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The Curst 

Playwright Kelley Jo Burke

Songs written by Library Voices

Directed by Angus Ferguson

Sponsored by the David Edney Fund for Theatre

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** Please note there is some adult content, violence and strong language in this show.  Please be advised there is discussion of self harm, suicide, and homophobia.**

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Tim Bratton - Merle
 

 Actor

Tim is a Saskatoon-based actor, playwright, and sound designer who serves as the Artistic Associate for Burnt Thicket Theatre. You may have seen Tim on Saskatchewan stages in productions such as Evergreen (Burnt Thicket) Cymbeline (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan), The Fourth Wiseman (Dancing Sky), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Persephone), Boeing Boeing (Persephone), Pride & Prejudice (Persephone), Art (Persephone) or touring his one-person show, My Little Plastic Jesus (Burnt Thicket). Tim lives in Saskatoon with his lovely wife, Amy, and their two very active young boys.

 

*Appearing courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity

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Declan Hills - Sam 
 

 Actor

Primarily known for slinging riffs and shaking his hips in Saskatchewan-based bands including Velours, Too Soon Monsoon, Knee Socks, and Unproductive, Declan Hills is a multi-instrumentalist and performer with a deep love of Shakespeare and the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club. He has been incredibly fortunate to perform at music festivals across Western Canada, including the Big Winter Classic, Winterruption Edmonton, Grilledcheeseapalooza, and the Ness Creek Music Festival. He is currently pursuing a M.Sc in Human Computer Interaction at the University of Saskatchewan. 

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Erica McFadden - Val & others
 

 Actor

Erica McFadden is an actor/singer/instructor based in Saskatoon and trained at the University Of Saskatchewan and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and under John Turner at “The Clown Farm”.

  She is excited to be performing many firsts on the stage this year. First professional theatre show (not Fringe or children’s school tour); first time playing the drums in front of an audience; and first public clowning!

  You can usually find her singing to herself and working with students in her studio. Now, Erica is looking forward to being back on the stage after almost 5 years away. Theatre credits include: Limbo: The Twelve (Edinburgh Fringe/Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Legally Blonde (Edinburgh Fringe/ Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Imagination Station: The sponges of Wickedness (Nutrient Fringe/ Orange Jacket Kids); Rocky Horror Show (Ppl R ppl Productions)

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Krystle Pederson - Karen 
 

 Actor

Krystle Pederson is a Cree/Metis Actor, singer, songwriter with an outstanding career performing all across North America and New Zealand. Krystle’s list of acting credits include: The (Post) Mistress, Little Badger and the Fire Spirit, Gabriel Dumont Wild West Show, Penelopiad, and Reasonable Doubt. Krystle is the lead vocalist for Lynx Lamour Goes to Nashville a one-woman Cree musical written and composed by Tomson Highway. 2023 has been a year so far of composition and musical direction. Krystle is excited to be performing at Dancing Sky Theatre again and hopes you enjoy the show. 

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Nathan Coppens
 

 Musician

Nathan is an actor/musician/ puppeteer/playwright from Saskatoon. This marks his second time on the Dancing Sky stage, having previously appeared in Jack and the Snow Queen. He has worked with Globe Theatre, Wide Open Theatre, Souris Valley Theatre, and the Saskatchewan Playwrights' Centre, among many others, and has performed on stages from Victoria to Toronto. His play about adult ADHD, I Have No Idea, had its premiere run this year with On Cue Performance Hub in Regina and will be coming to Saskatoon next year as part of Live Five.

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Judith Schulz
 

Projection Design

Judith Schulz (she/her) is a theatre designer/practitioner and photographer who has a passion for making stories come to life whether it’s through lighting, video design, abstract sets, or a well crafted photograph. Select credits include: “Flush” (Lighting, La Troupe du Jour), “The Revolutionists” (Lighting, Persephone Theatre), “Willow Stew” (Lighting/Projections, GTNT), “The Herd” (Projections, Persephone Theatre). Judith has absolutely loved working to create the visuals for “The Curst” for you and shattering ideas of what projection design “should be” for what “could be.” She hopes you enjoy this grungy little show! Follow her on Instagram to see behind the scenes and her other work: @judith.e.schulz 

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Katie Blackburn-Dust

Stage Manager

​Katie Blackburn-Dust (she/her) is an emerging theatre artist living and working on Treaty 6 territory. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Saskatchewan, though loves to wear many hats in theatre - including lighting design and stage management. Recent projects include: Jonas and Barry in the Home, Jack and the End of the World (Stage Manager - Dancing Sky Theatre), The Herd, Stones in his Pockets (Lighting Apprentice - Persephone Theatre), and Measure for Measure (Stage Manager - The Coterie/Live Five). Catch Katie’s work next as a lighting designer at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan this summer. She sends love and thanks to her family (including the 4 legged ones) for their support. She is thrilled to be back at Dancing Sky and hopes you enjoy the show! 

