Profiles & Interviews

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ is on its 50th anniversary tour.

Where did the years go?

It might seem a bit odd to see the production as we enter Advent and the Christmas season for Catholics and Christians, but this is a milestone…fifty years.

I must thank artist Aaron LaVigne who plays Jesus in this production that comes to Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre for taking the time to be profiled for this series.

He is an actor-singer-songwriter originally from Cincinnati & based in NYC. He is honored to be playing the iconic role of Jesus in the 50th Anniversary production of Jesus Christ Superstar! Theater Highlights: Broadway: Spider-Man. Off-Broadway: RENT. National Tour: RENT. Regional & Concerts: tick,tick…BOOM!, Jesus Christ Superstar, Civil War. Aaron writes, performs, & tours his original music & is available on all major streaming platforms. B.F.A. Northern Kentucky University.

We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thank you so much for your time, Aaron. I’m looking forward to seeing the production in Toronto:

Could you share the names of one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful.

Ooooo, this is tough.

We’re going to go with some OG situations here.

Okay, I could not, not thank Miss Connie Saho, La Salle High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, my high school Drama teacher who, when I was a Senior, I got the bug to start doing all this stuff. She’s been pushing me to try and do this since my freshman year, and I finally did it when I was a Senior.

One mentor? Oh my gosh…let’s see here…….oh, man, oh, man, oh man…I could go with another teacher in college. I’m thinking of one. I would have to say Joe Conger at Northern Kentucky University. When I first started doing theatre, he was the Chair of the department even though he never taught me. He was an amazing mentor for me and put up with all of my young antics and guided me in spite of who I was.
I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 -19 months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?

Oh my God, that is a loaded answer.

I think, generally speaking, my tolerance for bullshit has gone down quite a bit. I think there were a lot of things that happened during the pandemic where a lot of skeletons came out of a lot of closets. Through social media we figured out who some people were and who some weren’t.

I’ve learned to take a step back from things that I couldn’t tolerate because I don’t think it’s a way to live anymore. I don’t want to be angry or upset with things that I can’t control or don’t have any say over.
I just look for the good in the people around me. That’s been my biggest change, and the other one is to be a little more forgiving of everyone and for who we are under such tough circumstances. This has been a long time since this has been going on, and for lots of people who lost jobs and many industries, including mine, I think a little tolerance and a little patience goes a long way.

I’m trying to take that with me and I’m hoping people around me will also practice that if I have influence on anybody at all.

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

Well, I understand where you’re coming from, but I think these two questions for me are intertwined. I bring so much of myself to my artistry and commitment to it.

As an artist I have empathy for the world especially for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and for the role I’m playing. The role requires a lot of getting knocked down in order to portray a decent version of this character.

The world is fucked up right now and needs some healing and understanding, and in this particular production I try to bring that healing and understanding to my work everyday.

I keep that focus because when you’re in the theatre you have to realize everyone is wearing a mask. We’re just not filling up theatres, and I don’t know people’s experiences with Covid. Many have got sick and have died. I cannot assume anything about people in the audiences out there and they can’t assume anything about me.

But I can empathize with somebody out there who probably lost somebody to Covid.

There’s a whole new world in which we are living right now that we have to recognize, at least I have to be able to recognize, and make that part of my reality at this point.

In your professional opinion, how do you see the global landscape of professional theatre changing, adapting, and morphing as a result of these last 18 months?

I think we’re seeing it right in front of our eyes. Even with our Equity union, it came out with certain protocols for performing during the pandemic.

There were all these different ideas Equity and the producers had and were trying to make something happen along the way. The more they looked at it and the more watching the numbers and the waves of infection, everyone realized they required a vaccine and waited for it.

Even within that there are still strict protocols – there are no backstage tours. I’m not doing any live press events as it’s all done virtually over Zoom or the phone. There are strict testing protocols for us as company members and for audiences. People still show up at the stage door for kind words of congratulations or for autographs and pictures. It’s discouraged but if we are out there we try to maintain our distance as best we can.

We’re in the middle of this evolution and as it keeps going and the numbers go down and we learn to manage the virus better, I think we’re going to have to deal with this for a little while. The fact we’re doing live shows, live music and live theatre is coming back, we can see light at the tend of the tunnel. I think there’s going to be some ups and downs but there’s an evolution we’re in the middle of right now.

Eventually we will get there.

What intrigues/fascinates and excites Aaron LaVigne post Covid?

Hmmm…post Covid? Oh wow. Hmmmm.

I’m in a place in my life where the pandemic taught me to take care of myself first a little bit more. With self care, things then fall in line around you versus trying to take care of other people, or take care of your job or try to serve something without serving yourself in a way that helps you and lends better results. That fascinates and intrigues me.

For me, I’m just trying to take care of myself more in regard to physical and mental health. For me, it’s opened my mind to say I don’t have to be a certain way anymore to subscribe to anything on a list as a person. That transcends me just being a theatre artist or a songwriter, I’m seeing that is a vital option for the rest of my life.

At least I’m feeling that a lot more, and Covid taught me that.

What disappoints, unnerves and upsets Aaron LaVigne post Covid?

I’m all for independent thought. I’m all for freedom of speech and for all these things we have, these inalienable rights we have as humans, as Americans.

There’s something that bothers me the most when someone doesn’t know something and they presume to know something, more so than an expert who knows something. These individuals who don’t know something sometimes speak louder than those who know something.

That really bothers me and disappoints me for the bad information being spread and then perpetuating it.

I don’t have any patience left for people who spread bad information and perpetuating it. It’s so easy to find bad information these days.

With this tour being the 50th anniversary of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, how have audience reactions been so far? What is one message you hope audiences will take away from this production?

Reactions have been great from audiences. It’s been really special to be able to perform this story again.
Most people know the story of ‘Superstar’, but our version of the show is really fun and I think audiences are reacting in such a positive light.

At this time right now in Covid, people just want to be entertained. They want to see a big band, the lights, the choreography and to hear the singers sing, scream, emote and do all of the things they do.

The first time I was in a rehearsal hall with my cast was overwhelming to sing the show all the way through from top to bottom. Very overwhelming. I had to step out of the rehearsal hall for about ten minutes to compose myself and take a breath and re-evaluate everything in that moment.

I’m very grateful. I think we’re doing a really great job as a cast, as a company. We hold each other in a place where there’s a bit more love and protection surrounding our company.

The one message I hope audiences will take away…hmmm… that’s a tricky one as there are a lot of themes running through the show. I’m trying to answer from the show’s point of view, and not my point of view.

Hmmmm….

“Hold a little bit more space for other people. Hold more space than you normally would for others.”

RAPID ROUND

Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors and teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

“I wish I would have listened to you earlier.”

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

“Hey, how’s it goin?” (Aaron says this with a gleeful wicked smile that sends me into laughter)

What’s your favourite swear word?

“Fuck”. You can use it in any context, funny or angry or animalistic. It’s a great word.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Ooooo….”Thank you.”

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

“No”

With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live North American performing arts scene?

President Barack Obama, by far.

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

Hmmm…. “Take a breath, open your mind, open your heart.”

With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell the upcoming Aaron LaVigne from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist?

“Enjoy the ride.”

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Geez….

Personally, what do I want to accomplish personally? I don’t even know…maybe have kids someday. That is something I’d like to accomplish and enjoy.

Professionally? I just want to be happy doing what I’m doing.

Name one moment in your professional career that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

Hmmmm….

Wow!!!! Hmmmmm….

I worked in Hawaii for a few months as a guest artist on a cruise ship and I worked one day a week.

I could go back to that moment for awhile. It was awesome.

What is one thing Aaron LaVigne will never take for granted again post Covid?

Any of it. All of it. I don’t take anything for granted as of this point. So much gratitude.

Would Aaron LaVigne do it all again if given the same professional opportunities?

Fuck, yeah!!!! (and both he and I go into laughter)

You can follow Aaron on his website: www.aaronlavigne.com and on Instagram:@aaron_lavinay
The 50th anniversary tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar’ is slated to run at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre November 30 – January 2, 2022. For further information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.mirvish.com.

Adam Brazier’s name is another one I’ve recognized over the years especially from the late 80s and early 90s when live theatre was thriving in Toronto.

In learning where life has taken him since that time, Adam has certainly reaped bounteous rewards of his professional career.

He is a multi award-winning actor/director and the artistic director of Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Serving as the inaugural artistic director of Theatre 20, Adam led the development of several new works, including the world premiere of ‘Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare’, which was nominated for nine Dora nominations.

Adam’s accomplished acting career includes originating the male lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Woman in White’ on Broadway, and also the male lead, Gabriel, in the 2013 Charlottetown Festival musical, ‘Evangeline’. The Toronto native has held starring roles with most major Canadian theatre companies, including at Stratford, Shaw, The Canadian Stage, Mirvish Productions, as well as in London’s West End and with the Chicago Shakespeare. Adam has been nominated for Dora awards as an actor, director and producer.

Adam is a graduate of the George Brown Theatre School (’96) and has a diploma in acting. …his parents are very proud.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you for the conversation, Adam:

It has been an exceptional and nearly seven long months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

One of the many blessing to living on Prince Edward Island is the natural isolation that the Island offers. There are only three ways on the Island and due to its small population and exceptional guidance from CPHO, COVID-19 cases have been few and well controlled. We have had zero community spread and most Islanders are respectful and wear masks and practice social distancing.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last six months?

This year has been brutal for everyone. I myself, lost my father five months ago. We have been unable to have a celebration of life and I am lacking any sense of closure. My mother is in Ontario and does not feel safe travelling on an airplane or quarantining alone during this stage in her life. So yea… 2020 has been shit.

The good news is my wife (actress Melissa Kramer) and our two boys are doing very well. The boys wear a mask to school but other than that, life is pretty normal for them. Again, a blessing of the Island.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Being an artistic director means you wear all the decisions you make personally and professionally. Every choice is public and is always personal to other artists/peers. Cancelling the 2020 Charlottetown Festival season broke my heart. Not for myself, but for the amazing company of artists we had assembled. It pains me to watch peers whom I respect and admire, continue to face the anxiety of unemployment and their many lost opportunities. I mourn for the young artists who finally had the opportunity to play large roles on significant stages, only to have their hopes and dreams dashed by this virus.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

We were two months away from rehearsal for the Festival when we were forced to cancel the season.

Only one of the 2020 productions are now slated to move forward in 2021 season. We are working on various models for next summer and patrons will have to stay tuned until we know more. We hope to make a programming announcement early in the new year.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Raising two boys with my amazing partner and trying to re-imagine what a 300 seat Charlottetown Festival will look like for 2021 (we normally host 1100 in our main theatre, plus three other smaller spaces). Fortunately, because of the Atlantic Bubble we have been able to continue working and developing new content for our stages—another Island blessing.

I’ve also had a crash course in video production, creating and producing 12 episodes of “Postcards from the Island” and a 40-minute digital celebration of Anne Shirley called “Feelin’ Might Proud!” Having spent very little time behind the camera, this was an exhilarating time of learning and creativity.

https://confederationcentre.com/postcards-from-the-island/

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

You are not your career. Your value as an artist has nothing to do with your employment or your peers’ vision of success. Stay disciplined and joyful in your art and make every obstacle an opportunity for creativity.

Art and science have got us through every pandemic in history. Lean on your art to get you through this one. Remember to “Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the arts.” Wise words from some Russian guy.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

I have seen countless blessings from COVID-19. It has presented The Charlottetown Festival with an opportunity to redefine its purpose and its structure. This is both terrifying and thrilling. Change is difficult at the best of times, but this change was out of our control, so we can either deny it or roll with it and grow. I have always believed that if there is an elephant in the room, put a spotlight on it, give it some tap shoes, and start selling tickets. Sing out, Louise!

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Sadly yes. I worry that North American audiences are not in the cultural habit of attending theatre regularly enough to bring every theatre production company back, post COVID. That being said, I’m sure this time of isolation will inspire great art and innovation, and digital advances that will serve us in the next chapter.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

With the exception of watching the George Hearn and Angela Lansbury filmed stage version of ‘Sweeney Todd’, I struggle to watch any theatre on a screen. I need the collective experience of sharing with an audience. However, I think the move to digital content was inevitable and is necessary to staying relevant. I’m just a bit old fashioned that way.

Confederation Centre of the Arts has made a sizable commitment to streaming live content but I am trying to focus on concerts and off performance in an effort to avoid anything too story-driven, as I think the form suffers on screen…unless it’s starring Angela Lansbury, she can do no wrong.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

For me, the performing arts is about the human spirit. It’s about sharing our individual truths and finding commonality. As an artist on stage or as an audience member, witnessing artists share themselves with open vulnerability and craftsmanship will never cease to inspire me.

You can follow Adam on his Twitter handle: @adambrazier01.

Last time I saw Adam Paolozza perform on stage was during his years as a student at Father Leo J. Austin in Whitby. He was part of an amazing ensemble who performed ‘The Serpent’.

That was in the 90s. Adam has gone on to do many things since then.

From his personal web page:
He is a graduate of École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Ryerson Theatre School and has studied Corporeal Mime with the Decroux company Intrepido in Paris. He also studied Commedia Dell’Arte with Marcello Magni of Théâtre de Complicité.

In addition to creation work, Adam is a dedicated teacher. He’s been a sessional instructor at the Soulpepper Academy, taught at Ryerson University and the University of Toronto. He has given independent workshops in Scotland, France, India, and China as well as all over Canada, using his own unique interpretation of the Lecoq pedagogy. Adam’s goal as instructor is to help students develop a spontaneous mind and body connection through a coupling of formal technique and improvisation.

In 2014 Adam created BAD NEW DAYS to produce his own projects and explore his vision of a contemporary poetic theatre of gesture. He states: “I believe theatre has the potential to open up new space for radical thinking precisely because it is an art where meaning is held ‘in suspense’, so to speak, as pure potential.”

Adam and Bad New Days have been nominated for 18 Dora Mavor Moore awards, winning one personally for performance.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much for your time, Adam:

Could you share one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful.

Tony Labriola and Jim Shea, (two of my teachers at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School in Whitby) were a good combination. They introduced me to Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, existentialism, absurdism, all different kinds and aspects of theatre history.

They really supported my exploration and journey into becoming an actor.

They definitely opened the door for me.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 -19 months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?

I really took it as a chance to stop and pause and focus on personal change that was not happening at the same rate as some professional change. I wanted to line up some personal goals and professional goals.

It was an existential pause.

I had more time to exercise and got in better shape than I had been before which felt good, especially for being interested in physical theatre and to prepare when things opened up again.

It was a time to re-examine things I really cared about and say goodbye to some things and create space for new things. It was a time to get myself together before coming back.

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

(Adam laughs) Well, I’ve yet to see the full results.

I have been lucky to have performed twice already. A friend of mine who lives in Estonia, we’ve been working on a show for the last couple of years which got delayed by Covid; then in August – September I was able to go there and perform in this puppet show we were working on.

I just got back from Montreal two weeks with a show I’ve been working on.

I thought a lot about art and theatre during Covid, and you start to realize when you’re in your forties like me, life starts to move fast and you start to realize how long things take, and you have to do things that you want to do.

I thought it’s good to go back to basics after Covid. It’s made me decide what do I love? What kind of work do I want to make the most?

Instead of worrying about what I ought to do rather than what my passions felt, I thought it’s time to follow that and let people follow if they do.

In the show we did in Montreal, at the beginning I have a moment where I come on stage and stand in front of the audience in silence for quite a long time. I really felt the personal work I had done during Covid was very useful in that moment, and it allowed me to be more present and enjoy it.

You can’t think too much when you’re performing, and I’m really trying to absorb as much of this as I can. It’s such a pleasure to be back on stage, and it’s left me with more gratitude and sense of wanting to slow those moments down.

We’ll see how that transforms into the practice and the technique.

There’s definitely a renewed sense of spirit, of purpose and enjoyment.

Hopefully, we’ll be doing the Montreal show in Toronto soon as we were supposed to do it back-to-back before Covid. We’re planning to do the show at the end of April, and it’s called “Italian Mime Suicide”.
In your professional opinion, how do you see the global landscape of professional theatre changing, adapting, and morphing as a result of these last 18 months?

I think it’s still happening.

I can tell you what I hope will happen.

My big “concern” about theatre in Canada is being so focussed on the text and on a certain way of a certain kind of Canadian naturalism. My friend, Jacob Zimmer, calls it “upper Canadian naturalism” because I’m not speaking for all of Canada but Ontario and Toronto-centric which is the place I’m coming from.

I wish, and what I try to do in my work (successfully or not) is to create theatre with what is possible theatrically, not what is just possible with text but with all the meaning that escapes text or is under the text, above it, beside it.

My experience in working with theatre schools and with younger people is that we don’t see a lot of that work in English Canada. I always thought in Quebec that theatre is more visually or physically engaged with those aspects, but even there when I brought the work, I was told it is refreshing to see that work relies on gesture just as much as it does on text.

I don’t know if it’s an anglophone thing or a British repertory model that has come down to us. I’ve always been inspired by commedia dell ‘arte. In a historical way, I love masques and how they organize things but what I take in a more contemporary way is the philosophy of when we’re in the space we improvise together. We usually have a plan, but it’s about that ‘liveness’, that danger (if you want to call it that), and we had that autonomy and anything can happen, really.

I think that’s why theatres have been dangerous places during revolutions or traditionally there was talk to shut theatres down during times of social unrest. I think only focusing on text…hmmm…I can get that from a newspaper article but what can you give me from the theatre that’s different.

I love that we’re talking about important issues and I never want to stop that. I want to encourage more of that, but I wish there was more theatrical thinking about that.

I have always hoped and continued to hope that kind of meaning is only created by ‘liveness’, by being in a room and having the experience of being together of gathering. My sense is that people feel the loss of that and are really craving that, as I am as a spectator and as performer.

I hope that more work starts to be created with that in mind of what is possible when people are in a room together. I hope we can use theatre to open up different ways of thinking for people more. A lot of inequality and shitty things became very clear to people during the pandemic, and then when things break down it creates a new space and new way of thinking or new ways of organizing.

I’m hoping that kind of echo with people start re-organizing and coming together again in order to create work inspires that, and there is a sense that things don’t have to be the way they were before in broad strokes.

What intrigues, fascinates, and excites Adam Paolozza post Covid?

I just saw a concert at the Danforth Music Hall the other night, and just the moment when the lights go dark and a body comes on stage, you’ve hooked me already.

That’s my favourite moment. I just want to see what are we going to do with that now? How are you going to take me on a journey?

That’s the thing I love about theatre – that it’s extra and surplus from life, that we don’t need it “per se” but we do in a sense that we examine who we are by representing ourselves in the flesh.

It’s a strange metier to work in.

I’m just intrigued and hope that more companies don’t just reflect reality in a verisimilitude kind of way, but I want to see the response to reality. I want the imaginary world that I feel is connected to what’s going on that allows me to dissociate from the harshness of reality and enter into the space where meaning is held in suspense, and I can think about things at a distance rather than really just presenting things in a realistic way which has a place.

Yes, there is a great tv, theatre and film representing this, but to me it’s just one choice of many so I would be intrigued to see more people looking for other ways, and other choices.

What frustrates Adam Paolozza post Covid?

I’m not into the online shows.

To me, they can be cool but they’re not theatre. It’s a necessity for sure, and I love that it gives access to people with physical accessibility issues or neuro-diverse people where it’s hard to be in public.

I hope that it doesn’t go away, but I was kind of frustrated. You could take a risk by stopping what you were doing for a little while if you’re lucky and privileged enough to survive which I was economically and all that.

I just wish theatre creators wouldn’t rush so quickly into the next thing and think more about how you could use Zoom in a way that is more interesting???? I don’t know.

I’m tired of the online stuff. That’s my frustration but more stuff is opening up.

I hope we can go back into spaces and be safe. I understand why the world needs to recover but that hustle that people complained about before Covid (gas prices, groceries, and prices) is starting to return in a worse way catching up for lost time. Let’s stop and re-examine and not blindly go back with the horse pulling the situation rather than the person controlling the horse.

I hope more positive change comes rather than reaction or people digging their heels in on the right and polarization.

A sprawling answer, Joe, I know.

RAPID ROUND
Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors or teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

Thank you. You don’t realize so many small gestures, those little, small things you said had such an impact and continue to inspire. Thank you for being generous and supportive in a time it was really important and instrumental.

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

I enjoyed this one when I read it earlier.

What I would say would be, “Screw you” to some of the faculty at Ryerson Theatre School when I went there. (Note: this university is no longer called this name) when a young, impressionable Adam went in for his interview at the end of second year and was really excited to talk about art and my work, and they said to me,

“Have you considered jaw surgery?”

I have a bit of an underbite. The staff at the interview told me my work is fine but they were thinking I should get jaw surgery so I could be more palatable for television and film.

I was lucky I had enough self esteem at the time to not be thrown by that. I’m a teacher now at the university and I couldn’t imagine saying that to a 21- or 22-year-old.

Ryerson, the faculty and staff are better now. (Please note this name of the university is changing) When Perry Schneiderman took over, things improved dramatically.

What’s your favourite swear word?

Probably ‘Fuck’. I guess I’m pretty average. Maybe ‘shit’, but it depends on the kind of day. For exclamation or frustration, I would go “Shit”. If I wanted percussive impact, I would use “Fuck”.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Exacerbate. I use this word in rehearsals as much as I can.

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Brewery. I have a hard time with those r w combos. I like going to them, but I don’t like saying the word.

With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live Canadian performing arts scene?

This one was a tough one. I’m going to have to make the table bigger, cheat and give you three names: Walter Benjamin, Jacques Tati and Hans Thies Lehmann.

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

“Stop worrying about how you’re perceived on what you ought to do and really have confidence and dig deeper into what it is you’re passionate about. Trust that this will bring people closer to you.”

With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell the upcoming Adam Paolozza from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist?

“Don’t become jealous of the success of others and try not to let that be something that drives you. Think about the connections you make with other people and the collaborations. Hold on to that because that is a source of strength. Nourish that.”

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Professionally, I would love to tour more and to have my work seen by bigger audiences, bigger festivals. I would also really love to perform more in other people’s work. That’s not something that has happened as much as I would have liked. I would just like to be an actor in other people’s processes more.

What do I hope to accomplish personally? I would like to be in a place where the pleasure of working and the practicing of art is really the main driver. There’s obviously going to be a certain amount of satisfaction gained by praise. But as I get older in my life, I want to focus more on what it is about the work that nourishes me, so my delicate emotions don’t get thrown around by the winds of criticism and opinions.
I just want to have more inner strength.

Name one moment in your professional career that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

Maybe in theatre school. When I was there, I was aware that was a special time at that time.
More important in my life would be after theatre school when you start to become idle and don’t have much work right away, I would want to talk to that younger Adam and tell him not to get so bogged down in the negative. Just have faith and all is happening in movement even though you don’t see it.

After Ryerson, I went to the LeCoq school in France and it was just exactly what I wanted to study. I remember sitting in a class and the teacher was teaching something that I had really wanted to learn about pantomime. I just remember thinking,

“I’m here. I made it at the exact place where I need to be as professional and aware and soak up as much of this as I can.

So pay attention. You’re lucky you’re here.”

What is one thing Adam Paolozza will never take for granted again post Covid?

Being able to be in front of an audience. I miss that so much. Not being able to do that during these last 19 months made things difficult sometimes and what’s the point.

This is a privilege and pleasure I never want to take for granted.

Would Adam Paolozza do it all again if given the same professional opportunities?

Yeah, I think I would. Besides certain people, I don’t think I love anything in life as much as I love theatre.
I feel good about my choice.

To learn more about Adam, visit www. https://www.badnewdays.com/adam-paolozza
To learn more about Bad New Days Theatre:
Facebook: @badnewsdaysperformance. Instagram and Twitter: @badnewdays

A recent email conversation with Jeff Madden and Adrian Marchuk clarified how their personal lives and professional artistic careers must be well-planned in this sometimes challenging and uncertain performing arts industry.

Throughout this weaving web of gigs, shows, auditions, and discussion, what’s the most essential element in their lives?

They are, first and foremost, family men.

I like that.

They are currently touring in the concert show ‘How We Got to Jersey – A Tale of Two Frankies.’ I love the title because it says it all.

I saw Madden’s work as Frankie Valli several years ago in ‘Jersey Boys’ when it played at the North York Performing Arts Centre. I haven’t seen Marchuk’s work yet, but I look forward to attending the upcoming concert show in the next leg of its journey.

Adrian and Jeff call themselves theatre guys.

The former calls himself a theatre guy who loves creating, rehearsing, and performing in the medium. He loves bringing joy to a live audience during the show and receiving immediate feedback as an artist. Marchuk says, ” [Theatre] is where I first felt really safe and where I like myself.”

Jeff says he, too, is a theatre animal and where he’s most at home. Nevertheless, he also realizes the only way to make work and earn a living as a performing artist in Toronto is to be available – and able- to do all kinds of work. Madden has worked on some television shows, voice-over gigs and commercials. He’s also just completed recording his first audiobook, which he says was fun. But he loves theatre so much.

Adrian began creating his own work about ten years into his career. He has four concert shows in his ‘Broadway Biographies’ series, all of which go behind the scenes to explore the life and work of the greatest composers of Broadway and Hollywood, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken (of Disney fame), Richard Rodgers, and Harold Arlen.

Jeff was involved in the Toronto production of ‘Come From Away’ before the pandemic shut it down. He also put together his first solo cabaret show, ‘My Life In Song’ and performed it a few times around the city with the great pianist David Atkinson. A few years later, Jeff created and performed his follow-up solo cabaret – My Life In Song – Act 2 during the pandemic, as a means of creating work for himself and lifting his spirits when the entire performing arts industry shut down.

What about Frankie Valli’s music keeps drawing audiences to hear the songs?

Jeff suggests that, in some ways, Pop music today is still quite like Pop music from the 1960s. It has a good, strong, up-tempo beat that makes you want to dance, incredible melodies that are earworms, pleasing harmonies, and great lyrics that tell the stories of finding love, struggling in a relationship, losing love, and hoping for love.

He also adds that maybe it’s Frankie’s unique voice, with his piercing falsetto, which is sometimes playful and exuding joy and sometimes growling with yearning passion. Perhaps it was the 10-piece band with a killer horn section. Maybe it’s because they kept recreating themselves musically, with their hits spanning through the teeny-bop era, the more sophisticated mid-60s pop-rock, the late-60s psychedelic-tinged classic rock, and even into the disco era of the mid-1970s. These guys were incredible, charismatic men of the times.

How did the concept of ‘How We Got to Jersey – A Tale of Two Frankies’ germinate?

Over the years, Adrian and Jeff have been asked to perform material from ‘Jersey Boys’ at events nationwide – even internationally. And sometimes, they’ve performed together with a couple of other guys at a corporate event. Jeff said the guys were killing time backstage one night before a show, talking about all the tribute acts and touring shows performing some of this iconic material. And he remembers just kind of casually blurting out rather off-the-cuff that they should put their own show together.

Madden added further:

“We didn’t exactly jump at the idea right away, but this particular idea stuck in the back of my mind. I remember thinking we were the OG Frankies in Canada; it would be hard to top what we could bring to the table.”

Adrian recalled being approached by the folks at Abbey Gardens, a venue in Haliburton, who were aware of the kinds of shows he already produced. The Abbey Gardens folks had a date they wanted him to come and do a show, and he pitched them a few ideas. They didn’t jump at his first couple of ideas.

But then, out of the blue, Marchuk pitched the idea for this concert show of the ‘Two Frankies’:

“When they [The Abbey Gardens folks] jumped at it, suddenly I was like, “Oh, crap! I better find out if Jeff is available!”. Thankfully, he was, despite his insanely busy schedule, and we got right to work. After that, the show came together quickly – we both had the same clear idea of how we wanted the show to take shape. We got it ready for its first performance in three months, which is fast!”

‘How We Got to Jersey’ is not just songs strung together. Adrian reiterated it’s his and Jeff’s story, their relationship with each other, and this career, all told through their experience of the insane roller coaster that was and is ‘Jersey Boys.’ Adrian re-iterates that, as opposed to fully staged musicals, concert shows are a bit easier to put up in a short amount of time, which means they can pick the show up and bring it anywhere. The show’s intimacy and its direct, honest, and exciting connection with the audience is thrilling.

Jeff further adds to Adrian’s thought:

“[The show] is a bit of a hybrid piece – it could be considered a concert show, a tribute act, even a book musical. I’m most proud of how we tell our personal story, and how we use over 25 pieces of music – songs made famous by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – to help us tell our story. Some songs are used simply as underscoring; some are sung in part, and some in whole. Some have new arrangements; some are performed in the traditional arrangements you know and love.”

But what about life on the road and away from their families?

Marchuk says one of the main themes in “How We Got to Jersey” is the struggle to find the ideal work-life balance between being a performer and being a parent. Madden and Marchuk are both very dedicated to their families and their art. They’re both the stay-at-home parents to their kiddos, so doing an eight-show week or travelling across the country to work would be challenging. These shorter runs are an excellent way for them to have their cake and eat it, too!

