The Radio Drama Society of Montreal

13/08/2021

Thanks so much QDF for featuring us in What's On Wednesday! There's a lot going on in our city, see the post below for even more great shows!

https://www.facebook.com/616302995148186/posts/3981965561915229/

13/08/2021

02/08/2021

The moment has finally arrived, Richard III Act 2 is online!

Find it on our Anchor page linked below, or where fine podcasts are available, now including Apple Podcasts!

Thanks to all the cast and crew who brought this together! Watch this space for more news and updates.

https://anchor.fm/rdsm/episodes/Richard-III-Act-2-e15b22k

Richard reveals Clarance's death in the court of the sickly King Edward as his plots and machinations advance.

26/07/2021

Give a warm welcome to another of our talented actors: Jonathan Curzi!

Jonathan is a graduate of the Professional Theatre Design program at John Abbott College and he is currently Lakeshore Light Opera’s stage director. Jonathan has worked as a performer, stage director, scenic and costume designer for various professional and amateur theatre companies. Performance accomplishments to his credit include: operatic concerts, stage plays, Broadway reviews, radio and television broadcasts.

Acting and directing credits include:
King Lear (The Fool), The Tempest (Antonio), Patience (Reginald Bunthorne), Macbeth (The Porter), The Yeomen of the Guard (Stage Director), Princess Ida (Stage Director), Cox and Box (with) H.M.S. Pinafore (Stage Director), The Slipper and The Rose (The King of Euphrania), Broadway: Encore! (Soloist and Chorus), Iolanthe (The Lord Chancellor), Destination: Broadway! (Soloist and Chorus), The Gondoliers (Stage Director), Ruddigore (Stage Director), Patience (Stage Director), The Pirates of Penzance (Major-General Stanley), Princess Ida (King Gama)

01/07/2021

*Roaring Applause for Don Sesia another very multi-faceted and talented actor joining us for Richard III*

Don has been active in theatre since the early 1970s. For many years in Montreal Don created characters for a number of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Emigrating to The Netherlands in 1994, he performed in various theatre venues in Amsterdam, the Royal Theatre in The Hague, and the National Theatre of Ljubljana, Slovania featuring in plays by Arthur Miller, Alan Bennett, George Bernard Shaw, and the musical Little Shop of Horrors.

01/07/2021

*The clouds part to let the sun shine on this next wonderful actor: Irina Ghitulescu*

Irina is a Dawson College Professional Theatre Program alumna and ACTRA Apprentice. She has collaborated with local companies such as Beautiful City Theatre (The Full Monty, A Chorus Line: In Concert), Productions Coracole (Les Miserables, Marguerite et les Mauvaises Herbes) and the McGill Savoy Society (Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe) for which she also co-produced two musical cabarets and a mainstage production (Ruddigore) with dear friend and multi-talented fellow performer Marc Ducusin.
Past Shakespearean credits include playing a very pregnant Witch in Macbeth (Shakespeare Canada) and exchanging sharp repartee with Benedick as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Base, Common & Popular).
The role of Lady Anne is one that Irina has cherished for years. She’s grateful to the production team for putting together this beautiful podcast and for getting the chance to perform alongside a plethora of wonderful actors. Lastly, she’s immensely proud of her director and partner, Matthew Mckeown, for spearheading this socially-distant, creative passion project.

28/06/2021

*Angels sing for another very talented Actor on our Richard III Roster! Zachary Sykes!*

Zachary Sykes is a performer based in Montreal and has enjoyed Shakespeare’s works since reading Macbeth in a 10th Grade English class. His acting credits include Brad (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame), Snoopy (You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown), and the Beast (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), and he has worked as the Assistant Director for WISTA’s production of The Addams Family.

21/06/2021

*Trumpet sounds* Next up, we have Alex Goldrich, who is another amazingly talented actor and Shakespeare Connoisseur!

