Ruby Reflections: 40th Anniversary Gala

March 8, 2025, Doors at 7:00PM, Show at 7:30PM
Mainstage, Gateway Theatre
Runtime: 90 minute show, followed by a catered reception
Tickets: $140 per person (includes tax receipt for $90)

Presented by Gateway Theatre

Join us for an unforgettable evening as Gateway Theatre celebrates 40 years of inspiring stories, artistic excellence, and community connection. The Ruby Reflections gala will be a FUN-draiser that honors our rich history while looking forward to a future filled with limitless creativity.

On this special night, we’ll raise a glass to the remarkable talent that has graced our stage and the passionate supporters who have made it all possible. The evening will begin with a show on our Mainstage that includes stories and songs by talented performers, followed by a catered cocktail reception where we celebrate you, our supporters, as we reflect on four decades of transformative theatre.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT OUR GALA

Doors will open at 7pm where you will be greeted with a glass of sparkling wine, courtesy of Country Vines Winery, before going into the theatre for a special edition of The Flame, the hit storytelling show, with stories and songs from some of the best talent that have performed on our stages, including Gateway Theatre’s very own Executive Artistic Director, Barbara Tomasic!

The show will be followed by a cocktail reception, catered by Boy With a Knife, in our beautiful lobby, along with cake from Anna’s Cake House.  You will have the chance to mingle with fellow patrons, artists, and supporters of Gateway Theatre and have the opportunity to place your final bids on our online Silent Auction.

Whether you’re a longtime patron or new to our theatre family, Ruby Reflections will be a night to remember. Be part of the celebration, support the next chapter of Gateway’s journey, and help us continue to bring powerful stories to life for years to come. Funds from this evening and our silent auction will go towards our wonderful season and to support our programs for emerging artists.  

It promises to be a night of unforgettable moments, marking both a reflection on our past and a bright vision for our future.


TICKET PRICE

$140 per person (includes a tax receipt for $90)

  • Silent Auction

    Support Gateway Theatre further and make a bid during our Online Silent Auction, running from March 1 – 8, 2025. Learn more and Make A Bid.

  • Save 15% off Lunch &/or Dinner!

    Save 15% off food and non-alcoholic beverages at Harold’s Kitchen & Bar, 75 West Coast Grill or Cavu Kitchen Bar on performance days at Gateway Theatre! To take advantage of the discount, patrons must show proof of their Gateway Theatre ticket to the server.

BUY TICKETS

ATTIRE

Cocktail/Ruby Elegance

Meet the Performers

Josh Epstein*

Performer

Bio

Josh Epstein*

Performer

Writer of Astrid’s Deathlist (Paramount), Youngblood (Aircraft Pictures). Writer/Producer of Eadweard and Adventures in Public School.  His films have received 39 Leo Award nominations, premiered at TIFF, and secured global distribution.

Four-time Jessie Award winner, Stratford Festival’s Most Promising Actor, and two-time Ovation Award-winning director (Oliver!Cabaret)

Producer facilitator for the National Screen Institute, mentor for Whistler Film Festival & Telus Storyhive, and panel host for VIFF, WFF, and Women in Film.

Barbara Tomasic*

Host & Performer

Bio

Barbara Tomasic*

Host & Performer

Barbara is the Executive Artistic Director of Gateway Theatre, and is excited to be celebrating this 40th anniversary.  Her time at Gateway began while playing Maria in the Sound of Music in 2002 and since then she has performed in King and I, and Annie, and directed Crazy for You, Wizard of Oz, Music Man and Anne of Green Gables! Barbara has worked with such companies as The Arts Club Theatre Company, Soulpepper Theatre, The Gateway Theatre, Chemainus Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, and the Firehall Arts Centre and is a multiple Jessie Award Nominee and Ovation Award winner.

Jason Sakaki*

Performer

Bio

Jason Sakaki*

Performer

Jason Sakaki is a Vancouver-based artist who has been seen on screen and stages for the last twelve years. His career began at Gateway Theatre, when he was 12 years old in “The King and I“. Since, he has been seen starring in Jersey Boys, The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, The Matchmaker (Arts Club) two years of the East Van Panto (Theatre Replacement/The Cultch) Shakespeare in Love, Taming of the Shrew (Bard on the Beach) and on screen for Warner Bros, CW, Hallmark, Paramount, Netflix, AMC, NBC and Disney. Next, he stars in “Kimberly Akimbo” at the Arts Club. His directorial debut film “Ramen Boys” premieres later this year. In his work, he strives to amplify Queer Asian representation locally and globally.

Tiana Jung*

Performer

Bio

Tiana Jung*

Performer

Tiana is a professional stage, screen and voice actor with her BFA in Drama/Music Theatre from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Select credits: Heathers (Studio 58, Assistant Choreographer), Jersey Boys (Arts Club), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Jeeves at Sea (Chemainus), Psi Cops (AdultSwim), Wild Cards (CBC). For Gateway: Songs of Summer, Home for the Holidays, Art While Apart, The King & I. Tiana believes theatre can open our minds and hearts. She is a strong ally and advocate for equal opportunity and representation for minority groups in the performing arts industry.

