THE GHOST OF
VIOLET SHAW
A NEW PLAY BY KATERINA BAKOLIAS
Do you believe in love after life?
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This Victorian-era farce follows the Bennetts as they deal with their so-called Family Curse.
​
Delilah Bennet is convinced her dead wife is haunting their house, and her daughter Rose is simply trying to finish medical school, while Rose's besotted suitor Vic just wants to marry her. When Cousin Edward shows up pursued by the criminal Baxter, mayhem ensues.
With seances, mistaken identities, and real ghosts, this spirit-raising comedy is delightfully absurd and
entirely heartwarming.
CREATIVE TEAM
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Katerina Bakolias
Playwright / Rose
Katerina Bakolias (she/her) is a Greek-Canadian actor, writer, and producer whose work spans television, film, theatre, and publishing. Her first play, ’Til Death Do Us Part (a farce about a wedding gone wrong) premiered on the Neptune Theatre Studio Stage in 2022 and was produced by Kick at the Dark Theatre. The show was funded by Arts Nova Scotia and The Canada Council for the arts and went on to be staged at The Ships Company Theatre in 2023. Katerina can be seen recurring in MGM+'s critically acclaimed series FROM as Clara, while also co-starring in Good Grief (OUTtv) opposite Mary-Colin Chisholm & Lyndie Greenwood. Her debut YA novel Luscious Love (James Lorimer & Company, 2024) established her as a queer literary voice, with new manuscripts (The Bluebird and the Witch and On Hollow Ground) in development. When she’s not acting or writing, Katerina can be found enjoying a vanilla latte, trying to befriend a local murder of crows, or reading smut and adding to her ever-growing book collection.
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Geneviève Steele
Delilah
Geneviève is tickled Violet to be a part of this team and this play. Past shows on the Scotiabank stage include How the Other Half Loves, Snake in the Grass (Neptune), Half Cracked (EFT / Neptune), Hamlet (Below the Salt), Leaving Wonderland (LunaSea). Geneviève has also worked with Villain’s Theatre, Ship’s Company, Theatre Baddeck, Two Planks, SBTS, Festival Antigonish, Watermark and Victoria by the Sea. Special shout out to g’s partner, Ian Sherwood playing on Neptune’s MainStage in Come from Away. Heartfelt thanks to our kids and our village for all the support. Enjoy the show!
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Nathan D. Simmons
Edward
Coming out of Nova Scotia, now based in Toronto, Nathan D. Simmons was raised in the communities of East and North Preston NS. Graduate of the Fountain School of the Arts. He has played on stages all across Canada, and is very excited to take part in telling this Incredible story, with some of the most talented and creative artists Toronto has to offer!
Theatre Credits: Fat Juliet (Eastren Front Theatre), Serving Elizabeth (Belfry Theatre), Mischief/Colony Park (Neptune TYP). TV: 0-60 Driving Academy (Bell Fibe TV), FROM (MGM / Paramount +), Washington Black (Disney/HULU), Moonshine (CBC).
James MacLean
Vic
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. they create site-specific new works that subvert, entertain, and delight. James is based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax.​
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Jeff Schwager
Baxter
Neptune: Some favourites: Mamma Mia, Little Shop of Horrors, Disney’s Frozen, The Play That Goes Wrong, Billy Elliot, The Lear Project, In a World Created by a Drunken God, ART, The Comedy of Errors, The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum, Intimate Apparel -Merritt Award Other Theatre: Unity (1918), The Stranger, Macbeth, Schoolhouse, Uncle Vanya, Animal Farm, Liberation Days, Nothing Less (Two Planks); Observatory Mansions (Villains Theatre); Constellations (Keep Good), Messenger (EFT). TV/Film: Clara and Vanessa, Sullivan’s Crossing, Dancing on the Elephant, King & Pawn, Roll With It, Sugar Highs, FROM, Diggstown, 22 Minutes. Etc: Much love to my family, especially my greatest “creations”, Tim and Annika.
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Kat McCormack
Director
KAT McCORMACK (she/they) is a theatre artist from Dartmouth/Punamu’kwati’jk with a passion for playful, devised work and collective creations. As the Artistic Director of Eastern Front Theatre, Kat aims to create a supportive and accessible environment for artists to push the boundaries of Atlantic Canadian storytelling, as well as their own artistic practice. As an artist, Kat has helped to create countless new works with companies such as Zuppa Theatre, Shakespeare by the Sea, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, The Villains Theatre, Eastern Front Theatre and others. Kat has been named Best Theatre Actor in The Coast's Best of Halifax issue five times, and is a four-time nominee for the Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Direction, and a two-time nominee for the Screen Nova Scotia Award for Outstanding Performance. In 2025, Kat was awarded the King Charles III’s Coronation Medal for service to arts and accessibility, and was recognized in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for exceptional contribution to theatre in Nova Scotia.
Brenda Duran
Scenic Designer
Brenda Duran is a multidisciplinary artist whose work draws inspiration from her Salvadorian roots and her upbringing in Ontario. She discovered a passion for theatre early in life and has since dedicated herself to cultivating her creative voice through design and storytelling. After completing a BFA in Theatre Production and Design at York University, she began her professional career in Toronto before relocating to Nova Scotia in 2017, which she now proudly calls home. Her recent theatre credits: Billy Goats Gruff (Mermaid Theatre) Chase the Ace (Ships Company) Fat Juliet (EFT /SBTS) 76 Centimeters ( Todos Productions/ RCAT) Newfoundlanded (Todos Productions) Goodnight Moon (Mermaid Theatre), Heathers: The Musical ( Neptune YPCo), Dance Nation( Heist/ Keep Good Theatre) Alice in Wonderland/Twelfth Night (Shakespeare By The Sea), Downed Hearts ( Ships Company Theatre / EFT), Miracle on 31st Street ( Saint John Theatre Company), Glass Menagerie ( ARC), #iamthecheese (HTFYP/EFT).
