Actor, teacher, director and translator, was born in El Salvador and has lived in Quebec since 1998. He studied acting at L’École de théâtre du Centre National des Arts, where he later worked as a teacher; and in Mexico with the Ministry of Education and the University of Guerrero. He also studied literature and cinema. His theatrical training has drawn from all walks of life and is anchored mainly in the works of Stanislavsky, Brecht, Grotowski, Mikhail Chekhov, Peter Brook, and Latin American theater. He worked for several years with two heirs of renowned Russian pedagogue Maria Knebel, with whom he was able to deepen the work in “active analysis”.

Leo Argüello is the founder of several independent theatre companies in El Salvador, Mexico (Sol del Río 32, Arteatro) and Quebec (Kantil, Décalage), and has worked as an actor (theatre, TV, cinema), director and puppeteer. In Quebec, he has worked with Biscuit, Clé, Kantil, Décalage, Usine C, Quat’sous, CDTdA, and Aux Ecuries. As a translator he worked for 12 years for TV5 Monde in the translation, adaptation and subtitling of films into Spanish for the whole of Latin America; as well as translations of plays and poetry (Pinter, Koltès, Shepard, Charles Cross, Saint-John Perse, Michel Tournier and others) Leo Argüello has been an active member of UDA and ACTRA for more than 20 years.

Actor, director, storyteller and cultural worker, Ligia Borges is an artist of Brazilian origin, interested in the art of speech as a tool for encounter. She is one of the co-founders of the Quebec collective Théâtre de l’intime and the Brazilian company Teatro da Travessia. In Brazil, she completed a master’s degree in theatre on the importance of storytelling in contemporary society and has taught in secondary and vocational schools, as well as in the school of contemporary society.

Jorge Martínez Colorado is a Mexican-born actor, who trained in theatre at the University of Veracruz in Mexico. After arriving in Montreal in 1998, he took English and French language classes to pursue his acting career. His early years were spent in classes, workshops and theatrical projects. It was in 2021 that he was called in for an audition and chosen to play “Emilio” in the TV series “Le temps des framboises” directed by Philippe Falardeau. Then he landed the role of Camilo, in the film ” Coyote” written and directed by director Katherine Jerkovic. “Coyote” was selected by the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, FNC, IFFO and the Whistler film festival where it won the Best Actor of the Year award. In the summer of 2023 he performed in the play “Beisbol” with the theatre company “Hors taxes” and immediately afterwards embarked on the play “Providencia” in which he rediscovers a little of his Latin American roots.

Originally from Uruguay and now living in Montreal, Ximena Ferrer is a graduate of the El Galpón Theatre School (Montevideo, Uruguay). She has played various roles in classical works at the El Galpón Theatre and in experimental plays on the Uruguayan independent scene. Making the most of the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires, the Latin American capital of theatre, she honed her skills with renowned directors such as Ricardo Bartis, Juan Carlos Genet and Alejandro Catalan. Since arriving in Montreal in 2013, Ximena has worked as an actress in plays such as Albertine en cinq temps at the Montreal International Mexican Theatre Festival, as well as with the companies Ondinnok, Motus Théâtre and Parminou. Since 2017, she has co-directed the company Singulier Pluriel with Julie Vincent, in addition to having acted as an actress in four of these creations as well as two theatrical podcasts. Ximena distinguished herself in particular with the piece “La Mondiola”, having initiated the project of creating the work in a house. She recently completed her first production as director of the play DESEO, presented in a house for the entire month of September 2023.

Oliver Ocampo is a trilingual actor (FR, EN, SP) and an alumnus of John Abbott’s theatre program. Recently trained in Meisner and thanks to his love for improvisation, Oliver is an actor who is committed to being present and generous to his stage/camera partners. Oliver is very happy to join the team for the reading of “Anywhere but Here”, this will be his first experience in the world of Francophone Theatre. His goal as an actor is to invite the audience to experience.

Patricia Pérez is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural mediator. She distinguished herself from the beginning as a gymnast and was the national champion of Venezuela for three consecutive years, from 1981 to 1984, participating in the World Games in Moscow, the Central American Games in Cuba and as choreographer of the national team at the Pan American Games in Caracas. She continued her career in contemporary and folk dance performance with the Coreoarte company (Director Carlos Orta) until her arrival in Quebec in 1986.