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Kelley Jo Burke

Playwright

“Mad as a boot. Talented. Neurotic. And kind as the day is long.” - one of KJ’s directors and best friends

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Kelley Jo Burke is a playwright, director, actor, editor, a creative nonfiction writer and documentarian, radio producer
and broadcaster. Her plays include the plague-delayed, but much anticipated musical “The Curst” (with Library
Voices), premiering spring 2023 with Dancing Sky Theatre in Saskatoon, “Us” (co-creator Jeff Straker, winner of the
2017 Tom Hendry Award for Best New Musical in Canada (Playwrights Guild of Canada)), “The Lucky Ones,”
“Somewhere, Sask. (co-creator Carrie Catherine)”  “Ducks on the Moon” (Hagios), "The Selkie Wife" (Scirocco),
"Jane's Thumb" (Signature), and "Charming and Rose: True Love" (Blizzard).
She dramaturges, directs and produces for stage and radio, and was for many years the host/producer of CBC
radio’ SoundXchange. She was 2009 winner of the Saskatchewan Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Leadership in
the Arts, the 2009 City of Regina Writing Award (her third time receiving that award), and the 2008 Saskatoon and
Area Theatre Award for Playwriting. 
She calls her work “tramedy” since most of what she writes teeters on the edge between howling with laughter and just howling.
About why she does what she does: TedX Regina Talk.

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Angus Ferguson

Artistic Director

Angus was born a long time ago in the magical hills in the South West of England. He grew up and went to school there and was a fairly normal English boy. When he was 15 years old, his Mum fell in love and remarried, and it was decided that the whole new family was going to move to Canada. Angus had never been to Canada, and he knew very little about it, but it all sounded like an exciting adventure. A house was bought in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan which sounded very exotic and different. So, the first time he set foot in his new land was when he moved here. It was January 3rd 1978, at 1:30 in the morning. It was 35 below with a pretty serious wind. Angus had never felt anything like it before in his life.

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Once he was properly equipped, Angus started to explore the Canadian Prairies and slowly fell in love with them. Apart from one 4-year stint in Montreal where he met his wonderful wife Louisa, he has lived and worked in his new home, Saskatchewan ever since.

 

Angus is very proud that he has been able to make a living through the Arts – sharing stories with other people and making things.

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Library Voices

Song Writer

Library Voices are a Canadian seven-piece indie pop outfit from Regina, Saskatchewan. Formed in 2008, the group of friends assembled a small orchestra's worth of instruments in Regina's SoulSoundStudios, a former funeral home, and recorded their debut EP, Hunting Ghosts & Other Collected Shorts. Their quirky melodic pop drew immediate buzz, receiving nods from Spin and The New Yorker and landing them an Independent Album of the Year nomination at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards. Prior to releasing their debut album, the band fell victim to equipment theft after a gig in Vancouver and subsequently had their new gear ruined in a flood, earning them a reputation for enduring hardships. Denim on Denim, their first full-length, was released in 2010 on Regina indie Young Soul Records and displayed Library Voices' increasing flair for catchy, eccentric pop. A deal with multi-national label Nevado Music led to a larger release for their follow-up, 2011's vibrant Summer of Lust.. The band then released the mid-fi, fuzzed-out EP, For John, in 2014. Library Voices' third album, Lovish, was released in late 2015 and saw the band continuing down their new, noisier pop path.

Set Design by Angus Ferguson

Costume Design by the company
Angel wings designed and built by Louisa Ferguson

Lighting Design by Angus Ferguson, Katie Blackburn-Dust, Judith Schulz & Jensine Emeline

Sound Design by Katie Blackburn-Dust & Tim Bratton
Live Sound Design by Tim Bratton

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Dancing Sky Theatre is proud and honored to be making art on the great plains of North
America, also called Turtle Island and many other names. We strive to reflect rural realities in an urban-centric culture. We recognize that we share this landscape with various indigenous peoples (many signees to Treaty #6), members of The Metis Nation, several generations of settlers, as well as new immigrants to these lands. We also seek to share the space with the more than human world, both indigenous and immigrant. We aim to respect, and work in harmony and balance with all the diversity of life that surrounds us.

The Curst 
PROGRAM NOTE

I am THAT generation. I was born in 1963, the year the Beatles broke in England. I grew up surrounded by the joy, wonder and excitement of the new music. When I was a kid we didn’t have the internet, we had records. That was how we discovered the world – what to think, how to dress, and the magic power of art. I still surround myself with rock music every day.

 

THE CURST is an exploration of the connection and power of rock music. Why we make it, what it gives us, and the human connections we create through it.

 

A huge thank you to all the gang that is Library Voices for creating these songs, and their generosity in sharing them with us. Thanks also to all of the wonderful creative people who have been a part of this five-year journey from idea to reality on our stage. Your creative contributions are treasured. Very special thanks to Kelley Jo for allowing me to work with her on an original project for the fifth time. It is always a joyous adventure.

 

I sincerely hope that you enjoy this most Saskatchewan of plays.

Angus Ferguson - Artistic Director

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DST would like to thank:

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  • GTNT especially Ed Mendez 

  • Tout le gang at  La Troupe du Jour, especially Frank and Bruce

  • Library Voices

  • Steve and the gang at Amigos Cantina

  • Mike Dawson for poster image design

  • Louisa Ferguson for Poster Postcard, and sticker

  • Tim Bratton for going above and beyond the call of duty

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Kelley Jo Burke would like to thank:
  • Thanks to the Sask Arts Board, Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts, St. Peter's College and of course to a huge thanks to the David Edney Fund for Theatre.

  • Special thanks to my consultant and friend the great Dawn Dumont. 

  • And finally--of course LIBRARY VOICES!!!! 

Judith Schulz would like to thank:
  • Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre

  • La Troupe du Jour

  • Amigos Cantina

  • Micah Elgaard

​​​​©  2026 Dancing Sky Theatre
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