Lauren Acheson
(They/Them)

Set Design Mentor

Lauren is a scenographer living and working in Mohkinstsis, also known as Calgary. Recent work includes: set and lighting design, Bright Lights (Theatre BSMT) - set and costume design, Love and Information (Calgary Young People's Theatre) - set and lighting design, Tape (Ignition Theatre) - associate production design, Premium Content (Major Matt Mason Collective/High Performance Rodeo) - production design, Clarence Darrow (Seadreamer/Calgary Fringe). Lauren also works as a maquette builder, design assistant, props builder, scenic painter, lighting technician and stagehand, and supervises events at the Pumphouse Theatres. Lauren holds a diploma in Theatre and Entertainment Production from Red Deer College and a certificate in Set and Costume Design from The National Theatre School of Canada. You can check out some of their design work at www.laurenacheson.com.

For the 2019/20 season we brought in professional mentors from around Alberta to assist our participants during the 1st Annual Tree House One-Act Festival. The mentors guided, assisted, advised, and taught our designers, directors, and stage managers as they worked on their one-act plays. Here are the mentors that worked with us during the 2019/20 season.

Kaylee Boone
(She/Her)

Stage Management Mentor

Kaylee Boone is incredibly excited to work with Tree House Youth Theatre this year as the Stage Management Mentor. Kaylee’s background in tech consists of stage managing Urinetown, I am not Batman, and The Dumbwaiter. She was a lighting designer for Tuesday’s and Sunday’s, The Drowning Girls, Ferris Wheel and much more. She has been lighting board operator, sound operator, a costume/ hair and makeup technician. Participated in the AHSDFA festival two years in a row, with three shows. Winning best lighting design provincially (2018), professional conduct (2018,2019) and best lighting design in her zone (2019)

Heather Cornick
(She/Her)

Light Design Mentor

For over two decades Ms. Cornick has worked in theatre, film, television, circus, concerts, corporate events, cruise ships, dance, and opera as a designer, technician, instructor, stage manager, event planner, props builder, puppeteer, carpenter, clown, and donkey wrangler. She holds an honours diploma in Technical Theatre from Humber College, Toronto and a Bachelor of Performing Arts Degree from Capilano University, North Vancouver. She is fond of both pie and pi.". You can check out her portfolio here: www.heathercornick.carbonmade.com

Kate Harris
(She/Her)

Hair and Make Up Design Mentor

Kate is thrilled to be joining the creative team at Tree House Youth Theatre. Kate has spent the past 15 years serving as Tour Manager and Part Time Artistic Director of the Butt Ugly Anti-Tobacco Program. She has also had a successful 10 year run as Artistic Director and founder of the body image program for teens, Under My Skin. Kate has served as hair and makeup coordinator for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as movement coach and choreographer for countless productions. Previous theatre credits include: Proof, The Shape of Things, Footloose, As You Like It. Kate's regular days are spent at Dance Magic Studio as a dance instructor, and part of the admin team. She is a proud mommy to Violet and Jude!

Rivera Reese
(She/Her)

Acting Mentor

Rivera Reese was born in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and is a graduate of the Red Deer College Film & Theatre Program. She continued her education at the William Esper Meisner Acting Studio in New York City, where, after many auditions, independent plays, and short film projects, Rivera stumbled across an audition on Backstage.com that was looking for female stage combatants. Having studied swordplay in both her acting programs, Rivera auditioned for the project and booked the role of Milady de Winter in All For One, a Three Musketeers-inspired action show at Busch Gardens Theme Park in Williamsburg, Virginia. After two summer seasons where she continued to hone her sword work, in particular the Filipino martial art of Kali, Rivera was recommended to audition for Marvel Universe Live. Landing the role Nebula, nemesis of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Rivera has spent the last two years touring North America and Europe in an attempt to defeat Earth’s mightiest super heroes.

Sui-Fan Wong
(He/Him)

Sound Design Mentor

My name is Sui-Fan and I have been working as an entertainment technician for the past thirty years. During that time, I have worked in dance, theatre, music, feature film and multimedia production. I have also spent twenty of those years instructing in post-secondary education (Mount Royal University & Red Deer College) - primarily teaching sound for live entertainment and recording studio technology.
It was in grade nine that my interest and passion started to grow for audio editing and sound design. I was lucky enough that my drama teachers allowed me to sound design class projects and various presentations. In high school (Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts), my drama class attended a musical at Citadel Theatre, in Edmonton. During the intermission of that performance, I distinctly remember thinking, “Mixing musicals and working in sound for theatre - that’s the kind of work I want to do.” I have been very fortunate to have lived that through most of my career.
I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful teenage kids. My wife and I are very happy that we settled down in Red Deer. Red Deer and Central Alberta house great communities. The people we work with and the friends we have met in over the last twenty years are amazing.
I very much enjoy exposing the next generations of learners to behind-the-scenes work in theatre, film and music. To me, it is incredibly important that we pass on the skill sets and the knowledge of how to work in the entertainment industry and, more importantly, how to work collaboratively – no matter what the industry.