The Cult of Brother 12

Book and Lyrics by BILL MINER	Music by MARTY STEELE & BILL MINER

Cast
Jordan Holloway	Lauren Semple
Rick Meyers	Frank Moher
Brock Poesiat	Haley Turnbull

Chorus
Geneviève Caron	Nicola Jackson
Daniel Knapp	Shaileena Mohit
Sarah-Lynne Plumley

The Marty Steele Quintet
Marty Steele	Dean Boland
James Darling	James McRae
Larry Miller

Directed by BILL MINER	Musical Direction by MARTY STEELE
Choreography by GENEVIÈVE CARON	Lighting Design by TOM ROKEBY
Lead Costumer: LORNA McLELLAN	Asst. Costumer: CARON BYRNE
Stage Manager: WILLIAM ANDERSON	Audio Engineer: ALAN MEDCALF
Video, Sound Op: CAL NAGLE	Lighting Op: BRYCE CRICHTON
RF Tech, Asst. Sound: LOUEY SUMNERS	Publicist: KIM PLUMLEY

Settings: DeCourcy Island and Nanaimo

Time: The late 1920s

Running time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

We extend our gratitude to the Snuneymuxw First Nation, on whose traditional territory we live live, work, and perform.

Our generous sponsors:

Thanks also to Cam Culham, Cedar United Church, Nanaimo Theatre Group

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WHO WAS BROTHER XII?

British-born, Brother XII (aka Edward Wilson, centre in the photo above) was a real-life figure who told his acolytes that he channeled the “ascended masters,” supposedly mystical beings who were guiding the earth towards a spiritual awakening. One of them, he said, gave him his adopted name.

Things took a decidedly unenlightened turn, however, when he was accused of pilfering colony funds and began an affair with Madame Zee (aka Mabel Skottowe), who helped him turn his utopian encampment into something more like a slave colony. The turmoil ended up in court in Nanaimo, where it is said Brother XII used black magic to render his accusers speechless and cause the judge to growl like a dog.

Our musical is a whimsical “re-interpretation” of the events of those days, which begins not long after the trial . . .
 

Cast

Creative Team

Meet the Company

Jordan Holloway

Brother 12

Jordan Holloway received his training at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, where he performed in Working: The Musical (Frank Decker), Stage Door (Powell, Dr. Randall) and West Side Story (Mouthpiece). He then joined Company C and performed in The Birds (Woodpecker), Unity 1918 (Hart), and The Light in the Piazza (Ensemble). Most recently he appeared in VOS Musical Theatre’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show as Dr. Frank N' Furter. He hopes you enjoy watching The Cult of Brother 12 as much as he does playing in it!

Lauren Semple

Madame Zee

Lauren Semple is a multi-faceted performance and visual artist with almost 20 years of experience on the stage. Reprising her role as Madame Zee, Lauren has also played Maureen in Rent, a Cagelle in La Cage aux Folles, and roles in various stage shows. She is also a talented visual artist and creates murals as part of Humanity in Art.

Rick Meyers

Freddy

Rick Meyers has been entertaining audiences all over Vancouver Island since 1988 with his drag character, Vikki Smudge. He got his theatre start at Ladysmith Little Theatre in plays such as Love, Valour, Compassion, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Torch Song Trilogy: Widows and Children First, a role that landed him the Best Actor Award at Theatre BC’s Mainstage Festival. He has also appeared at Schmooze Productions in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and La Cage Aux Folles, at Western Edge in Hosanna and His Greatness, and in various local films. Remember: Always go bigger!

Frank Moher

Linus

Frank Moher has been seen in The Cotton Patch Gospel, The Engineers, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, Proud, and His Greatness, all at Western Edge Theatre in Nanaimo. Frank founded Western Edge in 2002 and served as its executive director for 20 years. As a playwright, his plays have been seen internationally, and he is also a nationally published journalist. Frank first appeared onstage in a musical in Edmonton at age 12, and is delighted to have apparently made no progress since!

Brock Poesiat

Ray

Brock Poesiat grew up on Gabriola Island, where he developed a love of theatre and film acting. He took acting courses and participated in a number of local productions as a youth, before attending the University of Victoria and also cultivating a love of singing as a member of the Victoria-based choir The Chorus. A software developer, Brock lived and worked abroad until recently and is excited to once again be acting in local theatre.

