Special Events/Discounts

• Festival Passes available now
• Limited Pay-What-You-Will tickets available per performance
• Book your group of 6 or more and get 15% off or your group of 10 or more for 20% off!
• If you require an attendant, aide, or companion, they are still required to have a ticket. Please contact coordinator@skirtsafire.com and we’ll book a ticket for the accompanying person at no extra cost.

• Accessibility Measures for Ms. Pat’s Kitchen by Jameela J. McNeil

• Sensory Kits
  Sensory Kits will be available to borrow for free at all shows including sunglasses, ear muffs and fidget spinners.

  Companion Tickets
  If you require an attendant, aide, or companion, they are still required to have a ticket. Please contact coordinator@skirtsafire.com and we’ll book a ticket for the accompanying person at no extra cost.

  The Venue
  ArtsHub Ortona is situated in the charming Rossdale neighborhood, nestled in the basin of the downtown river valley.

  It has excellent access to river valley trails and is conveniently located near Government Centre and Central LRT stations. Just steps outside is ETS Bus Route 009 going North and South bound.

  Full Venue Accessibility
  Coming soon

  Parking
  There is a free parking lot on the south side of the building, accessible from 102 Street. There is also hourly street parking, and loading zones in front of the building. Please watch for signs as there are specific parking areas for residents.

  Click here for more information on Accessibility 

  Click here for SkirtsAfire’s FAQs

Content Warnings

• Includes themes that allude to and discuss assault

If you need further clarification regarding these content warnings, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@skirtsafire.com.

Jameela J. McNeil
Playwright & Producer

Jameela J. McNeil is an actor, writer, and producer. She is a MacEwan Theatre Arts Alumnus based in Edmonton. She has performed on stages on stages such as, the Citadel Theatre, Mayfield Dinner Theatre, Workshop West, Lunchbox, Theatre Calgary, Royal Manitoba Theatre, Persephone Theatre and at the Stratford Festival. Since 2020 she has pursued playwriting. Her training began with Tarragon Theatre’s Young Playwrights Unit (2021) and she has been writing and learning from mentors through programs such as the RBC Horizon Emerging Artists Program (Citadel) and Writers Guild of Alberta ever since. In 2024 she became a producing mentee with Common Ground Arts Society where she has learned about producing her very first play, Ms. Pat’s Kitchen! She is passionate about digging into the past, examining familial bonds, and putting a spotlight on the stories that have been forgotten or unexplored. 

Patricia Darbasie
Director

Pat is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting and MFA Directing programs. Directing credits include: Ribbon, a one-woman show about Amber Valley (U of A Studio). The Syringa Tree, another one-woman show, (York University). Mesa (Atlas Theatre), Henry V, The Ash Girl and Chrysothemis (Concordia University Edmonton) The Domino Heart (Edmonton Fringe). Heaven reopened the Shoctor Theatre (Citadel Theatre) in 2021 and then The National Arts Centre in Ottawa hosted a remount of Heaven  in spring of 2023. Pat returned to the U of A to work with BFA students with God of Carnage (Studio Theatre) and Cloud Nine. She was busy in 2022 with The MountainTop (Shadow Theatre), and Sexy Laundry (Mayfield Dinner theatre). Pat was also the assistant director of The Color Purple (Citadel Theatre /RMTC) and she did a remount of The Mountain Top (Citadel Theatre) for which she was nominated for a Sterling award for Best Director.

Kat Evans
Production Manager/Technical Director

Kat Evans (she/her) is a freelance professional Artist, Designer, Creator, Producer, PM/TD, Technician and Stage Manager based in Amiskwaciy-Wâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) on Treaty 6 Territory, Metis Regional Council 4. She holds a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Alberta, and is the Co-Founder of The October People Productions. She specializes in practical SFX and immersive design for theatre, film, and escape room experiences.

In addition to stand-alone productions, Kat is involved in several festivals and presentation series throughout the year, including The Edmonton International Fringe Festival, RISER Edmonton, and DARK.