Alex Goldrich (he/him) was born in Ottawa, grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, and now lives and works in Montreal. Stage credits include Horatio in Hamlet (Persephone Productions), Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice (Saint John Theatre Company), the title role in Macbeth (Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company) Will Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love (Saint John Theatre Company), and Angelo in Measure For Measure (Repercussion Theatre). His work as director includes Closer (RAW Productions) and Moby Dick (Persephone Productions).

18/06/2021

Put your hands together for another very talented Actor in our Radio Drama: Natalie Demmon!

Natalie Demmon is an all-around theatre artist based in Montreal, working as a performer, designer and technician. Originally from Western Canada, she came to Quebec to study at Bishop's University where she received a BA Double Honours in Music and Drama. A lover of Shakespearean text, she had the opportunity to perform the roles of Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Fabian (Twelfth Night) while attending Bishop’s and is excited to join The Radio Drama Society of Montreal for Richard III. Additional performance credits include Maeve Sullivan (Blue Stockings), The Duchess of Plaza Toro (The Gondoliers), Greenhouse (Concord Floral) and Loud Stone (Eurydice).

08/06/2021

Please give a big warm welcome to another very talented performer on our Richard III train: Susan Gilmore!

Susan Gilmore

Susan has been involved in community theatre for a number of years with roles in plays as varied as Lysistrata, Samuel Beckett’s All that Fall radio play, Robin Hood pantomime and Jack of Diamonds with the Hudson Players Club, as well as variety shows, marionette theatre, the GlobalBloomsday reading of Ulysses, and playing diverse characters in “Phoebe’s Gift” with Theatre Panache. She would like to thank the wonderful cast, technical crew, and director, Matt Mckeown for their expertise and generosity of spirit throughout this production.

24/05/2021

"Put your hands together for another Cast Member" *Applauding audience* This next Cast Member plays a few different roles in our Radio Drama: Bill Fletcher!

Bill has been involved with community theatre in Montreal for over 30 years as an actor, set builder and Technical Director. He has been the TD on 37 Lakeshore Players productions, most recently the pre-Covid production of ‘Comedy of Tenors’. Favorite performing roles include ‘Candy’ in the Montreal Theatre Ensemble production of ‘Of Mice and Men’ and “Alfieri’ in their presentation of ‘View From the Bridge’.

17/05/2021

Angels sing and applaud this next talented actor, so you should applaud him too! It's Sam Melnick!
Sam is a theatre artist born and raised in Montreal and is a proud graduate of John Abbott College's Professional Theatre Program. He is no stranger to the community theatre scene, having worked with the Cote-Saint-Luc Dramatic Society and the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre. Always excited by new challenges, Sam makes his Shakespeare debut as York in this production of Richard III. Thanks to Matt for the opportunity to explore this material and to encourage creativity in such challenging times.

03/05/2021

Fanfare and applause for this next very talented performer, Sara Wunsch!
Sara Wunsch is a musical theatre lyricist, composer, conductor, & performer. Most recently, she was Musical Director of various shows in Montréal including Chicago (Contact Theatre, performances cancelled due to pandemic), The Addams Family (West Island Theatre Association) Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe (McGill Savoy Society), and Shrek the Musical (WISTA). She has also performed as Dame Hannah in G&S's Ruddigore (McGill Savoy Society) and as a solo vocalist in Blame Canada! (CMTWC) and in several r***e shows with the Seven Wonders Theatre Company and The Lyric Theatre Singers. She holds a Master of Music from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from The University of Massachusetts, Boston. She also studied Vocal Performance at California State University Fullerton, the highlight of which was a performance at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of renowned composer John Williams.

05/04/2021

*Applause for the next talent actor on the roster*
A trained classical singer, Stefano obtained his Bachelor's of Music in 2012 at Unversité de Montréal. Since then, he has sung with several ensembles and choirs, and currently sings with two professional choirs based in Quebec. He has performed both at the national and international level, most recently as November 2018 where he toured in France with the Choeur de chambre du Québec. Stefano is also no stranger to the stage as he has taken part in many professional and semi-professional theater and staged musical productions with such groups as the McGill Savoy Society, CETM Studios, and Brave New Productions.

This is Stefano's first radio drama and is thrilled to be working with the talented cast and crew of the Radio Drama Society of Montreal and their production of Richard III.

