Pulse Theatre is building a database of immigrant performers, as well as the domestic talent with out-of-GTA accents. These artists are often discriminated against when it comes to castings, based on what they sound like. We believe that audible minorities are what Toronto productions truly need, to depict the real diversity of this city. This database will include people we collaborated with, as well as all the audible minority performers that were kind enough to share their information with us. We hope that directors, producers and casting agents can consult this database when searching for diverse casting. Collaborate with audible minorities and let your project sound like Toronto, the city of immigrants!
Nikolai Afanasev is an actor, director and educator. He studied acting at the joint faculty of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) in Curriculum, Design and Teaching. His recent acting work includes portraying a 16-year-old radicalized separatist, Volodya, at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the original play “Ballad of Homeland” directed by Annie Valentine in 2023. As an actor, he focused on realism, naturalism, physical theatre, movement, absurdism, improvisation and a bit of clowning. He works with both children and adults, teaching performance workshops in improvisation, mental, emotional and physical freedom, working on acting and scenes from plays and film scripts.
Languages: Russian.
Accents: General American, Russian, Ukrainian, Eastern European.
Representation: The Meus Agency. Website: https://nikolaiafanasev.com/
Arveen Aujla.
Film/TV: Whispers on Red Lake (A/C Pictures/Adrian Campbell), The New Agent (Kanary Studios/Barry Mann)
Training: Lewis Baumander Acting Studios (On Camera/Steven Yaffee & Lewis Baumander), Armstrong Acting Studio (Core Acting/Sara Mitich), Second City Improv (Improv A & B/Cary West & Kevin Frank), Bad Dog Improv Academy (Foundation A/Andres Yates). Special skills: Gymnastics (Competitive, Award winning), Tumbling, Trampoline, Ballet, Jazz, Acr0.
Languages: Fluent in Hindi & Punjabi.
Accents: Indian.
Representation: Lily Pritchard at Oldfield Management, 416-515-9904, [email protected]
Rahul Chawla is an actor who performed in various stage plays and short films in India as well as Toronto. He also worked as a voice over artist for a few independent productions and has recently completed formal education in acting from George Brown College, Toronto, Canada. Film/TV: The Setup (short film) – Lead (2024); The Mother (short film)- Lead (2024); Dark Room (short film) – Lead (2024); House Guest (short film) – Lead (2024); Decode Age Commercial. Theatre: Toba Tek Singh (Toronto Fringe Festival 2024); Merchant of Venice (Shylock); The Glass Menagerie (Assistant Director); The Importance of Being Earnest (John Worthing); Taj Mahal Ka Tender (Guptaji); “Clean India” street play campaign across multiple locations.
Languages: Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati.
Accents: British RP, General American, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati.
Contact: [email protected]/ 437 799 4165
Fadi Dalloul plays roles that challenge and inspire, eager to immerse audiences in transformative storytelling. He is passionate about embodying diverse characters across genres; he brings a chameleonic presence to every project. His dedication to mastering scripts swiftly improves when he gets asked for and a commitment to staying true to the creative vision. Fadi aims to elevate each production with versatility, professionalism, and an unwavering love for the craft and applying what he learned at George Brown College in the school of media, community theatre and his acting education in Damascus University, Syria. Theatre: Far Flung Peoples (Toronto Fringe Festival 2024); Safar Project (Theatre of the Oppressed ) by Al-Saha; District 6 – 24 hours theatre challenge 2024; Candy the musical – by Ashley Chant 2023 (Dancer); Schizophrenia Skit 2023 by MEHAR (Principal); 3rd winner of Hamilton Monologue Slam 2022; 2022 Summer Ensemble – Crane Creation Theatre Company; 2021- The Suitcase – Homemade Theatre INC – Lebanon (Lead, writer); 2021 – 31/12 by LOYAC (Lead, writer) Lebanon; 2019 Get the Unknown – Mosaic (Lead, writer) Lebanon; 2019 the story of journey – Helem (Lead- writer) Lebanon; Film/TV: 100 Poof! 2024 (short film, Lead); Chill Pill 2024, 48 hours film challenge (actor, cinematographer); The Healing Journey II 2023 by MEHAR; A case of Justice 2023 ( Lead) (Web Series); The Game this Weekend 2022 (Principal).
