About the Company

Teatro La Quindicina is a professional theatre company operating in Edmonton, Alberta. We were formed in 1982 when we participated in the inaugural edition of the Edmonton Fringe Festival and officially incorporated as a non-profit society in 1988. Between 1982 and 2002 we were mainstays of the Edmonton Fringe, presenting a new work (sometimes two) every year, with the exception of a sabbatical year in 1995. Teatro also produces during the regular season and is actively involved with the running of the Varscona Theatre, a popular theatre venue in Edmonton.

The primary focus of Teatro La Quindicina has always been to create new work especially tailored to the skills of a resident company of performers. These plays are almost always written and directed by the company's artistic director and founder Stewart Lemoine, and there's a core company of actors who play the majority of principal roles, augmented as necessary by other guest performers. The three actors in Pith! are all designated as Artistic Associates of the Teatro. Leona Brausen has been in the company since its inception in 1982, Jeff Haslam made his Teatro debut in 1988, and Davina Stewart in 1986. Other frequent Teatro performers include Jocelyn Ahlf, Julien Arnold, Briana Buckmaster, Josh Dean, Cathy Derkach, John Kirkpatrick, Ron Pederson (presently a regular cast member on MAD-TV on the Fox Television Network), Celina Stachow, Sheri Somerville, and Barbara Gates Wilson.

In addition to performing in Edmonton, Teatro la Quindicina has also presented its work across Canada. We've performed at Fringe Festivals in Vancouver and Winnipeg, at the High Performance Rodeo in Calgary, at the Festival of the Americas in Montreal, and we've done several extended runs in Toronto, as guests of Factory Theatre and Buddies in Bad Times. In August 2004, Teatro makes its first U.S. appearances with Pith! at the New York International Fringe Festival.

In addition to the touring production of Pith!, Teatro's presentations in 2003 and 2004 included The Margin of the Sky, Caribbean Muskrat, Skirts on Fire, The Vile Governess and Other Psychodramas, and Shockers Delight!, all written by Stewart Lemoine.

Teatro La Quindicina is registered as a charitable organization with Revenue Canada. We receive grant support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Edmonton Arts Council, and the Edmonton Community Foundation. The 2004 tour of Pith! is made possible in part through a project grant from the Community Initiatives Program of the Alberta Lottery Fund.