Five Classic Sailor Moon Voice Actors, Musical Group SeraSymphony, Singer Jennifer Cihi, and Seven Masters Level Cosplayers to Appear at Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration
Toronto, Ontario – May 6, 2017 – voice actors Sugar Lyn Beard and Susan Roman added as voice actor guests of honour. Voice actors Ron Rubin, Jill Frappier, and Loretta Jafelice to have a reunion for the first time at a convention, for their roles as the talking celestial cats in Sailor Moon. Other highlights of the guest list include musical group SeraSymphony and singer Jennifer Cihi; cosplayers Ammie Cosplay, Jelly Cosplay, Lee Scion, Yume, Kitsurie, Grey Cosplay, and Phil Mizuno; and comedy performance group Fan Fiction the Show. The third annual Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration will occur on Saturday, June 24th, 2017 at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This event is an official International Sailor Moon Day event and is sponsored by Moon Chase, Tessellate Videos, Chop Shop Goods, Right Stuf Anime, Arda Wigs, Pink City, and Girl Guides of Canada.
Sugar Lyn Beard was the second voice actress for the character of Rini who transformed into Sailor Minimoon in the original English dubs of Sailor Moon and played the majority of the episodes featuring the child of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask from the future. Sugar is known as an actress as well as a television and radio personality.
For Susan Roman, being part of the wacky, wonderful world of animation for most of her adult life has been a dream come true. Along the way, she worked on projects that have since become mainstream classics. She is probably best known as the voice of Sailor Jupiter in the original English dub of Sailor Moon.
Ron Rubin is well known as the original voice of Artemis for the entire run of the DiC and Cloverway dubs of Sailor Moon. He is one of the busiest animation actors around and his voice can be heard in countless anime shows and cartoon series.
Jill Frappier was the original voice of Luna for the entire run of the DiC and Cloverway dubs of Sailor Moon. She is an actor, storyteller, drama teacher “extraordinaire,” and has performed in well over 100 plays at major theatres in Toronto and across Canada, including the Shaw and Stratford Festivals. She also makes pottery, under the brand Jill's Objets.
Loretta Jafelice is best known for her roles of Eugeal of the Witches 5 and Diana, the celestial kitten from the future. She also voiced some monsters of the day.
SeraSymphony: Sailor Moon Symphony is the fan-created live music tribute to the Japanese series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Conducted by Bobbie Lee Crow III, the orchestral concert features background music and image songs from the many adaptations of Naoko Takeuchi's magical girl series.
Jennifer Cihi has been performing since she was a young girl growing up in California. At the age of 12, she began her professional career when she was cast in the role of Pepper in the 1978 Broadway National Tour of Annie. As a young adult, Jennifer lived and worked in Japan for two years performing at Tokyo Disney. After moving back to Los Angeles, she was cast as the singing voice of Sailor Moon. She went on to star in the Nickelodeon television show Roundhouse and has lent her voice to many national jingles, including the now famed Hot Pockets commercials. Over a decade ago, Jennifer said goodbye to Hollywood and moved to Nashville where her singing career continued to thrive. Now she attends comic cons all over the US, Canada, and Europe and is excited to appear again in Toronto.
SeraSymphony and Jennifer Cihi will be performing a special ticket concert in association with the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration, with tickets available at a discounted rate to convention attendees. Limited tickets are also available to the public. The special performance, coming to Toronto for the first time, will be approximately 90 minutes including an intermission, and will take place in the Imperial Oil Auditorium, which can accommodate over 400 spectators.
Ammie Cosplay started sewing well over a decade ago and has been actively making Sailor Moon costumes for 10 years. As a masters level cosplayer she strives to teach other cosplayers, both novice and masters, tricks of the trade and believes through her own trial and error in the art of costume making, she would like to share the wealth of knowledge she has obtained in the hobby. She has been featured in magazines and books around the world regarding her costumes.
Jelly Cosplay is a master level cosplayer who found her passion of cosplay in 2001. She has crafted over 70 cosplays, including Sailor Mercury, Queen Beryl, and NoFlutter's version of Sailor Venus. She also brandishes several awards.
Lee Scion is a master level cosplayer with over a decade of experience. A professional seamstress, Lee attended post secondary school for Stage Acting, Fashion and Design, as well as a graduate program for Historical Costuming.
Yume has been cosplaying since 2005 and Kitsurie since 2008. They started doing duo cosplays in 2012. Yume loves the sewing aspect of cosplay making, while Kitsurie enjoys prop making. Both are Sailor Moon fans and have made two different sailor fukus each. Yume has also made a Serenity dress.