Both men agree that the responses to the show have gone far beyond their expectations. The script is funny, personal, and interesting, and it draws the audience into the story. Audiences might be expecting that it’s a tribute act, but “How We Got to Jersey” is more than just that.

Jeff and Adrian hope for full houses for seven upcoming shows at Theatre Aquarius on June 6 for one show, Theatre Collingwood on June 11-14 for five, and Abbey Gardens on June 22 for one show, so please go to their websites and grab tickets!

What’s next for these two talented gentlemen outside the concert show?

Adrian teaches voice privately out of his studio in Toronto and continues to write new shows. He’s working on one about George Michael and another about Kafka that one is non-musical – that he hopes to get up and running sometime next year. He has a tour of one of his Broadway Biographies shows happening in the fall of 2024 – Any Dream Will Do: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber will play in Markham, Barrie, and Oakville in early October 2024.

Jeff says he might rejoin the Toronto cast of a particularly successful, long-running Canadian musical about the kindness that an east coast community showed to travellers from afar in late September 2001. You know, the show with three words in the title and a blue and yellow poster with the planet Earth spinning on it.

Iraqi artist Ahmed Moneka has been described as “a cultural force to be reckoned with” as he is working towards his Canadian citizenship.

His background on how he arrived in Canada fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about him. And I hadn’t even spoken to him as of yet.

Ahmed arrived in Canada on September 10, 2015, and left Iraq for 10 days. He was invited to the Toronto International Film Festival to screen the movie in which he both co-wrote and appeared. The movie was about homosexual rights in Iraq, and there was a wave of events regarding the issue in 2011 in Baghdad. When the film was screened in 2015, Ahmed received threats from the militia in Baghdad and was forced to stay in Canada in order to save his life.

Moneka has collaborated with many professional companies including the Canadian Opera Company, Tarragon Theatre, Aga Khan Museum, Tafelmusik, Driftwood Theatre Group, Toronto Jazz Festival, Koerner Hall, Modern Times Stage, Jabari Dance Theatre, Toronto Laboratory Theatre, Theatre Centre, and TRIA Theatre. He is one of the founders of the band Moskitto Bar and is the creator and leader of Moneka Arabic Jazz – a 2019 Stingray Rising Stars Winner at the Toronto Jazz Festival.

And he has also learned English in his association with these fine institutions.

Ahmed next appears in Crow’s Theatre production of ‘Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo’ which hopefully opens January 26. There are some fine artists in the production with him and I am sincerely hoping to get to see the production live.

Ahmed and I conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much, Ahmed, for taking the time and sharing your voice:

From glancing at your personal web page, I can see your love of the arts of music and theatre has indeed flourished as you have collaborated with many fine Canadian performing arts institutions. Please describe one element or one moment in your life where you instinctively just knew that your path forward would be as an artist.

To be honest, I studied theatre in Baghdad for nine years and had an amazing career there. The plan when I came to Toronto was to stay for a short period of time with TIFF. I then had the opportunity to stay so I had to figure out my life. The adjustment with the English language was a huge portion of my life throughout six years.

I wanted to see ‘Blood Weddings’ by Lorca directed by Soheil Parsa through Modern Times Stage. This production was amazing. I’m very familiar with Lorca’s work. I went to speak with Soheil with my broken, limited English. I told Soheil how much I loved the production, the transitions. It was amazing.

Soheil asked me if I know theatre, and I said that I did know theatre. I told him I’m a newcomer here and that I would love to be in a rehearsal hall. Soheil said to come over as there was a workshop for ‘Waiting for Godot’. I didn’t have any money for the workshop. Soheil asked me where I was from. When I told him I was from Iraq, he said he was from Iran and to come to the workshop of Godot for a free welcome.
This was my first workshop in Canada with Modern Times Stage.

After the two-day workshop of ‘Godot’, Soheil hired me after that. It was this moment where I believed that I could have a career here in Canada as a theatre artist. I shifted the gear with music as well as it was a huge part of my healing experiences and circumstances, and it was my hope to continue music in sharing my culture with the Toronto community.

Do you have a particular preference either of music or theatre to share your narrative voice or do you find as an artist there is a gelling of the two?

To be honest, Canada taught me how to be a musician. I learned music from my family. We sang and danced for our rituals, but here in Canada for the first three years, music was a big hope for me. Music was the only language I knew how to share with people.

But I’m a theatre artist. I love acting. I love theatre. I love artists. I love that complicated process of theatre. Now I feel like I’m being able to express myself and act in English, and now I consider both music and theatre very close to my heart.

I’m hooked. Both music and theatre are powerful ways of delivering stories as a narrative.

Would you name one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful as an artist, and how these individuals influenced your life as a performing artist.

One teacher who has influenced me is d.b. young. I was part of the Soulpepper Academy and d.b. young was with us every Monday of the seven months we were studying. She’s awesome in the way she opened us up and built us up with confidence, especially within me and my ability to push myself towards a theatre career by being honest and real about it. That helped me a lot as an immigrant to be able to trust myself again, be confident again in what I believe and what I love by being a part of the Canadian theatre scene and being part of my new home here in Toronto.

As a mentor, my friend, Zac, but also in theatre specifically Jeremy Smith (from Driftwood Theatre). I was connected with Jeremy through an amazing opportunity through the Toronto Arts Council mentorship program for newcomers and refugees. It was a bridge between a newcomer artist and an established artist in Canada. It was a good potential because there was money paid for this entire process.

Jeremy was my guide. He introduced me to a lot of people, and we had many meetings where I met many people, going and seeing different shows and meeting individuals there. I also became an Artist in Residence through Driftwood, and they were working on ‘Othello’ that year. As an Iraqi/Arabic, I did some research on the jealousy and what Shakespeare would have meant by the jealousy in the play. My involvement was paid for.

When I finished my residency, Jeremy asked me to accompany the group on tour in Southern Ontario. It was beautiful for me as it gave me an opportunity to see southern Ontario and to connect with Ontarians everywhere. I also got to connect with Jeremy and his family. I was very lucky as I felt safe with Jeremy as I was learning English while I was involved with something that I loved – the theatre. Jeremy and I are also in collaboration on future endeavours.

The global pandemic has certainly changed our view of the world we once knew. How have you been able to move forward as an artist during these tumultuous times?

To be honest, it has been very tough, very tough. But as an Iraqi artist, I believe that art has a purpose and a mission more than action.

I have faced many obstacles back home in Baghdad and that made me flexible and adjustable to any circumstances that faced me.

I’ve played a lot of music; we’ve played in the park and open venues to create something in order to keep surviving. Toronto is a very expensive city, and I’m a father now. I have a daughter with my wife and my family just came over last year. I receive so much from my family in my push and desire to grow as an artist, as a father, as a son, as a brother, as a husband.

At the same time, it’s been very tough financially in that would I have to quit making art and do something else.

I don’t want to quit art. I want to keep going. I’ve been writing some theatre pieces, working on an album and also I’ve been thinking about creating a television show about my life here in Toronto and Canada combined with the music scene to shine Toronto. Toronto is a beautiful city with everyone here harmonized here in love and peace.

I’ve been taking advantage of sending emails and having interviews, so I want to thank you, Joseph, for this opportunity to connect with others. Theatrically, I’m connected more now than I was before the pandemic hit. I’ve applied for a lot of auditions. I’m getting work.

I just finished Soulpepper Academy. After I finish Bengal Tiger at Crow’s, I’m performing next in Orphan Song at Tarragon Theatre. I’m pushing and trying to figure things out, but it’s disappointing to see how the government treats theatre artists. There’s not enough financial support. There’s not enough acknowledgement and recognition towards arts and culture because that is dynamic to the hope of the city.

We need to consider art as something important in terms of what’s happening now.

Although I haven’t seen ‘Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo’, the plot intrigues me and I am quite curious about it. There are two parts to this question:

Please share what it is about ‘Bengal Tiger’ that attracted you to the piece as an artist.

‘Bengal Tiger’ is about Iraq and takes places in Baghdad in 2000. I was in Baghdad in 2000. I witnessed the war. I heard the bombs; I saw the destruction and how the war destroyed the city. This was my second war as I also witnessed the Gulf War.

War is disgusting. I hate war. I hate guns. I hate money that goes to war. ‘

‘Bengal Tiger’ talks about the war, talks about the disease of war from different perspective which is wonderfully written between the dictatorship of Saddam and the pressure towards the Iraqis and the Americans when they came when the city was destroyed and took the city out and allowed the chaos to happen.

I play Musa, an Iraqi translator, who used to work as a gardener creating a topiary. The ghost of Uday Hussein who once employed Musa murdered Musa’s sister, Hadia.

Through the journey there is a gold gun that Tom, a soldier, took when he killed Uday. Uday tells Musa he must use the gold gun as “leverage” against the Americans. While working as Uday’s gardener, Musa created a beautiful topiary garden that has since been destroyed by the war. The topiary garden, also the site of Hadia’s murder, becomes a gathering place for ghosts.

There’s trauma, there’s ghost haunting, there’s the killing of the tiger. There is a crazy, psychedelic spiritual world.

The play talks about Iraqi society are victims between Saddam’s dictatorship and the American invasion of Iraq.

There are so many character arcs in the play that drew me to the play.

I feel it is part of my journey through the play to share this story of the Iraqi people, their voice and to show that Iraqis are not terrorists, not involved in any terrorism even in 9/11. The Iraqi people were tired of Saddam and opened the door to the Americans; there was hope of the dream to Iraq being connected to allies and open to the western world. Unfortunately, none of this happened.

What message do you hope audiences will come away upon seeing ‘Bengal Tiger’?

I hope they will believe that Iraqi people are not bad people. The Iraqi people are good people. That is why I said yes to this script and being involved with it.

And also I’m so glad to say that I am the first Iraqi involved with this production of ‘Bengal Tiger’. Robin Williams played the tiger in the Broadway production.

To be honest, this Toronto cast is incredibly talented…there is zero production rehearsing in Toronto right now and we continue to rehearse with safety protocols in place. But in taking these safety protocols to heart, we are also taking the risk to hope to do this show in public. We are refusing to film it or do it online. We are rehearsing the show with the hope of performing it live beginning January 27. We will be ready to go by then. Everyone is on top of their work.

Audiences will be blown away because it’s really amazing this production is a masterpiece – there’s conflict, there’s trauma, there’s love, there’s comedy. There are all the elements of theatre. Yes, there are moments where you will feel uncomfortable and will make you question certain things. There will be moments where you are on the edge of your seat sitting forward and absorbing as much as you can of the action and the characters.

I’m helping members of the cast with the accent and so is my sister. I’m so eager and excited to have this show open to the public and to share this story with everyone, and let audiences then decide how they will respond to what is presented before them.

Someone once told me the life of an actor and artist is not all sunshine and autographs, but a life of ups and downs personally and professionally. In light of the sometimes-precarious world and life of the actor/artist:

What intrigues Ahmed Moneka?

Exactly. You said it. We are like a lottery and that intrigues me. We audition. We show up fully on our game.
This is the case with the artist. We must be prepared all the time and decide how we want to be involved and with which projects do we want to be involved. We have to believe in ourselves, and listen, listen, listen to any potential opportunity that could come

I will create my own opportunity if none is created for me.

What frustrates Ahmed Moneka?

Sometimes it’s the system that frustrates me. There’s rules of work here that I sometimes think are lame.
For example, three weeks of rehearsal is not enough time to shine. I know there’s tech, there’s preview, but the rehearsal is the most fun thing at least for me. In rehearsal you try, you try, you try until you find it.
We need to create a star system here in Canada. We need to believe in our own artists here in Canada much like there is the belief in the artists of Hollywood and New York City. Toronto is so unique and there are so amazing artists. I want to listen to them and hear them.

RAPID ROUND

Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors and teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

“Thank you so much for trusting.”

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

“Look at me now.”

What’s your favourite swear word?

Fuck! It’s amazing.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

“Love” and I have a sentence I always say: “Love is the main reason for a creative future.”

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Hate unto others.

With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live Canadian performing arts scene?

Justin Trudeau

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom that some life experience has now given you?

Oh, my, this is going to bring me to tears. I would say thank you for choosing hope and life and peace.

With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell the upcoming Ahmed Moneka from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist?

Thank you so much for resisting and for telling your father, “No, I want to do theatre instead of cinema.”

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Personally, I want to be a wonderful husband and good father and good son, brother and friend. I want to be a good human in listening to everyone around me.

Professionally, I would really like to enter the television and film industry.

Name one moment in your professional career that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

Being in the same room with Wajdi Mouawad. I worked with him in the Canadian Opera Company. It’s crazy how he’s convincing. He’s like a little boy but he is so talented and so humble. I want to learn more from him.

To learn more about Ahmed Moneka, please visit his page: www.ahmedmoneka.com.
To learn more about Crow’s Theatre, visit www.crowstheatre.com.

To speak with dance artists from across the globe has become personally enlightening as I learn more about this intricate art form.

A recent press release I received from Harbourfront Centre spoke about artist Alan Lucien Øyen’s upcoming production of ‘Story, story, die’ at the Fleck Dance Theatre June 28-29 as part of his company Nordic Bridges. The Harbourfront Centre release stated: “[Alan] is a master of staged performance. Based in Bergen, Norway, Øyen and his labyrinthine work straddle dance, theatre, opera and film, and his hybrid approach to all forms is acclaimed for their highly emotional and dramatic drive.”

I’m unable to attend this upcoming production at the end of this month but the more I read about Alan, the more I wanted readers to see how he incorporates the world of dance to tell a story.

Alan came across as a very humble man during our conversation. I received the strong impression he is extremely grateful for the opportunities given to him professionally. For him, dance and the creation of the performing arts becomes a social experience both for the artists and audiences and Covid did certainly change the trajectory of the art form going forward into an uncertain future.

At this point in time for him, Alan wonders about the long-term effects of Covid and will audiences at this time return. He also remarked about a strange phenomenon that musical theatre has seemed to return with audiences present while theatre is still trying to gain its hold with audiences. What makes movement and singing different from someone who speaks?

Even within this conundrum, he’s hopeful audiences will return.

I am as well since the Harbourfront press release also states that Story, story, die is a work that questions who we (really) are and who we pretend to be. It’s like an open wound. Both artists and audiences will have to tread carefully as we begin to emerge slowly and return to performing and sharing stories.

Personally, Alan believes after being shell-shocked at the result of Covid, it taught him how the artist had to flex the imagination. He first showed his humility while sharing a laugh with me in stating he wasn’t going to be the most creative in the Tik Tok territory venture.

After we shared a quick laugh, Alan then stated he felt like a ‘bad creative’ for a bit when he felt like he didn’t want to venture into the Tik Tok territory or into any creative streaming presentation online. Why? That third dimension of the physicality and energy of dance is not great on screen. Alan then shared how he was able to capture this third dimension of the physicality of dance filmed which was quite exciting for him. Hopefully, moving forward, the creative and immersive work of dance can continue in the theatre once again as safely as possible for all involved.

What does Øyen still believe he must accomplish in the world of dance? For him, it’s both simple and complicated. For him, the ambition and the goal have always been the same. He wants to move people.
When Alan attends any theatre, he hopes he can forget about himself for a while and immerse himself in the lives of those on stage. While he works in dance, he also works in theatre. If dance and theatre can move him emotionally when he watches something, this is exactly what Alan hopes as well for audiences when they see his work. By forgetting oneself and immersing oneself in the work, Alan hopes he walks away with a new perspective. This is exactly what he would like audiences to do with his dance works as well – to walk away with a new perspective.

Usually, when I comment or review something, I like to ponder and ask why the story needs to be told at this time. The Harbourfront press release states: “Story, story, die. features seven extraordinary dancers in a charged choreography that looks at the complicated synergy between lies and love and the staged images we create to be accepted [through] a raw, unfiltered and a deeply vulnerable take.” I asked Øyen to explain further why it needs to be told:

“It’s a piece that in very many ways is a response to our time. I don’t know if we intended to do that with it, but it became that way. We started looking at fictionalization in everyday life. I’m always deeply fascinated by the concept of staging and the element of fiction and where they meet and how they affect each other. Whether it’s a true story or not, fiction always comes into play. When it’s a true story, then it’s the how and why it is fictionalized.”

Alan claims the artists involved did not set out to create a social media piece, but in many ways, it can be looked at through the social media lens. It is through social media this piece is clearly articulated through the staging. When he worked on the preparation of this production, he watched YouTube selections of young kids and how their various channels were strategized for relaying their life. What became clearly obvious in all Alan’s preparation was the fast-paced element of the world in which we now find ourselves.

One message he hopes audiences will take away from Story, story, die? It’s okay, it’s totally fine that whatever happens in your life, you will be fine. You’re not alone. The FJORD REVIEW described “‘Story story die’ as admirable for its sexiness and startlingly original highlights.” When I asked Alan what this comment meant, it appeared he might not have seen that comment as he laughed for a quick second and then said:

‘Well, sexiness is very subjective, isn’t it?”

I think I put Øyen on the spot initially because he didn’t know what to say. He accepted the compliment readily and stated he agrees the dancers in his production are very sexy people as they are truly phenomenal dancers. There is an intimate connection between the person and the body with dancers that actors in a stage production might not have. That connection comes from touch and physicality for the entire day through rehearsals. whereas theatre, for Alan, is an intellectual exercise that may not involve the same degree of physicality and touch.

Nathalie Bonjour, Director, Performing Arts at Harbourfront Centre stated: “Øyen’s Story, story, die. is a theatrical experience that both challenges our notions of love and happiness and unites us in our collective search for meaningful connection in an increasingly disconnected world.” Alan smiled and felt she encapsulated rather well what the presentation was all about. He said he would describe what Bonjour stated in lay person’s terms so that it could be understood by all. Alan stated if there are two people in a relationship, then the question arises of who am I with you? And what is the real me? And is it ever possible to get to this realization? And who are we together?

Story story die runs June 28 and 29. For tickets and further information visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

What an extremely humble, grateful, and appreciative man is artist Alexander Thomas.

Just before lockdown, I had the chance to see his Dora Award winning performance in Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre’s outstanding and terrific production of Stephen Guirguis’ ‘Between Riverside and Crazy.’
Absolutely magnificent production all round. I was hooked right from the beginning of the production and didn’t want to make any notes in my book as I did not want to miss a thing.

Alex and I held an engaging online conversation, and I learned a great deal about him through his honesty and candour about where his career has taken him. He began his career later in life, but he has performed in world renowned cities such as Berlin, London, and New York Off Broadway. I was fascinated by some of the stories he was telling me where his life has taken him.

Through it all, Alex remains grounded and rooted in his belief that one can do anything if you set your mind and heart to it with hard work and dedication. And he won a Dora Theatre award as well for his work which is one of the highest honours in the Toronto professional live theatre scene. I hope and want to see more of his work onstage as Alex’s story and voice deserve to be heard.

His personal website, which I’ve included at the end of this profile, indicates he has performed in some good theatre both when he lived here in Toronto, in New York where he lives, and across the Atlantic Ocean to some noteworthy productions overseas. Thomas received his training at the Stella Adler Studio in New York City and the Meisner Technique with Richard Pinter (former head of the Neighbourhood Playhouse) He studied Creative Writing at the University of Toronto.

We conducted our conversation both through Zoom and email. Thank you so much for adding your voice to the conversation, Alex:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

That’s an interesting question for me on a personal level.

It kind of highlights, as a black man, what at times feels like living in a parallel universe in relation to the white friends (and family) in my life.

I’ll try to explain that feeling: My father (who died when I was eight) carried deep trauma and bitterness for events that happened to him in the 1920s growing up in Alabama. I won’t go into that although some of it is documented in my solo play ‘Throw Pitchfork’. Giving my age away, in 1960 at six years old, my mother took us kids on a Grey Hound Bus trip from Albany, New York (where I was born) to down south (where she was born). At a stop in Georgia, I had to go pee and slipped by my mother, as kids can do. I went straight into the Whites only restroom.

My mother probably had explained to us not to do that but, you know, I was six years old.

My mother was petrified.

Even at that age the tension was visceral and then my mother’s fear which came out in anger scolding me, which she had to display to the satisfaction of the white folks watching that she was taking care of her bad little boy and none of them had to. When I think of the mind set of my mom, it was only five years earlier that Emmet Till had been murdered for innocently up setting white folks in the south. Then I was taken around back and shown the “Colored only” doors I was supposed to use while down there. Other restroom doors on the trip were more explicit “N word only.”

All that is to say this was a pretty “harsh reality” for a six-year-old. Lesson learned, lesson internalized, so (on a personal level) the idea that the rose-colored glass of life has suddenly been replaced by this “harsh reality” because of Covid doesn’t register with me.

The pandemic is not some new high level of harshness or trauma to adjust to in my psyche. To be honest, I’ve pretty much flowed with it a day at a time. Like an “I’m just watching the world go by” kind of thing. The same can be said of all the perceived eye-opening events that happened in America during the early part of lock down around race. Those back-to-back incidents credited with opening everybody’s eyes. But, for many of us, that is the reality we knew already. The one you push aside (deep inside) in order to co-exist in the parallel universe without being labelled hyper-sensitive or as over-reacting, or simply not believed.

More people believe you now and I can see how, for them, that’s a new reality.

Don’t get me wrong, the pandemic and quarantine have been bizarre and surreal and a bit of an existential swamp to live through. At one point my city ran out of morgue space it was doing so poorly. There is a whole physical life to adjust too; Having to wait in a line to buy food, not being able to go out to a restaurant or to a movie theatre, not hugging family and friends but that’s almost kind of a privileged harshness to deal with, if that makes sense.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

I’ve enjoyed the Zoom projects, podcasts, online readings/workshops I’ve gotten to do this year and found them artistically satisfying for the most part. (I think workshop readings of plays online may stay forever – you can work with actors all over the world).

Theatre is live, in person, but the bottom line is the need to tell stories or create an experience to express an idea. You can’t work with something if you don’t respect it. The pandemic forced us to build our respect for these other mediums.

Obviously, there were artists who already had that respect, but at the beginning a lot of creators were almost righteously against it, some still are: “this is not theater” “I am never going online.” We like the idea of seeing ourselves as being pure somehow and in order to be pure something else has to not be.
But, as the reality sunk in, people became, shall we say, sweetly reasonable. Like, hey, you’re not going to create or present anything this season at all if you don’t embrace this. It was like a bittersweet surrender and acceptance, and the need to create and tell stories was allowed to run wild again without judgement of the format, whether it was using the technology or forced to come up with ways of being in person like Talk Is Free Theater performances in bubbles.

Is the definition of theater changing? I don’t know. I don’t really think so, but what theaters program might. People like to point out that watching a stream of a play performance in real time (not a recording) is not the same as being there.

No, it’s definitely not, but it’s still pretty cool. And it’s kind of less elite when you look at how many people can see it.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

Feeling the focus and energy from the room whether an audience or your fellow artist when rehearsing or performing. The spontaneous responses: laughter, silences, gasp of identification, even the yawns, the intuitive ebb and flow of attention. It’s an instinctual Geiger counter for how things are going. That can’t really be recreated.

I also miss the Meet and Greets, table reads, first full awkward run throughs, long tech days. Having lunch break with your cast mates or getting completely away from you cast mates on break. (Alex says with a good laugh).

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

I think a lot of people probably answer that question with, that they won’t take for granted they will always work again.

My path has been very slow and sporadic with many stops and starts, including a number of inactive years where I thought maybe this was all a dream deferred. It probably would have made sense for me to just completely give up if I’d had any sense (with another laugh).

So, I’m used to huge gaps of time in between, never take it for granted I’m going to work again and am always grateful for any opportunity to work.

I know that might sound like some kind of false humility, but it’s true. I see a lot of plays each year and had to cancel a number of tickets and plans I had lined up. I will relish seeing plays again and won’t take it for granted.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.
I am very excited and encouraged by the number of artistic director and curator appointments I’ve seen for women and POC over this past year in America and Canada and hope this continues.

This will be the first season for many and I’m rooting for every one of them.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.
What I must accomplish?

I don’t know if I must do anything.

I’m not sure I’ve approached life that way. Damn, I guess that sounds like I’ve got no drive or ambition, is that bad?

I want to keep growing as a person and continue to practice how to allow that to inform my art. I want to work more consistently. And build more and stronger artistic relationships.

It’s tricky for me because we move around a lot.

One of the things I learned and loved about the Toronto theatre community (I lived there for five years) was the power of supporting each other. They’re really good at that. I mean, hell, I was a stranger, essentially an interloping outsider welcomed and supported and ended up winning a Dora Award.
Amazing and unpredictable.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.
Know how I feel about that?

So what?

A big event happened, it shook up the world, and people are gonna talk about that. They’ll talk about till they don’t have too.

Big deal.

It won’t be the first subject that has been written to death. Some people will get sick of them, some won’t. In the end they’ll be judged the same way everything is, by its own creativity.

Reviewers, if they are fair and don’t have their heads up their butt, will say “this Covid play stands out in the glut of Covid plays because of” whatever: “because it’s really about relationships” “it really explores the human spirit” or something, whatever.

Others will be awful, then that trend will die out.

So what?

You ain’t gonna stop it.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

I hope I can be a part of fostering more understanding and closing the gap between the parallel universes we sometimes live in.

To learn more about Alexander, visit his personal website: www.alexthomasactor.com.

To know that professional theatre artists are reading this profile series has been a boost of inspiration for me, so I thank you all with plenteous gratitude. That’s how I came to meet Alexandra Lainfiesta. I had seen her at the Stratford Festival in Napoli Milionaria! and was delighted when she got in touch with me through Messenger. Her story and voice are quite unique.

Born and raised in Guatemala, Alexandra moved to Canada at the age of 19 completely on her own to follow her love and passion for the live performing arts. She attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC for two years and after graduation, travelled to Vancouver to pursue classical training for acting at Studio 58. In 2017, she joined the Birmingham Conservatory for classical training, and in 2018 did her first season at the Stratford Festival where she got to play some of her favorite roles which include Assunta in Napoli Milionaria!, Adriana in Comedy of Errors and Anne Boleyn in Henry VIII.

Alexandra is a Jessie Richardson Award winner and currently has been focusing on her work as playwright. With support from The Stratford Festival, Alexandra has been developing a new operetta with Beau Dixon titled “Calderona” based on the life of Spanish actress Maria Ines Calderon during the Spanish Golden Age.

She divides her time between Toronto, Stratford, Vancouver, Victoria, and Guatemala.

We conducted our conversation via email and Zoom:

In a couple of months, we will be coming up on one year where the doors of live theatre have been shuttered. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

I was in absolute denial for the first two weeks after rehearsals suddenly stopped at the The Stratford Festival for our 2020 season. I started to exercise at home, meditate and kept working on my script for the shows we had been rehearsing for. I had convinced myself that this was going to be over soon. Then, I waited, and waited…. and waited… and by end of April it dawned on me that this was going to take much, much longer, and so I went through a roller coaster of ups and downs, of gratitude for the time I now had in my hands to then frustrations and grief for the art we had created together in rehearsals that now was lost and slowly seeing the industry I had dedicated my life and heart to, slowly and painfully cancel seasons.

My whole family is in Guatemala, and it was such a surreal thing to experience. Usually when something goes on there, it’s not happening here, but for the first time it was there as much as it was here.

Nature, long phone calls from good friends and family, Whatsapp/Facetime/Houseparty were a huge support to my mental health in 2020. I’m grateful for it.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?
Going through old photos, cards, letters. Writing. Lots of writing. I also spent a lot of time in nature and close to water. Water is an absolute healing and calming element for me. I stayed in Stratford for the majority of 2020 and now I am back in Vancouver. During the lockdowns I had time now to connect with dear friends across the globe whom I hadn’t talked to in years.

I also created a small draft and demo of an operetta I had in mind with Beau Dixon, thanks to initial support from The Stratford Festival. I felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to create music through these times.

I think the biggest take from all this time away from the industry I love, is how much I’ve grown as an individual and how much more compassion, love and understanding I have for others as well as setting my boundaries and living a much more grounded life. As many can relate, I am not the same person I was before the pandemic hit globally.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you or would you describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?

Covid has definitely not been an escape for me. It became the “C word”. At one point it was everywhere. All conversations I was having with people over the phone, the news, social media, signs on the grocery stores, just absolutely everywhere. I am an extrovert who loves people and community gatherings. I’m Latina! So the lockdowns were absolutely hard. It was also quite shocking the first day I went grocery shopping and now everyone around me was wearing masks.

I do have to say though, that the absence of theatre and work gave me the time to go in and heal many things I had procrastinated to deal with to heal. It also brought so much awareness of the many layers of social, gender and racial inequalities not only in our industry but in the world. I do have to say, I’ve been transformed by this global experience that is the pandemic.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

I think we are creative beings. As Steinbeck said:

“The theater is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed. It requires tough and devoted people to keep it alive.”

