Lord Byng Theatre Company
Teachers
Teacher / Producer
Karli Sawka
Ms. Sawka is excited to embark on her second year as a producer for TheaCo’s production of We Will Rock You. Ms. Sawka’s journey in the arts began with extensive dance training, which has given her a strong foundation in performance and choreography. Ms. Sawka is not new to directing mainstage shows. Before moving to the VSB, she dedicated seven years to SD34 where she co-directed and worked on mainstage shows at the Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts including Grease, Aida, The Serpent, and The Tempest. She is looking forward to contributing her creativity to this exciting project alongside Jedi Master/co-producer Mr. Thiessen, Choreographer, Dawn Ewen, Bossman/artistic designer Darren Hales and Songbird/musical director Arielle Ballance - what an honour to be working with such a talented, professional, and creative team! What a strong cast and crew this year - looking forward to an incredible production!
Teacher / Producer
Matthew Thiessen
This is Mr. Thiessen’s eighth foray into the magic that is Theatre Company. Though not a musical theatre aficionado, he does dapple with singing and choreo alongside his nine-year old daughter while blasting Youtube tunes. In 2018-2019, Matthew joined TheaCo and he and Hughes co-produced and directed their first show together: Moby Dick: The Musical. He is grateful to work alongside Karli Sawka on We Will Rock You, and is especially grateful to his Theatre Widow and wife, Petra. Thiessen has had a great time working with these talented actors and crew, and thanks them for their hard work and professionalism. A big THANK YOU to Dawn Ewen for her wonderfulness, and to Darren Hales for…everything! And of course, to the actors and techs whose fantastic work on this show exceeded his expectations in quality and pizazz. You are inspiring!