The Cast of Hockey: The Musical!
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Stephen Flett (Coach Cox) is thrilled to be in Hockey: The Musical! which marks his 14th (and
15th) Toronto Fringe show – he’s doing double duty in the Fringe this year, also appearing in
Sitting in a Tree . Frequent Fringe forays include 2007’s musical In Adequacy , 2006’s It Was Kit ,
and all five of Upstart Crow’s Shakespeare Sports shows including Shakespeare’s NHL . He co-
wrote the Fringe hits Shakespeare’s Comic Olympics and Pseudolus . Steve received his theatre
training at Queen's University (Kingston) and the British American Acting Academy (England).
Recent shows include Nuts’ (East Side Players), Moll (Toronto Irish Players), A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum (Hart House), and The Dover Road (Amicus). Steve’s many
Toronto appearances include the award winning The Good Doctor, A Man for All Seasons (East
Side), An Ideal Husband, the role of the Stage Manager in Our Town (Village Playhouse), Lady
Windermere’s Fan (Alumnae), Hamlet (Upstart Crow), The Elephant Man (City Centre), Someone
Who’ll Watch Over Me (Thea award for Best Acting Ensemble in a Drama - Toronto Irish), Out of
Order, Sisters Rosenzweig and The Affections of May which won him a Thea award for Best
Supporting Actor in a Comedy (Amicus).
15th) Toronto Fringe show – he’s doing double duty in the Fringe this year, also appearing in
Sitting in a Tree . Frequent Fringe forays include 2007’s musical In Adequacy , 2006’s It Was Kit ,
and all five of Upstart Crow’s Shakespeare Sports shows including Shakespeare’s NHL . He co-
wrote the Fringe hits Shakespeare’s Comic Olympics and Pseudolus . Steve received his theatre
training at Queen's University (Kingston) and the British American Acting Academy (England).
Recent shows include Nuts’ (East Side Players), Moll (Toronto Irish Players), A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum (Hart House), and The Dover Road (Amicus). Steve’s many
Toronto appearances include the award winning The Good Doctor, A Man for All Seasons (East
Side), An Ideal Husband, the role of the Stage Manager in Our Town (Village Playhouse), Lady
Windermere’s Fan (Alumnae), Hamlet (Upstart Crow), The Elephant Man (City Centre), Someone
Who’ll Watch Over Me (Thea award for Best Acting Ensemble in a Drama - Toronto Irish), Out of
Order, Sisters Rosenzweig and The Affections of May which won him a Thea award for Best
Supporting Actor in a Comedy (Amicus).
This is Zahir Gilani’s (Ravi Patel) second consectutive year performing at the Fringe. Last year he
had the honor or working with David Anderson of the Clay and Paper in We Need Help. Zahir has
also recently played the lead character Saeed in The Source at the St Lawrence Centre for the
Arts. His recent Film and Television credits include Atif Rafay in Cold Blood 5 and Samphuran
Dhillon in xPOD. He will also be making a brief appearance in the Indie film Son of Sunshine being
shot this spring and summer in Toronto. Zahir has trained with David Rotenberg and Bruce Clayton
at the Pro Actors Lab. He also just completed his Honours Degree in Philosophy at York University.
Zahir is thrilled and feels blessed to be working with this talented team.
had the honor or working with David Anderson of the Clay and Paper in We Need Help. Zahir has
also recently played the lead character Saeed in The Source at the St Lawrence Centre for the
Arts. His recent Film and Television credits include Atif Rafay in Cold Blood 5 and Samphuran
Dhillon in xPOD. He will also be making a brief appearance in the Indie film Son of Sunshine being
shot this spring and summer in Toronto. Zahir has trained with David Rotenberg and Bruce Clayton
at the Pro Actors Lab. He also just completed his Honours Degree in Philosophy at York University.
Zahir is thrilled and feels blessed to be working with this talented team.
Michael Gill (Shawn Knighty/Kevin Weiler) is very pleased to be a part of this creative new project.
It’s amazing how the two things that have been so prominent in his life, seeming so opposite, have
suddenly come together. Hockey and Musical Theatre, it’s very exciting! Being originally from
White Rock BC, Michael studied voice, acting and dance at the Canadian College of Performing
Arts (Victoria, BC) before moving to Toronto where he also became a graduate of the triple threat
program at Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Some of his favorite theatre credits
include the role of Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game (RAPA), Judge Danforth in The Crucible
(RAPA) and Michael in In the Money. (KSTS) He would like to thank his family for their love and
support though they are so far away.
