Anne Marie Mortensen – Artistic Producer, Artist-Educator
Anne Marie is a playwright, director, dramaturge, and designer (set, costumes, lighting). Like most theatre artists and administrators, she wears many hats to ensure that her company provides quality experiences for patrons, collaborators, and students. She is a sought-after Producer and Stage Manager, and clinician, having contracts with Theatre Kingston, The Gertrudes, Skeleton Park Arts Festival, The Kingston Theatre Alliance, SwirlsXaRt, Calliope Collective, and Shortwave Radio Festival, and The National Theatre School Drama Festival. As a seasoned acting coach, Anne Marie developed the Stage Right and Little Stars acting programs that have provided theatre education to hundreds of young people in Kingston.
Wilding
Wilding is an Improv Performer, Coach, and Workshop Instructor who loves people laughing, connecting, and discovering just how powerful (and fun!) Improv can be. With 35+ years of experience in Improv, Theatre, Film, and Live Event Production, Wilding has worked on many productions, with festivals, schools, and theatre companies across the country.
For Wilding, Improv isn’t just about getting on stage….it’s about building confidence, sparking creativity, and exploring the unknown. Their classes are designed like playgrounds for the imagination: kids dive into characters and silly games, teens discover their voices, and adults remember how good it feels to just play.
Wilding also wears a lot of hats (and wigs). They’re one half of ‘All-Inclusive Comedy’, an Improv Comedy Duo and Education Company, the Canadian Improv Games Kingston Regional Producer & Trainer, and a seasoned behind-the-scenes pro: Stage Manager, Technical Director, and Production Manager for all sorts of live shows and festivals. If there’s a stage, Wilding is either performing on it, teaching from it, or making sure it runs smoothly.
For Wilding, Improv is more than theatre – it’s pure in the moment joy, creativity, courage, and connection….with a side of ridiculous fun. And they can’t wait to share it with you at Bottle Tree!
Ariel Zaichick – Vocal Music Director, Vocal Coach
Originally from Mississauga, Ontario, Ariel Zaichick has over 18 years in classical voice training, and currently teaches privately at her home studio, Music By Ariel (www.musicbyariel.com). After graduating from Queen’s University with her B.Mus in Voice, Ariel has made Kingston her home, teaching at Sistema Kingston, vocal directing with Bottle Tree Productions and singing as Soprano Section Leader with the Melos Choir & Period Instruments Ensemble.
Splitting her time between teaching and performing, stage highlights for Ariel include Olympia in “Les contes d’Hoffman” (Midwest Institute of Opera), Maria in “West Side Story in Concert” (Queen’s University Orchestra) as well as intensives such as The Russian Opera Workshop (Philadelphia), Druid City Opera Workshop (Alabama), and the Acting Opera Intensive (NYC).
Patricia Beneteau – Stage Right Coach, Assistant Program Coordinator
Patricia has been part of the Bottle Tree family since 2008. Her love of performing outshines her natural shyness and she truly feels at home in theatre. Patricia has worked on many productions inside and outside of Bottle Tree Productions, with roles including; the Rose, the Fox, the Geographer, and the Merchant in ‘The Little Prince’; Candy in ‘Zombie Prom’; Belle in ‘Beauty and the Beast’; and Rizzo in ‘Grease’. Beyond theatre, Patricia has experience working in the field of Child and Youth Care, which stems from her love of theatre and her knack for creativity.
Iris jenkins – Coaching Assistant
Iris Jenkins has been participating in Bottle Tree Productions’ acting classes since she was 6 years old. She has done drama, comedy, and musical theatre. She loves theatre, reading, singing, and telling jokes. She is currently in grade 12 and hopes to work in an arts-related field. Iris has volunteered with the younger classes as she loves bringing the joy of acting to others.
Jeff McGilton, Occasional Acting Coach
After getting an undergraduate degree at The Dan School of Drama and Music and subsequent Master’s Degree in Applied Theatre from Goldsmiths University of London, Jeff decided to come back to Kingston to join its booming arts community and to help become a facilitator of it. In the last year and a half, Jeff has worked with local organizations including the Kingston Theatre Alliance, Kingston Arts Council, and Bottle Tree Productions, where he still visits as a guest coach. His theatrical interests include puppetry, devised theatre, and masks.