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Faculty and Guest Instructors

Click on an artist's name to read their profile or view some of their works.

Susan Benson | Ken Dubblestyne | Glenn Elliott

Desmond Heeley | Frank Holte | Lisa Hughes | Marion Isherwood

John Pennoyer | Susan Starkweather

SUSAN BENSON R.C.A., Artist, Designer

Susan’s paintings, drawings and designs are in many collections including the National Portrait Gallery Ottawa, Bronfman Collection, Gallery Stratford, the Stratford Festival and the National Arts Centre, Ottawa.

She has designed for theatre, Opera and ballet in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Europe. She has won many awards for her designs including 8 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and an Ace award for The Mikado on the Arts and Entertainment Channel.

She is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art in the category of Theatre Design. She received an ATD from the West of England College of Art, Bristol and a Gold Medal Acting (Hons) from LAMDA.

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KEN DUBBLESTYNE, Master Prop Builder

Ken is a master prop builder who has been at the Stratford Festival Theatre for thirty years. He has worked with world-class designers such as Desmond Heeley, Tanya Moiseiwitsch, Debra Hanson and Santo Loquasto.

Ken is an experienced teacher eager to share his knowledge. He has trained apprentices in the prop shop and has instructed many mask workshops.

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Glen Elliott

GLEN ELLIOTT, Sculptor, Prop Builder

Glenn is an accomplished artist whose career in art and theatre began in the mid sixties.

He has had his work in over one dozen group exhibitions including galleries in Toronto, London and New York and has had eight solo exhibits beginning in 1985.

Prolific in his work he has also been a prop builder for the Festival Theatre for 35 years.

His work is in the collections of several galleries and private collections in Canada and the US.

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DESMOND HEELEY, Designer

Desmond Heeley begun working as an apprentice at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford- upon- Avon England in 1955. Heeley began to design costumes for plays such as The Lark and Titus Andronicus. He then expanded his work to ballet and the opera.

He designed for the ballet Prince of the Pagodas, the theatrical performance I Puritani, and for the Sadler’s Wells Opera. Heeley began working with Michael Langham to design for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Stratford- upon- Avon. The following year he came to the production of Hamlet at the Stratford Festival Theatre of Canada, starring Christopher Plummer.

Heeley went on to design over eighteen productions for the Stratford Festival Theatre as well as Swan Lake for the National Ballet of Canada. He returned to England to work at the Old Vic Theatre in 1967 which earned him many awards including two Tony awards for the sets and costumes on the Broadway performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in 1968.

In 1997, to celebrate his 50^th anniversary of working in theatre, the Stratford Festival of Canada presented an exhibition featuring sets, designs, costumes, and properties that Heeley had created. In this year he was also awarded the United States Institute for Theatre/technology Award for his work in the performing arts. Desmond has helped make many productions possible and raised the bar for outstanding costume and set designs.

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Off The Wall, Stratford Artist's Alliance

FRANK HOLTE, Master Prop Builder

Born in Stratford upon Avon England, Frank Holte served his apprenticeship at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Co. where he was employed for 10 years.

Frank emigrated to Canada in 1970 and made Stratford, Ontario his home. He has been head of Properties at the Stratford Festival ever since.

As a freelance artist and props maker, Frank Holte works in stainless steel. His largest commissioned sculpture is the Phoenix created for the Royal Ontario Museum which measures over 37 ft. long.

Frank’s work can be seen locally in Stratford, next to the Festival Theatre in the ceremonial promenade where the sculpture of William Shakespeare stands with pen in hand and at Stratford General Hospital where a stainless steel horse stands stoically in front of the building.

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LISA HUGHES, Artisan

Shortly after graduating in theatre arts in England, Lisa immigrated to Canada. She has been employed at the Stratford Festival for 29 seasons. The majority of these years have been as Costume Painter.

Additional experience includes props, scene painting and design. Her independent studio, Flying Colours, has undertaken many off- season contracts, including Cats, Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King.

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MARION ISHERWOOD, Artisan

Originally from London, England, where she worked as Continuity at Eistree Film Studios, Marion emigrated to Montreal in the late 60’s and ten years later moved on a whim to beautiful Stratford to establish The Old Prune Restaurant.

She studied watercolor under Judy Garfin at McGill University in Montreal, and is self taught in pastels acrylics and oils.

Since then her work has found homes in Canada, the US and Europe. Most recently a watercolor was selected as the image for The Quilt poster for 2005 to promote this worthy cause.

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JOHN PENNOYER, Artist, Designer

John was born in Montreal and graduated from McMaster University in 1971.

Starting from1972 John built props at the Festival for productions designed by Desmond Heeley, Annena Stubbs and Leslie Hurry.

He has drawn his way from Vancouver to Quebec City, at the Vancouver Playhouse, the National Ballet, the Canadian Opera Company, the Banff Centre, and LeTheatre du Trident, and has designed extensively at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

He gratefully acknowledges the Stratford Festival as a primary training ground.

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SUSAN STARKWEATHER, Artist

I am a graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit Michigan and co-founded Off the Wall, Stratford Artists Alliance in 2005 specializing in Theatrical Production Arts and presently act as general manager and on-site coordinator.

My responsibilities include: Plan, organize, promote and coordinate seasonal programs, fundraising and special events, recruit and organize students, direct and coordinate staff, keep an inventory of program materials, maintain financial records, prepare annual reporting documents to Charities Directorate and Revenue Canada.

I have been active in historic preservation in Michigan for over 25 years and was honoured in 2003 by the Metropolitan Detroit Preservation League for my achievements.

I have a passion for good health which inspired me to own and operate a corporate health assessment company from 1994 until 2006 which grew to be the largest corporate screening organization in Michigan.

I successfully negotiated contracts with clients such as Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, U.S. Postal Service, Veterans Hospital of Detroit, Detroit Medical Centre, Wayne State University, Teamsters, UAW and more. In addition, was liaison to Michigan Department of Community Health and Worksite and Community Health Promotions of Michigan.

For the 2009 season I contracted with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival working in Props with legendary designer Desmond Heeley on The Importance of Being Ernest and maintain a private art studio at Factory 163, Stratford. I was nominated in 2009 for Woman of the Year in Arts and Culture and am presently on the Board of Directors for the Stratford Tourism Alliance.

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