Peter Harrison has been a fixture of morning radio in Nova Scotia for more than three decades. He is the current co-host of MOVE Mornings at Move 100 radio. Peter’s career has allowed him the opportunity to broadcast from locations around the world including from glaciers, ski hills, theme parks, sit-com sets, and sandy beaches. It has also brought him face to face with entertainers such as Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry and Kevin Hart, and legendary athletes including Sydney Crosby and Bobby Orr. Peter studied theatre at Acadia University and public relations at MSVU. He's a proud Nova Scotian and lives in Waverley with his wife and best friend, Gisella.

Actor, comedian and writer, appearing most recently in the series From and the television adaptation of Sullivan’s Crossing. His short films The Date and Second Wedding, which he wrote and co-produced, have earned him ACTRA Award nominations for outstanding performance, The Date was named Best Canadian Short Film at the 2020 Canadian International Comedy Film Festival, and Second Wedding was part of Telefilm’s Not Short on Talent program at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Bob was also awarded the Budge Wilson prize by the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia for best work of short fiction at the 2021 Nova Writes festival and he was published last year in Blank Spaces magazine. His special skills include being a dad, whistling, and appearing awkward in television commercials.

Susan Leblanc is the MLA for Dartmouth North in Nova Scotia. She was first elected in May 2017 and was re-elected in September 2021. She is the NS NDP House Leader and holds several critic portfolios including Health and Wellness, Environment and Climate Change and Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage.

Professionally, Susan is an actor and theatre maker and was a core member of Zuppa for 20 years.

Susan lives in Dartmouth, with her partner, her two cute kids and two cute dogs.

Claudia Chender is the MLA for Dartmouth South and the leader of the Nova Scotia NDP. She was first elected in 2017.

Claudia is an engaged community member and mother of three school-aged children. She is a long-time member of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission where she now sits ex-officio and is a vocal advocate for the promotion of the vibrant, eclectic, and locally owned and supported downtown Dartmouth business community. As a lawyer with experience in business and publishing, Claudia has a wide range of experiences that she brings to bear as a tireless advocate for the residents of Dartmouth South.

Sébastien Labelle is Executive Director of the Bus Stop Theatre Co-op, Festival Director for Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax and an artistic collaborator for the River Clyde Pageant in PEI. He has performed with numerous local companies including Matchstick Theatre, Mocean Dance, Workshirt Opera, Zuppa Theatre, Shakespeare By the Sea, Villain's Theatre, 2b Theatre, and Two Planks and a Passion Theatre. You can catch him on screen in The Good House by Amblin Partners and in Chapelwaite streaming on Crave.

Richie Wilcox is a multi-talented director/actor/writer and a fiercely queer artist. They are the founding artistic director of HEIST. Wilcox has created and performed in numerous works for HEIST including The Princess Show, Princess Rules, and New Waterford Boy. Wilcox served as dramaturg for HEIST’s award-winning Frequencies which played across the country including Prairie Theatre Exchange, the Festival of Live Digital Art and the National Arts Centre. Wilcox was Artistic Associate with Theatre Outre in Lethbridge, Alberta from 2012 - 2016. From 2019-2022 Wilcox served as the artistic director of Ship’s Company Theatre. 

Koumbie (she/they) is an award winning actor, director, writer and producer based in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax, Nova Scotia. In front of the camera they have appeared in a number of local productions with recurring roles on shows including YTV’s Aquateam, CBC’s Mr. D, Studio Black, Diggstown, Moonshine, and the final season of Outtv’s Sex & Violence. Since going behind the camera, Koumbie has directed a number of award winning short films, including the Short Film Face-Off winner Hustle & Heart, a 1k wave film, Ariyah & Tristan’s Inevitable Break-Up, and an episode of Studio Black S2. In 2016 she was named a “One to Watch” by Sea in Be Scene, in 2018 she was selected as a Five in Focus – Atlantic director and in the same year won a Telefilm Talent to Watch grant. In 2022 Koumbie received a Wave Award for their dedication to the industry and was named by Atlantic Business as one of their top 30 under 30. As an advocate and community member she serves as Vice President on ACTRA Maritimes Council, chair of WIFT-Atlantic and on numerous other boards and committees. Their passion for equity, safety and inclusion has also led them to become one of the first Intimacy Coordinators in Atlantic Canada.  Her feature film bystanders premiered at Atlantic International Film Festival where it took home The Best Atlantic Script Award and continued on to have a successful cross country theatrical release. Koumbie is drawn to stories that feature new voices and perspectives.

Taylor Olson (he/they) is a Canadian Screen Award nominated filmmaker based in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax, N.S. Taylor’s feature film directorial debut Bone Cage has been released to critical acclaim; sweeping the awards at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival and earning over 30 additional accolades at festivals around the globe. Bone Cage appeared in competition at Camerimage, competed in the Forward Future section of the Beijing International Film Festival, and toured numerous US festivals before being nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards for Adapted Screenplay & Supporting Actress. Olson is currently in post-production on his sophomore feature film Look At Me, and recently released his first short form comedy series King & Pawn, a 5 x 15 min series for Bell Fibe Tv1. Upcoming Olson will be directing two episodes of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC as well as the short-form dramedy series I Hate You.

Colleen MacIsaac (they/she) is a Canadian artist working in the performing and visual arts. Originally from Spruce Grove, Alberta on Treaty 6 Territory, Colleen received a Bachelor of Media Arts at Emily Carr University before moving to Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia. Colleen’s practice is interdisciplinary and oscillates between the micro and macroscopic; documenting everyday moments, exploring communication, grief, queerness, and existence, and contemplating the intersections between science, advocacy, and art. Check out Colleen’s daily art practice here (currently focused on a collection of drawings of playwrights).

Colleen is the artistic producer of The Villains Theatre, the co-chair of Theatre Nova Scotia, and is a theatre creator, writer, performer, and producer. Colleen’s short films have screened on four continents, and their comics have been included in anthologies such as Nova Graphica and Exploded View and in publications such as Maisonneuve Magazine and The New Quarterly. A finalist for the Gene Day Award and the Expozine Alternative Press Award, Colleen is a recipient of the Bhayana Invisible Champion Award, the Helen Hill Animated Award and the Halifax Mayor’s Award for Emerging Theatre Artist.

Dan Bray (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist living in Antigonish. As artistic director of The Villains Theatre, he has written, directed, and adapted many shows (including International Waters, Shakespeare's Time Machine, Hansel und Gretel in: der Garten von Edible Horrors, Observatory Mansions, and Zomblet). He is a 9-time Merritt Award nominee, the 2022 Merritt Award winner for "Outstanding Adaptation by a Nova Scotia Playwright" (Hansel und Gretel), and a current East Coast Music Award nominee for "Children's Entertainer of the Year" (Dinostories).

Dan has had the good luck of working with many of Nova Scotia's finest theatre companies - as an playwright, director, actor, and dramaturge - including Two Planks & a Passion Theatre, Shakespeare by the Sea, Festival Antigonish, Mulgrave Road Theatre, Workshirt Opera, Eastern Front Theatre, Terra Novella Theatre, Phyllis Rising Productions, Xara Choral Theatre, and Lions Den Theatre.

Dan is the 2023 Merritt Co-Host/Producer, the former Vice Chair for the Halifax Fringe Festival, a two-time attendee of Playwright Atlantic Resource Centre's annual retreat, and a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. He received his MA from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama in 2009.