It’s amazing how the two things that have been so prominent in his life, seeming so opposite, have
suddenly come together. Hockey and Musical Theatre, it’s very exciting! Being originally from
White Rock BC, Michael studied voice, acting and dance at the Canadian College of Performing
Arts (Victoria, BC) before moving to Toronto where he also became a graduate of the triple threat
program at Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Some of his favorite theatre credits
include the role of Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game (RAPA), Judge Danforth in The Crucible
(RAPA) and Michael in In the Money. (KSTS) He would like to thank his family for their love and
support though they are so far away.
Jennifer Hope (Elizabeth Grey) is thrilled to be part of this wonderful cast in the world premiere of
Hockey: The Musical! at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Since beginning her career at the age of 18,
Jennifer has been seen by over half a million people in 43 states around the United States, and on
5 continents. Past credits include: Guenevere in Camelot, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady,
Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha, Emily Arden in State Fair, Maria in West Side Story, Mrs.
Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Elsa Schraeder in Sound of Music. Film credits include
The Royal Tenenbaums and an episode of The West Wing. Career highlights have included
performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, and
performances with Luciano Pavarotti, Jessye Norman, and Jason Robards. Jennifer holds a degree
in opera from Rutgers University and has been part of the team of actors developing new musicals
through the Graduate School of Musical Theater Writing at New York University. She has been
called “… a major talent”, “…a performer who combines the best of Barbra Streisand’s pep with
Bette Midler’s bawdiness”, and “a woman with… a lustrous singing voice..." "...worth five times the
price of admission.” She thanks her two oldest and dearest friends, Rick Wilson and Chris
Leidenfrost, and her husband, partner in crime, and frequent costar Matt.
Hockey: The Musical! at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Since beginning her career at the age of 18,
Jennifer has been seen by over half a million people in 43 states around the United States, and on
5 continents. Past credits include: Guenevere in Camelot, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady,
Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha, Emily Arden in State Fair, Maria in West Side Story, Mrs.
Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Elsa Schraeder in Sound of Music. Film credits include
The Royal Tenenbaums and an episode of The West Wing. Career highlights have included
performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, and
performances with Luciano Pavarotti, Jessye Norman, and Jason Robards. Jennifer holds a degree
in opera from Rutgers University and has been part of the team of actors developing new musicals
through the Graduate School of Musical Theater Writing at New York University. She has been
called “… a major talent”, “…a performer who combines the best of Barbra Streisand’s pep with
Bette Midler’s bawdiness”, and “a woman with… a lustrous singing voice..." "...worth five times the
price of admission.” She thanks her two oldest and dearest friends, Rick Wilson and Chris
Leidenfrost, and her husband, partner in crime, and frequent costar Matt.
Michael Johnson (Johan Johansen) is a newcomer to Toronto from the Haliburton, Ontario region,
where he was a frequent actor in productions of Highlands Little Theatre and The Highlands
Summer Festival. He was most recently seen as the Lord Dumaine in Alchemy Theatre's All's Well
That Ends Well, directed by Hume Baugh. He is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful production.
where he was a frequent actor in productions of Highlands Little Theatre and The Highlands
Summer Festival. He was most recently seen as the Lord Dumaine in Alchemy Theatre's All's Well
That Ends Well, directed by Hume Baugh. He is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful production.
Christopher Leidenfrost (Pavel Riccardino) is over the moon to be a part of this stellar cast and
making his Canadian debut in Hockey: The Musical! Some past roles include: Nathan Leopold
Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story, Lancelot du Lac Camelot, Pontius Pilate JCS, Richard
Henry Lee 1776, Laurie Little Women, Hero A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,
Robert T. Lincoln The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, Josh Zombie Prom, Homer Wells The Cider House
Rules: Parts 1 & 2, Bobby Saturday Night, Cat Honk!, & George Gershwin Mrs. Gould Welcomes
George Gershwin. After Hockey Chris will be returning to his fifth year as a member of the New
York Renaissance Faire performance company. Chris also designs sets and costumes and runs
his own pirate entertainment company - Pirates Inc! (more info @ www.piratesinc.org) Chris
dedicates these shows to his family, who have never left his side - Mom, Dad, Tom and Grandma
- I love you always. And to Rick- who continues to impress and inspire me every day.