28/03/2021

Imago Theater and the MAI present Tuning In, a series of new, original audio dramas by women playwrights. They explore the nature of truth, perception, and societal influence, These new works invite us to examine issues around care, fear and denial.

Tuning In will be broadcast live from the MAI on April 2, 3, and 4 at 7:30PM. Admission is by donation to The Open Door, a drop-in centre providing services to homeless and low-income people in downtown Montreal.

Follow the link below for more information, and to sign up for admission.
https://www.imagotheatre.ca/tuning-in

In partnership with the MAI, Tuning In is a commissioned series of three new, short audio plays penned by women playwrights from across Canada. Tuning In tackles issues of denial, fear and care. Three Canadian women playwrights explore the perspectives that reflect our personal realities and also th...

03/02/2021

*Trumpet Sounds* Another brilliant actor on board with our rendition of Richard III Radio Drama!

Kenny Stein (Clarence) has been performing on Montreal stages for 25 years and is honoured to be part of The Radio Drama Society of Montreal's inaugural production of Richard III. Acting credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Simeon), Little Shop of Horrors (voice of Audrey II), Les Miserables (Jean Valjean), RENT (Roger), Fiddler On The Roof (Perchik), Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Pharaoh), Cabaret (Herr Schultz), Hairspray (Edna), and 7 years with the cast of Rocky Horror (Eddie/Dr Scott). He is very fortunate to be performing alongside the other fabulously talented members of The Radio Drama Society of Montreal, and expresses gratitude to all who helped produce this show.

22/01/2021

Check out our article on Montreal Theatre Hub! Thanks to Cheyenne Cranston for the giving Bruce, Simon, and Matthew the chance to talk about Richard III and spread the word to our community.

Read it here:

https://montrealtheatrehub.com/2021/01/22/interview-radio-drama-society-of-montreal-reimagines-shakespeare-for-the-podcast-era/

Simon Côté (Actor), Matthew Mckeown (Director/Producer), and Bruce Lambie (TD/Editor/Actor) speak to Montreal Theatre Hub's Cheyenne Cranston on their radio drama production of Richard III. [...]

08/01/2021

*Angels Sing* Next up, in the Cast (and Crew) list of Richard III, we have Bruce J Lambie, who, not only is a very talented actor, he is also the one piecing together all of the audio for this very Radio Play! What talent!

BRUCE LAMBIE is a Montreal-based theatre artist, active in all aspects of stagecraft. He has been the sound engineer for MainLine Theatre’s annual presentation of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show since 2017. Most recently, he was stage manager and lighting designer for the Dawson Professional Theatre Program’s production of Tongues/Savage Love in March 2020, and was technical director for Tableau D’Hôte Theatre’s production of Winter’s Daughter at the Segal Centre in December 2019. He has also been a lighting designer, sound designer, stage manager, technical director, set builder, and general miracle-worker for numerous shows around Montreal and Canada. Bruce is the technical director of MainLine Theatre, he teaches technical theatre in the Professional Theatre Program at Dawson College, and is a proud graduate of both Bishop's University and the National Theatre School of Canada.

29/12/2020

*Angels singing* Next up, in the wonderful cast list is the very talented Stefania Bertrand!

STEFANIA BERTRAND () has always loved Shakespeare. From the moment she first opened a copy of “As You Like It” at age 12, she was hooked. The music of the language and the depth of the characters allows her to dream with open eyes. Her deep appreciation and passion for the bard led her to work with industry professionals such as Rosanna Saracino, Peter Van Wart, Denise Norman, and Ausar Stewart. In addition, she has had the pleasure of taking master classes with Eda Holmes, Peter Hinton, Joseph Millson, Harry McEntire, and Mark Rowley. Stefania holds a BEd from McGill University (2012) and a professional diploma in performing arts from The Randolph College for Performing Arts (2017). Acting credits include: Bad Play (Mime/Quarantine Plays), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Muse & Phantom/MainLine Theatre), The Drowsy Chaperone (Trix/The Hudson Music Club), Stage Door (Olga/Randolph College), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Princess of France/Randolph College).