We will come up with something, yes it won’t be full head on, but we will do theatre. In 2020 I was very fortunate to have been able to work. I did several shows that were filmed, edited and then shared online, as well as outside festivals with limited audiences. Will there be theatre? Yes, not how we’ve known it, but it will be there until we can fully gather safely again, and we will. I’ve gone through enough hardships in my life to know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and that ‘this too shall pass.’

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

I think we have less time for BS now. I believe that whatever we do, whether it’d be classical, contemporary or a new work, it must be grounded, now more than ever, in truth. And what is truth? To me, truth is when we belong to ourselves and only speak from the integrity of our heart. I don’t believe that there is an “absolute truth” or a “best”. There is just honesty and speaking from the heart.

‘There are as many Hamlets as there are actors’ and actors come with a diversity of identities and thoughts which must be celebrated. We are in the service of story-telling and representation. Truth transforms and it is time we show multiple truths on stage.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

Define “danger”. If it means exposure to harm or injury, I say no. That thinking is what has created this toxic idea that “those who make art must suffer”. The Theatre is a workplace and must be treated like one. If the word danger is more of the idea of the “possibility” that “something might happen and we don’t know what will”, then yes. I do think actors and audiences alike must feel that tension of possibility which can only be brought by being in the absolute present moment and the only way we can be present is by being self-less, because it is about the ‘other’, what we want from the other. Being alive is active. Possibilities are active. I prefer those words.

And in regard to feeling danger during this time of Covid, I have to be honest, this isolation and this life of being in alert mode at all times and having privileges of liberty being taken is not new to me. I came to this country as an immigrant, completely on my own, and many of the feelings experienced during the lockdowns were somewhat familiar already. And yes, this will absolutely inform my work when theatre comes back because it has reminded me of the importance of human connection and how that is what keeps me alive and thriving. Live theatre is a living dance of thoughts and possibilities and it is always about the other and getting something from the other. Self-absorbed and self-centered theatre is beyond boring and exactly what makes teenagers never want to step into a theatre again.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

Yes, it made me sensitive to think and see beyond the obvious. It made me face fear and transform it. It made me want to come back to theatre to take the space that for years has been only been given and allowed to a certain sector of the population. It made me want to work towards taking on more leadership roles in our community. It made me sensitive to the work that needs to be done in order to achieve equity.
I also because quite aware and sensitive to the fact that the Canadian government thinks of theatre as an “event” and not a workplace.

Theatre is an INDUSTRY, and it is about time we start educating our government that we are a business that creates revenue and employs thousands of people across Canada.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

I love curiosity! Curiosity is active, alive, honest, inviting, and exciting. I became curious about systemic changes and my responsibility as a storyteller in this world and how perhaps I can influence that. I became curious about the human connection that was lost and how that has affected our mental health.

I became curious about the creation of live theatre without being able to have a live audience. I saw an outstanding play reading of “Mojada” by Luis Alfaro, where the director, Juliette Carrillo, used the cameras and created this new hybrid of film and theatre to create something spectacular. The audience was being included in the reading through the camera lens. Same went for the performance of a play in Mexico City called “Bichito” (The Spanish language premiere of “Little One” by Hannah Moscovitch) in which director Paula Zelaya Cervantes did an outstanding job, again, merging a live performance with different cameras and having the actors either hold one camera and speak directly at it or take it with them to show certain scenes from their perspective and what they were viewing.

I became curious about the conversations I was having with people. How profound, honest and grounded most of them are. I became curious about how it is okay to honestly answer the question “How are you?”.
I became curious about all the kids whose introduction to school was during this time. To all the teens who had to graduate in 2020 from High School. I’m curious as to what this will do to the little humans who will one day be adults who experienced this pandemic as kids.

And now, regarding what I will take back with me when theatre comes back in full force, I have to say that the spark that I know I will take with me is that of human connection. I do think that the greatest healing in our world will take place when live theatre and live music come back.

Connect with Alexandra on Instagram: @alelainfiesta / IMDB: imdb.me/AlexandraLainfiesta

You can also visit her website: www.alexandralainfiesta.com

After seeing Ali Kazmi as part of a solid ensemble performance this past fall in ‘Uncle Vanya’ at Crow’s Theatre, I wanted to learn more about this extremely humble and grateful artist who has been appreciative of all his opportunities in the performing arts.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Kazmi has quite an extensive background in the performing arts according to his IMDB mini bio: [He] hailed from a family of creative juggernauts (actors and directors Rahat Kazmi and Sahira Kazmi, sister Nida Kazmi and Grandfather Bollywood actor Shyam)…Kazmi says: “It was like growing up in a warm, fuzzy and loving film school! [I] lived it, loved it, imbibed it, and have put it to good use since.”

Even at the young age of seven working in a studio on a show his mother directed, Kazmi said he felt so much at home and found beauty in the chaos in the production of a televised show. He didn’t feel out of place at all.

He continued in theatre, film, and even some clowning while studying and living in Pakistan.

Kazmi warmly stated his parents taught him about being an artist and setting a strong foundational base for him. The career can be a difficult one. It wasn’t about fame or money. It was always about the art first. Do your best and everything else will be a by-product. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Kazmi says he wants to be performing until he’s at least 80 and then laughingly stated if he dies (literally) on stage, he will be a lucky man.

However, in his early twenties, Ali recognized he wanted to be a multidisciplinary artist and create his own path. He wondered how he can take the legacy forward from the foundational base established by his parents. Kazmi felt he owed to his parents, to himself and to the art as to what he could leave for the future performing arts community.

He wanted to study film. Alas with no film schools in Karachi, how could he evolve further as an artist in a community that was saturated with film and theatre?

Ali spoke lovingly about his childhood sweetheart with whom he fell in love in the mid-late 1990s. He credits his wife as a catalyst for his future changes and growth in coming to Canada. She came to study at McGill and, in 2001 (one year at university), she came back to see her parents for summer vacation. When he started dating her that summer, he kept thinking could he come to Canada, get his credits transferred and perhaps start film school? This all occurred in July 2001.

He was set to come to Canada in September 2001, and we all know what happened then:

“A single, Pakistani, Muslim male…there were no opportunities anymore, no visas, no nothing.” Ali recalled with a tone of sadness in his voice. “That was a very strange feeling coming from a decent family, an educated family, an artist family…I felt very strange…I’m not a terrorist.”

Ali and his future wife made their six-year long-distance relationship work and got married when they were 24. Then it was a choice – He had an established career as an artist in Pakistan. She had started her work in Toronto as an accountant and doing very well.

Forever the optimist, he called it an adventure and an evolution and chose to come to Canada in March 2008 and start from scratch. He attended the Toronto Film and Drama School while doing odd jobs. He also made a promise for six-seven years that he would not take any job offers from Pakistan because he really wanted to make a go of his career here in Canada.

Ali’s first love is the theatre. This month he appears in ‘Behind the Moon’ by Anosh Irani which just recently opened at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. Directed by Richard Rose, Kazmi appears with Vik Sahay and Husein Madhavji whom he calls brothers. During the pandemic two years ago, Ali signed on to be a part of ‘Behind the Moon’ and be in on the creative process with Rose and Irani.

Set in a restaurant, Kazmi describes ‘Behind the Moon’ as a story about three men stuck in their own different stages in their lives. At times it’s a volatile story about humanity, a story about love and a story about how sometimes we misuse each other as humans and as people. Ali calls ‘Behind the Moon’: “a beautiful and poignant show”.

What has it been like to work with director Richard Rose:

“Richard Rose is probably one of the most interesting characters I’ve met in my life. I’ve learned so much…he’s a taskmaster. He got the pulse of the show. He’s so precise and at times you are at loggerheads, but that’s the beauty of theatre. Richard gives but also accepts the feedback back and forth between the actor and director. He thrives on it. And so do I. I appreciate that. On the inside, Richard is soft-hearted too where we would also discuss children and life. That’s what you want.”

During ‘Moon’ previews, Ali says there were lovely people who came to see the production. When the audience is there, Ali says that’s fun because they continue to discover new layers to the show as there is so much complexity in it.

He recalled how emotional he got the other day about the show:

‘Behind the Moon’ means so much to me as a South Asian, as a Canadian, as a Pakistani and as a human being. Anosh Irani’s story is simply beautiful and to share this play with two other brothers (Vik and Husein), two other South Asian Canadians, the impact of the reach of this show hit me yesterday. The magic of this show is the fact it hits on so many levels.”

He, the cast, and the crew continue not to think too much about Covid’s embrace. They continued to test throughout the rehearsal period and will continue to do so. Now that the show is up and running, he said: “To be honest we don’t have too many extracurricular activities outside our performances. All of us are making sure we keep our essential activities to a minimum. It’s full steam ahead with the play. That’s all we can do. We have to live life.”

There is a great deal of theatre going on in Toronto. Why should audiences come to see ‘Behind the Moon’?

Ali stated it has been an interesting time for Toronto theatre. There’s diversity in its fabric and Canadian theatre is embracing this diversity. ‘Moon’ is not just a play about three men in a restaurant. It’s a story about being human, Canadian, and South Asian. Once again, Kazmi acknowledges how much he, Vik and Husein connected during rehearsals. They didn’t know each other at all before this play, and Kazmi is the first to point out how this play is a true ensemble production.

What’s next for Ali once ‘Behind the Moon’ has completed its run?

Ali continues to remain grateful the Toronto theatre community has accepted him. He goes straight into rehearsal and working with Necessary Angel in association with Canadian Stage and The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre in the production of Pamela Sinha’s ‘New’ to be directed by Alan Dilworth at the end of April at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

Tickets for ‘Behind the Moon’ are now available online through tarragontheatre.com or call the Box Office at (416) 531-1827. The production runs until March 19 at Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto.

After Ali Momen emailed me his answers to the questions for this series, I began to realize how the connection I’ve made with some of the performers from ‘Come from Away’ has made me miss seeing this story and how much I would like to see it again. After interviewing composers Irene Carl Sankoff and David Hein, Astrid Van Wieren (Broadway), Jeff Madden, Saccha Dennis, and soon Kyle Brown (Toronto), I was really pleased Ali took the time to check in with the series to let us know how he’s faring during this world wide pandemic.

From his website, Ali is a classically trained singer whose conservatory training was at Sheridan Institute’s Music Theatre Performance program where he graduated with the highest overall achievement in performance, and after many years as a pro returned to Sheridan as an acting instructor.

His theatre credits include three seasons at The Shaw Festival, and productions with Mirvish, Canadian Stage, Tarragon Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Theatre Calgary, and Why Not Theatre. He originated the role of VIKRAM in Mira Nair’s stage adaptation of her hit film, MONSOON WEDDING. Ali currently plays Kevin J and others in Come from Away at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre:

It appears that after five exceptionally long months, we are slowly, very slowly, emerging to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Has your daily life and routine along with your immediate family’s life and routine been changed in any manner?

In many respects, we are reverting back to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Being able to engage in “life”, even in a limited fashion, has been a blessing indeed. I have been finding the extra time I’m having with my family and partner to be something I’m grateful for. I told my girlfriend the other day that being here with you on this Saturday evening is something that I couldn’t have done before with my schedule with COME FROM AWAY. These are good things.

I’m grateful for the fact that we seem to have gotten this virus under control and that our health system has not been overwhelmed. We should forever be thankful to our frontline workers. They are forever heroes.

However, it is important to keep repeating that while we can go to a mall, get a haircut, and even dine inside a restaurant, art that is able to create a middle class life has either ceased or has become near extinct and rare. Indoor gathering limits of 50, and outdoor gathering limits of 100 do not make for a financially feasible endeavour.

For instance, COME FROM AWAY can not happen with 50 people in the audience, nor really can an independent and bare-bones production. If you’re a musician, a ton of streams of Spotify gets you very little pay, but at least you would make up for it in live concerts. Those are now gone. If you’re in film and television, while some productions are able to get back up and running again, a huge swath are unable to get insurance. It’s like being in Miami and asking for Hurricane insurance. It’s just not going to happen.

We are in an emergency and to think it anything but that I think is wrong.

Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down?

Well of course! Come from Away!

Describe the most challenging element or moment of the isolation period for you. Did this element or moment significantly impact how you and your immediate family are living your lives today?

Losing any job is a difficult experience. It doesn’t matter what it is. A job brings purpose. It brings dignity. When that goes away – whether it’s due to downsizing, a factory moving overseas, or in our case a pandemic – it crushes the “ikigai” of a human being. Ikigai is Japanese for your “reason for being.” We all lost our Ikigai. So of course, I’ve hit some sad places.

Only recently do I feel like I’m coming out of it by reaching acceptance for what actually transpired. I went through the stages of grief, and thankfully I’ve come towards acceptance. For those reading, you simply lost a job or a job in the future. You didn’t lose your worth. You didn’t lose your talent. You are defined not by what you do, but by who you are – and who you are never changed.

What were you doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre? Since theatres will most likely be shuttered until the spring of 2021, where do you see your interests moving at this time?

I have been making some of my own work. I’m writing a film based on the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. I’m Iranian by heritage. The TMCA holds inside a vault over 3 billion dollars of the greatest modern art in the world. It was kept together by a 32-year-old janitor who was tapped to protect it after the Iranian Revolution. It’s an incredible story and I’m looking forward to fleshing it out to screen.
I also started a podcast with my dear friend Torquiil Campbell of STARS. It’s called Soft Revolution. It’s an arts advocacy podcast where we discuss art and how it intersects with politics. You can subscribe at www.softrevcast.com

I am tapping into my entrepreneurial spirit now. As the institutions have either shuttered, or paused, it is now up to all of us to put out our lemonade stand and sell our art and make our own way through.
Finally, I’m working hard to push government to create an Arts New Deal. We need a modern-day Works Progress Administration like what was set up during the Roosevelt administration after the Great Depression. We need work-relief where our cultural contributions can be seen as infrastructure building. Find out more at www.makeartswork.ca

Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

Culture is 3% of our GDP and employs over 650,000 Canadians. It is vital for the soul and structure of a society. There will always be a need.

It is going to take a long time to get “back to normal” if that ever even happens.

My advice would be to unleash your creative spirit. I think if the plan is to simply wait for an audition and to book a gig, then I really think you’re in trouble. It is going to take years before we are back to where we were. You must be entrepreneurial.

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

If the plan is to just sit and wait for it to all come back after Justin Trudeau walks out of his house and declares “pandemic over”, then no. Instead, we will have institutions shuttered, and a mass exodus of talent.

If, however, we decide to build back a better cultural landscape? Then, yes. What that looks like? I don’t know. I think about it every day!

In your informed opinion, will Broadway and the Californian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted on account of the coronavirus?

Of course! When Broadway is back it will be back with far less productions. Theatres will be empty. Now, that could mean they become condos, although in NY the real estate market is souring, or they can be filled with shows that aren’t simply tourist traps. That could be exciting. We could see the entry to new voices!

In Canada, the shows and work will all have to be local. Theatre companies have to go out looking for audiences in their areas. That could mean that shows take on a far more culturally specific bent. That would be cool. It’s important that our work not be mere imitations of what we see down south. We can actually make stuff that deeply resonates to us and within us.

What are your thoughts about streaming live productions? As we continue to emerge and find our way back to a new perspective of daily life, will live streaming become part of the performing arts scene in your estimation? Have you been participating, or will you participate in any online streaming productions soon?

We are slowly learning how to do the live performance thing. We have to, unfortunately, create the proscenium. What I mean by that is that we sadly do not have all the necessary technology to do it well. We need a proper platform. Our broadband is only recently able to upload wide swaths of data, but even so, we may never have tech that allows two people to make music remotely as a millisecond of latency throws people off. In fact, reading a play on zoom will never be what it’s like in person.

So, I think people are learning that if you are going to do “stream”, don’t stream live. Record each part and then have a strong edit. New skills for us all to learn! I also think we’ve all gotten new gear!

What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding our world now?

It’s my job. It’s what I’m good at. It’s what I’ve worked hard to be able to do. I honestly have learned that I am not as special as I thought. I don’t miss the poetry. I miss the prose.

With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

Obsequious.

b. What is your least favourite word?

I love all words!

c. What turns you on?

Curiosity

d. What turns you off?

Ignorance.

e. What sound or noise do you love?

My dog falling asleep.

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Sirens.

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck.

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

Lawyer.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Lawyer.

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Read this.”

I really I wish I had the chance to speak with Allegra Fulton either in person or on Zoom.

You’ll see from her responses below that her energy and enthusiasm for the performing arts community and all its components were contagious to me. I liked how she said a couple of things that might be considered grandiose, but that’s okay because we all have to think big and look ahead as we emerge from this pandemic.

Last year I had the opportunity to see Allegra perform in ‘Between Riverside and Crazy’ at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre and in ‘Sweat’ at Canadian Stage. Two opposing different characterizations but terrific work, nevertheless.

Make sure you check out her personal website. I’ve included its link at the end of Allegra’s profile. Here is a lady to keep an eye on as I want to see more of her work onstage when it’s safe to return to indoor theatre.

Thank you for adding your voice to the conversation, Allegra:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

For me, it’s been like a grand Buddhist exercise in surrender, acceptance and radical kindness. Meeting oneself in such global difficulty, amidst abounding fears and frustrations, and deep sadness everywhere, I’ve found my best way was to turn in and sit with all my own terrors and attempt to stay curious to my own inner landscape reflecting on what is…and not too much on what was or what will be. No big future tripping, if possible. So, if anything, I’ve used the time to really pause and to get to know my inner world better. The life of an actor, of course, is a long deep dive into the human psyche, and this experience is proving a profound one.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

More than ever, I’m glad that to be a working actor, at least in Canada, one must develop one’s talents in many areas, and learn many mediums. I’ve come from the theatre and my delight and curiosity continues to lead me back to the theatre. But I’m grateful to have cultivated skills in all kinds of arenas where an actor is needed. I also really enjoy moving between disciplines for each informs the other. I know that working in TV and film has made me a better actor on stage and visa versa. Working with a microphone, in animation, or commercial voice over, even audiobooks, each have specific demands, and continue to sharpen one’s brain, one’s elasticity, one’s instrument and which is hugely important to continue to do. I think everyone has been wonderfully impressed with themselves learning new platforms like ZOOM and being able to continue storytelling, in such wonderful new ways. I find the hybridized forms of theatre and music, and even dance, to be very exciting and exhilarating. Storytelling is storytelling, and I think we are so lucky at this moment to have so many platforms available to us to keep doing that very thing.

But of course, what makes live theatre so special, and what we possibly understand now more than ever, is that wonderful energy and kinetic connection in a room, a small room, a huge room, even a stadium…The communal experiencing of story, and that’s incredibly special. The energy one plays with onstage, with one’s fellows, and with the audience, is almost a metaphysical ceremony of sorts. That sounds a bit grandiose, I know, but I believe it works in the same realm. And precisely for that reason, theatre will never die. It will continue to morph as it must each generation and century, as it has since it began many thousands of years ago. For the theatre needs only one actor and one audience to begin a ‘play’. I look forward to that exchange again.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

The people. The energy. The thrill. The LIVE-ness of the moment, the NOW-ness of it. That no one can stop, rewind, pause, go to the bathroom, go to the kitchen and get chips, come back…it’s all happening right now, and the intense focus of both actors and audience is a very sacred and healing communal experience. I look forward to that again.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

That I have a job. But I feel that way on each project, frankly.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

The outmoded and long entrenched systems that no longer serve or help us make good art. There are many revolutions going on globally right now, and I hope it all seeps into every facet of life, and that change happens quickly and invites everyone to the table. Our world is in for a really large treat as massive amounts of new stories and perspectives are suddenly being given voice. It’s gonna be way more colourful and way more fun! Just watch.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

Oh my! I have so many roles I may never get to play, but I have them in me, and I study them and crave them. I have so much to learn, to hone, to explore. I’d also like to keep directing and working with scripts and writers and …’accomplish’ is a tricky word. I had wanted to do every Shakespeare in the canon, but I’m only just a over a third of the way, on that count. Tennessee Williams, more Chekhov, Ibsen, Pinter, Euripides, Kroetz, Churchill, Birch, Drury, Nottage, Parkes, Guirgis, and so many wonderful brand-new writers. Again, the searingly complex human psyche, yes, even by the aforementioned dead male playwrights, is hard to resist wanting to tackle as an artist at the top of my game.

But to your question…Is it kinda boring to say that I don’t care to ‘accomplish’ anything but continue to create, simplify and learn better how to plumb the depths of the human condition? Sounds a bit grand, but it’s true. (My note back to Allegra: that doesn’t sound boring; to me, that sounds like the truth of the actor’s voice.)

And then there is the question of passing the torch and mentoring, which I am divinely lucky to do quite a bit of. Somehow, quite by accident, I’ve collected all these beautiful young actors, playwrights, creators who come to me for coaching, advice, a good cry, a good laugh, and they teach me too, and fill me with grace, excitement and energy. I’m not shy to say that I do have a lot of ideas and opinions about things, and I am a good acting teacher for may. It’s all very quiet and unofficial, but it feels like my best way to pass along how much I’ve learned from so many great teachers along the way.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

I don’t think ANYONE will relish dwelling on this time. As I discovered early on in the pandemic, there is rathe little written about the plague of the 13th, 14th, 15th century, or the flu pandemic of 1918. I should think we’ll all have had quite enough of it by then, thank you very much. But we will better appreciate and understand familiar lines like, “A pox on both your houses!” (Romeo and Juliet)

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

Depth, truth, risk, and glee.

My dear colleague and friend Alexander Thomas, with whom I was lucky enough to act with in ‘Between Riverside and Crazy’ at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre turned to me one day and said:

“Allegra Fulton: Classy but goofy.”

I think that summed me up perfectly.

Visit Allegra’s personal website page www.allegrafulton.com. You can also follow her on Insta: Cinesylph Twitter: Allegra_Fulton

According to Allen Kaeja, we are all dancers.

A recent enlightening conversation with Allen Kaeja, Co-Artistic Director of KAEJA d’DANCE, and his statement above allowed me to gain further understanding and knowledge about the art form of dance. Several weeks ago, I also held a conversation with Allen’s wife, Karen, and she was also present during the Zoom call. On the Kaeja d’Dance website, Michael Crabb from the Toronto Star stated the Kaejas: “have been called ‘a power couple’, ‘go-getters’ and ‘the coolest couple on the dance scene.”

I liked Crabb’s descriptors of the two of them as I could sense these same sentiments as well.

How’s Allen feeling about the return to the world of live dance given we’re still in the throes of Covid:

“The world turns. It changes all the time. We adapt or die and for myself, when the world pivoted, the whole thing for Karen and I? We’ve been working in film for 25 years. We were working in Zoom years before the pandemic on other projects and I’ve already investigated live stream years before. When everything shut down, boom, we’re ready to go and within a few months, we were up and running fully as a company and with projects in our transition from live theatre back into film.”

I asked them what has the overall response been from audiences about the return of live performances of dance.

Karen has attended a few shows and she has found responses fantastic. She senses from what she has seen in the lobby there is a fresh sense of camaraderie. From her perspective, those audience members who are ready and prepared to go are relieved to be seeing something visceral that they can witness and that they know is ephemeral.

Karen and Allen are in the contemporary dance field which they call experiential and immersive. Audience members must allow themselves to be flooded by the imagery, the physicality of the brilliant dancers and the resonance to embed itself.

For Allen, contemporary dancers don’t work in a linear per se type of artistic field. Contemporary dance is an abstract form that deals with kinetic and majestic visual value. Yes, there is an intention behind the work, and the progression of the piece has its own series of arcs, but it is not something which says one has to think or feel certain emotions at certain points.

What’s next for Kaeja d’Dance?

In celebration of its 31st Anniversary, November 11-13 will see the world premiere of two deeply personal works: ‘TouchX + I am the Child of’ as part of the international contemporary dance series Torque. Fifty performers combined will be involved and 4 AR experiences.

‘TouchX’ will be choreographed by Karen. She has been working on this piece for seven years. It’s the largest piece she has made, the longest, and the most number of people and collaborators in it. There is a mix of professional company dancers with community dancers with whom she has worked in other site-specific ways. This is the first time she has brought all these dancers together on stage.

For Karen, what’s exciting about ‘Touch X’, it’s new but it’s also a lot to be organizing. It is a massive project which is a challenge, and she thrives on challenges.

From the release I received: “I am the Child of, choreographed by Allen, the first fully staged dance production in Canada to integrate Augmented Reality, examines the concept of perspective and delves into childhood memories – in particular those life-altering memories that shape who we are and live on in the body. Each of the nine dancers in the work was asked to share a profound memory that has shaped them. Memories from being left to hitchhike by a parent on the Highway of Tears in BC to learn how to rollerblade to childhood emotional abuse were exchanged and helped inform the creative and choreographic process.”

In 2015 when Stephen Harper was Prime Minister, there was a crisis in the Middle East with refugees wanting to come to Canada. Mr. Harper started to say he was going to block these refugees. Back then Allen was rarely political in his social media posts, and he was driven to write a Facebook post that started with ‘I am the child of a refugee.’

Allen’s father, Morton Norris, was a Holocaust survivor in Auschwitz. His brother-in-law died in his arms. 90% of his family was murdered, many of them from the ghetto and Auschwitz. Morton witnessed his family being put on the gas trucks. In 1945, William Lyon Mackenzie King was an avid anti-Semite bringing in the policy of none is too many and Jews were not allowed in this country.

In 1948, Norris came to Canada as a refugee with nothing. He built a life. He built a new family as he was married with children before the war. Norris made new connections and built a community. When he passed away, Morton Norris was made an honorary police officer for the work he had done not only for the Police Federation but for the community as a whole.

This is what refugees do. They come here and build worlds; they work hard and build a community. That’s why Allen had written his social media post “I am the child of a refugee” which went viral.

A couple of years later Allen was thinking about what he wanted to do as new work because he’s done a lot of work based on his family’s history and the Holocaust. His community is so filled with such essential voices and experiences that he wanted to invite these different individuals to begin to reveal and express their stories through dance and for us to interact physically and kinetically with each other.

This is the inspiration for “I Am the Child of”. Allen also adds he has a brilliant cast of eight live dancers and five AR (augmented reality) dancers, so a cast of 13. During the performances, the audience will be invited to come in with their personal devices. They will have a choice to watch different sections where they will be cued to see multiple perspectives and viewpoints so make sure phones are charged. Audiences do not have to do this and can just simply enjoy what plays out in front of them on the Fleck Dance Theatre stage. For Allen, audiences who use their device will be given more context, and more information if they choose to do so.

Audience members with educational backgrounds and training can see more in a dance and movement piece than those who do not have a strong background. In Allen’s opinion, what is it about dance and movement pieces that appeal to ALL audience members?

“Because we live in our bodies. We are who we are, and in our world (but I won’t speak for Karen), all movement is dance and we are all dancers. Whether we pursue it professionally or not does not matter. All movement is dance and therefore we are intimately involved with dance whether we’re aware of it or not. As an observer dance moves us kinetically and viscerally.”

Kaeja d’Dance 31 (TouchX + I am the Child of) will perform on stage November 11–13, 2022 at 7:30pm at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, as part of the international contemporary dance series Torque. For further information, visit harbourfrontcentre.com. You can also visit kaeja.org to learn more about Kaeja d’Dance.

Sadly, as I write this, I never had the opportunity to meet Allen in my short time reviewing at Young People’s Theatre (YPT) for On Stage Blog. I only began reviewing for YPT in May 2019.

I wished I had now.

“Le sigh”, as my niece says. Why the glum sound?

The company press release showcases Mr. MacInnis’ extensive forty-year theatrical career in which he has devoted nearly half of it (nineteen years, specifically) to YPT. I had no prior knowledge of the impact he has left on the face of Canadian theatre across the country most notably on the youngest audience members, including babies.

However, as Executive Director Nancy Webster stated in this same release, Allen will first program YPT’s 2020-2021 season as well as direct before he steps down. It will be a “long good-bye in order to allow for a smooth transition into the company’s next chapter with a new artist at the helm.”

I better get moving in YPT’s new season to track him down, to introduce myself, and to wish Allen well in the new chapter of his life. Hey, as a retired high school teacher, I will let him know that this new phase opens endless possibilities and further opportunities. But I’m certain he’s already aware of them.

When I taught high school English and Dramatic Arts in the late 80s and 90s, I remember bringing my students to YPT especially if a play we were studying was to be performed live. I always believed it was important for students and young people to see the world of literature come alive dramatically. That was then.

Today, Ontario schools have shifted tremendously in their development of meeting overall and specific curricula expectations. This year, in consideration of reconciliation to our Indigenous people, the YPT slate of productions was to have focused on the Seven Ancestral Teachings of the Anishinaabe. No one could have ever predicted how two major events this season – unrest in the provincially funded education system and the pandemic of COVID – 19 – would turn all live theatre seasons upside down.

