Mission Statement

Flush Ink Productions Mission Statement

· Flush Ink Productions embraces the mission to provide innovative and affordable theatre to the community.

· It engages in promoting the playwright’s voice through workshops, education and readings, with the intention of fine-tuning them for future productions, with a specific commitment to celebrating women’s voices in theatre through an annual staged reading to raise funds for both local and international women’s causes.

· Flush Ink Productions is committed to creating positive working relationships with both the community and various artists, both local and international – through exciting and imaginative productions ensue that heighten the profile of individual artists as well as the Region of Waterloo in the world of theatre.

FLUSH INK PERFORMING ARTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ET AL

EXECUTIVE BOARD

PRESIDENT

Sasha Greutzmacher

Sasha studied voice, always performing in school choirs and led the first Student-conducted choir in Kitchener. As for theatre, she was in all the high school plays but most notably was the title role in "Who will call Him King of Kings" in a musical produced at the Waterloo Mennonite Brethern Church. She’s an interesting blend of polymath, biology, engineering and visual art, poetry and guitar.

SECRETARY

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Kathie Stewart Must

Kathie Must is lifelong resident of the region, married, mother of three, and soon-to-be grandmother. Her first taste of theatre was a box of greasepaint given to her by her father, a theatre enthusiast and life-long admirer of all Paddy Gillard's work. With a son who plays in the band Bocce and a daughter who dances, she continues to follow the arts personally. Along with actively supporting all the activities of her children, her community involvement includes the Governor Generals Study Conference, past board member for the Steckle Heritage Homestead, and currently the boards of Traverse Independence and Leadership Waterloo Region. She works at Mosaic Counselling & Family Services as Director of Workplace Programs, following many years at Mutual/Clarica/SunLife.

TREASURER

Bruce

Bruce Wolff

BRUCE WOLFF was more surprised than anyone to be among this group of actors in the first Asphalt Jungle Shorts._ But that was ages ago._ Since then, he’s participated as an actor in She Speaks, Asphalt Jungle I through VIIp._ Now that he’s feeling quite at home on the stage, wherever the stage might be, we’re going to put him back stage for this show._ Bruce is beginning to realize his secret dream of_ returning to the glory years of writing, producing and acting in high school productions.

His day job at Wilfrid Laurier in the Biology Department gives him plenty of opportunity to practice his oratory skills._ It is most likely that work, time with his kids and friends, and traveling will provide sufficient incentive to keep the stage an enjoyable avocation.

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BOARD MEMBERS

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Randall Howard

Randall Howard, General Partner, Verdexus, _is a serial entrepreneur focused investing and building world-leading technology organizations. Over the years, Randall has run technologies companies like MKS Inc., which he founded, and more recently Software Innovation Inc. and Iotum Inc. Passionate about the social sector, particularly in arts, environment and entreprenurism, Randall is Treasurer of Roseneath Theatre and founder & Chairman of Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence Past roles include Director of Elora Festival and Singers, founder/Board member of Communitech Technology Association and CFO of Uniforum Technology Association. Mr. Howard holds an Honours B.Math from University of Waterloo and was the 1997 High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year.

STAFF

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Paddy Gillard-Bentley

Paddy has been involved in one aspect of theatre or another since her Mother, Tessa, was four months pregnant with her performing in Time Out For Ginger._ Her full-length play, Shaking the Dew from the Lilies, had its debut in Kitchener, Ont. Canada, in November 2002. It received its American premier in May - June, 2005, in Denver, Co. at The Playwright Theatre, directed by Cynthia Davies. Two one acts; White Noise, directed by Stuart Scadron-Wattles, and Sanguine Sonata, directed by Gary Kirkham were produced with Theatre & Company and Comic Strip appeared in a festival of shorts in Toronto with The Cabbagetown Theatre Company._ Quantum Entanglement has been produced in Calgary, AB and Philadelphia PA. Several short plays have been produced: One Tender Lie (Sacramento), In Tense City (North Dakota, Boston and Provincetown,_ Cynthia’s Story (Provincetown), Frailty Thy Name is Woe (Manhattan)._ She has had six plays produced for GI60, NYC, and Frailty Thy Name is Woe _has been published by Merriweather in V Volume II of Young Women's Monologues from Contemporary Plays.

