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Jesse Del Fiero Early Career Artist Jesse Del Fierro is a queer, non-binary, Filipinx – Canadian actor, director and theatre creator with the privilege to work in both Moh’kinstsis on Treaty 7 Territory and on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples colloquially known as Calgary AB and Vancouver BC respectively. They hold a BFA in Theatre Performance from Simon Fraser University, and have collaborated on works presented at PuSh International Performance Art Festival, SummerWorks, Audain Gallery and rEvolver Festival amongst others. Their work focuses on centering the artist and valuing process over product and consent over consensus as a radical form of decolonizing their practice – acknowledging that this is a life-long process. Intersectionality is their only reality. As a recipient of BC Art’s Council Early Career Development grant 2020, Jesse is currently under the mentorship of Jenna Rodgers of Chromatic Theatre, and Jivesh Parasram of Rumble Theatre to further develop their skills as director, dramaturg, collaborator and overall badass artistic leader. As Jesse always says, “Honesty is the policy and so is screaming.” Contact

Past Project Archive 2015 Playwrights Lab Medea Cowboy vs. Samurai Back to Past Projects

Chromatic Theatre is a theatre company that develops, supports, and creates space for racialized theatre artists in Moh'kins'tsis (Calgary). Learn More Get Involved Charitable Status Update Learn More Call For Board Members Learn More Past Shows Learn More Hucksterland Learn More Learn More Kisapmata Learn More Learn More Sign Up STATIC: A Party Girl's Memoir Learn More Contact Us Directly! Artistic Director Associate Producer Marketing General Email Name* Email* Subject* Write a message* Send Subscribe to Our Newsletter Enter your email here Sign Up Thanks for submitting!

Meet Chromatic Theatre's new 2025 Playwrights Unit Cohort! Melanee Murray-Hunt, Kathleen Faith Ballangan, and Jessica Szeto. Join us for our playwrights unit staged readings! at Theatre 1308 (1308 Edmonton Tr.) Friday - June 12, 2026 at 7:30pm featuring Lucky Essentials by Yan Zhu & Caliban by Sunny Sky Faust Saturday - June 13, 2026 featuring Get Back Home by Ziga Poromon & all the colours of a rupture that shook me to life by Pam Tzeng Program Access Considerations ABOUT THE PIECES Get Back Home by Ziga Poromon A university student working as a security guard at the Canadian Global Founders Museum encounters a lost woman wandering a private West African exhibition floor after hours. They must help the woman get back home, until she tells them that she is from the exhibitions grand painting. About the playwright Ziga is an Irish-Nigerian-Canadian actor, poet, and writer who is passionate about performing and entertaining audiences. She has written for musical artists, various websites and publications, and is currently developing her first short film. Ziga was part of the 2022 RBC Emerging Playwrights Mentorship Program and received a certificate in Performing Arts from NYU Tisch School of Arts. She has more than 5 years of experience performing in theatre, piano, film, TV, and commercials. She's an undergrad student at the University of Calgary majoring in Law and Society with a minor in Sociology. ᑕᐱᒪᔩᑲᐱᑎ by Sunny Sky Faust ᑕᐱᒪᔩᑲᐱᑎ is an adaptation of The Tempest written by William Shakespeare that focuses on Caliban's character and story by rewriting the humanity back into his character. The play explores what it means to be caught between the binaries of race, gender, and sexuality. How do we find belonging? Why do we make the choices we make? How do we stay true to ourselves? About the playwright Sunny Sky Faust (They/Them) is an emerging Indigiqueer and Two-Spirit artist, writer, and actor. They come from a mixed Indigenous and European heritage with their Woodland Cree roots stemming from Driftpile Cree Nation in Treaty 8. Currently, Sunny resides in Treaty 7 territory. Their passions revolve around the performing and visual arts as they hope to apply themself to both gain new experiences and community. Thus, Sunny wishes to continue their growth as a well-rounded artist to then return the support they have received on their path. all the colours of a rupture that shook me to life by Pam Tzeng all the colours of a rupture of that shook me to life is both a performance installation and a celebration of life memorial event. is a communal gathering to honour the experience of friend breakups. is an invitation to connect to reflect to be with others and collectively hold in awe and reverence, the love and grief held in friendship breakups to witness and/or participate in offerings that acknowledge and create openings for what remains to move and transform. About the playwright Pam Tzeng 曾小桐 (they/she) is a second-generation Taiwanese-Canadian choreographer and interdisciplinary artist based in Mohkinstsis, Treaty 7 Territory. Led by their embodied curiosities, Pam take pleasure in extremes to craft honest, visceral and animated performances and immersive installations. Their work is evolving collection of intimate reflections on the politics of our individual, relational and collective bodies. At the creative heart of their practice is the question: What becomes possible in the felt space of knowing each other as different and the same? For more about what Pam cares about, does and has made or contributed to visit: pamtzeng.com Lucky Essentials by Yan Zhu Lucky Essentials follows the storeowner of a Chinatown Gift Shop on the verge of collapse as she comes up with various schemes to attract business during the booming time of Calgary Stampede. These schemes are viewed by her young employees as morally gray or even outright wrong as they try their best to do damage control. As each character navigates their own path through right and wrong, will they be able to come together to save the gift shop and their jobs About the playwright Yan (she/they) is an actor, writer, director, and filmmaker. As a Chinese settler in Mohkintsis, she aims to use storytelling to explore aspects of her identity and to dramatize and reimagine the world around her. Her process seek to humanize everyday people in her proximity. Outside of messing with different mediums of storytelling, she can be found at your local basketball court, shooting hoops and breaking ankles (maybe). Or otherwise stuffing her face with delicious food and hanging around wherever there's community and good weather. Directors Daniel Fong Get Back Home Valerie Planche ᑕᐱᒪᔩᑲᐱᑎ Gina Puntil all the colours of a rupture that shook me to life Linda Kee Lucky Essentials Actors Devyn Byfield Jocelyn Mah Shasha Shi Sebastian Saloman Arriagada Marshall Vielle in ᑕᐱᒪᔩᑲᐱᑎ Behind The Scenes Abby Monarrez Technical Direction Kodie Rollan Dramaturg Ana Mulino Dramaturg Mentee

