As I Must Live It Digital Program

Daniele Bartolini is a director, playwright and immersive interdisciplinary artist born in Florence, Italy who produces work in Canada and Internationally. His work has been defined as “an especially intriguing investigation” by the New York Times and “the theatre of the future” by Italian Magazine PaneAcquaCulture. Daniele’s creations have been commissioned and presented at institutions such as La Biennale di Venezia, Soulpepper, The Goethe Institute of Bucharest, Canadian Embassy in Rome, Olympic theatre of Vicenza and in association with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund. He calls his practice ‘audience specific’, seeking for a role of co-authorship and artistic collaboration with the audience. “One of the things that sets DLT apart from the ‘immersive’ genre is that it’s what Daniele Bartolini calls audience-specific theatre, which is meaningful because the term points to how the play conforms to you — not just to you making choices of which way to drive the plot, but that the play is unfolding around and because of you.” – Lise Hosein, CBC ARTS He is the creator of internationally acclaimed The Stranger, a show created for a lone audience member that travels across the city, and was presented in three different continents. Daniele is the Artistic Director of DLT, a company known for city-spanning experiences where the participants take on the role of protagonists and the reinvention of the theatrical form. He is currently commissioned as a playwright at Stratford Festival. Daniele has been nominated for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production at the Dora Awards for The Stranger and for Outstanding Ensemble of If on a Christmas Night. He is a recipient of multiple awards including the RBC Newcomer Access Price and the Premio Girulà of the city of Naples, and he is a finalist of the Telus Newcomer Award of Toronto. Daniele starred in the movie 1994 by Anthony Sarracco.

Mahsa Ershadifar is a multilingual performer, assistant director, stage manager and translator. She is the Associate Artist and Producer at Modern Times Stage Company. Mahsa’s passion for the arts began with her collaborating extensively with Aida Keykhaii and Mohammad Yaghoubi and the NOWADAYS Theatre Company, working on a wide range of projects including, but not limited to: The Only Possible Way (Canadian Stage, 2019), Swim Team (The Theatre Centre, 2019), Winter of ’88 (Next Stage Festival, 2020), Dance of Torn Papers (Fringe 2020), On The Shoulders of Antonio (2020), Heart of A Dog (Next Stage Festival, 2021). Mahsa has been a board member at Nowadays Theatre Company since 2020. Recent credits include Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Crow’s Theatre/Modern Times), Anahita’s Republic (Factory Theatre/Bustle and Beasts), Migraaaants (TwoThousandFeetUp/ Theatre Passe Muraille), and a participant in the Creator’s Bootcamp at Soulpepper’s Her Words Festival. @Mahsaerf.

INDRIT KASAPI
Born in Albania, Indrit has made Tkarón:to his home since 2000. He is the Founding Artistic Producer for lemonTree creations and Artistic Producer for Theatre Passe Muraille. lemonTree creations focuses on queer works, and Indrit has produced, acted in, choreographed and directed several critically acclaimed and award winning productions, including most recently, performing as Beech in the World Premiere of Three Fingers Back by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (lemonTree/Tarragon Theatre).

As the Artistic Producer of Canada’s original alternative theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Indrit continues to develop exciting new theatrical voices while also focusing on national and international touring for the company.
As a performer, Indrit has had the privilege to work with many talented writers, directors, designers and companies in a myriad of projects that more often than not are interdisciplinary in nature making use of both his ability with movement and text. Most notably he is a company member of the award winning dance theatre company CORPUS. Through Corpus he has helped develop and premiere two new works (Machina Nuptialis, House Guests) and continued touring other repertoire to North America, Europe and Asia. He’s an Acting graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, a 2018 Harold Award Winner and a 2020 Dora Nominated performer.

Adrian Bent is a Canadian Musician from Toronto, Ontario. He is also the founder of Against The Grain Productions, while most known for his drumming with Drake, Adrian has also played with countless other acclaimed artists, hosted a multitude of Drum Masterclasses musical directed tours and most recently composed some award winning film SNOLPS.

Having been Drake’s drummer since 2010. Adrian has extensively toured the world a few times over, and performed to Millions of music fans across the globe. When not on tour with Drake. he played along aside the likes or Daniel caesar and
Victoria Monèt, to name a few.

Despite having his hands full with all the above, Adrian has been patiently and diligently honing his craft as a composer over the past decade, and is now looking to make as much of a name for himself in Film and TV scorine as he has in the drum
Under the umbrella of Against The Grain Music Inc (ATG), he has already scored multiple short films, amassing multiple awards for Best Film Score in the festival circuit.

Jackie Chau has worked as a set and costume designer for over 250 productions and is a production designer and art director for film and television. Selected theatre designs: The Hours That Remain, Serving Elizabeth, The Gig (Theatre Aquarius) Annie Mae’s Movement, Almighty Voice and His Wife, Tombs of the Vanishing Indian, HUFF (NEPA), Gas Girls, The First Stone (New Harlem Productions), Lady Sunrise, Wildfire, The Waltz (Factory Theatre), Moment, Dissidents, Oil, Gloria, Martyr (ARC Theatre), 39 Steps, Oraltorio (Soulpepper), The Komagata Maru Incident (Stratford Festival), Dragon’s Tale (Tapestry Opera/Luminato), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canstage/High Park). Jackie was named in NOW magazine’s Top 10 Theatre Artists of 2009, nominated for 3 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design, nominated for a Saskatoon Area Theatre Award, Winnipeg Theatre Award, and has received 9 Dora nominations for outstanding set and costume design. She has taught Theatrical Design at the University of Toronto and is currently a professor at York University.

Sarah Mansikka is from Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BFA in Design for the Theatre from Concordia University. She has been working as a professional lighting designer and lighting director throughout Canada and Europe for over 15 years. Sarah has recently been working with Political Movement, Musique 3 Femmes, and The WeeFestival. She also worked as the Lighting Director for Rimini Protokoll’s world tour of Best Before and as an Assistant Lighting Designer with The Canadian Opera Company and The Stratford Festival. Sarah is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE ADC659) and is thrilled to be based in Toronto after over a decade of traveling.

Limbic Cinema is an award-winning multimedia creative studio based in Bristol. Utilising cutting-edge tools and immersive technology to transform spaces and transport audiences.

The studio creates mesmerising, meaningful, and memorable encounters that empower people through the use of light, sound, and moving image.

Recent work featured at Video Mapping Festival, Lille (2023), Glastonbury Festival (2023), Edinburgh Fringe (2023), Sundance Film Festival (2021), Vivid Sydney (2021)

More information can be found at www.ventmedia.co.uk

Ada Aguilar is so humbled and excited to be a part of this beautiful heart-filled piece! Besides SM’ing, she is also an Artistic Associate and international multidisciplinary artist with DopoLavoroTeatrale (DLT). Having had the honour to work with a variety of artists and different theatre companies, the aim is always to support in uplifting other voices and provide space to all rooms she enters, leading with care and active listening. A few past credits include: Into the Woods (TIFT); Vierge (Factory); 1939 (Stratford Festival); Is God Is (Obsidian/Canadian Stage/NAC); White Girls in Moccasins (Manidoons/Buddies); Spectators’ Odyssey – o dell’Inferno (DLT/TOLive); The Runner (Human Cargo *2019 Dora Award winner); School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian/Nightwood *2019 Dora Award winner); Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, August: Osage County, 88 Keys; Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts I, II, III) (Soulpepper); Wedding Party (Crow’s/TIFT).