Despite these tumultuous months provincially, MacInnis’ artistic vision in joining YPT in 2002 has remained steady. YPT took these Ontario Ministry of Education expectations and fully brought them to fruition and focused on the emotional, social and intellectual development of young people which influenced all artistic choices as well as the company’s core values of purpose and audience. Additionally Mr. MacInnis, together with Executive Director Nancy Webster, established the company’s ‘Innovative Education & Participation Department, connecting every element of YPT’s educational work with the company’s professional productions. This job and calling taught Allen it’s “all about maintaining an authentic relationship with young people and the people who care about them.”

Ah, there’s the key word right there – authenticity. As a retired schoolteacher, I also saw firsthand that young people truly do know when something or someone is authentic and genuine and when they’re not. You can’t pull a fast one on youth because they will automatically sense and know if it’s done. They just somehow do.

I reviewed five YPT productions this year, four of them during the current upheaval of teacher unrest and threat of COVID-19: ‘Antigone’ (from the 2018-2019 season), ‘The Mush Hole’, ‘A Million Billion Pieces’, ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ and ‘The Jungle Book’. The last four believably, genuinely, authentically and realistically appealed to the diverse audiences of children and adults specifically in the following four out of seven teachings of the Anishinaabe – Love, Honesty, Truth and Respect. If anything, on a personal note of reflection, these four teachings became ironic reminders of how important it is to maintain them especially in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic in which we now find ourselves worldwide.

I will most definitely track down Allen MacInnis to speak to him more about where he believes our Canadian theatre industry is headed. He is quoted as saying in the company press release that “it’s time for someone like me to get out of the way for a new generation, especially those who face barriers to accessing leadership roles.”

You have me intrigued, Allen, about this statement. I can’t wait to pick your brain and to talk theatre with you.

Young People’s Theatre can be found at 165 Front Street East, Toronto. Visit www.youngpeoplestheatre.org for further information or their Facebook page: Young People’s Theatre

Amy Keating’s affection for live theatre has not abated at all on account of the pandemic.

If anything, her unabated enthusiasm is so contagious that I caught it and was reaching that same height of missing the theatre crowd. You could read theatre ‘geeks’ in here if you wish because Amy said she loves them and misses them so much.

Me too.

Our recent conversation kept me smiling and laughing throughout the 45-minute interview. There was no pretentious air about her at all, and she made me feel very comfortable during our Zoom call that we even dropped some colourful language as we discussed so much. We were both surprised that time had slipped by so quickly without us even knowing because we had so much to say and to hear.

First time I saw Amy on stage was at the Stratford Festival as Cathleen, the Irish housekeeper, in a hard hitting ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’. And then to see her in a completely different role in an outrageously bloody good production of ‘Hand to God’ at Toronto’s Coal Mine Theatre.

And finally, Amy’s appearance in ‘The Flick’, at Crow’s Theatre which was the first production I reviewed there. You wanna talk about a show where I did not write any notes down on paper during a jaw dropping three hour running time because I couldn’t avert my eyes from the onstage action, not even for one second.

She is a Toronto-based actor originally hailing from the Prairies. Amy works in both theatre and film and is three-time Dora Mavor Moore nominated actor.

She is a founding member and associate artist of Outside the March with credits: The Flick, Mr. Burns, Passion Play, Mr. Marmalade.

Favourite Film/TV credits: Murdoch Mysteries; Ginny & Georgia; Killjoys; P!GS (short film); SUCCULENT (short film).

Fave theatre credits: Long Day’s Journey into Night and Julius Caesar (Stratford Festival); The Glass Menagerie (Grand Theatre); Wormwood (Tarragon Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Capitol Theatre).

Thank you so much, Amy, for adding your voice to the conversation:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

It’s interesting, Joe, to talk about how it has changed on a personal level, but I also want to talk about how it’s also changed on a macro level as my mind has also gone there in reflection.

I feel there’s been a lot of changes and awareness with all of the social justice movements this year. I really do believe and I’m really grateful for the time that we’ve all had to take as the ‘big pause’ allowed us to re-think.

Capitalism’s ideology is, “Go, go, go, make the money, make the money, do the hustle, do the side hustle”. I believe, without this ‘year old pandy’ (as my friend says), we wouldn’t have had the opportunity as we would have been too busy and still too caught up in ourselves to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening in the world.

In terms of my bigger life, and I imagine this is what many of the artists have probably said, the chance to slow down and, of course, I’ve been privileged enough to have a safe house, to have running water, to have a home and TV to watch Netflix on at night. (Amy and I share a quick laugh because I’ve also done the exact same thing.)

But the time to slow down, I’m really, really grateful for it. It’s been refreshing in a way, and I’m both incredibly excited, obviously, but also nervous to go back to that hustle.

I think in this profession too there’s always the feeling, both in a beautiful way and in a sometimes-stressful way, of always having to be somewhere and do something and to be creating, and putting yourself out there, and meeting people. It’s time to slow down, and I’ve learned to say No as I may want to sit down and open a book of poetry one morning and read.

Or maybe I might just want to lie in bed one Saturday morning or walk to the water.

To have that time has been really, really cool.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

Joe, I see the precariousness of it all.

I try not to stop and think about it. When I think about the repercussions, I get really worried as an artist. I told my partner, Mitchell, that it’s also possible the year I just spent was a year I would spend in normal times.

You never know that I could have had five plays, five shows back-to-back, a couple of days on set, some workshops OR I could not have had any of these. I could have been working in my three other Jane jobs the whole time or could have had nothing.

As an artist, you’re used to that life in a way anyway. When I think about Crow’s Theatre, Canadian Stage or any of the smaller companies, students who have graduated from theatre school, I worry about all of this.

For the theatre graduates, are we going to lose them because the pandemic may have dried up opportunities?

I’m worried about this precariousness. It’s a profession, it’s a job, it’s a joy, this business but it’s so tenuous sometimes. I hope it’s going to recover because when it does, it’s going to be glorious.

When I saw Stratford’s announcements of outdoor theatre, I gasped with excitement because yes, it’s coming back, get me back, please.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

The community.

The everyday play with people. During this time when we’re outside walking on the sidewalk, we see others and yes, we too, we move to the side. It’s our calling as artists to move closer, not just physically but with our hearts, with our breath, with our minds.

I miss that. Trying to lock in and connect. It’s connecting with people and playing with them.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?
(There was a long pause from Amy as I could sense she wanted to say it right)

It will be the ability of a large group of people, audiences, and creators of a piece to be in the same room together.

Because that’s the magic. That is what we have missed this past year and a bit, especially me with Netflix. (and we too share a quick laugh).

It’s that, and that’s what scary right now is the gathering of big groups of people. Who knew even two years ago we would have said, “You know, next year is going to be really difficult and really dangerous to get over 20 people in a room together.” And I would have said,” No, what are you talking about, that’s my job to do that.”

This also includes the audience too because they will wonder if it’s going to be safe for them. Yes, actors can rehearse outside but is an audience safe to watch you? Every day and every performance I will thankfully say, “Look at all the people who are here, even if it’s five of them.”

We may not be sold out but we’re here, that audience is here, how lucky are we!!!!!!

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

I feel as if this last year plus has forced us to slow down in multiple ways.

I hope that when we get back to working, creating, and playing, we’re also going to slow down. And that, to me, means being able to take care of everyone who is in the room and be able to be present with everyone who is working on the project, everyone who has come together. That means meeting people where they’re at; that means dealing with anti-racist actions and making sure that people are being seen and taken care of.

It must be noted where people are coming from and what they need on any given day.

And if there’s something hurtful in the work, said in rehearsal or in the script that we’re able to (and money is always a thing, Joe, you know) that we’re able to call it IN or OUT first off and then take the time and say, “Hey, this doesn’t work. This isn’t helpful for us. Let’s take the time to do something different, to re-evaluate it and to change it.”

We’ve done this already for the last fifteen, sixteen months outside the theatre. We now must bring this into the theatre. It can only be a good thing for any production if people are being seen, we meet them where they are coming from and to hear them.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

Oh my God, what a cool question.

One thing – EVERYTHING!!!!! (And again, we had a good laugh)

Oh, Joe, this is the hardest question because I actually do believe it’s everything. Here’s my thesis (and again Amy took some time because I could sense she wanted to say it right and to get it right)
I started doing a bit of film and tv. I just finished my first short film, and I would like to find different ways to work and collaborate with people. So, I’d love to be part of a process or to lead a process that would stretch the container of the three – four-week rehearsal process.

I feel I’d like to work in a playful way. I think I would like to write.

I would like to direct. I directed once before and nearly killed myself, Joe. I was living off coffee and cigarettes and wasn’t sleeping. I want to go back and try it again. I think it would be fun, but I would like to pick the play. It would have to be a play I could see that I would want to do.

Here’s the last thing I’ll say – I want to work in big communities of people. I think a lot of shows are kept small on account of budget. When we did ‘Passion Play’, it was a cast of 12. There were 3 directors. It was very large, and I would love to work in that way again, kind of on an epic scale and do plays that are 5, 10, 12 hours long with five directors and a cast of 20. (and I start smiling and laughing as Amy’s enthusiasm is contagious)

We’ve been at home for the last year and a half doing nothing, and I want to work on a big, big scale.

That’s what I want to do.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

Joe, let’s re-phrase this question, okay?

“Am I prepared to participate both as a professional artist and as a theatre goer in the potential tsunami of Covid themed plays and stories when we immediately return to the theatre? I’m going to echo several of the artists whom you have interviewed who have quoted the same thing…”

Fuck, no!!!!!!!!!! (With uproarious laughter from both of us)
Definitely not! I don’t want it!

I actually wonder if down the road, say ten years from now, a Covid play might be interesting. Right now? No, no no…

What I am a fan of now is Black Mirror on Netflix. There’s a cool thing about this show in that it’s not science fiction but more like a drama where it takes the world we live in today and just switches one little thing, just one thing about society. For example, what if in advertising we put a chip in you and see what happens, or your whole social status was based on how many LIKES you received daily.

What I find interesting in this comparison of the show to Covid are the connections to some of the anti-vaxxers, anti- mask individuals. If we take the themes from this time of Covid and explore into a play. I don’t want to see any kind of Covid re-creation, but I do think there’s some interesting things revealed about people and society in general at this time.

Those themes would be interesting to explore OUTSIDE of a Covid backdrop. I don’t want that.

Now, if someone wrote a Covid themed play with me in mind and offered it to me for next year, I might say, “Too soon, too soon.” But if it’s my first theatre job offer in a post Covid world, I might just say, “Yes, please.”

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

For me, specifically, this is such a self-reflecting In Memoriam.

I feel the thing for me that makes live theatre so exciting for me and what I want to see in the actors when I watch, and what I want to bring to the stage, is a certain playfulness, aliveness and electricity that makes people feel that this interaction at this moment is new every time.

It’s that kind of work that Outside the March reflects in that it was important that you were here on this night (or, in a matinee, this day) to see this interaction at this moment. This night is different because of you, the audience member, because you’re here.

I’m really leaning into this In Memoriam question, Joe. I trained in Clown. I studied a lot of Clown in school. That’s all about breath, being in the moment, following impulses and listening. It’s not about trying to be funny, but it’s about being open and receptive.

That’s what I aim to do – to be present, to be playful and open with the people I’m creating with on stage, and the people that I work with through rehearsal, and the audience as well.
It’s bringing that magical electrical feeling into the room.

You can follow Amy Keating online at Instagram: @lil_keats.
You can also follow Amy’s first short film account SUCCULENT on Instagram: @succulentthefilm.

It was a couple of months before the pandemic hit where I first saw André Sills’ work in what I felt was a daring production of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre in 2020.

I wanted to learn more about his work and was grateful when André participated in a profile series I was compiling at that time on how Equity artists were faring. You can read his profile here: https://bit.ly/3GTG7Dp.

During a recent Zoom conversation, I asked him what he would like to say to the Covid/Omicron variant as we approach Year 3 of the pandemic:

“Oh, God, I think we’ve had enough. I think we’ve all been traumatized enough. The big ol’ dream of trying to get back to normal? I’m just done with it.”

Hopefully, according to the recent news reports, it looks as if the provincial government is done especially with premier Doug Ford reiterating what Sills said.

Covid has not destroyed what Andre loves about the live performing arts. Although family time was very important to him as he helped his kids during homeschooling, Sills is glad they are back in school because kids being in person to learn makes all the difference.

For Sills, the same thing exists for theatre. Audiences need to be in the seats and seeing the actors on stage with the artists feeling the audience there. It’s part of the experience.

A resident artist of ARC (Actors Repertory Company), André is currently in rehearsals as Director with his cast preparing for a March 1 Canadian premiere opening of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s ‘Gloria’, an ARC production in association with Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre. Sills has always wanted to direct and had an interest in it for years, but the ‘actor-beast’ in him is always first.

For Andre to direct a play, there would have to be something that inspires him so much that doesn’t have something for him in it. That play would have to give him the drive and challenge as if he was in it because that’s the type of theatre he likes to do. Plays that cost something of the actors and something to investigate within themselves is that challenge Sills craves.

Sills then backtracks a bit to speak about ‘An Octaroon’ a play written by Jacobs-Jenkins at Shaw Festival. Feeling that experience to be on the inside of ‘An Octaroon’ was of prime importance and then trying to get a hold of the playwrights’ plays wasn’t an easy task. He finally got a copy of ‘Gloria’ but hadn’t read it until ARC was putting together a list of plays to produce.

When he finally picked ‘Gloria’ up to read it, Andre felt there wasn’t necessarily anything for him in it, but he could direct it. He pitched it to ARC where everybody read it and loved it. Andre believes ‘Gloria’ is a good fit for ARC because it’s an ensemble piece that requires a strong cast to help tell the story together.

The ARC website describes the plot of ‘Gloria’:
An ambitious group of editorial assistants at a notorious Manhattan magazine office vie for a starry life of feature articles and book deals, all while the internet is completely upending their industry. When an ordinary humdrum workday becomes anything but, these aspiring journalists recognize an opportunity to seize a career-defining moment.

Sills is fine with this play description, but he’s extremely careful about spoiling the plot for all audiences.
‘Gloria’ has been labelled as a satire. It’s the writing, the ‘echoes’, the questions, and the wit that drew Sills to this play and Jacobs-Jenkins’s dialogue is amazing especially from a recall of ‘An Octaroon’. Sills feels that we’re all living in a kind of satire right now. For him he compares ‘Gloria’ to putting up a mirror for ourselves and seeing ourselves through that mirror.

Since we all want to get back to theatre, the one thing Andre is encountering right now is a lot of fear in how we take on theatre. He explains how we might be afraid of our audience and of offending them through Shakespeare and up to modern day stories. At the same time, the world isn’t afraid to offend us. So, putting the mirror up is showing ourselves on stage.

There’s a line from ‘Gloria’ Sills remembers: “People don’t read magazines for the truth.” Hearing this from a playwright, Sills also hears that people don’t attend the theatre for the truth. It’s time to get back to the truth and stop beating around the bush so much.

Jacobs-Jenkins isn’t writing anything to be grotesque in ‘Gloria’ or any of his plays. He has an intent. By working on ‘An Octaroon’ at Shaw and helping with ‘Everybody’ (by Jacobs-Jenkins) at Montréal’s National Theatre School, and then with the satire of ‘Gloria’, the intent has stayed the same in all three plays. There should be no fear in showing the world as it really is while challenging us to be better.

I’ll list the cast at the end of this profile, but André continues to tell the artists to continue being bold and brave, and anything that the characters do that the artists might be afraid of, the acting partner needs it for their part to continue. André continues to tell the actors to trust the play as opposed to us judging it. For the journey of ‘Gloria’, the actors have to step into it and do it for their acting partner in order to see where the journey ends.

Did the cast have to undergo any preparation before rehearsals began? Andre spoke about something he believes in when he prepares for a role himself. He calls it the building of a foundation. He added that ARC likes to have an ‘open room’ meaning it is a workshop week in November where there is a read through of the play where community collaborators and design team come in regarding themes of whatever the play is about. With reference to ‘Gloria’, a woman from Macleans and Chatelaine came in to explain and share what office life is like, and how people either take care of each other or they don’t within the office. Having this particular reference of what the office climate life was like was valuable to the cast.

What’s next for André Sills once ‘Gloria’ is done?

I’m hoping there is a Season 2 of ‘Private Idiots’ and was imploring there to be one. If you haven’t seen it, do a You Tube selection. For now ‘Private Idiots’ is on hold, but the aim is to find a way to take these two cops a step further by getting them out of their cars.

After ‘Gloria’ opens, André heads to Stratford to step into rehearsals for ‘Richard III’ and ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ this summer at the Festival where he looks forward to continuing telling the truth on stage.

DETAILS:

‘Gloria’ an ARC production in association with Crow’s Theatre runs March 1 – 20 in the Guloien Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. For further information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.crowstheatre.com.

The Cast: Deborah Drakeford, Carlos Gonzalez-Vio, Jonelle Gunderson, Savion Roach, athena kaitlin trinh, Nabil Traboulsi.

Artist Andrea Rankin has quite the impressive list of resume credentials on her website. I had the opportunity to see her work at The Stratford Festival in ‘Mother’s Daughter’ and ‘The Crucible’, and her other credits in theatre, film and television are varied in range. Her training and educational background are solid.

She is billed on her personal website as a multidisciplinary Canadian artist with a passion for live performance and equitable spaces. Andrea is an actor, singer, musician, and songwriter born in Amiskwaciwâskahikan on Treaty 6 Territory (Edmonton, Alberta). Thankfully there is a section on the website where I can listen to some of her songs.

In a couple of months, we will be coming up on one year where the doors of live theatre have been shuttered. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

I am healthy, I have enough food and a safe and comfortable place to live – so I am doing alright, despite everything. Thankfully my family is safe and healthy too. Some days I feel hopeful and able to appreciate my surroundings and the present moment, some days are difficult and full of grief and I find myself needing to sit or lie down. I’m getting more used to the ebbs and flows and to trying to accept instead of resisting the emotions that come up; I think this will be a life-long practice.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

At first, after the 2020 Stratford season was cancelled, I poured my energy into what you might call the ‘domestic arts’. Before the lockdown, I had just closed a nearly-year-long run of “Mother’s Daughter” by Kate Hennig at Stratford/Soulpepper and had started rehearsals to play Ophelia in “Hamlet” and Hero in “Much Ado About Nothing” at the Stratford Festival. I was spending my days in rehearsal halls with passionate artists and spending my evenings continuing to work. My last rehearsal was a Saturday afternoon and then I received a note on Monday morning not to come into work. Stopping suddenly felt like whiplash at first. There was a period of waiting to know how long this would go on that has never really ended.

For comfort, I became very invested in my sourdough starters (Peg and Diane, respectively) and in trying to bake a perfect loaf of bread. I started cooking new things and testing out long, detailed recipes. I started writing every morning, as a place to put my thoughts. I felt no other creative impulses for a long time and frankly, tried not to think about anything artistic. To deal with the anxiety I took up running. To stay hopeful, I tried to hold onto what I did have available to me: the outdoors. I spent time walking, running, having bonfires, at the beach, camping, hiking; I did whatever I could to be outside at all times. Near the end of the summer, my partner and I drove across the country and camped our way to Alberta to have distance visits with family and friends. That was a highlight.

In the fall my creative energy came back and I decided to embrace another artistic passion of mine: music. I’m a trained classical singer and pianist, and the journey to discover my own style has been a satisfying one. In November 2020, I decided to release my first EP of alt-pop music, called Tides. It’s given me a lot of purpose and meaning and I’ve learned a lot about the music industry in Canada. I’ve also started writing in other ways – meeting weekly with friends to work on script ideas. I don’t know what will become of them, but the act of meeting and writing together has been deeply satisfying. I also started teaching voice and acting lessons online over Zoom and now I teach students from across the country every week. I’ve still been auditioning here and there for film and television, but I’ve certainly channeled my creative energies into music. Luckily, it’s an art that I can still do from the confines of my living room.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you or would you describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?

At times it’s felt like an escape from the relentless momentum of productivity and chasing notions of success, but in almost every other way, this has felt like the opposite of an escape. I think it’s a gift to have more time to pay attention to the world we’re living in. It has involved a new kind of listening and feeling anger and grief; and the grief I feel for all those suffering is immense. In my experience, it’s been a time to look at myself, my life, my community, my work and my participation in systems and structures and ask why. What stops me from listening? Why am I not fighting for change every day? It’s been a chance to listen deeply and a chance to educate myself. It has been a chance to let go of things and reimagine.

In other ways, I’ve tried to look at this as an opportunity to discover parts of myself that are changing: interests I’ve neglected, relationships I’ve taken for granted. I’ve tried to think of my creativity as a daily experience, present everywhere in all things. I can find it when I cook, in choosing my outfit for the day, in the trees when I go for walks, in calling friends on the phone and listening without distraction. It has felt like a year-long exercise in mindfulness. I’ve really felt that when you can’t go backwards, and the future is unknown, the safest place to be is in the present. The more I’m able to be in the day I’m having and live slowly, the more I find I’m able to be okay, learn and listen. When I worry about what’s happened or what’s to come, I start to feel fear and anxiety. There has also been a great deal of time sitting with these feelings and trying to accept what I do have, what I can learn, who I am and who I could be.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

I’m not sure how things will go. I often think about artists at home, grieving and breathing and I wonder what will come out of this for everyone. Who will have left the industry? Who will have studied something new? What art will be made and shared? We’ve experienced a collective trauma, and this takes time to heal. At times, I try to remind myself of how this is creating space for everyone to explore other parts of themselves, their other interests, skills and curiosities. I imagine watching strangers hug someday in the future and how joyful that will be. I imagine standing next to a stranger at a concert and sharing a sweaty moment of shared humanity and I think – I can wait. To keep people safe so that we can all share moments like this again: this is worth waiting for. Whenever it happens, it’s going to be spectacular.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

As it’s ongoing – and in Ontario in a lockdown state similar to what we had in the spring of 2020 – I’m not sure how this has transformed me just yet. I know I will be a different artist. I know that my voice can be used for things I believe in and to protect the safety, creativity, and spirits of all artists in the room. I think I’ll be less desirous to please and more desirous to connect. I look forward to discovering how I’ve changed and how this time has changed me.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

I think the idea of ‘danger’ in the work is a difficult notion and worth expanding upon. The notion of artistic danger can sometimes be a privilege and used as a way to wield power over those without it. Speaking generally about ‘danger’ can mean that we’re not all having the same conversation. For some, danger in the rehearsal hall and in performance is very real: not being seen or heard, having a fellow artist look at you through a lens of racism, ableism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, body-shaming; people that believe you only deserve to be there if you play by their rules. As a community we’re waking up to these discoveries, but they have been the lived reality of many artists for a long time.

If danger creates fear, then I disagree with Ms. Caldwell. Declan Donnellan speaks of this in his book “The Actor and Its Target.” He writes “No theatre work absorbs more energy than dealing with the effects of fear; and fear is, without a single exception, destructive. Fear makes it difficult to disagree. Fear creates as much false consensus as strife. A healthy working atmosphere, where we can risk and fail, is indispensable. Fear corrodes this trust, undermines our confidence and clots our work. And the rehearsal must feel safe so that the performance may seem dangerous.”

In other words, a safe room creates dangerous work. I believe in this very much.

On a personal level, in the characters I have played, I’ve been strangled, hanged, beaten, suicidal, died tragically, institutionalized, silenced and murdered in just about every play I’ve been in over the past decade; the canon for young women, especially in classical theatre, is rife with danger. If the process threatens the safety and autonomy of the artist, if they are not given a space to use their voice and there is inequality in who is allowed to express their experience and who isn’t – these things are not only detrimental to our art, but damaging to the brave and vulnerable individuals who choose to make theatre their craft.

As far as danger in the time of Covid – absolutely. It is a wild and terrifying thing to experience a constant, invisible threat. I think the experience of this kind of danger will influence my work in reminding me not to take anything for granted. Our time on this planet is not guaranteed and that’s what makes it beautiful and worth paying attention to. It is a precious thing to have time in a room with people and I won’t ever take that for granted again.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

It has. I’m still experiencing this, so it might be too early to describe how, but it has forced me to live more slowly and to pay more attention to the world around me. Thich Naht Hahn – a buddhist monk and writer whose work I admire and read often – talks about how the meaning of life can be found in the experience of wonder. When we experience wonder – with others, in the natural world, alone – we feel connected to something and this gives us meaning. I think this time has made me sensitive to wonder and to the world around me. This wonder isn’t always easeful; it can be wonder at the problems in the world, at people’s willingness to allow others to suffer. This time has made me ask why I am living the way I do, who I’m living for, what my values are. It’s asked me to sit with myself and offered a chance for me to make choices consciously. I will bring this all with me. There’s no going back.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

It certainly has. I have been curious about what’s possible in my life and in my ability to help and support others. I have been curious about having hobbies! I have been curious about myself as a songwriter and musician, and I’ve had the chance to release music and explore this great love of mine. It has made me curious about political structures and inequality; cooking and baking; nature and the outdoors; what it means to be a good friend; how suffering is universal; where socks go when they get lost in the dryer; that we need to look out for one another; the power of a phone call, of a Christmas card; of the ebbs and flows. In some ways, while you’re busy making art you don’t always take the time to make your own life a work of art. This is a cheesy way of saying this but I think it’s sometimes true. The mundane, the boring, the ugly, the exhausting, the beautiful; these make up a life and are the very things I am so desirous to see on stage. I hope these reflections, observations and discoveries come with me whenever and however I return to this art form.

Thank-you for the chance to reflect on this time in my life and to consider the answers to these questions. I’m grateful for the opportunity.

To connect with Andrea, visit her personal webpage: www.andrearankin.ca.

Twitter: @heyandrearankin Instagram: @andrealindsayrankin

I’ve seen Andrew Kushnir’s name on many live theatre sites over the years. I did get to review one play he had written ‘Toward Youth’ at Crow’s Theatre, but that has been the only work of his I’d seen.

When I saw that he had responded to one of the artists whom I had profiled, I thought well, get in touch with him to see if he is interested in being interviewed. And he was most appreciative of the opportunity.

Andrew is quite proud of his latest project This Is Something Else — an investigative podcast ‘love letter’ to theatre in this country, produced by the Arts Club. They’re nearing 4000 downloads..

‘Project: Humanity’ is also nearing the 1-year anniversary of their CAPP (Covid-19 Artist Partnership Program) — soon to be renamed PH 1:1. They’ve provided meaningful employment to 48 professional artists this past year as mentors to youth in the shelter system (in an arts discipline of the young person’s choosing).

Andrew is an actor, playwright, and director who lives in Toronto. He is artistic director of the socially engaged theatre company Project: Humanity.

His produced plays include The Middle Place (Toronto Theatre Critic’s Award), Small Axe, Wormwood, The Gay Heritage Project (co-created with Paul Dunn and Damien Atkins, 3 Dora Award nominations) and Freedom Singer (co-created with Khari Wendell McClelland, toured nationally to 14 cities). His most recent work Towards Youth: a play on radical hope premiered in February 2019 in a co-production between Project: Humanity and Crow’s Theatre.

This past year has had him collaborating on a verbatim musical about competitive eating, leading a 7-week masterclass “Verbatim Theatre: Working with the Realness” with Ghostlight, creating an original limited podcast series for the Arts Club Theatre entitled This Is Something Else, directing the graduating class at the National Theatre School in the New Words Festival, and working on Dr. Kathleen Gallagher’s Audacious Citizens project – which researches the drama classroom vis-à-vis climate justice.

His co-directed documentary film Finding Radical Hope was released in February 2021. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta, a Loran Scholar and alumnist of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival. In April 2019, he became the first-ever recipient of the Shevchenko Foundation’s REACH prize.

We conducted our conversation via email as he is one busy guy. Thanks for adding to the conversation, Andrew:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

My brain zigzags wildly with this…what a year (and more) of flux. I think of the things that were once easy and are much more difficult, if not impossible, now. And then the inverse – how things that seemed implausible (big systemic reforms, for instance) feel not only more possible, but imperative. I have more appetite for change now than ever before, I’d say. More appetite for variations. For new stories. For moving away from the things that weren’t working.

One thing does occur to me, as I turn over your question, is my perception of boundaries or borders. That has shifted for me. The notion of a safe space, one I can move freely through. In November 2019, I undertook a big research trip through Europe. I retraced my late grandfather’s journey from a small village in Western Ukraine, through Poland, Italy and England. He was a celebrated watchmaker, he designed the last railway-grade pocket watch in North America, and I covered something like 19,000 km by foot, train, plane and car rental with his pocket watch on me. I interviewed dozens of people about their sense of Time – some in their 90s – and photographed them handling his timepiece while I did it. That sort of trek through the world then felt so relatively effortless. Those meetings with perfect strangers felt so uncomplicated, relatively speaking. I think about how lucky I was to move through the world as I did then. It’s a different physical world now. Feels tighter, more bordered, for the time being.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

I found myself realizing how much I get from ‘showing up’ in a shared space with the work; how much theatre is co-created between artists and audiences, and how we’re consequential to one another in that ‘room’. I’ve said this before: why is it heaven when you walk into a sparsely attended movie? Why is it hell when you walk into a sparsely attended play? It’s just heavy-lifting when you’re without a crowd in the theatre – and often, digital iterations of theatre have felt like that kind of heavy-lifting for me. There have been notable exceptions, of course –moments of pure medicine! But that’s all to say, this pandemic has reinvigorated my affection for audiences, to remember that we do it all with them.