www.leidenfrosteffect.com
making his Canadian debut in Hockey: The Musical! Some past roles include: Nathan Leopold
Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story, Lancelot du Lac Camelot, Pontius Pilate JCS, Richard
Henry Lee 1776, Laurie Little Women, Hero A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,
Robert T. Lincoln The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, Josh Zombie Prom, Homer Wells The Cider House
Rules: Parts 1 & 2, Bobby Saturday Night, Cat Honk!, & George Gershwin Mrs. Gould Welcomes
George Gershwin. After Hockey Chris will be returning to his fifth year as a member of the New
York Renaissance Faire performance company. Chris also designs sets and costumes and runs
his own pirate entertainment company - Pirates Inc! (more info @ www.piratesinc.org) Chris
dedicates these shows to his family, who have never left his side - Mom, Dad, Tom and Grandma
- I love you always. And to Rick- who continues to impress and inspire me every day.
www.leidenfrosteffect.com
Arnon Melo (Bob Dallas/Bartender/Et Al), Brazilian native, is fresh from playing a corpse with a twist
in Adrian Keats' film Stiff Luv adding new meaning to 'he shoots he scores!' and a dad with no sex
appeal at all in the film Pedro Levantate directed by Jose Sunsin. Both soon to be at a film festival
near you! He recently was Inspector Legrand in the Kanadjiun Entertainment Production of Pajama
Tops. He is delighted and honored to be part of Off Sides Entertainment's newest production,
Hockey: The Musical! and can't wait to find out what 'icing', 'checking' and 'stick handling' have to
do with sport! He would like to thank Rick Wilson for this great opportunity. To all his cast mates he
wishes the very best. And finally a special thank you to Peter Hawkins for always playing on my
team.
in Adrian Keats' film Stiff Luv adding new meaning to 'he shoots he scores!' and a dad with no sex
appeal at all in the film Pedro Levantate directed by Jose Sunsin. Both soon to be at a film festival
near you! He recently was Inspector Legrand in the Kanadjiun Entertainment Production of Pajama
Tops. He is delighted and honored to be part of Off Sides Entertainment's newest production,
Hockey: The Musical! and can't wait to find out what 'icing', 'checking' and 'stick handling' have to
do with sport! He would like to thank Rick Wilson for this great opportunity. To all his cast mates he
wishes the very best. And finally a special thank you to Peter Hawkins for always playing on my
team.
Ted Neal (Richard Dickman/Brian Jones) is thrilled to be a part of Hockey:The Musical! in this year's
Toronto Fringe Festival. Growing up in a hockey family, Ted was on skates before he could walk,
and on a team before he was even potty trained. Ted graduated from Humber College's theatre
performance program last April and would like to thank all of his teachers there for giving him the
tools he needed to survive in this crazy world. Ted was last seen on stage as Privet Neal McNeal in
the Crate production of The Fort at York, and as Drew in Mixed Companies production of Showdown.
He has also been involved in several independent Canadian films where he has played an action
hero, a young lover, a mime and a cowboy. After years of 6am practices, flooding the back yard rink,
and leaving his high school hockey practice early to go to play rehearsal, Ted finally feels like it has
all fallen into place.
Toronto Fringe Festival. Growing up in a hockey family, Ted was on skates before he could walk,
and on a team before he was even potty trained. Ted graduated from Humber College's theatre
performance program last April and would like to thank all of his teachers there for giving him the
tools he needed to survive in this crazy world. Ted was last seen on stage as Privet Neal McNeal in
the Crate production of The Fort at York, and as Drew in Mixed Companies production of Showdown.
He has also been involved in several independent Canadian films where he has played an action
hero, a young lover, a mime and a cowboy. After years of 6am practices, flooding the back yard rink,
and leaving his high school hockey practice early to go to play rehearsal, Ted finally feels like it has
all fallen into place.
Adam Pellerine (Woody Johnson/Trey McPherson) is currently a student at the University of Guelph,
working on a degree in Theatre Studies. In the past, Adam has been in several productions ranging
from chorus to lead roles. These productions include, Back to the 80's, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolored Dream Coat, Lt. Cable in South Pacific, Jimmy Powers in the Toronto Youth Theatre
production of City of Angels and most recently a Motorwise Guy in the University of Guelph Curtain
Call production of Zombie Prom. Adam is looking forward to being a part of the Fringe Festival and
part of Off Sides Entertainment and thanks his friends and family for their caring support.
working on a degree in Theatre Studies. In the past, Adam has been in several productions ranging
from chorus to lead roles. These productions include, Back to the 80's, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolored Dream Coat, Lt. Cable in South Pacific, Jimmy Powers in the Toronto Youth Theatre
production of City of Angels and most recently a Motorwise Guy in the University of Guelph Curtain
Call production of Zombie Prom. Adam is looking forward to being a part of the Fringe Festival and
part of Off Sides Entertainment and thanks his friends and family for their caring support.
