Gabbie Cruz
(They/Them)
• Events & Accessibility •
Gabbie is extremely thrilled to be on the Sock ‘n’ Buskin’s Board for this season! They have been a stage manager since high school when they realized that the world wasn’t ready for their totally-real acting skills, and was lucky enough to stage manage Concord Floral last year, even if they were miles away from Ottawa. Gabbie is heading into their 2nd year at Carleton with a major in Psychology and a minor in English, and while they aren’t worrying about flunking school, they enjoy bothering their dog on FaceTime, writing until their hands are sore, getting in 8th place in Mario Kart (they’re trying their best), and writing about themselves in third person (it’s like they have their own narrator!). They hope to continue stage managing for many more productions to come, while organizing some fun events for this vibrant community along the way.
Josiah McLellan
(They/Them)
• Production Coordinator •
Josiah is a 3rd year Religious Studies student minoring in Philosophy. They are extremely gratified to be joining the Board of Sock ’n’ Buskin for this year, and those going forward. Josiah got their love of performance like many starting in children’s choirs and school theatre, and love and passion which has continued to present day. In recent years they have performed with the CGOGMC in their concerts and cabaret shows, as Luiz in the Savoy Society’s ‘The Gondoliers’, with the Carleton University Opera Ensemble; and with Sock’n’Buskin, as Mr. Collins in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and as Al/Baker in ‘All in the Timing’. They also directed ‘Bad Auditions… On Camera’ for SnB last season and expect to be involved in a myriad of capacities this season too. When not engaging in performance they are more than happy to talk metaphysics, epistemology, apologetics, esotericism, and Vedanta with anyone nearby.
Grace Smith
Grace is a 4th year student in PAPM with a concentration in Human Development and Rights. She has been involved in theatre for a decade in school and community shows and is very grateful to now be a part of Carleton’s theatre community with Sock ’n’ Buskin. In addition to being the Treasurer for SnB for the second year now Grace is an active member of Carleton’s UN Society. When not on campus busy with extracurriculars or school Grace loves to bike along Ottawa’s lovely paths, bake semi decent gluten free goods, and reach a lot of romance and fantasy. Grace has acted in three shows with SnB, Almost Maine, Fahrenheit 451, and King Lear and can’t wait to be serve as your treasurer once again this year.
Julienne Espiritu
Julienne is a 2nd year student in Public Affairs and Policy Management and is incredibly excited to be apart of this year’s Board of Executives! She has loved performing since discovering her love for the stage in high school and instantly fell in love with SnB last year as apart of the casts of Bad Auditions…On Camera and Concord Floral. When she is not on stage and enjoying her time off as this year’s social media coordinator, you’ll certainly find Julienne napping her life away, being an active exec member of the Carleton Filipino Students’ Association, spending time with friends or pretending to study. She also loves smoothies and beaches, but especially drinking smoothies on the beach.
Lauren McLaughlin
Lauren is a 3rd year Media Production and Design student and is thrilled to be serving on the Board again this season! She has been involved in theatre for over a decade and has been working with Sock ‘n’ Buskin since her first year at Carleton, where she has loved getting involved onstage as an actor in Bad Auditions…on Camera, and offstage as a stagehand and hair and makeup designer for King Lear and Eurydice. Outside of theatre, she loves photography, surfing, playing with her dog, and taking care of her 22 plants. Lauren has loved every minute of her time at SnB, and can’t wait to see what is in store for the upcoming season!
Arianna Fuke
Arianna is a 3rd year student in the BGInS program studying Global Development. This is her second year on the Sock ‘n’ Buskin Board and she is thrilled to continue her journey with the company! She’s been involved in theatre since she was 11, debuting in a youth production of Hairspray at her local theatre. Other favourite roles include Rosie in Mamma Mia! and Bobbie James in last season’s production of Concord Floral. She has enjoyed not only being onstage, but also behind the scenes in producer and choreographer roles. While not doing theatre Arianna can be found poorly practicing the piano, baking treats or watching the same fantasy movies for the hundredth time. She can’t wait to continue working with the SnB community this year!
Martina Peterson
Martina is in her 4th year of a degree in Linguistics at Carleton, and she is so thrilled to be on the Sock ‘n’ Buskin Board for the 2021/2022 season. She fell in love with theatre in middle school when she played the Robin in her school’s production of The Secret Garden, even though her only lines were whistling. She has volunteered with SnB since her second year at Carleton and finally worked up the courage to be on stage in last season’s production of Concord Floral. When she’s not working on school, she keeps herself busy by reading scary books, wandering around in the woods, playing piano, obsessing over how weird the English language is, and sewing clothes from thrifted bedsheets and curtains.
Andrea Makris
Andrea is in her 3rd year in a Combined Honours of CoMs and Psychology at Carleton, and is so excited to be on the Sock ‘n’ Buskin Board for the 2021/2022 season. Her performing arts journey began at the age of 9 when she began competitive dance, and gradually fell in love with performance theatre all together by the time of her first theatrical debut in high school, where she played a circus clown in the production of Elephant’s Graveyard. Andrea is new to the SnB community, starting her journey with them in the 2021 production of Concord Floral, where she played “Couch”, and loved the experience so much so, that she decided to join the Board of Executives. Andrea likes to warn others not to play funky music around her, as she guarantees she will bust a move whenever, wherever! Though when she is not dancing, Andrea enjoys sewing and knitting, long walks, and puzzle solving! She encourages all to get involved with the SnB theatre company, as it is guaranteed to provide you with some of the best memories of your university experience!!!
THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Natascha Sekerinski
(She/Her)
From stage elf to stage manager to photo taker and graphic maker, Natascha is absolutely thrilled to be serving as one of the Co-Artistic Directors for her 3rd and final year! She feels very fortunate to have become so involved with the beautiful and vibrant friendship company that is Sock ‘n’ Buskin. Natascha is now entering her final year of Global and International Studies with a specialization in Globalization and the Environment and a minor in Anthropology. When not exploring the theatre life, favourite procrastination techniques include planning her next camping trip, rereading YA novels from her youth and tracking down cool Lightroom tutorials and dance classes. She also enjoys collecting random instruments and hopes to someday actually master one or two. Natascha is also very much looking forward to when she can sit and chat on a floor with her friends once more, especially her SnB pals!
Neve Sugars-Keen
(She/Her)
Having climbed the ranks from actor to stage manager to one of last year’s Co-Artistic Directors, Neve is now shocked to find herself a 4th year student already who is thrilled to be returning as AD this year! When not doing theatre, she reads a lot, plays many musical instruments (including the violin, bagpipes, and more recently, the harp), does a little bit of kickboxing on the side, and spends the summers working as a pirate on Mooney’s Bay. She also spends her time working towards her combined Humanities and Biology degree. She loves cats and chatting with friends when she can squeeze it in. Neve has had a great time acting in SnB shows including King Lear and Pride & Prejudice and stage managing Eurydice and is very excited to continue to have the chance to be a part of the glorious community of SnB this season alongside the inimitable Natascha Sekerinski (whom she would also like to thank for taking this excellent photo!)