21/12/2020

The moment is finally here! Richard III, Act 1 is now available for streaming at the link below and is coming soon to major podcast platforms. It has been a wild ride to get here, and we're all excited to share this with you! Thank you for your continued support, and stay tuned for more news!

https://anchor.fm/rdsm/episodes/Richard-III-Act-1-eo2f20

RDSM presents William Shakespeare's Richard III, Act 1. Richard begins his bloody machinations to gain England's throne.

19/12/2020

So, there was a plan, and then...

At the beginning of March this year, like so many people, I was looking forward to a lot of things. March is full of birthdays in my family, including my own, and with some roots stretching back to Ireland, St. Patrick's is also important to me. As we all know now, those celebrations changed. In the middle of a work day, everyone in my office was told to head home and work from there until further notice. We have all been learning to live our lives at a distance from each other.

This has been hard on friendships, relationships, families, and communities. I'm lucky not to be sick, not to be on the front lines of this pandemic. I'm lucky to have work and a home and support from wonderful people. Still, theater, something I love, was stopped in it's tracks, and has been struggling to continue ever since.

I've been involved in performance for as long as I can remember. Community theater has given me so much, and the thought of it ending was deeply painful. So I determined that I needed to do something. I talked with friends and colleagues about it, and what emerged was this, The Radio Drama Society of Montreal. Maybe we can't look like we're together, but we can sound like we're together. If the audience can't come to the theater, then theater must go to the audience.

I'd wanted to produce Richard III for some time now, as a way of examining how people can fall prey to, and even become fervent followers of unscrupulous leaders. A play became a podcast, and five acts became five episodes. The plan was to release it before the end of October, as all of you who've heard our trailer will know. 2020, it seems, has a way of making plans change.

The new date for the release of Act 1 is set for December 20th. We're very much looking forward to sharing it with you.

Stay tuned, folks, we're nearly there.

Matthew Mckeown,
Director / Producer

03/12/2020

Make way for another awesome actor in the midst of our Radio Drama, Marc Ducusin! He plays the role of Buckingham in our rendition!

Marc Ducusin (he/him) is a Montreal-based performer who has appeared locally in shows for the Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society, Full Circle Productions, In the Wings Promotions, the McGill Savoy Society (for which he has also served as a producer), Kaleidoscope Theatre, Acts to Grind, Brave New Productions, and many other companies, at venues including the Centaur Theatre, the Segal Centre, the Mainline, and the Rialto. Outside of Montreal, he has performed at Ottawa's Arts Court and Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. He is an ACTRA apprentice represented by Maria Morella at Bellini International, and he holds a PhD in English Literature from McGill University.

25/11/2020

*Trumpet Sounds* Let's make way for another of our very talented actors in our rendition of Richard III Radio Drama - Calder Levine!

A versatile artist, Calder Levine has performed in theatres, films, and voice. In 2020, he was nominated for an Audioverse Award for Supporting Role in a New Audio play. In 2019, his short film, Sin Eater, was a finalist in the 100 Hour Film Festival. He has also directed two theatre pieces and one short commercial for Montreal tech start-up, bKey.

Recently, Calder wrote, produced, and performed in Cosmonaut Number One, a solo biodrama about the first man in space. It was developed in the Playwright Workshop Montreal’s Young Creators Unit, and adapted to a digital medium after the Montreal Fringe Festival 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemic with the support of National Theatre School of Canada’s initiative.

Calder Levine, a graduate of John Abbott College (Professional Theatre: Acting) and Concordia University (Education) is an active member and supporter of the Montreal performing arts community. He is currently on the board of the Quebec Drama Federation.

16/11/2020

Let's put our hands together for Cast Member number 3 in our version of Richard III, Natasha Perry-Fagant! She is a super talented artist playing multiple roles in this radio drama!

Natasha Perry-Fagant is an award nominated actor, writer, director for screen and stage with directing credits on acclaimed pieces “A David Lynch Wet Dream” and “SCRUM”

Notable film appearances include the role of Karine in Michael Treder’s award winning short “Le Carnivore” appearing as the terrorized heroine. In 2013 she received her BFA from Concordia University graduating with honors.

