Members & Collaborators

MEMBERS

David Hersh  – Playwright/Director/Producer, Collective Member

David is a founding member of the Pulse Theatre Collective. He recently moved back to his home town, Toronto. Prior to the move, David was acting, directing, writing and teaching in Ottawa for the past fifteen years.  He wrote, directed and produced ‘I’ in Ottawa in November 2010 which was excellently received. Roles David has enjoyed include: Button Moulder in Peer Gynt (Third Wall Theatre), Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing and Antonio in Twelfth Night (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Company), Maitri in Beneath the Banyan Tree (Theatre Direct) and the title role in Macbeth (Salamander Theatre).  David has recently devoted more time to writing and directing.  Two of David’s plays were recently produced (Jessica’s Monkey, 2009, Cassandra and Helena, 2010).  David was part of the Playmakers’ Society at the Great Canadian Theatre Company and his play Immaculate Shark was part of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival’s Launch Pad Series in 2009 and his play Glitch is at the Ottawa Fringe Festival 2011.  David had two Rideau Award nominations for Best New Work; What Goes Around… (2007) which he directed and A Leave of Absinthe (2008) in which he performed and co-wrote. David was the Artistic Director of the Orleans Young Players Theatre School for six years and he produced the Rideau Award winning Richard III in Bouffon (a Comapany of Fools).  Favorite directing projects include: The Trial of Judith K., Better Living, 7 Stories and Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet).

Emmanuelle Zeesman – Actor (Writer), Collective Member

Emmanuelle Zeesman is a founding member of the Pulse Theatre Collective and she is very proud to be a part of this outstanding production. Emmanuelle is a graduate of the University of Windsor’s Musical Theatre Performance Program. She has recently been seen in “Guys and Dolls” and the National Arts Centre, The Gladstone’s summer hit “The Andrews Brothers” as well as “Blood Brothers” for which she has won the Capital Critics’ Circle Award for Best Professional Actor.

Emmanuelle has furthered her studies with Philippe Gaulier in Paris, with Carter Thor Studios and with internationally acclaimed vocal coach Elaine Overholt.

She was an actor, composer, musical director and choreographer for A Company of Fools Rideau award winning production “A Midwinter’s Dream Tale”. She also received Rideau nominations for “Much Ado about Nothing” (2009), “Romeo and Juliet” (2008) and “Tempest in a Teapot” (2007). Favourite theatrical highlights include: “The Snow Show” (NAC), “Doubt” (The Gladstone), “La Vie Parisienne” (Theatre Lyrique), Julie Andrews in “Forbidden Broadway” (Experimental Theatre), “Ahmal and the Night Visitors” (The Windsor and Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Lead Vocalist for the New Rochelle Festival in France and a dancer for Collin Mochrie’s comedy TV show “Getting Along Famously”.  This fall, Emmanuelle will be touring throughout Australia and Asia as a member of Platypus Theatre, performing with world renowned orchestras.

Megan Watson – Assistant Director, Collective Member

Megan is a founding member of Pulse Theatre Collective. She is an emerging director, originally, from Ottawa and is now based in Toronto. She graduated from Ryerson Theatre School’s Acting program (BFA) in 2008 and has worked as a director, teacher and theatre creator prior to and post graduation. Megan is a recent recipient of Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program Grant, funded by the OAC for her work on The Mill pt.4: Ash. For the past two years she has worked as a teacher and teaching assistant at Ryerson Theatre School and co-produced Ryerson’s festival of new work, New Voices. Recent directing credits: Crookback: An adaptation of Richard III (Beacon Theatre), A Simple Snow (InspiraTO Festival), Factory (Rhubarb Festival), Bent (Theatre Engine), Beware The Falling Trees (Resurgence Theatre) and As Is (Theatre Engine). Assistant directing credits: ‘I’ assistant to David Hersh (Pulse Theatre Collective), The Mill pt.4: Ash assistant to Vikki Anderson (theatrefront) Mother Courage and Her Children assistant to Richard Greenblatt (RTS), The Miracle Man assistant to Eda Holmes (RTS). Megan’s upcoming projects include directing The Queer Bathroom Monologues at the Toronto Fringe Festival 2011 and she will be assisting Micheline Chevrier on Salt Water Moon at the NAC in the fall.

COLLABORATORS

Andy Massingham – Actor (I), Ottawa production

As an actor, Andy has performed across Canada at such venues as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival (four seasons, including playing Feste in Twelfth Night), West Vancouver Cultural Centre, the Yukon Arts’ Centre, the National Arts Centre, Odyssey, Tarragon, Soulpepper, the Banff Centre and many others. He is currently appearing in Third Wall Theatre’s production of Exit The King. Other Ottawa acting credits include Hamlet (Ottawa Shakespeare Company), The Shadow Cutter (G.C.T.C.), I, Blood Brothers (Gladstone), The Ark 2009; the Theatre of Ancient Greece (National Arts Centre), the title role in Peer Gynt (Third Wall-Rideau Nomination), and How the Other Half Loves (Gladstone-Rideau Nomination).

Andy’s wordless, solo play Rough House (nightswimming theatre) was presented at the National Arts Centre and subsequently toured Canada and the U.S. He received a Dora award for his performance.

Andy’s directing credits include Twelfth Night (Ottawa Theatre School), m (Guerilla Heart Juice), The Andrews Brothers and The Danish Play (The Gladstone), The Squatter Heart (Ottawa/Edmonton Fringe).

Nick Carpenter – Composer/Musical Director

Nick splits his creative life between writing plays and writing music for theatre.  His play “The Return of Corporal Mazenet” was produced at Summerworks 2010.  His play “Stained Glass” won the 2008 Canadian Peace Play Competition.  As a musical director he has recently worked at the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa (“Blood Brothers” and “The Andrews Brothers”).  As a composer and musical director, Nick has worked with the National Arts Centre, Great Canadian Theatre Company, National Theatre School, Repercussion Theatre, Third Wall, Geordie Theatre, The Theatre Centre, Theatre Lac Brome, Concordia University and Mainline Theatre.