Emmanuelle Zeesman
Quick Facts
Biography
Emmanuelle Zeesman (born 20th century) is a Canadian actress of film, stage and television, as well as a singer, musical director, and choreographer working primarily in the United States and in Canada. Emmanuelle has also performed throughout Australia, Asia and Europe. Emmanuelle is also a pianist, a trumpet player, and tin whistler.
She graduated from the University of Windsor Musical Theatre Performance Program before becoming an instructor at the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama. She is a member of A Company of Fools Theatre Inc., a not-for-profit professional theatre company that presents Shakespeare plays in a format that employs editing, improvisation, costumes, make up, physical comedy, and local and contemporary references to appeal to broad audiences, including children and the Shakespeare uninitiated.
In addition to her education at Windsor, Emmanuelle is a graduate of École Philippe Gaulier, and she has studied under leading Canadian acting, musical theatre, and choreography coaches.
Performances
Movies and television
Emmanuelle played the role of Lou Anne in the short film ‘Mercy’. Her credits also list her as performing in various film and television roles (acting, dancing, hosting), including ‘'A Lover’s Revenge'’, ‘'First Comes Love'’, ‘'Getting Along Famously'’, ‘'Officier Croupier'’, and ‘'The Breakfast Club'’ (Rogers Cable and the New RO, not the John Hughes film).
Theatrical performances
Her theatrical performances are tabled below.
| Performance | Role | Theatre/production Guys and Dolls Mimi The National Arts Centre |
|---|---|---|
| I | The Writer | Gladstone Theatre/David Hersch |
| Blood Brothers | Mrs. Johnstone | Gladstone Theatre |
| The Andrews Brothers | Peggy | Gladstone Theatre |
| Doubt | Sister James | Gladstone Theatre/John P. Kelly |
| Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | A Company of Fools/Al Connors |
| The Snow Show | Elizabeth | National Arts Centre/Jennifer Brewin |
| La Vie parisienne | Pauline | Theatre Lyrique/Steve Michaud |
| Home | As Cast | STO Union/Nadia Ross |
| Tempest in a Teapot | Miranda | A Company of Fools/Scott Florence |
| Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | Salamander Theatre/Chris McLeod |
| Twelfth Night | Olivia | A Company of Fools/Margo McDonald |
| The Tales of Hoffman | Spirite | Opera Lyra/Henri Akino |
| Lunch | Mary | U of O Masters Series/Nathalie Quesnel |
| Dans le creux de la vague | La Mer (Lead Vocalist) | Jeunesse en Tete/Anne-Marie Riel |
| Amahl and the Night Visitors | Shepherdess | Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Diana-Mady Kelly |
| Into the Woods | Rapunzel | Essex Theatre/David Savoy |
| Romeo and Juliet | Capulet (Dancer) | Opera Lyra/Daniel Livingston |
| The Secret Garden | Lily | Experimental Theatre/Melanie Walker |
| Mother Courage | Ivette | Third Wall Theatre/James Richardson |
| Samuel Beckett Shorts | Morvan | Great Canadian Theatre Company(Late Night Series)/ C. Roberts |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Hermia | A Company of Fools/Catriona Leger |
| Forbidden Broadway | Julie Andrews | Experimental Theatre/S. Henrickson |
| A World of Stories | Storyteller | Salamander Theatre/Eleanor Crowder |
| Parliament Hill Players | Lady Dufferin | Government of Canada/Benoit Osborne |
| Never Swim Alone | Referee | Vision Theatre/Greg Wizinski |
| Chicago | Velma Kelly | Eddy May Mysteries/Riley Stewart |
Awards
In 2010 the Capital Critics Circle (CCC) awarded her the title of Best Professional Actor for her role in Blood Brothers at the Gladstone Theatre. Alvina Ruprecht of the CCC, and resident theatrical critic of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, describes Zeesman’s performance as "absolutely magnificent as Mrs Johnstone, the worried, harassed debt ridden mother who can’t pay, can’t control her oldest boys … Zeesman’s singing brings great depth to all these emotional situations. As well as being a strong singer she has also become a serious actress. The final number, Tell me it’s not true, as she bends over the two bodies of her dead sons, was the culmination of a great performance".