Haley Turnbull

Doris

Haley Turnbull is a newcomer to the Nanaimo area, originally from Ontario, where she played Elle Woods in a Brock University production of Legally Blonde, The Musical! In her short time living on the island, Haley has had the privilege of working on All Together Now!, Ward Norcutt’s A Staged Reading, Sandpiper Serenade (a staged radio play written by Bill Miner), and last year’s production of The Cult of Brother 12. She is incredibly excited to be reprising the role of Doris in this new and expanded production!

Geneviève Caron

Choreographer, chorus

Geneviève Caron grew up in Québec, where she was involved in dance and theatre from a young age. She pursued her passion for the arts in drama and cinema programs in college and through her Bachelors degree in dance at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Geneviève danced and choreographed widely in Quebec before moving to Vancouver Island in 2005. Since then, she has taught dance for various studios and musical theatre groups as well as choreographing for different events, teams, and performances. She is loving every minute spent with this highly creative group of artists!

Nicola Jackson

Chorus

Nicola Jackson is a graduate of the Stella Mann College of Performing Arts 3-year Professional Training Program (London, UK). She holds a Diploma in Performing Arts: Dance and Musical Theatre, along with a Level 5 Dance Teaching Diploma (Bbo Dance). After performing professionally in theatres across Europe, North America, and aboard the Princess and Royal Caribbean cruise lines, Nicola moved to Nanaimo where she continues to dance, teach, and choreograph. Other recent credits include The Sun & The Moon (Crimson Coast Dance Society) and The Yellowpoint Christmas Spectacular (2018-2022).

Daniel Knapp

Chorus

Daniel Knapp began dancing at four-years old at Tempo Dance Academy, training in tap, ballet, jazz, modern, and hip hop. He has also performed in two musicals, Oliver! and Hairspray (Bard 2 Broadway), as well as several shows with Headliners. Daniel is a proud graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria. During his time at CCPA, he performed in shows such as West Side Story and The Light in the Piazza. He is now a dance instructor at Elevate Dance Centre in Victoria and delighted to share his passion for dance with the younger generation.

Shaileena Mohit

Chorus

Shaileena Mohit grew up loving to sing and dance. She got her love of dance while doing gymnastics as a youngster, and her love of song in the school choir. These hobbies quickly developed into a love of performing. This led her to study drama as a teen and she was cast in several plays. It has been about 15 years since she's hit the stage, and she can’t wait to share with you what she loves to do. Enjoy!

Sarah-Lynne Plumley

Chorus

Sarah-Lynne Plumley moved from Vancouver to Nanoose Bay on her fifth birthday and that same year started dancing at Tempo Dance Academy, where she graduated in June 2021. At age seven she joined the Vancouver Island Symphony Noteworthy Kids Club and that started her long-lasting love for choirs, singing, and listening to symphonic music. One of her most satisfying hobbies has been combining music and travel, by touring with the Vancouver Island Choir to China, Scotland/Croatia, and most recently to Spain in 2022.

Marty Steele

Co-composer, musical director, musician - keyboard

A musical master with over 40 years of active and steady gigs to his credit, Marty has shared the stage with such performers as Andy Williams, Jack Jones, Michael Macdonald, and even Stevie Wonder. Another highlight was playing at Carnegie Hall with a college quartet at a jazz vocal choir festival. On Vancouver Island, he helped launch the Have You Heard jazz series for the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival, and has also performed at the Victoria Jazz Festival. He was a featured entertainer every week for the first Summer Street Fair in Nanaimo, and is the only musician on Vancouver Island to have presided over both a Jazz Jam for the NIJFA Jazz Festival and the Blues Jam at the Queens. He is both musical director for "The Cult of Brother 12" and co-composer of the score, with playwright and director Bill Miner.

Dean “Skye Douglas” Boland

Musician - trumpet, flugelhorn

Dean “Skye Douglas” Boland (trumpet, flugelhorn): Dean is originally from the beautiful island of Newfoundland and now resides with his wife in Nanaimo. A former graduate of the VIU jazz program, he also holds a Masters in Composition through York University in Toronto. A multi-instrumentalist, teacher, composer, and conductor, Skye is an eclectic musician who has composed for and performed in a multiplicity of genres including jazz, folk, gospel, indie rock, musical theatre, classical, and new age instrumental music.

