Patricia Zentilli
Encyclopedia
Patricia Zentilli is a versatile Canadian performer who has worked in film, television and theatre across Canada.
Born in Kingston, Ontario
but raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia
, Patricia was bitten by the acting bug in Grade Six when she was cast as "Dorothy" in her school's production of The Wizard of Oz
. Patricia's first formal training as an actor was to study clowning at The Dmitri Theatre School in Verscio, Switzerland. After graduating from high school, Patricia lived in Togo
- a small country in West Africa - as part of a Canada World Youth
programme.
Upon her return to Canada, Patricia earned a B.A. in theatre at Dalhousie University
in Halifax and then did further studies with "Shakespeare and Company" in Bennington, Vermont. Coming home to Nova Scotia, Patricia was cast in a number of productions with Neptune Theatre
in roles that included "Shy Girl" in Sincerely, A Friend, "Frankie" in The Member of the Wedding
with Jackie Richardson "Marty" in Grease
, "Ophelia" in Hamlet
, "Geraldine" in What the Butler Saw
and "Curley's Wife" in Of Mice and Men
.
In 1999 Patricia landed a principal role in the successful Canadian film New Waterford Girl
, which went on to win awards at the Toronto International Film Festival
. Around the same time, Patricia landed a recurring role as Bunny
on the cult sci-fi television series Lexx
, for which she still has a loyal fan following.
Patricia has made numerous guest appearances on television series that include The Chris Isaak Show
, The Sean Cullen Show, Angela's Eyes, Naked Josh
, This is Wonderland
, Wonderfalls
, Blue Murder, The Gavin Crawford Show
, Made in Canada
and The Rick Mercer Report. In 2003 she played "Lynn" in Scott Simpson and Michael Melski's film Touch & Go.
Patricia made her Canadian Stage Company (Toronto) debut playing the role of "Little Becky Two Shoes" in their production of Urinetown
. In 2005, she starred as "Cathy" in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years
at the Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg) opposite Adam Brazier.
Patricia returned to Nova Scotia to play "Brooke"/"Vicki" in the Atlantic Theatre Festival's production of Noises Off
, for which she won the 2007 Robert Merritt Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. In 2006/2007 Patricia was seen once again on television as "Susan" in Global
's The Jane Show
, a television series that was co-written, produced and starred Teresa Pavlinek
.
In November 2007, Patricia was invited back by CanStage to star in their production of Little Shop of Horrors
.
Ron Pederson
played "Seymour", and Ted Dykstra directed.
Patricia's portrayal of "Audrey"- the bruised flower shop girl with a heart of gold - garnered numerous accolades from esteemed theatre critics across Toronto as well as a nomination for a 2007-2008 Dora Mavor Moore Award
.
Patricia performs as a singer and has sung jazz, cabaret, folk and musical theatre in venues in both Toronto, Edmonton and Halifax. She performs regularly with pianist Patti Loach and together, Patti with an ‘i’ & Patty with a ‘y’ recently headlined in the TD CANADA TRUST Toronto Jazz Festival's Cabaret Series.
Her partner is Farren Timoteo, Artistic Director of the Alberta Opera. They have one child, Leonardo Marcos Timoteo, born in late 2010.
Born in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
but raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Patricia was bitten by the acting bug in Grade Six when she was cast as "Dorothy" in her school's production of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
. Patricia's first formal training as an actor was to study clowning at The Dmitri Theatre School in Verscio, Switzerland. After graduating from high school, Patricia lived in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
- a small country in West Africa - as part of a Canada World Youth
Canada World Youth
Canada World Youth is an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing dynamic youth, ages 15–25, with an opportunity to learn about other communities, cultures and people while developing leadership and communications skills....
programme.
