AARON CRAVEN – Artistic Director
A graduate of The University of British Columbia, Aaron is the founder and artistic director of Mitch and Murray Productions. Selected theatre credits as an actor with the company include Snowflake (Redgate Revue Stage), Lungs, Smart People, Detroit, Speed-the-Plow, Becky Shaw (Studio 16), Wilde Holiday Shorts (Chemainus Theatre), Fifty Words (The Cultch), Fat Pig (Performance Works) and Gaslight (Hudson Theatre-Los Angeles). He has also directed the plays Rapture, Blister, Burn, Sex With Strangers and Body Awareness for Mitch and Murray Productions.
Aaron has also been a busy screen actor in Canada and the USA for two decades. TV credits include recurring roles on Family Law, iZombie, Travelers, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, Somewhere Between, Ties That Bind and Gracepoint. Features include The Dresden Sun, Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, The Predator, The Age of Adaline, and The Atticus Institute. He’s also directed several short films which have played in festivals worldwide.
As a writer, his play Instantaneous Blue had its world premiere in January, 2023 at the Waterfront Theatre in Vancouver. He’s also developing a TV series, Yakima, winner of top drama pilot in the Scriptation screenplay contest. He also coaches actors at The Working Actors Gym, the training wing of Mitch and Murray Productions.
JENNIFER COPPING – Artistic Associate
Jennifer Copping is a multiple nominee and winner of awards for her work as an actress over her 30 year plus career. Her passion for performing began at a very young age and she has continued to study and hone her craft as an actor ,director , teacher , mentor and theatre creator. Some career highlights are:
For the Arts Club: Reflections On Crooked Walking ( Debut ,1987); The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time; The Day Before Christmas ; Godspell ; White Christmas ; Funny Girl
Other Theatre:(Select) Anything Goes (TUTS) ; Anne Of Green Gables (Charlottetown Festival) Les Miserables (Mirvish); Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Drabinsky); Tommy (Mirvish); Jersey Boys (Dancap); Indian Arm (Rumble); Detroit (Mitch & Murray); City Of Angels (PIT Collective)
Film & TV: (Select) Once Upon A Mattress; Slither; Becoming Redwood; Supernatural; Fargo; Bates Motel; When Calls The Heart; Mother Of All Lies; Van Helsing; Travellers and the feature film Rabbit currently airing on Superchannel.
Other: Best Actress Leo Award for Becoming Redwood. Instructor for the Langara College Film Arts Dept. Jennifer has directed many plays and musicals over the past 15 years . Most recently City Of Angels and Good People. Her proudest accomplishments are her 20 year marriage and two beautiful boys.
MICHAEL SCHOLAR JR. – Artistic Associate
Michael Scholar, Jr. is an award winning director, actor, playwright and producer. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Vancouver’s November Theatre, producers of the Jessie Award winning production of The Black Rider – which toured North America for over a decade (including sell out runs at the PuSh Festival and Arts Club Theatre). With November Theatre, Michael’s credits include writing and starring in Hard Core Logo: Live (PuSh Festival); writing and directing Ana for Hive 3 (2010 Cultural Olympiad); directing the NY premiere of ILSA Queen of the Nazi Love Camp (Medicine Show Theatre); and directing the world premiere of the rock opera Baby Fat (La MaMa ETC). Other directing credits include As You Like It (Studio 58); Uncle Vanya (Medicine Show Theatre, NY); Mr. E’s Humungous Underground Digital Vaudeville Extravaganza!!! (Columbia University, NY); Fat Pig (Mitch and Murray Productions – Jessie Nomination); Humanity and No (Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon); multiple stagings of I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change (Arts Club Theatre / Gateway Theatre / Presentation House); and 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress (Presentation House).
As Artistic Associate for the Globe Theatre (Regina), he directed David Greig’s Midsummer and programmed a season of new work in their Sandbox Series. Michael has worked as an actor across North America and the UK, having received the 2004 CAEA Emerging Artist Award. Assistant Directing credits include working with Robert Wilson on La Traviata (Landestheater Linz, Austria), Robert Lepage on Quills (Ex Machina, Quebec) and most recently Damaso Rodriguez on Romeo and Juliet at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Michael received his MFA in Directing in 2016 from Columbia University, where he was the Faculty Assistant to Anne Bogart.
DAVID MACKAY – Artistic Associate
David is a Vancouver based director, actor and playwright. Film/TV credits include Project Blue Book, Cedar Cove, Radio Hype, The Layover, The Watchmen, Scary Movie 4 and Are We There Yet?
For Mitch and Murray Productions he has directed the plays Smart People, Speed-the-Plow, Becky Shaw, Lungs and Race. He has also directed One Man 2 Guvnors, Boeing Boeing, Venus in Fur and The Importance of Being Earnest at the Arts Club, The Government Inspector at Studio 58, and The Crucible at Temple University in Philadelphia.
He has worked extensively at Bard on the Beach as a director and actor is one of the original performers and co-creators of Axis Theatre’s The Number 14. David graduated in 2011 with an MFA in Directing at Temple University in Philadelphia.
KATE CRAVEN – Board Chair, Operations Manager
Kate was born in Sydney, Australia. After leaving a career in law, Kate decided to pursue her love of the arts, enrolling in acting school and dedicating her time and energy to perfecting her craft. In Australia, she produced over 50 professional music videos and TV commercials, before relocating to Vancouver.
Film/TV credits include High Potential, Family Law, The Good Doctor, Loudermilk, When Calls the Heart, The Bad Seed, Murder She Baked, A Heavenly Christmas, Beaches, Nutshells, Motive, Cedar Cove, In the End, plus a string of music videos and commercials. Some theatre credits include Lungs and An Intervention (Mitch and Murray), The Money Shot (MPD) Bull (Made it Ma Productions), Here to Eternity (Emmett Company), Chicago & Les Miserables (NTC), Othello, Oliver Twist & All At Once (STS).
Board of Directors
Mark Johncox
Killeen Delorme
Davin Tong
Craig Erickson
Diego Garcia
Deborah Finkel
Brian Johnston
Kate Craven