YTYP PRESENTS RENT!

Gabriel Hopkins (he/him) is a life-long lover of the performing arts, devoting much of his childhood to singing lessons and acting performances. The natural evolution of this well-fostered love is now an extensive resume of past roles and performances, culminating in most recent years to a full 4 years of the MAD program, Davey (Disney’s Newsies 2019), Jean Valjean (Les Miserables 2022), and now he returns once again to the stage in the role of Mark Cohen for 2023’s production of Rent. In addition to these mainstage roles, he has also been in many YTYP variety shows, as well as directing/musical directing both ‘Forbidden’ and ‘Randomonium’. In the coming year, you can find him teaching the Musical Theatre class and directing Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. for The Heart Of Riverdale. Enjoy the show!

Michael (17) is a Yukon born actor, singer and performer. He has been involved with YTYP since 2018 and is currently the President of the YTYP Youth Steering Committee. In addition to YTYP, Michael is extremely grateful to have worked with The Guild Hall, Northern Lights School of Dance and The Music Arts and Drama Program, which he attended for 3 years. Some of Michael’s favorite credits include: Newsies (YTYP, 2019), Javert - Les Misérables (YTYP, 2022), Concord Floral (YTYP, 2022), Victor Von Frankenstein - Young Frankenstein (Guild, 2022), Alice in Wonderland (NLSD, 2023) and most recently, Gaston - Beauty and the Beast (YTYP, 2023). Michael is thrilled to be playing Roger Davis (Who is not the villain… shockingly) and gives enormous thanks to the brilliant cast, crew, and supporters of YTYP’s production of Rent!

Ella Laliberty has always been amazed by theatre and loved performing. During Highschool, she attended three semesters of the Music, Arts and Drama program, and has been with YTYP since 2019. Some roles that Ella has been ever so fortunate to fill in the past include, Babette in YTYP’s most recent production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Fantine in the 2022 production of ‘Les Misérables’, and Rosa in ‘Concord Floral’. Ella has also been a part of YTYP’s ‘Randomonium’, ‘Forbidden’, ‘All Together Now’, and ‘Disney’s Newsies’.

Ella is delighted to be taking on the role of Mimi Marquez in this YTYP seniors summer production of Rent. She believes it is an incredible opportunity to be able to help tell this story alongside her fabulous castmates and creative team who have all done so much in the past months.

Maximus McLarnon (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist expanding his passion of musical theatre in Vancouver. Max is ecstatic to bring the character of Angel Dumott Schunard to life and invites you to experience 1990s New York City the way the late Jonathan Larson portrayed it in this heartbreaking and monumental musical of RENT. His past works include SFU's Strange Joy, Westmount High School's Mean Girls, YTYP's Concord Floral, Forbidden, and Les Misérables along with his directorial debut of YTYP's Summer variety show, Randomonium. Max holds deep gratitude to the creative team for their collaborative spirit during this creative process. See you tonight at the Life Support meeting.

Cohen Ashick-Drainville (he/him) is an actor, singer, and comedian who recently lit up the stage as Lumière in YTYP’s 2023 production of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Cohen also filled the role of Thenardier in YTYP’s 2022 presentation of ‘Les Miserables,’ played the Couch in Jordan Tannahill’s ‘Concord Floral,’ and has performed in YTYP’s ‘Forbidden,’ ‘All Together Now,’ ‘Things I Learned on My Summer Vacation,’ and Disney’s ‘Newsies.’ Cohen is thrilled to have the opportunity to take on the dynamic role of Collins in YTYP’s Senior Company production of Rent. It’s an honour to help tell such an important story, and he’s grateful to the Artistic Team and all those who have supported this production by sharing their experiences, and providing their insight into the history and relevance of this show.

Ever since Menna’s theatre debut in Yukon Theatre for Young People (YTYP)’s production of ‘Newsies’ in 2019, she has been involved with this amazing company. This first performance inspired her love of acting, and she went on to pursue as many theatre opportunities as she could! This includes attending three years of the Music Arts and Drama (MAD) program at Wood Street Centre, as well as performing at the Guild Hall. Some of her past performances include Guild performances such as: ‘Without Rule of Law’ (playing Vic), ‘The Wolves’ (playing #25) and ‘Young Frankenstein’. Most recently, she performed in YTYP’s production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ playing the part of Madame De La Grande Bouche. This production of ‘Rent' will be Menna’s final show before she leaves to study at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in the fall. However, both theatre and the Yukon will always be dear to her heart, so expect to see her back on the stage in the upcoming summers with Yukon Theatre for Young People! 

Cadence Milford (she/her) has always taken every opportunity to perform. In high school, she attended three semesters of the Music Arts and Drama program and has been a part of YTYP since the beginning. Her notable roles include Crutchie in ‘Newsies’ (2019), Madame Thénardier in ‘Les Misérables’ (2022) and Six in ‘Concord Floral’ (2022). Although she enjoyed her time behind the scenes with this summer’s production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Cadence cannot be more excited to be back on the stage. When she is not spending her summers being all consumed with YTYP projects, Cadence is at UVic pursuing her psychology degree.  

The role of Joanne is so special to Cadence because it is the first time she has had the chance to explore her queerness on stage. She feels so fortunate for this opportunity and would like to express her gratitude for every wonderful human involved in this production.

Kieran Cowie is an actor working and exploring his education and passion for theatre in Victoria, British Columbia. Some of his past works include YTYP’s production of Les Miserables, The Guild Hall’s productions of Without Rule of Law, and the Gwaandak Theatre’s touring productions of The Crows, Frozen River, and Feast. He is thrilled to bring the character of Benny to life in this exciting production of RENT! He would like to give his utmost thanks to the artistic team, and to everyone who made it possible to bring Jonathan Larson’s vision to the stage. Don’t miss out, you’ll see!

