Kathryn Alexandra Ballantine

Kathryn Alexandra Ballantine was born on June 19th, 1988 in Parry Sound, Ontario to Leonard David and Heather Lee Esther Ballantine. Leonard, known as Len to most, had spent the majority of his life on a piano bench and discovered his love for music at a young age. He composed his first piece at the age of six and out grew his teachers faster than he out grew his Sunday trousers. Raised in Windsor, he continued his training all through high school and eventually went on to study piano composition and conducting at the University of Toronto. Arranging, composing and choral conducting continue to be his forte and his passion. Kathryn’s mother, born Heather Lee Esther Marshall, grew up in the small town of Tweed, just outside of Belleville, Ontario. She was raised a family-oriented woman and loved to dance, sing and act. After secondary school she went on to Sir Sandford Fleming College to study social work for two years. A born people-person, her first job was a counsellor at a half-way house for men in Brampton.  Later she worked as a volunteer coordinator for Toronto Police Service’s Victim Witness Program. Len and Heather were married on June 8, 1985 in Tweed, Ontario.

Len, Heather and Kathryn soon moved to Toronto to begin school at the College For Officer Training for the Salvation Army.  There they spent two years before Len and Heather graduated and took their first placement at a church in Stratford, Ontario.  There Kathryn’s brother David Marshall Ballantine was born; Marshall taken from their mother’s maiden name.  Only seven months later, they moved to Ilford, Essex in England.  Kathryn and David grew up together at 206 Ashburton Avenue, returning to Canada only in the summers for visits with cousins and grandparents.  Sadly leaving a sister behind from Leonard’s previous marriage, Carolyn Marie, ten years Kathryn’s senior, would grow to have a much deeper bond with Kathryn and David later in life.  It wold be six years before they would call Canada home once again.  Leonard lead the International Staff Songsters, known as the ISS to Salvationists, and toured the world with his music.  London England remains the longest Kathryn has ever lived in one place and it holds some wonderful memories for the whole family.  She and her brother together attended St. Margrets Church of England, Primary School, in Barking.

At the age of ten, Kathryn’s family moved back to Canada.  There, they lived in London, Ontario on Bexhill Drive; Len and Heather working as pastors at Westminister Park Corps. of the Salvation Army.  Kathryn attended Wilton Grove Public School with her brother, from grade five until grade eight.  They walked together to school and began to develop a deeper relationship than what most young siblings had.  Of course they fought, but they played as well, and loved each other’s company dearly.  Both of them had to repeat a year of school at Wilton Grove because their English schooling time had begun a year earlier.  So, Kathryn repeated grade five, which was a blessing seeing as she has already missed one year of French.

During this time Carolyn was married to Michael Simpson, and they soon followed in the Ballantine’s footsteps and attended the Salvation Army College for Officer Training in Toronto.  Finally, not only were the three siblings on the same continent, but only an hour drive away.  They spent more time together than ever before and began a life of love together.  Within the two years that the Simpsons were in Toronto, the Ballantine’s were moved there also, taking a new appointment as the head of music for the Canada and Bermuda Territory of the Salvation Army.

Kathryn’s High School experience was certainly one to be envious of. She loved school; every minute of it.  Rosedale Heights School of the Arts was a place for her to try new things, to learn and explore.  She took part in all kinds of extracurricular activities such as the Dance Company and Improv Team.  She seemed to be constantly blessed every year with teachers who took her under her wing, and helped her to stand on her own two feet.  Names such as Stephanie Haley, Maryanne Marsh, Stephen Wei, John Blakey were just some of the influences that  continue to affect her every day.  The RHSA Dance Company gave Kathryn a chance to truly focus on technique and ‘dance perfomance’ skills.  They toured all over Toronto to many elementary schools, premoting Rosedale’s Arts program.  Every year, Maryanne Marsh the head of the dance program, would create a show from scratch where every student, from every level of dance could participate.  Alice, Reflections, Les Miserables and Circo Della Vita were all incredible collaborations of visual art, dance, drama and comedy.  The Improv Team was by far the greatest learning experience Kathryn has ever had the honour of participating in. Four years of creative, impulse based drama is an amazing way to get any actor to trust themselves.  She coached the team in her forth year along with her close friend Ashton Doudelet.  They took Rosedale to the Canadian National Improv Games finals and placed fifth in the country.

Ballantine performed two leading roles on the Rosedale stage.  Her first was in grade eleven where she landed the part of Sally Bowls in Cabaret. It was during these rehearsals that she knew what she wanted to do with her life, and grabbed it by the shirt tale.  Cabaret will always be her favourite musical.  Perhaps it is that first experience that shapes one so much that it can’t help but to leave a lasting mark on the heart.   It was only a year later that she played Reno Sweeny in the Cole Porter hit, Anything Goes; double cast with her best friend and later Maid of Honour, Jessica Willis.

Kathryn Ballantine went on to attend Sheridan College for MusicTheatre Performance. Over the three years one might have caught her in such productions at Sheridan as: The Beatles, Gypsy, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Brigadoon.  Sheridan was an intensive experience where her knowledge of music theatre, in all of it’s forms, was challenged and expanded on a daily basis.  There was never a dull moment, for between making wonderful friends close enough to be family, working late nights and early mornings in the studios, becoming an auntie twice over, she met Kyle Higgins.  They dated for a year before Kyle proposed marriage in April of 2008.

In the summer between second and third year, Ballantine spent five months playing kindred spirit Diana Barry in Anne of Green Gables at the Charlottetown Festival. It was an especially exciting summer because it was the 100th year anniversary of the publication of the book. During this time she also played Lesley Gore in British Invasion: America Strikes Back. Charlottetown was Kathryn’s first professional theatre performance.  She was immediately bought into Actors Equty, the Canadian actors union, and began her career before she had even graduated from college.  There she worked with some of Canada’s favourite faces, Julain Mulnar, Charlotte Moore, Terry Hatty, Sandy Windsby and Janet McEwan.  Every day she learned more from these talented, seasoned performers and will never forget the experience.

During her final year at Sheridan, Ballantine landed an ensemble and understudy part in The Boys In the Photograph, a brand new Andrew Lloyd Webber/ Ben Elton musical that opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  So, leaving a few weeks early from her final semester at school, she travelled across Canada to be apart of this new and beautiful creation in March of 2009.  The show was quickly picked up by Mirvish and was put up at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in down town Toronto.

On April 24th, 2010 Kathryn married her college sweet heart Kyle Higgins and they settled down in uptown Toronto.  During their first summer of marriage, they created their own company called The Role Players which currently provides professional actors to role play for corporate training in the Toronto area.  In their second summer of married life they both landed leading roles in Ready To Serve, a children’s program in partnership with CTS. They are currently filming the first of a possible three seasons.

During the year, Kathryn teaches dance at Tandem Dance and Fitness Studio and teaches voice from her home studio.