Company Bio
Hot Thespian Action began in 2006 when the three female members of the group (Shannon Guile, Jacqueline Loewen and Jane Testar) took a special studies class in Advanced Mime and Improv at the University of Winnipeg under the tutelage of Rick Skene. Over time, the class changed to fit the interests and aptitudes of the learners, and broadened from just mime to comedy writing.
By the end, the ladies had an in-depth knowledge of physicality and comedy, as well as a catalog of hilarious sketches. With the addition of fellow U of W students Garth Merkeley and Ryan Miller, the group rounded itself out and began to work on its 2006 Fringe show Hands On. The show featured a stripped down minimalist esthetic, inspired by the group’s mime roots, along with a penchant for the physical and witty.
The critically celebrated, sold out show gave way to 2008’s massive hit Hands Off which garnered Hot Thespian Action five stars from the Winnipeg Free Press and an interest from many parties, including the CBC, who subsequently asked HTA to appear in the 2009 CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival.
In the summer of 2009, HTA took the Winnipeg Fringe by storm once again, earning 5 star reviews, 100% sold out performances, and a ranking as “Best of Fest” with their Hands Down.
After Fringe, HTA travelled to Toronto to participate in the Toronto Sketch Fest, performing along side top notch sketch groups from around North America.
Most recently, HTA collaborated with the CBC Radio Comedy Factory in writing and performing in an hour long radio play Pitching the Turkey, which aired nationally on Thanksgiving, as well as a series of sketches, aired on the radio show Laugh Out Loud.
This spring, HTA was the first act to sell out their headlining show at the 2010 CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival.
Now with an eye to repeating their past Fringe triumphs, HTA is gearing up for their new show with all new material Look Ma, No Hands!
Shannon Guile
Shannon’s passion for acting sprung in high school and carried her through her Honours degree in Theatre at the University of Winnipeg. Since then she has been seen in professional shows such as Death of a Salesman (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre) and The History of Manitoba… (Manitoba Theatre Centre). She has taken part in several Fringe hits including The Clock In the Lobby, Eternal O and Heart’s Desire. Aside from being a founding member of HTA, she also performs with local Theatre and Commedia Dell’Arte troupe Foolish Wit. Shannon made her stunt performer debut this year in both Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (Space Network) and feature film The Divide.
Jacqueline Loewen
When not working with Hot Thespian Action, Jacqueline also performs in various independent and professional theatres around Winnipeg (selected: Top Girls (Manitoba Theatre Centre), Macbeth (Shakespeare In the Ruins), Surf (Prairie Theatre Exchange’s Carol Shields Festival)). Jacqueline can also be seen in the films Taken in Broad Daylight (Lifetime), Capture of the Green River Killer (Lifetime), and The Plague (Sony). Jacqueline diversifies in the artistic field by also working as a stunt performer on such movies as The Assasination of Jesse James (Warner Brothers), and The Lookout (Miramax), and both seasons of Less Than Kind (City TV), and has been the fight choreographer for shows at Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Little Opera Company, Shakespeare In the Ruins, and Manitoba Opera, to name a few.
Garth Merkeley
Garth has been acting for most of his life and has already accumulated a long and varied resume. Apart from his involvement with Hot Thespian Action, his work has included such diverse things as professional theatre (Pippi Longstocking, Manitoba Theatre for Young People), many Fringe Festival hits (Eternal O), several productions with HTA sister troupe Foolish Wit Productions (The Mirror), stunt work (The Haunting in Connecticut, Lionsgate), TV (Taken in Broad Daylight and The Christmas Hope, Lifetime Network) and film (Full Of It, New Line).
Ryan Miller
Ryan first started training at Manitoba Theare for Young People when he was 7 years old. After graduating from the University of Winnipeg with a degree in Theatre, Ryan became a founding member of Commedia Dell’Arte troupe Foolish Wit Productions. He has performed in countless productions with The Black Hole Theatre at the University of Manitoba (Beyond Therapy, Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Winter’s Tale) and can also be heard as a voice talent for Warehouse One, University of Winnipeg, and The Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Ryan has been acting at the Fringe Festival for the past 7 years and has received critical acclaim for his performances in shows like ‘dentity Crisis, Heart’s Desire, and Hot Thespian Action productions.
Jane Testar
Jane is a longtime member of the Winnipeg improv troupe, Outside Joke. When working with scripts, she tends to stick to sketch comedy with Hot Thespian Action and writing for CBC Radio’s Comedy Factory. However, she is known to do the occasional full-length play, such as Little Munsch On the Prairie at Prairie Theatre Exchange and Théâtre du Grand Cercle’s Bouche à oreille. Jane last appeared in Prairie Spirits, the sequel to the Winnipeg Fringe Festival favourite, The Good Daughter, by Ginny Collins.