Micheal Bien (Bubba Hamilton) has been performing on the stage and screen since the age of 7. A
graduate of the Randolph Academy of the Arts, Michael is please to be participating in the great
tradition of the Toronto Fringe Festival. As an avid sports fan, (go leafs go!), he is even more
pleased to be part of the world premiere cast of Hockey: The Musical! Some other credits include,
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Archie Andrew’s What The Hell Happened, DeSade, King David and
Miss Persia. Film Credits include, Snapped, Three Beans for George and From Wimp to Pimp.
Lots of love to family and friends. Thank you everyone for supporting the theatre!
graduate of the Randolph Academy of the Arts, Michael is please to be participating in the great
tradition of the Toronto Fringe Festival. As an avid sports fan, (go leafs go!), he is even more
pleased to be part of the world premiere cast of Hockey: The Musical! Some other credits include,
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Archie Andrew’s What The Hell Happened, DeSade, King David and
Miss Persia. Film Credits include, Snapped, Three Beans for George and From Wimp to Pimp.
Lots of love to family and friends. Thank you everyone for supporting the theatre!
David Straus (Travis "Smitty" Smith/Pavel's Father) is a graduate of the University of Toronto Drama
Program. He has been a professional actor and acting teacher for many years. His past Fringe
exploits include The Vile Governess (Lamarre Unger Dramatic Theatre), The Venetian Elopement
(Pea Green Productions/Canadia D’ell Arte), and his own action drama, Superhero. He’s excited to
be a part of Hockey: The Musical!, not just because it’s such a great project and group of artists, but
because he was first bitten by the acting bug in grade 4 when he played the ‘Tinman’ in the Wizard
of Oz, and he has far too few musicals to his credit. You’ll probably see him in a number of upcoming
docudrama television shows (Underworld Gangs, Cold Blood, Paradise Lost) the last one he shot in
South Africa and managed to miss that awful snow storm. Alright, enough gloating--let’s drop the
puck already!
Program. He has been a professional actor and acting teacher for many years. His past Fringe
exploits include The Vile Governess (Lamarre Unger Dramatic Theatre), The Venetian Elopement
(Pea Green Productions/Canadia D’ell Arte), and his own action drama, Superhero. He’s excited to
be a part of Hockey: The Musical!, not just because it’s such a great project and group of artists, but
because he was first bitten by the acting bug in grade 4 when he played the ‘Tinman’ in the Wizard
of Oz, and he has far too few musicals to his credit. You’ll probably see him in a number of upcoming
docudrama television shows (Underworld Gangs, Cold Blood, Paradise Lost) the last one he shot in
South Africa and managed to miss that awful snow storm. Alright, enough gloating--let’s drop the
puck already!
Kenn Taylor (Red Stevens/Et Al) is excited to be a part of Hockey: The Musical! as it marks two
firsts—a musical and a Fringe. A graduate of the U of T drama program and Shakespeare and
Company in Massachusetts, Kenn. has been living the actor’s life for some time now with the usual
involvement in alternate theatre, episodic TV, independent film, and the ubiquitous American Movies
of the Week. Of all the characters played over the years, Kenn. finds it amusing that he is most
often recognized for playing L.D.’s Dad on Degrassi Junior High. Kenn. was last seen on stage as
Capt. Markinson in Sam Tabar’s production of A Few Good Men and, more recently, as the Father
in the Canadian premiere of Dan Dilks’ Last Stop Welland. Recent independent films include
Bedheads (an official selection of the Angelciti Chicago Film Festival) and the soon-to-be-released
The Tenant, a Jude Idada production. Kenn lives with his wife and three children in Toronto.
firsts—a musical and a Fringe. A graduate of the U of T drama program and Shakespeare and
Company in Massachusetts, Kenn. has been living the actor’s life for some time now with the usual
involvement in alternate theatre, episodic TV, independent film, and the ubiquitous American Movies
of the Week. Of all the characters played over the years, Kenn. finds it amusing that he is most
often recognized for playing L.D.’s Dad on Degrassi Junior High. Kenn. was last seen on stage as
Capt. Markinson in Sam Tabar’s production of A Few Good Men and, more recently, as the Father
in the Canadian premiere of Dan Dilks’ Last Stop Welland. Recent independent films include
Bedheads (an official selection of the Angelciti Chicago Film Festival) and the soon-to-be-released
The Tenant, a Jude Idada production. Kenn lives with his wife and three children in Toronto.
