Tamara Escamilla (tah-mah-rah) is thrilled to be part of the Brave New Play Rites Festival for which she is making her theater debut in Vancouver. Tamara studied the BA in Theatre and Acting in Mexico City, and is a graduate of the Acting for Film and Television department at Vancouver Film School. Born originally in Mexico City, Tamara has pursued art from a young age from singing and tap dancing to receiving formal actor training

Araceli Ferrara is a non-binary Canadian theatre artist. They graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2023 with an MFA in Creative Writing and Theatre, and graduated from York University in 2021 with a BA in Theatre, specializing in Dramaturgy and Devised Theatre, with a minor in History. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, she is the daughter of a refugee and celebrates both her Chilean and Italian heritage. Araceli is a lover of theatre; you can often find her working on her own play or helping with someone else's.

Medha has been involved with theatre for most of her life, and she absolutely loves it. She’s been acting professionally for two years and she finds joy in deepening her knowledge of her craft through classes, observation, and embodiment. She loves exploring and learning from those around her.

Jennie Grenelle recently relocated to Vancouver from Washington, DC! She has performed off-Broadway, throughout the US, and now here in Vancouver! Jennie is a creator of the podcast Feminist Fairytales, and has taught with UBC (Public Speaking) and the Arts Club. She holds an MFA from the Academy for Classical Acting and a BFA from NYU-Tisch.

Matthew Jin (he/they) is a Taiwanese-Canadian BFA acting student currently in his 2nd year at UBC. Recent credits include Matthew (Outside, Vancouver Fringe) and George (The Coolest Ghost, UBC Player’s Club). Following his participation in last year’s BNPR Festival, Matthew is looking forward to another opportunity to learn from industry professionals and to read more emerging works.

Originally from Maine, Sophie is a recent graduate of Bishop's University with a degree in Drama and a concentration in Musical Theatre. She is newly located in Vancouver and pleased to meet so many wonderful artists so quickly. She is honored to be a part of these amazing new works, and can't wait to see how they further develop. When not performing, Sophie's second love is stage management, and most recently was the tour stage manager for Axis Theatre's production of Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish.

Living on occupied Coast Salish territories, Julian is a bi/genderqueer artist, arts worker, and community organizer of European and Acadien settler ancestry. He is producing and co-starring in the West Coast premiere of Lara Rae’s Dragonfly in Fall 2024, and writing an absurdist comedy about a dehoused encampment.

Sam Keiran Macneil is a transmasculine, neurodivergent actor and screenwriter in "Vancouver, BC" who once believed they couldn't be an actor because they were a quiet kid. It took turning thirty to realize they were allowed to do this thing that makes them feel human as a quiet adult.

Daniel is excited to be involved with the next generation of Canadian playwrights. He is a recent graduate of Capilano University’s Acting for Stage and Screen program. When he isn’t on stage or in front of a camera, Daniel enjoys running, road cycling and cross-country skiing in the mountains of BC. Past credits include TBH (CapU Theatre), The Secret in the Wing’s (CapU Theatre)and The Great Invention (Gold Fever Follies).

Hannah Mitchell is a Vancouver-born actor and recent graduate of the UofT/Sheridan College Theatre and Drama Studies program. Past credits include Lady Macbeth in the Scottish Slay’s Macbeth as well as Tartuffe in Tartuffe, Death in Everybody and The Dog in The Witch of Edmonton with Theatre Erindale.

Originally from Kingston, Ontario, Mercury trained in theatre there throughout high school and during his bachelor's degree in English and Drama at Queen’s University. He enjoys all aspects of performance arts, and multiple genres. He is neurodivergent, welcoming the consideration of alternative ways of thinking in artistic practice and content

Som is an actor, dancer and musician trained in the Meisner technique and has worked in several short and indie films and also wrote, directed, shot and edited his own short film "Breathe" during the pandemic.

Marissa Sauvé is a Vancouver B.C performer; she is a former Alumni of Vancouver Acting School. Some of Marissa's work includes playing Maria Romanov in DC's Legends of Tomorrow as well as showing off some awesome sparkly Doc Martens in a Famous Footwear Christmas commercial. She has put up 4 plays in her term 3 with her intensive Conservatory group as of 2023, including a sitcom that was entirely written by the Mirren Conservatory class called Klub Kacti.

Gabriel Vill is a local actor, producer, drag performer, dancer, and writer. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, to a very strict father opposed to letting his son near a stage. They knew one day nobody would be able to stop him from standing on those boards and living their dream in full color. Here we are now.

Coming from Indonesia and the Philippines, Laurentius is a second-year student planning to major in International Relations at UBC. His four loves in life are acting, running, food, and his corgi.

XiaoQing Ye is a Vancouver based actress and dancer. After discovering her love for acting, she moved to Vancouver in 2022 and pursued acting training at Vancouver Film School. With a passion for storytelling, she is actively involved in stage and screen projects, as well as dance performances. She feels that she is better understood when she is acting or dancing.