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OUR STORY
Far From The Tree Productions is a grassroots theatre company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Though the company officially formed in the summer of 2019, it has roots going over twenty years back to a little log cabin in the woods in the central interior of BC.
Founders Shelby and Joelle Wyminga grew up putting on pageants and plays by the fireplace in their parents’ living room, blissfully unaware that there was a world of theatre outside the confines of the local elementary school Christmas concert. In the intervening years the wind has carried them far from the pine trees of the Cariboo, where, many melodramatic recitations and countless costume changes later, they are still telling stories together.
The drive behind Far From The Tree Productions grew from a desire to create theatre that looked all the way back to its own origin, the sacred act of storytelling, and to celebrate the magic of performance when non-essential elements are stripped away.
OUR TEAM
SHELBY WYMINGA (they/she)
Artistic Director
Shel Wyminga was born purple from asphyxia and couldn't cry for the first several moments of their life. Thankfully, they soon managed to catch their breath and hasn't shut up since. They eventually embraced the inevitable and completed their BFA in Acting through the School of the Arts, Media, and Culture at TWU where they studied Visual Art alongside their theatrical pursuits. Primarily an actor, Shel has enjoyed the freedom to dabble in many areas of theatre creation, developing skills as a scenic painter, costume designer, and playwright.
In the Fall of 2018, Shelby joined Pacific Theatre as a company apprentice for the 2018/19 season. It was during this year that they fell in love with producing and the thrill of being the one to pull the strings behind the scenes. To wrap up their apprenticeship, Shelby produced a female led, ensemble driven retelling of Henry V in which she played the title role. Shel is a Shakespeare fanatic and is particularly interested in playing with classical text through ensemble exploration with the goal of breaking past some of the "shoulds" to find more "coulds."
A long history of playing with cool sticks in the woods has led Shel to the world of Stage Combat. They are certified as an Intermediate Level Actor/Combatant with Fight Directors Canada having been awarded Rookie of the Year at the National Intensive in 2022. A lover of all things that slice, stab, and poke, Shel loves to be a murder goblin as long as no one actually gets hurt.
Acting credits include the voice and motion capture of Lilith Hall in Mechwarrior 5: Clans (Piranha Games), Boofus in The Marvelous Misadventures of Boofus and Schmoozle (Far From The Tree), Jo/Trisha in The Pink Unicorn (Far From The Tree), Edgar in King Lear (Promethean), Jo March in Little Women-audio play (Far From The Tree), Marta Reddy in Cariboo Magi (Far From The Tree), Henry and The Dauphin in Henry V (Stone's Throw), various roles in A Prayer For Owen Meany (Ensemble Theatre), Tour Guide in The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (Pacific Theatre), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Shadows and Dreams), Gloria in It's A Glorious, Wonderful Life (Morrow's Lark), and various roles in Still The Kettle Sings (Plan Z Theatre).
Playwright credits include A Hero For Now (staged reading with Stone's Throw), It's a Glorious, Wonderful Life (Morrow's Lark), Chasing Tina and Vicissitudes (SAMC Theatre.)
Design credits include Asking Alice-Set and Costumes (Little Mountain Lion), Miracle Worker- Costumes (Gallery 7), Enchanted April-Set (Gallery 7), Frankenstein 1945- Costumes (Nebula Theatre).
JOELLE WYMINGA (she/her)
Executive Director
Joelle is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, working primarily as a director, actor, costume designer, and producer based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and is a hoarder of books, lover of Dungeons and Dragons and comfortable shoes, and a self named tea sommolier. Growing up in the back woods of northern British Columbia, Joelle quickly developed a love for theatre in an effort to entertain herself and moved to the Lower-Main Land to complete her BFA in Acting from the School of the Arts, Media and Culture at TWU.
Over the years, Joelle has developed a passion for historical study which has been cultivated by spontaneous travel too far off places and working in historical tourism at Barkerville, and leading tours with Forbidden Vancouver. Because of this deep desire to do research for hours upon hours, Joelle loves to combine her passion for theatre and history, hoping to bring a new light to her work, by delving into our worlds history, light and dark, to better understand human nature, whether that be through new an innovative works or reimagining classic stories. She dreams of continually telling the stories of people who have been forgotten and giving a voice to those who have previously had none.
Joelle has worked with companies across Canada such as Bard on the Beach, Firehall Arts Center, Storybook Theatre, Affair of Honor, Promethean Theatre, Untold Wants, Little Mountain Lion, and more. Within theatre creation, Joelle's focus has been on creating sweeping, large scale ensemble works, specifically working with adaptation of classics. Moving forward, she cannot wait to learn as much as she can from the people around her and develop her skills in storytelling to continue to create intimate and innovative work.
Directing/Writing credits include; The Pink Unicorn, Little Women: A Workshop, Cariboo Magi (Far From the Tree), Nosegate (Chantal Gallant/Vancouver Fringe), Julie- Assistant Director (Untold Wants/Alma Maters), The Wooden Pear, and Jane Eyre: The Musical- Assistant Director (TWU).
Acting credits include; Reflections on Crooked Walking- Ensemble (Firehall Arts Center), The Lowenskold Ring Workshop- Ensemble (Little Mountain Lion), King Lear-Edmund (Promethean Theatre), The Marvelous Misadventures of Boofus and Schmoozle-Schmoozle, Little Women: audio play- Amy (Far From the Tree), The Cover of Life-Tood, A Comedy of Errors-Adriana (TWU)
Costume Design Credits include; Peter and the Starcatcher, A Wrinkle in Time (Storybook Theatre), Kill the Ripper- (Affair of Honor/Geekenders), Tuck Everlasting- (Arts Umbrella), Cariboo Magi- (Far From the Tree), Copenhagen, The Wooden Pear- (TWU).
Playwright Credits Include: The Marvelous Misadventures of Boofus and Schmoozle- Co-Writer, Little Women: A workshop, Little Women: An Audio Play- Script adapter (Far From the Tree), Fight or Flight (TWU).
To see what Joelle does when not working on theatre, follow her on instagram @jojo.wyminga