Company Bios
India Allen (Asst. Stage Manager)
Julia P. Bennett (Assistant Director)is delighted to work with Azure River to help bring Madam Mao to Boise. Among her many adventures, Julia has worked as an actor, director, theatre department chair, college dean, designer, server, and chief cook and bottle washer. Julia holds her Ph.D. in Performance Studies and M.F.A. (Acting), is a co-founder of Ephemeral Productions, founder of the "8 in 48" Short Play Festival, a company member and teaching artist with Treasure Valley Children’s Theater and a general troublemaker. Props to this great community of makers in the Valley - you rock!-, love to Tom and the tribe, and a very deep bow to Madam Janet and this gifted family of artists. Amor Fatis!
Dan Allers (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer for theater, opera, dance, music, Film and Television with over 500 Productions under his belt. Designs include The 2009 World Winter Games Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies. World Premieres Nosferato an Opera and Glady’s Nights a play at Stage Coach Theatre. Dan has receive critical acclaim in such papers as the LA Times, Drama-log, Sacramento Bee, as well as the Idaho Statesman and the Lewiston morning Tribune. Locally has won several Outstanding lighting Awards for his work. Dan is the current Designer at Stagecoach Theatre and the Master Electrician at the Morrison Center. Dan has also taught at BSU Stage Lighting and Grip and Electric for movies and TV.
Heidi Chan (Musician/Composer/Sound Designer) is a musician and sound artist based in Toronto, Canada. She plays and composes with bamboo flutes, percussion, modular synthesizers and live looping techniques, and has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia. She is currently a Ph.D candidate in Ethnomusicology at York University. Her live music and sound design credits include Titus Andronicus and Macbeth (Tang Shu-Wing Studio, Hong Kong), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), Bitter Tea and Wind/Breeze (Little Pear Garden Collective, Toronto), Wing Night at the Boot (Blyth Theatre Festival), and the upcoming Iphigenia Among The Taurians (Saga Collectif, Toronto). She currently performs with Japanese folk ensemble Ten Ten, electroacoustic duo Deenzi, and has a solo electronic music project under the name Bachelard.
Jeffrey Chan (Choreographer), the founder of Wu Ming Dance Project, started dance training in Hong Kong with Chinese classical and folk dance; and later encountered Graham techniques in England at the London Contemporary Dance School. Chan has created three full-evening dance productions: Eight Tones, Nanking Monologue and The Lord of Death.
Robyn Monkharsh (Stage Manager)
Janet Lo (Jiang Qing/Producer) has worked internationally, portraying roles across Canada as well as appearing in Los Angeles and China in theatre, film, television and radio. Janet Lo and Azure River were the 2013/14 Artist in Residents for fu-Gen Asian Canadian Theatre Company. Stage highlights include Red Snow, Tout Comme Elle, Hana's Suitcase, Pu-Erh, M. Butterfly and a season at the Shaw Festival. Her producing credits include Powder Blue Chevy by Raymond Dang, in which she acted, and the Canadian Premiere of A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew, which she also directed. Janet can be seen in two seasons as “Bunny Wu” on the Canadian Television Comedy Second Jen.
Paul Thompson (Co-creator) Co-founder and former long-time Artistic Director of Passe Muraille; initiated an approach to making theatre called collective creation that combined first-hand research and improvisation; produced a body of work of more than fifty original plays; numerous honours include Dora Silver Ticket, Officer of the Order of Canada, and Governor General's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Severn Thompson (Director) is excited to be bringing Madam Mao back to the stage with this fantastic artistic team. Her directing credits include the Dora award winning Toronto production of Peter Pan (Bad Hats Theate/Soulpepper); Wing Night at the Boot, Pigeon King, and Beyond the Farm Show (Blyth Theatre Festival); and The Munsch Bunch (George Brown College). Severn has worked extensively as an actor, appearing most recently in the Canadian tour of Elle (Theatre Passe Muraille). She also adapted the script, Elle, from the novel for which she received a Dora nomination. Severn is Associate Artistic Director for the Blyth Festival and graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Samantha Wan (Sergeant/Trickster) is a Toronto-based actor-filmmaker. She is one of the creators and stars of City TV’s sit-com Second Jen. Samantha is also known for he role ‘Zoe Chow’ on Private Eyes with Jason Priestly on Ion television. Samantha is the creator and star of Sudden Master, an online Kung Fu series she was commissioned to create for OMNI TV. The series has accumulated numerous awards, including Best Action Series at the LA Action On Film Festival. The Festival also awarded Wan with a Woman With A Vision Award for her work as a producer and creator and best Female Action Performer of the Year for the project. She was also named Best Actress in a Drama at the Hollyweb Festival.
Amanda Zhou (Red Guard)is a Toronto and China based actress. She is a graduate from York’s Acting Conservatory program with a background in figure skating, dance, and singing. She enjoys her time spent with family and friends, staying active, and cooking/baking! Her most recent work includes Blood and Water (OMNI), Rabid (Back40 productions), and upcoming theatre show, Yellow Rabbit (Soulpepper Theatre). Past selected work: Residue (BDB Productions), The Adventure for Love (HBC), and toured with The Hong Kong Dance Company. She loves meeting new people so feel free to stick around after the performance and inquire/converse with her!