2007 Winners Photos & Bios
(19th Annual)

     Winners: Howie Siegel & Janet Rothman / Mike Poirier / Ron Fromstein

     Finalists: Corrina Hodgson /  Dawn Kennedy /
Mort Ransen / Michelle Turner / Klaas van Weringh

2007 Winner -
Full Length

Janet Rothman

Howie Siegel

Janet (Sickler) Rothman grew up in Arizona & graduated from the Acting Specialization Program at U.C.L.A. In her early twenties, she studied acting at Actors Lab London, movement with Etienne Decroux in Paris. She performed in Amsterdam with the La Mamma Company, the Royal Court in London, directed by Vanessa Redgrave. Janet recently completed performances of Angels in America in Victoria, B.C.
She became Artistic Director of Actors Lab Arizona, Scottsdale's first Equity company, where she oversaw the mainstage, Theatre for Young Audiences Touring Program, and the School. Janet began writing plays for young audiences because she wanted to give them material that was relevant. She always said, "I don't have anything to say to adults, only to children." With Before Play, and because of her partner Howie Siegel, she finally had something to say to adults!

Howie Siegel was born in Brooklyn with the Dodgers and raised in Los Angeles with the movies.  He graduated from UCLA and from L.A. and moved to British Columbia in 1972 (legally in 1974).He is an actor, dancer, broadcaster & entrepreneur. He has 4 children; Solomon, Rose, Malka and Harry. And a dog, Maidel. And a girlfriend, fiancée, partner, co-star; the redoubtable Janet Rothman Sickler. This is his first play.

2007 Winner - One-Act

Mike Poirier

Mike has been writing for a number of years, but just recently completed a novel that he had started twenty two years ago, wrote two screen plays and found a niche in playwriting. As a self taught playwright, he attended his first live theatre about five years ago and wrote his first play shortly thereafter. Since then Mike has had three of his plays produced on community stage, wrote and produced two radio plays and wrote and produced two successful dinner theatre productions. He is an associate member of the "Playwrights Guild of Canada" with 15 plays in his library and he is a founding member of "Back Stage Theatre" in Vernon.

2007 Winner - Special Merit

Ron Fromstein

Corrina Hodgson

Corrina was the One-Act winner in the 14th Annual (2002) Playwriting Competition with her entry "Catherine's Pillow".

Dawn Kennedy

Dawn Amber Kennedy is a First Nations woman and a single mother of two children. She is a second year creative writing student at Okanagan College in Vernon, BC. This is the first play she has ever written. She has concerns that the non-aboriginal community may not understand the ongoing effects of colonization on First Nations families and communities, particularly in terms of the level of poverty, the after effects of the residential school experiences, and the over representation of First Nations in jail and foster care. Dawn wishes to use her craft of writing and theatre as a venue to address these issues and bring awareness to others.

Mort Ransen

Mort Ransen is an award-winning film director, writer and producer, best known for the film Margarets Museum (with Helena Bonham Carter). He began his career on stage, first as an actor and then director, after studying with the legendary American teacher, Peggy Feury (whose students included Anjelica Houston and Sean Penn). He has made over 30 films for film and television and taught writing, acting and directing in cities across Canada, including workshops for the National Film Board of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Film and Television and the National Theatre School. Although he is still involved with movies, he is gradually returning to the theatre and has recently directed a George F. Walker play, Problem Child. This spring he will stage Garson Kanins Born Yesterday at the Art Centre in Whitehorse, and then mount the same play at Artspring, on Salt Spring Island, BC, where he lives.

Michelle Turner

Michelle Turner is a recent graduate from the University of Guelph's Drama program. She is passionate about social justice and spends most of her time working towards such goals both in Canada and overseas. She believes in the importance of creativity and dialogue for the fostering of peace. This is her first play.

Klaas van Weringh

Klaas van Weringh is a writer and artist who also acts and directs in community theatre. For a decade he taught drawing part time at a community college, and was represented by a Yorkville Toronto gallery. After a long hiatus, he recently returned to painting and writing. Currently a finalist in "The Kingston Prize, Canada's National Portrait Competition", he earlier won a prize in the Ottawa Public Library short story contest. All Changed, his first play, was begun five years ago.

PlayComp Home / Results 2007 / Jurors / New Play Festival