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Pederson, Ron

CTE photo
"The Margin of the Sky" by Stewart Lemoine
R. to L. Leo: Ron Perderson; Sheila: Cathy Derkach; Alice: Leona Brausen; Spence: Jeff Haslam
Photo by Peter Edwards, Dimensions Graphic Studio

Actor, born in Edmonton Alberta in 1978. He joined the vibrant Edmonton theatre scene at the age of eight. Ron studied acting at the Citadel Theatre School from 1987 until 1991, when he was invited to join the theatre troupe, Teatro La Quindicina by playwright Stewart Lemoine , the beginning of a strong artistic relationship. Throughout the nineties Ron worked with every major theatre company in Edmonton and extensively on the new works of Stewart Lemoine.

Ron's range as an actor/singer led to many different projects, from large scale musicals to small experimental works, from Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods to Romeo and Juliet (playing Romeo). He has worked with directors Robin Phillips , Duncan MacIntosh, Ron Jenkins , David Storch and Bob Baker . He also worked at the Vancouver Playhouse in 1999.

Ron has been nominated for six Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, two for best supporting actor (Deux Durang in 1998 [Dir. Marianne Copithorne ], The Beauty Queen of Leenane in 2002); two for best actor (Burt in 1994, Little Shop of Horrors in 2000); for outstanding performance for young audiences (Dunk! in 1996); and for outstanding musical score for his compositional work on Chris Craddock 's play The Critic in 2000. He was awarded the Sterling for his performance in the Citadel Theatre's production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

In 1995 he joined the cast of the Legendary Live Completely Improvised Soap Opera Die-Nasty with whom he performed every Monday night at the Varscona Theatre in Edmonton for eight years. It was with "Die-Nasty" that Ron honed his improv skills with a crack team of local actors and guest stars such as Mark McKinney, Mike Myers and Joe Flaherty. Flaherty invited Ron to participate in the Los Angeles improvised soap opera The Soap Also Rises in 2002, where he performed with comedians Fred Willard, Katharine O'Hara and Martin Short. From 2002 to 2005 he joined the cast of Madtv and became a favorite regular on the program, again showcasing his versatility. In 2005 Ron was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for his work on Madtv's tenth season. He has also written and performed original sketches on CBS's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Ron has kept his theatrical roots by returning to Edmonton regularly to perform with Teatro La Quindicina in the plays of Stewart Lemoine, included a remount of Shockers Delight! in 2004, A Grand Time in the Rapids in 2005, Happy Toes in 2008, and Mother of the Year in 2009. In the summer of 2007 he played two cameo roles in productions of The Winter's Tale and the musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona by the Free Will Players at the River City Shakespeare Festival. Also in 2007 he starred in the Canadian Stage 's production of Little Shop Of Horrors (dir. Ted Dykstra . In 2009, he played the challenging role of a boy imagining himself as a wolf in Extinction Song by Ron Jenkins ( Citadel Theatre ).

Ron currently lives in Toronto.

Last updated 2010-08-21