written and directed by Stewart Lemoine
Approaching a milestone birthday, Dinah, a genial philosopher and girl about town, finds herself surrounded by a completely unexpected coterie of companions and is swept into an escapade of discovery and adventure in the most surprising series of locales.
Written by beloved Edmonton playwright Stewart Lemoine, I Meant What I Said is Lemoine's first new play in seven years. Lemoine is a 10-time Sterling Award winner with over 80 produced plays, he is a master of witty, insightful comedy, and this long-awaited premiere will be well worth the wait!
I Meant What I said
Bella King (Dinah)
Sam Free (Alex)
Jayce McKenzie (Helen)
Nida Vanderham (The Oddball)
Eli Yaschuk (Juris)
Starring
Stewart Lemoine (Director)
Tiana McLean (Production Manager)
Nancy Yuen (Stage Manager)
Chantel Fortin (Set Designer)
Leona Brausen (Costume Designer)
Rory Turner (Lighting Designer)
Creative Team
On the Varscona stage
February 20 - March 8, 2026
Preview: February 19th
All Performances take place at VARSCONA THEATRE - Learn how to get to the theatre here
Evening performances start at 7:30 PM
Sunday Matinees start at 2 PM
Varscona Theatre lobby opens 45 minutes before the start of the performance.
Run Time
80 minutes (no intermission)
Special Experiences
Discover Teatro’s special ticket offers and themed evenings - from discounted previews to Pay-What-You-Can Tuesdays, dinner packages, and more!
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Thursday, February 18th, 2026 at 7:30 PM. ALL tickets cost $25 each (our lowest ticket price!)
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A PWYC performance means you choose the ticket price! We recommend $20 per ticket, but we happily accept less or more!
I Meant What I Said PWYC Performances are:
Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:30 PM
Tuesday, March 3rd at 7:30 PM
Please Note: PWYC tickets are available at the door only.Our Box Office opens at 6:45 PM and we accept cash, debit, and credit.
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On the 1st Wednesday of every run, be treated to complimentary wine and cheese at intermission (or post show if there is no intermission)! Generously hosted by our Board of Directors with wine provided by Dwayne Bayda with Marc Anthony Wines and Cheese and crackers provided by CKS Legal Technology Law.
Wine and Cheese Night for I Meant What I Said Wednesday, February 25th.
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Teatro is inviting you on a date . . . with BOXER Kitchen and Bar!
Make your evening of sparkling entertainment complete with a delicious pre-show dinner or charcuterie, courtesy of our neighbours at BOXER KITCHEN AND BAR.
We have two packages:
Dinner Package: One Teatro ticket + your choice of starter & main (5:30 PM seating) - $67
Charcuterie Package: Two Teatro tickets + wine & chef’s charcuterie (6:30 PM seating) - $98See the package dinner menu here
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Step into the spotlight with The Teatro Drama Club - a free night of theatre just for junior high and high school students!
Each event includes a fun pre-show workshop, snacks, and a post-show chat with the cast, all built around a Teatro play at the Varscona Theatre. Led by our Club Facilitator, Mel Bahniuk, Drama Club nights are your all-access pass to the magic, mischief, and creativity of live theatre!
Teatro Drama Club performance is our matinee performance on Sunday, March 1st , 2025.
Learn more and sign-up here
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The performance on Friday, February 27 will include ASL interpretation for D/deaf and hard of hearing patrons.
This work is made possible through a partnership with the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf’s Pathways (@to Arts and Culture in Sign Language Interpretation (PACSLI), a program dedicated to supporting sign language interpretation in arts and cultural spaces.
CREATIVE TEAM
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Sam is an Edmonton-born actor who graduated from the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program in 2022. He made his Teatro debut as Pinkerton Sprague in last season’s On the Banks of the Nut. His other local appearances include Alphabet Line, presented last year by Prairie Strange Productions at the Westbury Theatre, as well as Fringe productions of Ducks in 2024 and Checked Out in 2025. Sam is always available to read poetry to you or to those you love.
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Bella King (Dinah) Bella made her Teatro debut in Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s in 2023, and returned last season in On the Banks of the Nut. A two-time Sterling Award nominee, she’s a 2018 graduate of Theatre Arts at Grant MacEwan University, and she’s based here in amiskwacîwâskahikan/ Edmonton. Recent credits include The Rocky Horror Show (Grindstone Theatre), Cinderella, and Fun Home (Plain Jane Theatre) High School Musical (Uniform Theatre), and The Capricorn Cabaret (Conwitz Prod.). Her Fringe credits include Scoobie Doosical, [title of show], The Last Five Years, Assassins and Final Girl. Bella will be back with Teatro to play Cynthia Dallas in next summer’s revival of Cocktails at Pam’s.