Languages: Arabic.
Accents: Arabic (Syrian and Lebanese accents), Middle Eastern, French.
Representation: AAB Talent. https://www.aabtalent.com/
Contact: [email protected]/ +1 (226) 759-2456
Chhavi Disawar. An actor with training from Vancouver’s Railtown Studios, as well as UK’s BAFTA. Film/TV: Modern Whore; A Dent in Reality, Chaturanga; The Call, Maya; Anxiety. Theatre: Toba Tek Singh (Toronto Fringe Festival 2024); One of a Kind (Vancouver International Children’s Fest); Transit (Guelph Fringe); Sama’s Here, There? (Orr Festival). Commercials: OLG; M5 Accounting; Hart College; Molson Ultra.
Languages: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu.
Accents: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu.
Contact: [email protected]/ 604-704-2161
Florian François is a bilingual (French-English) actor, writer and improviser As a film and TV actor, Florian has starred in series such as ‘Le Bonheur’, ‘Good Witch’, or ‘Mayday’, commercials, and many short feature length films and series including: ‘Quebexit’, ‘Titan Down’ or ‘Paris,Ontario’. In 2017, Bell Media picked up his series Rencontres, which was adapted from the award winning short film Rencontre. With his co producer Brennan Martin, he wrote, produced and starred in the 10 episode series. Also a theater performer, Florian has toured with various companies across Ontario. As an improviser, he graduated from the LongForm Conservatory at Second City and regularly performs and teaches at festivals around the country in English and French. Other talents include voice acting (credits include TV shows, films and commercials).
Languages: French
Accents: French
Demo Reel: French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrKbv7zZ414 English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i52GJcbBTEI
Representation: JATA Agency; Website: https://florianfrancois.com/en/home
Languages: Portuguese (Brazilian and European), Spanish
Accents: South American Accents, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian…
Representation: Maggie Dunlop – Oldfield Management; contact: [email protected]
Biljana Karadžić has a BA degree in Dramatic Arts in Acting as well as an MA degree in Theatre Production. She has been working as a teacher of acting and stage speech for over fifteen years; past experiences include work in National Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia and with the Serbia’s National Broadcasting Network. Since moving to Canada in 2016, she has been working with Pulse Theatre as a teacher, actress and producer and with Teaching Awareness Through Puppetry as a puppeteer. She is also a member of the Dramatic Artists of Serbia’s Guild.
Languages: Serbian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Croatian.
Accents: Eastern European, Russian, Ukrainian.
Contact:
Thiago Lima. Passionate actor interested in diversity, innovation, and personal growth. Film/TV: Cross (2024); Slasher Film (2024); The Dark Side of Reality; The Dark Side of the 90s; A Simple Mix-Up; Commercials: Domino’s Pizza; Loblaws; CRA; CoinBase; WhatsApp; Canada Post; Mack Weldon Global; Unilever/Knorr National Commercial. Theatre: Morte e Vida Severina; GOV Banquet 2016, 2017, 2018.
Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, French.
Accents: American, Brazilian, Spanish, Canadian, British.
Representation: The Meus Agency.
Yvette McKoy was born in East Germany to a German mother and an African father (Mali). She was a member of the East German national track and field team and became a world class athlete. She was ranked top ten in the world in the 800 and 1500 meters event. An even more successful career was spoiled by the East German Secret Service (Stasi) after they discovered that she had contact to Canadian sprinter, Mark McKoy (Olympic Gold Medalist 1992), her husband-to-be. Therefore, she was prohibited from competing in the west. Yvette showed early on interest in acting and performed regularly in school plays.
