CAST

Klassen’s acting career collapsed shortly after the Berlin Wall came down. Her last significant film role was in the Penelope Buitenhuis feature, Trouble, a Berlin shot “music mockumentary with radical politics” that was produced by ZDF TV in Germany and broadcast throughout Europe to critical acclaim. When not involved in fabulous fringe films, Klassen ran an ongoing improv comedy show that combined The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole with Mildred Pierce and often birthed instant songs.

After being kicked out of theatre school for performing a subversive tap piece, Klassen focused primarily on writing for other comedians including Leslie Nielsen and Jessica Holmes, and covering film and TV for Movie Entertainment Magazine.

It wasn’t until 2011, when her alter ego, a red-haired singing Stephen Colbert named Tasha James rode the zeitgeist with a love song to ex Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, that Klassen boogied back in game. “Tasha Hearts Rob Ford” was extensively covered in the press, including being part of a CTVW5 documentary, Ford Tough, and led to numerous political satire Tasha videos that covered everything from Big Oil to Prison Reform.

Love in the Sixth is her first crack at being the protagonist of a feature film, to quote Klassen, “I know I’m not an asshole to work with–and I can afford me.”

T.C. is a musician who was roped into becoming an actor for this film and now has the unenviable task of having to write his bio in the third person. When he’s not preoccupied trying to think of himself as somebody else, T.C. spends his time in the witness protection program playing music, writing music, listening to music, and avoiding hockey. His lucky number is probably 12, give or take.

Mika Kay’s acting career made its debut in the colour episode of the award-winning children’s TV show Finding Stuff Out, where she painted a fake gray frog green. (The actual species had gone extinct, so she had to settle for plastic.) She went on to shoot her own short film, Stealth Commie’s Adventure, about her alter-ego, a noisy communist who is roommates with a hippie who grows tired of her commie antics. Mika would die of embarrassment if this was shown to anyone now, so there is no way you are going to be watching it. She also gave advice to a nine year-old in the farewell episode of CBC’s Wiretap, How to Age Gracefully. But her biggest role yet is in Love in the Sixth, where she plays environmentalist daughter Katerina, which was a comfortable role for her, since Katerina basically is her.

Mika swears, she does smile. But you know maybe she would smile more if she wasn’t living under a Fascist regime! Don’t let CSIS see that last sentence or this bio will be the last thing she writes. Outside of acting, Mika enjoys singing, drawing and writing about our inevitable doom, as well as clicking all the buttons on an interactive federal poll for hours on end like a normal 12-year-old human child.

Wendy has been a performing artist her whole life; writing plays with her twin sister during the dog days of her childhood summers inWinnipeg, as well as dance, theatre, musical theatre, Improv teams, radio dramas, Fringe Festivals, and choreographing & coaching cheerleading stunt teams.

She took it up a notch when she buggered off to China for 2 years and did her song- and-dance for the young children in her ESL classes, and later moved to the UK to study theatre in London, before taking a hiatus to have babies and publish a series of cookbooks.

In her spare time Wendy enjoys cutting a rug, blogging as the FeministBuddhist, clowning around with her kids, delving down the rabbit hole of solitude, and experimenting with all types of love.

Brett is a versatile filmmaker who works behind and in front of the camera, known for the festival favourite Mourning Has Broken. His acting roles include an award winning turn for his portrayal of a broken hearted slacker in Confusions of an Unmarried Couple and a notorious gangster in the moc doc The Notorious Newman Brothers. He has performed both with long and short hair as well as various forms of eyewear.

He plans to have a long career in various roles and hopes one day his moustache will be mentioned in the same breath as Tom Selleck’s.

From his signature groomed beard to pork chops and imperials, Jason’s facial hair acting resumé is as robust as a cup of Maxwell House and, yes, good til the last drop. His well regarded cameo appearance in the Butler Brothers festival hit, Mourning Has Broken, as a turquoise togged tennis playing arse of a father was probably more realistic than he’d like to admit but was excellent training for his role in Love in the Sixth as a sweaty bastard.

When not trimming his beard or setting the screen on fire with his deep set eyes, Jason heads up Substance Production with his brother, Brett, producing indie features, including the upcoming First Round Down.

