If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you may have noticed the hijinks our Wolves cast has been up to on the soccer field.  Sportsing is hard and theatre kids learning to sports is entertaining to say the least (that sounded natural, right?).  But, of course, we are always entertained by these young people, and one of those young people is also our YP of the Month.

This young woman makes our heart sparkle.  Truly, I can’t think of a better way to put it.  She’s been killing it on our stages for years, often in comedic roles where she just nails the “sidekick” roles.. maybe that’s what makes her so prepared for the Wolves!  GET IT?  SideKICK??  Cause soccer is kicking?

…wait, it IS kicking right?  Ho boy, sportsing is hard to do.

Ahem.  A few months ago, she demonstrated just how sharp her brain really is in our Cannonball presentation of Unpaid Programming, a completely improvised reality show.  Watching her just destroy an audience with her wit and her insanely smart character choices was a true spectacle, a professional caliber performance if I’ve ever seen one.  Plus we love her.  We say that a lot, but it’s true.  We love her.  She’s kind and funny and smart and we love her. And who is this sensationally skilled, smart, smiley, and SPORTSY star of of our soccer stage?

Thea Libin!!!

Thea’s CYPT experience started in 2016 when she was cast in The Three Musketeers. Throughout that show, Thea fell in love with the company and all the people that made it up. Never before in her life has she walked into a new environment where she hadn’t known anybody and felt so loved and accepted instantly. Those few months of rehearsal and performances consisted of wonderful memories that she wouldn’t trade for the world. There was nothing that could stop Thea from coming back to CYPT and performing in more shows such as Peter Pan, where she rediscovered her childlike wonder, Unpaid Programming, where she came home from every rehearsal and show with her jaw aching from laughing too hard, and The Wolves, which she is currently rehearsing for right now.

Thea and Andrew in Unpaid Programming, Cannonball Festival 2018. Photo by Rob Galbraith/Little Guy Media.

Through these shows Thea has not only grown as a performer, but as a person. She’s also met some of her best friends in the universe thats she’s confidant she will stay close to for life. Thea often says that CYPT has healed her in a lot of ways and that discovering the company was easily the best thing to have happened to her in the past few years. Thea feels incredibly lucky and overwhelmingly grateful for all the opportunities CYPT has given her. It has become her home away from home, with Jamie and Kristen being her second moms.

Thea in The Three Musketeers. (Photo by Rob Galbraith/Little Guy Media)

When not doing theatre you can catch her watching Full House, chugging coffee, pretending to study, and cuddling her wonderful cats, bearded dragon, and frogs. Or, occasionally doing all of the above at the same time. Her future aspirations include getting a PhD in entomology, traveling the world, and buying herself a yacht made of solid gold. Some things you may not know about her include the facts that she speaks American Sign Language,
is left handed, and her favourite food is plain white rice.

Once again Thea would like to emphasize that fact the CYPT is more than a company to her, it is a place of joy, love, and family. Although she will be too old to act in any of the shows after this year, she is not ready to leave CYPT and will hopefully be returning to help write the next Out Patient show, and potentially assistant stage manage future main stage productions.

“There is no feeling more exhilarating than the endorphin rush of opening night”

-Thea Libin

Actors perform Unpaid Programming during the Cannonball Youth Theatre Festival at West Village Theatre in Calgary on Friday, May 4, 2018. Developed by Zach Friesen and Angel Lo, the improvised play is one of six youth-developed productions that close out Calgary Young People’s Theatre’s 26th season. (Photo by Rob Galbraith/Little Guy Media)

Actors perform Peter Pan at West Village Theatre in Calgary on Thursday, March 1, 2018. The Calgary Young People’s Theatre production runs from March 1-10, 2018. (Photo by Rob Galbraith/Little Guy Media)

Actors perform Unpaid Programming during the Cannonball Youth Theatre Festival at West Village Theatre in Calgary on Friday, May 4, 2018. Developed by Zach Friesen and Angel Lo, the improvised play is one of six youth-developed productions that close out Calgary Young People’s Theatre’s 26th season. (Photo by Rob Galbraith/Little Guy Media)