Upon her return to Canada, Patricia earned a B.A. in theatre at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Halifax and then did further studies with "Shakespeare and Company" in Bennington, Vermont. Coming home to Nova Scotia, Patricia was cast in a number of productions with Neptune Theatre
Neptune Theatre
The Neptune Theatre, built in 1913, is one of many theatres in Liverpool, England. It has been threatened with closure several times, and is currently not in use. The theatre seats 445 on its two levels.-History:...
in roles that included "Shy Girl" in Sincerely, A Friend, "Frankie" in The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers. It took McCullers five years to complete—though she interrupted the work for a few months to write the short novel The Ballad of the Sad Cafe....
with Jackie Richardson "Marty" in Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, "Ophelia" in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, "Geraldine" in What the Butler Saw
What the Butler Saw (play)
What the Butler Saw is a farce written by English playwright Joe Orton. It premièred at the Queen's Theatre in London on 5 March 1969. It was Orton's final play and the second to be performed after his death, following Funeral Games the year before....
and "Curley's Wife" in Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
.
In 1999 Patricia landed a principal role in the successful Canadian film New Waterford Girl
New Waterford Girl
New Waterford Girl is a Canadian drama-comedy film, released in 1999. The film was directed by Allan Moyle, and written by Tricia Fish.New Waterford Girl stars Liane Balaban as Agnes-Marie "Moonie" Pottie, a teenager in New Waterford, Nova Scotia who dreams of life beyond her small-town home...
, which went on to win awards at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. Around the same time, Patricia landed a recurring role as Bunny
Bunny (LEXX)
Bunny is a character in the sci-fi TV show Lexx.Bunny first appeared in season 3 as a resident of Gametown on the planet Water. Like all people on the planet Water, she wasn't born, but rather "woke up" one day as an adult. After waking up, Bunny played games every day until the arrival of the...
on the cult sci-fi television series Lexx
Lexx
Lexx is a science fantasy television series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the organic space craft Lexx. They travel through two universes and encounter planets including a parody of the Earth....
, for which she still has a loyal fan following.
Patricia has made numerous guest appearances on television series that include The Chris Isaak Show
The Chris Isaak Show
The Chris Isaak Show is a television sitcom which follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with everyday problems...
, The Sean Cullen Show, Angela's Eyes, Naked Josh
Naked Josh
Naked Josh was a Canadian television series broadcast on Showcase. The show starred David Julian Hirsh as Josh Gould, a university professor in Montreal who, although he teaches a sexual anthropology course, struggles to understand the ever-shifting rules and expectations of the dating scene.It...
, This is Wonderland
This Is Wonderland
This Is Wonderland was a Canadian television series which aired on CBC Television. The series is a legal drama with comedic elements, or a comedy-drama. It was created by playwright George F...
, Wonderfalls
Wonderfalls
Wonderfalls is a comedy-drama television series that was broadcast on the Fox television network in 2004.The show centres on Jaye Tyler , a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree, who holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop...
, Blue Murder, The Gavin Crawford Show
The Gavin Crawford Show
The Gavin Crawford Show was a Canadian sketch comedy series that ran from June 19, 2000 to July 1, 2003 on The Comedy Network.The show starred comedian Gavin Crawford, along with an ensemble cast of supporting performers...
, Made in Canada
Made in Canada
Made in Canada is a Canadian television situation comedy which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2003. Rick Mercer co-created the program and starred as mercenary TV producer Richard Strong....
and The Rick Mercer Report. In 2003 she played "Lynn" in Scott Simpson and Michael Melski's film Touch & Go.
Patricia made her Canadian Stage Company (Toronto) debut playing the role of "Little Becky Two Shoes" in their production of Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
. In 2005, she starred as "Cathy" in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years
The Last Five Years
The Last Five Years is a one-act musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered in Chicago in 2001 and was then produced off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally....
at the Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg) opposite Adam Brazier.
Patricia returned to Nova Scotia to play "Brooke"/"Vicki" in the Atlantic Theatre Festival's production of Noises Off
Noises Off
Noises Off is a 1982 play by English playwright Michael Frayn. The idea for it was born in 1970, when Frayn was standing in the wings watching a performance of Chinamen, a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave...