James Darling

Musician - keyboard

James Darling holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from VIU and has studied piano with Phil Dwyer, Bob Murphy, and Steve Smith. He has spent a decade working on cruise ships in lounge bands and showbands. More recently James has been the keyboardist of the high energy dance band Johnny Inappropriate, the pianist for VIU’s Vocal Jazz Choir directed by Rosemary Lindsay, and is the organist with the Duncan Symonds Trio.

James McRae

Musician - drums, percussion

James McRae has played with a wide diversity of players from Miles Black and David Essig to Marc Atkinson and Nico Rhodes. He’s long been an important part of the Vancouver Island music scene, including his time in the 1990s with the popular Victoria group Loose. In 2011 he released Slow Down, an album of all original songs he wrote with a Brazilian flavour that received praise in Canada and internationally. He more recently was the leader of a project reimagining Gordon Lightfoot’s music in a jazz context, including a CD release, Impressions of Lightfoot. James would like to thank Bill and Marty for all their careful work and nurturing.

Larry Miller

Musician - tenor sax, clarinet, flute

Larry Miller has performed in various musicals over the years, including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Guys & Dolls. He has done freelance work on cruise ships and in big bands and rock groups. In Victoria, he has performed with the Temptations and played in the big band opening Bob Newhart’s comedy tour. Larry holds a B.F.A. (York Univ.), B.Ed. and a Masters of Music from the University of Victoria

Bill Miner

Book, lyrics, co-composer, director

Bill Miner is a Nanaimo actor, director and playwright, whose one-act and full-length plays have been produced as podcasts, zoom performances, and live on stage. The Cult of Brother XII premiered as a one-act play with music at the Nanaimo Fringe Festival in 2012, and, with the creative collaboration of composer Marty Steele, has been transformed into this full-length musical. He is very grateful to the amazing cast, as well as choreographer Geneviève Caron and musical director Marty Steele, for breathing life into his words.

Lorna McLellan

Lead Costumer

Lorna McLellan: Over the past 20 years, Lorna has designed, sewn, and procured costumes for close to 70 productions for multiple companies across the Central Island region. Most recently, she dressed the characters in Western Edge Theatre’s The Scottish Curse, and Nanaimo Theatre Group’s Fox on the Fairway. Costumes tell an important part of the story, and for The Cult of Brother XII, it was important to recreate the look and feel of the late 1920s. Lorna is grateful to collaborate with Caron Byrne, whose eye for period details is invaluable.

Tom Rokeby

Lighting Designer

Tom Rokeby (he/him) lives with his loving family Lisa, Franklin, and Carmanah, on Snuneymuxw territory. He divides his time between being a school board trustee for SD68, Artistic Director of Reconciliation Theatre, and raising pigs, goats, and hens on the South Wellington Art Farm. He is honoured to be working with Bill and all the local talent he has assembled to tell his story of Brother XII.

William Anderson

Stage Manager

William Anderson has worn many hats in theatre over the years, from actor to box-office manager to stage manager. He is thrilled to be returning to The Cult of Brother 12 as the latter, working with the fantastic Bill Miner and Marty Steele, and the strikingly talented cast and crew. Also a playwright, William appeared in his own play, Confessions of a Spooky Mind, at the Nanaimo Fringe in 2020. He is currently the Administrator and Box-Office Manager of Western Edge Theatre.

Caron Byrne

Costume Assistant

Caron always enjoys working with Lorna McLellan in any costume-related venture. She was also involved with Brother XII's 2022 run thanks to Lorna, and also costumed many B2B summer shows in Qualicum Beach for over 20 years.

Alan Medcalf

Audio Engineer

Alan Medcalf: A professional musician for his entire life, Alan has performed on stage, TV, radio, and recordings. He has an extensive background as a production manager, audio engineer, adjudicator, and artist manager. Al has taught at Arbutus Music for over 20 years, is currently the Vice President of the Nanaimo Blues Society and is a past President of the BC Country Music Association.

Kim Plumley

Publicist

Kim is so excited for Brother 12! History, arts, and music – the perfect mix. Kim has been working in Arts PR since 1996. She is based in Nanaimo and enjoys the beauty and, yes, quirkiness of our area. Books, music, theatre, artists, and more. It is a passion and an honour to work with creative people.

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