Tunnel Runners

CAM

Jordan Jerry Kuper (he/him) is honoured and excited to be part of the Tunnel Runners. He is a Dutch-Canadian actor, born and raised in Listowel, Ontario. He is a recent theatre school graduate, with credits in Theatre@York shows such as Revolt. She said. Revolt again (Dir. Alison Wong), The Late Wedding (Dir. Jamie Robinson), and Everybody (Dir. Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster). Jordan would not be in this production without the monumental support of his friends, family, mentors and his partner, Jade.

CAM'S DAD

Tony Nappo is a veteran Canadian actor who has been nominated for two Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Two Actra Awards, A Canadian Screen Award and a Broadway World Award. He graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1991. Notable film and TV credits include Bad Blood, Mayor of Kingstown, Schitts Creek, Star Trek: Discovery, Disney’s Zombies Series, Four Brothers, Saw 2, Land of the Dead, Strays, Chucky, Vandits, Pretty Hard Cases, Faking A Murderer, Baroness Von Sketch, The Christmas Chronicles and many more. He also voiced the character of Jimmy Falcone on the hit animated series Fugget About It. He has been teaching his Auditioning For Camera workshops for Five years now and does some selective private coaching, as well.

ZURI

Gabriella Sundar Singh is a Tamil Indian and Srilankan artist, born and raised in Toronto. She is a classically trained Bharathanatyam dancer, pianist and singer. She holds a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Guelph, completed her post-graduate studies in Children’s Entertainment at Centennial College, studied Acting at the National Theatre school of Canada, and completed her MA in Drama at the University of Toronto. You might recognize her as “Chelsea” from CBC’s Kim’s Convenience, or from her work at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where she is currently in her 6th season.

BLAZE

Credits include: One Man, Two Guvnors, Importance of Being Earnest, Damn Yankees, Charley’s Aunt, Gatsby’s Jazz/Sonny’s Blues, Christmas Carol, Russian Play, Brigadoon (Shaw); Pollyanna (Theatre Aquarius) The Master Plan, Fifteen Dogs (Crow’s); Kelly v. Kelly (Musical Stage); Almost a Full Moon, Peter and the Starcatcher (Citadel); Rose, Father Comes Home From the Wars, Alligator Pie, Incident at Vichy, The Just, Marat/Sade, Dybbuk, Spoon River, Tartuffe, Crucible, Idiot’s Delight (Soulpepper); Vietgone (RMTC); Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer…, Love and Information, Twelfth Night, King Lear (Canadian Stage); Jerusalem (Outside the March/Company); Charlie Brown (MTYP); Onegin (NAC/Musical Stage); Passing Strange (Musical Stage/Obsidian)
FILM/TV: 21 Black Futures, Pretty Hard Cases, Odd Squad.
TRAINING: BFA, UofA; Soulpepper Academy.
AWARDS: Dora award winner, Philip Akin Black Shoulders Legacy Award.

ELLIE

Charlotte Dennis is an actor, writer and dancer in the privacy of her own living room (or a dance floor on special occasions). Charlotte is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (2018) and the Soulpepper Academy (2023). Recent Theatre credits include: Martyr (ARC), What Rough Beast (Centaur Theatre), The Walk Up (Soulpepper), Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes (Blyth Festival Theatre). Upcoming: Job (The Coal Mine Theatre/Spring 2025). Selected Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries, Forever Young and Alex & Isla. Thank you so much to PlayMe for this experience, it was a joy to work on!

BROOKLYN

Liz Der is a Dora-nominated, queer, mixed-race actor, writer, and collaborator based in Toronto. As a member of Soulpepper’s 2021 Academy, she discovered a passion for playwriting and deepened her appreciation for collective creation. Liz loves the little things: the minutiae of everyday life that move us closer together; small gifts like trading ratios for salad dressings, sharing a too-small umbrella, or a joke cracked at just the right time. Past performance credits include: Trojan Girls and the Outhouse of Atreus (Outside the March/ Factory), The House of Bernarda Alba (Aluna Theatre/ Modern Times) and Shadow Girls (Pencil Kit Productions). Liz has also participated in new play development workshops with The Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Common Boots, and Young People’s Theatre.

