DEEP_FAKE 2: Nothing But The Truth

Kherl Atienza

From Metro Vancouver, Kherl Atienza (he/him) is a performer that has a passion and curiosity for the arts. He has experienced the stage throughout his life by being involved in the traditional school productions and choir shows. He is currently honing his creative craft at the SCA by working with his peers and broadening his understanding of contemporary performance from his professors. Kherl will continue to better himself as an entertainer, storyteller and performer throughout his time in the Theatre & Performance program.

Megan Battad

Megan Battad is an artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is a Theatre performance student at Simon Fraser University. She has been on stage since the age of 12 in productions such as Anything Goes, Get Smart, Beauty and The Beast, and Most recently World Ender. She aspires to broaden her creative spectrum by collaborating with other contemporary artists. She is passionate about how the voice and body can inflict certain meanings and feelings. Throughout her career, she would like to dive into the world of the unknown. Urevealing connections that may or may not exist within the fabric of the universe.

Indah Del Bianco

Indah Del Bianco is a multidisciplinary artist with a deep joy for the performing arts. Nurtured by the vibrant art culture of the Tri-Cities, Indah developed an excitement for creation, expression, and exploration, and is currently nourishing that passion with SFU's Theatre and Performance program. Indah has been a part of several other devised projects in Vancouver, including Lauren Han's Vitreous Bodies and Soft Tongues: A Bioacoustic Opera by Jami Reimer, as well as Place Des Art’s Summer Theatre Troupe productions. Through committed embodiment and immersion, Indah hopes to build little worlds with her work.

Claire Brown 

Claire Brown is an emerging multidisciplinary artist who works as a performer, designer, director and creator on the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwúmesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands called Vancouver.  Their recent work seeks to explore cliché, camp, grief, and the intersection between art and science. With an interest in tabletop-scale performance, various types of fibre arts, and different styles of non-verbal communication, their practice is grounded in devised process that blends design with performance making and seeks interactivity and connection to community. Select credits of theirs include Creator / Director of Water Park (as part of LIVE ACTS Vol. 1 FESTIVAL), and stage manager for ULTRA VIOLETS by Alex Caprara.

Calliope Chen

Calliope Chen is an interdisciplinary artist from Toronto, Ontario. With a background in dance and visual arts, she finds theatre is where her interests intersect, and wants to bring that knowledge into her work in the Theatre and Performance program at SFU. She has co-written and directed several short films and more recently done background in short films such as Gone Abroad. She is passionate about pushing the boundaries of contemporary theatre to explore new narratives and forms of expression, and hopes to create exciting and imaginative worlds that bring audiences into her vision.

Kirill Fertsman

He started performing back in Russia where he was a part of a local theatre scene in Highschool. He moved to Vancouver where he recently graduated from VFS in 2020. He has worked and collaborated with students in film at SCA.

Anatole Fossourier

Anatole was born in Paris, France, the center of culture. He grew up going every week going to museums, to plays, movies and street shows. He started exploring the art of the stage, attending clown classes and making people laugh when he was a little kid. From there on he continued his artistic career with plays in school and began to work professionally. He wants to be an actor more than anything! After graduation he fully committed himself to performance and joined the theatre program at the SCA / SFU to develop his everyday artistic mindset.

Esme Johnson

Esme (or Ez, if you're friends) is a second-year student in SFU's theatre and performance program. Passionate about contemporary art, Esme is always looking for ways to keep audiences guessing in original performances.

Cleo Luna June 

Cleo Luna June (she/her) is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist driven by the cyclical nature of resurrecting and alchemizing your poison. Her practice includes music, performance-making, film, writing, and more. Impressively, she released her first solo album, Jeannie’s Garden (2022), followed by an EP, Pondering Days at the Pond, and singles such as Star Sister, Champagne Aura, Sunbleached Flowers, and Resurrection and a small file-inspired music video for Sunbleached Flowers respectively. Her performance experience includes several school productions, and work on film and TV sets with minor and background roles such as Riverdale, The Power and several small films and Hallmark movies. Alternatively, Cleo has experience working in the ocean and marine education conservation field, as a peer support worker, and as a spiritual practitioner alongside her artistic endeavours. Cleo is finishing her sophomore album and will be released soon.

