Music Garden Concert: Soulpepper Academy

Mitchell Thomas is an actor and musician from Edmonton, Alberta. Theatre credits include Scorpius in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mirvish); Treasure Island and Romeo and Juliet (Stratford). TV credits include Sam Lesser in Locke and Key (Netflix).

Outside of acting, music has always been Thomas’ passion. In 2021 he self-produced and released the album All the Tapes under the artist name Haystacks. He is currently working on a follow up album as well as a solo show, and he enjoys hosting house concerts featuring local musicians.

A graduate from the University of Windsor’s B.F.A. in Acting program (2015) and the Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory (2017), Iles has worked in theatre, TV/film and the music industry for the past 17 years. Credits include: What we do in the Shadows, Reign, and The Boys. Theatre: Henry VIII and The Neverending Story (2019), Three Tall Women (2021), Hamlet-911 (2022), King Lear (2023), Romeo & Juliet and Twelfth Night (2024), all at the Stratford Festival.

A songwriter, producer and session musician for Thicc, The Wanderlust Club, The Brandy Alexanders, South River Slim, Iles creates music of many genres including rock, soul, pop, R&B, blues and funk.

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Ineza Mugisha is a multi-genre musician/actor from Toronto, Ontario. She received her BMus of Classical Music from the University of Toronto in 2022. Since graduating, she has made several debuts across Canada and in the United States, including Of the Sea with Tapestry Opera, Treemonisha with Volcano Theatre and a recent remount of Treemonisha in Chicago with the Harris Theatre. She made her acting debut with Start the Riot theatre in their premiere of Tendencies. Along with her theatre projects, Mugisha is a co-creator in the viral R&B trio TBD known for their eclectic arrangements of their favourite songs.

Chelsea Preston grew up on Vancouver Island, the Land of Plenty, and now lives in Tkarón:to. They bring stories to life as a performer, songwriter, choreographer and costume designer. Selected Theatre Credits: Roxie in Chicago (Stratford Festival); Sandy in Grease, Amber in Hairspray, Cinderella in Cinderella:The Panto (Drayton Entertainment); Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show (Magnus Theatre); Hair, The Last Resort, Cabaret, Hairspray and The Wedding Singer, Chicago (Mayfield Theatre) and Spamalot (Citadel Theatre). Selected film and television credits: Gaby in Fortescue (Dir: Rebeccah Love), Station Eleven (HBO), What We Do in The Shadows (Hulu FX) and Frankie Drake (CBC).

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Baraka Rahmani is an Arab-Canadian artist from Vancouver, BC. Born in Jordan to Iraqi parents, Rahmani moved to Canada to pursue her BFA in performance at Simon Fraser University. She went on to perform in various roles on renowned stages across Canada. She is a two time Jessie Award nominee and the recipient of the Artistic Risk Award from the Vancouver Fringe Festival. She is thrilled to be in the 2025 Academy and looks forward to calling Toronto home.