This past year has also highlighted for me how much more, as a sector, we have to centre care in our work. Care for our fellow artists, care in our ways of working, our ways of producing, our ways of engaging with the public. Theatre is not lucrative, it’s not high-profile, it’s in many ways a fragile ecology, all we have is relationships. How do we take best care of our relationships so that everyone can show up maximally in the spaces we gather and make work in?

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

I got to direct at the National Theatre School this spring. We were safely distanced at all times, masked at all times, following very strict protocols around space and sanitization. It was kind of miraculous. And it gave me a dose of the thing I missed so much (and miss now!): the daily joy of a rehearsal hall working on a new play. The collective effort of making sense of new and original writing, testing revisions, dreaming up possibilities through performance and design. The requisite banter that comes with coping with uncertainty. The getting good at loving uncertainty. I think a life in the theatre primes you for various forms of not knowing. It makes theatre people good in a crisis.

But I miss the very spaces and projects that help us get good at dancing with the unexpected. The helpful edges that keep the sand in the sandbox.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

Seeing the lower hemisphere of a person’s face! Ok, maybe that will wear off, eventually. I suppose I’ll never take for granted how interconnected we are as a theatre ecology across this country. We aren’t that big of a sector. I think we punch well above our weight, but we’re a relatively small entity, a kind of village. My feelings around this was heightened recently through a history-related podcast I created for the Arts Club — just seeing how interrelated we are by certain events and cultural forces.

I’ve come to newly appreciate the space that large cultural institutions hold in the social imagination, and how their survival has tangible impacts on companies off all sizes. My esteem for smaller companies has also deepened, those who’ve been so skilled at responding to the immediate needs of their artistic communities. Keeping artists from creative atrophy (and from losing their livelihoods) is critical to our recovery, and to ensuring stages of all sizes get populated by exciting and diverse work. I do think we’re all enmeshed, from a theatre survival standpoint.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

I hope we’ve come to better recognize the barriers that have been in place in our industry for a long time: barriers to diverse perspectives, lived experiences, ways of working. Barriers to a more equitable distribution of power and resources. Barriers to access. I was speaking to my mother about the Free Theatre Report – this stunning document that I came across created by Savage God (John Juliani and Donna Wong) in the 1970s.

My mother said “I bet if theatre had been free when I was growing up, I would have gone.” There was a kind of sadness when she said it. I think we in the theatre know that it can be a magical thing in your life, it can be hope-and joy-inducing. Can we come back to it now with an eye to broadening its reach and its presence in our social fabric? Can we democratize theatre more?

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

Super tough question. I do love teaching and mentoring. My own teachers, mentors and collaborators over the years have loaded me up with so many insights and concepts and ways of going about theatre. I treasure the spaces where I get to share the collage of my ‘receipts’, what constitutes and constellates and influences my approach to theatre. There’s something so satisfying when I see someone excited by something I’ve inherited, that I’ve passed something useful along.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

I’m not so sure about that. We’re seeing a surge in pieces of art about the 1980s AIDS crisis in recent years. I know there’s a confluence of factors around that – not least of which the broader social acceptance of queer stories. But I think there’s a kind of profound shock that needs to wear off (I mean we’re still in the middle of this global pandemic), and it’s going to take some time and distance yet before we’ll be able to appreciate and welcome narratives about what we’ve undergone.

Robert Caro says “Time equals truth”.

I’d like to think we’ll give ourselves some time. In another, weird way, maybe any play produced upon the “return to live theatre” will be COVID-themed, insomuch as we’ll be a bit self-conscious in the dark, talking down our mortal fear of that cough we hear across the room, clocking the actors coming more than 2 meters from each other, making contact. The most unrelated content will relate to our historic moment, because the event of theatre is always so Local and Now.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

Ah, the awkward memorial question. I don’t really know how to respond. I have been to memorials for theatre artists who’ve achieved so much more than I will, and I wonder how much they occur to general audiences now (their ‘future audiences’). Maybe not much. And maybe that’s not a sad thing. There’s something inherently ephemeral about our art form, it comes and goes, you’ve got to be there. If any audience were to remember my work…I don’t know… “he was playful with hard questions” sits ok with me.

To learn more about Andrew, visit his personal website: www.kushnirandrew.com

I was extending an invitation to Andrew to participate in this series through Messenger. Instead of writing one long bubble, I was dividing it into smaller bubbles. I hadn’t even got through the second bubble where I was going to send him some samples of the profiles, and Andrew quickly responded by saying he would LOVE to participate. We conducted our interview via email. Thanks, Andrew, for such a quick response.

I’ve seen his work on stage several times at the Stratford Festival in ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Amadeus’, ‘Pinocchio’ at Young People’s Theatre and ‘Hamlet’ at Soulpepper. Andrew’s theatre writing credits include: Riot, Factory Theatre, 1995, directed by Layne Coleman. (1996 Chalmers Award for Best New Play). It has since been performed in Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Oui, Factory Theatre, 1998. Wilbur County Blues, Blyth Festival, 1998. A Common Man’s Guide to Loving Women, jointly produced by Canadian Stage and the National Arts Centre, 1999, and has since been performed in Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, and Vancouver. The Lady Smith, Passe Muraille 2000, also remounted in Montreal. The Real McCoy, Factory Theatre 2007, 2008, and has since been performed in Ottawa and mounted in St. Louis in 2011. And finally, Toronto the Good, Factory Theatre 2009 was nominated for a Dora award for Best New Play.

When I asked him where he had completed his training, Andrew wrote the following to include in his profile:

“I was not accepted at any [theatre] school I applied to. One school told me that I don’t have what it takes to be a professional actor. At first, I was truly crushed that I didn’t get in but after hearing the experiences of other black actors at theatre schools in the 80’s I soon realized that I would never accept the way that they would treat me, and that I would have dropped out of the school and become an actor anyway. Some universities and colleges in Canada still struggle with racism. The solution is hiring a diverse faculty and accepting diverse students. I teach at the Toronto Film School and we have a diverse student body and a diverse faculty. Our students literally come from all over the world. The Director of Operations is an Asian woman, Annie John. She’s amazing. We have teachers who are South Asian, Asian, African Canadian, you name it. I LOVE it there. If you are a person of colour and are looking for a place to study film and theatre acting, I would suggest studying at the Toronto Film School.”

Thank you for adding your voice to the discussion, Andrew:

The doors to Toronto live theatre have been shut for over a year now with no possible date of re-opening soon. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

I’ve been busier than ever. Writing, applying for grants, teaching. My wife works for a grocery store chain, so she has been busy as well. It’s been really challenging for my daughters. Really challenging.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

I wrote a play for the Tarragon Theatre, and I am in a Musical Theatre workshop with the Musical Stage company. And I just did a movie with Jennie Garth called ‘Left For Dead’. I’m doing a reading of a Norm Foster play next month. And I’m doing research on a play about AI and racial and gender bias. Learning about how an AI company that sells facial recognition software to police forces all over the world was run by a white supremacist. So not much really.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you, or would you describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?
There is no escape. Remember, Shakespeare worked through the Black Plague. Some of his best plays were written during that time.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

That’s the plan. No theatre till 2022. And that’s even after everyone gets the vaccine. It’s killing me. Oh. Perhaps that was not the best choice of phrase.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

I always suspected that you could do theatre over the internet. Covid 19 has proven my hypothesis.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

I feel true danger going to the pharmacy to buy medicine, or the grocery store, or the bank. True danger. It makes me put on a mask and rub my hands with antiseptic. Theatrical danger is actually just a fear of being uncomfortable. That’s not true-life threatening danger. And I LOVE making people uncomfortable in the theatre.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

I’ve always been too sensitive. Painfully so. Hopefully, I will be less sensitive when all this is done.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

Absolutely. I get curious about something and then I write a play about it. And one day you’ll see productions of all the things I’ve been curious about.

I have seen Andrew Prashad’s name on several entertainment social media sites over the last few months. Once again, it was my friend, Carey, who encouraged me to get in touch with Andrew to learn of his story.
And what an incredible story and conversation I had with him via Zoom.

Andrew gleamed with a loving parental pride every time he spoke about his immediate family, his wife and children. He is a multi disciplined performing artist from being on stage to his work in cinematography and video editing.

Andrew has appeared on stage at the Ed Mirvish Theatre and Young People’s Theatre and a number of others across Canada. He’s also quite the tap dancer as well. I’ve included a link at the end of his profile so you can hear one of his cover songs. Andrew also received a Merritt award for outstanding supporting actor for ‘Cinderella’ at Halifax’s Neptune Theatre.

His one-person show ‘One Step at a Time’ chronicles his life as a parent with a child who has Spina Bifida. Andrew spoke to me about this show near the end of our interview, and this is one I have on my list to see when it is safe to return to the theatre.

Thank you, Andrew, for the conversation:

It has been an exceptionally long six months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

A little nervous. As an artist, we’re trying to get back to work. We’re trying to do everything we can to do our part. Things have to do what they do, I guess, and not all of that is helpful to keeping our numbers down.

As a parent, it’s really not great. I had to send my kids to school so having the numbers up is scary. We’re monitoring every day. I’m not happy that the numbers have gone back up, but I’m not surprised by some of the events I’ve seen reported on the news.

Once there is a vaccine, we will emerge to some new way of living. There’s just going to be a whole new battle of getting people to use the vaccine. Should we use the vaccine? Is it safe? How long were the trials? And all those questions that go with it. A lot of people are thinking that once there’s a vaccine that things will get back to normal, but I think we’re being naïve. Anti-maskers was the big hurdle because as soon as the vaccine comes out, there’s going to be a bigger fight, a bigger problem, a bigger conflict.

Once all this gets settled, however long that takes, maybe there will be some kind of normalcy, but who knows?

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last six months?

We’ve been doing surprisingly well. The kids are resilient. During that whole stretch when everything was shut down, we were doing the home schooling and they loved it. My daughters would come down, print off their homework and they’d be ready when I came down, made breakfast and started checking in on their homework.

My wife was still teaching so I pretty much did the kids homework and their schoolwork during the day. When my wife was done teaching, if she finished teaching in time, we’d go out for a walk, or she would take over and I’d go do my work and things I had to get done. The kids handled it well which is great because I’ve been hearing about numbers of kids who did not handle it well. It would have made everything so much harder if my kids weren’t as awesome as they were.

By the time we got the kids to bed, my wife and I were exhausted. We were toast. My son was born was Spina Bifida and he has a physical disability and high needs, but he’s doing really well. He just got his first wheelchair, he’s so excited.

There are some really great things coming for us, but we’ve been managing, hanging on and figuring it out.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Professionally, one of the most challenging things was losing all of the work and the teaching. It’s funny because I’ve been telling people they have to diversify what they do. I’m an actor, dancer, singer and musician but I’m also a video editor and a music editor. I have a recording studio people come to use. I’m a photographer. I try to diversify my skills which are all based in the arts, so I’m not just an actor. I’m a teacher and choreographer.

When Covid came, it wiped all of it out, it didn’t matter how many different alleys I was in. Everything was shut down. I couldn’t teach. I couldn’t choreograph. Nobody needed video editors; nobody needed photography, nobody needed music, nobody needed anything so there was no work. All our theatre gigs were lost, film and tv shut down, I lost a tv commercial I had just booked. That was really rough along with trying to figure out where money was going to come from.

Luckily, my wife was still working from home, so she still had her pay cheque, but I didn’t have my pay cheque. For a short while, I was on CERB for 4 weeks. Slowly, recital time came in the dance studios. We started teaching online so I taught a few classes online for a few hours a week via Zoom for multiple studios.

I was also doing some private teaching. I got some video editing gigs because the dance studios were still doing recitals, but they couldn’t have the kids in the space. We were doing these virtual recitals so I was editing all of these recitals, but I couldn’t do it during the day because I was helping home school my own kids.

When I put my kids to bed, sometimes I would work until 2 in the morning trying to edit all these dance recitals so these other kids could have them. And then I’d wake up at 6 in the morning and it was to make some breakfast and get ready for school at home all over again.

It was exhausting, but I was able to bring in that little bit of money because I also wasn’t charging full rate because the studios weren’t charging full rates for classes. They didn’t have money to pay for what I would normally charge as an editor. So, it was ‘What can you afford? Ok, let’s make it happen”.

Personally, the most challenging was, or is, finding ME time. My ME time is after bedtime but then I needed to sleep so there was no ME time. There was no US time for my wife and I. It was exhausting.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

My one-person show was going to be put up at Neptune Theatre in Halifax. We had a two-week scheduled run there which was really exciting. It’s called ‘One Step at a Time’ and it’s about my family, my son and balancing being a performer and raising a child with special needs and a physical disability. I lost that and it was postponed. Neptune is doing their best, but they don’t know if they’re going to survive.

I also lost the parlay of my show into other theatres. But now, those other theatres have to make room for the shows they had booked because they feel as if they have to owe them a run. Where these other theatres were of the mindset, ‘Oh, we’ll bring you in next season’, I don’t know what will happen because these folks will bump you.

All of those things I’ve been working so hard on to string together have all fallen apart. I had some big auditions I was working on and in final call backs – all of those projects died as well.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I’ve been doing everything – husband, dad, teacher, friend. I’m the chef. My wife cooks too but she does more of the dinner stuff.

My wife and I share the cooking, taking care of the kids, taking care of my wife. We both take care of the kids, but I also take care of her. She gets to sleep in, and I’ll handle some stuff for her so she can go and teach. We’re sharing an office. I’ve set up her computer beside mine in my studio, so she has a comfortable place to work.

Teaching online has been cool. Lots of self tapes. Lots of auditions which are coming back. Some bookings. Some voice over gigs. Again, I had two voice over bookings which were awesome. They were both first. One was a first for a video game and I had to go into the studio, and everybody was doing their Covid safety which was great to see. The other one was a voice over for a commercial which I had never done either, but I got to do that from my home in my recording studio which was really, really cool so I did that in between the catheter times for my son at school.

And Theatre Passe Muraille put on a fund raiser. They reached out to me and asked if they could use my show to create a fundraiser. It turned into a much bigger thing than we thought. I thought I was going to host a mini version of my show from my garage studio. And then TPM got the go ahead that I could come into the space.

But since we were in the space, we thought let’s just go full out and all of a sudden, we had four cameras, designing lights and sound with their team, choreographing the cameras. It was huge undertaking that none of us saw coming but it was awesome, lots of fun and everybody at Theatre Passe Muraille were incredible. It was worth it, but it was a lot more work than I thought it was going to be.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Well, I don’t know if I’m the one to be giving advice but if people wanted to know what I had to say – “Reach out to communities. Stay in touch with people.” I found this really helpful. When the pandemic hit, my wife and I were running out of a specific hand sanitizer we needed to clean our hands first before we catheterize our son. I’m always steps ahead when we’re out if I happen to see the product, so we never run out.

When Covid hit, everywhere was in short supply of hand sanitizer. I put it out on social media that I was looking for this product. I put it out on social media and a lot of people came to our aid so we were good for a few months. I was driving all around southern Ontario for two days picking up what people had to give us.

Other advice: Reach out because you don’t know who might be there to help you. Find time to take care of yourself too. Make sure you’re mentally and physically okay. It’s nice to take a day or take time to rest, to sleep if you need to do that. But make sure you stay physically active because that helps your mind as well. Make sure you’re okay before you can then reach out and take care of those whom you love.

For the theatre grads, and for others – it’s tricky because you want to get out there and make your mark. Since everybody who teaches you or who could teach you is out of work, try to find those teachers who are online and sharpen your skills. I’ll tell you, most of you all aren’t ready to be at an extremely high level coming out of school. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to get work.

There’s a lot of room for growth. School is the preparation for the growth you’ll experience once you’re in the real world. So, it gives you that little bit of time to sharpen your skills. Reach out, barter if you have to do so as I understand that money might be tight in some cases. Read plays. Educate yourself further. Work on those skills that you know you need to sharpen.

For my artists of colour: If you haven’t heard it yet, all of us who are working now have been told at least ten times that we need to be at least two times greater than our white counterpart. You’ve got the time now. Go make sure you’re there. Just because people talk about changes in the industry etc, you can’t change people’s mindset overnight. Those people aren’t going to vanish from the theatre industry. They’re not going to give up their position leading a theatre company. They put out a statement, ok they are statements.

You need to go out there and be able to show them, “No, no, no. I’m that good. You should take a second look at me.” Use this time to get all that done.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19 and will it leave some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian performing arts scene?

I think there are some positives. Just thinking about family. If you’re lucky enough to have people living with you, that time together is a gift.

The fact that everyone was stuck at home with their lives on hold really helped put focus on social changes that need to still happen. We were all able to sit in George Floyd’s death and murder more because there was nothing else to go do and escape it. The population had to choose which side they were going to be on. Some chose one side, and some chose another.

People of colour got a few more allies out of all this and people who thought they were allies realized they could be better allies. There’s a lot more education happening surrounding this issue.

A lot of the artists of colour are speaking out, speaking up and we’re getting a lot of flak for it from different people, sometimes within our own community. That’s a positive. I can’t tell you how many white artists told me, ‘Oh, I had no idea. I didn’t know this was a thing.”

I hope everyone works together to make a more inclusive space. Part of me is excited to see where the industry goes – film, tv, theatre. Part of me is ready to roll my eyes when our new or old allies kind of flake on us. ‘Cause it is going to happen, it’s just how many. That’s the question of how many are going to flake and how many are really here for the real deal and long haul.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I am right in the middle on all this. It’s right where we are, and we have to adapt.

I love creating work for You Tube and online platforms because it’s something I do. It helps me to flex my video editing skills, my cinematography skills. It helps me grow. But it was always something I was doing while I had theatre/film or tv.

Now, YouTube and online streaming are becoming theatre in a sense and it’s not, but theatres have to adapt. It was weird putting on my show. I think my show was the first that was back in a space with a full team, social distant with masks and no audience.

I’m lucky that I know the show and where an audience might laugh or cry. In my head, I had that and I went full out and imagined the energy that wasn’t there with an audience in front of me. It was draining because I was trying to compensate because the lack of energy with a missing audience was difficult on the Main Stage at TPM. There’s a give and take in energy in live theatre, and that wasn’t there when it was streamed.

I also had to make sure my performance didn’t suffer because the audience wasn’t there even though the crew was there. They weren’t watching me as an audience as they were there to film the production. I had to put more into my performance.

I thought the one performance was successful as Passe Muraille made some money from that one night of streaming and I got a pay cheque, but I only wanted to do it for one night as I didn’t want to kill the show and not tour with it.

If you don’t have those skills of taping yourself, you need to reach out to people who do. A friend of mine is trying to learn video editing and up his game in self editing skills in order to put work out there to be seen. I think we’re being forced into that position.

In the film and television industry, all actors are being forced into being videographers and cinematographers and proper lighting. My self tape game was always good, and my friends didn’t measure up to what I was doing. Now, everyone has to measure up and learn how to self tape. If your self tape doesn’t look good right away that’s a knock against you because somebody else who is auditioning might have a tape that is just as good or better than yours.

There is no payment in streaming and a YouTube presentation right now. EQUITY and ACTRA are in discussion of whose jurisdiction is it when a theatre show becomes digital. The digital space is ACTRA’s space, but EQUITY is trying to make a case that it’s their space because it is a theatre show. I have to side with ACTRA on this one unless someone can educate me further.

This is all tricky, tricky stuff and I don’t know enough about it.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

The idea of sharing part of yourself will never get destroyed no matter how you tell the story. The idea of sharing a story needs to be told will always be important.

Since we’ve started telling stories, we’ve always used different mediums to tell them. Just because we’re losing one of those facets doesn’t mean the story telling and the sharing and the giving will ever stop.
We have to adapt how we do it and that’s my favourite part as a performer.

I love inhabiting a character and experiencing different things, but what I love most about performing is the reaction and the emotion you give and get out of an audience member. One of the most favourite things about doing my show is the diverse audience that it draws. You get the regular theatre goers, but you also get the singers, the actors, the tap dancers, and the dancers. You also get the special needs, high needs and the differently abled and disabled communities.

Those communities (special needs and differentially abled) don’t have a show that represents them in Canada. My show represents them. Right now, my show is not enough but it’s something for the differently abled to see themselves in.

It’s amazing and means so much to me the responses I’ve received from audience members after each performance, and performing my show feeds my soul in knowing I was able to give them that re-assurance, that understanding and these communities are so happy whether it is a large part or a small part of their story being told on a real professional stage in Canada. It doesn’t exist and if people have tried, they’ve done it wrong.

I’m hoping that when people see the attractiveness of parts of my show that they’ll expand on that. I can’t create a work that’s all differently abled artists that’s based on my experience because that’s not my experience; however, perhaps seeing a show about my son’s experience and seeing how well it does, sometimes, leave theatre producers thinking, “You know what? This audience, there’s value in telling these stories.”

And then maybe these stories will get told more because as much as we are fighting for people of colour, we’ve fought so hard and so long for it, but as far as we’ve come the disabled community and differently abled community – they’re decades behind where we are. It’s going to take whatever privilege we can grab we have to pass it on right away, otherwise the disabled and differentially abled community will never catch up. They’ll never make ground. They’ll never have their stories told because our stories don’t cover everybody.

Everybody should be able to see themselves on a stage represented. It’s wild and fulfilling for little brown kids to be watching me on stage, winning Halifax’s Merritt Award, and then watching me sing and dance in a solo moment of a big musical and then knowing it’s not only for white people. Brown people will not be portrayed as a stereotypical immigrant character.

That is my favourite part that Covid will never be able to take away. Seeing the faces on the brown kids knowing that yes, they can do what I can do and can be the lead and can make a difference in the lives of others.

To learn more about Andrew Prashad, visit his website: www.andrewprashad.com.

According to the Vision 2021 short film on the Eclipse Theatre website, Artistic Director Andrew Seok calls himself a filmmaker, composer, and theatre creator. He completed his training with some private teachers, Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and York University’s Music Programme. He also completed studies at the Royal Conservatory for Classical Composition and Orchestration. His bio on the company’s website is extensive.

Quite an impressive resume, I must say.

When he realized there weren’t a lot of opportunities for Asian actors in theatre or film, Seok began to create those opportunities for himself. He’s never held a 9-5 job, never worked steadily in an office nor receive a regular pay cheque. But he has always considered himself an artist in every way after a trusted friend once told him, “What’s the point of making art, ever?” when he experienced doubts about any of his musical works finding a life of their own after any original premieres.

I truly respect Seok’s candour in stating his vision is to make art as he moves forward in his career post-pandemic. He recalled being part of a music collective years ago where those involved were trying to start a record label.

Andrew asked: “Why are we doing this?” and the initial response was to make money, but Seok pointed out there were far better ways to do so than starting a music label since none of them is getting rich from it, and very few will achieve that level of coveted success; ergo, the reason for the shift in doing art for the love of it.

Seok recognizes how difficult it is in any business setting to find individuals with whom one clicks, but as he states about Eclipse’s Artistic Producer Chilina Kennedy: “I was very, very lucky to find someone like her who is a new working relationship for me.” Currently, she appears in the Broadway company of ‘Paradise Square’, but the two are constantly speaking on the phone all the time regarding artistic issues related to Eclipse.”

What is one thing this two-year pause has made Andrew realize about himself personally and professionally?

He had a chuckle at first before stating this was a loaded question. For himself, Seok realizes he must create as it is a huge part of his identity. Whether it’s building wooden furniture, woodworking, graphic design, or writing short stories, there must be an end product no matter what. It is this end product which shows the thought, the creativity and the passion from whence it came. Andrew felt lost during Covid when he couldn’t maintain this structure for himself.

Professionally, (and he realizes this personally), because the theatre industry took a huge nosedive during Covid, Seok re-evaluated his relationship with the business side of things, how much money can be earned, what will the reviews be like and will there be enough money to do something after. Instead, he now focuses on appreciating the work and the journey of it rather than the financial outcome or the ‘success of things’; if he placed passion into it and his wholehearted energy and creativity into it, then that is the reward in that endeavour.

With an industry that’s crippled, what else do you have?

Some sage advice here for actors and artists who may still be experiencing a forlorn sense of loss.
Our conversation then turned to Seok’s upcoming project ‘Til Then and why audiences need to see this production. When he became Artistic Director for Eclipse, Andrew and Chilina had a sit-down and had a frank conversation. If they wanted to make money, they should stage ‘Mamma Mia’ or ‘Phantom of the Opera’.

Both Seok and Kennedy agreed passionately they wanted to foster and develop Canadian new musicals and help put the country’s artists on the world stage. If this vision failed, crashed, and burned to the ground, at least the two of them could hold their heads high and say they did this because it was important to them rather than produce big blockbuster shows.

Eclipse is starting a new Canadian Musical Works Festival where there will be a reading of new Canadian musicals. For Andrew, a big launch was necessary. He thought it would be great to get all of these amazing Canadian theatre musical writers and songwriters from across the country in celebration to tell about their experience of this time of the Great Pause from Covid these last two years. If these songs can be moulded together to create a show, it would the ultimate celebration of the Canadian music theatre scene in this pandemic time when the industry has been crippled.

He continues:

“There’s no one writer to write everything we’ve been through. There are too many stories, too many angles, too many perspectives of what we’ve been through. Let’s get as many artists as we can. So we got 24 writers – some paired up. They were given the question WHAT DID THIS TIME MEAN TO YOU?”

Seok smiled as he recalled these artists saying: “What do you want us to write about?”

He replied: “Whatever you think you need to write about now.”

The only stipulation he made clear: “Let’s try not to make this a super depressing show.”

The work he received from these artists ranges in all the emotions with the ups and downs and the universal effects of everything we’ve all endured.

Andrew remained a tad coy in explaining further why audiences should see the show. He did add though, that a really cool thing happens whereby there are moments where we will watch the show, and where we will be invested in what we are watching:

“It’s a show about us, and in the trailer, (that you can see on the website) this is all of our story presented here by Canadian musical theatre icons and songwriters from Canada. This was our dream and we achieved it so we’re hoping audiences will come to see it.”

As we concluded our conversation, I recalled a line from the VISION 2021 short film on the Eclipse website:

“Let us find a way to dream again.”

What is Andrew Seok’s newest dream once ‘Til Then concludes July 20?

We shared a good laugh when he replied: “How do I say this without getting in trouble?”

A pause where he thought momentarily and then:

“I want Canadian artists to be spotlit on the world stage, for sure. If I as an Artistic Director of a Canadian theatre company can help that, I absolutely want to.”

A noble and heartfelt intention, indeed, but, for Andrew, the arts and entertainment world has started to veer on a course in a certain direction. He’s not saying it’s a bad direction, but Andrew would really love for more non-regular theatre-going public to see more theatre than just going to see shows like ‘Les Mis’ or ‘Hamilton’.

Andrew has many friends who are not in the industry and who have no idea of what’s out there. Yes, they’ve heard things by word of mouth and that’s all they know. He wants to be able to show his friends it’s time ‘to broaden the buffet’ for the general public to see.

Andrew’s dream going forward for himself and Eclipse? Hopefully trying to bring more theatre to the masses and have it being appreciated by more than just a small niche group. There’s more to theatre than just the ritz and razzle-dazzle stuff. He likes it, but that’s not the kind of stuff Andrew writes. He hopes people will come to see stuff not part of their wheelhouse.

‘Til Then’ runs July 17-20 at the Berkeley Event Church, 315 Queen Street East in Toronto. For tickets: http://www.eztix.co/ezkiosk/en/1784250.

To learn more about Eclipse Theatre: www.eclipsetheatre.ca.

Dora Award-winning actor, director, choreographer, educator and playwright Andy Massingham is upfront, personable, witty, and knowledgeable. He loves criticism although he doesn’t read reviews.

What brought him to this realization? Actors cannot sit in an audience without doing the same thing – critiquing and talking about the work of others.

He knows his stuff and what he wants when directing for the theatre. He shared a thought that all directors have probably felt: “As a director, the heartbreak of opening night is one of the deepest heartbreaks because you know that it’s over and the actors are going to go.”

Massingham is currently directing ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ (Abridged) (Revised) (Again) for Port Perry’s Theatre on the Ridge (TOTR), which will close out its 2024 season. A comedy encompassing Shakespeare’s 37 plays in two hours, he feels it’s a nice way to close out the summer season.

How did Andy hear about Port Perry’s Theatre on the Ridge?

The company’s Artistic Director, Carey Nicholson, took a course Massingham was teaching through his long-standing association with Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. For the last 5-10 years, Andy has been doing weekend physical theatre workshops focusing on no dialogue, structure, and physical stories using clowns and various elements. The workshops mainly involve putting a show together without dialogue.