FINN

Dan Mousseau is a Dora award winning actor and a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and the Soulpepper Academy. Selected theatre credits include: Hamlet (Canadian Stage); Wildwoman, The Seagull, Innocence Lost (Soulpepper); Prodigal* (Howland/Crow’s Theatre): Three Sisters (Howland); A Christmas Carol (Soupcan Theatre/Three Ships Collective); Perfect Wedding (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Selected Film/TV credits include: The Boys (Amazon), Frankie Drake Mysteries, Strays, Workin’ Moms (CBC), Tempted by Danger (Lifetime), Sincerely Yours Truly (Hallmark). *Dora Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role

LOS

Jeff Yung (he/him) is a Tkarón:to based actor, martial artist, and sometimes poet. Most recently he played Theseus as part of the Dora nominated cast of Two Noble Kinsmen with Shakespeare BASH’d. Other credits include: Prodigal (Howland/Crow’s), Trojan Girls (OtM/Factory), Monday Nights (PuSh/LUMINATO/TC), Antigone (YPT), Vietgone (MTC/fu-Gen), and Banana Boys (Factory). This year, Jeff made his Cannes & TIFF debuts playing Dr. Rory Zhao in the film The Shrouds directed by David Cronenberg. On TV he portrayed Monk Tsutop in Netflix’s live action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Jeff is also a part of the Shakespeare in the Ruff Artistic Leadership Collective that produced A Witch in Algiers, a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, written by Makram Ayache and directed by Kwaku Okyere this summer in Withrow park.

ATLAS

Michelle is an award-winning actor based in Toronto. She has worked with Soulpepper, Modern Times, Why Not Theatre, Tarragon, Harbourfront, 2B Theatre, Neptune Theatre, CanStage, Segal Centre, Nightwood, Buddies, NAC, GCTC, Theatrefront, Stratford, Human Cargo, Resurgence, and Theatre Smith Gilmour. Michelle has starred in the Off-Broadway production and New York Times critics pick, “Of Human Bondage” by Vern Thiessen. She has had many starring roles and has extensive film, tv and voice experience.

FIONA

Zorana is a Pakistani-Canadian actor, playwright, and classical musician whose work spans different types of performance from theatre, verbatim theatre, radio and television to chamber music, modern opera and new music.

Her first play MixTape, premiered in 2021 at Toronto's Crow's Theatre and was subsequently performed at London’s Grand Theatre, Here for Now in Stratford and most recently, at the National Arts Centre. The show received three Dora Mavor Moore Nominations.
An award-winning actor and soprano, recent credits include: Armadillos (Factory Theatre), Into the Woods (STC), Wildfire (Factory Theatre), Towards Youth (Crow’s Theatre), CHILD-ish (Summerworks Lab), Helen’s Necklace (Canadian Rep. Theatre), Bend it Like Beckham (Starvox), The Enchanted Loom (Cahoots Theatre), Sultans of the Street (YPT), Tout Comme Elle (Necessary Angel Theatre) as well as appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, Banff Summer Music Festival and at the Tanglewood Music Centre.

COOK

Marcia Johnson was in the 2023 production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time at YES/Sudbury Theatre Centre. She appears in two short films Memento Mori (Andrew Moodie with Emily Hurson) and Comics, by Veronika Gribanova, directed by K. Knox. Marcia’s voice can be heard in the Keith Barker audio drama Every Moment of Every Day (Factory Theatre). Her play, Serving Elizabeth, premiered in February 2020 at Western Canada Theatre (co-produced with Thousand Islands Playhouse). Additional productions include the Stratford Festival and Peterborough Players (NH). The audio version is available through PlayMe Podcast and CBC Radio.

DEV

Dharini has appeared in more than 90 episodes as a series lead in Metropia. Other credits include Orphan Black, Rookie Blue, Paradise Falls, Warehouse 13, Being Erica, The Bridge, Justin Time, ‘da Kink in My Hair (TV), and the film, The Vow with Rachel McAdams. She has a BA English, BFA Honours in Theatre Acting, and Diploma in Psychotherapy. Alongside her acting, Dharini is a published writer and a screenwriter. She wrote and produced See Me Now, a short film which won the Cinefam ACTRA Toronto Spotlight Award and went on to screen at various national and international film festivals. She will next be seen on stage in Toronto as the lead in Pleaides Theatre upcoming production in the Spring of 2025.

NOX

Ruth is part of the Founding Artistic Leadership of The Howland Company and an actor/writer/producer/director. Through her work with Howland, Ruth has won a Theatre Critics Award and been nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award and a Dora Mavor Moore Award. Ruth can currently be seen in the popular film, Wedding Season on Netflix and she recently directed a short film called, The Strangers’ Case which is now streaming on CBC Gem.