Grey Cosplay is a Toronto based cosplayer who has been enjoying the art and the challenge of bringing his favourite characters to life for 4 years. From anime and manga to video games and comics, Grey has dabbled in it all.
Phil Mizuno is an up and coming Canadian-native cosplayer who followed his heart and is pursuing his passion to empower others through positivity and creativity. Phil has been cosplaying for over 2 years and currently lives and creates his cosplays in Toronto, Ontario.
Fan Fiction The Show is a group of comedic actors who will be performing a Sailor Moon themed fan fiction comedy show. The one hour performance will be rated PG.
About the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration: Organized by Emily Gonsalves, this is the third year running for the first Sailor Moon specific convention in the Toronto area. The convention team is unpaid – this event is run by fans for fans.
About Moon Chase: a Sailor Moon focused website (moon-chase.com) and network of social media profiles, run as a non-profit initiative. Founded to share information about Sailor Moon sightings and news from around the world, with the primary audience being English speaking North America. The network currently focuses on sharing fan creations as well as general news, merchandise information, and more – all with a Sailor Moon related focus
About Tessellate Videos: From photo to video, they specialize in capturing your most memorable moments help tell your story for years to come. Tessellate Videos will be taking official video footage and photography at the event. Their website is available at tessellatevideos.com.
About Chop Shop Goods: Our official clothing sponsor started back in 2012 providing custom orders for local friends and family when they had the idea of making shirts for themselves. The team decided to take their love of pop culture and all things nerdy and bring their designs and custom print shop on the road! They started to showcase themselves at Comic Cons and anime shows and currently handle approximately 25 weekend shows per year. They continue to strive to provide great designs and a wonderful experience when at events allowing customers to be creative by choosing their design and shirt colors as garments are printed for them during the events. More information is available at chopshopgoods.com
About Right Stuf Anime: Right Stuf, Inc. is an independent video publisher that specializes in packaging and distributing pre-recorded programming to English-language audiences – from anime to foreign live-action content. They also resell and distribute anime-related and Asian live-action merchandise on behalf of other North American suppliers. Right Stuf Anime is sponsoring an online contest for attendees at rsani.me/torontosmc and more information about Right Stuf Anime is available at rightstufanime.com
About Arda Wigs Canada: the Canadian branch of Chicago-based Arda Wigs. Proudly serving Canada since 2015, they are dedicated to bringing cosplayers and wig enthusiasts wig styles wearable on any head type, as well as being realistic and easy to style. They're also known for their customer service, fast shipping, and great prices. They are starting to travel all over Canada to bring their wigs to a convention near you. They are contributing prizes to our cosplay contest. More information is available at ardawigscanada.ca
About Pink City: Managed by Chris and Mike Tung who live by embracing alternative culture and challenging the norm, Pink City has evolved into a Toronto-based streetwear brand specializing in eclectic clothing designed to turn heads. Their idea was to combine the spirit of pop culture imagery with the edginess of street fashion. Their mission is to spice up today's aesthetic palette by empowering trendsetters with apparel that sparks conversations. Pink City is donating a prize that attendees will be eligible to win at the event. More details about Pink City are at pinkcity.ca
About Girl Guides of Canada: the organization of choice for girls and women that aims to make a positive difference in the life of every girl and woman who experiences Guiding so they can contribute responsibly to their communities. Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada enables girls to be confident, resourceful and courageous, and to make a difference in the world. Sponsoring a selection of activities at the event, you will also have the opportunity to learn more about getting involved with this non-profit organization. More information about them is available at girlguides.ca
About International Sailor Moon Day: founded by Sailor Moon fans in 2014 to celebrate the longevity and worldwide impact of Naoko Takeuchi's classic magical girl series. More information is available at sailormooncelebration.com/ismd
Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration Admission: $25 pre-registration, $30 at the door. Children 6-11 are $5 off. Children 5 and under are free. Hours: 11am to 9pm on Saturday, June 24th, 2017 and the special ticket concert runs 8pm-9:30pm. Programming Highlights: question and answer sessions with guests, cosplay panels, cosplay contest hosted by Bear Sailor Moon, video game area, special ticket concert performed by SeraSymphony and Jennifer Cihi, comedy performance by Fan Fiction the Show, charity photo booth by Cosplay for a Cure, fan-run panels, crafting, and more. For additional information, including how to buy tickets, please visit sailormooncelebration.com