Massingham and Carey hit it off at that workshop:

“When she walked in, I didn’t know who she was. By the end of the weekend, she said she would love to talk to me about Theatre on the Ridge. The next year, I came out and did exactly that. We formed a one-hour theatre piece that was purely physical.”

Andy salutes Carey because she understands what he is doing regarding physical theatre.

To these other larger companies, like Stratford and Shaw, Andy would describe Theatre on the Ridge as an enclosure that is still open to the elements, which gives actors, directors, and designers a little freedom to throw some stuff out. When you’re going outside, you know there will be unlimited expectations. There’s a big difference in the summer between walking into a theatre and walking outdoors into a theatre.

Andy calls Theatre on the Ridge: “A mini-Stratford. If I were to describe [Ridge] to Antoni Cimolino [from Stratford], it’s a small setting under a big top. Intimate work can be done at [Ridge]. Clown work can be done [at Ridge]. It’s within that realm much like commedia dell’arte did over 500 years ago, and the original Stratford Festival did under the first tent many years ago.”

Andy says Carey is making bold choices under the usual summer stock realm. As he got to know her, Andy firmly stated that Carey was doing very clever programming. He pointed to this year’s slate—a Kat Sandler play, a musical, and a slapstick ‘Monty Python-like’ version of Shakespeare in one season. That’s a great season because Andy says this selection of plays appeals to everyone.

It might be a challenge to bring audience members from Toronto, Drayton, and Stratford to Port Perry, but that’s Andy’s dream. He wants audience members to know that Theatre on the Ridge is only an hour away but come here. It’s accessible. Massingham intends to shine a light on Port Perry. The town is beautiful, and the shows at Theatre on the Ridge are great.

Our conversation then veered to where Massingham completed his artist training. His response made it clear his wit is one of his personable qualities:

“I haven’t completed it yet. It’s still going on.”

We shared a good laugh before he continued.

Massingham graduated from George Brown Theatre School in 1985 and studied for two years with Richard Pochinko doing clown. Pochinko was Andy’s clown teacher at George Brown. Massingham has been working with teachers, dancers, and actors since then.

Andy calls himself an amateur, but he’s a lover of the form. To continue learning does not necessarily mean to keep taking courses. Andy continues meeting with artists over coffee and talking about things. When he worked at the Stratford Festival, he soaked up everything he could from the legends of working with Brian Bedford and Martha Henry:

“I sat in a rehearsal hall with these people and sponged everything I could. Musicians have to keep working with other musicians to keep their skills updated. The minute you start doing that, you extend your own language.”

Has Andy realized there is any difference between the theatre companies in downtown Toronto and the theatres in the outlying areas?

“Work is work, and I’ve become very pragmatic about it. I go where the work is. I like it. I’m happy seeing a show in a church basement or a hole-in-the-wall, as I am at Festival Theatre.”

He has performed on stages across Canada. What is the commonality between them? Everyone wants to hear a story and be entertained. It doesn’t matter where the story is told. Andy recounted how he learned much while touring a clowning show in Northern Ontario. The residents came out to see a show and didn’t care about a resumé or the theatre. They wanted a show. That’s all that matters, whether it’s Shakespeare, clown, modern dance, or jazz.

That’s been Massingham’s guiding light.

He’s plugged into the next generation of up-and-coming young artists and sees a huge fire coming up in them.

On a break, before rehearsals for ‘Complete’ continued, Andy shared his excitement for the show. Rehearsals for this actor-driven piece have been a ‘hoot.’ The text for ‘Complete’ was written for only three people, but five actors are present in the TOTR production. Immediately, they all knew there would be slicing and dicing, and that’s fine with Massingham because he loves re-visioning.

The first week of rehearsals saw everyone playing around with the text while the unique personalities of each of the performers shone through. Massingham said the five of them are like the Marx Brothers. They are completely different but have unique things about them.

The performers have gelled through the rehearsal process. Nicholson afforded an extra week of rehearsal, which Massingham called glorious. He says the actors are ready for an audience, terrified but ready, which is a good way to be. It’s show business.

He greatly encourages these five actors; They should all be working in the business now:

“Stratford. Hire these actors. These are solid, fantastic emerging artists.”

I have heard that the study of Shakespeare’s plays should either be removed or significantly curtailed.

Massingham’s response to that kind of thinking. He says he won’t get angry about it, but that’s a stupid idea and:

“I’ll never stop teaching it, and I don’t care what they say. That’s it. That’s inflammatory talk, and I don’t believe it at all.”

He then made a valid comment:

“If you’re studying music at Julliard in New York City and the decision is made to cut Mozart or Miles Davis,” doing that would be removing the centered structure of all modern music.”

Finally, what’s next for Andy Massingham once ‘Complete Works’ concludes its run?

He works at The Toronto Film School. He will be directing a show there in the fall, but he is always on the lookout. He hasn’t acted in over ten years but is looking to get back to it. He’s also starting work on a sequel to 2005’s ‘Rough House,’ a solo show based on the physical theatre and clown.

Andy Massingham has been a lifelong lover of the form. He thrives in the classroom with young minds and artists.

‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ previews August 8 and will officially open on August 9. Running until August 24, all performances will take place under the TOTR Tent at the Scugog Shores Museum, 16210 Island Road. For tickets, visit www.theatreontheridge.ca. email: boxoffice@theatreontheridge.ca or call (905) 242-9343.

Now that I’m retired from teaching, I can state that I had called in sick one Friday morning and traveled with my mother to New York City to see the original Broadway cast of ‘Avenue Q’.

I remember we had both seen trailers on television for the production and made the production a must-see. We were not disappointed in the least as we had a ball at the theatre that night and this very adult performance which probably seems tame by today’s standards.

I especially enjoyed watching Ann Harada as the character Christmas Eve whose fiancé didn’t have a job. They had bills to pay and all of the other responsibilities that come with living together. Ms. Harada was deliciously sassy and saucy as the adorable Christmas Eve. A quick bit of online research also led me to discover she has played Madame Thenardier on Broadway in ‘Les Miserables’ and was in the original cast of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’. She’s also appeared in TV shows such as ‘Smash’, ‘Blue Bloods’, and ‘New Amsterdam’.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Ann graduated from Brown University with a double major in English and American Literature/Theatre Arts. We conducted our interview via email.

Thank you again, Ann, for participating.

It appears that after five exceptionally long months, we are slowly, very slowly, emerging to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Has your daily life and routine along with your immediate family’s life and routine been changed in any manner?

And how! Once my son’s school ended in June, we headed for my mother in law’s house on Cape Cod, where we’ve been ever since. And we’re not exactly sure when we’re going back since school is completely remote right now. When we look out of the windows here we see water and trees. Sometimes a squirrel, or a bunny. In NYC I have an incredible view of a back alley and I see my neighbor smoking pot. And I sure don’t blame him a bit.

Were you involved or being considered for any projects before everything was shut down?

I was shooting some episodes of a TV show, but I just found out my character’s storyline was cut “due to complications from COVID”. I am devastated. I was in ‘Emojiland’ off-Bway— we shut down in mid-March. I was supposed to go to the Kennedy Center and do ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ –canceled.

Describe the most challenging element or moment of the isolation period for you.

For me, it is being unable to hug my friends and not being able to talk to them in an intimate way, my husband is always pulling me away from people and saying, “That is not six feet!”

What were you doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre? Since theatres will most likely be shuttered until the spring of 2021, where do you see your interests moving at this time?

Like everyone else I have been doing things on Zoom and practicing making self-tapes, converting a closet into a recording studio, trying to fold my green screen, fun things like that. I don’t enjoy this part of the business at all. If I was interested in iPhone cinematography or home lighting, I would have pursued those interests. My interests will turn to reading more actual books and catching up on series I never paid attention to before.

Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

Well, this isn’t the first time we’ve gone through a national shutdown or a pandemic. Our industry managed to survive both 9/11 and the AIDS crisis. Theatre isn’t going away, it just might take a while to sort out. I’m not worried about young people. They’ll figure out a way to do what they want because they’re not set in their ways yet. It’s the older people I’m concerned about. Without any way to earn health insurance, what’s going to happen?

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

I hope we see continued respect for our frontline workers, from medical professionals to grocery workers and restaurant workers. It was beautiful to participate in the nightly 7 pm applause for them, and I hope we continue to appreciate their service.

In your informed opinion, will the Broadway and North American performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted on account of the coronavirus?

Of course. How are we going to get audiences back in the theatre safely? How long will it take for people to want to come back, to not be afraid of crowds? How long will it take for me to feel comfortable in an audience? How will I feel safe onstage? Everything is a question.

What are your thoughts about streaming live productions? As we continue to emerge and find our way back to a new perspective of daily life, will live streaming become part of the performing arts scene in your estimation? Have you been participating, or will you participate in any online streaming productions soon?

I’ve certainly enjoyed the live streaming events I’ve seen. I’ve only done a few live streams, they were mostly educational. But I do think it’s a great way to bring people together. I don’t know that every play is satisfying performed as a reading but if it’s creatively done, it can really be extraordinary.

What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion, and the drama surrounding our world now?

I love connecting with people, I love performing with other people, and we are still desperate for human connection. Maybe even more so now. I know that people enjoy what we’re doing, even if it isn’t live and in person. I’m happy to keep putting things out there if people enjoy it.

With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

What is your favourite sounding word?

Gobsmacked

What is your least favourite word?

moist

What turns you on?

Intelligence

What turns you off?

Ignorance

What sound or noise do you love?

Orchestra tuning, rain on a tin roof

What sound or noise bothers you?

Beeping noise when the freezer or fridge door is not closed

What is your favourite curse word?

Shite or bollocks

What is your least favourite curse word?

Refers to female reproductive anatomy

What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

Novelist, photographer, museum curator, librarian

What profession would you not like to do?

Daycare, law, stunt person

If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“You didn’t do everything perfectly, but you always gave it your best attempt. Please have a seat.

To follow Ann on social media Twitter: @annharada Instagram: @iamannharada

What a delightful time I had chatting with Anne Plamondon via Zoom.

When I mentioned during our conversation that I had received a press release which describes her as a ‘radiant choreographer and performer of dance’, she was extremely flattered that she is regarded in this manner because she considers radiance a beautiful quality of light, hope, well being, luminous and glowing.

Anne hopes that her work can make an audience feel elevated especially now in our world. Art can be possible in any subject addressed; however, Anne also spoke of the fact that our present world can not always be considered a happy place as our world can be both beautiful and ugly at the same time, and audiences will see a profound depth in ‘Only You’, her upcoming dance presentation this week at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.

We both agreed that we are not out of the pandemic and its dire effects yet; however, Anne recognizes these last two years have changed the world of dance for her. She isn’t sure that she has fully noticed everything that the pandemic did change and that it will take awhile before any of us really see what has been changed.

Anne’s first thought on the dance milieu when the world changed two years ago was on the emerging next generation of artists and their preparation within schools in what she calls that big black hole in teaching. Her concern was how these artists were going to learn and to be prepared moving forward into the industry. Yes, schools and students had to continue via Zoom. If students and schools must do this, they can. It’s not impossible to maintain and keep the inspiration alive but learning via Zoom is not enough in dance because the art speaks so much when people move together.

For Plamondon, dance is “a language of the body, of touching, reunion and communicating through the body from one person to the other”. The art of dance is not conducive to distancing six feet from each other. The whole point of dance is a gathering of the audience and the performers, and the curiosity of meeting the other person.

The process of dance is about sharing the body language in the studio during the rehearsal. If dancers can’t be in the same room together or can’t enter each other’s bubble, then a huge part of dance has been cut and that’s troublesome.

As a dancer and choreographer, Anne cares a great deal about what she calls partnering work. She enjoys the narrative in her dance in seeing how it starts, where does it go and what is left. It is something she has loved doing. She was lucky enough to have amazing partners in her dance career. For Anne, if the partnering work cannot happen then there is what she calls a great deal of ‘missing out’.

For someone like myself who holds no background or education in dance, Plamondon wants audiences to realize that not every dance piece has to have a narrative running through it. For her, dance sometimes goes mysteriously ‘beyond the words’ and audience members may not have to understand everything. There could be images, movement, or combination of movement with music in the language of the body that might just create an interesting picture on the stage for audiences to follow and to feel something emotionally. That on its own can be poetic and touching.

Today, she feels a sense of urgency to speak about her work candidly and honestly and to do it well since this great two year pause of nothing. Everything has to matter and to mean something. Anne considers herself ambitiously curious now more than ever. She was to have brought her show ‘Seulement Toi/Only You’ to Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre March 17, 2020, as part of an important step for her company. She wanted to bring a partner into the process after completing two solo shows.

Thankfully, ‘Seulement Toi/Only You’ returns and runs April 8 and 9 at the Fleck Dance Theatre at Harbourfront. Anne says she is super excited to return to Toronto as she feels she has developed a strong relationship with the city since she has danced her many times. She considers ‘Only You’ a stepping stone to make and provide group work for her company since she has only completed solo works and solo evenings before. Making duet work seems to be a natural evolution for her to start bringing other people into the process of dance for her company.

When she choreographs for herself, Anne relies on personal life connections for inspiration. She performs and creates for herself so there is no distance between the two. Choosing a partner for ‘Only You’ was extremely important. After she selects the partner, Anne then decides what both must do to keep the integrity of the two persons. Every step of the process is extremely important in the conversation of the relationship between the two dancers in trying to figure out who they are as individuals together.

Before the pandemic, Anne was interested in a need for connection and a need for understanding the other in synchronicity. But the title of the piece made Anne realize that after all this stuff of the last two years, it’s just her. She has to find her road for life and walk that road. This is the personal part of ‘Only You’ and also a self quest.

‘Only You’ is also personal in that she went from only dancing for other people and a moving on to choreographic development. There was a transition for her. Anne is still a performer, but she only performs her work. She considers herself fortunate in her career that she has worked with phenomenal creators such as Crystal Pite and James Kudelka in that she was a muse for someone else’s vision.

But she has moved forward.

What’s next for Anne Plamondon after April 9 after Harbourfront?

After Toronto, she and the company travel to Ottawa and the National Arts Centre and perform ‘Only You’ there. In June, she starts a new creation with eight Canadian dancers including herself. It’s the St Sauveur Festival in Montreal directed by Guillaume Côté. Anne was commissioned a thirty-minute piece this August to create a work. She has selected dancers from across the country. She points out that during this time everyone is talking about thinking locally. Anne makes a good point when she says that local is Canada for her, so she has dancers from Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal. Although some of the dancers have worked with each other in the past while others haven’t, Anne confidently states she is taking a leap of faith that she has selected the perfect group for this piece at the Festival which premieres August 3.

As we began to wind down the conversation, I asked Anne a question what I’ve asked other artists in some profiles.

What would she like future audiences to remember about her and her work ten years from now?

I think I caught her off guard because she paused and said that it was a monumental task to think about this right now. Then she confided that she felt humbled in being asked this question.

For Anne, she loves the art of dance and its discipline. Sometimes, dance might or could be misunderstood by audiences who may connect to music or theatre more. She feels she has a responsibility as a dance artist to bring the standards and the quality, the craft and the integrity of the work in that direction of excellence, otherwise the discipline can suffer tremendously if dancers don’t aim for excellence in the industry.

‘Seulement Toi/Only You’ performs April 8 and 9 at 7:30 pm at the Fleck Dance Theatre in Harbourfront Centre, Queen’s Quay Terminal, 3rd Floor, 207 Queen’s Quay West. The performance is 60 minutes in length with a short question and answer following the show April 9.

For tickets, visit harbourfrontcentre.com.

“A new generation of theatre makers is coming up, and I feel we are going to feel the effects of their force very soon.”

First, I must acknowledge that Anthony Goncharov is a patient artist. I’m thankful for this character quality, as his profile is long overdue.

Since seeing his stage performance in 2022 in Lobby Hero, I have been interested in learning more about the origins of Icarus Theatre, which was among the emerging independent theatres in Toronto at that time.

Icarus is a company I’d like to continue watching because it has big plans on the horizon that look exciting. Goncharov is flattered by the compliment. He has been busy over the last few years in establishing and maintaining Icarus’s name, developing a solid reputation on the Toronto theatre scene. According to the company’s website (www.icarustheatre.ca), one of the company’s goals is to produce high-quality, exciting, and dynamic work.

The company’s 2025-2026 season opener, Oleanna (directed by Goncharov), appears to live up to its goal of creating exciting and dynamic work. David Mamet’s script is not an easy one to stage.

We conducted our conversation via email, which worked best for both of us. His production of Oleanna is now in performance, while the Fall 2025 season is heating up once again for me.

Anthony completed his post-secondary education at Sheridan College. A modest fellow, he attributes any artistic skill he has gleaned to his high school drama teacher, Brad Case:

“I was very lucky in that [Brad] was a working professional actor who respected the fundamentals of the craft and taught me skills that I am still endeavouring to refine to this day.”

Goncharov is also quick to point out other mentors who have helped him along the way: Richard Lam, Laurence Follows, Ted Dykstra and Diana Bentley, all outstanding artists indeed. An important lesson Anthony has learned from Ted and Diana: “uncompromising, high-quality work pays off.”

What was the genesis of the company’s name?

Initially, years ago, while still in his college basement suite, Anthony thought how cool a name like Icarus would be for a theatre company. The more he thought about the mythological character, the more the name Icarus gave Goncharov the goal to strive toward. He clarifies that a lesser-known aspect of the Icarus story is that, while he was warned not to fly too close to the sun, he was also cautioned not to come too near the water and get his feathers wet.  The thought of danger, ambition and pushing forward out of a comfort zone is something Anthony strives for in Icarus’s work.

Anthony believes and supports that Icarus is an important voice on the Toronto independent theatre scene for two reasons. First, he thinks there is little space for emerging talents to reach the stage of working with established individuals. Icarus has had some incredible and emerging talents grace its stage. Anthony says audiences are really excited by the inter-generational fusion of talents and can feel the raw energy and passion that comes from ambition. As the company continues to grow, Anthony does not want to let go of that thriving ambition. He says it would be ‘foolish to distance from and a disservice to the incredible emerging artists who have brought Icarus to where it is today.” The second reason Icarus is a vital voice – Anthony proudly states that the company selects scripts that excite and interest both artists and patrons. (I’ll talk more about what Icarus has planned for the rest of the season shortly.)

While getting artists and patrons excited and interested isn’t unique, Anthony says the more theatre companies there are bringing people into the theatre, the better. Since he’s been involved in building Icarus, he proudly says:

“When I look out into our audience after a show and I see people as young as twenty and people four times that age buzzing over the same show, it tells me we’re doing something right.”

The buzzing has started already. Here’s the link to Our Theatre Voice’s contributing writer Dave Rabjohn’s review of the current show Oleanna: https://ourtheatrevoice.com/oleanna/

There has been a lot of change in the theatre industry, and Goncharov says the Toronto scene in general is going through a massive one. While he acknowledges that some may see the attendance and interest dwindling, Anthony believes the industry is on the verge of a huge breakthrough. New voices have already been established at companies like Soulpepper, where Paolo Santalucia is now the Artistic Director. Change has also occurred at Coal Mine and Crow’s, where the ambition of those involved will bring audiences into vibrant and exciting times.

Icarus’s 25-26 season is a knockout. Dennis Kelly’s DNA will run November 6-16, 2025, at the Theatre Centre BMO Incubator. Polly Stenham’s Julie After Strindberg will run March 19-28, 2026, at Tarragon Theatre’s Extraspace. No word has been released yet on most of the creative team or who has been cast. Goncharov believes these two plays are among the most intriguing to emerge from the UK in the past decade, and it is both incredibly thrilling and scary to perform them for the first time in Toronto. What Anthony can say at this time: Erik Richards (Sound Designer of Fiji and Oleanna), acclaimed director in his hometown of Edmonton, will direct DNA, and long-time company member Emily Corcoran (Lobby Hero, Constellations) will perform the title role in Julie (After Strindberg).

He says further:

“If it wasn’t evident in our working history together already, I trust Erik and Emily Anne very deeply and know that they’re going to do incredible work with these scripts. We’ve already had a few meetings about both productions. Although I’m not able to tell any further details at this time, I’m elated I’ll get the chance to see DNA and Julie (After Strindberg) as an audience member, let alone have them as Icarus productions.”

As an artistic leader, where does Anthony see Icarus in the proverbial five-year plan?

One lesson he has learned through producing is to roll with the punches.  He’s going to keep his dreams and ambitions for the company largely to himself and see how things change and evolve. He’s doing his utmost day by day to ensure a continued ability to keep moving forward into a second three-season show.  He doesn’t say too much about the company’s plans because he had written in our email conversation:

“What’s that phrase? If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

Now that Oleanna is in its final performances, Anthony will continue to work together and meet with the upcoming two creative teams for the remaining two shows. Additionally, Goncharov is also involved with Coal Mine Theatre. He is a Founding Associate of the Vault Creation Lab at Coal Mine.

What does he have to say about his experience working on Oleanna?

I learned a lot from this production, and I need to find the right script before I run back into a creative role again. Oleanna was three years in the making, and I think I can earnestly say it took everything out of me. I think after this one I might like to do something more lighthearted – but who knows, I usually end up contradicting myself anyway.

To learn more about Icarus Theatre company, visit www.icarustheatre.ca.

Anthony Goncharov’s headshot by Desmond Lazar.

I’ve seen Antoine’s work in some extraordinary productions in Toronto and Montreal over the last couple of years. He has appeared in Soulpepper’s production of a wonderful adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ as the young Ebenezer.

Other terrific productions where I’ve seen Antoine’s work was Groundling’s ‘King Lear’, Montreal Centaur’s ‘The Last Wife’, and The Stratford Festival’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’.

Antoine first studied theatre at Montreal’s Dawson College Professional Theatre Program and then obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance at Montreal’s Concordia University. He then attended the Stratford Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre. Some very fine credentials here.

We conducted our interview via email as Antoine was one busy guy with a number of auditions this past week.

Thank you so much for the conversation, Antoine, and for allowing us to hear your voice:

In a couple of months, we will be coming up on one year where the doors of live theatre have been shuttered. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

To be honest, 2020 was a rollercoaster of a year. A ride from which you couldn’t get off, a defective one, where the whole thing grinds to a screeching halt while you’re in the middle of one of those loops, and you’re left hanging upside down, with all your pocket change (jobs and savings) falling away from you, never to be seen again… a dramatic way to say I had some ups and downs.

There was a period of three weeks, early through the first wave where I suddenly developed anxiety attacks, thought I might die of a heart attack at any moment…I didn’t, I got over that, somehow i.e. I stopped smoking and drinking four litres of coffee every day. I started running, daily, and then the second wave hit, and I stopped running, I gained another ten pounds and I started smoking again. So here we are twenty pounds later and still smoking like a fiend.

I cried, I laughed, I yelled at the tv a lot. I thought about going back to school. I considered going into real estate (for 45 seconds), but I also got my first tv gig (yay!) and I watched one of my best friends win an Emmy. It’s been a lot. Of everything. Even a bit of theatre, for six blessed weeks.

My immediate family thankfully is doing great, everyone is safe and still relatively sane, which really is all that matters at the end of the day.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

I went through many phases. I spent a lot of time early on, during the first wave, feeling guilty for not using this forced “time-off” in a creative way that would channel this experience into meaningful art. I felt uninspired and numb. And useless. The lockdown brought out old fears I had, about the meaning of my life, and the purpose of my calling if my calling was not called for anymore.

I had a project planned for the months of August and September in Montreal. A bilingual co-pro between the Centaur Theatre and Theatre D’Aujourd’hui. It obviously got postponed but, in a surprising turn of events, the two theatres decided to still have us rehearse the play, get it as show ready as possible, so when the time came to mount it in 2021, we wouldn’t need to start from scratch. They figured there wouldn’t be much turn around time if and when the government gave the green light for theatres to reopen so they wanted us to use that time while it was still allowed (mid late summer of 2020 when daily cases were relatively low).

We didn’t get off book, but we blocked the entire play, went through many rewrites, and got much of the audiovisual elements (of which there are a lot) incorporated during those six weeks. We basically got through tech week. It was a strange experience, being back in a rehearsal space in Montreal, masks and all, working on a piece, hoping but not knowing if it would ever see the light of day.

I certainly was grateful for it, regardless of the outcome. I needed that creative release after months of feeling idle and unproductive. Also, having theatre in the ICU meant that I was able to finally give film and tv a chance. I managed to book a few things. That was nice finally to break the ice.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you or would you describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?

I would describe it as nightmare from which there is no escape because there’s no waking up from this. We’re in this metaphorical mess of a maze and try, as you might, the exits have yet to be located. And I’m not sure we’re ready or deserving of an exit, yet. I’m not sure.

The escape, if there was any to be found, was introspective and inward. The rest was distractions. But really, with the magnitude and multitude of historic events that took place this year, not only south of the border, but everywhere really, there was an abundance of opportunities for reflection. A sort of “mise au point”, a chance to re-examine and then reposition yourself in relation not only to yourself, but to the past, the present, the future and to the things you took for granted, on the macro and the micro.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

I have no idea. I certainly hope we won’t have to wait till 2022. As I said earlier, I’m supposed to be doing a show August 2021, but right now your guess is as good, or moot, as mine.

It seems to me it’ll all depend on the vaccine rollout, the number of cases going down, and whether or not the government and people feel safe indoors. I remain cautiously optimistic.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

I think it might be a little too soon for me to tell you how Covid has transformed me, as I have a feeling I’m still in the process of said transformation. As for what it’s done to my understanding of theatre and where it’s headed, it has reinforced my belief that we need it now more than ever.

We are starving for the communal, for a space where healing can happen, where reconciliation is something that can be observed, considered, and felt before experienced, a space that can nourish, replenish and reinvigorate our imagination and our humanity. A gym for empathy.

We’ve been glued to our phones, tablets, tvs, screens, books, and honestly, I’m not entirely ungrateful for that, if only because I have a feeling, once things are deemed safe enough, that people will truly want and appreciate the access to shared experiences again in live performance. Whether this takes the form of escapist entertainment or cathartic art is up for grabs. The latter does not necessarily exclude the former, and I think there will be a need for both.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

I agree with Zoe Caldwell. I certainly have felt a lot of danger and a lot of anger during this time. I have no doubt it will influence my work when I return. I’m hungry for work, itching to be back in a theatre, creating, collaborating, unpacking this experience we’ve all been through, and using it as fuel for art.

I think a lot of the anxiety I’ve been struggling with these past few months is a symptom of all this bottled-up creative energy I haven’t been able to release. I want to be of service, and I want to do it on stage.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

It sure has. I think it’s made a lot of us more sensitive, a lot more recognisant, of the privileges we used to take for granted. The theatre community in North America at large has had a real wake up call in terms of the disparities facing visible minority arts practitioners and, while I do fall into that category, I am also able to recognise that I have had my share of privileges too.

My parents left Lebanon in 1990, when I was five, at the tail end of a civil war, to give my siblings and me a chance at a better life, and there is no doubt in my mind that the life I have lived so far, while not without hardships, struggles, and unfairness (whose isn’t) has still been one full of possibilities.

Everything is relative. There is still much work to be done in terms of giving space to people who don’t take up a lot of it. We were all due for a prise de conscience, individually and collectively.

If there’s one good thing to come out of this pandemic, I hope it’s a willingness and an active effort to make room for others, to sit at the same table, at the same time.

Connect with Antoine on Instagram: Ant1.Ya

Whenever I hear Stratford Festival’s Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino’s re-assuring voice on television, usually as spring approaches, my summer will not always feel complete until I have visited to walk around the town and to see some extraordinary shows. I always look forward to receiving the Festival’s brochure in the mail (yes, I still receive it this way, and I like it) as it details upcoming productions with pictures and items that garner my total interest about what is to hit the stages and its environs.

When I hear Antoni’s clear voice in one of Stratford’s live theatres before the performance begins and the trumpets sound at the Festival Theatre, I’m at home and feel at home.

During this time of the worldwide pandemic and lockdown, I often wonder if the professional performing arts community will ever truly be able to recover and move forward. A solid and steady, firm grasp of the here and now is very much needed to make those steps forward into an unknown and, possibly, uncertain future. This is Antoni Cimolino.

I had the good fortune to have chatted recently on the phone with Antoni about the confusion of this time. Just listening to his eloquent conversation of perfect diction combined with an extraordinarily calm demeanour and a warm and welcoming tone in his voice put me at ease very quickly with this gentleman. We even shared a few moments of much needed laughter during our telephone conversation.

No spoiler alerts but, at the conclusion of this profile, you’ll see why Antoni and I shared a good laugh on the telephone and why he chose this communication form rather than Skype or Zoom:

1. How have you and your family been keeping during this two-month isolation?

Brigit and I are doing okay, thanks for asking. Our daughter is teaching English as a Second Language in Taiwan, and she is safe. Our son is studying at university and he is doing well. Currently, it’s just Brigit and I at home.