She is a core creative team member of the Dead Centre of Town Collective, with Catch the Keys Productions. She is honored to have multiple Sterling Awards nominations for her Design work and in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Production (Production Manager). She is the recipient of the 2025 Sterling Award in this category.

Amy Dass
Sound Designer

Amy Dass is an emerging South Asian theatre designer based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) and is a recent graduate of the BFA in Drama program at the University of Alberta. Amy aspires to design for theatres across Canada and internationally, while continuing to uplift stories that reflect the diversity of lived experiences. Amy’s practice spans costume, lighting, and set design. Her work has been seen at the Citadel, Bleviss Laboratory Theatre, Fringe Festival, Mile Zero Dance, etc. Select credits include Life of Pi (Assistant Set and Props Design), Witch (Set and Props Design), and Hyenas Trail (Lighting and Sound Design.

Andraya Diogo
Lighting Designer

Andraya (she/her/hers) is a stage designer/manager from amiskwaciwâskahikan (colonially known as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). She has worked as a designer, stage manager, production manager, dresser, stage kitten, clown wrangler and technical theatre educator, with a passion for abstract, conceptual stage design and colour-coded paperwork. PREVIOUS: Vinyl Cafe: The Musical (Citadel Theatre) as Assistant Stage Manager, Lucky Charm (Found Festival/Defiance Theatre) as Stage Manager, Alphabet Line (Prairie Strange Productions) as Associate Production Designer, A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ‘70s Musical (Citadel Theatre) as Apprentice Stage Manager, Brick Shithouse (fenceless theatre) as Costume Designer. Andy is proud to facilitate the Young Production Company at Citadel Theatre and is so grateful to call Edmonton’s arts community home. Lots of love to Jameela and Kat. More at andrayadiogo.ca.

Chantel Fortin
Set Designer

Chantel is a freelance production designer, scenic artist and props master who’s been working the art scene in Edmonton for nearly 20 years. She debuted at Teatro Live! with Cocktails at Pam’s in 2016 and subsequent set designs for the company include 39 Steps, On the Banks of the Nut, The Noon Witch, Private Lives, The Occulist’s Holiday, The Exquisite Hour/Love is for Poor People, Deathtrap, Shockers Delight!, and Witness to a Conga, the last of which earned her a Sterling nomination. She also designed the sets for Teatro’s 2021 streaming project Lost Lemoine: Parts One and Two. Her other set design credits include Our Man in Havana for Bright Young Things, Going to St. Ives and Mesa for Atlas Theatre. She’s also done scenic painting and props for Workshop West, The Citadel, and Edmonton Opera. In other media, she has production designed commercials for AGLC, Play AB, DJI and Joico Hair, among others. Chantel has also served as production designer in recent years for a number of feature length films produced locally by Northern Gateway Films, and Dept. 9’s Souls Road and most recently was Key Scenic for A24’s 2025 horror film The Land of Nod. 

Chariz Faulmino
Costume Designer

Chariz Faulmino (she/they/siya) is a multidisciplinary artist based in amiskwaciywaskahikan. They are thrilled to make their Costume Design debut with this beautiful new play. Chariz is deeply inspired by the opportunity to tell this story through this new medium- especially as it shares the tenderness and complexity of the immigrant familial experience, one she is quite familiar with.

Special thanks to Jameela for writing this powerful story and for her trust in me in helping bring this world to life. Chariz extends heartfelt gratitude to their loved ones for their constant support and love, and to those who continue to guide them in spirit.

Upcoming performances: The Wizard of Oz — Citadel Theatre (March–April); The Invisibles — National Arts Centre (May)

@cheeky.rizz

Makeda Romanetti
Stage Manager

Makeda is a Jamaican stage manager whose practice centres on new work, collaboration, and community. She has supported productions and workshops across Edmonton’s independent theatre scene, including Jabulani Arts Festival (2025), Breaking Ground (2024), and Evandalism (2022). She recently completed a stage management residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where she worked as an Assistant Stage Manager on Kohkom’s Babushka (2025). She is grateful to bring Jamaican storytelling to Edmonton with the Ms. Pat’s Kitchen team.