In Montreal, she was part of the cast of the creation Le Dortoir, by Carbonne 14 (Gilles Maheu), then she participated in nine creative productions with the Nouveau Théâtre Expérimental (Robert Gravel and Jean Pierre Ronfard), such as La Conquête de México, Il n’y a plus rien, Corps à corps and Thérèse, Tom and Simon. She has also worked in television and film with Guy Fournier in the soap operas Ent’Cadieux and Jamais deux sans toi, and played the lead role of Esperanza in Roger Cantin’s film production Methuselah II. She was also part of the cast of the Quebec version of the production Notre Dame de Paris for a year and a half, on tour (Maheu-Plamondon). By working as a columnist in the production Union Libre des Amériques (Spectra) as well as in various television and radio programs (Marie France Bazzo), her multidisciplinarity practice took off. She has also worked in research and creation for the theatre companies Momentum (Dominique Leduc) and Transthéâtre (Brigitte Poupart).

On the pedagogical side, Ms. Pérez has worked as a teacher of dance, capoeira, acrobatics and dance theatre at the Building Danse (1987-1990), and in creative workshops in various elementary and secondary schools of the Commission scolaire de Montréal. Since retiring from the stage in 2003, Ms. Pérez has worked with TOHU as an artist mediator, responsible for PRÉLUDE, a program to support the next generation of artists in Saint-Michel (Performing Arts). She leads guided tours on the history of the circus and collaborates in the programming of Falla, Souk, Têtes premières, etc.

In 2010, she was invited to join the 10 delegates accompanying Canada’s G.G., Michaëlle Jean, on her last state trip to Africa (Senegal, Rwanda, Congo and Cape Verde). She also travels the world of music by lending her voice to several music groups, Latin jazz: Sarava, Trius and flamenco: Juanito y Luna, Jheinsen Montalvo and lately, Verona son. Specializing in cultural mediation, she undertakes research and exploration work with seniors, in the context of private and public residences.

A graduate of the International Theatre Training Workshop in Colima (Mexico) directed by Janet Pinela and trained at the Casa del Teatro in Mexico City, Christian Rangel is a multi-talented artist. As a performer, he took part in various international theatre productions of the company Cuatro Milpas Teatro A.C. between 2003 and 2020. From the beginning of her career, it was the significant encounters that inspired her to collaborate on artistic projects that helped build bridges between her native Mexico and the international scene, particularly Quebec. Thus, he counts among these decisive collaborations that have accompanied him as mentors artists such as Pascal Brullemans, Jaime Chabaud, Luis de Tavira, Luisa Huertas, Eric Jean or Suzanne Lebeau. Endowed with versatile stage talents, great creativity, and a rare sensitivity that easily opened him up to multiculturalism with his multilingualism, Christian quickly participated in large-scale projects such as Corps Étrangers (co-prod. Cuatro Milpas/Colima-Mexico + Théâtre de Quat’Sous – QC 2006), Mariana Olas (Colima 2008) and Chasseurs (Théâtre de Quat’Sous 2007).

In 2006, he received the prestigious Gustavo Vazquez Montes Award for his notable artistic career, which also earned him a guest artist at the FTA (youth component) that same year by the Office Québec-Amériques pour la jeunesse (OQAJ) to represent Mexico. With an international career, it was only in 2016 that he felt the need to explore and develop the artistic dialogue between Quebec and Mexico. He then initiated the project Más allá – Ailleurs thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Culture of Colima; The project was developed in Mexico and created in Montreal in collaboration with Pascal Brullemans, Éric Jean, Anne-Catherine Lebeau and Geneviève Lizotte. This project marks Christian’s move to the Queen City.

His Quebec and Canadian adventure then continued with the show Who Killed Freebird? where, as an associate artist, he toured most of Quebec between 2017 and 2023. In 2022-23, at the invitation of director Nini Bélanger, with her transgressive and innovative vision, familiar with Christian’s talents and universe, he joined the creation of Homicide at Théâtre Prospero alongside Dany Boudreau. The play, presented in the fall of 2023, was a great success with Quebec audiences and critics.

Eager for new collaborations, especially to continue to forge creative links and question borders, Christian continues to be involved with artists and stage groups from various backgrounds, including Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Mariana Tayler is an author, screenwriter, and actress who speaks and performs in four languages. Her play “Providencia” opened the 2023 season of Théâtre Aux Écuries. Recipient of the SARTEC-Radio Canada competition to encourage the next generation of diversity, she also writes comedy sketches for the collective l’Abécédaire, which are presented during their theatrical evenings. The pilot for her web series “514”, which she co-wrote with Michel Duchesne, was produced by Pixcom in the fall of 2017. She is currently developing several TV projects, including the adaptation of a novel into a series. Since graduating from Concordia with a degree in theatre performance, Mariana has toured the play “Jabber” with Geordie Productions across Canada and the United States (2013-2018). She was also part of the cast of “The Refugee Hotel” at the Segal Centre in the fall of 2016, as well as the cast of “Crème-Glacée”, produced bt Vancouver’s Théâtre de la Seizième, which she toured across Western Canada in 2018. We will be able to see her on the small screen, in season 5 of the series “Léo”. She was also part of the cast of Jean-Philippe Lehoux’s play “Fausse Balle”, directed by Charles Dauphinais and Ariana Pirela Sanchez, one of the big hits of the summer of 2023 in Montreal parks.