Jordan Baylon General Director Jordan (they/she/he) is a second generation PilipinX artist, critic and community worker imagining justice and abundance for equity-deserving peoples within the spaces of all our relations, personal, communal and societal. With a decade of experience serving in the non-profit arts sector in Mohkinstsis (Calgary), Jordan advocates a collective, grassroots approach to dismantling and rebuilding organizational structures, processes and ideologies with values of anti-racism and social justice. Jordan is a proud associate of CommunityWise’s Anti-Racist Organizational Change program, and co-authoried RE-Tool, a handbook on equity-driven grantmaking as part of Equity in the Panel Room working group. As an artist, Jordan’s work gnaws at the intersection of queer identity, race, colonialism, food, ritual and the deep dark places that represent our possibilities for pleasure and liberation. Contact

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Apply to the 23/24 Playwrights Unit now! Chromatic Theatre is looking for applications from writers/ creators who identify as being Indigenous, Black, or a Person of Colour from all levels of experience. At Chromatic Theatre we are dedicated to developing and supporting work by and for the wide breadth of cultural diversity that exists in our province. We are excited for the seventh iteration of our Playwrights Unit that will bring together IBPOC playwrights/creators from Mohkins’tsis (Calgary) and surrounding areas, with the aim of strengthening our community, and investing in new Canadian plays. If you have any questions about the application or have barriers to applying through this google form, please contact Artistic Director, Kodie Rollan at kodie@chromatictheatre.ca Deadline: September 22, 2025 Please send applications through this Google Form If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Artistic Director, Kodie Rollan, at kodie@chromatictheatre.ca PDF Posting As a part of the Chromatic Theatre Playwrights Unit, you will: Attend one digital group meet and greet in October 2025 Attend a total of eight group workshops between October 2025 - May 2026 Receive up to seven one-on-one dramaturgical sessions with Artistic Director, Kodie Rollan Receive a workshop of your script with an ensemble of actors between June 9 - 14, 2026 Receive a public, in-person reading of your script, performed by an ensemble of professional actors, culminating at the end of the June 9 - 14, 2026 workshop week. Artistic Directors from the Calgary community will be invited to this showcase. Build community with other racialized writers Receive an honorarium of $1000 Applications Accepted via Google Forms Within it, applicants must answer questions pertaining to: A description of the writing project you will be working on as part of the playwrights unit Why you would like to be part of the Playwrights Unit, what you hope to get out of the residency, and why you think you’d be a good fit to work with Chromatic Theatre. Applicants will also be asked to upload one (1) PDF document including Your CV (maximum 2 pages) A writing sample that is a maximum of 20 pages. We also welcome writing samples from other mediums (essays, short stories, poetry, etc.).