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Jayce McKenzie made her Teatro debut with The Hothouse Prince in 2015! She’s a 2010 graduate of the Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan, and has been a lifelong student ever since, continuing to expand her skills in theatre, voiceover, and improvisation. Her love of making people laugh evolved into a deep interest in human nature — fueled by ADHD and a desire to understand the mind. Jayce has earned certifications in meditation, hypnosis, yoga, and Reiki, all of which she offers through her business, Alpha Awakening, founded in 2019. She has received five Sterling nominations, with wins for her performances in Whizgiggling’s Fringe production of Salt Water Moon and Trevor Schmidt’s ROBOT GIRLS. She’s also a professional voiceover artist, voicing a lead character in the new children’s cartoon and video game TIME HOPPERS: SILK ROAD. Jayce has had the pleasure of working with some of Edmonton’s finest theatre companies, including Northern Light Theatre, Shadow Theatre, The Maggie Tree, — and now, back at Teatro, she’s thrilled and eager to play!!
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Nida made her Teatro debut playing the title role in last season’s The Noon Witch! Her other recent credits include Wednesday in The Addams Family (Stageworks Academy), and Margot/US Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, June in London Road, and Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone, all at Grant MacEwan University, where she graduated in 2024. She would like to thank her fellow castmates for all of their encouragement, and her family for their huge amount of support. Enjoy the show!
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Eli made his Teatro debut last season as the donut-smashing Joszef in The Noon Witch. He is an Edmonton-based actor, singer, and dancer, and is a recent graduate of MacEwan University's new BFA in Music Theatre Performance. Recent credits include the Fringe presentation of Victor and Victoria's Terrifying Tale of Terrible Things, Radiant Vermin (Northern Light Theatre) Sunday In The Park With George, [title of show], London Road, The Drowsy Chaperone, The World Goes 'Round (MacEwan University), Die Fledermaus (Edmonton Opera), Boy Trouble (Amoris Projects), In My Room: A Cabaret/Play (Grindstone Theatre), and The Expanse Living Room Party (Azimuth Theatre). He has also been Teatro Live’s official archivist, sorting and logging four decades with the company’s printed and online documentation, and he hosts the meetings of the brand new Teatro Drama Club - an interactive program for teen theatregoers.
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Leona has worked regularly with Teatro as a performer and designer since the company’s inception at the first Edmonton Fringe in 1982. Her appearances include such classic Teatro shows as Cocktails at Pam’s, and The Vile Governess and Other Psychodramas, and Pith. Leona has been Teatro’s principal costume designer for four decades, and her recent company costume credits include The Odd Couple, On the Banks of the Nut, The Noon Witch, The Woman in Black, Private Lives, The Oculist’s Holiday, Pith, Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s, and Deathtrap. Her other recent credits include Clue, and Jersey Boys at the Citadel and Where You Are and An Iliad for Shadow Theatre. She’s worked on many shows for The Mayfield Dinner Theatre including Flashback Fever and the recent The 90s: It's All Coming Back to Me Now, and Leona designed costumes for the feature film Before I Change My Mind, directed by Trevor Anderson. She was honoured with a 2020 Edmonton Artist’s Trust Fund Award from the Edmonton Arts Council, and she’s a three-time Sterling Award winner for costume design.
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Chantel made her Teatro debut with Cocktails at Pam’s in 2016 and her subsequent set designs for the company include The 39 Steps, On the Banks of the Nut, The Noon Witch, Private Lives, The Oculist’s Holiday, Deathtrap, Shockers Delight!, and Witness to a Conga, the last of which earned her a Sterling nomination. She also designed the sets for Teatro’s 2021 streaming project Lost Lemoine: Parts One and Two. She’s a freelance scenic artist and prop master who’s been working in film and theatre in Edmonton for the past 19 years. Her other set design credits include Our Man in Havana for Bright Young Things, Going to St. Ives and Mesa for Atlas Theatre, and Shadow Theatre’s Fly Me to the Moon. She’s also done scenic painting and prop work for Workshop West, The Citadel, and Edmonton Opera. In other media, she was the production designer for the Government of Alberta’s Mr. Covidhead commercials, and she did the art direction for music videos by singer Roya Yazdanmehr. She also served as production designer for feature length films produced locally by Northern Gateway Films under the Hallmark banner, and for Dept. 9’s most recent feature Souls Road.
