Design Artists
Debbie Courchene
Technical Direction
Debbie Courchene is Anishinaabe kwe with family ties to Sagkeeng Nation and Rolling River in Manitoba. She has been a Technical Director and Production Manager for numerous productions in theatre, dance & film and television. She has shown passion for creating spaces that include Indigenous, Black, POC and LGBTQ2S communities. She expresses advocacy by creating inclusive, and informative spaces for people in the Arts. Trained at the Banff Centre in live audio and lighting, her years of work as a Technical Director has actualized hundreds of productions including, including recent works with Seventh Fire (Delinquent Theatre), Iron Peggy (Boca Del Lupo), Weaving Reconciliation (Vancouver Moving Theatre), Moosemeat & Marmalade (Mooswa Films Inc), Empress of Vancouver (Lantern Films Inc), 1976 (Dana Michel), Have Several (Zoja Smutny), [MSM] Men seeking men (LemonTree Productions), Weesageechak Festival (Native Earth Performing Arts).
Abbey Dutton
Dramaturgy & Rehearsal Direction
Originally from Saskatchewan, Abbey moved out west to pursue performing and has gone on to work with various Vancouver production companies as a dancer, actor and vocalist on both stage and screen. A graduate of The Canadian College of Performing Arts, some of her select credits include: The Disney Channel, iZombie, The Hallmark Channel, TBS’ The Detour, Conair, Asus, Del Taco, Acuvue, PlentyofFish.com and more. Through her work as a performer, creator and instructor, Abbey has come to believe so deeply in the importance of the arts, and supporting artists on their creative and life journeys, that she has recently graduated with certification as a life coach and wellness counsellor. On top of her own work as an artist, Abbey continues to work with incredible artists and friends on their independent projects, including her work with Radical System Art (RSA) as dramaturge and rehearsal director for their shows “Epilogos” and now “MOI”.
Christopher David Gauthier
Costume Design
Born in Toronto and raised with care in Canada, USA, England and France, I am happily self-transplanted to Vancouver, BC.
The son of a philosopher and a homemaker and committed literacy advocate/teacher who ensured my early life was culturally rich, add two intelligent, strong willed, loving siblings to keep me on my toes, and home life (whether in Toronto or the south of France) was never boring.
Literature, Theatre, Art, and Music were all an integral part of my upbringing.
I first attended university in Pittsburg PA in the 80s focusing on English Literature and Theatre. I had decided to be an actor, but after experiencing debilitating stage fright my focus shifted to Costume Design.
Moving back to Canada I discovered myself inching into the retail field, with stops in food and beverage service and management along the way, I ended up specializing in menswear and Formalwear.
(Looking at the current "fashion" for too tight suits, short at cuff and sleeve curls my toes in agony!)
However the call of theatre was never far away.
Believing that there is no age limit on learning and our ability to reinvent ourselves (with a mother who studied Art History, Italian [and even a little German] in her 60s-70s and a father who in his 80s is still writing, it is perhaps not surprising) I decided to return to school when I moved to BC and focus on theatre design and production/administration.
I have always been intrigued by the way we as a society depict ourselves.Theatre is just one way we do that.
Angela Nguyen
Stage Management
Angela Nguyen is a multidisciplinary technician based in Vancouver, BC. She is a graduate of Capilano University's Technical Theatre program with a focus in lighting, props, and stage management. She works in multiple performance spaces across Vancouver as a venue technician and at the Kay Meek Arts Centre as their head technician. She is excited to be able to contribute to Radical System Art. Notable credits include: Assistant Stage Manager for Cabaret (Exit 22), Followspot Operator for Rocky Horror Picture Show (Exit 22) and the Vancouver Canucks, Lighting Designer for 13 the Musical (Kay Meek Youth Conservatory) and Banyan (Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Society)
Dan O'Shea
Video Design
Daniel O’Shea makes theatre, designs projections, and creates films, using technology and design as a keystone to support narrative and deepen dramaturgy. In his own works PKD Workshow (2013) and Are we not drawn onward to new era (2018), Daniel employs a low-fi DYI aesthetic, exposing the guts of the performance machinery in parallel to the convoluting the idea of spectating. In 2020 he completed his first feature length film collaboration centred around pre- extradition bill Hong Kong. His work focuses on states of presence, unbalancing audienceship and novel constructions of light through design and new media. Daniel’s artistic research has explored the ephemeral nature of a ‘self’, interruptions of technology on human processes, and the results cognitive dissonance. Daniel’s work has been seen in Canada and internationally. He is a founding member of A Wake Of Vultures. Daniel is engaged with Vancouver’s thriving contemporary performance scene and often engages in crossover with indie film and the digital arts.
Robert Songergaard
Light Design
Robert has been working as a lighting designer for over two decades in all genres of the entertainment industry. His design credits span from Dance, Theatre and Opera to International Sporting Ceremonies, Film, Television and Rock & Roll. Robert has had the opportunity to design for Radical System Art, Kidd Pivot, Ballet BC, Company 605, Nederlands Dans Theatre, Royal Swedish Ballet, Luzern Theatre, and Movent where he collaborated with artists such as Shay Kuebler, Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton, Donald Sales, Dana Gingras, Peter Chu, Lisa Gelley and Josh Martin. His work with Crystal Pite on A Picture of You Falling was nominated for a Knights of Illumination Award. As a designer for theatre, Roberts work has been seen at The Arts Club, Royal City Musical Theatre, URP and Align Entertainment and on international tours, including We Will Rock You for Annerin Productions and Helen Lawrence for the Arts Club/Canadian Stage. He has numerous award nominations and has won 3 Ovation Awards for Outstand Lighting Design. In addition to the Arts, Robert also works as a production designer for international televised sporting events and large-scale music festivals. Notable TV credits include Opening and Closing Ceremonies for numerous games including the 2010 Paralympics, 2017 Invictus Games, 2007/11/15/19 Canada Winter Games, 2017 Canada Summer Games, and 10 Grey Cup Halftime Shows for the CFL.