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Diego Cavedon Dias
Costume Designer
Diego is a Brazilian costume, puppet, and graphic designer based in Dartmouth/Punamu’kwati’jk, NS. With over a decade of experience of blending imagination with craft, they’ve brought characters to life for companies like Neptune Theatre, Two Planks and a Passion, Festival Antigonish, Ships Company Theatre, Halifax Theatre for Young People, Eastern Front Theatre, Dalhousie - Fountain School of Arts and HEIST. Diego loves projects that challenge them creatively and technically, exploring how textiles and designs bring stories to life. In 2024, they received the Robert Merritt Award for Outstanding Costume Design.
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Jess Lewis
Lighting Designer
Jess (she/her) is a Lighting Designer and Production Manager based in Mi’kma'ki (Nova Scotia). She has toured with productions across Canada, throughout the Southern States, Asia and the UK.
Selected works include: Eastern Front Theatre (Stages Theatre Festival, Early Stages Theatre Festival, Fat Juliet), Zuppa Works (The Final Recordings of an Almost Extinct Bird, The Movements, The Archive of Missing Things, Tiny), Neptune Theatre (Little Shop of Horrors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Addicted, The Play That Goes Wrong, Billy Elliot, Dickens' A Christmas Carol), Votive Dance (Take 5, Don’t Wake The Lions, Strike Tone, WHODUNIT?), Live Art Dance (Coastal Currents).
Jess is also an accomplished musician playing in Surprise Pink, Overnight, Dark for Dark, Ghoul Lewis and the Boos and Cactus Flower.
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Jackson Fairfax-Perry
Composer / Sound Designer
Jackson Fairfax-Perry (he/him) is an award winning African Nova Scotian composer, sound designer, musician and musical director living in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). For years, Jackson has honed his skills as an in demand saxophonist and keyboardist both on the road and locally with artists such as Hillsburn and David Myles, among others. He collaborates frequently with local hip hop and r&b artist Aquakultre, co-writing songs and working as the musical director for his live band. A prominent collaborator with local theatre and dance artists, Jackson has composed and created sound designs for companies such as 2b theatre company, Eastern Front Theatre, Ship’s Company Theatre, and Mocean Dance among numerous others. Recent credits include Matriarchs (Aquakultre, Nocturne), Dance Nation (Keep Good (Theatre) Company, Heist), Sea Unseen (Mocean Dance, The Sable Island Institute), Deepwater (The Villains Theatre) and Downed Hearts (Ship’s Company Theatre)
Zach Faye
Production Manager
Zach Faye (he/him) is a performer, designer, videographer, and stage production manager. Based in Punamu’kwati’jk/Dartmouth, NS, Zach’s recent performance credits include "Coal Bowl Queen" by Richie Wilcox (HEIST, EFT 2025), “Downed Hearts” by Catherine Banks (Ship’s Co./ EFT/ Matchstick 2023). Zach has managed productions for several NS theatre companies and constantly inspired by the artists working here at home. Love to Meg & Oli.
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Don Brownrigg
Stage Manager
Don Brownrigg (he/him) moves between music, theatre, and arts production, guided by curiosity and a poet’s eye for detail. As a songwriter, he has released three critically acclaimed albums and numerous collaborations. In theatre, he has worked with Eastern Front Theatre, 2b Theatre, QueerActs, and as a puppeteer and stage manager with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. As an arts producer, he has contributed to the National Arts Centre, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and Canada Pride. Hailing from Katalisk, Ktaqmkuk/Codroy Valley, Newfoundland, he now lives in Taboolsimkek, Mi’kma’ki/Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia.
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Alexa Kirste
Apprentice Stage Manager
Alexa (They/He/She) is a working multi-disciplinary theatre technician, professional subordinate, and artist living in Punamu'kwati'jk/Dartmouth. Alexa enjoys every part of the theatre process, and especially likes working backstage on a show. When he isn't working you can find him watching horror B-movies with friends, napping with three cats, and at the lake!
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Emily Buckland
Costume Assistant
Currently based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS, fashion and textile artist Emily Buckland creates works influenced by historical garment making.
In her final semester of a BFA (Fashion/Textiles) at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, her work incorporates traditional inspiration from Victorian and Medieval craft practices. Experimenting with whimsical silhouetted dresses, corsets, trousers, and shirts, her work is inspired by colours from the East Coast, earthy neutrals and jewel tones palettes found in the inspiration of ethereal dark creatures, shapes, and sounds influence her whimsical, striking, contoured designs.
In 2025, Buckland’s works were featured in a solo undergraduate exhibition, Gathered Silhouettes, and Transfigured, a group exhibition curated by Ella Hopkins-Bryan and Evan Macherson, both at the Anna Leonowens Art Gallery, Halifax, NS. Her work was also featured as a collection at the Mills Halifax Fashion Week 2025, Halifax, NS.
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Ella Haefele
Production Apprentice
Ella Haefele (she/her) is an emerging artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Ella is part of the 2026 graduating class from Dalhousie University's Acting Program. She has been part of multiple shows with DalTheatre, including Mese Mariano, a devised production titled Learning Curve and Everybody. Ella is also the President of the Dalhousie Theatre Society. She has performed in and produced many DTS shows while striving to make the theatre opportunities the DTS creates more accessible to students.
Kulay Cruz
Co-op Student
Kulay Cruz is a student at Halifax West High School looking forward to experiencing life at a professional theatre.