CULTURE GECKO
Live Five’s YAGA is a Powerful Mystical Mystery Intertwined with Strong Characters, Humorous Backbone, Razor Sharp Dialogue and Feminist Themes
By Ezekiel McAdams
October 10 2025
Live Five’s first production of their twenty second season is YAGA by Two Bees Productions. YAGA runs from October ninth to the nineteenth 2025 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada at The Refinery.
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YAGA is written by Canadian playwright, Kat Sandler and is directed by Two Bees Productions co-founder, Judith Schulz and stars Katie Moore, Danova Dickson and Drew Mantyka in multiple roles.
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The premise of the production features an enveloping mystery that captures the attention a local small town detective and a private investigator searching for a lost university student.
YAGA is genre hybrid that successfully amalgamates mystery, humor, strong characterization, razor sharp dialogue anchored by a magical thriller sensibility with a backdrop of strong themes of feminism.
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Live Five and Two Bees Productions’ YAGA is an incredible engaging work of theatre that utilizes the mystery hook dripping with humor coupled by magnetic and mesmerizing performances from the cast that are both stunning as they are charmingly infectious.
Schulz wears multiple hats in this production as company co-founder, director and co-producer.
Schulz has effortlessly perfected and created a theatrical experience that won’t be forgotten. Schulz weaves a fast paced experience with precision that allows the scenes to feel heightened while allowing the characters and performances to breathe while never dragging nor overwhelming.
Schulz balances flashbacks, humor and a rising scale of tension dripping with magic, mystery like slowly reeling in a big fish that culminates a smorgasbord of emotions, themes that lets the production marinate during and after the production. Schulz’s direction is a sight to behold and hopefully a sign of a long career going forward.
Sandler’s script is a marvelous experiment of being a multi-genre machine. Sandler’s ability to create engaging characters with witty and rapid fire dialogue all under the umbrella of a mystery with mystic, urban legends and a surreal quality that seems directly inspired by David Lynch’s work and surrealism.
Moore’s performance is an extraordinary master class of being able to effortlessly switch from the various roles all the while making each character distinct with different physicality, nuances and cadence. Every character from Baba Yaga, Katherine, Geena, Elena, Janice and Staff Sargent Sidle
Moore’s Baba Yaga is a magnetic force of nature holding the audience’s attention with a rapier, mesmerizing vulgarity that is almost sickly sweet as it is frighteningly honest.
While it is Moore’s portrayal of mysterious University Professor and suspect, Katherine Yazov that oozes a mix of confidence, intensity, charm and such a strong sense of self that it is a brilliant, captivating performance.
Moore also portrays Grandma Elena contorting her body into a fiery small shell that erupts with passion when Vodka is near.
Moore’s role of small town diner server, Geena Sanderson, allows her to shine and show a range of pain and vulnerability that is quite striking.
Finally Moore plays Staff Sargent Riley with an almost Fargo-esque portrayal with a small town Minnesota drawl famously introduced in the pop culture zeitgeist by the directors The Coen Bros film of the same name.
Dickson, whom is also one of the Two Bees Productions co-founder also is the production’s co-producer. Dickson plays a multitude of roles with a more quiet exuberance and intensity that provide a great balance to Moore’s showmanship that by design is more prominent throughout the production. Each of the characters Dickson plays from Carson, Truly, Pamela Riley, Lily, Anna and Deputy Murphy are sprinkled with nuance of nuggets of character work from affectations, body language no matter how subtle.
Dickson plays one half of the investigating duo, the small town Detective Carson with almost a nonchalant cynicism and petulance for her begrudging partner, Charlie Rapp. Dickson dazzles with nuance allowing the character to perform somewhat of a straight woman to the town miscreants and absurdity that allows her to be strong, confident, relatable and vulnerable all at once.
It is however, Dickson’s role of Lily Sanderson, daughter of Geena, the young fifteen year old server at the small town diner where the performance evoked is truly heartbreaking as Dickson crafts a meek existence that when her Lily is taken advantage of that the gut punch and wallop is unmistakably visceral and uncomfortable as the play’s heightened reality slowly peels off.
Dickson’s portrayal of the angry jaded ex Pamela Riley, full of feistiness and fight that it fits perfectly with boxing ring scene where she is introduced.
Dickson gets to play by bringing Katherine’s daughter, Anna to life as an otherworldly unmovable force akin to the Siren from Greek myths. Dickson’s performance balances both seduction and familial pangs as a combination of dangerous, relatable and mysterious.
Mantyka plays both of his roles as private investigator, Charlie Rapp and missing University student, Henry Kalles with an jovial aloofness saturated with overextended self confidence that is both familiar as it is infuriating sprinkled with a charming sensibility that’s hard to root against.
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Mantyka’s performance of Rapp is brimming with such a zealous overconfidence with hints of inquisitiveness that allow him to counterbalance both Moore and Dickson’s performances. Mantyka shines in this familiar character troupe while making it is his own.
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Mantyka’s portrayal of missing University student, Henry allows him to be blusterous and annoying while allows the audience to hate and feel for the character simultaneously.
Brooklyn Bitner is both set and props designer.
Bitner’s set is a magnificent feat that encapsulates the mercurial mysticism of the myths and legends of Baba Yaga with an enchanting cabin set that looms large throughout the whole production while also providing a haunting realism and normality with university offices, small town diners and police stations. Bitner’s set is as enveloping as the actor’s performances and is a strong through line.
Bitner’s props allow the production to shine whether it’s large hammers, skeletal animals to recorders and podcast equipment
Rachel Walliser’s costume design is truly transformative. The ethereal design of Baba Yaga’s cloak juxtaposed to the leather jacket, university Letterman jacket and Pokemon hat captures such a specific design that is both remarkable and memorable.
Katie Blackburn-Dust creates such as atmospheric mood and ascetic as light designer creating bright yet foreboding changes that help capture the fast pace and tension of the production.
Grahame Kent functions as both sound designer and Live Folly Artist.
Kent’s sound design creates a enticing yet mysterious soundtrack that is ingrained in the production’s success as the songs chosen fit the mood as each scene and set changes.
It is Kent’s background role as Live Folly Artist that is almost worth the price of admission. Kent stands back in the shadows providing sound accompaniment while his physical presence is striking. At times both a silhouette bathed in darkness or creating an ominous figure of a grizzly butcher that may jump into the action at any point.
Peace Atkintade provides Intimacy support as the Intimacy Coordinator. Atintade allows the physical intimacy to feel real, surreal but also provides the actors the support and guidance to make the performances real and grounded.
Mantyka and Dickson also serve as co-fight choreographers and Mantyka also being the production’s fight captain. Both allow the fight choreography scenes to feel natural and realistic.
Finally, Johanna Arnott as stage manager, Micah Elgaard as production manager and set carpenter, Ashton Turner as production assistant and Valentyna Velinets as Ukrainian translations and pronunciation support.
Special mention to Charlie Peters as production/directing mentor with Yvette Nolan also function as directing mentors.
All of the following individuals are instrumental to making to this production shine, work and feel fully formed.
Live Five and Two Bees Productions’ YAGA is an incredibly strong start to Live Five’s twenty second season. YAGA is a Tsunami of talent from the performances, direction, writing to the costume, set, lighting and sound design that make this not only must see theatre but a truly magical and unforgettable experience.
YAGA from Live Five and Two Bees Productions is running from October 9-19th 2025 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada at The Refinery. Tickets can be bought online here, contacting On The Boards the box office or at the venue itself.