FAUST

STAGED READING

theatre calgary rehearsal hall| werklund centre | 220 9 Ave SE Calgary | June 11, 2026

A DIY Theatre presentation

written by shelby reinitz

directed by samantha currie

Inspired by Goethe's Faust: Parts I and II and Christopher Marlowe's 16th-century play, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Shelby Reinitz's version follows suit with a man who trades his soul for knowledge and power; this original work reimagines the tale through movement, music, and spoken word.

Join us as we take this first step in bringing FAUST to life. This is more than a reading, it’s the beginning of a journey, and you’re invited to be part of it.

tickets

Limited tickets are on sale now! Tickets are $5 and we recommend purchasing well in advance, once they’re gone, they’re gone!

When:

Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 4:30pm

Doors open at 4:00pm

Tickets are $5. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS!

Running time is 90 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.

cast & creative team

Cast

Michael Rolfe
Faust

Bernardo Pacheco
Mephisto

Alysse Ernewein
Gretchen

Artistic Team

Samantha Currie
Director

Shelby Reinitz
Playwright, Producer, Stage Manager & Composer

Rico Pfeiffer
Fight Director

Kaleigh Richards
Producer

Joel David Taylor
Hector

Chelsea Howell-Fellows
Helen

Sepidar Yeganeh Farid
Ensemble

MEET THE CAST

Michael Rolfe -
***Faust***

Michael is a Calgary based performer, writer, and director with a passion for adding satirical, surreal, sappy, and sardonic entertainment to Canada's creative landscape.
Nominated for a comedic acting award for his performance in *The Importance of Being Earnest* at Theatre Calgary, he's earned recognition for his comic and physical theatre skills on Alberta’s stages. You might've also seen him on TV in any number of Calgary-shot film or television series, including: *Wynonna Earp, Fargo* (Season 5), and an untitled John Benet Ramsay series for Paramount+. You can catch him announcing shows for the SuperDogs at this year’s Calgary Stampede.

Bernardo Pacheco -

Mephisto

Bernardo is an Albertan actor and sound designer excited to be working with DIY for the first time. You may have seen him on stage in Vertigo's Killing Snow or Theatre Calgary's The Play That Goes Wrong, and he's honoured to bring that same brand of chaos to this project, the audience and the good people at DIY.

Alysse Ernewein -

Gretchen

Alysse is elated to be part of bringing new Canadian works to life! Previous theatre credits include: The Wizard of Oz (Alberta Theatre Projects), Legends of the 80’s and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Stage West), Oz (Meat Loaf) in We Will Rock You (North American Tour & Royal Caribbean Productions); Canada the Musical & A Christmas Carol (Carter-Ryan Productions); Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, (Stephenville Theatre Festival); Cindy Lou in Marvelous Wonderettes (STF); Cinderella in Cinderella (STF); Fame (Madinat Theatre, Dubai); Footloose (RCPA); As well as other RCCL productions.

Choreography and Directing credits include; Legally Blonde (Theatre Calgary/Assistant Choreographer), Twelfth Night (CSTF/Choreographer), Minotaur (CSTF/Assistant Director), TDC Events (Choreographer/MD).

Instagram: @alysseernie

Joel David Taylor - Hector

Joel is an alumnus of Mount Royal University and holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta. Selected credits include: Shakespeare's R&J (Sage Theatre/TSC), Romeo and Juliet (CYPT/TSC), Liars at a Funeral (Alberta Theatre Projects), Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Shakespeare Company); Beautiful Man (Downstage/Verb/Handsome Alice), Smoke (Downstage Theatre).

Chelsea Howell-Fellows - *Helen*

For DIY: *The Christmas Skates, Taylor’s Version* (with Baker Miller Pink). Elsewhere: *I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire* (Baker Miller Pink); *Dracula, The Snow Queen* (Pine Tree Players); *Canadian Women at War, Ophelia Rising, War Brides* (Unicorn Collective).
Chelsea is an interdisciplinary artist based in Mohkinstsis. She is a graduate of Capilano University’s Musical Theatre program, and the first recipient of the UWCV’s Musical Theatre Award. Chelsea made her directing debut last summer with *The Wizard of Oz* (Pine Tree Players), and will be returning this summer to direct Anne of Green Gables. @chelseahowellfellows

Sepidar Yeganeh Farid - Ensemble

Sepidar is a Persian artist living and creating in Calgary.

In recent years, Sepidar’s artistic focus has shifted toward creative collaborations and community engagement. She particularly enjoys working alongside artists in the early stages of creation and has participated in numerous play readings, workshops, and developmental processes, including Lunchbox Theatre’s Stage One and Two programs and collaborations with playwrights from diverse cultural backgrounds. Select acting credits in produced works include Home for the Holidays (Lunchbox Theatre), Khufiya (Netflix), The Green Line and Hookman (Chromatic Theatre), inVISIBLE and Uprooted (Handsome Alice Theatre), and The New Canadian Curling Club (Alberta Theatre Projects).

Outside of the arts, Sepidar works as a psychologist and is a strong advocate for the role of creativity in wellbeing, the celebration of diverse voices, and the power of storytelling to strengthen communities.

MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM

Samantha Currie - Director

Samantha is a director, actor, teacher, and voiceover artist who is delighted to be bringing this new work to life. A graduate of AMDA in New York, she has performed throughout Canada and the US. She calls Calgary home and enjoys many adventures here with her supportive family.

Past Directorial credits include: Twelve Days of Christmas (Lunchbox Theatre), Heathers (StoryBook Theatre) Clue Jr. (Calgary Young People’s Theatre), Ella Enchanted (StoryBook Theatre), Ragtime (Assistant Director / Theatre Calgary, Calgary Philharmonic, Arts Commons), Disney’s Descendants (StoryBook Theatre), Hairspray!, Little Shop of Horrors, Grease (Shawnigan Lake School), Pet the Fish (Chemainus Theatre Festival).