Lisa Vasconcelos

Proprietor, Artistic Director, Head Instructor

Mecca Home

 

Education & Training

Bachelor of Education, Brandon University

  1. -IB Theatre Arts Training, Vancouver, BC

  2. -UbD, DI, Curriculum Mapping, Orlando, Florida



Resume Highlights:

  1. -Resource Teacher, Elton Collegiate 2008-present

  2. -Vice Principal Elton Collegiate

  3. 2005 - 2008

  4. -Chair & Founding Member of  Neelin High School’s Performing & Visual Arts Certificate Program

  5. -Instructor: Musical Theatre, Drama 11G-40S, Theatre Arts, Neelin HS 1994-2005

  6. -Director Neelin Musicals 1994 - 2005

  7. -Co-founder & Principal Instructor, Mecca Productions 2001

  8. -Director, Mecca Musicals 2001-present

  9. -Co-Chair, Volleyball, Canada Summer Games 1997

  10. -Member, BU Board of Governors, 1991-1994

  11. -Chair, BU Athletic Directorate, 1993



Theatre Credits:

Director:

Anne of Green Gables (1995 - Neelin)

Finian’s Rainbow (1996 - Neelin)

Bye Bye Birdie (1997 -Neelin)

Oklahoma (1998 - Neelin)

The King and I (1999 - Neelin)

Annie (2000 - Neelin)

Camelot (2001 - Neelin)

Footloose (2002 - Mecca)

Peter Pan (2002- Neelin)

Annie (2003 - Mecca)

West Side Story (2004 - Neelin)

Little Shop of Horrors (2004 - Mecca)

Bye Bye Birdie (2004 - Strathclair Drama Club)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2005 - Neelin)

Fiddler on the Roof (2005 - Neelin)

The Music Man (2007 - Mecca)

Seussical (2008 - Mecca)

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2009 - Mecca)

Fiddler on the Roof (2010 - Mecca)

High School Musical (2010 - Mecca)


Performer:

Diana Berry, Anne of Green Gables (1984, Strathclair Drama Club)

Tzeitel, Fiddler on the Roof (1985, SDC)

Strathclair Theatre Chorus (1988-94)

Jane, Brigadoon (1987, SDC)

Nellie Forbush, South Pacific (1988, SDC)

Sharon, Finian’s Rainbow (1993, SDC)

Maria, The Sound of Music (1996, SDC)

Singer, Dagnabbit (2000)

Lead Singer  “The Ducks” (1998-2003)

Sister Robert-Anne, Nuncrackers, (2000, Theatre ’85)

Daughter of the Bride, (Theatre ’85)

The Baker’s Wife, Into the Woods (2001,  7 Ages)

Choir Member, Footloose (2001, Mecca)

Chorister, The Messiah, New York (2003, Mecca)

Rosie, Bye Bye Birdie (2004, SDC)

Ronnette, Little Shop of Horrors (2004, Mecca)

Maria, The Sound of Music, (2005, Mecca)

Sound Motif (2005-present, Mecca)

Sour Kangaroo, Seussical (Mecca, 2006)

Narrator, Joseph... (Mecca, 2008)

Our Town (Mecca, 2008)

Chorister, Beijing Olympic’s Cultural Festival (2008)

Penny, You Can’t Take It With You (Mecca, 2009)

Soloist, Tree of Memories (2010)

The Lady of the Lake, Spamalot (Nov 2010, Mecca)

M’Lynn, Steel Magnolias (May 2011, Mecca)

Sister Robert Anne, Nunsense (March 2012, Mecca)






