The Happy Woman

Written by Rose Cullis

with Maev Beaty, Ingrid Rae Doucet, Barbara Gordon, Martin Happer and Maria Vacratsis

Maev Beaty// Cassie Still flushed from the joy of being in the ensemble for Nightwood’s The Penelopiad last month, Maev is thrilled to be joining The Happy Woman’s functioning dysfunctional family. Maev’s coming out party was Canadian Stage’s 2008 season where she played Helena in Dream and premiered in Judith Thompson’s Palace of the End.  Shakespeare’s Titania and Kate followed and she has since performed in 10 Canadian Premieres, gathering 3 Dora nominations for performance in Dance of the Red Skirts (Theatre Columbus), and for performance and writing of Montparnasse, which she co-created with Erin Shields and Andrea Donaldson. She has been a proud ensemble member of huge theatre endeavours such at TheatreFront’s The Mill series and Volcano Theatre’s Another Africa (Luminato/Canadian Stage) and is Co-Artistic Director of Sheep No Wool Theatre Company and an Artistic Associate of Groundwater Productions. www.maevbeaty.com




Ingrid Rae Doucet// Stasia Ingrid has performed in many theatres across Canada including Neptune Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, Mermaid Theatre, YPT, Ships Company Theatre, Magnus Theatre and Theatre and Company. She is proud to be a member of Project Undertow with whom she produced and starred in the Summerworks hit Melancholy Play. Ingrid is also a puppeteer and she recently performed with Toronto Masques Theatre in the James Reaney / John Beckwith collaboration Crazy to Kill directed by David Ferry.






Barbara Gordon// Margaret Barbara Gordon is a very happy woman who has been lucky enough to make a living in the Canadian theatre community for around forty years.  She has enjoyed discovering the country through working in many of its theatres.  Barbara especially relishes working on new scripts, The Happy Woman among them. Recent theatre work in Toronto includes the 50-woman cast of Tout Comme Elle, a Necessary Angel/Canadian Stage production, and Calendar Girls at the Royal Alex. She completed two independent films last summer, Unlucky, and Still, and has been featured in television roles in Little Mosque on the Prairie, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Life With Derek, This is Wonderland, King, and many TV movies.



Martin Happer// Christian Martin Happer was most recently seen in On the Rocks and The Admirable Crichton at the Shaw Festival, for his sixth season with that company, which also included Getting Married, A Month in the Country, Bus Stop, and tours of Belle Moral (NAC) and Saint Joan (Chicago Shakespeare Theater).  In Toronto he was last seen in Theory (SummerWorks) and A Boy Called Newfoundland (Theatre Smash).  As well, he acted in The 39 Steps (Chemainus Theatre Festival); The 39 Steps (Arts Club); Age of Arousal (Arts Club & Touchstone); Thy Neighbour’s Wife (Theatre North West); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects); Mary’s Wedding (TheatreOne); Vincent in Brixton (Theatre Network); The Tempest, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Richard III, As You Like It (Free Will Shakespeare Festival).  For TV he has appeared in Mayday, Murdoch Mysteries, Sue Thomas F.B. Eye, The Eleventh Hour, Breaker High. Upcoming he will appear in The Millionairess and French Without Tears (The Shaw Festival).



Maria Vacratsis// BellaDonna Over the last 35 years Maria has appeared in theatre across the country including The Stratford Festival, The Shaw Festival, Persephone Theatre, National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, Theatre New Brunswick, Theatre Aquarius and The Centaur.  In Toronto most recently she appeared in Through The Leaves (The Company Theatre), Such Creatures (Nightswimming/Passe Muraille), The Way of The World (Soulpepper/NAC) and Tout Comme Elle (Necessary Angel).  She has done multtiple productions at Necessary Angel, Soulpepper and Tarragon. This season she will be appearing in You Can’t Take It With You, Home, The Crucible and Endgame at Soulpepper Theatre. Maria is the recipient of two Dora Awards along with three Dora and Gemini nominations and a National Radio Award nomination.

The Happy Woman

Written by Rose Cullis

Directed by Kelly Thornton

Design by Denyse Karn

Lighting Design by Kimberly Purtell

Sound Design by Joelysa Pankanea

Stage Managed by Kinnon Elliott

Production Management by Sandra Henderson

Dramaturgy by Erica Kopyto

Assistant Stage Managed by Ashley Westlake

Assistant Direction by Michelle Alexander

Assistant Design by Erin McCleary