TARA CHEYENNE FRIEDENBERG

Director/ Creator/ Performer/ Teacher

Vancouver based Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg started dancing at age 3, went to ballet school, theatre school at the University of Calgary and attained a dance degree from Simon Fraser University. Tara has danced with some of Vancouver, and Canada’s exciting choreographers and worked as an actor in theatre and film. In 2000 Tara began developing her own dance-theatre creations with director Sophie Yendole and composer and husband Marc Stewart. Her solo creations (bANGER-The Power Hour, Nick & Juanita-Livin’ in my Dreams both awarded People’s Choice at the Dancing on the Edge Festival) have been presented across Canada, in the US, Belgium and London UK. Tara has been nominated for several Jessie Richardson Awards and an Ovation Award for her choreography in theatre.

SOPHIE YENDOLE- Director and Dramaturge

A graduate of the UBC BFA Acting Program, Sophie Yendole is a director, dramaturge, educator and performer. She has performed on film (Lines, One Night, No More Monkeys Jumpin’ on the Bed, Mount Pleasant) and on stage in ensemble creations such as The Plastic Project (VECC) and Red Demon (NODAMAP, UK.) Sophie’s work has taken her to London as New Writing Associate and Education Consultant with the award winning British/Chinese theatre company MuLan Arts. As an educator, Sophie has developed and taught performance creation workshops through out the Lower Mainland (Evergreen Cultural Centre, Centennial Theatre, Richmond Gateway Academy for the Performing Arts, and as an Artist in Residence with the Vancouver School Board.) Continuing her work in co-development since 2001 of Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg’s solo work, Sophie is Director in Residence with Tara Cheyenne Performance.

MARC STEWART – Composer and Sound Designer

Marc is a Vancouver based composer, sound designer, musician and songwriter. Beginning with the Royal Conservatory of Music then moving through to pop and experimental sounds, Marc has been creating music for over 25 years. He has been collaborating with Tara Cheyenne Performance since 2001, creating original scores and sound design (“bANGER”, “Nick & Juanita”, “Highgate” and now Tara’s latest full length work: “Goggles”). Original score commissions have also come from choreographers Day Helesic / MovEnt (the full length “Around The Block” and “Genuine Risk”) and Katy Harris-McLeod (“As She’s Leaving”). He has done sound design for The Firehall Arts Centre , Carousel Theatre and Presentation House Theatre. His work has been featured on television’s Madison, Cold Squad, HBO film Hoods, CBC’s Radio 3 and Zed, as well as various independent films. Also, Marc is a member of rock group “The Tomorrows” whose debut album “Jupiter Optimus Maximus” was released in the US and Canada in February 2009.

JAMES PROUDFOOT – Lighting Designer

Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, James has been living in Vancouver for twelve years. For the past ten years he has been resident Technical Director of the Firehall Arts Centre. During this time, James has contributed lighting designs for full length works to the Holy Body Tattoo,, Anatomica, Kokoro Dance, Co. Erasga, DanStaBat, Lola Dance, EDAM, Kinesis Dance, Frozen Eye, Wen Wei Dance and battery opera amongst others. Recent designs seen on stage include “Grace” for Joe Ink which toured to Scotland for the Fringe Festival 2005 and “Tao” for Wen Wei Dance on a three city tour of Colombia. Designs for Holy Body Tattoo ( “Poetry & Apocalypse” & “Our Brief Eternity” ) and battery opera (“Gecko Eats Fly ” & “Brick”) have toured both nationally and internationally. In the field of lighting direction for festival programs, James has lit Vancouvers’ “Dancing on The Edge Festival” for the past six years encompassing over one hundred pieces of varying length for more than forty local and national dance artists.In the course of 30 presentations of the showcase dance / theatre series “12 Min Max”, James has contributed lighting design / direction for in excess of 200 locally produced short works. In 2000-2001 James received a Jessie Richardson Award nomination for outstanding lighting design for his work on “Counter Offence” produced by the Firehall Theatre Company and again in 2005 for “Einstein’s Gift” produced by Firehall and Gateway Theatre. In 2001-2002 James was awarded the Jessie for his illumination of the battery opera production “Spektator” which has consequently toured both nationally and internationally. Recent designs seen on stage include “Unbound” and “Cock-Pit” for Wen Wei Dance and “Grace” for Joe Ink which toured to Scotland for the Fringe Festival 2005 and Seoul, S. Korea, in September 2006.