World On Fire at The Assembly Theatre

Elizabeth Friesen is a founding member of World on Fire Theatre and Moss Theatre Collective. She is also on the board of Alumnae Theatre, ACT II Studio and is a member of the Play Selection Committee for the Village Playhouse. Recent performance highlights include Fierce; LOVE/SICK, The Children, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and The Female of the Species.

David Huband is a member of the comedy troupe, Illustrated Men, since1984 and was a member of the Second City Mainstage Company. David appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford), in the films The Ladies Man, Tommy Boy, Police Academy 3, Wrong Turn, Cube Zero, The Lookout, Breach, Cinderella Man and Dream House and on television in Murdoch Mysteries and The Newsroom. Most recently, David can be seen in the hit Netflix show, Something Very Bad is About to Happen.

Anne van Leeuwen is a co-founder and Artistic Director of Leroy Street Theatre and a founding member of The Assembly Theatre in Parkdale. Select acting credits include Joy/Liz in Anywhere, Lacey in Kill the Poor (Leroy Street Theatre), for which she received a nomination for Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play (My Entertainment World Critics’ Pick Awards); Amie in The Chance (Leroy Street Theatre); Marge in Tough Jews (Storefront Theatre/Spadina Avenue Gang), which earned a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble; and Patty Picker, for which she received a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble.

Chris Peterson was last seen in The Female of the Species (Alumnae Theatre) and In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) (Alumnae Theatre). Other recent credits include Proof (Theatre UnBlocked), August: Osage County (Alumnae Theatre), His Girl Friday (Bygone Theatre), The Program Audio Series (Podcast), The Theory of Accelerated Hotness (Glass Hammer Productions), Operation 24/Cut-Outs (Unit 102/The Assembly Theatre), and Sorry, Wrong Number/The Hitchhiker (Plain Stage).

Marline Yan is best known for her role as Abigail Flores on YTV's How to Be Indie, and has appeared in series including Connor Undercover, Wingin' It, Saving Hope, and Coroner. She made her Toronto indie theatre debut in George F. Walker's Girls Unwanted at the King Black Box.

Alex Clay co-founded the Toronto-centric theatre company, The Theatre Circuit. Some of Alex’s recent theatre credits include The Inch of Your Life Trilogy (The Theatre Circuit), The Birds and Rear Window (Bygone Theatre), Girl in the Machine (Seven Siblings Theatre), and The Cenotaph Project (Theatre by the Bay).

George F Walker is an award-winning and popular Canadian playwright who has written more than 35 plays. His best known plays include Zastrozzi, Criminals In Love, Nothing Scared, Better Living, Escape from Happiness, Heaven, and Suburban Motel series. Recently, Crow’s Theatre debuted Orphans of the Czar and Theatre Direct produced Syndrome. He has directed most of the premiere performances of his plays. His work is known for its dark humour and marginalized characters.

Ivana Obradovic is a theatre collaborator who loves getting her hands into every part of the process—production, acting, dramaturgy, and directing. She got her start performing in Serbian-language plays then moved into roles like Production Committee Co-chair, Co-manager, and Board Member at Act2studioWORKS. Along the way, she’s directed and dramaturged a range of short plays for Act2studioWORKS, Alumnae NIF, and the Newmarket Festival of One Act Plays. She’s also built a long and creative collaboration with Pulse Theatre. Most recently, she directed the full-length play Long Live the Rainbow for Elderberry Theatre which has been her most rewarding experience so far. All of these experiences continue to shape how she tells stories and works with others. She’s excited to be part of this production and to dive into the work with the team as their Stage Manager.

Natalie Ira-Gould is a multi-disciplinary creator and writer, based in Toronto, and working across theatre and film. She joins World on Fire as Assistant Stage Manager, supporting the production behind the scenes. With a background in arts programming, independent film development, and production, she is drawn to the collaborative energy of live theatre, and bringing her skills to a new medium. Natalie is grateful to be part of an amazing team of artists!

Fabiana Mercurio holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre Production) from York University. She can often be found costume designing in Toronto’s local theatre scene. Her most recent costume credits include: Circle Mirror Transformation at Alumnae Theatre, and Moss Theatre Collective’s Fierce. She is excited to collaborate with George again, on his new piece, World on Fire. It has been an honour and a privilege to work alongside the incredibly talented, patient, and kind World on Fire team. Enjoy the show!

Madeleine Rosenberg has been involved in the performing arts in one way or another since preschool. With a background not only in dance and the performing arts, but production as well, she loves making theatre magic happen! She has a special fondness for props and costumes as an avid sewer and handy-woman. She is looking forward to being a part of this amazing team!

Elizabeth Friesen is a Toronto-based actor, singer, storyteller, playwright, producer, director, and dramaturge. As an out-of-the-box thinker, who enjoys collaboration and experimentation, she is always looking for ways to expand her community of like-minded individuals and develop creative partnerships. She is a founding member of World on Fire Theatre and Moss Theatre Collective. She is also a member of the following theatre organizations: Alumnae Theatre (where she sits on the Board of Directors, as Director of Training & Development, and is a member of the Play Selection Committee), ACT II Studio at TMU (where she sits on the Board of Directors, as Chair of the Program Committee), and the Village Playhouse (where she is a member of the Play Selection Committee.) World on Fire marks Elizabeth’s second time performing in a play that was both written and directed by George F. Walker -- the first being the critically acclaimed Fierce, in 2024. Other recent performance highlights include leading roles in the Toronto Fringe Festival (2023 & 2024); LOVE/SICK, The Children, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and The Female of the Species. Looking ahead, Elizabeth is already planning her next project with George F. Walker and will continue to both produce and act in his upcoming plays. Outside of her creative endeavours, she is the loving mother of 2 incredible young adults and 4 frisky felines. She spends a good part of every day picking cat hair off her clothing.

Marianne Sawchuk is the Artistic Director for Women At Play(s), Actor, Director, Producer for Theatre & Film, & an RN. She produced Acts on the Edge in LA & an all women version of Glengarry Glen Ross in Toronto and has acted in Vancouver, LA, NY, Toronto. Favorite Stage credits: Hurl, Hemorrhage and Heal (BC tour, & co-writer), Wild Honey (Jericho Arts Centre), Atom Egoyan’s Salome (Queen Elizabeth Theatre); Film & TV: Anything for Jackson, The Handmaid’s Tale. Nominations: Playwrights Guild of Canada Bra D’Or award in 2023 for her advocacy of Canadian women playwrights. She has produced several award winning short films and wrote Falling Upwards (Women At Play(s) 5). She is also a medical consultant for film and television, notably Twelve Hours (TIFF nomination). She now lives in Toronto with her husband, Bruno Verdoni, and their daughter, Francesca. She is thrilled to be involved in the World On Fire Theatre Collective producing the works of George F. Walker.