Trying

Shauna Johannesen is an award-winning writer and actor. Her plays have been produced across Western Canada and her short film Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story garnered numerous accolades including Leo awards for Screenwriting and Best Female Actor in a Short Drama. Shauna’s newest play Common Grace will premiere in 2016 at Pacific Theatre. Originally from Edmonton, Shauna has a background in Improv, a BA in English and Theatre and an MA in English Language and Culture. She serves as the Playwright Guild’s Representative for BC Mainland and freelances as a dramaturg. Trying is her directing debut.

Lulu Pan graduated from Vancouver Film School in 2013 then joined Massey Productions Ltd. (MPL) as producer Raymond Massey’s assistant. Acting also as Mandarin translator, Lulu has been integral for securing a planned slate of projects with China, including production services projects from two Chinese television series in 2013 and an Indian film, PHANTOM in 2014, and helping foster deeper relationships between her company and film companies in China and Southeast Asia. Lulu Pan has also participated in a number of independent projects in Vancouver, serving in various positions such as Assistant Director, Production Manager and Production Coordinator.

Vancouver based LEO award-winning film composer James Danderfer has been writing music in a wide range of styles for nearly twenty years. Recent achievements include co-producing and scoring the film Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story, winner of Best Short Film in (EIFF, RxSM), Best Musical Score (Leo Award) and Best Screenwriting (Leo award), as well as scoring the new animated feature film by Arcana Studios: “Pixies.” Having studied film making from a very young age, James’ fascination with story telling extends to both sound and image and he is excited to bring his experience to Shauna Johannesen’s film Trying.