SALEM

Annelise Hawrylak (she/they) is thrilled to be a part of Tunnel Runners! Originally from Fort Frances, Ontario, Annelise is a Toronto-based actor best-known for their work in theatre. Selected credits include The Wolves (The Howland Company/Crow's Theatre), The Pack (Free Water For Artists), and MusicalWheres, a sonic scavenger hunt co-produced with partner-in-art/crime joey o'dael and The Musical Stage Company. On screen you can spot her in Robyn Hood (Boatrocker/GlobalTV) as well as in season six of The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu/MGM). When she's not on various outdoorsy adventures with her partner and their two rescue dogs, Annelise enjoys binging Star Trek (any series) and making architectural floor plans for fun (and to share on TikTok). Favourite podcasts to listen to include 99% Invisible, Midnight Burger, Mockery Manor, and any Reddit read-aloud/reaction pod.

CO-CREATOR/WRITER

Laura Mullin is a published playwright and writer, a director, producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of the award-winning Expect Theatre. She is also the Co-Host and Producer of CBC’s PlayME Podcast, transforming plays into binge-able audio dramas. PlayME won Gold at the New York Festival Radio Awards and is a Webby Award Honoree.
Laura has worked in film, TV, radio, and theatre and has regularly contributed to CBC.ca. Her short story “History of Visual Sources” won the Open Book Short Story contest, and her play of the same name received an Honourable Mention for the National Voaden Playwright Prize. She recently wrote the seven-part original audio drama series Tunnel Runners, which she co-created with Chris Tolley and will be released in October 2024.
Her work with Expect Theatre has been nominated for five Dora Awards in the General Category and shortlisted twice for the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards. Notable works include Romeo/Juliet Remixed; STATIC (Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage Festival); AWAKE (Next Stage Festival); Awake The Film (film festivals across North America and Europe); Rapid Eye Movement, Profile, Relay (Nuit Blanche); One Sleepless Night (International Festival of Authors); Burusera (national 21-city tour commissioned and produced by Watermark Theatre) which was developed into a pilot for CBC TV, and the CBC Kids series Mini Makeover.

CO-CREATOR/SOUND DESIGN, EDIT & MIX

Chris Tolley is the co-host and producer of CBC Radio’s PlayME, the show that turns Canada’s top theatre plays into bingeable audio dramas. He is also the President of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada, and has also run twice for Canadian Parliament on a strong arts-based platform. Chris is the co-Artistic Director of EXPECT Theatre alongside Laura Mullin. Their work has been nominated for five Dora Awards in the General Theatre category and has been shortlisted twice for the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards.

CO-DIRECTION/CASTING

Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster comes from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and is currently based in Toronto, Ontario. She is an assistant professor at York University, and a founding artistic leader of the theatre collective The Howland Company. She was recently the Assistant Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre, and is a former resident artist with Soulpepper Theatre Company. Courtney has performed with the Shaw Festival, Soulpepper, Public Recordings, Canadian Stage, Citadel Theatre, Blue Bridge Repertory, Cahoots, Native Earth Performing Arts, Tarragon, County Stage and beyond. She has directed at Tarragon, Crows, Howland, Next Stage Festival, Sheridan College, and more. Courtney has also directed the radio plays Three Women of Swatow for CBC PlayMe, 7 Stories, Shape of a Girl and Democracy (Expect Theatre/Tarragon) and Ins Choi's Casting at Factory Theatre. Courtney is a co-creator of Stillwater School for Mosquitos, a musical adventure podcast for children.

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Kayla Ado is an Egyptian-Iranian arts manager, and creator based in Tkaranto. Kayla currently works as the General Manager of Pirate Life Theatre and Escape the Ghost Ship Toronto. Past Credits: Stage Manager, Ballet Jorgen (2022-2023 and 2024-2024 season). Associate Producer, Theatre Gargantua, Side Stream Festival. Founder / Artistic Director, Past Lives Production Company, 2020-Present. Kayla is thrilled to have gotten to work with all of these amazing creatives throughout the process of Tunnel Runners and cannot wait for you to see the final product.

Composer, Original Theme Music

Deanna H. Choi (she/her) composes music for film and TV and designs sonic environments for live performance. She has scored documentaries, feature films, and a new thriller series on Netflix, ParamountPlus, and CBC, and collaborated on over 100 stage and multimedia productions across North America and the UK. She is an alumna of the CFC Slaight Music Lab, the 2020 laureate of the Pauline McGibbon Award, and winner of 2 Dora Awards. Her sold-out cabaret show co-created and performed with Maddie Bautista, Love You Wrong Time, is touring across Canada. www.splitbrainsound.com