Kathleen Oliver

Performer

Bio

Kathleen Oliver

Performer

Kathleen Oliver is a dormant playwright, retired theatre critic, and fledgling birder. She teaches English and Creative Writing at Langara College, where she is currently a department chair. For the first time in her life, she has just started learning to drive a car.

Renee Fajardo*

Performer

Bio

Renee Fajardo*

Performer

Renee is a Filipino opera and theatre artist, educator, and producer, based within the lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking peoples (Richmond, BC). She most recently sang the role of Flosshilde in Edmonton Opera’s 2024 production of Das Rheingold. She currently sings with Juno-nominated vocal ensemble, Musica Intima, and is producing her digital song-cycle project, Liham, which speaks to experiences within the Filipino diaspora. Committed to artistic storytelling both on and off-stage, Renee is also the Education Manager at Gateway Theatre and the Artistic Producer for Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre. Renee is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the University of Toronto. She believes that theatre should be a place of belonging for everyone!

Chris Nowland

Performer

Bio

Chris Nowland

Performer

Chris has been performing music on stages for over forty years. He is one of the founding members of the funk band “Foundation”, and is currently playing with “Souled Out”, an 11-piece funk/soul/rock dance band at venues across the lower mainland. Also an experienced and versatile actor, Chris Nowland lives and works in Vancouver, and has been a part of the Vancouver film and television industry for 20 years. Some of his film and tv credits include, A Million Little Things, Under The Bridge, Animal Control, Valley of the Boom, Arrow, Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis, The Killing, Psych, Sucker Punch, The Good Wife, Bates Motel, and Ice. Chris has had the privilege of being Beverley Elliott’s backing guitarist and co-songwriter for 11 years.

Beverley Elliott*

Performer

Bio

Beverley Elliott*

Performer

Beverley has over 150 film/tv credits to her name. She has worked as a professional actor, singer, songwriter, storyteller, writer, teacher and coach for 43 years. She’s told stories at the Flame, Vancouver Story Slam, has performed at the MOTH in NYC four times, in addition to being aired on CBC, and Public Radio, USA. Both her autobiographical one woman shows, Sink or Swim and Didn’t See That Coming won Pick of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and Sink or Swim won best musical at NYC United Solo Festival. Beverley did a TEDx talk in January on the power of storytelling. Watch for her in upcoming episodes of Happy Face, One Mile and Tracker.

Deborah Williams*

Host

Bio

Deborah Williams*

Host

Deb Williams is a multi-talented artist with over 35 years of experience in acting, playwriting, and producing. She co-created and starred in the Mom’s The Word plays. Deb is also the co-founder and Artistic Producer of The Flame, Vancouver’s top storytelling event. She has written several plays, including Broccoli and Butterflies and Drift Wood, and has been an Associate Artist at the Belfry Theatre for ten years. Deb is also an experienced personal storytelling teacher, coach, facilitator, and consultant, having taught nearly 1000 tellers of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultural identities, and mental and physical abilities.

 

Website – www.theflame.live/about-deb-1

Sean Bayntun

Performer

Bio

Sean Bayntun

Performer

Sean started learning the piano at age 3 from his father, and has performed extensively throughout North America. He has his ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor’s in classical piano performance from UBC, and a Masters in Music from Rice University in Texas. He has music directed 3 shows at Gateway: “Anne of Green Gables“, “Cinderella“, and “Oliver“. Sean also plays and writes for several bands including “Leisure Club” and “DAñSE”.

Aldryn Martin Saplala

Performer

Bio

Aldryn Martin Saplala

Performer

Aldryn is an aspiring theatre artist with 2 years experience, and the stage is his playground. Aldryn was attending musical theatre classes at Lights up and Gateway for 3 years now. And presently enrolled in Musical Theatre performance class at Gateway. In 2023, Aldryn was included as ensemble in Gateway’s Holiday show, “Cinderella” and in 2024, he was included as one of Fagin’s gang in “Oliver!”. For Aldryn, performing in theatre is a dream come true and doing it with talented and kind co-actors and production staff is what makes it FUN!

Veronica Armstrong

Performer

Bio

Veronica Armstrong

Performer

Veronica is a lawyer and performer wannabe. She appeared in a number of theatre productions in South Africa and in Richmond, a memorable one being a mischievous nun in The Sound of Music at the Gateway. She is a long-standing member of The Richmond Singers, a community women’s choir. Veronica believes passionately in the work Gateway does to make theatre inclusive and relevant for the community.

*Participation of these artists is with the generous support of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association

Thank you to our sponsors!

Boy with a Knife

Catering Sponsor

Country Vines Winery

Sparkling Salute Wine Sponsor

Anna’s Cake House

Catering Sponsor