Black Balloon: Leila

Right after receiving their B.A in Theatre (2019), Chadia began their professional career and debut by embarking the 2PlayTour with Geordie Productions in 2019. They toured the shows FOMO (2019-2020) as “Olive” and The Water Chronicles (2019-2020) as “Nix/Water”. They also played “Vanessa/Balkonae” in White (2019) which they also co-directed. Other notable performances include, “Aunt Polly/Mrs. Staunton” in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: The Musical (2018), “Nearly Wild” in Concord Floral (2017), “Max Balas” in The Memorandum (2017), “Tituba” in The Crucible (2016). They’re most recent work were “Mother Moon” in Black Balloon (2020) with the Centaur Theatre’s:The Portico Project and “Water/Angel 4” in the bilingual play: Habib’s Angel’s et La Mission Impossible produced by Talisman Theatre. As well as an actor, Chadia is also a singer/songwriter and they’re most notable appearance was on La Voix 6 in 2018. As an artist, fulltime bey-hiver, and part-time rent-head, Chadia strives to create and support works that instigate conversations, and challenges societal norms

Maria Marsli is a Montreal based artist, born in the United Kingdom with Irish and Moroccan roots. She studied Design and Fine Arts at l’Ecole des beaux Arts de Marseille, in France. Maria started dancing Hip Hop at 13 years old and has been doing dance professionally in styles such as salsa, belly dance, Brazilian zouk, waacking, tango and contemporary. Her first experience acting was for a musical performed in front of the Moroccan Royal Family. She is part of a female performance collective called Uptown Crew, winning 2019 Frankie Fringe award for “Most Promising Local French Company” for the play “Le Venin de Jocaste”. Maria also performed an opening for Jennifer Lopez’s performance in Morocco, for the Canada Salsa Congress in 2018 as well as many music video clips and commercials.

Kimia is a Montreal-based actor of Persian descent that recently graduated from Concordia University’s theatre program. Her passion for acting began when she attended art intensive high school programs that lead her to work under numerous Toronto artist mentorships programs such as Soulpepper and Tarragon Theatre. Her background in training expanse internationally from studying at the International Centre for Meyerhold’s Biomechanics in Italy, to Theatre Studies at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität in Bavaria, Germany, and sword fighting at Temple University in Philadelphia—which she holds a double certification through Fight Directors Canada and Society of American Fight Directors that aids in her apprenticeship. In 2011, after spending several months in Iran to write a play about her heritage, she was the youngest Playwright chosen from a Canada wide search to take part in InspiraTO’s One-Act Festival in Toronto, where her play received a full production. For Kimia, acting is rooted in the deep need to tell a story and the fight the characters endure to live their truth – because nothing is more powerful than witnessing the power of unity in survival.

Meagan Schroeder is a Montreal based performer working both onstage and onscreen. She approaches her work through her passionate background in physical and image based theatre. Implementing somatic techniques such as ; Laban , Viewpoints, Suzuki and Clown with the intention of curating characters that can transcend and deconstruct language barriers and move towards creating a visceral human connection between spectator and performer. The majority of her work is born from collective creation based processes and strives to put emphasis on creating community and highlighting the female/queer voice. Her recent credits include META nominated shows such as Chattermarks , La Somnambule and Tragic Queens by Cabal Theatre.