Providing Comprehensive Training in Theatre, Film, Television, and Voice Over Performance

Samantha Macdonald

Samantha has been a freelance director and Artistic Director of several theatre companies over her 30-year career. She spent many years at Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops before taking the reins as Artistic Director at Theatre North West in Prince George in 2010. In 2014 she moved to Calgary and Lunchbox Theatre, where she is the Artistic Producer. Samantha fell into theatre in high school and despite a determination to become a corporate lawyer, has now spent thirty years NOT doing that. Selected adventures in directing: To Dream Again (StoryBook Theatre); Make Love Not Art (Inside Out Theatre); As You Like It (Shakespeare by the Bow/Theatre Calgary); Flight Risk, The Exquisite Hour, In On It (Lunchbox Theatre); The Buddy Holly Story (Theatre North West); Seussical, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast (Western Canada Theatre); The Rocky Horror Show, Hamlet, As You Like It, Elizabeth Rex, The Tempest (Project X), Lear’s Daughters (3 Men of Sin).

Classes Taught: Emerging Artist Summer Intensive

Barb Mitchell Portrait

Barb Mitchell

Barb Mitchell is a Calgary based actress known for her work on the stage, film, television web and radio.

Barb’s  film & television credits include projects for Disney, Netflix, FX, Space, Hallmark, Lifetime, USA, AMC, CW, CBC, CTV and Global networks plus multiple web series. Some of her favorites include Damnation(Netflix), Togo (Disney), The Reckoning (Hallmark), Merry In Laws(Lifetime), Burn Up (BBC/Global), The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw(Epic Pictures), Haunting Melissa(Hooked films), iZombie(WB), Heartland(CBC) & Lost Holiday(Lifetime).

Her voice credits include corporate clients and animated series like: Dragonball, Flame of Recca, Bibi Blocksberg, Keymon, Full Moon, My Otome Ichi, My Otome Zwei & My Otome Ni,

Brookfield Homes, Alberta Employment & Immigration, Fas Gas, Nu Way Floors, Hopewell Developments, Streetside Developments, Signature Capital, Walton International, City of Calgary, Emergency Medical Services and PBA Developments.

On stage she has performed in multiple Shakespeare productions, dramatic plays, musicals and improv including: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels(Theatre Calgary), Richard III, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, The Queens(Shakespeare Co.), The Old Neighborhood, Dinner with Friends, Heaven(Rogues Theatre), Habitat(Downstage) and in The Graduate she played the iconic role of Mrs. Robinson.

Most recently Barb has focused on improv performing with Dirty Laundry (improvised soap opera) and as a regular ensemble member at Loose Moose Theatre.

Before she became an actress Barb enjoyed a 22-year career in broadcast news as a morning show host, news anchor and national correspondent. As a teenager Barb cultivated her performance skills as a teenager on stage at the Calgary Stampede as a member of the Young Canadians. She is also a former Miss Calgary and is married with three children

Brianna Johnston

Brianna is a Calgary-based actor for stage, film, and voice, as well as a stunt performer and violence designer, and theatre educator. Her career as a professional actor began following her graduation from the Theatre Arts program at Mount Royal University; in the ten years since, she has had opportunities across many Calgary stages and film sets as both a performer and a Fight Director.

Brianna discovered the world of Voice Over through a Commercial class here at 6 Degrees, and has since worked on commercials, ADR, educational programming, and audiobooks. As a violence designer and theatre educator, Brianna has worked with students, schools, and stages across the province, and taught performers from age 5 to 85 at summer camps, high schools, universities, and intensives.

She has a passion for helping performers discover and uncover their skills, and is thrilled to be working with 6 Degrees to continue developing our acting community.