An actress and costume designer born in Nicaragua and living in Quebec since 1988, Luz studied at the National Theatre School of Nicaragua (UNESCO scholarship), the School of Fine Arts of Mexico and the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique du Québec. She has participated in several theatre workshops, such as: Actor Training Workshop given by Eugenio Barba; Theatrical research workshop on the novel Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo and directed by Leo Arguello; Workshop The Stanislavski-Danchenko System, given by Alberto Celarié.

In Nicaragua and Mexico, she was a company member of Théatre Sol del Rio 32 (repertory and creative theatre company) and Le Théatre et ses Artefacts (theatre of objects and puppets). In Montreal, Luz was a founding member of the Kantil troupe and a member of the Pol Pelletier Company (1999-2000).

She wasseen in the Spanish dramatic reading of “Albertine en cing temps” at the 1990 Theatre Festival of the Americas. She recently participated in the plays: “Ganou-Gala” (Motus Theatre); “Voice”; “Somos Ici” (Ludotek and Latin Arte); “Hagar and the Source”; “Traversées-Ailleurs” (Kantil). In the cinema: “Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story”; “Imitation”; “El Incredulo”; “Neus”; “2 keys”; “Beau is Afraid”. TV Series: “Land of Hope”; “10-07”; “The Jeremiah River”; “Disasters”, “5th Rank”; “The Simons”; “Reasonable doubt”; “Hotel”; “Alert”.

Lesly Velázquez is a Mexican-born designer who co-directs the company Coop-Ludotek-Art alongside Margarita Herrera Dominguez. After her studies in theatre, languages, and literature, she worked with ORTEUV (Mexico’s oldest theatre company). This collaboration, as well as her unclassifiable curiosity, brought her to Montreal, where she eventually settled. Her life and professional journey in the new host country is nourished by all kinds of challenges that she faces with enthusiasm. Her talent, her physical expressiveness and her beautiful accent have been noticed in various French and English productions such as “Fiel” with Théâtre INK, “Jean Dit” with L’Activité, “Valparaiso” with Singulier Pluriel, “Migraaaants” with Coop Ludotek-Art, “Habibi’s Angels” with Talisman and more recently with Jonathan Le Goéland with Surreal Soreal Théâtre and Alterindiens Productions “Menuentakuan”.

Despite writing having always been a part of her life, 2023 marks the timid coming out of the closet as an emerging writer and translator. All propelled by a deep desire to connect with others through one’s own feminine, mixed-race and imperfect voice. (Photo: Damián Siqueiros)

A 2019 graduate of UQAM’s École Supérieure de théâtre in acting, Kathy-Alexandra Retamal Villegas is also an author, director and performer. Born to Chilean parents, she constantly juggles between French, Spanish and English in her personal life as well as in her art.

In October 2019, during the social crisis in Chile, she founded with 5 other women the collective “Chili s’est réveillé Montréal”, with which she wrote and directed several committed artistic performances. One of them was awarded a scholarship from the National Theatre School of Canada’s Art Apart program in 2020. Recognized in the Chilean activist community, she performed for the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état in Chile, her 4th consecutive annual performance. In April 2021, she created and hosted the Podcast “Cachai”, to highlight the culture, artists and realities of Latinos in Quebec. The 4th season will launch in 2024. In the theatre, she participates as an author, creator and actress for Le Grand Lancement at the Prospero in December 2022.

Then, she got the lead role in the youth play “En crise” by Annick Lefebvre, which was presented at the Laval Teen Theatre Festival in April 2023. This project will continue in 2024. She also wrote her first play “Medea Luz” for which she obtained financial support from the CALQ and presented part of the creative process in May 2023 at the Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges. She also got the role of Caroline Dawson in the adaptation of her novel “Là où je me terre” on Radio-Canada Odhio in 2022, then at the theatre at La Bordée in November 2023. With a fire of revolution as much artistic as political,

Kathy-Alexandra loves to create with the fusion of different arts and mediums, breaking the rules and exposing the cracks. To be a voice for the oppressed, for the invisible, for minorities. To create art as an impulse for life, in all its forms, as a cry of revolt, as a call to unity, reflection and vulnerability.

Born and raised in Egypt, Maryse landed in Montreal at age 9 ½ where she learned English watching Happy Days on television. In 1991, Pierre Bernard, artistic director of the Théâtre de Quat’Sous, hired her as his assistant, and gave her a first shot at translation – Cindy Lou Johnson’s Brilliant Traces – thus changing the course of her life.