Aside from being the Artistic Director of Flush Ink Performing Arts, Paddy is a Past-President of ICWP (International Centre for Women Playwrights), was in Writer's Bloc, a playwright's group affiliated with Theatre & Company for four years and was a member of The Alumnae Theatre in Toronto, Canada.

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VIDEOGRAPHER

Lindsay Stewart

Lindsay Stewart has been a fixture in the region's arts and entertainment scene for more than two decades. As a singer and well regarded songwriter, he made the college radio charts and continues to record original material. He co-wrote a song that reached the finals of the 1994 CFNY New Music Search and has received airplay around the world. As a writer, he has published articles, features and interviews regionally and internationally covering theatre, music, politics and culture.

His performance resume includes appearances in numerous television and film productions, most notably portraying Jimi Hendrix's producer Eddie Kramer in an MGM/Showtime feature. He portrayed a gun toting villain along side Milla Jovovich in .45, a jungle warrior in 16 episodes of Peter Benchley's Amazon and a variety of criminals, medieval warriors and small character parts. As a founding member of the board of directors of Flush Ink Performing Arts, Lindsay brings his unique talents and experience to the table. He operates a small video production company under the name GNP Moving Pictures, archives and produces the Flush Ink events and has been sought out by some of the regions finest musical talents as a videographer. He is a three time nominee for the region's performing arts awards.

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MARKETING DIRECTOR

Nicholas Cumming

Nicholas Cumming is a theatre creator who immigrated to Ontario from Nunavut and Nova Scotia. He graduated with a BA in Drama and English from the University of Waterloo in June of ’04, and in July ‘04 he became a member of the MT Space. The rest, as they say, is the future. He has appeared in Exit Strategy, Yes or No!, Seasons of Immigration, Legion of Memory I + II, Me Here/Me Happy, Motio X Industria, and Three Legged Horse with the MT Space; Tennessee Williams’ I Can’t Imagine Tomorrow with Poor Tom Productions; Asphalt Jungle Shorts I,II & III with Flush Ink; and Mimetic Flesh/Mimetic Hotel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Spring Awakening with UW Drama. He directed/wrote The Children’s Crusade for the UPStart Fringe 2007, and HE for UPStart 2004. He is a poet and playwright currently working on several plays with Pat the Dog, KW’s professional playwrights’ development centre. He is also a member of the earthling collective, whose WARMER project is examining the environment and human dynamics in a local context.

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ADVISORS TO THE BOARD

AND MEMBERS OF FLUSH INK PRODUCTIONS

Majdi Bou-Matar

Majdi Bou-Matar is a theatre director and performer from Lebanon. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Directing from the Lebanese American University and a Diploma of High Studies in Theatre from the Lebanese University. Since his graduation in 1997 he has directed several productions in Beirut and has been an active participant in several theatre, television and film projects in the Middle East and North Africa. Majdi represented his country of origin, in the Afro-Arab Centre for Theatre in Tunis, where he became fascinated by the intercultural aspects of theatre.

The media have considered Bou-Matar's productions to be new and innovative. He is known for his physically-oriented and experimental work and for his challenging theatre undertakings. Majdi represented his country of origin in the Afro-Arab Centre for Theatre in Tunis, where he gained a wide experience and considerable knowledge of the intercultural aspects of theatre.

Majdi immigrated to Canada in 2003 and moved to the Waterloo Region in January 2004, where he founded The MT Space and directed its first project Nijinsky, through a window._ His directing portfolio includes: Something Like Macbeth, 2000; Miss Julie, 1999; Nijinsky the Hour of his Wedding to the Lord, 1997.

An active member of the Waterloo region arts community, Majdi has founded the Multicultural Theatre Space (The MT Space) in 2004, where he has directed Three-Legged Horse, Seasons of Immigration, Yes or No and Exit Strategy. He is currently pursuing an MA degree in Drama at the University of Guelph with research focus on Canadian intercultural theatre.