Noreta Lewis
Pat

Noreta Lewis was born in Jamaica where she taught music, drama, dance and poetry to youths. She won the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Gospel Festival competition in the year 2000 with the song “I’ll Make it Through the Valley”. In February, 2025, she appeared as a singer on the 5ARTISTS1LOVE show at the Winspear Theatre. She resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has worked with Engagement Lab Theater of Alberta. She is currently a member of Third Space Playback Theatre Company, Inspirational Drama Company and Ribbon Rouge Foundation Art Space Theater Team. Her most recent project was playing the lead role in the play entitled Oboingba Tries to Change Her Fate. She also directed her 1st musical in 2025, with the Sihle-Sizwe Foundation; A Beat of Change, which got rave views. She also teaches music therapy and is the founder of a youth dance group in Edmonton called The Chi- Fire Dances (named after her nephew Chicano Lewis who was murdered in Jamaica). Noreta is a singer and a music teacher by profession and has taught in the public school in Jamaica for 7 years before migrating to Canada. Noreta continues to sing, teach music and to enjoy her new found love in theatre.

Rochelle Laplante
Kenise

Rochelle Laplante (she/her) is an Edmonton-raised multidisciplinary performance artist. She is overjoyed to be part of the premiere of Ms. Pat’s Kitchen and can’t wait for everyone to hear this deeply moving story. Previous credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The 70’s Musical, Clue, A Christmas Carol (Citadel Theatre); Little Shop of Horrors, Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Arts Club/ Citadel Theatre); CTRL-ALT-DEL, Hoodies (Concrete Theatre); Caribbean Muskrat (Teatro La Quindicina); Macbeth (Freewill Shakespeare); Hiraeth (Bright Young Things); The Importance of Being Earnest (Empress of Blandings).

Michelle Todd
Sharmaine

Michelle feel good enuh to be working with this wonderful cast, crew, and creative team with MPK and SkirtsAfire! An Edmonton native, Michelle has been active in the arts community for many years as an actor, writer, choreographer, director, facilitator, and producer. A graduate of MacEwan’s Theatre Arts program, Michelle’s credits include;  After the Trojan Women (Common Ground Arts Society), Tiny Beautiful Things (Shadow Theatre), Black Widow Gun Club, Lady Porn, Destination Vegas (Whizgiggling Productions), Carole of the Belles, Mass Debating (100% More Girls),  and SLUT (Northern Light Theatre). All her love to Bob, Marcus, and Glenson.

Kijo Gatama
Phyllis

Kijo Eunice Gatama is a multidisciplinary artist based in Edmonton, Alberta, working across playwriting, acting, dance, and artistic direction. A graduate of the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting program (2022), they specialize in performance theatre, Afrocentric dramaturgy, and esoteric studies, grounded in interdisciplinary and community-forward practice. Recent credits include Dance Nation (Skirtsafire 2025), Hyena’s Trail (Here for Fear Collective, 2025), and upcoming productions with Skirtsafire, Shadow Theatre, and Jabulani. Their playwriting explores folklore and Queer Afro-Canadian experiences. An excerpt of Hyena’s Trail appears in Alberta’s Black Creators Anthology (2027), next year published.

Douglas Prout
Robert

Doug is a veteran theatre practitioner, with a career spanning over 4 decades and theatrical success across many genres. His work has received acclaim all over Jamaica, across the wider Caribbean, the UK, USA and of course here in Canada. He is a much sought after Director, well known for his professionalism, work ethic, attention to detail and the uncanny ability to motivate and manage diverse casts.

Mr. Prout is hailed for directing for celebratedJamaican playwright, Basil Dawkins for 11 years in a row, 5 top class plays starring “King of Comedy”, Oliver Samuels, and for his acting in a recurring role for over 10 years on CVM TV’s long-running mini-series, ‘The Blackburns of Royal Palm Estate’.