Actor / musician Shay Steinberg has a history of inspiring writers with her quirky wholly original personality. Remember the lipstick scene in Kissing Jessica Stein? That came out of a conversation Shay and one of the writers had in a cab. For Love in the Sixth, Shay was basically Shay–with a little added salt, pepper and well… lipstick (while driving). Born and raised in the Boston area, Shay moved to Toronto after studying at McGill University, eventually becoming a designer after training at OCAD.

She’s also a classical violinist who presently employs her musical skills in the world of pop music, performing regularly with three Toronto area bands.

Lisa Santonato is an actor, artist, and writer who has been “almost-famous” many times. In the late nineties she held a short stint as the Senior Editor of Taxi Vancouver Magazine, where she once declined an invitation to smoke opium with Henry Rollins, opting instead to write the article. During this prolific period she was also known as the “Mamma da Media” of the Blue Lizard Cocktail Club in Vancouver.

In her early life Lisa spent four years studying acting at the Leah Posluns Theatre School in Toronto, later completing her Honours B.A. in Cinema and Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Cinema and Media Studies at York University.

Bringing her love of acting back to the screen, Lisa joins the cast of Love in the Sixth as Tamara, the corporate lady ballbreaker and lesbian love interest of Qalie. LITS marks Lisa’s second role in a feature film, and her first appearance in a musical. She will not sing live, except for friends or money.

So far, Vaughan’s entire acting career consists of his role as Lou in Love In The Sixth. Whether he continues pursuing acting will depend on how well his other career choices of equestrian jockey and/or track and field star and/or astronaut and/or paleontologist pan out.

Although Vaughan’s character Lou is a boy of few words, Vaughan himself can be very verbose. Especially when asked by his parents to get to bed already.

Mikela is a multi-disciplinary artist, with a career spanning 35 years in the industry. Her eclectic, creative & professional journey has seen her excel as an international model traveling the globe, a performer & songwriter in a number of electronic based bands, and as an actor in film & television stacking up credits playing a wide range of characters.

She is also the narrator for a multitude of hard-hitting documentaries, most notably the highest grossing documentary in Canadian history, The Corporation. Mikela appears in Love In The Sixth as actorvist & television darling Dee Dee Saunders.

Dennis Trainor does not have a favorite color, but put on the spot, will reply with “Yellow!” as many people will not immediately choose this shade; plus it’s just a nifty word to say three times fast. Mr. Trainor is very pleased to be involved with Love in the Sixth! “What a remarkably wicked and hungry bunch of individuals who’ve grouped together to make this gem of a picture!” he is often quoted by himself saying.

Having just wrapped shooting reprising the character of Terry Gallant in the hugely popular Canadian comedy webseries Just Passing Through, Dennis is presently busy as a team of “Fishy” writers for the coming feature “Wharf Rats”, which will be shooting in 2016, and is arduously plowing away with creating his one person show “Creature”, which will not be made into a feature film, but may grace a stage near you in the days to come. Go see him. He’ll like that very much!

John is a Canadian musician, composer, entrepreneur, retired lawyer and philanthropist, currently active as a songwriter, touring performer, and recording artist—as well as an activist and advocate who has made extensive contributions to the dialogue surrounding climate change issues.

His musical output includes two albums recorded with the help of legendary producer Brian Ahern, and featuring such heavy hitters as Jim Keltner and Al Kooper.

As an environmental advocate, Lefebvre is a chief benefactor of DeSmogBlog.com, a site focused on exposing those who deny the effects of fossil fuel upon the world’s climate while covertly working on behalf of fossil fuel producers. In addition, Lefebvre has served as a director of the David Suzuki Foundation and is also a continuing supporter of the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education.

Les is a survival expert, filmmaker and musician best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series Survivorman.

After a short career behind the scenes in the music industry, Stroud became a full-time wilderness guide, survival instructor and musician based in Huntsville, Ontario. He’s produced survival-themed programming for The Outdoor Life Network, The Discovery Channel, The Science Channel, and YTV.

John is a television columnist with The Globe and Mail, and also covers major association football events for the paper. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to Canada in the 1980s, initially to pursue a PhD in English Literature. Having done some student and freelance journalism in Ireland, John continued to write while in Canada, eventually abandoning writing for academic reward in favour of writing for money.

John has written two best selling books, a memoir titled A Great Feast of Light: Growing Up Irish in the Television Age, and his exploration of the game of soccer titled The World is a Ball.