UpStart25

The UpStart festival is a juried one-act play festival hosted by the University of Waterloo Theatre and Performance program. All these plays are written, directed, designed, and performed by students. They will be presented March 19th-22nd in the Theatre of the Arts. The UpStart festival is part of the 2025 Capstone project, with five senior Theatre and Performance majors making up the core of the creative team.

THPERF 244 Class

Carpentry/Paint

Kayla Burmaster  

Jaime Connors 

Sophie Koroman  

Yijia Sun  

Sarah Weber 

Wardrobe

Priscilla Asare  

Kate Brown  

Ethan Nevills 

Julia You 

Lighting

Marshall Kocher  

Leo Ridpath  

Olivia Rossel  

Bella Ortiz 

Renee Walker 

Props

Sarah Kelly

Daniela Milicevic 

Work Studies

  • Paula Bornacelli – Carpentry Shop Assistant 

  • Daniella Djomga - Assistant Box Office Manager

  • Hanna Freitas – Wardrobe shop Assistant  

  • Petrina Lee - Assistant to the Technical Coordinator (HUM)  

  • Ryan Chen - Assistant to Technical Coordinator (TofA)  

  • Hailey Kennedy – Assistant to the Technical Coordinator (TofA) 

Performances: March 19  - 22, 2025 at 7:00 pm

Creative team

Festival Artistic Team

Melanie McNeill - Set Designer

Hailey Kennedy - Lighting Designer

Lilian Lam - Sound Designer

Jay Havens - Design Coordinator

Noah Feaver - Lighting Mentor

Lyon Smith - Sound Mentor

Paul Cegys - Video Mentor

Alix Sideris - Acting Coach/Directing Mentor

Utopia Artistic Team

Joshua Barroso - Playwright

Hanna Freitas - Director

Anna Whitehead - Stage Manager

John Stapleton - Costume Designer

Siobhan Richardson - Fight / Intimacy Director

Paula Bornacelli - Beatty

Marshall Kocher - Johnny

Lia Mendonca - Mary (March 20)

Becca Zadorsky - Jasmine Ward

Charlotte - Mary (March 19, 21, 22)

The Waiting Room Artistic Team

Roza Tasneem - Playwright

Jasmine Rajaballey - Director

Quinn Andres - Stage Manager

Nadine Grant - Costume Designer

Erin Keaveney - Dylan

Shirley Ma - Aamir

Katie Yuan - Tee

Hell Weeks Artistic Team

Kye Stevenson Hatayama - Playwright & Director

Talia Dmitrienko - Co-Playwright

Molly Mück - Stage Manager

Abhishek Bommali - Video Designer

Nadine Grant - Costume Designer

Lex Podrats - Olivia

Leo Ridpath - Duke

Sasha Takoo - Mia 

David White - Theo

Production team

Janelle Rainville - Production Manager

Shaw Forgeron - Props Coordinator

Christopher Greenhalgh - Carpentry Supervisor/ Technical Director

Melissa Zarnke - Front of House Manager

Emma Alderman - Lighting Supervisor/ Technical Coordinator

Morgaine McEvoy - Publicity & Outreach Associate

Rheea Maistry - Publicity Assistant

Stephanie Svenson - Publicity Assistant

Festival Dramaturgs

Sorouja Moll - Supervising Dramaturg

  • Joshua Barroso

  • Gill Brook

  • Elsa Chen

  • Diana Czarnota

  • Talia Dmitrienko

  • ​Raquel Fiaes  

  • Hailey Kennedy   

  • Jasmine Rajaballey 

  • John Stapleton 

  • Roza Tasneem 

  • Angelique Wellington