THE ART OF WAR

By Yvette Nolan

Directed by Keith Barker

“THIS WAR WILL BECOME A PART OF THE NATIONAL PSYCHE—AND WE'LL NEED A WAY TO TALK ABOUT IT.”

Nick is a young Canadian artist sent to the front lines of the Second World War to capture in paint the experiences of the young nation’s soldiers. Though he wears the uniform of the Canadian army, Nick is set apart from the other men by his unique role as chronicler and eyewitness to the carnage. What Nick observes—what he documents through paint—will transform not only himself, but Canada’s idea of itself in the emerging postwar world.

MEIGHEN FORUM EVENTS

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST

(he/him) Birmingham Conservatory, 2012/2013

2025: Nick in The Art of War, Moodie Spurgeon in Anne of Green Gables and understudy in Sense and Sensibility. 12th season. Josue is a Métis actor, teaching artist and mask maker from the traditional territory of the Dane-zaa, Treaty 8, Fort St. John, BC. Stratford: Lazarus in The Diviners, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, Cymbeline, King Lear, Hamlet, Death and the King's Horseman, Merry Wives of Windsor, Front Page, Comedy of Errors, Napoli Milionaria!, Tempest, Timon of Athens, Madwoman of Chaillot, The Changeling, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aeneid, Taming of the Shrew, Love's Labour's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Beaux' Stratagem, Mary Stuart, Measure for Measure, Othello. Vancouver: Four seasons at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival; The Exquisite Hour (Relephant); Wizard of Oz, Seussical (Carousel); The Emperor's New Threads (Axis). Training: Birmingham Conservatory, Director Martha Henry; Studio 58; Canadian National Voice Intensive. Instagram: @laboucanej.

Birmingham Conservatory, 2017/2018

2025: Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables, Newman in The Art of War and understudy in Sense and Sensibility. Seventh season. Stratford: Cymbeline, Hedda Gabler, Richard II, Love's Labour's Lost, Grand Magic, All's Well That Ends Well, Richard III, Henry VIII, The Crucible, The Neverending Story, An Ideal Husband, Julius Caesar, To Kill a Mockingbird. Elsewhere (selected): Serving Elizabeth (Thousand Islands Playhouse); The Other Place (Talk is Free Theatre); The Neverending Story (NAC); Othello (Driftwood Theatre); Love's Labour's Lost, The Winter's Tale (Dauntless City Theatre); Titus Andronicus (Seven Siblings Theatre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Humber River Shakespeare). Film/TV: The Kings of Napa (OWN); The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu); Mayday (Discovery); See No Evil (Discovery ID). Training: Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre; Brock University (Performance Concentration). Et cetera: Love, peace, and SOULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TRAIN.

(she/her)

2025: Madga in The Art of War, appears in Sense and Sensibility and understudy in Anne of Green Gables. Third season. Elsewhere: Every Brilliant Thing (Burnt Thicket/Live Five, Fire Exit, Globe Theatre, Winterruption); Our Town (Theatre Rusticle/Buddies in Bad Times); Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Comedy of Errors, Macbeth (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan); Birds and the Bees (Globe Theatre/Persephone Theatre); Drowning Girls, Secret Mask, Pride and Prejudice (Globe Theatre); Farndale Ave...Christmas Carol (Persephone Theatre). Other: House Co (Second City). TV/Film: Workin' Moms (CBC), Benched (Short). Training: Globe Theatre Actor Conservatory, University of Saskatchewan (BFA). Awards: SATAward for Outstanding Performance (Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, and Callie in Stop Kiss). Online: www.jennaleehyde.com. Et cetera: Born-and-raised on Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan, Jenna-Lee now lives in Tkaronto. She's very grateful to be here.

(she/her) Red River Métis

2025: Diana Barry in Anne of Green Gables, Heather, Eva in The Art of War and understudy in Sense and Sensibility. Second season. Stratford: Helen, Ghost Mother in Cymbeline and Young Pique, Scots Morag in The Diviners. Elsewhere: Louise in Gypsy, Bella in Gaslight, On The Razzle, Everybody, Flush, Brigadoon (Shaw Festival); Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, Sarah Ballenden (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Timon of Athens (Shakespeare In The Ruins); Charlie Brown, James and the Giant Peach (MTYP); Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth (Magnus Theatre); Les Flats (Le Cercle Molière); Les Misérables (Rainbow Stage). Opera: Mother in Amahl and The Night Visitors (Edmonton Opera); Rose/Marguerite in Li Keur (Manitoba Opera); Peer Gynt (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra); MESSIAH/COMPLEX (Against The Grain/The Banff Centre). Training: Bachelor of Music (Voice Performance), University of Manitoba. Awards: Juno Award Nominee. Online: www.julielumsden.com. Et cetera: "Onward and upward!" For Uncle Darin, always.

2025: Dennis, Matthaeus in The Art of War and understudy in Anne of Green Gables. 10th season. Stratford: Cool in London Assurance, Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Cornwall in King Lear, Balthasar in Much Ado…, Parolles in All's Well…, Reverend Hale in The Crucible, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, Lucullus in Timon…, Wessex in Shakespeare in Love, Karl Gustav in Christina, The Girl King, White Knight in Alice Through the Looking-Glass. Elsewhere: La Bête (Talk is Free); Lion in Winter (Grand); East of Berlin, The December Man (ATP); Am I Not King? (Zone 41); Enron (Theatre Calgary); Beyond the Farm Show (Blyth); The Story (Common Boots); Macbeth (Caravan Farm); A Doll's House (Globe). Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries, Wilfrid, Charity, Blue Smoke, The Secret of the Nutcracker, See This Movie. Training: NTS. Instagram: @wilkierylan. Awards: John Hirsch Award; Betty Award for Vincent in Brixton. Et cetera: In memory of Agnes Wilkie, the only nurse from all three Canadian divisions - navy, army, air force - to be killed by enemy action in WWII.

CREATIVE

(he/him) Métis Nation of Ontario

2025: Director of The Art of War and Director of Foerster Bernstein New Play Development at the Stratford Festival. Third season. Stratford: Dramaturge for A Wrinkle in Time, Louis Riel in Women of the Fur Trade. Elsewhere: Myself in Raised by Women (Prairie Theatre Exchange); Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps (Bruce County Playhouse); Bernard Smoke in Fury, Roger Hughes in Seeds (Blyth); John Joseph in A Soldier's Tale (Signal Theatre); Ensemble in The Speedy (Unspun Theatre); Cornwall in King Lear (NAC); Dr. Daniel in Tombs of a Vanishing Indian (Native Earth); Brutus in Death of a Chief (Native Earth/NAC). Training: George Brown Theatre School. Awards: 2023 Johanna Metcalf Prize; Dora Award, Carol Bolt Award - This Is How We Got Here; SAT Award - The Hours That Remain (New Harlem Productions); Finalist for the Governor General's Award for English Drama. Et cetera: Big love to my wife, Catherine Butler, my family, friends and colleagues.