Andrew Woolridge is the youngest in the cast and is going into grade 11 this year. He is thrilled to be returning for his third show with YTYP (Yukon Theatre for Young People)! Last year Andrew made his theatrical debut as Marius in YTYP’s production of Les Miserable. Since then, he has caught the performance bug! He played the role of Wayne in the M.A.D. (Music, Art, and Drama) 11/12 production of Puffs. He also sang at YTYP’s Broadway Café and played several roles in the M.A.D. 11/12 Variety show! His most recent role was Beast in YTYP’s production of Beauty and the Beast. Andrew is proud to be a YTYPer and is happy to be apart of RENT with the wonderful cast, crew and artistic team!

Ave Burns (16) is an optimistic newcomer to the Whitehorse theatre scene. As a long-time fan of the works of Jonathan Larson (and all things counterculture), when YTYP’s production of Rent was announced, she decided to take the opportunity of a lifetime. So far, Ave has had a spectacular time working alongside such a talented group of young performers. She is so excited to take part in bringing such a profoundly influential and vital piece to the local stage.

Bria Lemoine is back on the stage after her memorable performance as Maraise in the company’s last production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Bria continues to express her gratitude and excitement towards this show and cannot wait for the audience to not only enjoy the beautiful story of Rent but also to go home having learned more about issues they may not have in the past. Having seen YTYP grow into what it is now participating in performances such as Newsies, and Concord Floral, Bria is ready to take her big leap into adulthood bidding a temporary farewell to YTYP and Yukon theatre to pursue journalism at UBCO in Kelowna, but we’ve got a feeling she’ll be back performing for you next summer. 

Cameron Greer (17) has been involved in theatre almost his whole life. From the play club at F. H. Collins, to performing in multiple productions with the Music, Arts, and Drama program including; “C’est La Vie” and "Greece ". Cameron has also performed in shows with YTYP, where he’s also a youth steering committee member. In YTYP, he has performed in “Newsies”, “Les Miseràbles”, and “Beauty and the Beast.” Cameron is honoured and ecstatic to be working on such an important show as YTYP’s Senior Company production of Rent with this incredibly talented cast and Artistic team who have been working tirelessly to put on a great performance. 

Ezra Baker has been in the Yukon theatre scene for four years, and is very excited to be a part of this amazing show! Their most notable credits include the Yukon Theatre for Young People’s productions of ‘Les Miserables’ (Ensemble), ‘Concord Floral’ (John Cabot - 3), and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (Mrs. Potts). Ezra also completed three semesters of the Music, Arts, and Drama program at Woodstreet Centre during high school. When Ezra isn’t onstage, you can find them teaching theatre, hanging with friends, or collecting copies of “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. Ezra plans on continuing theatre in the future, and will be attending their second year of YNTEP (Yukon Native Teachers Education Program) at Yukon University in the fall. Viva la vie Boheme!

Finnean Sward is a 17 year old Yukon born actor. Finnean is extremely excited for YTYPs production of Rent and is giving his all to make it a great show.

Lucas Taggart-Cox was born and raised in the Yukon and he has been musical all his life. He started taking violin and piano lessons since ages 4 and 5 respectively. Lucas has performed at countless Rotary Music Festivals and most notably played with the Okanagan Youth Symphony Orchestra. Along with his music endeavors, Lucas has also participated in theatre since he was 9 years old. His theatrical ventures include participating in the Music Arts and Drama Program’s production of Mary Poppins at age 9, attending the MAD Program for 2 years, playing the role of Enjolras in YTYP's 2022 production of Les Miserables, and playing Cogsworth in YTYP's 2023 production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. This year, Lucas graduated from F.H Collins and in the fall he will be going off to study mechanical engineering at McGill University. Although until then, his mind is set on rocking all the ensemble roles he has in this awesome production of Rent.

Madeleine Quong-Lee is a Vancouver-based actress with an undeniable passion for the performing arts. As she prepares to grace the stage in her debut production with YTYP, she is embracing her first full summer in the Yukon and still cannot believe how bright it is at night. Since her charming debut in grade one as Gretl in The Sound of Music, Maddy has never looked back and has gone on to perform in countless productions including Spamalot as a featured dancer, Janet Van De Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone and the powerful one-woman show The Shape of a Girl. Beyond the stage, Madeleine is a glassblower at LuMel studios and will be returning to UBC this fall to continue her studies in psychology.

She cherishes the remarkable chance to contribute to this narrative alongside her extraordinary castmates and the visionary creative team, all of whom have dedicated countless hours to shaping this production.

Sam Kirby is a new member to the theatre community and is so excited about it! They made their theatrical debut this past April with MAD. Where they played a main character; Oliver Rivers, in MAD's production of Puffs! They intended to make their second appearance to the stage with MAD's Spice of Life variety show but…
Hours before the show was about to begin Sam and their class got the horrifying news that the past few weeks, possibly even months, Sam had been walking, dancing and rehearsing on a broken hip. Much to their dismay Sam was pulled from the show, immediately hospitalized and a few days later received surgery…
But hey! even a broken bone won't stop this new theatere kid! They returned to the theatre as soon as they could.
A little while after being released from the hospital they signed up to be in YTYP's next variety show, Randomonium, where they ended up making their actual return to the stage! And around the same time they joined the Rent ensemble!
Sam is so excited to be joining the theatre world but is even more excited to be in this amazing production of RENT. They are so thankful that they were allowed to participate even after such a bad injury and they absolutely can't wait for you to see the show!