Lin Bennett, Wendy Gorling, Elizabeth Murray-Byers and Wayne Specht came together as a group in 1974. Each member trained at either Étienne Decroux or L’École Lecoq and were eager to promote their chosen art form. The Axis Mime Theatre Society incorporated in May 1976, the next step in their professional pursuits to access financial support and continue to create original plays. Over 46 years later, Axis Theatre Company may have dropped the ‘mime’ but continues forward as a leader in theatre for young audiences with a flare for physical theatre.

Elizabeth Murray-Byers

Elizabeth studied Physics and Chemistry in university. After two years of the sciences, she decided to attend the École Jaques LeCoq International School of Mime, Theatre, and Movement in Paris. While in Paris, she also attended the Fratellini Circus School. When she graduated from École Jaques LeCoq , she returned to Vancouver after performing on the beaches and in the parks of France and Holland. She was a founding member of Axis Mime Theatre, and co-Artistic Director during the company's first five years.

Elizabeth left the company to follow a spiritual path, and as part of that journey, homesteaded off the grid in the Kootenays and raised and homeschooled a family. They are now a family band, and she occasionally presents comic rap pieces during their concerts.

Lin Bennett

Lin Bennett undertook a boatload of university courses and workshops before ending up studying mime in Paris for 3 years many decades ago. She studied (briefly) at LeCoq where she met Wendy Gorling, then Étienne Decroux’s, topped off by illusion mime with Ella Jarosewicz (Marceau) and a little classical singing.

In Vancouver, she worked with Axis, Carousel, Green Thumb, and many performance events before having kids and landing a PR job at the Arts Club Theatre, where she remained for 12 years before moving to Kingston, Ontario. Since then, arts marketing has been mixed with mime teaching for adults with cognitive challenges – plus painting and writing. She wants to make a t-shirt for her kids that says: “My Mother Was A Mime. Shut Up.”

Wayne Specht

Wayne is a co-founder and longstanding Artistic Director of Axis Theatre. Before his retirement in 2015, Wayne had performed in, written and/or directed over 50 of the company’s productions. He received his theatre training at the National Theatre School and the prestigious L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.

Wayne, through Axis, fostered a rich history of producing award winning shows for audiences of all ages. Under his leadership, Axis Theatre toured its innovative physical theatre the world over. He is one of the creators and original cast members of the legendary The Number 14 and directed the show on many occasions over its epic 20 years on the road.

Wayne trained hundred of mimes through the Axis Mime School, many of whom participated in the over 6,000 performances given at the Via Rail Pavilion during Expo ’86.  A creative collaborator at heart, Wayne was instrumental in developing Don Quixote (with The Arts Club and Centaur Theatre) and the international touring show, Flying Blind, (with Australia’s leading acrobatic theatre Legs On The Wall, the Arts Club and the Belfry Theatre). He also directed the subsequent Australian tour of Flying Blind. In 2005, he was part of the team and the director of Café Diablo, a piece commissioned by Karavaan Theatre (Netherlands). 

Wayne also moonlighted as the Artistic Director of the Vancouver International Comedy Festival for five years. He founded the Firehall Theatre in the early ‘80s, now known as the Firehall Arts Centre. Wayne was honoured with a Jessie Richardson Award in 2002 for Lifetime Career Achievement.

Wendy Gorling

Wendy is one of the co-creators of Axis Mime Theatre and an inductee into the British Columbia’s Entertainment Hall of Fame. A graduate of École LeCoq, she is featured in the book, Theatre Beyond Borders, both as a member of Axis Theatre as well as an independent physical theatre performer, choreographer and teacher. As a mentor, she has taught at Langara College’s Studio 58 for over 40 years and is passionate about guiding young Canadian theatre artists.

Wendy has garnered six Vancouver Jessie Awards. She co-created, with acclaimed playwright, Morris Panych, five non-verbal theatre pieces, including The Overcoat, which toured internationally and was adapted for a CBC film.

She has choreographed the movement for pieces such as Moby Dick and Trojan Women (Stratford Festival), Verdi’s Macbeth (Pacific Opera and Opera Quebec), Suzanna, Sweeney Todd, and The Tale of the Hummingbird (Vancouver Opera), The Overcoat – A Musical, Tailoring (Canadian Stage, Vancouver Opera), Pericles and The Winter’s Tale (Bard on the Beach), The Waiting Room (Art’s Club), and Peter Pan (Carousel Theatre). Upcoming, once the corona virus quarantine has finished, she will be choreographing Frankenstein for Stratford Theatre.