Meet The Team

In order to fairly represent the communities we stand to depict and support in our projects, Under The Bus is a diverse team made up of trans*, queer, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, mad and/or disabled individuals, women, and newcomers settling in Canada.
Read more about our team members below!

Hanlon Mcgregor

Hanlon McGregor is a pansexual and transgender dad who writes, directs, produces, and performs for stage and screen. In 2012, Hanlon began writing and performing monologues inspired by his personal exploration of gender—in mid-life, with small kids; this resulted in the creation of the play Unexpectedly Trans with co-writer and director Mihaly Szabados. From Unexpectedly Trans also came the short film Holding Hands with the Awkward (World Premiere at Bi Arts Festival 2018, Official Selection at the Toronto Short film Festival 2019). Thanks to grants from Ontario Arts Council and Community One Foundation, the world and characters in these pieces have continued to evolve and live in new works, including Bubble Trans Pride (Rhubarb Festival 2019) which was co-written by Syrus Marcus Ware, guided by mentor Diane Flacks.

Hanlon also wrote the short film Hamlet Moment (derived from the universe of Unexpectedly Trans) to unpack and destigmatize a common struggle shared by trans people – that of suicide ideation. Released in 2019, the film premiered at the Trans Film Festival at the 519 Community Centre in Toronto.

Currently Hanlon and Mihaly are adapting Unexpectedly Trans for Young Audiences with the help of a Recommender’s Grant from the Ontario Arts Council via Roseneath Theatre. (Support this project here!)

Hanlon and Mihaly created a music video for Rich Aucoin’s song The Change which was released in June of 2019, and they are currently collaborating with Syrus Marcus Ware on a new web series which will feature trans characters, trans creators, trans writers, and trans actors; the working title for this series is Trans Gen(d)erations.

Find Hanlon on:

Instagram: @hanlonspoint FaceBook: @HanlonsPointProductions


SYRUS MARCUS WARE

Syrus is a Vanier Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator. Syrus uses painting, installation and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture. His work has been shown widely, including in a solo show at Grunt Gallery, Vancouver (2068:Touch Change) and new work commissioned for the 2019 Toronto Biennial of Art and the Ryerson Image Centre (Antarctica and Ancestors, Do You Read Us? (Dispatches from the Future)) and in group shows at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Art Gallery of York University, the Art Gallery of Windsor and as part of the curated content at Nuit Blanche 2017 (The Stolen People; Wont Back Down). His performance works have been part of festivals across Canada, including at Cripping The Stage (Harbourfront Centre, 2016, 2019), Complex Social Change (University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, 2015) and Decolonizing and Decriminalizing Trans Genres (University of Winnipeg, 2015).

He is part of the PDA (Performance Disability Art) Collective and co-programmed Crip Your World: An Intergalactic Queer/POC Sick and Disabled Extravaganzaas part of Mayworks 2014. Syrus' recent curatorial projects include; That’s So Gay (Gladstone Hotel, 2016-2019), Re:Purpose (Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2014) and The Church Street Mural Project (Church-Wellesley Village, 2013). Syrus is also co-curator of The Cycle, a two-year disability arts performance initiative of the National Arts Centre.

Syrus is a core-team member of Black Lives Matter - Toronto. Syrus is a co-curator of Blackness Yes!/Blockorama. Syrus has won several awards, including the TD Diversity Award in 2017. Syrus was voted “Best Queer Activist” by NOWMagazine (2005) and was awarded the Steinert and Ferreiro Award (2012). Syrus is a PhD candidate at York University in the Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Find Syrus on:

Instagram: @syrusmarcus

Facebook: @SyrusMarcusWare


KARLA RAE
JAMES

Karla Rae James is a visually impaired trans actor who now lives in Toronto, but originates from Nova Scotia. Karla performed in the music video The Change, created by Hanlon McGregor and Mihaly Szabados, for the song by Rich Aucoin. She also performed the role of Gillian in Bubble Trans Pride at the 40th Rhubarb Festival and the Halifax Fringe 2018.

MIHALY SZABADOS

Mihaly Szabados is a rainbow-spirited actor-director and filmmaker. Mihaly hails from Hungary, where he worked extensively in film and stage. Mihaly spent three years in LA at Sal Rome’s Artists Studio, Maria Gobetti’s Acting Studio of Victory Theatre. Since moving to Toronto in 2012, he graduated from Second City Conservatory.

He has performed a principal role in Murdoch Mysteries, co-wrote, directed and performed in 'Unexpectedly Trans’ (Halifax Fringe 2017), and directed and performed (Bob) in ‘Bubble Trans Pride' (Rhubarb Festival 2019 and Halifax Fringe 2018).

With over 100 credits on IMDB, Mihaly’s first Canadian short film The Legend of Iza won an honorable mention at the 2015 Canadian and International Short Film Festival.

Mihaly has directed and co-created the following short films with Hanlon McGregor as part of the Under The Bus collective including; Hamlet Moment, Holding Hands with the Awkward, & The Change (music video for Rich Aucoin).

Recently Mihaly created two one-man shows ‘C for Cyrano’ and ‘M for Misanthrope.’ He toured both shows. Mihaly also visited New York City where he acted in two short films now in post-production: One Night Only and Bitter Pill.

Find Mihaly on:

Instagram: @szmishy

Facebook: @MihalySzabados

IMDB: Mihály Szabados

STEPHEN ST. CHRISTIAN

Stephen St. Christian is a Toronto-based non-binary makeup artist and visual artist, and a graduate of C|MU College of Makeup Art and Design. Stephen created makeup and art directed The Change music video for Rich Aucoin in 2019. Their makeup work has been published on the cover of Gmaro Magazine.

In the theatre world, Stephen art directed Bubble Trans Pride at Rhubarb Festival (2019) and Halifax Fringe (2018) and was makeup artist for ‘802’ by Thorne Brown, ‘Pack Animals’ by Cerys Ford, and ‘Shady’ by Grishma Patel (3 Plays in 30 Days, Thatz Showbiz, 2018), and ‘Heathers’ (Hart House Theatre, 2018). They are part of the production team for ‘Mad Margaret’ with Peggy Coffey in pre-production.

Find Stephen on:

Instagram: @stchristian_mua



THORNE BROWN

Thorne Brown is a playwright and author, best known for his performance and collaborative writing work with ThatzShowBiz in the 3 Plays in 30 Days programme and Under The Bus' short film Phoenix Wishes, made as part of the 48 Hour Film Challenge. Thorne Brown uses his talent for the language arts to discuss and address personal, often political, issues he faces, such as transphobia and anti-black racism, as a transgender man of colour settled in the Greater Toronto Area. Thorne Brown is the youngest known TMOC playwright in Ontario and continues to develop his skills in a variety of ways, always thinking about the future of film and theatre.

Find Thorne on:

Instagram: @niggoth