2. What has been most challenging and difficult for you and your family during this time? What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy?

Along with having to stop the season and postpone all performances at this time, our household has also been dramatically impacted. It is a worrisome time right now, not only for the Festival, but also for many within Stratford who depend on the Festival. All of us are working on trying to understand how we will get from here to there.

Given all this turmoil, I have been keeping myself busy by getting the filmed Festival performances online. As I look them over and think about them again, great comfort comes to me. Watching these carefully edited filmed productions has been like seeing old friends again. And speaking of old friends, I’m also preparing for a number of interviews during this time. I’ll be meeting with Shakespeare scholar Jim Shapiro and also have a meeting with Stephen Greenblatt, Shakespearean historian and author.

These filmed presentations have been extremely helpful in keeping interest in the Festival going. At one point, we’ve tallied the data and had over 300K people tuning in to watch these works of art preserved on film, so we are most thankful for this reality.

Along with the walks Brigit and I take on country roads around our home, we’re also exercising and eating as healthy as much as we can.

3. Antoni, I can’t even begin to imagine the varied emotions and feelings you’ve been experiencing with regard to the postponement of the 2020 season. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian performing arts scene and on the town itself?

It has been devastating to walk around the town and to see the heartbreak the destruction that COVID has left in its path. There were over 1000 individuals connected directly to the Festival who are now out of work and over 3000 in the town and surrounding area who relied on the Festival’s patronship to restaurants, shops, hotels, and bed and breakfast.

It’s hard to say what the permanent impact will be at this time on the performing arts scene.

The plays from the 2020 slate will be performed, I just don’t know when that will happen until we get the all clear.

4. Do you have any words of wisdom to build hope and faith in those performing artists and employees at the Festival who have been hit hard as a result of COVID 19? Any words of fatherly advice to the new graduates from Canada’s theatre schools regarding this fraught time of confusion?

For all artists, it’s important for them to realize that on some level they have been given a gift. That gift is humility. If anything, living through this new reality has taught us that humility is needed. The seasoned performer may have taken some things for granted within their career, but this reality of COVID has taught all of us about dealing with the negative in our lives and not to take things for granted.

Strangely enough, there is a beauty and interconnectedness about this time since each of us is dealing with Covid and the fallout in our own way. I hope all the artists, and this also includes the new theatre school graduates, that on some level they have been given this gift of humility and time to develop a greater sensitivity to all that surrounds us.

5. Do you foresee anything positive stemming from COVID 19 and its influence on the Canadian performing arts scene and the Festival?

Absolutely! Covid will spur a powerful resourcefulness on the Festival and the performing arts scene. The Festival has at least started this resourcefulness with its selection of filmed productions that can be shared worldwide. This common ground of sharing these timeless stories and tales is a start with the community in building interrelationships with our patrons. On this front, at least something is better than nothing.

For now, Covid brings with it the real fact that the Festival may have to look at different ways to disseminate its work through technology. The artists involved in every respect from editing to performance are to be commended for trying to create that work of art that we hope will live on in the history of the Festival.

It won’t be forever, but it’s just for now until we have been given the all clear to return to the theatre.

6. I’ve already watched ‘King Lear’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Coriolanus’ and planning to see the marvelous Martha Henry in ‘The Tempest’. Nevertheless, I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming and You Tube presentations destroy the theatrical impact of those who have gathered with anticipation to watch a performance. What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for Canadian theatre as we move forward from COVID 19?

Online streaming and filming of our productions do, and can, allow for a greater intimacy with our audiences. There’s an artistic beauty produced in each of these films, and I firmly believe the Festival’s capturing of these magnificent stories will conquer Time. The camera can capture from a distance and allow the audience to see the performer’s expression and possibly feel the emotions. Sometimes your seat in the theatre might now allow you to see the expression. The camera also tells the audience where to look and upon what to focus.

Online streaming and You Tube are inventive ways of using technology, but we have to remember that streaming and theatre are two different mediums. Online streaming and You Tube presentations are not meant to be a replacement for live theatre. Yes, some individuals will haphazardly put up a staged reading or something that might garner a quick look; however, we are hardwired for others to act out. It’s human nature. When we were children or when we have children, we notice that it’s human to act out. We lose that beauty of ‘acting out’ as we get older.

There is nothing like a live connection each of us feels as we sit in the theatre waiting for the performance to begin. There’s a powerful alchemy and magic at work which creates a wholeness for every patron present. Not only do these two elements each bring their own unique way of seeing the story come alive, but also we get to experience that same powerful magic work itself in others around us who are also seeing the story come alive for them. That’s why theatre thrives and that’s exciting. That’s why we will remember performers like Martha Henry and Colm Feore (just two names that came to my mind). That’s why theatre thrives.

In our Festival theatre, for example, you’ll notice that it is very different from the typical proscenium arch theatre. In the latter format, the audience sits forward and never gets to see how other members are reacting to the Story. At the Festival, the seating surrounds the stage so the audience sits on all sides and you can’t help but see how others across the hall will respond when necessary. That’s what makes theatre so remarkable. That’s what makes people want to return to see theatre.

We will return to the theatre when it is safe to do so.

7. What is about the Festival and performance that you still adore in your role as Artistic Director?
I am one incredibly lucky person that I have been able to be of service to Stratford, to the artists and to the crew who work behind the scene.

With this position and role as Artistic Director comes a great responsibility. I have also experienced a great joy at the Festival and in watching the many artists, especially those who need that chance and that opportunity whether it is to have a reading of a script, to workshop a possible script and to see potential or to give that new actor and that new talent that opportunity that all of us have had at one time.

Off the top of my head, I think of Peter Pasyk who was to direct ‘Hamlet’ and Amaka Umeh who was to play the central tragic figure. Just these two individuals alone who are new to the Stratford company will make an indelible mark. There are many others in this year’s company as well upon whom we must keep watch.
I’m also incredibly proud of the work at the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre and The Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction.

With a respectful acknowledgement to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

Delicious. I like to use this word a lot.

2. What is your least favourite word?

Zoom (Both Antoni and I have a good laugh over this)

3. What turns you on?

Books

4. What turns you off?

Zoom (And again, Antoni and I have a good laugh. Now I know why he and I did not have our interview via Zoom).

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Waves lapping against the shore

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Lawn mowers

7. What is your favourite curse word?

“A plague on you” or “Rot me” or “Split me windpipe”

8. Other than your current profession now, what other profession would you have liked to attempt?

Gardener – I love to be in and around the garden for relaxation.

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

Lawyer

10 If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“The performance begins in five minutes.”

Here’s the first link to Talk is Free Theatre (TIFT)’s profile of Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2021/3/12/theatre-conversation-in-a-covid-world-with-arkady-spivak?rq=arkady%20spivak.

Time is moving on, oh, so quickly these last three years. Again, I appreciated that Spivak was available to answer more questions about where the theatre industry was headed. We conducted our conversation via email.

TIFT’s mandate as an artist-driven company is to support the emerging artistic community by producing a wide range of ensemble-based, off-center, inventive, and rare programming. That’s quite a lofty mandate to envision, but I like that TIFT always keeps it burning brightly. At the bottom of his electronic correspondence, Spivak includes a quote from Christopher Hoile at Stage Door, who calls Barrie’s professional theatre vibrant and innovative. I’ve attended a few TIFT productions and agree with that statement. On that note, I’m going to plug the following two upcoming TIFT productions:

‘La Bête’ runs at The Harbourfront Centre in Toronto until March 16. I saw the show in Barrie last year and loved it. I’m headed to see it again and stay tuned for my newest review of the production.

‘Cock’ runs April 18-27 in Barrie at a surprise location yet to be revealed on TIFT’s website. Arkady states it will be a funky site-specific production with some favourite TIFT artists.

Spivak remains very proud of what TIFT has accomplished and states: “It’s quite awesome to continue to glorify the underdog.”

Like any theatre company coming out of Covid, nevertheless, some issues must be addressed. Spivak spoke about them.

TIFT is now dealing with a renewed sense of disappointment – of audiences not coming back as quickly as needed as many have lost the habit of regular attendance. But this is also an opportunity for companies to figure out how to broker a place of purpose between the artists who are now creating or performing at a much deeper level, and the audience who are looking for a new sense of purpose and direction. There might be a tendency to go populist and lure in an audience – but the question is – is this the audience needed?

While Ontario theatre companies continue to figure things out as a result of the last three years, Spivak shares what TIFT has done.

The company was able to navigate COVID turbulent years more easily than other companies perhaps, and in fact grow capacity and scope. TIFT’s structure and model are incredibly nimble and varied. Historically the company has proven that we are able to produce many different types of works in several different settings and under widely varying circumstances and levels of funding. The company itself can reconfigure and assess any given situation quite quickly because it is how we have functioned for years regardless of a global pandemic.

This recognition has served TIFT a great deal.

Rather than being stuck in a strict, structural reality that then needs to be undone and changed because of the ever-shifting state of the world, TIFT was able to navigate these changes fluidly as they arose. For example, there was not an overwhelming loss of focus or resources when performing to a physical, paying audience was no longer an option because most of our revenue already came from outside ticket sales.

Although an audience is fundamentally and critically important to serve as a gateway to support mechanisms (donations, new Board members, etc.), TIFT does not need a box office figure to survive fundamentally. For this reason, TIFT was able to launch free admission to our expanded main programming, instead using a deposit system to ensure attendance from those who pre-book. This helps dismantle economic barriers to attendance, drastically diversify our audience and position us to derive greater revenue through contributed sources because of wider audience access.

In the 2023-2024 season, TIFT continues to operate some free performances of every production but has also returned to paid admission for the rest.

Spivak continues to hold tremendous respect for theatre artists. He believes they are more important material than the material they are working on. At TIFT, when artists are given proper agency and authority, they have the capacity to change the world more readily than anyone. TIFT is guided by a mission to encourage, support and uplift artists to be the best they can be through transformative experiences on and off the stage, and to inspire artists and audiences alike to find deeper connection, appreciation and love for live theatre. TIFT works to preserve and promote the art form as a fundamental component of life in Barrie and beyond by providing an unparalleled level of diversity of works and experiences that arouse awe and wonderment about what potential theatre has to transform the human spirit.

That respect for artists is most readily reflected in TIFT’s Artist BIG (Basic Income Guarantee Project). Arkady said the inaugural BIG was wonderfully successful, and TIFT has recently launched the second three-year cohort. The Inaugural BIG quickly yielded a full roster of creative proposals and offerings – enough to fill two outdoor performance festivals in 2021 and three in 2022 – along with multiple successful on-line offerings, like the popular Dinner à la Art. BIG artists also conceived and developed several art-adjacent programs and service projects. I won’t be able to name them all here, but I’ll include a few:

– an Audition Reader program in which actors are paid to act as virtual readers for each other’s self-taped auditions for non-TIFT projects
– the First Day Series: Zoom readings of challenging works facilitated by BIG participants, giving work and purpose to artists throughout the lockdowns of 2020.
– the Two-Way Paid Mentorship program: over-turning the traditional top-down mentorship model, this program connects theatre practitioners of different generations, disciplines, and regions across the country to lay the groundwork for a more communicative, inclusive, and compassionate professional milieu.
– Canadian Musical Theatre Database (CMTdB): an interactive website to archive, support and promote Canadian musical theatre.

Remember, these are only several. If you wanted to contact Arkady personally via email, I’m sure he would happily share other BIG accomplishments.

Where does Spivak see TIFT headed over the next three-five years:

“We would love to continue enhancing and improving the impact of our work and putting artists into leadership positions in the world. But doing so without institutionalizing or growing for growth’s sake. In other words, we want to transform to be even more free to change the world.”

As we came to close the conversation, Arkady made another comment that I found intriguing Historically, the vast majority of cutting-edge, widely influencing theatre was presumed to be produced in the downtown core of major cities (Toronto being only one) or by major theatre festivals. And this is understandable as there is a greater congregation of an audience in such settings to warrant significant artistic experimentations, plus there has been a greater presence of national theatre coverage to popularize such attempts.

I’ll go one step further and ask that you take the opportunity to step outside the Toronto scene and see what TIFT offers audiences, especially with its production of ‘La Bête’ running to March 16 at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. And take that trip to see ‘Cock’ in April at the yet-to-be-disclosed Barrie performance location.

To learn more about Talk is Free Theatre, visit www.tift.ca or visit their Facebook page: @TalkisFreeTheatre or on X: @Talkisfree.

I finished my Zoom conference call interview with Toronto artist Astrid Van Wieren with a big smile on my face and felt a huge sense of accomplishment. She is a lady who is truly thankful for the gift and grace of her performing arts career. Just hearing the titles of some of the productions in which she has performed are quite impressive. Plus, I also found out today that she and I attended the same alma mater (King’s College at University of Western Ontario – yay!!) and we also earned the same degree while at King’s. Upon her graduation from UWO, she then attended the theatre program at Ryerson University. (in the process of a name change at this time)

The first time I saw Astrid on stage was at the Royal Alexandra Theatre over three years ago when the extraordinary ‘Come from Away’ was on its North American tour eventually heading to Broadway. When I was in New York City last year, I went to see the production and the original cast was still playing. Ms. Van Wieren will continue in her Broadway run of the show at the Gerald Schonfeld Theatre in New York City once the all clear has been given.

And will I go see the show again when in NYC? You bet your sweet bippy I will. How many people remember that line?:

1. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine for the last two months? What was life in New York City like right up until the decision was made to close the theatres? I’m taking it that you are still in New York at this time since ‘Come from Away’ was playing right up until the lock down? Is your immediate family doing well?

No, I’m here in Toronto, in my house in Leslieville. I was on my first vacation in forever, down in Buenos Aires where I was invited by the Artistic director of The Stage Company Theatre, Carla Calabrese to see their rehearsals of ‘Come from Away’ which was to be the first non-English licenced production. I was treated so beautifully while I was in Buenos Aires. Then everything got a little strange towards the end because that’s when the pandemic was starting to really hit. When I got back to New York, Broadway had already shut down so I went to my apartment in Harlem, packed a bag thinking I’d be gone two, three weeks because that’s what the producers were telling us at the time.

I came up to Canada as it was a chance to be home. And It just felt safer. And if I got sick, I didn’t want to be a burden on the New York health care system which already had numbers that were starting to climb quickly. It’s strange, but I do feel I abandoned her, New York. It’s a city that just feels like a sentient being.
Like everybody else, it’s been a real roller coaster. Yes, roller coasters can be exciting and fun but it’s the opposite of whatever that is. It’s the emotional up and down that is hard to navigate. There are days when I feel great. Today the sun’s shining and that immediately brings an uptick in mood. I feel better, more alert. There are days when every joint in my body hurts, I feel tired and think ‘What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?”. Then it all rains down.

I’m learning to navigate and to give in to what my body tells me. Some days I might get only one or two things done and there are other days where I’m fired up, getting creative things done, on Zoom calls, doing my workouts. Exercising helps clear the mind. I’m also doing morning pages (‘The Artist’s Way’). It really helps a lot.

What I’ve been thinking about recently are the numbers of those who have been hit hard by the pandemic. It occurs to me the word ‘numb’ in ‘NUMBers’. But there is a story behind every number/person who has lost their life, or families who are helping and coping either in loss or keeping a watchful eye on family and friends. All those stories, gone. And actors we live by stories, really we all do.

My immediate family is doing fine. My sisters on the west coast are fine; and my brother is fine in St. Thomas. . My dad is 86 and in London, Ontario, and is doing alright. I’ve been Face timing once a week with our dad as a check in. It’s been one of the positive shifts during this isolation. My sisters made masks for me and my dad. He is still ambulatory and loves his walks, but he wears his mask when he is in the elevator or his apartment building’s hallways. I’ve had some friends who have been touched by the virus but so far, I’m fine.

2. Were you involved in the planning stages of any upcoming/future projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down? What has become of these projects?

We had our third-year anniversary for the Broadway production of ‘Come from Away’ recently. I thought I wish I could be in this long running show for as long as I can. And I also thought it would be nice to have a month off to re-energize. Well, be careful what you wish for, eh? Because now we have months and months of being off.

There’s a sequel to a musical I’ve been working on called ‘After Baal’. I performed ‘Baal – A Rock and Roll’ play at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre many years ago. The playwright (Rose Cullis), director (Jon Michaelson) and I are working on it, so that’s fun to explore. Where would this rock and roller be 20 years or so down the line? What happens to an artist who stood her ground and gets older? This is fascinating to me as I begin to age and consider our usefulness and stories and how people shift as they get closer to the end of their lives.

Also, in between playing ‘Come from Away’ in Seattle and Washington, I did an independent feature film with my creative partner and best friend, John. Now, we’re pulling a pitch together for a potential series.

3. What has been the most challenging part of the isolation and quarantine for you?

I’m a real social creature. Strangely enough, I also love time out, zoning out and going into a place of complete rest. I think not being able to be with people has been the most challenging. People get interrupted in Zoom calls and they can feel so awkward. I love an Algonquin round table of people sitting around with so much conversation, talk and discussion going on about ideas of theatre and art. You can’t get that same discussion going on a Zoom call or podcast as you can when you are together. Technology doesn’t allow it.

I miss being in a rehearsal room. I miss the social aspect. I miss the audience who is so important. It’s the need of the audience which creates this wonderful, delicious tension, and that need to be told a story or to hear a joke that makes live theatre crackle. The applause is nice but that immediate connection is what I really miss.

Just the not knowing when this pandemic will end and how things will reshuffle, I think, is the hardest point. Who am I if I’m not acting or creating? What purpose do I have?

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

I work out five days a week. I’ve been doing some promo videos, pod casts and on line cabarets; lots of these for ‘Come from Away’ because we want that investment there when we return. The fun challenge with these videos is trying to use the medium in a different way to create immediacy and intimacy.

As of yet, I can’t find the focus to read a book. I think there’s still stuff in my brain that I’m processing. I’m sure it’ll come back to me.

I read a lot of articles and things people post online. I follow certain friends online and see what they’re doing. I’ve also watched some Netflix shows. I’ve watched ‘RADIO:30 and SHE GREW FUNNY from the NAC. It’s impossible to get to see everything. There’s so much content on line. It’s hard to get to see everything.

I’ve been visiting with friends and neighbours and keeping that proverbial two metre distance.
Some days I feel so, so busy but I rarely feel like I get anything done.

5. What worldly advice would you give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? Any sage advice for new theatre school graduates?

Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Allow yourself to be scared by all of this. But don’t retreat, if you don’t have to. Be innovative. Create art. Art will out. If you have time and energy, do it. We have some much privilege to take the time and be grateful for it.

And yes, be grateful, but also be really aware of the inequality that this pandemic has pointed out.

Listen to your heart. Don’t judge yourself too harshly. Look for the little waves of inspiration. Ride those little waves of inspiration. I feel badly for the young theatre graduates but lean on your classmates. Create work together. Stay in contact. These are the people who will push you. Find a way to connect. Being a good actor is vulnerability, risk and don’t be afraid to fail. There’s no one right way to do it. But having said all this, it’s also more than okay to cocoon and chill and regenerate.

Everything is about adaptability and flexibility. Listen but also fight for those things that are important to you.

6. Do you see any positives coming out of this pandemic?

The necessary recognition of injustice: racism, misogyny, recognizing the true value of essential workers; from health care professionals to the pizza delivery driver.

This pandemic is a chance for the planet to take a breath.

The more work I do with young people, and I’ve met some incredible theatre kids, they can see the bigger themes. I think there are some big innovators coming up.

I choose to be optimistic because we can’t live in darkness.

7. Do you believe or can you see if the North American/Canadian performing arts scene will somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

Yes, there has been an impact. People have lost their jobs. Hopefully people will realize theatre and the arts stimulate the economy. I know art will survive. People are story tellers. The appetite for stories will never change, but how they’re delivered might shift. The community element will come back.

Broadway will come back, but it can’t come back too soon. Broadway has to be careful how it moves forward. Our ‘Come from Away’ producers are talking every day trying to think of strategies to bring us all back to New York to perform sooner. But safety and health, first.

8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts and comments about this? Are there any advantages or disadvantages?

I think artists have to do it. Story telling is in the blood. You need to put it somewhere. You will try in any way to connect with an audience.

I have noticed a distinctly different feeling if you watch something online as it is streaming live or catch the piece after the fact.

Because of the pandemic, a lot of things have different resonances for people now. Song lyrics and text pop differently.

9. What is it you still love about performing that Covid will never alter or destroy?

That sense of community will never be destroyed by Covid even as we mourn the loss of people together. I’m a good teacher and a great coach and Covid will never destroy that. Covid will never destroy the incredible writers, artists, designers, performers, and their need to create.

Covid will never destroy the problem solving involved in how to tell the story with all key people involved from actors to technical people.

With a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

1. What is your favourite word?

Trust

2. What is your least favourite word?

Unprecedented (du jour)
.
3. What turns you on?

Humour

4. What turns you off?

Rudeness and arrogance.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

The cardinal in my backyard. (du jour) It’s so bold. I love it.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Buzz saws on a quiet afternoon, especially construction buzz saws on a Sunday afternoon. Although right now, every day is a Sunday afternoon.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Classic – fuck, just fuck. (and then Astrid just strung a bunch of curse words in a run-on sentence. LOL)

8. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

Something arts related or I’d love to run a coffee shop, it would be a specialty coffee shop where people would stop by, feel safe and just be creative. Coffee would be free. I’m a millionaire in this scenario.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything to do with being a bureaucrat, paperwork, numbers – an accountant. A paper pusher. I love paper, but I would not want to push it around.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Bettie would like to sing a duet with you and hug you. Hugs first.” Bettie is my mom.

You can follow Astrid Van Wieren on her Instagram @astridvw2020. You can also follow her on Twitter: @astridvanwieren.

The first time I had seen Bahareh Yaraghi’s work onstage was during Stratford Festival’s 2018 production of Oscar Wilde’s ‘An Ideal Husband’. Her confident performance as conniving Laura Cheveley certainly made me pay attention to this character and to the story itself since Wilde’s tale of the context of cheating in Victorian England took on a different meaning in our #metoo world today. I then saw Ms. Yaraghi as daughter Emmy in ‘A Doll’s House Part 2’ when central character, Nora, knocks on that same door she slammed years ago. For me, it was interesting to watch from an acting perspective just how Ms. Yaraghi approached the daughter-mother relationship in ‘A Doll’s House Part 2’.

Well, the mother-daughter relationship was taken to an entirely complex level of intrigue in female empowerment when I saw Bahareh’s divine performance (as I called it in my review) in ‘Oil’ at ARC just this past February. The audience viscerally witnesses a mother’s tumultuous relationship with her child (as a baby waiting to be born, a young person and adult) at three extremely different time frames.

For me, Ms. Yaraghi has always captured a natural and convincing vocal delivery which makes me want to listen to the story she is telling and the journey she is about to take me on with her. I am most certainly looking forward to her next performance once the pandemic is lifted.

She received her BA from McGill University and then trained at Humber Theatre School. A six time Dora award nominee, Ms. Yaraghi has performed on numerous stages in Toronto and across the country. She has been an ARC company member since 2012 and has appeared in past ARC productions since then including ‘Bea’ ‘Moment’ and ‘Pomona’.

We conducted our interview via email:

1. How have you been keeping during this crisis? How has your immediate family been keeping during this crisis?

I’m grateful to say that all my family and loved ones are all safe and healthy around the globe. We are so privileged in so many ways to be living in Canada, so my husband and I try to keep our focus on the positives, as opposed to all the uncertainties and sadness out there in the world. I’ve learned that if I literally take it one day at a time, my spirit feels much happier that way.

2. As a performing artist, what has/have been the most challenging and difficult element (s) for you?
I MISS PEOPLE!!!! I miss interacting, hugging, talking, and collaborating with PEOPLE! Ok, I got that out of my system.

As an artist, one of my biggest joys is to be in a room filled with fellow artists, creating work together and ultimately sharing that work with our community. Not being able to do that right now – or for the unforeseeable future – is of course extremely challenging and scary. But all artists around the globe are in the exact same position – so, staying patient and shifting my focus to my TODAY is what is most important right now. The rest will fall back into place when the time is right.

3. Were you in rehearsals, pre-production or performances of any production was the pandemic was declared and a quarantine was imposed? What has or will become of any of those productions in which you involved directly or indirectly?

Yes, I was in the middle of ARC’s production of OIL. We had begun the 2nd week of our run, when we quickly realized we had to make the tough, but necessary, decision to cancel our 3rd week of performances. It was such a beast of a show and I was so proud to be telling it with such a wonderful group of humans. It was heartbreaking to have to close it early, but we considered ourselves very lucky to have had 2 weeks with it and to be able to share it. I was also supposed to start rehearsals for Soulpepper/Necessary Angel’s WINTER SOLSTICE that following week which, of course, was sadly cancelled as well. Fingers crossed you will see both productions programmed in the future.

4. What have you been doing during this time to keep yourself busy?

I’ve kept myself quite active, socially. Zoom, phone, and FaceTime conversations with friends and family that I always feel I don’t have enough time for. Now I do and that’s a great feeling. I’m finding that physical exercise and meditation are vital to me right now, and they help me feel strong, calm and light. Otherwise, lots of cooking!! Which I absolutely love (I read cookbooks like they’re novels), lots of catching up on movies/tv shows with my husband, and lastly, I’ve been keeping busy working on the future of ARC with my fellow collaborators. There’s lots of exciting ARC news in the works, so stay tuned!

5. Do you have any words of wisdom or sage advice to other performing artists/actors who have been hit hard by this pandemic? Any words of advice to new actors out of theatre schools?

The other day a good friend of mine said, “I don’t think I’ve got this covid thing figured out yet.” I understood exactly what he meant: he doesn’t know how he’s ‘supposed’ to feel, how he’s ‘supposed’ to use all this new-found free time, how he’s ‘supposed’ to feel creative when he’s not necessarily inspired, how his perspective ‘should’ be changing because of all this world change. However, I don’t think most of us do.

My only advice to anyone would be to keep yourself strong and healthy – physically and mentally – as best you can. Stay hyper-sensitive to the things that truly bring you joy and peace, that truly enrich your spirit, and perhaps start contemplating on the things you will choose to reintroduce back into my life, or the things you’re ready to part ways with, when life and society picks back up. I think this “covid thing” can be a great opportunity for change. But it will require great thought, great strength, great belief and bravery. OR… Netflix and a bag of chips to ease the soul is also time well spent in my books!

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

The earth and the animals are much happier. The air quality is much more refreshing. And the rat race has been calmed. There’s so much relief in all of that.

On a simple level, what I love is that we’re being reminded over and over again that we are all connected, that we need one another, and that we need to take care of each other otherwise we all fall.

7. In your opinion, will COVID 19 have some impact on the Canadian performing arts scene?

I have no idea what the future of theatre looks like. Or sport events. Or concerts. Or any event where the energy from a live audience changes everyone’s experience. All I know is that we need immense patience. And the need, desire and hunger to tell and hear stories will come back strong and it will be powerful. I look forward to the re-emergence.

8. Some performing artists have turned to online streaming or You Tube presentations to showcase and/or share their work. In your opinion, is there any value to this presentation format? Will online streaming or You Tube presentations become part of the ‘new normal’ for performing artists?

I haven’t watched any of them. I haven’t had the desire yet. I admire the artists testing the waters and finding new ways of sharing their work. Some artists may need to keep creating; and some artists might need stillness and time to process. Everyone has their own pace and might need different creative outlets (or none at all) during these extraordinary times. There is no right answer. But the search is necessary, and I appreciate that very much.

9. What is it about the performing arts community that you still love even though it has been tremendously affected by this pandemic?

Oh, it’s one of the best communities in the world! I feel so lucky that I’ve devoted my life to it, even with all its challenges. My husband is not in the performing arts community and he always says, “theatre artists are some of the most intelligent, humble, hilarious, compassionate, well-spoken, and worldly people I’ve ever met.” And it’s true. The theatre community is rich in heart. And if your heart is full, it gives you a different kind of energy. And that energy remains strong, even through a pandemic.

As a nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are ten questions he used to ask his guests usually at the conclusion of the presentation:

1. What is your favourite word?

Love

2. What is your least favourite word?

(It’s two) Shut up

3. What turns you on?

Wisdom

4. What turns you off?

Excuses

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Laughter

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Someone in pain that I cannot help

7. What is your favourite curse word?

F**K

8. Other than your own at this moment, what other profession would you have liked to do?

I wish my parents had put me in dance when I was a child. I think I’d be good at it.

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

A surgeon

10. If Heaven exists, what do you think God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Let’s dance, B”.

First time I saw Bahia Watson’s stage work was in two extraordinary productions of ‘The Last Wife’ and ‘The Virgin Trial’ at Soulpepper which had transferred to the Stratford Festival.

There was a sharpness and clarity in her performance delivery in these two productions which made me pay attention to each word she said. Our recent Zoom conversation led me to learn more about her background and training as a performing artist.

