What better day to announce this pair of guests than Hearts & Hooves day? Everfree Northwest is proud to welcome Richard Newman and Brenda Crichlow to the VIP guest line up! Richard voices the spunky Cranky Doodle Donkey, and Brenda voices his beloved Matilda as well as everyone’s favorite zebra, Zecora! Read more about these two talented souls below.
Actor/Director/Singer/Musician, Richard Newman was born and raised in what he wistfully remembers as “Chicagoland”. After receiving his BA from Knox College, he continued his training at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. From there, a season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival led to his first “professional” gig: touring the wilds of British Columbia in a little red schoolbus, performing in schools under the aegis of Playhouse Holiday.
In the intervening years, his theatrical roles have ranged from Shylock and Otto Frank to Billy the Kid and The Son Of God himself, as well as an award-winning turn as Roy Cohn in “Angels in America”. Recent appearances on screen include episodes of “Supernatural”, “Witches of East End” and “Level Up”. He has spent much of the last 25 years voicing such characters as Rhinox (Beast Wars), Mr. Turtle (Franklin), Capt. Ginyu (Dragon Ball Z) and Cranky Doodle Donkey (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) among many others.
When not acting, he can generally be found playing music with any number of talented, if wacky, friends.
Brenda is one of the busiest, dynamic, and most versatile women in Vancouver’s film industry. As Artistic Director of Crichlow Actors’ Studio (CASt), she brings more than 28 years of experience both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in film, television, and radio as a professional actor and instructor. Her background has cultivated CASt’s excellent reputation among industry professionals, peers and students alike. A graduate of the Studio 58 Theatre Arts program in Vancouver, Brenda has merited guest starring, series recurring and lead roles for film and television, voice-over, (Zecora & Matilda on My Little Pony, Dr. Skelley on Ready, Jet, Go! Prop-Top in Dinotrux and more); radio hosting, and commercials.
Some highlights include supporting roles alongside: Mira Sorvino (A Christmas To Remember), Taylor Cole (The Art Of Us), Kyra Sedgwick (The Possession), Genie Francis and Ted McGinley (Notes From The Heart Healer), Harrison Ford (Firewall), Angela Bassett (The Lazarus Child), Linda Hamilton (Home for the Holidays); and in Vice, with Michael Madsen and Mykelti Williamson. Episodic and MOW’s: Some Assembly Required, Motive, Newly Wed and Dead, Home Invasion, All Things Valentine, The Gourmet Detective, Jingle All The Way 2, Santa Hunters, Crash Pad, to name but a few; as well as numerous national, commercial campaigns.
Her passion and skill has led to work with children to adults as an onset acting and dialect coach for shows such as: A Series Of Unfortunate Events, Siren, Spooky House starring Ben Kingsley and Mercedes Ruehl, Just Deal, Elf, (James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, and Will Ferrell); and as a sub on Things We Lost in the Fire starring Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro and David Duchovny.
Brenda was appointed by her peers to sit on the Executive Board for the Union of British Columbia Performers (UBCP), where she was the Secretary and Committee Chair, for Member Education for several years. She is also a Trustee for Member Benefits Trust and Director of Member Communication.
Brenda is married to Rene Lessard. They live in Vancouver, British Columbia with their two children Isabella and Justin.
With the addition of these two guests, our guest list is getting quite full, but don’t worry we’ve still got space left over. Visit [http://everfreenw.com/guests] to read about all ten of our announced guests, and as always, stay tuned for more big news about Everfree Northwest 2018! Announcement art created by http://kellythedrawinguni.deviantart.com
Check the bios of our entire guest list so far!
Artwork by KellytheDrawingUnicorn.