Karasevich, Joan

Karasevich, Joan [Karasevyč, Ivanna], b 12 November 1937 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Singer and actress. A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, at the 1965 Stratford Festival Karasevich became the first actress to receive the Tyrone Guthrie Award. Besides appearing frequently at Ukrainian concerts, she has performed at the Stratford Festival, the Manitoba Theatre Centre, and numerous other venues in Canada and the United States. She has written and staged two productions dealing with the Ukrainian experience in Canada—“Dreams” and “The Offering” (starring in the latter with her husband, August Schellenberg). She created the role of Anna in the stage production ‘Just a Kommedia’ (1984). Karasevich has also performed in films and on radio and television, including the role of Anna in The Newcomers, which dealt with Ukrainian immigrants in the 1920s. In 1975 she released a record of Ukrainian songs titled “Reflections.”

[This article was updated in 2009.]