Yvette’s acting career started in Germany and continued in Canada after the Berlin Wall was taken down. She starred alongside actors such as Forrest Whitaker in Anne Rice’s ‘Feast Of All Saints’, Terrence Howard in ‘Street Time’, Meaghan Rath in ‘Children Ruin Everything’ and Nicole Ari Parker in ‘Soul Food’. Yvette also stars in her Biography movie (Gemini Nominee) ‘Cold War Love, The Mark and Yvette McKoy Story’ produced by The History Channel. Because of her athletic ability she is also a successful stunt performer who stunt doubled for Lynn Whitfield, Carmen Ejogo, Lisa Berry and Kimberly Huie, just to name a few. Yvette has a recurring role in the TV Series Paramount+ TV series ‘Rabbit Hole’ starring Kiefer Sutherland and Charles Dance.
Languages: German, Russian.
Accents: South African, African, German and Russian.
Representation: The Bella Agency.
Mladen Obradović. Theatre credits: Andrei (Chekhov’s Three Sisters), Zangara (Sondheim’s Assassins), Dr. Frankenstein (Frankenstein), Basil (Fever/Dream), Poche/Chandebise (A Flea in Her Ear, Fringe Toronto), Yura (Foreign Tongue/Next Stage), Ensemble (Counting Sheep, a double Dora Award winner/Summerworks). TV/Film: The Boys, The Recruit, Air Crash Investigations, Hotel Paranormal, Disasters at Sea, Birthday, Lavender, Erika. The Artistic Director of Pulse Theatre. MFA in Acting, York University; M.Ed from Niagara University, USA. After several plays for young audiences with Pulse Theatre, “The Woods are Dark and Deep” was his first full-length drama. ACTRA.
Languages: Montenegrin, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Russian, Italian.
Accents: Eastern European, Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, French, Arabic.
Representation: The Meus Agency. Website: https://mladenobradovic.com/
Aylin Oyan Salahshoor is a performer and playwright. She currently serves as the Artistic Director of Minor Punctuation Theatre Company. She has actively pursued her passion for theatre in Toronto while concurrently working towards a Ph.D. degree in Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Her recent play is scheduled to be on stage at Toronto Fringe Festival 2024 and Hamilton Fringe Festival. She has performed in several theatre productions in Toronto, most recently in Far Flung Peoples (Toronto Fringe Festival 2024), English (Soulpepper Theatre and Segal Centre) the 9428 (Toronto Fringe Festival – July 2022), Heart of a Dog (Next Stage – Toronto Fringe Festival, January 2022), The Monster I learned to Love (Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival 2020), Swim Team (Theatre Centre, November 2019), and Sisyphus and Death (Alumnae Theatre, May 2019). She has also appeared in several production of Nowadays Theatre performing in Farsi, The Dance of Torn Papers (Dance Maker, November 2018) and The Only Way Possible (Ignatieff Theatre, June 2018).
Languages: Farsi, Turkish.
Accents: Farsi, Turkish.
Representation: Anne Marie Perrault, AMP Talent Group Inc. [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Gale Roxas-Formentera is a Filipino actor who began her acting journey in college, performing
in various plays and short films. Her early work included stage plays by Teatro Komunikado (Wanted: Muchacha and Villa Colayco), along with leading roles in short films such as Sonya and The Jeepney Musical, showcasing her range and dedication. Transitioning into television, Gale appeared in shows such as Pluma, Si Rizal, ang Dakilang Manunulat and Reaksiyon.Her passion for theater led to professional roles with Villa Teatro/SilverStage and Teatro Expedicion de Filipinas, where she portrayed key characters in classic plays like El Filibusterismo, Noli Me Tangere, Ibong Adarna, and Romeo and Juliet, as well as contemporary productions like Hindi Kasi Tapos, How Many Steps Pataas, and Talents. Gale’s love for storytelling and commitment to her craft has taken her on tours across local provinces, captivating audiences with every performance. After moving to Canada, Gale landed her first acting role in the short film Baby. While continuing to pursue acting, she is also passionate about expanding her career in Canada’s media industry, aspiring to work as a producer, assistant director, and currently starting as a production assistant on film and TV sets.
