Ryan Luhning - Artistic Director
Ryan has been the Artistic Director of Ground Zero Theatre (GZT) since its inception in 1997. He is an actor, director and producer. His work has been seen on many of Calgary's professional stages and he has been nominated for three Betty Mitchell Awards for Acting.
Favorite theatre credits include: Boy Gets Girl & The Optimists (Theatre Junction), Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?, Popcorn, (ATP), Death of a Salesman, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Holiday (Theatre Calgary), The Philadelphia Story (Manitoba Theatre Centre), Strangers On a Train, I'll Be Back Before Midnight (Vertigo Mystery Theatre), Travels With My Aunt, My Fair Lady, (Citadel Theatre), Pervert, subUrbia, Looking After Eden, CockTales (GZT).
Ryan was the recipient of the Betty Mitchell Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role for The Pillowman (GZT / H&M). Most recently Ryan played Robin Hood in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood at Alberta Theatre Projects.
Ryan lives in Calgary with his wife Carolyn and his two daughters; Grace & Peyton.
Ground Zero Theatre has quickly become an integral part of the theatre community in Calgary. Not only are we "the stage of the future stars" but we are also a leading choice for many professional artists who are looking for a challenge to their own creativity. It is not uncommon to see an actor's biography in a Theatre Calgary or Alberta Theatre Projects program to include a GZT credit.
Joel Cochrane - Artistic Producer, Hit & Myth Productions
Joel is the Artistic Producer of Hit & Myth Productions (H&M). Producing
credits include CockTales (November 2007, co-produced with Ground Zero Theatre (GZT)), The Full Monty (Sept. 2007, co-pro GZT), The Pillowman (March 2007, co-pro GZT), Jesus Hopped The A Train (Feb 2007, co-pro with GZT and Rogues Theatre), Urinetown, The Musical (Sept. 2006, co-pro GZT).
Joel's recent acting credits include CockTales: The ReTooling, Dinner With Friends, The Full Monty, Man Out Of Joint, Heaven, Ten Minute Play Festival, The Laramie Project and The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Upcoming projects include Evil Dead: The Musical (May/June 2009).
Kevin McKendrick - Artistic Associate
Kevin attended the Banff School of Fine Arts, Mount Royal College, and the Canadian Mime School before apprenticing with the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He co-founded ARETE, a company devoted to physical theatre which toured internationally for 13 years giving over 5,000 performances on four continents. Kevin served as a Theatre Officer with the Canada Council for six years from 1989-1994 before returning home to take over Shakespeare in the Park in 1995. He ran that program for Mount Royal College for six seasons.
From 2000-2002 Kevin was the Associate Artistic Director and General Manager of The Atlantic Theatre Festival in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. During his brief tenure with the company he helped eradicate a
debt of over $1 million, while increasing audience attendance and
sponsorship. From 2002-2006 Kevin ran the Community Outreach department of the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts. There he produced such events as Solstice Beat (a 500 person community drum circle), Raise a Joyful Noise (a celebration of dance and music in faith practices from around the world) and the 2005 Alberta Centennial celebration for Calgary. Presently he works as a freelance director and a sessional instructor at Mount Royal College where he teaches acting.
Kevin has directed plays in Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kamloops, and Banff. Selected credits include: The Full Monty, The Pillowman, Urinetown (Ground Zero Theatre/Hit and Myth), The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (Sage Theatre), Glenn (Blacklist Theatre), The Hobbit (Banff Festival of the Arts), Boy Gets Girl, The Good Life, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Theatre Junction), Robin Hood and Billy the Kid (ATP), Waiting for Godot, The Drawer Boy and Beauty and the Beast (Western Canada Theatre, Kamloops), Spring Awakening and Trojan Women (Mount Royal College), and Oedipus (Pumphouse Theatres). His productions of Urinetown, Boy Gets Girl, and The Good Life were all honored with Betty Mitchell Awards for Outstanding Production.
Upcoming projects include: Frozen (Sage Theatre), The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Evil Dead: The Musical (Ground Zero Theatre/Hit and Myth Productions).
Luke Dahlgren - Production
Luke Dahlgren has been a proud member of Ground Zero Theatre (GZT) since their very first production of subUrbia back in 1997 at the Garry Theatre. He has worked on various productions as a lighting designer, sound designer and technical director.
Some of his favourite GZT credits include: Shopping and F***ing, Looking after Eden, bash: latterday plays, Pervert, John Doe / Jack Rabbit, Dough: The Politics of Martha Stewart, The Full Monty (Co-Pro with Hit & Myth Productions) and of course, the entire CockTales series. In his time away from Ground Zero, Luke is the stage manager for the Rozsa Centre and a sessional instructor for the Department of Drama, both at the University of Calgary.
He is also very active locally as a freelance designer, stage manager, instructor and TD for various schools, theatre companies and dance ensembles. In his spare time, Luke can be found looking up at the stars or cheering his beloved Canadiens to victory. Enjoy!
Derek Storbakken - Production
Derek has worked with Ground Zero Theatre (GZT) since 2001 when Ian M. Kelly and Luke Dahlgren asked him to come out and hang some lights for a beer and a slice of pizza. Since then, Derek has worked on several of the GZT productions in a variety of roles.
Most recently, he has served as the Technical Director on GZT and Hit &
Myth's productions of Urinetown the Musical in 2006 and The Full Monty in 2007.
When Derek isn't indulging in his theatre habit, he can be found at the
University of Calgary working for the Schulich School of Engineering and Information Technologies.
Emma Brager - Production
Emma is a recent graduate of the BFA Drama program at the University of Calgary. A born and raised Calgarian, Emma is keen to contribute to and participate in the growing arts and theatre community here. As a stage manager, Emma has worked for Ground Zero Theatre (GZT) on Trout Stanley and Ground Zero Theatre and Hit & Myth Productions on Writer’s Block, and CockTales.
Other favourite productions include: Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical (Stage West Calgary), Tentatively Untitled (Ignite! Festival for Sage Theatre), The Thebans: Oedipus Tyrannos & Antigone, The True Life Fiction of Mata Hari, The Chairs, and A Hard Heart (University of Calgary).
Emma is excited to be packing heat with Ground Zero and Hit and Myth Productions again this season as the Assistant Stage Manager for both The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Evil Dead: The Musical.
Marketing & Communications
Brad Walker & Todd Hawkwood - Bottom Line Productions
Established in 1993, Bottom Line Productions Inc. is an Edmonton and Calgary-based management and marketing firm which specializes in communications, strategic marketing, event planning, development and media relations. Our mission is to provide top quality services to arts, entertainment and non-profit industry clients in Alberta and beyond through an ongoing involvement in the community; a strong relationship with local and regional media; a network of quality service providers; and a reputation for excellence and success.