Mission
Medusa Theatre Society is dedicated to supporting and producing works that engage with the immigrant and refugee community, with a focus on the Middle East.
About Medusa
We are a group of professional immigrant and refugee artists, dedicated not only to explore who we are in connection to where we come from and how as displaced people we relate to the unceded lands we strive to earn the privilege to call home; but also to transcending the typical lens with which we are portrayed and observed.
As we grow, we will continue to work on creating mentorships, building relationships, and providing working opportunities and accessible education for those in our communities who are entering the Canadian theatre scene from non-conventional routes.
The Team
Panthea Vatandoost is an Iranian actor, producer, and writer. Her first contact with theatre was during attending middle school in Tehran, when she created and performed in a political satire about the fall of the Shah. After attending Vancouver Film School for a one year acting for film and TV diploma program, she spent the next decade taking classes in private acting studios, and learning everything she knows about creating theatre through producing her own shows. Since emigrating to Canada, Panthea has continued to write, produce and perform in a variety of productions, with some of her favorites being Blackbird by David Harrower (One Story Productions – 2018) for which she was nominated for a Jessie Award for her performance, and Commencing by Jane Shepard (Medusa Theatre Society – 2018). Panthea is the founder and Managing Artistic Director of Medusa Theatre Society. She has the honor of serving as the Treasurer on the board of The Only Animal Theatre Company. Outside of theatre, Panthea performs in film and TV productions, serves as co-chair on the UBCP/ACTRA BIPOC Committee, and sits on the UBCP/ACTRA Mentorship Committee, Queer Committee, and Scholarship Committee.
PERI ALLAN
Artistic Producer
Peri Allan has been an actor, writer and drama instructor for over 3 decades. She began her acting life with two years in theatre in education with The British Asian Theatre Company. For renowned Shakespearean director Terry Palmer, Peri performed in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Twelfth Night. For The Belgrade Theatre Company she was Martha in a multicultural production of The Coventry Mystery Plays. For Hammersmith Theatre she again played the character of Martha in Lazarus and His Beloved by Khalil Gibran and for Stage Right Productions in Ontario she was Karen in Speed The Plow, to name a few. Her most recent television credits include a recurring role in “Deadly Class” for the SciFi Channel and “Six” for The History Channel. Peri penned the critically acclaimed, “Raj…From Edmonton” which toured for 2 years under her company, Phd Productions. Moving to Vancouver in 2004, she became a senior instructor with Tarlington Training, instructing there for 8 years. As an artistic producer at Medusa Theatre Society, Peri lends her skills and experience to cultivate the artistic core of the company, as well as create a structure for mentorship programs and workshops.
Board of Directors
Dhirendra Miyanger – President
Carina Chan – Treasurer
Shannon Walsh – Co-Chair
Bita Ardabili – Co-Chair
Lisa Deargle – Founding Board Member & Secretary
Skye Matheson – Founding Board Member
Past Members
Fei Ren – Founding Board Member
If you would like to join the board of directors or partner with us, we’d love to hear from you, please contact us at info@Medusatheatresociety.com .