel, her passion for teaching and the arts as an educational tour guide for Impact Educational Tours. Last year, along side many other’s in the Centauri family, Jordi aided in the creation of the Waxwing Theatre Ensemble and put on the first show of their repertoire."

 

Brittany Knight

Brittany is THRILLED to return to Centauri after a 5-year hiatus where she gave birth to her son, Elliott, got her BEd degree from OISE and traveled Europe! She brings 15 years of professional theatre and teaching experience, working with Mixed Company Theatre, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Carousel Players, Original Kids Theatre Company, Little Red Theatre and traveling children’s theatre, as well directing shows and leading educational programs and the touring company at Famous PEOPLE Players for 10 years (where she now sits on the Advisory Board.) You can still catch her puppeteering on Treehouse TV’s Roll Play!

 
Robyn Levine

This is Robyn’s second year at Centauri and she is thrilled to be back! Robyn has been performing professionally in the GTA and across Canada for over twenty years and has had the opportunity to perform in shows such as Mamma Mia! (Original Canadian Cast), Footloose and Cinderella, as well as singing on stage and television with live bands and at various showcases and fundraisers throughout Toronto.

Along with her love for the stage, Robyn has a passion and enthusiasm for arts education and has been teaching musical theatre, signing and acting for the past five years. She is currently the Artistic Director of Discover Your Talent, a company that specializes in private and group vocal and acting training. Robyn is a certified teacher and holds a Bachelor Degree in Humanities from York University and a Bachelor of Education from Trent University. She is currently working towards her Master’s of Education at York University, focusing on the integral role the arts play in the cognitive and social development of children.

 

Yonah Lewis

Yonah Lewis is a Toronto-based filmmaker. Since graduating from the Sheridan Institute's Media Arts program in 2008, he has worked as a writer/director with his filmmaking partner, Calvin Thomas. Their films have played in festivals and homes worldwide. Most recently their work has been shown at the United Nations General Assembly and the NewFilmmakers Anthology Film Archives in New York City. Yonah has been teaching filmmaking techniques to children and teens for many years, in many settings: after-school programs, winter camps, private lessons, and at his second home of 13 years, Centauri. He is currently in pre-production on his debut feature film, Amy George.

 

Veronica Lincoln
Veronica began her training at “The Studio” School of Dance, in Brampton, completing her professional instruction at Ryerson University, where she received her B.F.A. in Performance Dance.  As an active educator in the GTA, Veronica has taught both acting and dance in Brampton, Niagara, Toronto and Ottawa. Recent performances include Curtain Call Players production of CATS, and Style by Jury on the “W” Network. Veronica has had the opportunity to dance for such choreographers as Roberto Campanella, Malgorzata Nowaczka, Darryl Tracy and Lindsay Ritter.  Veronica was in the original cast of  “Gameshow” the Musical in the Summer Fringe Festival 2008, which was voted “People’s Choice” by NOW magazine, and was selected as part of ‘Best of Fringe 2008”. Most recently Veronica can be seen dancing in Hallmark Film When Love Is Not Enough with Winona Ryder, and working in Toronto’s distillery district at The Dance Current Magazine. Veronica says, “to me, dancing is a passion. I also love knowing that as a teacher I can be a role model and support system; I love seeing young people have fun and apply new skills they have learned.” Veronica is thrilled to be joining the Centauri team!  

 

Darwin Lyons
Darwin Lyons is a recent graduate of the University of Windsor's BFA Acting program. She is a founding member of Written on Water Theatre Company which will appear in the Ottawa Fringe Festival this year with the play, 'Edge'. Darwin is also set to appear in the Magnetic North Theatre Festival production of 'Tough'. Darwin was a camper with us years ago, and toured internationally with Centauri. She returned as a camp counsellor, before taking a break to complete her studies and begin her career. We are delighted to welcome her back onto our professional teaching faculty!

Mladen Obradović
Mladen Obradović teaches for several drama schools in Toronto and Mississauga, including TheatrePeace, Arts Express and Shakespeare in Action Project. His Canadian acting credits include Andrei in Chekhov's "Three Sisters", Lalo in Pulse Theatre's "Night of the Assassins" and Conspiracy Theorist in Draft89's production, "FOE". He has over twenty shows, seven films, several theatre and radio shows as well as directing and producing work on his resume. Check out Mladens theatre company http://www.pulsetheatre.com/

 

 

Daniel Poulin

Daniel graduated with a Drama degree from the University of Guelph in 2005. Over the past six years, he has been engaged in numerous theatre projects such as the Wellness Education Training Troupe's social action theatre program, the Guelph Project's community-building collective creation project and CFRU Radio's unique "No Soap" radio play series. He's presented at conferences on the role theatre can play in education and social change and most recently developed a series of filmed scenes used to educate University staff on issues in mental health. Daniel currently teaches workshops on a variety of topics in his home of Guelph and works to coordinate the annual Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival.

 

Melissa Shriner

Melissa Shriner holds a Bachelor of Music Honours degree from Brock University in St. Catharines. Possessing an absolutely exquisite voice and formidable piano skills, she is in demand as both a soloist and voice teacher. Melissa is a founding member of the Avanti Chamber Singers, soloist for Windmill Theatre, featured soloist for the Jimmy Stahl Big Band, and chorus member of Opera Hamilton . Along with being a prolific songwriter, she is sought after as a high school clinician and trains up and coming Canadian musical acts. Teaching from the Melissa Shriner Vocal Studio in her home in Jordan Station, Ontario, Melissa is also in demand as a vocal coach at Elaine Overholt's Big Voice Studios in Toronto.  Most recently, Melissa was a vocal coach for the hit CBC – TV show, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria.“  She is passionate about both singing and teaching singers in every genre – classical, pop, rock, jazz and Broadway.

 

 

 

Calvin Thomas

Calvin Thomas graduated top of his class from Sheridan Institute's Media Arts program in 2008 and, wasting little time, he set out to pursue a career in filmmaking alongside fellow Centauri Program Director, Yonah Lewis. While interning at Toronto's Copperheart Entertainment, he began to write and direct his own projects, including a short in 2009 titled Dig, Larry P. Bliss! Dig! During his time at Sheridan, he tutored students and frequently returns to his old high-school as a guest lecturer. His work has screened throughout North America and was seen most recently at the NewFilmmakers Anthology Film Archives In New York City. In addition to filmmaking, Calvin works part time as a freelance photographer and has owned his studio since 2007. He is currently in pre-production on his first feature film, Amy George.

 

 

Ian Walsh
Ian is the founding Artistic Director of Blackthorn Productions in Guelph. As well as holding a B.A. in theatre from the University of Windsor, he is a theatre professional working in the areas of Stage Management, Fight Direction and Acting.  Ian has spent the last 20 years teaching and entertaining children and adults of all ages across Ontario with Medieval Demonstrations, in Workshops, at Festivals, Feasts, Schools and in Plays.  This marks Ian's first year teaching at Centauri and it should prove to be an exciting and memorable experience.

 

D'Arcy White
D’Arcy White is a fine-art photographer living and working in Toronto. She has been a member of Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography for over 10 years. D’Arcy has a Professional Certificate in Photography from Maine Media College. Last summer D’Arcy did a twelve-week internship with the Art Gallery of Ontario Photography Curatorial Department. This October D’Arcy expects to graduate with a Masters Degree in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, after completing the second year of her studies at George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. While in Rochester D’Arcy co-curated an exhibition for the gallery that is currently on display and will be up until next summer. This is D’Arcy’s seventh summer at Centauri.