Judd Palmer is one of the founding co-artistic directors of the Old Trout Puppet Workshop. Over the past 25 years with the Old Trouts, Judd has directed, designed, written or co-written and/or performed in many shows. He has also written and illustrated nine children’s books (three of which have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award), and is an erstwhile filmmaker of sorts; he wrote, directed, and narrated the award-winning Old Trout Christmas special (produced by the National Film Board), and is currently hard at work on the Old Trout Hallowe’en special, which might be released next year. He is also the general manager of Puente Theatre, a company based in Victoria dedicated to building bridges between cultures. In his misspent youth he was the slide banjo player in the stomp & holler trance blues band The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir.  Judd just discovered that he can apply to have “UE” after his name because he’s a descendant of United Empire Loyalists, namely Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, refugees from the American Revolution who settled in the unfortunately-named town of Pugwash, Nova Scotia in fear of the ravenous mob down south. In an irony of history he is also distantly related to the Swamp Fox, the American partisan fighter played by Mel Gibson in The Patriot. He lives in a moat with his beloved wife Mercedes and two children Max and Sofía and Judd is even MORE grateful for the love of his family than Pete and Pityu. So there.

Craig is an Alberta-based theatre director with over 25 years of experience in the performing arts. From 2012 to 2022, he served as the artistic director of Vertigo Theatre in Calgary, where he was known for his innovative productions and for evolving the company’s mystery mandate. In January 2025, Craig became the artistic director of Rosebud Theatre & School of the Arts, aiming to build upon its rich legacy of fostering new artists. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades for direction, design and innovation.

Andrew Blizzard is a composer and sound designer who is often loud and sometimes quiet. He is very excited to have the opportunity to add some music and noise to this incredible project. Selected credits include Sound Design and Original Composition for Meteor Shower, Iceland, Blow Wind High Water (Theatre Calgary), Hamlet (Shakespeare by the Bow); The Woman in Black, Clue, Murder on the Orient Express, Dracula: The Bloody Truth, Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem, Nine Dragons, The Haunting, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Travels with my Aunt, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Noirville (Vertigo Mystery Theatre); Macbeth (The Shakespeare Company/Hit & Myth/Vertigo); In On It, The Surrogate (Lunchbox); The After, aWay (ANCHOR|RED Theatre); Shakespeare’s Dog (Alberta Theatre Projects); Lieutenant of Inishmore (Ground Zero Theatre/Hit & Myth); Blood: A Scientific Romance (Sage Theatre); Le Gros Spectacle (The Wind-up Dames/ATP playRites 2006); PARANOiA (The Wind-up Dames/Ground Zero Theatre). He has received three Betty Mitchell awards and was a nominee for an AMPIA award for the short film The Money Tree. Andrew wishes to thank his darling wife, Brieanna, and his most amazing designs ever, Sebastian and Rowan. Nose kiss.

Jah’kota is an Afro-Indigenous artist and entrepreneur. His father is from Kingston Jamaica and his mother is Nakota Assiniboine, signatories to Treaty 4. He was born and raised in Winnipeg and now lives full time on Ocean Man First Nation in Saskatchewan.

Jah'kota has had two songs reach number one on the Indigenous music countdown and has been nominated for multiple awards including the Indigenous Music Awards 2019, the Native American Music Awards 2024, and the SaskMusic Awards 2025.

Justin “Jahkota” Holness uses music as a way to amplify the message of self-determination and to empower the welfare of people and the planet. 

Alice Wordsworth is a mixed-race actor and producer based in Moh’kinsstis (Calgary), and a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program.

Though classically trained for the stage, Alice quickly transitioned to the screen, earning a Rosie Award nomination for their debut lead role in the feature film A Cowboy Against Thunder. Their performance as Clara in Avalon Fast’s CAMP marks one of their first international appearances, with the film set to screen at genre festivals including Fantastic Fest, Sitges, Brooklyn Horror and SXSW Sydney. Coming up, they star in the new TV series Eyes in the Woods, premiering on OUTtv in October 2025.

Select theatre credits: Charlotte’s Web (ATP) The Tempest, Love'sHeavy Burden (The Shakespeare Company), The Immaculate Perfection… (BodyCube Arts)

She would like to extend her gratitude to her friends, family, and Jude for their love and support.

