TOM CARSON, Director
Tom Carson’s directorial work has appeared on stages from  Montreal to Vancouver, winning the hearts of audiences and garnering critical acclaim throughout the country. Tom’s direction has brought to life a wide range of productions for both adults and children. His work has been nominated for a number of awards, including three times for “Outstanding Production – Theatre for Young Audiences” at  Toronto’s Dora Awards. Tom was a fixture at Brookstone Performing Arts and directed numerous other memorable productions there such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Big Picture, and Shell Game. For five years, Tom held the position of General and Artistic Manager of Smile Theatre in Toronto. Tom lives in Milton, Ontario where he runs Carson Academy. (www.carsonacademy.ca) Special thanks to his wife Stephanie, his son, Jonah and two daughters, Samantha and Isabella.
JEANINE NOYES, Musical Director, Composer/Arranger, and Performer
Nominated for a Dora Award in the category of Outstanding Musical Direction and Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Lead Role for her work in A Dixie Gospel (Brookstone Theatre), Jeanine also writes and performs her own music in Ontario, and just recently returned from her third tour in Germany. Her two solo releases are transparent and a Christmas CD called He's Here, which was nominated for a Shai Award. Jeanine also teaches music to children, conducts a high school choir, and is music director at her church in downtown Toronto. www.jeaninenoyes.com
RICHARD PETERS, Performer
Richard Peters is the founder of BrokenOpen Theatre; Canada's only professional actors specializing in acting training for Christians. As an actor he has worked for Chemainus Theatre on Vancouver Island, Stage Polaris in Edmonton, Brookstone Theatre in Toronto and Carson Productions in Montreal. He can be seen on the small screen with such actors as Jean Smart and Joe Mantegna. He is a member of ACTRA, Canadian Actor's Equity Association, Fight Directors Canada and Christians in Theatre Arts. Richard is a graduate of the University of Alberta's BFA Acting Conservatory Program. He lives in Toronto's annex with his wife, actress Jane Miller, and their cat, Sowelu.
INS CHOI, Performer
Selected theatre credits: Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, The Odyssey (Stratford); Banana Boys (fu-GEN - Dora nomination); The Comedy of Errors (CanStage); Hongbu and Nolbu and the Magic Pumpkins (LKTYP); The Palace of the Cinnabar Phoenix (Patria); 2000 Candles (Brookstone). Selected film/TV credits: The Terminal (Dreamworks); The Storm (TNT); Street Time (Cliffwood); Playmakers (Franchise); In tha' Mix (Alliance/Atlantis); Codename: Eternity (Warner Bros.); Earth: Final Conflict (Lost Script 11). Ins was born in Korea, grew up in Scarborough and now resides in Toronto with his lovely wife Mari and their bouncy daughter Poem.
ANDREA CROSS, Performer
Andrea is thrilled to be working with such a talented group of people on such an incredible show! Film/television credits include the lead role in the feature film A Way From Here (currently filming), Following After (Moviola Channel), Zero Hour: Flight 93 (Discovery Channel). Lead dancer in The Sun, Moon and Waves (Dante productions/BRAVO network) as well as numerous commercials. Theatre credits include The Big Picture (Brookstone), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Brookstone), Lead role in Fen (North York Performing Arts Centre). Andrea would like to thank her husband, Paul, for his undying support. Love ya, babe!
DALE YIM, Stage Manager
Dale is a Toronto-based theatre artist. He has travelled across Canada and worked in stages large and small. Recent credits include: playing Akira in the Canadian tour of Hana’s Suitcase (LKTYP), sound design for A Summer’s Day (Play Inc. Theatre), stage managing for Hallaj (Modern Times Stage), and playing Sheldon in the Dora-nominated cast of Banana Boys (fu-GEN Theatre). Dale is honoured and grateful to be involved with 2000 Candles, and to be included in this dynamic creative ensemble.

What does Christmas mean to you?