Cancelled (Interactive Game) Exhibition Info Exhibition by: Format: Interactive Game Content: This is a drop-in exhibit. Audience members will be invited to play an interactive mystery game surrounding the topic of cancel culture. Teacher candidates will be facilitating the game and assisting the audience throughout the exhibit. See also: Getting to the space See also: Parking Info for MRU

Archive Hucksterland: The Musical 2026 Co-Produced with Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre Direction by Caleigh Crow Written by Caleigh Crow Music By Sacha Crow and Gus Rendell When the city is built on lies, someone has to bring the house down. Corporate landlord Jordan Jamieson sits at the top of his empire. He is rich, ruthless and riding high alongside his whip smart executive assistant and the mayor in his back pocket. It's not long before a fearless prosecutor starts asking questions and we see cracks beginning to form and Jordan's power starting to crumble. From award-winning playwright Caleigh Crow, and composers Sacha Crow and Gus Rendell, Hucksterland is a new musical pulsing with humour, heart and rebellion. It’s loud. It’s fearless. And when the music stops, not everyone makes it out alive. Hucksterland was originally developed in our IBPOC Playwrights Unit. Recipient of 2 Betty Mitchell Awards: Outstanding New Play, and Outstanding Projection Design Static: A Party Girl's Memoir 2024 Co-Produced with Inside Out Theatre Direction by Javier Vilalta Written by Ashley King “Static: A Party Girl’s Memoir” is a coming-of-age story inspired by true events, written and performed by Mexican-Canadian artist Ashley King. It follows Ashley, a young woman whose life revolves around booze, boys, and late-night parties, while navigating a turbulent relationship with her mother, Carolina. But when she wakes up blind while on holiday, she’ll have to face her darkest depths of grieving a new life she didn’t choose or want. Not your typical inspirational story, Static offers a poignant and humorous take on the struggles and triumphs of a young woman learning to navigate the world without sight. With moments of laughter and tears, this dark comedy explores whether everything happens for a reason and if joy can really be found in unexpected places. Static was originally developed in our IBPOC Playwrights Unit. Recipient of Best Supporting Actor in A Comedy Betty Mitchell Award. Kisapmata 2024 Co-Produced with Lunchbox Theatre Direction by Gina Puntil Written by Bianca Miranda The Tagalog word “kisapmata” means “blink of an eye.” It’s also the title of a punk banger by Filipino band, Rivermaya. Inspired by this song, this new Canadian play tells the love story of two Filipino women—one living here in Canada and the other, born and raised in the Philippines. Through intimate vignettes, we see the longing, the diving in, and eventually, the letting go. Kisapmata has been in development since 2021, when it was part of our IBPOC Playwrights Unit, and it was featured in both the Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work and Stage Two at Lunchbox Theatre in 2022. Recipient of the Outstanding New Play Betty Mitchell Award. Stages of Transformation: feel ur feels (CRINGE LIBERATION) 2023 Presented at Rumble Festival Created by Kris Vanessa Teo Xin-En As we attempt survival in a white supremist and capitalistic society, it is so easy for us to cut ourselves off from how we are feeling, to deny ourselves pleasure, to move at high speeds, to ignore our needs, to bypass processing our lived experiences, to numb sensations that come up, to live through our days on autopilot, to hide who we are and to fast-forward anything that feels uncomfortable. Creating feel ur feels (CRINGE LIBERATION) is a way for me to practice the small actions and connections of listening to the deep feeling and nonrational eroticism within me, and to practice with my friendos, pals and buddy buds, through conversation, stopping to notice what’s around me, in me, and to follow the curiosities that come up along the way. Hookman 2023 Co-Produced with University of Calgary SCPA Direction by Jenna Rodgers Written by Lauren Yee First year university life gets even harder for Lexi when she’s feeling homesick, her roommate is super weird, and a hook-handed serial killer is slashing girls’ throats. When Lexi discovers what really happened to her high school best friend, she learns what it means to grow up – and it isn’t pretty. 我的名是张欣恩 (Gimme Chance Leh) Redux: A Team Together 2021 Direction by Thomas Geddes Written by Kris Vanessa Teo Xin-En Chromatic Theatre is proud to present the AUDIO PLAY version of 我的名是张欣恩 (Gimme chance leh) written and performed by Kris Vanessa Teo. Thanks to support from the CBC Digital Originals program, this project is now streaming live and 100% FREE from the CBC website. Grab a snack, strap on a pair of your favourite headphones, click here and give it a listen! The Green Line 2022 Co-Produced with Downstage Theatre Direction by Jenna Rodgers Written by Makram Ayache During the Lebanese Civil War, Naseeb wants his sister to withdraw from her university studies and move to the mountains. But Mona is secretly falling in love with her classmate Yara. Forty years later, Rami, a Lebanese Canadian student, comes to Lebanon to bury his father, Naseeb. That night, he meets Zidan, a drag queen at a queer Beirut nightclub and things take an unexpected turn. Past and present braid together in The Green Line’s contemplation of how memories are inherited or erased. Recipient of 2 Betty Mitchell Awards: Outstanding New Play, and Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama. Cowboy Versus Samurai Direction by Jenna Rodgers Written by Michael Golamco Cowboy Versus Samurai is a modern-day comedic take on the Edmond Rostad classic, Cyrano de Bergerac. Our protagonist Travis Park is the only Korean American in the dusty cowboy town of Breakneck, Wyoming. When the beautiful and clever Veronica Lee moves to town to fill the post of science teacher, he’s immediately smitten – until she reveals that she only dates white men. Travis must choose whether to ally with the “cowboy”: the handsome gym teacher, Del; or the “samurai”: best friend, and militant Asian of unknown origin, Chester. He must choose between the Asian and the American within himself in the pursuit for love that may only be as real as the love letters he writes on behalf of someone else. Winners and Losers 2018 Presented at Summerworks Festival Written by James Long and Marcus Youssef Adapted by Valerie Planche, Makambe K. Simamba and Jenna Rodgers Winners and Losers is one part game, one part conversation that leans into our universally flawed human logic, and the desire to win at all costs. Valerie Planche and Makambe K. Simamba, two powerhouse performers at different stages of life and careers, debate whether people, places or things – Robin Williams, camping, Meghan Markle, private schools – are winners or losers. This exploration of female friendships leads us down a spiralling path of staunch sisterhood and deep-seated difference. As the discussion gets personal, how far is too far when confronting deep-seated beliefs? Based on the Governor General Award-nominated text by Marcus Youssef and James Long, this homegrown adaptation – re-written and re-cast with an all-female team – premiered to rave reviews at Toronto’s SummerWorks Performance Festival! Medea Direction by Alyssa Bradac Written by Euripides, Translated by Robin Robertson Chromatic Theatre is producing a highly contemporary and anti-colonial production of Euripides’ classic tragedy, Medea. After Jason captures the Golden Fleece, in large part because of Medea, her magic, and her betrayal against her family, Jason takes Medea as a wife. A few years pass, their sons grow and prosper, when Jason decides to take another bride from his Grecian homeland for political reasons, offering to keep Medea as a mistress, illegitimating their children in the process. To keep her agency, self-respect, and cultural identity, she pays the ultimate price and kills her children.