She has been active in theatre translation for more than 30 years now, and was instrumental in bringing the works of Canadian writers such as Daniel Brooks, Brad Fraser, John Mighton, Morris Panych, Erin Shields and George F. Walker to francophone audiences. She has also translated works from American authors (Christopher Durang, Margaret Edson, Lucas Hnath, David Ives, David Lindsay-Abaire & David Mamet), British (Howard Barker, Alice Birch, Nick Dear, David Hare, Lucy Kirkwood, Harold Pinter, Philip Ridley), Irish (Deirdre Kinahan), and Scottish playwrights (David Greig & Douglas Maxwell).
Her translations are celebrated for being faithful to the original, while making effective yet unostentatious use of the Quebec idiom.

Her translation of George F. Walker’s Suburban Motel series earned her an award in 2000 from the Académie québécoise du théâtre, and was shortlisted for the 2001 Governor General’s Literary Award. But it’s her translation of Greg MacArthur’s The Toxic Bus Incident which garnered the GG in 2011.

Many of her translations have been published : The Ugly Man (Boréal), Suburban Motel Cycle (vlb éditeur), Bye Bye Baby (L’instant scène), Brilliant Traces (Lux) and The Toxic Bus Incident (Dramaturges éditeurs) – or made into movies by respected Quebec directors, Claude Desrosiers (Brilliant Traces), and Louis Bélanger (Criminal Genius).

Since 1992, she has translated or adapted more than 75 plays.

Natércia Napoleão is a multifaceted Brazilian theatre artist.

Over the past eighteen years, she has notably contributed to the Albertan theatre community, with experience in site-specific theatre, dance theatre, multimedia performance, television, musicals, and a wide range of classical and contemporary theatre. Recent performance highlights include the acclaimed Fado: The Saddest Music in the World (JAYMAC Outstanding Production Award) at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver.

Directing credits include Hummm (Climate Change Theatre Action/ New Harlem Productions); Orange Skies (Tarragon Theatre’s Young Playwright’s Unit); and the multidisciplinary theatre piece, Threshold (The Lobbyists collective/2021 Chinook Series). Dramaturgy credits include Hot House Crossing, a playwriting program for newcomer and refugee artists, for Cahoots Theatre.

As a Producer, Natércia has helped realize Rutas 2022: An International Festival of Performance for Aluna Theatre (in partnership with Factory and Theatre Passe Muraille) and White Girls in Moccasins with Dora Award nominated manidoons collective and Buddies In Bad Times Theatre.

She is has also been a 2021-2022 Innovator working with Nightwood Theatre, a 2022 ThisGen Director Fellow with Why Not Theatre and a 2022 Belfry Theatre’s Arts Leadership Training Program attendee.

As a writer, Natércia has recently attended the 2022 Stratford Festival’s Playwright’s Retreat and is currently developing her first play, Michener Park, alongside collaborators such as Carmen Aguirre and Stephen Drover. Natércia is also an essayist, and her recent works include, “Reimagining Community and the Workplace of Theatre” (Culture Days AB) and “2020: Year of the Iconoclast” (Theatre Alberta).

As a community advocate, Natércia spearheads and contributes to grassroots initiatives regularly. She has worked as a strategic planner with institutions and companies exploring equitable practices, such as Musical Stage Co. and Outside the March. She has also served on the board of the Canadian Latinx Theatre Artist Coalition (CALTAC) and co-organized COYUNTURA 2022: A National Latinx Theatre Gathering.

Natércia is a graduate from the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program and a representative for CAEA’s Alberta North/N.W.T region.

Elkahna Talbi is an actress, author and performative poetry artist (spoken word/slam).

As an actress, she has appeared on television in “Les Simones”, “Plan B”, Appelle-moi si tu meurs, the children’s series “Les Mutants” and will soon be seen in “Alerts”. On the web, she was one of the main characters in “Dors avec moi”. In theatre, she has performed in “Docteure”, “Mama”, “Les filles du St-Laurent”, “Pétrole et Trois” by Mani Soleymanlou, among others (culminating in a cross-Canada tour under the name “Un.Deux.Trois”). In addition, she is one of the assistants in the shows “Culturama” and “La vie est un carnaval”.As an

author, she has written collections of poetry (“Moi”, “figuier sous la neige” and “Pomme Grenade”, published by Mémoire d’encrier). She has also published in several collective works. Elkahna is also known as Queen Ka, for over 15 years, for her poetic creations and performances. She published an anthology of her stage texts from 2005 to 2020, entitled “Queen Ka sur papier”.

In 2018, she created a two-part show with Amélie Prévost’s artist, Fol ouvrage (Torcher des paillettes), which premiered at the International Festival of Literature.
She was part of the show “La Renarde: sur les traces de Pauline Julien” as well as the album of the same name.