About Tomo Suru Players

After moving from my native Japan to Vancouver in 2013, I immediately felt the welcome and inclusivity that so many immigrants feel upon moving Canada. With a background in the marketing of film and entertainment spanning Europe and most of Asia I have experienced and promoted inclusivity my entire working career. I was glad that our idea of beginning a theatre company here has been accepted and supported by so many wonderful artists and audience we have encountered. I have had a life-long love of the theatre, since seeing my first performance of the Gekidan Shiki production of Hans Christian Andersen in Osaka.

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I sincerely hope that Tomo Suru can add something of value to the Vancouver Theatre scene and offer emerging and professional performers and audiences a positive and sophisticated experience. I am grateful for the dedication provided by our artistic director and his dedication to making Tomo Suru a place welcoming everyone.

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Tomo Suru means ‘accompany’.  While by itself Tomo means ‘friend’.  My hope is that we accompany each other on our theatrical journey and share our friendship in Vancouver’s theatre scene.

Gerald is a writer director and producer. A former acting teacher and artistic director of a theatre in Kobe, Japan, he has been living in Canada for 5 years. He has directed numerous plays, and  since being in Vancouver his productions have been nominated for over 20 Ovation and CTC awards and himself has been nominated as best director three times.

Theryl is a professional commercial diver who has maintained extensive ties to the theatre. While a student at McGill she wrote reviews for theatre productions and was a volunteer for emerging theatre companies. While working and studying in Asia she developed relationships with artists and theatre companies in Osaka and Bangkok and first tried her hand as an active producer and actor there. Recently moved to Vancouver she is now dedicating her time to being a producer of Tomo Suru and is focusing on developing new works.

Amber has been involved as a stage manager, production assistant and assistant director since attending Red Deer College . She has worked on more than a dozen productions in and around Vancouver. She is a board member of Tomo Suru Players.

Michael is a technician in the film and TV industry and the technical director of Jericho theatre. He is a specialist in lighting design and offers technical support for all performance. He has been supporting Tomo Suru since 2016.

Create original score. Jeremy is a composer and musician working out of Vancouver and Los Angeles. His works encompasses both the commercial and entertainment fields. He has been working with Tomo Suru Players since 2014.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Larry Ghini is a retired former Federal Government property manager who now invests his time and energy in assisting his city's theatre community in a variety of roles.  He was a major financial contributor to the critically acclaimed movie Eadweard. For a time, he reviewed theatre for the Vancouverscape blog. Now he involves himself ushering at several local venues and a couple of festivals.  For 2018 he is also contributing to the Jessie Richardson Awards selection process. He estimates over his lifetime he has seen well over thousand staged presentations and he hopes to see another thousand before he is done.

Valorie is an actor, writer and producer. She has been part of the entertainment industry for more than a decade. While she loves nothing more than to immerse herself in wildly outlandish science fiction stories, her own creative products tend toward subtle detail and nuanced reflection.

A retired professional who volunteer their time to groups they believe in. He has been supporting Tomo Suru Players since 2014.