Twilla MacLeod

Twilla MacLeod has almost 20 years of experience performing in various disciplines. She is an award-winning actress and an active participant in the Edmonton arts scene as an actor, playwright and musician.  

Twilla's recent theatre credits include David Belke's The Maltese Bodkin at the 2009 Edmonton Fringe Festival, Trunk Theatre's production of Sailor's Song, and Blarney Productions' run of Craig Wright's Orange Flower Water, for which she was awarded a Sterling. In 2005 Twilla also wrote and produced a one person show about the 12th century mystic Hildegard von Bingen called The Cloister, which she toured to Toronto's Summerworks Festival and also performed at the Canoe Festival in Edmonton. Twilla's writing has also been featured on CBC radio in Edmonton, at Sarasvati Productions' Femfest in Winnipeg and at Northern Light Theatre's Urban Tales. 

Twilla was first exposed to taiko while living and working in Japan as an English teacher. Upon witnessing her first taiko performance, given by kindergarten students, she was moved in a very profound way. As there are over 10,000 groups in Japan, she was lucky enough to encounter many more performances, but somehow an opportunity to study did not present itself until she returned to Canada. She began playing taiko in 2005 with Edmonton's Kita No Taiko, and, though she has moved on, she has been a dedicated player ever since. Twilla loves to drum and thus far in her career, has never performed anything else that feels as visceral as taiko.

Twilla has a Bachelor of Music in Voice from the University of Lethbridge, where she was also awarded the Gold Medal for the School of Fine Arts in her graduating year.  She is also a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program from the University of Alberta.