Started in January 2023 to help grow community theatre in Victoria by providing a stage for a diversity of local talent and voices to share their stories and art.
One-Act Festival Team
Kurt Archer – Festival Director
Kurt has over 10 years experience working in community theatre which began in Calgary as a former board member of Morpheus Theatre, also as an actor, producer, director, and playwright. His experience includes Gilbert & Sullivans’ Gondoliers and Ruddigore, It’s a Wonderful Life, A little murder never hurt anybody, and Death of Salesman. His premiere play was called The Great Shift and debuted at the first Victoria One Act Play Festival. Kurt is the Founder of Between Words Theatre and also co-founded the Greater Victoria Theatre Collective.
Alison Bendall – Artist Liaison
Originally from the Cowichan Valley, Alison discovered a love for performing at an early age. She spent many years performing in community theatre shows across Vancouver Island, before pursuing professional training at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. Alison was a member of CCPA’s 2021-2022 Studio Ensemble, where she explored the technical side of theatre including Lighting Design and Social Media Marketing. She has also worked at several island theatres as a Front of House Supervisor, Box Office Agent and Usher, including the Chemainus Theatre Festival and the Belfry Theatre. Alison is very enthusiastic about using her experience in the local theatre industry to help create an enriching and supportive environment for this year’s Festival participants.
Taylor Guidotti – Festival Technical Producer
Taylor (she/they) is a stage director, intimacy director, and stage and production manager from Calgary, but now proudly resides in Victoria, BC. A recent graduate of the University of Victoria’s theatre program (BFA 2020), Taylor has worn many hats at various performing arts festivals in Alberta and British Columbia. She is thrilled to be returning to the One Act Festival, this time as the Technical Coordinator. Most recent credits include: [Co-Festival Manager, Technical Coordinator] Common Ground Festival; [Stage Management] The Incredible Glowing Woman (hapax), Abandoned (One Act Festival 2023); [Director] The Crime on Goat Island, Aphra, Such Creatures. The War of the Worlds (untitled theatrics). Much love to Benji, Mum and Arlo.
Alex Kennedy – Graphic Design
bio coming soon
Board of Directors
Kurt Archer (he/they) – President
Kurt has over 10 years experience working in community theatre which began in Calgary as a former board member of Morpheus Theatre, also as an actor, producer, director, and playwright. His experience includes Gilbert & Sullivans’ Gondoliers and Ruddigore, It’s a Wonderful Life, A little murder never hurt anybody, and Death of Salesman. His premiere play was called The Great Shift and debuted at the first Victoria One Act Play Festival. Kurt is the Founder of Between Words Theatre and also co-founded the Greater Victoria Theatre Collective.
Misty Cozac (she/her) – Vice-President
Misty Cozac obtained her BFA in Drama from U of L, and her MA (Dramaturgy/Theatre History) from U of T. She has lived and worked in Japan, Italy, and Mexico, and settled in Victoria about seven years ago. In that time, she has acted and directed for Peninsula Players, directed for Theatre Inconnu, and sits on the boards for Atomic Vaudeville, the Victoria Theatre Collective, and now Between Words. She is currently working on her own play Genki Bear: Memoirs of a Granddaughter.
Frances Matheu (he/him) – Secretary
Francis is a Filipino theatre artist who debuted in Canada with Theatre Inconnu’s production of Pepe in 2023. Since then, he has collaborated with local companies including Blue Bridge Theatre, The Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival, Lawyers On Stage Theatre Society, Langham Court Theatre, Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA), and Attitude Theatre. He is a co-artistic collaborator for Bayanihan Creative Collective and a board member for Theatre SKAM and Victoria Theatre Collective. He is ConVerge 2024 artist in residence and holds an MFA in Directing from UVic.
Nomi Nagashima (she/her) – Treasurer
Bio coming soon
Jan Streader (she/her) – Director
A founding member of the Victoria Theatre Collective, Jan spent years promoting the Arts in Edmonton for Alberta Culture, the Art Gallery and Theatre Alberta, writing and hosting a weekly TV show and promoting major exhibits. She volunteered at Walterdale Theatre receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for work as P.R., then Artistic Director, also costumes and stage work. She studied acting at the Citadel and Dramaworks; Clown and Mask with Jan Henderson and Therapeutic Clown with pioneer Clown doctor Paul Hoosen. She clowned for more than 20 years at Edmonton’s International Street Performer Festival, also in Hospitals and Care homes throughout Alberta and now with Sunshine Clowns in Victoria. She performed on Film and TV also produced and toured in Fringe shows Shirley Valentine and Bronte: A Solo Portrait of Charlotte Bronte. Other credits include Sterling winner Elizabeth the Queen; Sterling nominee Treatment; The Lion in Winter and The Cripple of Inishmaan; at Langham as Dottie Ottley/Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off and the Fairy Godmother in St. Lukes’ Cinderella.
Meera Mathew (she/her) – Director
Meera is an actor, director, playwright, event coordinator, and social change storyteller gratefully working and living on the traditional territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lekwungen-speaking peoples. She believes in the power of stories to connect us more deeply to ourselves and our community. Previous credits include: The Drowning Girls (Assistant Director, Hapax theatre), Notes for July (Actor/Writer/Director – One Act Play Fest, Outstanding Performance 2024), Double Bind (Actor – One Act Play Fest), Crime on Goat Island (Production Coordinator – Untitled Theatrics), Beauty and the Beast (Actor – Victoria On Stage).