The Original Cast

Who’s Who

VALDA AVIKS
Valda majored in Theatre Arts at the University of Kansas, studied voice for two years and piano for 11 years. When she moved to Toronto two years ago, she first worked at Ryerson and then joined their theatre program. Valda has performed in coffee houses, sung for choirs, a girls’ ensemble and soloed at functions for the Latvian Community, including last year’s Caravan of Nations pavilion. Valda also plays guitar and loves to do needlework and embroidery depicting Latvian folk art. A good cook, her specialties are desserts and breads. “Not only do I take out a lot of frustration in kneading bread, but I seem to have developed a good set of muscles,” she says.

AVRIL CHOWN
Avril’s stage work includes “Jesus Christ Superstar” which toured Los Angeles and Las Vegas; principal roles of Catharine and Lillian in “The Me Nobody Knows”; Sheila in the original production of Toronto “Hair” and “Hair” on Broadway. Her extensive television work includes the CBC series’ “Good Company” and “Where It’s At”. She composes her own music and in California recorded an album with “Canadian Rock Theatre”. She picks guitar and paints for fun, loves water sports and dogs and gum, embroiders shirts and when she’s done … she faints!

JAYNE EASTWOOD
Jayne is a Toronto girl whose career to date includes TV appearances on “The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour”, “Famous Jury Trials”, “Forever Amok” and “Party Game”. On stage she’s played principal roles in a wide range of productions including the revue “Soul and Molly B” and Theatre-in-the-Dell, “Marat Sade” for Theatre II and “Suddenly Last Summer” for Toronto Uniplayers. Playing the female lead, Betty, in the successful “Goin’ Down the Road” marked Jayne’s introduction to movie roles. Before turning to acting she was a commercial artist and now enjoys drawing and painting whenever she has some spare time.

VICTOR GARBER
A member of the successful “Sugar Shoppe Rock Group”, Victor’s stage work includes performing selections from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Godspell” and other works for the Canadian Rock Theatre. He experienced improvisational theatre at the Toronto Workshop Productions and appeared in several musical revues. Victor appeared in several musical revues. Victor appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” with the Sugar Shoppe, “The Bobbie Gentry Special” and “The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour”. His recent recording “The Canadian Rock Theatre”, is yet to be released. Victor devotes any free time writing songs and rehearsing with his new group “The Shop”.

EUGENE LEVY
Eugene has appeared in several Canadian films - the latest is “Cannibal Girls” in which he plays a lead role. He has appeared in three comedy specials for the CBC’s “Drop In”; played the principal role in “Aspects”, “The Taming of the Shrew” for Hamilton Television, and has had extensive stage experience. A guitarist and folk singer, Eugene has appeared in coffee houses in the Hamilton area. In February, he directed the musical comedy “Benjy” at McMaster University and will soon record for RCA. His puppy, Little Alice, is considered to be the cast mascot.

ANDREA MARTIN
Andrea recently returned from Paris, France where she has been studying mime with Jacques Le Cog. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston, Mass., in Speech and Theatre. Andrea has appeared in the rock musical “Salvation” at the Manitoba Theatre Company, as Lucy in the National Touring Company of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and in major roles in stock companies throughout the U.S. Her television credits include one season with “The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour”. Her latest film, “Cannibal Girls”, in which she and cast member Eugene Levy play the lead roles, is soon to be released.

GILDA RADNER
Originally from the U.S., Gilda has lived in Toronto for the past three years. A University of Michigan graduate, she majored in Oral Interpretation and began her career as a weather reporter. She has had extensive experience in television, theatre and particularly children’s plays. She worked in “Modern Fables” at the Global Village, a mime company touring elementary schools throughout Toronto. Next to “Godspell”, Gilda enjoys laughing at old jokes, cooking vegetarian meals and is a Bingo fanatic.

GERRY SALSBERG
In 1971, Gerry’s role of Wolf in the film “Wolf Lanigan” won him the Best Actors Award at the St. Jean Film Festival. On stage, he was active in productions both in high school and university. He studied acting for three years with Josephine Barrington, performed with a small theatre group at the Poor Alex Theatre and was with Toronto Workshop Productions for part of their 1969/70 season. Gerry also worked as an apprentice actor at the Red Barn Theatre and performed in the pre-Broadway show “Touch Kiss”. An expert puppeteer, he worked with Dora and Leo Velleman for two seasons.

MARTIN SHORT
A former student of social work at McMaster University in Hamilton, Martin has appeared in 10 of their theatrical productions. Last February, he played the lead in the musical comedy “Benjy”. His television work includes 12 one-halve hour shows for Hamilton’s CHCH-TV, and a comedy special “Smorgasbord”. Martin devotes as much spare time as possible doing volunteer work for the Children’s Aid in Hamilton. In the future, he plans to form a comedy team with Eugene Levy.

RUDY WEBB
Rudy’s singing talents have clinched him engagements in nightclubs both here and in his native Bermuda. He has guested on such TV shows as “Famous Jury Trials”, “The Barbara McNair Show” and “Wayne and Shuster” specials, but “Godspell” is his first professional theatre engagement. He was a regular performer on “The Good Company” and “time and Living”; has appeared as a principal in several Canadian and American commercials. Rudy proudly admits that his real hobby is his wife and daughter.

ELAINE-SUSAN LANSITE
Elaine has just completed her first year in Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor. She appeared in theatre productions there including “The Flies” and “The Wizard of Oz”. On television she played the role of an orphan in “The Littlest Hobo”. A student at the Royal Conservatory of Music, she won a silver medal for Speech arts and placed first in the Toronto Hydro Speech contest in 1965/66. Elaine took a two-year course in Obedience Dog Training and has won several awards with her favourite poodle, Cricket.

DEREK McGRATH
Derek performed with the Shaw Festival during the 1971 season. He appeared in the Canadian premiere of “Summer Days”, Noel Coward’s “Tonight at 8.30” and “War, Women and Other Trivia”. In Montreal he appeared in the Canadian premier of “House of Blue Leaves”, again in “Summer Days” and “The Entertainers”. He also appeared for 2 1/2 years in “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown”. Derek plays guitar and composes his own songs. His present project is a musical play with the cast playing the roles of birds – or as Derek puts it, “it’s a satire on bird brains!”

RANDI SANFIELD
Randi, who was born in Detroit, studied modern dance and ballet for several years, touring with companies in the United States. In Canada, she studied with the Toronto Dance Theatre and has singing engagements in and around Toronto. She paints, draws with pen and ink,, plays piano and guitar and composes her own music. Two knitted lion cubs, Mumford and Mumforlina, are her lucky mascots which she takes wherever she goes. Mumford has his own tiny suitcase and has just completed a book of his travels with Randi.

ROBIN WHITE
Robin played the roles of Berger and Claude in the Toronto production of “Hair”. He began singing with rock groups at the age of 16. Tired of the so-called rat race, Robin lived on a dairy farm in the Eastern Townships for the whole of 1971. During those months, he composed 40 country/folk songs. He now has formed his own publishing company and hopes to produce record albums of his compositions. His future hope is to act in dramatic productions and films.