Working the Scene in Rainbow
Working the Scene in Rainbow is a live virtual scene-reading session, featuring works by 2SLGBTQIA+ Ontario-based scriptwriters.
Working the Scene in Rainbow is a place for 2SLGBTQIA+ writers to hear their work read aloud by 2SLGBTQIA+ professional actors and an opportunity to network with an audience of industry members. Actor/readers will be cast from within the ACTRA Toronto membership. The event is open to industry partners, friends and all ACTRA members in good standing.
If you are an Industry Partner (producer, director, casting director, literary agent, etc.), Working the Scene in Rainbow is a great opportunity to discover the ACTRA Toronto actor you need for your next project.
Working the Scene in Rainbow 4
The most recent reading, Working the Scene in Rainbow 4, was held on Monday, June 17th, 2024. A hybrid format allowed audience members to watch the readings with other audience members in the ACTRA Toronto Council Chamber or, if they preferred, to watch online via Zoom.
Scroll down to learn more about the writers and the performers who brought their scenes to life.
WRITERS
Kevin P. Gabel – The Ex
Kevin P. Gabel (he/him) is an actor, screenwriter, and director who graduated with honours from the University of Winnipeg. As an actor, he has appeared on-screen in projects such as Rabbit Hole, V/H/S/94, and The Pinkertons. He has written and directed several short films including The Drive Home, Seven Drinks, and The Fardy Brothers, which have won awards and screened internationally in festivals in Canada, the United States, the UK, South Africa, India, and more. For the stage, he wrote and performed in the one-man play Undress Me, for which he was shortlisted for the Harry S. Rintoul Memorial Award.
Michael Ayres – Heaven
Michael Ayres (he/him) is an actor and writer based in Toronto. His writing often explores personal stories inspired by his experience as a queer, mixed-race Black man navigating love, intimacy, and intersecting identities.
Selected Film/TV: Star Trek: Discovery (CBS); The Boys (Sony/Amazon); Sugar Highs (Emotion Pictures/OutTV); Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix); Private Eyes (Global/EOne); Handmaid’s Tale (MGM/Hulu); Two Sentence Horror Stories (CW); Shoot the Messenger (CBC). Selected Theatre: Levi in Prodigal (The Howland Company/Crow’s Theatre); Sanders in Casimir and Caroline (The Howland Company/Crow’s Theatre); Kyle in What I Call Her (In Association/Crow’s Theatre); Jackie Savage in Bang Bang (GCTC); We Are Proud To Present… (Theatre Centre); Chariots of Fire (Grand Theatre).
Doug Sroka – The Hideaways
Doug Sroka (he/they) is an Actor/Filmmaker based in Toronto, Ontario. He grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan and moved to Toronto to pursue acting at The Toronto Film School. Since graduating, they have completed a successful festival run with their capstone film, “Chivalry Ain’t Dead”, which was selected for five festivals and acquired several accolades. Doug’s passion in filmmaking is centered around showcasing Queer stories. They believe it is important to create the art we want to see more of in the world. Doug wrapped production on his latest short film, “Forgiveness in F Minor”, this past summer and is eager to hit the festival circuit.
Nikita Zhang – Not That Deep
Nikita Zhang (she/her) is a writer and filmmaker in pursuit of translating her daydreams and curiosities into screenplays and films. A 2022-2023 participant of the BIPOC Episodic TV Writers Lab, she aspires to bring honest queer and immigrant stories to screen. As a Youth Critic for the Reel Asian Film Festival, her writing has been published in the 2023 edition of Taclanese. She is a 2023 VAFF Film Fund recipient for writing and directing her short film “Good Boy,” which was an Audience Choice Award winner and Programmer Pick at NFFTY 2024. Nikita is always looking for stories that can authentically express experience and capture the imagination— and striving to bring those stories to life however she can.
PERFORMERS (alphabetically by scene)
The Ex
 |  |  |  |
Jess Abramovitch | Clint Butler | Tara J Paterson | Suzanne Miller |
 | |||
Pierre Simpson |
Heaven
 |  |  |  |
Alten Wiltmot | Daniel Chung | Darius Zee | Yemie Sonuga |
The Hideaways
 |  |  |  |
Shana Rose | Kiara-Kumail | Chase Lo | Maher Sinno |
 |  | ||
Raymond Johnson Brown | Stevey Hunter |
Not That Deep
 |  |  |  |
Nikita Zhang | Violet Grace | Yael Leon | Tony Tran |
 | |||
Sarah Thorpe |
About outACTRAto
The outACTRAto Committee is dedicated to raising awareness about queer performers, our stories and our place in the industry and society. We value diversity and equality and we aim to be recognized, supported and valued as queer performers. We aspire to educate and inform our industry about realistic queer representation on screen as we seek a more accurate and balanced reflection of our rich and multifaceted community. We denounce and will work to end harassment and stereotyping of any kind. We will work to achieve true-to-life queer onscreen visibility of our culture and our stories, and to realize change in our industry.
For more information visit the outACTRAto page on the ACTRA Toronto website.
Have questions?
Social Media
Follow us and stay up to date!
Subscribe to outACTRAto
Stay informed about ACTRA Toronto’s Queer Advocacy & initiatives
About Working the Scene in Rainbow:
Working the Scene in Rainbow builds on the work of writer/artists Jessica Meya and Louis Taylor and their original project showcasing the work of creators, Working the Scene in Colour.
Many thanks to Louis, Jessica and to the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for sharing the Working the Scene in Colour template, their vision, and their valuable work and time with us.