Lori Distel has been active in the theatre community for many years. With her time as an instructor and youth coordinator for the Cambridge Community Players (CCP), she oversaw five youth-based programs, working with children aged 4-18, teaching everything from theatre basics to advanced musical theatre.

In 2004, Lori co-founded NovaStage, a semi-professional theatre company whose mandate was to produce original works from emerging playwrights.

An actor and director, Lori's resume consists of productions such as Sylvia (for which she won a CCP Special Adjudicator's Award), The Mousetrap, Bye Bye Birdie, Godspell and, most recently, she directed and performed in Doubt, A Parable with Cambridge Community Players, which earned five nominations and two awards from the Western Ontario Drama League. Lori was also the recipient of the 2013 Cambridge Cultural Award/Bernice Adams Memorial Award in the category of Performing Arts and recently was a Top 20 finalist for the International Kleban Musical Theatre Prize. As a composer and lyricist, she has penned the music and lyrics for three Canadian musicals: Curiouser, Miss Scrooge and Little Heaven. She worked professionally as a jazz singer for years, headlining bands such as 'The Lori Distel Trio' and 'Standard Time.' She's trained in vocal music for the past forty years. Along with running Penny & Pound Theatre Productions, Lori currently serves as a private voice and acting coach.