, for which she won the 2007 Robert Merritt Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. In 2006/2007 Patricia was seen once again on television as "Susan" in Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
's The Jane Show
The Jane Show
The Jane Show is a Canadian television sitcom produced by Shaftesbury Films that was shown on Global from 2006 to 2007. The series stars Teresa Pavlinek as Jane Black, an aspiring novelist who takes a corporate job after her life undergoes a major upheaval....
, a television series that was co-written, produced and starred Teresa Pavlinek
Teresa Pavlinek
Teresa Pavlinek is a Canadian actress, writer and television producer, best known as the creator and star of The Jane Show.-Career:...
.
In November 2007, Patricia was invited back by CanStage to star in their production of Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
.
Ron Pederson
Ron Pederson
Ronald "Ron" Pederson is a Canadian actor and comedian, who has performed extensively throughout Canada and in the United States....
played "Seymour", and Ted Dykstra directed.
Patricia's portrayal of "Audrey"- the bruised flower shop girl with a heart of gold - garnered numerous accolades from esteemed theatre critics across Toronto as well as a nomination for a 2007-2008 Dora Mavor Moore Award
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
.
Patricia performs as a singer and has sung jazz, cabaret, folk and musical theatre in venues in both Toronto, Edmonton and Halifax. She performs regularly with pianist Patti Loach and together, Patti with an ‘i’ & Patty with a ‘y’ recently headlined in the TD CANADA TRUST Toronto Jazz Festival's Cabaret Series.
Her partner is Farren Timoteo, Artistic Director of the Alberta Opera. They have one child, Leonardo Marcos Timoteo, born in late 2010.
Partial filmography
- The Jane ShowThe Jane ShowThe Jane Show is a Canadian television sitcom produced by Shaftesbury Films that was shown on Global from 2006 to 2007. The series stars Teresa Pavlinek as Jane Black, an aspiring novelist who takes a corporate job after her life undergoes a major upheaval....
(TV) (Series Regular) (2006–2007) .... Susan - Blue Murder (TV) (3 episodes) (2003–2004).... Bonnie Urquhart
- Street Time (TV) (3 episodes) (2002–2003).... Bonnie Abrams
- LexxLexxLexx is a science fantasy television series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the organic space craft Lexx. They travel through two universes and encounter planets including a parody of the Earth....
(TV) (Series Regular) (1999–2002).... Bunny Priest - A Nero Wolfe MysteryA Nero Wolfe MysteryA Nero Wolfe Mystery is a television series adapted from Rex Stout's classic series of detective stories that aired for two seasons on the A&E Network. Set in New York City in the early 1950s, the stylized period drama stars Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin...
(TV) ("Champagne for One," 2001).... Faith Usher - Songs in Ordinary TimeSongs in Ordinary TimeSongs in Ordinary Time is the 1995 novel by Mary McGarry Morris, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in June 1997.-Plot introduction:...
(TV) (2000) .... Bernadette Mansaw - Earth: Final ConflictEarth: Final ConflictEarth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
(TV) (Sins of the Father) (2000) .... Eva Gale - Catch a Falling StarCatch a Falling StarCatch a Falling Star, written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, is a song made famous by Perry Como's hit version, released in 1957. It was Como's last #1 hit, reaching #1 in the Billboard "Most Played By Jockeys" chart but not in the overall top-100, where it reached #2. It was the first single to...
(TV) (2000) .... Allison Hampton - New Waterford GirlNew Waterford GirlNew Waterford Girl is a Canadian drama-comedy film, released in 1999. The film was directed by Allan Moyle, and written by Tricia Fish.New Waterford Girl stars Liane Balaban as Agnes-Marie "Moonie" Pottie, a teenager in New Waterford, Nova Scotia who dreams of life beyond her small-town home...
(1999) .... Patty