Dawn K.

Dawn is an artist from Taiwan with great enthusiasm for acting, performing, and storytelling. Growing up in an environment that didn't quite encourage self-expression, Dawn had moments where he struggled with self-recognition and the choice of being an artist. After participating in theatre training and performances in 2019, he gained practical experience in traditional stage acting, musicals and experimental theatres. Today, Dawn brings along these experiences plus the aspects of performing arts from his homeland, thrilled to explore the freedom of expressing and experimenting his very own performance under the theatre performance program provided by SFU. He has been involved in a couple of performance artworks, including Olympia Tomasta's We The Forest People, and Tender City: The Silent Slow Dance Project by Kevin Jesuino. Dawn is ready to bring new stories to the stage using his theatre training, complex emotions, and unique aesthetics.

Vanessa Lefan 樂凡

Vanessa Lefan 樂凡 is a Taiwanese interdisciplinary artist working between sound, movement, theatre, and visual arts. Her works are inquiries into both personal and collective experiences, serving as existential reflections on finding magic and purpose within the ordinary, and prayers for collective liberation. Some recent works include “do you understand? 你了解嗎?” (2021 video installation), What Holds Us Together? (2022 album), Unsent Letters: To Whom It May Concern (2023 experimental theatre performance/installation, upcoming music album), assistant sound design on Julius Caesar at Bard on the Beach (2023), and currently works as a 4DSOUND technician at Lobe Spatial Sound Studio.

Lauren Moorhouse  

Lauren is an artist based in Vancouver. She started her art exploration in music and dance and eventually transitioned to theatre performance. She is driven by finding the unknown in her own art. Lauren found her love for theatre during her time on the senior improv team at her high school. She is currently a scare actor at Fright Nights. Lauren is currently exploring more of the theatre world at SFU’s Theatre performance program.  

Raha Fani Pakdel

Raha is a Persian performance artist with over five years of experience in theater, marked by a journey of learning, failing, and growth. Her passion for life is the driving force behind her work. Raha is honoured to be a part of the SCA family and is dedicated to explore and express her vision through performance.

Yuliia Piekh

Yuliia Piekh, is a multidisciplinary artist from Ukraine. Currently, she is in my second year of the Theatre and Performance program. Her artistic practice is primarily grounded in acting for film and filmmaking, and she has had the privilege of acting in Ukrainian movies. A central theme of her work is the exploration of Ukrainian heritage and traditions. In addition to acting, she is also a photographer and a former professional gymnast who transitioned into dancing. Her love for nature and travelling inspires much of her creative expression. She is passionate about yoga, hiking, painting, and horseback riding.

She shares her journey and creative projects on TikTok and Instagram, where you can find her videos at @lisovamavkaa.

Olympia Tomasta 

Olympia Tomasta is an actor, director and creator based in Vancouver, BC. She is currently studying for a BFA in Theatre Performance at Simon Fraser University. Her most recent work includes: her shows The Control Room (2024), We The Forest People (Live Acts Festival 2024) and Cloaks (Live Acts Festival 2023 and rEvolver Festival 2024) and she performed in Jami Reimer's Soft Tongues (2023). Olympia has a love of historical and fantastical dress. She has a passion for hand sewing, fiber arts and clothing design. She draws inspiration from her Czech and Slovak heritage as well as from the natural world around her.

Ryan Walsh

Ryan is an actor, writer, director, and a Theatre and Performance Major in his second year at SFU. Ryan began acting at ten years old and has been passionate for storytelling ever since, mostly creating and acting in devised plays such as “We The Forest People” by Olympia Tomasta. Ryan wants to test himself with things he’s never done and never thought he would do, and perform in ways he never thought he would. He would like to thank his family and friends for putting up with his madness.

Vincent Wang