ABOUT | Far From The Tree Productions

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 storytelling, and to celebrate the magic of performance when non-essential elements are stripped away.

OUR TEAM

SHELBY WYMINGA

Artistic Director

Shelby Wyminga was born purple due to near asphyxiation and couldn't cry for the first several moments of her life. Thankfully, she soon managed to catch her breath and hasn't shut up since. She eventually embraced the inevitable and completed her BFA in Acting through the School of the Arts, Media, and Culture at TWU where she studied Visual Art alongside her theatrical pursuits. Primarily an actor, Shelby 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 she fell in love with producing and the thrill of being the one to pull the strings behind the scenes. To wrap up her apprenticeship, Shelby produced a female led, ensemble driven retelling of Henry V in which she played the title role. Shelby 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."

Recent acting credits include 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).

When Shelby isn't working on shows, you may see her skipping about town in wizarding robes, princess gowns or superhero spandex, spreading a little magic with local events company, Pacific Fairytales.

Follow Shelby's solo adventures @shelbydoomdoom on Instagram!

JOELLE WYMINGA

General Manager

Joelle is a director and actor based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. She graduated with her BFA in Acting from Trinity Western University in 2018 and afterwards move to London England for nine months to follow her dream of traveling through Europe exploring castle ruins, eating delicious food and soaking up as much theatre as she could.

Joelle has worked as a Historical Interpreter in Barkerville BC where she was able to combine her passion for theatre and history by sharing the stories of the people who flocked to Northern BC for the gold rush in the 1860s. She dreams of continually telling the stories of people who have been forgotten or silenced and giving a voice to those who have previously had none. If we share these stories we will be able to make a change in the world.

Previous Theatre credits include; The Wooden Pear (Director), Jane Eyre: The Musical (Assistant Director), and Fight or Flight (Playwright). Acting credits include Tood inThe Cover of Life , Adriana in Comedy of Errors, Pauline in A Kind of Alaska, Jane Carpenter in Smash and Mrs. Van Dann inThe Diary of Anne Frank (TWU).

ZACH RUNNING COYOTE

Producer

Zach Running Coyote is an Indigenous shit disturber, actor, playwright and professional Trickster. He trained for four years at Rosebud School of the Arts. His work explores the relationship between sacred and profane, mischief and ceremony, divine Creator and fallible creation, and the resilience of the human spirit. He’s thrilled to be part of the company at Far From the Tree Productions and expand the roots of this grassroots theatre movement to the icy prairie landscape of Calgary (Mohkinstsis).