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Rory is a designer, performer, and theatre maker from the prairies, and made his Teatro debut with last season’s The Noon Witch, and returned for On the Banks of the Nut and The 39 Steps. He attended the Theatre Arts program at MacEwan University and studied theatre design at the University of Alberta. He is a design instructor at the Citadel’s Foote Theatre School, a lighting designer for Common Ground Arts’ RISER production development projects, and the Scenic Arts Supervisor for the U of A Drama Department. Rory is also a freelance draftsman and scale model maker. Selected design credits: Is My Microphone On? (Citadel Young Company), The Immaculate Perfection… (Body Cube Arts), Hyena’s Trail (Here For Fear Collective), MINE, In My Own Little Corner, Omisimawiw, After Faust, The Debut (Common Ground Arts). Selected acting credits: Onions and Garlic, The Importance of Being Earnest, Creatures of Impulse, She's Not Him and He's Not Her, The Flying Doctor (Empress of Blandings).
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Stewart has been writing and directing for Teatro La Quindicina since the first Edmonton Fringe in 1982. His most recent works premiered by Teatro include Love is for Poor People, A Likely Story, A Lesson in Brio, The Finest of Strangers, I Heard About Your Murder, and For the Love of Cynthia. In recent seasons, Teatro has also presented revivals of his On the Banks of the Nut, The Noon Witch, The Oculist’s Holiday, Pith, The Exquisite Hour, The Margin of the Sky, Evelyn Strange, A Grand Time in the Rapids, and Fever Land. In 2023 he collaborated with Andrew MacDonald-Smith and pianist Frances Armstrong on an original cabaret show entitled Andrew MacDonald-Smith: My First Hundred Years, presented by Edmonton Opera. His published work includes A Teatro Trilogy, At the Zenith of the Empire, and Witness to a Conga and Other Plays, all from NeWest Press. Stewart is a ten-time winner of Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards for Playwriting, and in 2008 he was the winner of The Tommy Banks Award, presented by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. He’s a recipient of both the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Medals, and in 2010 he was inducted into Edmonton’s Cultural Hall of Fame.
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After doing Scenic Construction/Carpentry on numerous Teatro shows in recent seasons, Tiana is now the company’s first official Production Manager, and as of last season, she is the Varscona Theatre’s Director of Production. A graduate of Grant MacEwan University’s Theatre Production program, Tiana has spent the last two decades working in Edmonton Theatre, where extreme weather, fire, illnesses, broken scenery, aggressive prop handling, and squirrels have taught her much about problem solving and remaining calm in a crisis. Past credits include working as Production Manager for Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Head of Lighting and Carpentry for Theatre Network, and Technical Director for Alberta Musical Theatre (formerly Alberta Opera). Her favourite show experiences include doing scenic construction for AMTC’s Pinocchio and Northern Light Theatre’s Monstress, and building the tricky/scary sets for The Woman in Black both at Theatre Network and Teatro Live!
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Nancy is excited to be back working with Teatro Live on I Meant What I Said. She last worked with Teatro on the 2021 filmed productions of Lost Lemoine and the 2016 revival of Witness to A Conga. As an Edmonton based stage manager, she has worked at the Mayfield Theatre for over 50 productions including productions such as Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, Mamma Mia, Jesus Christ Superstar and Cabaret. Some other theatre credits include: Forever Plaid (Stage West Calgary), Mermaid Legs, The Space Between Stars, and Ayita (SkirtsAfire Festival), Much Ado About Nothing (Freewill Shakespeare Festival), The Drowning Girls (Western Canada Theatre), Sprouts Festival (Concrete Theatre), Crazy For You (Cameco Capitol Arts Centre), Strike! (Workshop West Theatre), The Last Tree of Rapa Nui (MTYP), Love Song and The Liars (Shadow Theatre), As You Like It, Julius Caesar, The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead, Equus, The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate, A Year with Frog and Toad, and The Syringa Tree (Citadel Theatre), Rock ’n ’Roll, and Fire (Canadian Stage Company/Citadel Theatre co-production), Humble Boy (Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre).
Teatro’s Favourite Meatball!
I Meant What I Said may be unique among Stewart Lemoine’s considerable output of plays in that although the onstage revelry is pretty much non-stop, no one ever really sits down for a meal. So in place of our usual show-related recipe, we present one that still has a permanent place in all Teatro hearts. This is, of course, the meatball recipe of the great actress and comedienne Madeline Kahn. Definitely a staple at Teatro events, and first served locally at a memorial event we held for Ms. Kahn at the Varscona Theatre, shortly after her 1999 passing. Discovered by Stewart Lemoine in a celebrity cookbook from the late 1970s, this recipe makes a perfect cocktail snack, and is also a great conversation starter, as you can’t serve them without recalling the great star of Clue, What’s Up Doc?, Young Frankenstein, and so many other classics.
Also, we love that this recipe calls for instant minced onion and garlic powder, rather than the real thing. Who has time to be chopping those things up when you’re busy being Madeline Kahn!