Marianne Sawchuk is an actor, producer for theater and film, artistic director, and Registered Nurse (Emergency). Growing up as an air force brat mostly in the prairies of Western Canada, she has lived in 12 different places in Canada and the US, is the youngest daughter of 4 girls and is also an identical twin. She has studied and worked in Vancouver, New York, LA, and Toronto. She created and produces "Women At Play(s)", an annual one act play festival for women identifying playwrights, directors and actors to inspire theatrical work for women. She also produced the first annual festival of one acts, "Acts on the Edge", for Edgemar Centre of the Arts in Santa Monica, California out of over 900 submissions. Her first short film, "Heaven and Earth; A Ritual" debuted at the American Indian Film Festival. It was written, directed, and composed by her husband, Bruno Verdoni. He is also an actor and they have one daughter, Francesca. She wrote and performed her first one act play, "Falling Upwards", in March 2023 which was well received and is developing it into a full length play. Marianne is of Ukrainian, English and Icelandic heritage.