Kodie Rollan Artistic Director Kodie Rollan is a Philippine-born, Scarborough-raised, Mohkinstsis (Calgary)-based playwright, dramaturg, lyricist, arts leader and producer. He is a passionate community-builder and always aims to create spaces for shared storytelling and arts equity within the nonprofit sector. As a storyteller, Kodie is drawn towards explorations of justice within racialized bodies and how we can move towards more abolitionist futures. He is proud to have worked with a variety of theatre companies in both Alberta and Ontario in a variety of capacities. Some of these companies include Downstage Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Lunchbox Theatre, Swallow-A-Bicycle, Alberta Workers Health Centre, fu-Gen Theatre, Carlos Bulosan Theatre, Prime Mover Theatre and The Musical Stage Company. He has also worked on a national scale as a dramaturg in his previous role as the Associate Dramaturg at the Banff Playwrights Lab. Select Playwright credits include: G_OAT Debate featured as part of Lunchbox Theatre’s 2024 Stage One Festival of New pLAYS, The Watchdog Society featured in staged readings with Chromatic Theatre and Carlos Bulosan Theatre, Destination Wedding! Co-created with Jennifer Villaverde and Maria Aragon presented by Sheridan College and The Musical Stage Company, and Alberta Kitchen Party co-created with Alixandra Cowman, Anna Dalgleish, Daniel Fong, Jeremy Carver James, Joe Slabe, and Emiko Muraki, with contributions from Darcy Evans, Tiffany Thomas, and Tenaj Williams presented at Alberta Theatre Projects. Alberta Kitchen Party received two Betty Mitchell Award wins for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, Outstanding Music Direction, and Outstanding Production of a Musical. Kodie is also one of the recipient of Theatre Alberta’s 2023 Michelle Dias Community Service Award. Select Dramaturgy credits include: Static: A Party Girl’s Memoir by Ashley King, Kisapmata by Bianca Miranda, which won the Oustanding New Play Award at the 2024 Betty Mitchell Awards. He received his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and his Masters in Arts Leadership from Queen’s University. He is currently the Artistic Director of Chromatic Theatre. As an arts educator, he is currently a facilitator of the Rozsa Foundation’s arts management and education programs, and has been a sessional instructor with the University of Calgary. Contact

Rebecca Comer Acting Associate Producer Rebecca Comer (she/her) is a theatre creator, performer, and educator. She holds a master’s degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Calgary’s School of Creative and Performing Arts. Her artistic practice includes playwriting, performance creation, and acting. Her focus is on creating work for Black audiences, often exploring vulnerability through autobiographical storytelling. Contact