Bio Originally from Newdale, Manitoba, Lisa, the oldest in a family of six children, attended Strathclair Community School until her graduation (with her nine classmates) in 1985.  Following graduation, she moved to Brandon to begin post-secondary studies.  After an initial year in the Faculty of Education, Lisa took time off to clarify her future.  A successful career in retail management consumed the next few years, as did beginning her life together with her future husband David.  Married in July of 1989, Lisa returned to B.U. as a full-time student in January of 1990.  Putting herself through university was a challenge; Lisa worked part-time to fund her education, and also served on BUSU (Brandon University Students' Union) as Athletic Representative and for her last two years of university on the BUSU executive and Brandon University Board of Governors.  Following her convocation in May 1993, Lisa and David began a family: their daughter Tiana was born in March, 1994.     Shortly after, another dream came true in the fall of 1994 as Lisa began her career as an educator.  She joined the staff of Neelin High School, a warm and caring community full of caring teachers, terrific students with supportive parents.  She actively contributed to the development of a strong English Language Arts team at Neelin.  As a new teacher, she benefited from Brandon School Division's focus on professional development.  In her second year of teaching, she coordinated a committee to develop the first "tri-high" (ELA teachers from all three high schools) ELA unit plan.  Over her years at Neelin, she was an active participant in ELA professional development, serving as chair of the department and leading many divisional ELA committees.   She worked for the Department of Education as a marker of the Senior 4 ELA Provincial Standards Exam on many occasions and has used the knowledge gained at those sessions to improve her skills as an ELA teacher to the benefit of her students.  She has also shared her knowledge of the ELA curriculum and teaching strategies as a presenter to senior years' education students at Brandon University.  Proudly, many of her Neelin English students have continued their education at the post-secondary level (she has edited the occasional English paper!).  She is most proud of her work as a member of various ELA committees, including the committee that proposed and implemented a technology plan for BSD high schools, work that leaves a legacy of technology in each ELA classroom for the benefit of students. For more than a decade, Neelin benefited from her commitment to her students inside and outside the classroom.  Lisa spent countless hours in the gym coaching the varsity girls volleyball team during her first three years of teaching.  For more than a decade, Lisa was the driving force behind Neelin High School’s Performing and Visual Arts Department in the classroom and as director of Neelin's major productions - musicals recognized far and wide for their excellence.  Her ever-growing knowledge, stage experience and enthusiasm saw the development of a strong drama program, creating a passion for theatre in many students who have pursued theatre studies at the post-secondary level.  Under her guidance, the school's production team of staff, parents and community volunteers developed a reputation for high-quality musical productions that set the standard in western Manitoba.  Highlights of her directing experience at Neelin include The King and I, Camelot, the 2002 hit Peter Pan, featuring the aerial choreography of Sven Johannson from Discovery Dance Company in Victoria, and for her personally, the meaningful, emotional, and spiritual journey of directing West Side Story dedicated to the memory of former Neelin student Starr Pomart. The spring of 2005 saw the curtain close on Lisa’s time at, and last production with, Neelin (Fiddler on the Roof) as she began a new professional role: vice-principal of Elton Collegiate.  She left Neelin with great pride in her contribution to their community as a director and her work as an ELA, drama, theatre arts, and musical theatre teacher.  She will forever cherish the experiences and relationships of her time at Neelin.  She leaves behind the development of a team of dedicated and knowledgeable ELA teachers, a tradition of excellence in high school productions, the creation of a strong production team and a legacy of laughter and caring, inside and outside the classroom. Her passion for musical theatre continues to thrive inside Mecca Productions, which now receives the focus of her creative energies in theatre.  She enjoys teaching drama and musical theatre classes to children toddler to teen in this after school venture.  Her skills, talents and passion as a director have been recognized throughout the region as performers travel from across western Manitoba to take part in Mecca Musicals.  Annie wowed audiences in November 2004 with a cast of more than 100 and six packed or sold-out shows.  Most importantly to Lisa, the creation of a strong production team and a vibrant community makes involvement in Mecca’s community musicals rewarding beyond words.  Their ability to develop skills in performers young and old, shine through in their community musical and Young Programs.  The fall of 2006 saw the addition of 3 new programs: Mecca's Pride of Westman (an auditioned, performance troupe for youngsters, grades 6-10), the Mecca Community Choir, under the direction of Elizabeth Grant and the vocal group Sound Motif in which she performs. The next three years continued Mecca’s focus on developing triple-threat performers with the addition of Boys Only, Girls Aloud and Charisma. New for fall 2010: Sound Dynamix. Lisa's long and illustrious past in musical theatre beginning in high school with The Strathclair Drama Club in 1984 when she appeared as Diana Barry in Anne of Green Gables  In her graduating year, she was cast as Tzietel in the club's third musical Fiddler on the Roof (1985).  (It was wonderful to revisit that wonderful musical in her final Neelin production.)  She has returned numerous times to appear in the club’s annual spring production.  Highlights of her performances include Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1988), Sharon in Finian’s Rainbow (1993), and Maria in The Sound of Music (1996).  In the spring of 2004, she returned home to appear as "Rose Alvarez" in the club’s 22nd musical Bye, Bye, Birdie, which she also directed.  She is grateful for the many life-long friends who are an important part of her life.  The trip home in summer of 2007 to the Strathclair Drama Club's 25th Anniversary, and her performance of "The Prayer" with Jim Comrie at the concert are etched in her heart.  Although she performs in many other places, she will always call the drama club home. There has been much more "on stage" experience, including the memorable trip to New York in the fall of 2003 when she traveled with Mecca Productions’ Messiah Choir to Carnegie Hall.  Together they joined more than 200 singers from around north America and performed Handels’ Messiah under the direction of John Rutter.  She is the co-ordinator for the Brandon China Choir, heading to Beijing in June 2007 to participate in the pre-Olympic cultural festival.  In February 2005, she performed with James Comrie at the Songs for Hope Benefit Concert. She was instrumental in the organization of this concert that raised more than $4 000.00 for the Canadian Red Cross Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.  Although the widely-known classic rock band, The Ducks, for whom Lisa was the lead singer for more than five years, have disbanded, she looks forward to future performance and singing experiences.  She is the founder of Sound Motif and enjoys the time she spends with five of westman's most versatile singers as they travel across southern Manitoba to entertain audiences.  She receives more requests to perform than she can accept and selects projects carefully to keep balance in her life.  It’s hard to say no to any opportunity to feed her spirit through music.   Lisa has made time to appear on stage in Brandon productions as well, as a last-minute addition to the cast of Mecca’s Little Shop of Horrors (2004) as "Ronnette", and as "The Sour Kangaroo" in Seussical (2003).  Her role as Sister Robert Anne in Theatre ‘85's production, Nuncrackers—The Nunsense Christmas Musical in November 2000 under the direction of James Forsythe is a highlight of her time on stage at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.  In November, 2005, Lisa led an amazing cast as Maria Rainer in Mecca's Fourth Community Musical The Sound of Music.  With four sold out performances, more than 4000 people saw her take to the stage in one of the world's most loved roles.  She will never forget the wonderful moments of that production.  New and wonderful friendships have arisen from that experience, truly the greatest gift of all.  She had a great time as the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and was honoured to direct Canada’s Amateur Debut of Monty Python’s Spamalot in which she appeared as The Lady of The Lake.    For more than 20 years, Lisa nurtured her love of volleyball. She served as co-chairperson of 1997 The Canada Summer Games; she has served on the executive of the Brandon Senior Women's Volleyball League for more years than she cares to remember;-).  She participated in three national volleyball championships, proudly representing Manitoba.  League champions many times over the years, she misses the weekly games with The Azzip (Azzip is Pizza backwards) Ladies' Volleyball Team has won more than their share of medals at MVA Provincial Senior Women's Volleyball Championships.  She played co-ed volleyball with her husband David for almost 20 years.  She knows she is blessed to lead such a wonderful and rewarding life, enriched by her active involvement in a thriving arts community and her career as an educator and educational leader.  She is thankful for the many wonderful people whom she calls friends and colleagues and she looks forward to adding more members to these groups from Rolling River School Division.  With great excitement, she joined the community at Elton Collegiate in the fall of 2005. Obviously a very busy lady, Lisa lives a life of great abundance.  Through all the events, activities and projects in her life, she receives the love and support of her friends, family, and most importantly husband David Vasconcelos, and their two children, Tiana and Lucas.  All four Vasconcelos' spend time, both on stage and off, working on “Mom's projects”, and the family has enjoyed appearing (in various partial formations) together on stage.  David made his stage debut as the crusty Coach Dunbar in Mecca first community musical Footloose (2001) and impressed audiences with his performance as Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop.  Their daughter Tiana has appeared in many Neelin and Mecca musicals, and enjoyed two lead roles in Mecca’s 2009/10 season as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof and Gabriella in High School Musical. She plans to pursue studies in musical theatre and performance after graduation -- putting to use all those years of dance classes and Mecca classes. Lucas has just finished his third year of Mecca musical theatre classes and enjoyed his first time on stage at the Year-End Highlights concert, although mom and dad suspect that he may be found on the soccer pitch or basketball court. Spending time together on stage and working behind the scenes makes these projects truly a family affair!  With the involvement of many their relatives, the whole family has had a lot of fun together along the way. http://http//www.brandonsd.mb.ca/neelin/http://http//www.brandonsd.mb.ca/neelin/http://www.mecca-productions.com/http://www.mecca-productions.com/http://www.prideofwestman.spaces.live.com/http://www.soundmotif.spaces.live.com/http://www.soundmotif.spaces.live.com/shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6