Since graduating Natasha has been active in both the indie film and theatre scene.

Recent works include the one woman show “L’Appel du Vide” and her feminist solo piece“The Absence of Silence” in the Bete Noire festival. When not on stage Perry-Fagant can be caught as a storyteller in the streets. Since 2016 she has been a part of Guidatour’s Fantomes Montreal team recounting the macabre history of Ville-Marie.

Her most recent project is “The Vanity” a film she wrote and co-directed with frequent collaborator Michael Treder. The short is currently being submitted to festivals internationally.

10/11/2020

*Trumpet Sounds* Come one, come all and take a gander at this next performer who also very talented in all that he does! Matthew Erskine is his name and he plays multiple different characters in our version of Richard III - Radio Drama!

Matthew Erskine is excited to be participating in his first-ever radio cast production and Shakespeare play, voicing various bit parts including Lord Rivers. Having been involved in various high school musical theatre performances, he is an active member of the McGill Savoy Society, wherein he held the lead role for the two previous years: Giuseppe Palmieri in the 2020 production of The Gondoliers and Robin Oakapple in the 2019 production of Ruddigore. A third-year student at McGill University, Matthew currently studies political science with a dabble of economics, philosophy, and, of course, theatre.

08/11/2020

Hear ye, hear ye! One of the many actors involved in this, the radio drama called Richard III! We wish to introduce him to all of you! Simon Côté playing the role of Richard of Gloucester!

Simon’s past credits include Player King in For the love of Shakespeare, The Lounge Singer in Snow White: The Panto (Hudson Village Theater), Thibeau in Balconville and Borrachio in Much Ado About Nothing (Hudson Players Club), Jud in Oklahoma! and Underling in Drowsy Chaperone (Hudson Music Club), Chief of Police in The Inspector General (Lakeshore Players), Javert in Les Misérables (Productions Coracole), Strephon in Iolanthe, Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, Wilfred Shadbolt in Yeomen of the Guard, The Mikado in The Mikado, Dick Deadeye in HMS Pinafore (Lakeshore Light Opera), Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing (Snowglobe Theatre), Macbeth in Macbeth, Ghost and Claudius in Hamlet (staged reading), Gloucester in King Lear (staged reading) for his own company, Base, Common & Popular. Many thanks to our director and the cast and crew of Richard III for a great experience and to the lovely Heather Hanks-Côté for everything else.

01/11/2020

Our channel is now available on Google Podcasts! You can find our trailer there at the link below. Follow this page for more news and updates.

https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xNGRiNTNmOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

30/10/2020

We are now available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, and RadioPublic! Thanks to the team at Anchor for making this happen. Check out our trailer for Richard III, coming soon!

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0vLv2EENfk4BesFbgmcEfY

Breaker:
https://www.breaker.audio/the-radio-drama-society-of-montreal

PocketCasts:
https://pca.st/vmcnyt8h

RadioPublic:
https://radiopublic.com/the-radio-drama-society-of-montre-GAEzgN

A collection of performers and artists from the Montreal theater community telling important stories through modern media

26/10/2020

Trailer!

We've been hard at work getting ready to bring Richard III to all of you, and the time has nearly arrived.

Here's a quick peek of what's to come. Follow our page for more news and updates!

https://anchor.fm/rdsm/episodes/Richard-III-trailer-elk43m

The Radio Drama Society of Montreal presents William Shakespeare's Richard III, a limited series in 5 Acts. Stay tuned for more news, coming soon!

09/10/2020

If you haven't seen Marc Ducusin's interview on Quebec Drama Federation's , you can check it out now at the link below! Marc joins the incomparable Camila Fitzgibbon for a discussion of the performing arts in our times, including his upcoming performance as Buckingham in our very own Richard III!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=344966700154719

02/10/2020

Hard at work

02/10/2020

Beginning this October, RDSM presents William Shakespeare's Richard III. More news coming soon!