Theatre Projects Manitoba’s Theatre-Maker Cohort is a collective of post-secondary students and artists at the pre-professional stage of their artistic practice. The Cohort is part representative for TPM, part mentorship, part space to meet & make with other cool individuals; it’s a combination of mentorship, training & paid opportunities! This collective meets at minimum once a month working with TPM Staff & Artists on their creative endeavors including supporting projects produced by TPM and creating their own work!
2021/2022 Cohort
Brady Barrientos is an emerging artist finding his voice through the arts. From music, to theatre, to writing poetry, he lives and breathes artistry: music and performing being their biggest passion. A lot of his time is spent at the piano- either jamming on songs or composing new ones. Singing since he could speak, Brady is a 2nd year voice major at the University of Manitoba. He believes that in such a multicultural community such as Winnipeg, everyone has a place and a voice on the stage- and strives for POC stories and representation in the arts- they are proud to have been a part of Filipino-centric theatre projects in Winnipeg, such as BELTFEST 2021 and the first live reading of MA-BUHAY! Always willing and open to ideas, Brady is happy to be working with Theatre Projects Manitoba, which has provided him with so much support, opportunities, and a great environment to create, ponder, and grow. Brady is taking a head-first dive into the deep pool of artistry, hoping for his musings to bubble to the surface.
Kristian Cahatol (they/them/iel) is a multidisciplinary storyteller with an endless curiosity for imagination. They are delighted to be working with TPM for the first time among such passionate and creative artists! Kristian currently studies music (Classical Voice) at the University of Manitoba. As a performer, writer, learner, and daydreamer, Kristian seeks meaningful opportunities to synthesize these passions in the art they pursue and create. When they aren’t teaching five-year-olds piano or doing music theory homework, Kristian enjoys writing angsty poetry, observing the cats that live in their yard, and performing full shower musicals. Credits: The Winter’s Tale/Le conte d’hiver (SIR/TCM), Romeo & Juliet (Pocketfrock), To: Morrow (Sarasvàti).
Kamal Chioua is a young artist who has recently completed his degree in acting at the University of Winnipeg. He is also coming fresh off two years of studying with the Village Conservatory. Kamal has kept busy through this pandemic workshopping new works, writing his own projects, and working in the film industry. Kamal is happy to be able to get his creative juices flowing with this years TPM cohort.
Artie Lorraine is an emerging artist within the Theatre and Film community in Winnipeg. She recently graduated from the U of W’s Honours Acting program and last year she had the honour of being mentored through Creative Manitoba by the wonderful Michelle Boulet. Brittney feels incredibly lucky to have been chosen for this cohort, she looks forward to working with TPM on many of their projects this year and cannot wait to collaborate with her new team members: they all have such beautiful ideas and POV’s, the content you will witness this year will be magical. And we’re so excited for you to see it!
Jean van der Merwe is a graduate of the University of Manitoba, where they obtained both an Undergraduate Degree, and a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Music, Vocal Performance. Whether it’s their home-town of North Battleford, SK, or their new home in Winnipeg, MB, Jean takes pride in their prairie roots. Jean has performed on stages across Winnipeg, Saskatoon and beyond in shows such as Saskatoon Opera in Schools 2019 production of The Brothers Grimm (Jacob Grimm), Jacob Herd Productions’ award winning 2019 Fringe show The Cause (Jovan Musk) and The Village Conservatory of Musical Theatre & Keep Theatre’s 2020 production of Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino). Most recently, they performed as an astronaut in the second successful round of One Trunk Theatre’s Knock Knock Ginger series. Jean’s love for music is only rivaled by their love for house-plants, of which they have far too many.
Emily Villanueva is a queer Filipino-Canadian theatre artist, with a focus in costuming, props, puppetry and design. Born and raised in Winnipeg, she studied at the University of Winnipeg, developing her skills in design, costuming, props and puppetry. She developed her love of props and costuming over the years as an avid watcher of musical theatre and film, and desired to learn as much as she could. Developing her skills through independent projects, Emily is a member of Ode Productions, a group that produces conscious entertainment, as well as lending her talents to other groups such as Kaiju Productions and Aggressive Alpaca Productions, run by UW alumni. In her free time, she enjoys reading, sewing and playing Dungeons and Dragons.