CAST
REBECCA
Stephanie Hope Lawlor (she/her)
A few recent credits: Never Not Once, One Night Only, The Sound of Music (Theatre Aquarius), Mary’s Wedding, Venus in Fur (Rook’s Theatre), Provenance (Berkeley St. Theatre), plus countless exciting workshops and readings for new works. In concert: From Broadway With Love, Isabella Tarantella (Brott Music Festival), Women of Musical Theatre Festival (MAP, 2 seasons). Winner of an inaugural Gilded Hammer Award (The Cutting Edge – Innovation Award) for her work in the Hamilton theatre community. How special to be back here, sharing space and time with you. www.hopelawlor.com
STEPHEN
Raymond Louter (he/him)
Raymond Louter graduated from Dordt University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts in 1982 after which he entered the Master of Fine Arts program in performance at York University in Toronto. In 1986 he began the theatre department at Redeemer University. In 1993 he completed an M.A in Drama at the University of Guelph. In the past years he has directed many plays but most recently: Perfect Pie, Under Milkwood, Seven Stories, Drama at Inish, Hecuba, Cotton Patch Gospel, The Rivals, As It Is In Heaven and SEEDS. In January of 2003, while on sabbatical, he participated in Sue Morrison’s Clown Through Mask workshop. That same season he was fortunate to be able to play a number of supporting roles in the Theatre and Company production of Einstein’s Gift at the King Street Theatre Centre in
Kitchener – a script which later won the Governor General’s Award for drama. In 2014, He played Qoheleth in The Arts Engine Production of Ecclesiastes, directed by Tom Carson, which toured through Hamilton and Toronto. He recently played the Patrician in Guards! Guards! directed by Sam Frisk. He is thrilled to play Stephen in his first project with Same Boat Theatre.
SHOW & DESIGN
PLAYWRIGHT
Stephen Near (he/him)
Stephen is a writer and educator living in Hamilton. He is a graduate of York University (BFA), the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (B. Ed) and the MFA Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph. Stephen is a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada, the Theatre Aquarius Playwrights Unit and an alumnus of both the Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Banff Centre. With Reaching Symmetry Theatre, his writing credits include Quintessence, Interface, Monstrous Invisible, Test and The Conspiracy of Michael. With Same Boat Theatre his writing credits include Finding Mr. Right, Your Own Sons (Best in Venue, Hamilton Fringe), Creature and Whale Fall. In 2021, Stephen was Long-listed for the CBC Short Story Prize and was a Writer-In-Residecne at the Cotton Factory in Hamilton. Stephen is a freelance writer and a feature columnist with the Beyond James arts and culture blog. stephennear.com
DIRECTOR / DESIGNER
Aaron Joel Craig (he/him)
Aaron is a director, dramaturge, designer and performer. His passion for developing new work with local artists led to the founding of Same Boat Theatre. His theatre work focuses on questions of identity, power and how to stay hopeful in a difficult world. Some past projects include Test, Your Own Sons and The Conspiracy of Michael, all with Same Boat, and Henry the Fifth at Redeemer University. Recently, he has been undertaking graduate studies, with a focus of the intersections of spirituality and the arts. You can find him most places on the internet @aaronjoelcraig.
SAME BOAT THEATRE 