Riley Reign (they/them/any when acting) is an interdisciplinary artist, creator and activist based in Kjipuktuk, with their Masters in Musical Theatre Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As an actor their recent credits include Tessa in Frenchy’s: A Thrift Store Musical, Ben in Good Grief (TV), Syd in Hailey Rose (Feature Film), Dawn in Deeper, Jess in I Am Not A Hero (Feature Film), and Jane in So Not Punk Rock. As a writer and composer they recently created brainstorm, first commissioned by Eastern Front Theatre as part of their Macro Digitals: Connections. They are most known for writing and composing Here, Queer & Mentally Unclear - a semi verbatim musical about mental illness in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, first commissioned by Upstart Theatre for Dare Festival, London, Eng, and writing and co-producing the award winning  fundamentals of compassionate care - online training tool. 
 

Riley Reign is also a singer/songwriting and instrumentalist and is passionate about creating dynamic original work which offers new perspectives on often avoided topics.

rileyreignarts.com

Moneesha "Misha" Bakshi (She/They/He) is a multi-media actor based in K'jpuktuk (Halifax). Misha is an alumnus of the Acting Program at the Fountain School of Performing Arts. A proudly bisexual and non-binary artist of color, they strive to create art that uplifts the voices of marginalized people while working her way towards becoming a C-list celebrity. When not acting, Misha is a model, cosplayer, gamer, and an avid reader of cheesy romance. You can follow Misha for anime memes and silly art thoughts @mishasvoices on Instagram and Twitter. Thanks to Jared Raman, the first stranger to reach out across the internet to offer them a job. Selected Theatre: Hamlet (Shakespeare By the Sea), Wood Buffalo (Theatre New Brunswick), Rain on the Parade (Villains Theatre)
Selected TV/Film: HOP (MAX), The Real Pigs of Norfolk County (Eastlink)
Selected Audio Drama: Me and AU (Procyon), ClusterF**k (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre), The Kingmaker Histories (We are Not Alive)

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​https://mishasvoices.carrd.co/

Deivan Steele is a Dora award-winning actor, writer, and director born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the past, EFT has generously supported and showcased his new works The Assembly and When Two Stars Collide. His work has taken him to theatres including: Manitoba Theatre for Young People (Narnia); Tarragon (Behind the Moon); YES Theatre (Romeo & Juliet); Neptune (When Two Stars Collide); Theatre Direct & Crossroads Theatre (The Assembly); Shakespeare by the Sea (Hamlet, Henry V, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Cinderelly, Wizard of Oz); Shakespeare BASH’d (King Lear); Shakespeare in Action (3Tempests, Romeo and Juliet and Action); Unwrap Theatre (rihannaboi95); Outside the March (Rainbow on Mars, programsound); and Driftwood (Froxeaglousey, Children of the Black Water), as well as projects in Ireland, Czechia, and South Africa. He also appeared in the Canadian Screen Award-winning film Weirdos.

Taylor Olson (he/they) is a queer former athlete-turned filmmaker. The Canadian Screen Award & ACTRA Award nominee is based in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax, N.S. Taylor’s feature film directorial debut Bone Cage was 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. Next, Olson premiered his sophomore feature film Look At Me at the Slamdance Film Festival and recently shot his third feature film Unseen in the spring of 2024 alongside Crave and Vortex Media. For television, Olson has directed for two seasons of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC, three seasons of the documentary series Disrupt for AMI, and screened their AR series Alone Together at festivals such as the Reykjavik International Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. As a creator, Olson released his first two short-form comedy series King & Pawn and 2GETHER 4EVER for Bell Fibe TV1. Olson likes to explore themes of masculinity, queerness, and the ways the two intersect.

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​https://www.taylorolson.ca

Kathleen (she/her) is a creator/actor based in Dartmouth, NS (Punamu’kwati’jk). She is co-AD of LunaSea Theatre and one quarter of the clown-troupe-turned-accidental-theatre-company Tea Time Creation Co. (First Date/Last Date, Gina Is Dead, Romeo & Juliet: A Drink Along, Midsummer Night’s Wet Dream). She has had the great pleasure of working with extremely talented Halifax peers (This is Nowhere, How Small How Far Away – Zuppa Theatre; The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I Love My Little Story Book/Guess How Much I Love You, The Rainbow Fish – Mermaid Theatre). Most recently Kathleen has begun stepping into the role of director in theatre (assistant director, Some Blow Flutes- Home First Theatre; director, Booby Trap – Rooks Field Green) as well as film (WOLF, Hurricane Productions, Flimsy- Paper Planes Productions). Kathleen is interested in story through movement and magic and meeting her audience in the space between performance and reality.
(@teatimecreationco)

​James MacLean (well-wishers and heart-eaters call them Jimmy) is a queer multi-disciplinary artist who spends his days up to his legendary butt in sequins, make-up, costumes, and swagger. And that's just his photography practice. As a stage actor, James has graced the grassy knolls of Shakespeare By The Sea and Festival Antigonish and trod the boards at Neptune Theatre. Their screen roles to date are all nuanced, three-dimensional interpretations of Total Assholes, from a cop on Diggstown to a vampire on Chapelwaite to seven different abusive men in Compulsus. With a crew of clowns called Tea Time Creation Co. he creates site-specific new works that subvert, entertain, and delight. James is based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax.