Maher Sinno.
Languages: Arabic, English, French.
Representation: The Meus Agency.
Kimberley Wells is an award winning actress with training in improv (The Second City- Toronto & Chicago, Bad Dog Theatre- Toronto, iO- Chicago, Annoyance Theatre- Chicago, Impro Australia- Sydney), movement (Alexander Technique with Mary Cerny, BodyWeather with Linda Luke, Suzuki with John Nobbs, Butoh with Natalia Ladyko, Chakra Dance with Rebecca Tapp), voice technique (Natasha McNamara, Sydney), clown (Seidenstein, Bouffon/Michelle Calojet-Couture – Toronto, Ken Hall/The Second City – Toronto, John Beale/Clown Gym – Toronto), and scene study (Lynette Shledon/LSAS – Sydney, Various – NIDA, Various – Mad Cow Theatre Company). TV/Film: Baby Fever (Pensare Film/Pascale Potvin and Nupur Chitalia), Shifted (Fable Forest Films/Adrian Konstant), Parent Teacher (The Boys Club Productions/Madeleine Rose), Social Witches (The Boys Club Productions/Aaron Rothermund), Lament (Harry Grey Productions/Kimberley Wells), The Return (CR Films/Camilo Rodriguez), Tough Love (Nick Dragas Films/Nick Dragas), Love Wins (Rothermund Productions/Aaron Rothermund).
The Day of Reckoning (Shepherd’s Pie Internationale/Graham M Shepherd), 100 Days to Victory (Bristow Global Media/History Channel/Tim Wolochatiuk), The Mary’s (WTFIM Productions/Eddie O’Keefe), Undeveloped (Human Tangle Productions/Gilad Lippa), My Name Is Stutter (Toronto Film School/Tamim Aoude), #BasicBae’s (Dennis Alexander Nicholson), Blind Spots (Drum Beats Entertainment/Manu Krishna), Salvage (Pisgarie Entertainment/Tyler Downey), Expect Murder (Broken Buzzard Productions/Henri Meleqi), Girlfriends (Humber College/Lasse Toft), Denis is In the Bathtub (Murphy Productions/Stephen Murphy). Web Series/Digital: Activist Earth, Workspace, Business Inc., Can You Hear Me, Julie + Juliette, Big Breaks, Back to the 90’s, No Boys Dorm. Theatre: The Convertible (14th InspiraTO Festival/Susan Loncar), Blue Stockings (Stage Centre Productions/Elaine O’Neal), Someone Waiting (Stage Centre Productions/Judy Gans), Lost In Yonkers (Teatron Jewish Theatre Toronto/Lynn Weintraub), DEADTalks (RITW/Toronto Fringe 2018/Rebecca Beckett), The Joy Of Sax (FDP/Toronto Fringe 2018/Tim Phillips), Substitution In Transition (13th InspiraTO Festival/Erin O’Hanley), Welcome Wagon (13th InspiraTO Festival/Anna Lytvynova), Beauty & The Beast Panto (Nags Players/Ginty Burns), Born Yesterday (Stage Centre Productions/Tony Rein), A Flea in Her Ear (Pulse/Toronto Fringe 2017/Sasha Lukac), Maisie In The Cold (12th InspiraTO Festival/Zachary Arndt), Rumors (Theatre Etobicoke/Alex Bodnar).
Accents: Australian, French, British.
Contact: [email protected] / 647-613-3487
Ricky Ye is a passionate actor based in Toronto, Canada. He has recently entered the film industry and is eager to work with filmmakers to bring authentic and compelling characters to life. Ricky’s work is characterized by a dedication to storytelling, whether through acting or his creative endeavors as an artist specializing in AR (Augmented Reality) images. His artistic background adds a unique dimension to his performances, enriching his approach to character development and visual storytelling.
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese
Accents: Chinese
Contact: [email protected] / 437-261-9168