2026 Young Actors Scholarship Recipients

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Shaughnessy O’Brien (she/her) is a Vancouver-based stage and screen actor and proud member of UBCP/ACTRA and CAEA. Shaughnessy grew up as a singer in her hometown of Armstrong, BC, and her love of music eventually transported her into the world of Musical Theatre. Her passion for acting exploded from that point onwards, and Shaughnessy has now trained in many different disciplines of storytelling including dance, clowning, improv, stage combat, voice over, and acting for the camera. She is represented by Pacific Artists Management and is excited to continue connecting and working with the incredible talent in the Lower Mainland.

Recent theatre credits include “The Yellowpoint Christmas Spectacular” (Razzle Dazzle Productions), “Anne of Green Gables: The Musical” (Gateway Theatre), and “She Kills Monsters,” “Rochdale,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost”(Studio Theatre). You will also find her in many a Hallmark film (“A Perfect Christmas Carol,” “Snapshot of Forever,” and “Planning on Forever”) as well as starring in the award-winning short film “Nowhere Normal” (Take a Bite Productions) She is a proud alumna of the 27th Street Theatre Co. and the University of Alberta’s BFA-Acting Program. 

Shaughnessy is thrilled and honoured to be the recipient of the Trevor Craven Memorial Scholarship. Endless thanks to Mitch and Murray productions for their belief in her and for their support. 

You can see more of Shaughnessy and her work on her Instagram and Tiktok pages (@shaughnessy_ob)

Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Matthew is honoured to be one of this year’s recipients of the Trevor Craven Memorial Scholarship. Alongside pursuing his Bachelor of Commerce at UBC, Matthew has trained with the Deb Podowski Acting Studio and Railtown Actors Studio, while also performing with various theatre companies across the Lower Mainland. His recent credits include Annie (Gateway Theatre); High School Musical (Align Entertainment); Rent (Metro Theatre); West Side Story (CTORA Productions); and School of Rock, The Prom (Theatre Under the Stars). Matthew is the recipient of two Canada Young Theatre Awards for Outstanding Supporting Performance, and the E.V. Young Memorial Scholarship Award for Outstanding Performance from Theatre Under the Stars. He is also a proud member of the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserves with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.
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He extends his sincere thanks to Aaron and the Mitch and Murray Productions team for the opportunity. Look for Matthew this summer in Sister Act at Theatre Under the Stars, and in Season 6 of the docuseries Hitler’s Last Stand, available across major streaming platforms.