Jamesarthurmaclean.com

Sébastien (he/him) is an accomplished performer who has worked with many of Nova Scotia's most acclaimed companies including Matchstick Theatre, Halifax Theatre for Young People, Eastern Front Theatre, Villains' Theatre, Mocean Dance, Zuppa, Workshirt Opera, Shakespeare By the Sea, 2b Theatre, Two Planks and a Passion Theatre, and Symphony Nova Scotia's production of The Nutcracker. Screen credits include Sullivan's Crossing, The Good House, Chapelwaite, Diggstown and Black Cop. Sébastien is also the Festival Director of Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax, a creative collaborator for the River Clyde Pageant in PEI, and the outgoing Executive Director of the Bus Stop Theatre Co-op.

Sonically driven to create bespoke works of art, KOUZ distinctly delivers in carving sound out of emotion as a sculptor would a block of marble.

Originating from Nairobi, Kenya he started his career as a DJ at the age of 17 eventually taking up production as his primary focus in 2019; Blending sounds that emanate from a holistic resonance of the soul. Most recently collaborating with South African dance vocalist of the year, Nuzu Deep.

With additional background in sound design for theatres; each production has depth meant for grand stages... his intent is to keep adding to his catalogue until the distinction is felt, not heard.

Megan Piercey Monafu (she/her) is a playwright, director, producer, facilitator, and intimacy director who is thrilled to have an opportunity to present her work back home. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (playwriting focus) from the University of Guelph, and recent writing has included Tahiti (in development with Artengine and the Ottawa Fringe), and Strata Inc. (Corel Endowment for the Arts Award 2019, Strata Inc. Collective 2020, undercurrents festival 2021, Artengine 2023). Past credits include writing and directing Mall ratting: a podplay (Magnetic North industry series 2015), A Little Fire (Theatre of the Beat/Abalone Productions 2016), and Mabel’s Last Performance (Atlantic Fringe Best Female Performance 2014, Memorial University 2015). Other directing credits include This is the August (Young Prince Collective/Summerworks 2016), It Only Takes a Spark (Theatre of the Beat 2015) and intimacy direction on Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), The Unplugging, Forever Young, Heartlines, and Lo, Or Dear Mr. Wells (Great Canadian Theatre Company 2019-2024). Megan is the Artistic Director of the Ottawa School of Theatre, where she directs large-scale intergenerational plays and has a lot of fun.

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http://megmonafu.ca

Johnny Wideman (he/him) is a storyteller whose mediums are written words, and moody, rhythmic soundscapes.

As a sound designer and musician, Johnny is passionate about crafting thoughtful, multilayered works that elicit emotion and transport audiences into fully immersive environments.

As a writer, Johnny founded Full Bodied Short Stories, a live storytelling and culinary event that uses tasting notes from food and drink as the thematic inspiration for custom story-pairings. His theatre-works have been performed nearly 300 times across Canada and midwest America, his stories and essays have appeared in a handful of magazines and journals, and he has self-published two books, and three stageplays.

Today, Johnny runs a land-based non-profit called Willowgrove, and lives in the Das Farm Haus community with his partner Leah, 4 friends, 2 cats, and 1 giant dog.

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​https://johnnywideman.wordpress.com/

Scout Rexe is a playwright and dramaturg. While their writing deals with heavy themes, it’s often playful and funny. Scout is interested in different generational approaches to concepts like feminism or celebrity, and they root these perspectives in characters who are struggling to be seen by each other. Much of their work centers around young characters navigating queer and trans identities. Scout aspires to make work that’s as complex as the communities it’s in dialogue with—work that deepens or expands our relationship to who we are and the world we live in. Scout holds a BA in Creative Writing from Concordia University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Scout is currently part of the Prairie Theatre Exchange Playwrights Unit and Imago's Creator's Circle. 

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​scoutrexe.com

Author. Publisher. Educator. Theatre Maker. Producer. Gatherer of creative folk.

Aren A. Morris (she/her) is a Halifax-based educator and novelist.

She has been writing, directing and producing student theatre in education for decades and now works with Halifax Regional Arts.

She is also one half of Black Box Publishing House, a relatively new press with a focus on Maritime Authors and works by, for and about women.

Aren’s debut, We Happy Few, is a historical fiction novel taking place in Halifax, NS at the end of the Second World War and was released in May 2022. She is now working on her sophomore novel, another historical fiction set in NS.

Her other endeavours include women’s creativity retreats, writing and producing children’s theatre and dance shows, and multidisciplinary collaborations with local artists, dancers and writers.

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​arenamorris.com