Previously with ATP – King James & Liars at a Funeral

Elsewhere - BOOM (Theatre Calgary, Thousand Islands Playhouse & Off-Broadway,) BOOMX (Theatre Calgary & Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre,) BOOMYZ, The Importance of Being Earnest, Escape to Margaritaville, (Theatre Calgary,) Flora and Fawna Have Beaver Fever (Lunchbox,) Liars at a Funeral, Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Superstar, Wizard of Oz & Sound of Music (Western Canada Theatre,) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Extractionist, Murder in the Studio, (Vertigo Theatre,) Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, Pricilla: Queen of the Desert, A Few Good Men, Buying the Farm, Annie (Drayton Entertainment) and 60+ productions at Stage West Calgary, including: Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, Rock of Ages, Avenue Q, The Producers, Game Show, 39 Steps, Chicago, Spamalot, Young Frankenstein, Buddy: The Buddy Holly. Laurel has also taught Stage Management at the University of Lethbridge.

Laurel would like to dedicate her work to the loving memory of her mom, who helped her find her love of theatre at young age.  She would also like to thank her family, friends and RP for their unending love and support.

Sonoyo Nishikawa, winner of the 2024 Siminovitch Prize, is a Japanese lighting designer whose work spans theater, opera, musicals, and dance on international stages. She studied in London through the Cultural Affairs of Japan’s overseas exchange program, and in 1993 began collaborating with director Robert Lepage on The Seven Streams of the River Ota, The Damnation of Faust at the MET, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Dragon’s Trilogy.

Her major credits include Trojan Women, Yukio Mishima’s Black Lizard, Harold Prince’s Prince of Broadway, the musical Once Upon a One More Time, Broadway’s POTUS directed by Susan Stroman, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens’ Désir.

Known for her artistry and versatility, she has designed productions across North America, Europe, and Asia, bringing a distinctive visual voice to every project. Nishikawa has been honored with numerous awards in Canada and Japan, including the Japan Lighting Association Award, the Toronto Dora Award for Outstanding Lighting Design, the Montreal Theatre Academy Award, and the Quebec Arts and Culture Award.

Matthew Mooney (He/Him) Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Matthew moved to Canada in January 2023. For Alberta Theatre Projects (Debut). Other Credits: Theatre Calgary; The Lehman Trilogy, The Mousetrap, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare On the Go). Deadly Murder (Vertigo Theatre), Chariots of Fire (Rosebud Theatre), The Mad Hatter’s Circus (Tag Live), Aladdin (Tram Direct), Harvey (New Celts Productions), Three Sisters (NCP). For Film/TV: Still Game (BBC), Witches X (Voice Pictures) Talk (QMU), Half Moon Investigations (CBBC), Finky (Abu Media). Matthew graduated in 2020 with an “Acting for Stage and Screen” BA (Hons) from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. As always, he sends love home to Glasgow, to his Maw, Paw and Saso. He also sends thanks to Josh Baker and his new family, who five years ago, first showed Matthew the Banff Centre for Arts from a wee flat in Edinburgh.

Doug has appeared in over 150 live dramas and musicals in Canada and the US, and has toured with his company Dandi Productions to concert halls around the globe. He has assumed the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Theatre Calgary’s annual A Christmas Carol. Favorite past roles include: Escape to Margaritaville, The Secret Garden, God of Carnage, Enron, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Twelfth Night (TC); Follies, A Man of No Importance (Dry Cold); Arcadia; Glengarry Glen Ross (Theatre Junction); The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Little Mercy’s First Murder (Vertigo); Chimerica (CanStage); The Cottage, New Canadian Curling Club, Late Company (RMTC); Toad of Toad Hall, Amadeus (ATP). He directed the chamber opera Requiem for a Lost Girl in New York City with a 40-member cast and orchestra for the New York Music Theatre Festival. He won a Betty award for his portrayal of an early-onset Parkinson’s patient in The Alan Parkinson’s Project. His one-man show DOOM 2012 was nominated for Best New Play. He has written and performed original narration for Peer Gynt and The Winter’s Tale with the Calgary Philharmonic.  His latest creation, the comedy-mystery To the Manor Dead is looking for its premiere production.

Doug is deeply involved in supporting the Canadian theatre community, serving on several boards, and leading campaigns to strengthen Business-Arts collaboration. He recently purchased an old industrial building in Calgary and has converted it into BonnyBoom, a multi-disciplinary arts center.