Watson proudly shared her theatre practice and learning of the craft came through d’bi.young anitafrika and their storytelling practices and the traditions from which they pull. d’bi.young broke it down to Bahia that it’s the storyteller and the village, and this ancient relationship has always been a part of the human experience and always will be.

Bahia avers no one can take d’bi.young’s practice of storytelling away from us. When she breaks it down as d’bi.young has done, Bahia says we will always have the storyteller and we will always have the village. That relationship and understanding will endure.

Watson has also written monologues and started performing them and learning about the storytelling relationship from d’bi.young. This relationship has empowered her. There is a story to tell, and people want to hear it and they just become. People want a story to be told and appreciate it being told. With this understanding of storytelling, Bahia built her craft as a theatre/performing artist.

In September, she appears in Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ at Crow’s Theatre. As always, I like to ask the artist how rehearsals have progressed to this point. Bahia confidently assures me they’re going well. She also adds:

“It’s a really beautiful group of people and I feel very lucky to be in this process with them. It’s a journey, every day is a full, big, long journey to go on in the play. Today we did our second stumble through so it’s starting to be woven together and how it feels as one piece rather than separate, broken-up scenes during rehearsals. I’m very grateful to be working on this play right now.”

Bahia loves the rehearsal process and the rehearsal room. For her, the rehearsal time has been such a gift as an actor to spend these weeks of playing through exploring, taking risks, failing, working on the story, talking about it and deepening it bit by bit.

What is it about ‘Uncle Vanya’ that Bahia believes speaks to her as an artist?

“Well, this production is an adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell, and she’s done an amazing job. The way she has adapted the script feels very contemporary – easy to relate to. There are some timeless human themes in the story. No matter the era, there are people who are longing for love, longing for the dreams they had that they didn’t achieve, and longing for their youth. That longing doesn’t go away no matter how vast our lives become. The human experience in ‘Uncle Vanya’ remains true then as it does now.”

Bahia smiled and said at one point there’s talk in ‘Uncle Vanya’ about deforestation and its relationship to the earth. She’s amazed there was talk about deforestation hundreds of years ago and a similar conversation still goes on today in the twenty-first century. How appropriate and timeless indeed because Bahia stated things don’t change as fast as we sometimes think they do.

How true.

Watson goes on to speak on how the play feels very present for her. Repo-Martell’s adaptation does not feel old at all because it honours Chekhov’s original story and intent, but it has been worked to feel very alive and present. Additionally, Watson favourably speaks about the work surrounding Chekhov’s details about being human. As humans, we reach for the stars and sometimes we are disappointed and have to accept things the way they are.

On top of the rehearsal process and the upcoming ‘Uncle Vanya’ performances, a thing called Covid still remains omnipresent all around. The live theatres are still maneuvering on how to move forward,
especially as the weather begins to change slowly and we all move indoors.

Where does Bahia Watson see herself in the trajectory of this change in the theatre industry going forward? She paused briefly and said she found that an interesting question. She explained further:

“I still love the live medium and I feel that audiences still want to come and experience something live. Now, how do we go about it? There are a lot of reasons why things might change. Yes, there were opportunities to see productions outdoors throughout the pandemic when things appeared to be slowly under control. I did an outdoor show recently that could be taken to different communities. Live experiences are more important than ever.”

Bahia further reiterated how theatre will be a part of our lives and that we need to be in a place where audiences can’t be on their phones. Our minds need to be able to focus on one thing. It’s special to be able to gather once again, especially since we haven’t been able to gather over the last two-plus years.

Watson also commented on how her cast members in the green room were speaking about the state of theatre coverage. She wonders about the financial cost of live entertainment going forward and whether it will be able to sustain itself or will it be priced out because it can be seen as expensive. True, funding does come from the federal and provincial governments along with sponsorships and individual donors which is always appreciated.

Artists want to make live theatre and Watson believes audiences are ready after two plus years to come back and be in a room together, but it still plays in the back of her mind about the long-term effects going forward. Will live theatres and their business have to move out of bigger cities for a while to regional areas where the torch will be carried?

During the pandemic, Bahia developed an interest in radio to continue storytelling. It felt as if theatre communities were in their own little group and Watson wanted to connect storytellers across the country during the pandemic and beyond. She developed a digital radio station for storytelling called ‘Program Sound FM’ (https://www.programsound.fm/).

This project took overall eight months. The radio station connected with storytellers across the country. There was a full 12-hour all-day broadcast. She shared she just found out the station received its next phase of funding so the station will now be able to be developed further.

As we concluded our interview, I asked Bahia if she felt theatre was all sunshine and autographs.

She had a good laugh hearing that analogy because theatre and the performing arts are a lot of hard, humbling work. An artist must dig deep and become extremely vulnerable and be very open. This process of learning and accumulating enough information to create this world that other people can see and then letting it go at the end of the day, coming back and rebuilding it again in a new day takes stamina.

Bahia says theatre is a working-class art form. It’s not the big bucks. An artist has to do theatre because he/she/they LOVE it (and Watson emphasized ‘love’). There’s something about the journey. There’s nothing else like it at this point in rehearsals for ‘Uncle Vanya’ and developing the bonds with the other artists who will make this story come alive.

Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ in a new adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell and directed by Crow’s Artistic Director, Chris Abraham, runs from September 6 to October 2 in the Guloien Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. For tickets and other information about the production or the new season, visit crowstheatre.com. To purchase tickets, please call (647) 341-7390 ex. 1010 or by email: boxoffice@crowstheatre.com.

When I read Barbara Fulton’s biography she had sent to me, I hadn’t realized just how many of the productions I’ve seen in which she has appeared. I’ve recognized her name in programs and it was a delight to be able to connect with her via Zoom today for our conversation.

She is a singer and actor who has worked primarily in Music Theatre. Until March of 2020 she played Diane in the Toronto company of ‘Come from Away’ at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

After a year of theatre training at Halifax’s Dalhousie University, Barbara went to England to train at Bird College in musical theatre. Upon returning from England, she spent three seasons at the Charlottetown Festival and then played Grizabella in the Toronto production of CATS. (And I do remember Barbara’s performance.)

She worked with the Stratford Festival for 22 seasons with notable shows: Notably, A Little Night Music, The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe, Fiddler on the Roof, Electra, Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Into the Woods, The Mikado and The Miracle Worker. Barbara is a recipient of numerous Guthrie awards from Stratford and a Dora award for her work in ‘Life After’.

Also, in Stratford, Barbara sang with The Duke Ellington and Glen Miller Orchestras and has produced two jazz standard CDs with her husband Paul Shilton.

Thank you so much for your time, Barbara. I look forward to speaking with you in person when it’s safe to return:

In a couple of months, we will be coming up on one year where the doors of live theatre have been shuttered. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

Well, at first, I have to admit that I was giddy with excitement at the thought we were going to have a month off, and that we would have a nice holiday. But that’s not how it turned out.

The week before I had just said to my husband that I was getting weary. I have an apartment in Toronto and my home is in Stratford. I would go home here on Sunday evenings until Tuesday morning. And that was great, but I was getting weary of the entire thing of six days a week for two years. I’ve had three weeks off interspersed in those two years, but it was uncanny that it was the week before the theatres were all shut down when I thought I don’t know if I can carry on and I was weary.

Then this ‘thing’ happened, and none of us knew how serious it really was. Yes, the first month was nice to be at home in Stratford. Spring was coming, going for walks, seeing all kinds of people in Stratford whom I haven’t seen in months.

And then this pandemic started to get a little tiring and this whole idea of having to stay and separate from people and not being able to gather in the way we used to be able to. That started to really wear on me. And then it started to get a little bit lonely.

I have a son who lives in Toronto and I was back and forth a bit but not much. I kept the Toronto apartment until the end of September and then I had to give it up. Closing up the apartment was a real nail in the coffin as well as I have no idea when ‘Come from Away’ will start up again.

My husband and I keep saying thank God our parents are not going through this pandemic. It’s a very hard thing for the seniors. My husband and son are doing alright. My son did get Covid early September and it was a mild case, so far he’s fine. It lasted maybe a week and a half. His taste came back and everything came back. His girlfriend didn’t get it all.

Paul, my husband, and I had been with our son the day before he was diagnosed, and it was terrifying thinking we could possibly have it. But we were masked and didn’t see our son without masks on. Paul and I had to go and get tested. That was a stressful time.

Paul’s fine. He works as a music director at a church and for the longest time the church wasn’t meeting. They don’t have a choir at this time so his workload is much less. But at least they were gathering for awhile.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

My thing now is walking and listening to audiobooks, and it’s saving my life and getting my 10,000 steps in. It’s beautiful here in Stratford for the walks. I had a lot of enthusiasm for the mask thing initially thinking if this is what is going to be, so I made some masks. I made about 10-15 and gave some away and lost some since masks fall out of your pocket quietly or go flying away without me even knowing because they drop on the ground silently.

I was in the middle of rehearsal of a little outside show but couldn’t attend rehearsals until I had a negative test before I could return. This show did go on. There was a dance company called Corpus in Toronto and they do site specific and a lot of outdoor performances. So that’s how we got around this. We did this show in Trinity Bellwoods Park. It was myself and four other women and the show was called ‘Divine Intervention’. We were on a quint bicycle so five of us in a row on one bicycle.

It was kind of a crazy thing to try to learn to do, but what a joy to have to learn a new physical skill at this time. We were masked as well the whole time and had to physically distance in rehearsal. The whole show was set up so we wouldn’t get very close to each other. We just told this story through music and movement on this bike. It really got the attention of the audience as we sang on the bike. It was a delight and it got me through. I was so looking forward to it. I knew about it in late May so I knew about it all summer. The show ended October 4 and we were lucky as the weather was perfect in the fall.

Paul’s family has a cottage on Georgian Bay, and we were up there for two full weeks – one week in July and one week in August. For the first time, ever for me, I was always unavailable to spend any time at a cottage either because I was working at the Festival or performing in ‘Come from Away’. For me, this was so unbelievable as I couldn’t believe that I didn’t have to be anywhere, that I could just sit and enjoy myself for the two weeks and not worry about missing a show or being late.

My family is in Nova Scotia and they are very strict down there as well with no visitors.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you or would you describe this nearly year long absence as something else?

I wouldn’t say Covid has been an escape from the theatre. It has been a cruel captor. For everyone.

Now that I’m now not up on the stage offering my heart to the character, the audiences and my colleagues, I often feel empty, not knowing what my purpose is anymore. I’ve been in this industry for 40 years, and all that time there was this natural engine that kept me looking outward towards this unknown and exciting energy that I plugged into daily. Sometimes it was hope, sometimes fear, sometimes sheer excitement and anticipation of what I was about to connect with out there with people whom I loved and respected, whom I laughed with and who infuriated me and so on and so on.

All I know of work in the theatre is coming together with a common, tangible purpose – to serve up a story that the audience can connect with. To share a piece of ourselves in the process and finishing the night with appreciation, there’s no other better job in the world.

So, it hasn’t really felt like an escape other than that first month. It feels like I’m being kept from the natural rhythm of my life.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

I wouldn’t disagree because I think that’s really logical. I’ve done some investigating into what the 1918 flu was like and what kind of impact that it had and compare it to what’s going on.

It was about five years before that virus stopped being a threat at all. That’s a long time but that’s without vaccines.

So, I’m hopeful that the vaccine will speed up things up compared to that experience. There’s lots of talk about Broadway coming back in September, and that’s all well and good. It’s not just us we’re talking about. We’re talking about the general public’s comfort level with gathering and being close together for that length of time.

Whether or not theatres can or are interested in setting up plexiglass between seats, between the actors on the stage and the audience, there’s so much I can’t fathom about what Mirvish is even thinking at this time and what to do. Their discussions must be all the time in thinking what should we do? There are options and a lot of them cost a lot of money.

The other option is to wait this out. That’s fine for those of us who are capable, able, and still the right age (Barbara starts to laugh). I sort of worry that perhaps I’m ageing myself.

I think all of us in ‘Come from Away’ are ready to pick up right where we left off. There might be some people who have moved on professionally, but I think most of us are in for the long haul. We’re all going to have to rehearse the show to get it back to where it was before the shutdown.

Just to add to all this, in a post Covid world I don’t really know what the theatre will really be like. Naturally, I believe we will be through the worst of this virus but whether or not it will be safe to gather? I don’t know.

Part of this is question is if it’s going to change me. I think we’re dependant on connection with each other. Story telling is ancient; it’s a teacher; we need to see ourselves reflected back at us to learn to learn empathy and perspective.

Sometimes theatre is described as an escape, but I prefer to think of it as a portal, consciously or unconsciously we’re learning what it means to be human by watching stories unfold. We will not lose the theatre that we knew, it’s just going to take a long time.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

This is hard because Covid has forced us to separate from each other emotionally as well as physically because you don’t get the emotional without the physical as human beings.

That muscle in me, I feel, has gone a little bit dormant. The whole business of connecting in a shared experience. And we’re missing out on a lot of shared experience right now. That’s going to be a challenge, but no better place to do it in a theatre.

I’m not too sure as a performer how Covid has transformed me because I haven’t performed in awhile. As a person, I’ve become a lot more aware of other people. The whole idea of wearing a mask, yes, you’re protecting yourself and others. The caring about others is surely more evident right now and necessary.

There’s a caution moving forward that I didn’t ever use to have. None of us did. We just assumed that we were all in this big soup together and we were all fine. Being close and involved with each other, I took for granted. I’m not sure I do now.

‘Come from Away’ is going to be an emotional experience for all of us when we return because of what the story entails and details so that transformation will be strongly evident when we return. The director, Christopher Ashley, has told us we are reporters of what occurred after 9/11, but it’s going to be a challenge to not let our emotions get the better of us when we do return to what this production stands for – empathy and compassion for others.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

It’s funny I felt danger in my own life when my son contracted Covid and I had to stay away from work. I lost sleep about my son having Covid. It was terrifying. He’s fine as he only had a mild dose, but it was still terrifying.

My world started to spin with understanding just how dangerous a virus this and how much of a danger I might be to others which was something I had never felt before. My presence in other people’s company is potentially dangerous. I had a test and was negative. Until I had that negative test, I felt like I wanted to disappear and not be near anybody and be responsible for anymore of this ‘horribleness’. That’s what it taught me just how we are all connected and so responsible for our actions.

When I transfer that danger onto the stage, I totally agree with Ms. Caldwell’s definition. Danger is present only if you are in the moment. The work of an actor on stage is to keep it fresh every night as if it’s your first time doing it. There’s techniques to get through or to just let go and just be fully present.

When you are fully present in life as well as onstage, that’s a really vulnerable place to be. And when you’re that vulnerable, it’s dangerous. I wonder if that’s what Zoe Caldwell means by danger in this context. The audience can feel danger if we are fully and truly in the moment. If you’re completely in, it’s almost scary because you don’t know what’s going to come next.

If we can all feel that danger, it’s a much richer experience.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

I’m going to be a lot more sensitive to other people’s level of comfort. I don’t know how it’s going to work when we get back together as a group and be in the same room.

I’m terrified of bringing something into that space when we return because of my closeness and proximity to all of us.

I’ve learned though this that different people have different levels of comfort or discomfort with this situation. It hadn’t really occurred to me that I could catch Covid just from someone walking by but now, when I walk by people in Stratford on the street, I have to be more aware of other people’s level of comfort.

I hope that masks are around for quite some time, just in case. There’s won’t be any possibility of anyone wanting to go to the theatre unless they’ve been vaccinated. Nobody knows how long these vaccinations will last.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

I feel so almost stuck. I don’t feel like I’m living the same life that I once did. It feels like a forced retirement.

It might be a good thing, but I’m not ready for retirement yet. I’m always going to be available if anyone wants to pay me to sing.

As far as curiosity goes, having this time has been really a gift because I’ve read so many books. I’m now very much okay with sitting down and spending a couple of hours reading. I’m not a news junkie, but it’s something I can click into if I want to.

The gift of time has been incredible so I’m curious about all the things going on in the world. Books I’ve been dying to read. There’s also a curiosity about each other and how everybody is feeling emotionally. We’re all riding this thing out in the best way we can, and I love having conversations with people just about how they’re doing.

In ordinary times, we talk about what we’re doing, but don’t talk about how we’re doing. Covid has made me curious as to how others are feeling. That’s a human curiosity.

I love having the time and freedom to explore and be curious about other things.

After an extremely frustrating start in getting my computer running and then Zooming in late with choreographer/director Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, I had quite an informative conversation with this award-winning Mohawk and mixed heritage artist.

I was pleased she wasn’t annoyed as Barbara said she experienced the same issues with her computer the other day in trying to connect on another Zoom call. She was smiling and I was most thankful she put me at ease immediately.

Our discussion led me into a moment from our Canadian history of which I was not aware at all. Diabo examines this historical time in her upcoming production at Toronto Harbourfront’s Fleck Dance Theatre. To be honest I felt ashamed of my ignorance in not knowing or remembering this issue many years ago when I was a student. She told me I wasn’t the only one who felt like this.

More about this Canadian historical event shortly.

A press release I received announced Diabo’s: “long-awaited Ontario premiere of A’nó:wara Dance Theatre’s vital and potent work, Sky Dancers. The Montreal-based company was part of a production residency at Harbourfront Centre in 2019 and scheduled to make its world premiere with Sky Dancers in May 2020 when the pandemic hit.”

Just like the other artists whom I’ve interviewed, Barbara reiterated these last three years have been an adjustment personally for her as well. Although she was able to work the whole time through Zoom and other digital platforms, she felt she had to adjust to being alone more as much of her social life is tied in with her work as a performing artist.

But being isolated with her husband and child allowed her to do some private ‘looking in’ and tap into her Indigenous perspective and just simply be with and commune through nature. Her husband is considered an essential worker, so she and her child spent a lot of time together and her husband was able to join them when his work permitted him to do so.

Artistically, Barbara says she is more grateful in being able to create with others once again albeit wearing masks, and she’s fine with that. There is an adjustment in learning how to be with others once again in a creative sense, yet every so often the realities of the pandemic creep back in for her. Nevertheless, she has learned to take things casually and deal with them when they occur.

‘Sky Dancers’ explores the impact of the Quebec Bridge disaster of 1907 which killed 33 ironworkers from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake. The community was well known for iron work which just hearing about this makes the story even more poignant. When the bridge collapsed while under construction, the fallout was felt around the world and the aftermath still echoes across generations today. Diabo’s great grandfather, Louis D’Ailleboust, died in the tragedy.

And therefore I felt my ignorance that I did not remember this event.

It’s one thing to be able to narrate the tragedy of the bridge disaster. During our conversation, Barbara made an interesting comment about storytelling. Narration or telling in words focuses on an imposition of thoughts and ideas; dance, however, allows for an immediate visual interpretation for an audience to see.
For Barbara, ‘Sky Dancers’ becomes a big scale in scope. The production was five years in the making. There is a large set needed with focused and specific lighting techniques required for effects.

Barbara wants the audience to feel as if they are right in the action of the story as there is no separation between them and the performers on the stage. There are four parts to ‘Sky Dancers’ that tell a story: a) Before the tragedy we witness the Mohawk community life. b) We see the pride of the community in their iron work creation of the bridge. c) We will witness the tragedy of the bridge d) We will see the aftermath of the community where the women must clean up and learn to live without members of the community.
What made this story even harder for me? The Catholic Church came in at this time to pressure the mothers to send the remaining children away to the Residential schools as it was felt the women would be unable to provide what their children required.

For those who have no background in dance or movement, these specific art forms become universal at that moment in performance through the multi-faceted expressions of the artists. According to Barbara, it’s possible that if there are 250 people in the audience, each of them may walk away from ‘Sky Dancers’ with 250 different views of that story.

That’s the magic of the allure of dance and movement. Although she was trained in classical ballet, Barbara felt she didn’t fit in with certain techniques of ballet and returned to the spiritual nourishment in her community to find her voice which fulfilled her personal need to dance. However, she assuredly pointed out that First Nations’ dance was discouraged for the longest time and ‘Sky Dancers’ will allow us to share the Indigenous culture with other communities.

Given the last three years and the round table discussions of all performing artists here in Canada, it’s now time to share and see as many stories as we possibly can, and this includes all members of the First Nations and Indigenous communities.

What are some key messages for audiences to leave with after seeing ‘Sky Dancers’ or about any First Nations and Indigenous stories?

If anything, Diabo wants audiences not to see members of the Mohawk community as victims of this tragedy but the fact they survived it through their resilience and their strength as a community. ‘Sky Dancers’ honours those who died in the tragedy, their families, their descendants, and the community.

I look forward as a caring Canadian to see this story of strength within the Mohawk community.

‘Sky Dancers’ will perform at Toronto Harbourfront’s Fleck Dance Theatre May 20-21 at 7:30pm and May 21-23, 2022, at 2pm in Queen’s Quay Terminal, Third Floor, 207 Queens Quay West. For further information and/or ticket prices, please visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com.

Near the conclusion of our conversation, Beatriz Pizano talked about the passion she recognizes in emerging artists and how important it is to nurture it, especially as we look ahead and move forward out of this pandemic.

I must say that Beatriz herself is one deeply passionate lady about her work and craft. I highly respect learning more about her and the work she has accomplished over the past twenty years through Aluna Theatre.

Beatriz Pizano (Actor/ Director/Playwright) is the founder and Artistic Director of Aluna Theatre. Over the last twenty years, she has built Aluna into an international company recognized for its unique approach to creation, its daring political work, and its experimentation with multiple language productions. Her bold performances, in English and Spanish, are marked by a distinct theatrical language drawing from the heritages, cultures, and languages from across the Americas. Aluna’s original productions have earned them 29 Dora Mavor Moore nominations and 11 wins.

She has received a number of prestigious awards including the John Hirsch Prize, the Chalmers Fellowship, K.M. Hunter award, 100 Colombianos and Colombiano Estrella. She is the first Colombian actress to win the Toronto Critics award and a Dora for her performance in Blood Wedding. She has been recognized twice by the Colombian government (President Santos and President Duque) for her work as a promoter and a mentor to the Latinx artists living and working in Canada. In 2019 she was named of TD Bank’s 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much for adding your distinct voice to the conversation, Bea:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

Well, to tell you the truth, Covid has been difficult in some things but at other levels for me, I was craving a pause. I haven’t had a rest.

After running a company for 20 years, I needed to think where we are going now. There are changes that needed to happen. We struggled so hard as a diverse company. I was exhausted because as a tiny company we don’t ever get the funding needed to run. For example, I only have one full time person in twenty years, which is me, to run the entire company. The rest are all contract workers.

That instability because with me just running Aluna and having to do everything for the company was challenging. I was working seven days a week and I was very tired.

Before the pandemic, I was very lucky to get one of the Canada Council Grants, the New Chapter Grants, which was a large amount. I’ve never seen that amount of money before to fulfil my dream of working in a piece called ‘The Solitudes’ inspired by ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
It was the first time I fulfilled my dream of working with a collective of women for an extended period of time. We worked over two years, working several times a year for a month, then another three weeks in building that beauty of process. So, after this experience, I felt like I couldn’t go back to a period of three weeks and go, go, go again.

So, for me, it was a much-needed time of reflection personally. I love being home. I have a garden and working in it. I’ve made gigantic personal changes in my life, so I needed time to just sit.

I also travel a lot with the Festivals as a presenter. I travel six months of the year and was always going, going. So, suddenly, for someone like me who has a personality of constantly being on the quick move all the time, I was at home. It was great at the beginning, but for me it has been an important time of reflection personally on who I want to be as an artist, and where do I want to go from now as a more mature artist.

I’ve done all these things, and now success and all those things do not matter to me in the same way. I’m looking for a deeper soul now, what do I want to speak about now. I want to now move into the art of living. I’ve written so many plays about things that were important to me. I’ve started a new project, but I don’t know what it is I want to say yet so I’m going slowly.

For me, the pandemic has given me this opportunity to reflect on how to implement these changes, how they are going to manifest, and how will Aluna deal with these changes.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

Theatre will never disappear, but it needs to adapt and speak to the times. Digital theatre will never be going away, but how is it going to evolve moving forward? As theatre artists we have to be in the here and now. Technology is the world of the new generation coming forward. These digital tools will not go away. If something is introduced, it will become part of the medium that we know.

Soheil Parsa is directing ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ next year, fingers crossed (and I’m crossing my fingers too because I want to see this production). When we look at this piece, this Lorca piece is so deep and profound as it’s about intergenerational trauma among the women. We’re not doing the ‘Bernarda Alba’ that everyone does.

The company was very important because it coincided with the cries for social change and equity and being a part of that conversation in seeing how we move forward from now on. When I began the company there were five of us who are Latinx artists no more than 10 and now there is a beautiful community of artists who are very strong and emerging.

I’m thinking now as I move forward, and I begin to think of whoever wants to take over the company. I accepted the role of Artistic Director when I took over the company 20 years ago, and now when it’s time for me to move forward, I’m now thinking about strong Latinx artists who can take over. I want to leave a home of strong artists, that was my dream. I want to leave a world full of strong opportunities in this company for a community of artists.

As a small company, Aluna does not always think in terms of ticket sales. Instead, we see the audience as part of the process and in communion with the actor. That is so important. I’m known to give tickets away to those who cannot afford to see theatre because it’s important to introduce as many as possible to the theatre.

Sometimes it’s hard to separate the artistry from the personal side because my work for 20 years was focused on Aluna. I was once asked if I had any hobbies, and I couldn’t state that I had hobbies. Everything I did was my art, and I wasn’t able to separate between the two. At times, it’s hard to separate the two.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

Rehearsing in person. I’m about process. I work in a style of process, improvisation and discovering until you find things and throwing myself in the room.

I’m a very physical actor. To embody the human body with the text is so critical in the process. It’s not the same on Zoom to feel and to connect with another actor. I need to be in the room with others.

We were in rehearsal for ‘Bernarda Alba’, but I was turning the character into a stereotype because I was not in my body. It’s so hard to make that connection with another actor through Zoom. I never abuse the moment when the actor is in communion with the audience or with another actor. If you as actor can make the audience breathe with you, that is magical.

I miss breathing in the same room with other actors and audience.

Oh my God, I miss a lot of things.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

People.

Artists need to be paid well and people need to be compensated really well. After Equity removes fees etc, sometimes actors are left with $12, $13, $14/an hour and I’m thinking, “Seriously?” There are actors who have been working for 20, 30 years and they’re earning below minimum wage? This doesn’t make sense. This is inhumane. This has to stop. Let’s compensate people well.

I don’t know who created this system we currently have in place in the theatre. Over the years, we work people to the bones for opening night. When the actors leave, the director, crew and designers stay. Creation is such an act of opening the soul and I don’t understand why people are staying around when the actors leave. That can’t be justified anymore. For instance, some companies have implemented there must be at least two weeks of technical rehearsal in the theatre. When I work with Soheil, he has at one week before previews of tech in the theatre.

When you don’t have a lot of money as many smaller theatres may not, you cannot do that. At Aluna we give at least one week of tech in the theatre because it moves the play faster and better for the actors.
For me, I don’t know how I’m going to do it as a producer, but that practice of working people to the bone must end. Let’s compensate people adequately and fairly. Throughout this pandemic we have been paying people way above scale. People need to be paid daily rates because they work so hard.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

I don’t think it has changed, but there must be an awareness that the system we have been working with was not working for a lot of people.

The work ahead is really hard. It will also be very exciting because there is a beauty in the multiplicity of artists and voices that we will soon hear. It’ll be hard because there is the unknown ahead, but with this multiplicity and diversity of voices, Canada will become an exciting artistic place. Canada already is because I’ve travelled to other places, but we need to come out of these boxes.

Theatre has become a business on behalf of this illogical thinking because for some people it’s not a business. For some, theatre may be a social movement so we cannot put it under the same thing because it is looked at differently by many people.

The conversation is changing but we have a lot of work to do. I don’t believe anything has changed yet.

This is a process.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

Oh my God!

I don’t know why you’re making me so emotional, Joe. (and Bea and I share a laugh)

So many things. On a personal level, I’m still striving for so many things as an artist, and that’s making sure I have the time to prepare and to put it in my process. In this urgency to get things done, I don’t take short cuts, and I don’t respect the sanctity of the art form if I did that. It requires time through dedication through playwrighting and acting.

I also want to learn so much more about directing, about playwrighting, about acting. The only way you learn is by doing it with opportunities.

What I want to do is make sure I can create those opportunities for others as well, especially in the diverse and marginalized communities that have had very little opportunity to work. You don’t get better if you don’t work at it. That’s the reality.

With every project I take on, I have this saying: “All I knew today. Tomorrow I will know more things.” If I can go to sleep at night and say, “Yes, Bea, you did everything you knew today. The reason why I didn’t do anything different is because I didn’t know it yet.” But tomorrow after completing that project, I will know more because I will have learned more.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

I’m actually avoiding anything that talks about Covid.

No. I don’t want to write about Covid at all.

I think what people will crave is truth and connection as audiences. I do think works have to be very truthful. There may be pieces that go against the conventions as people love these interactive pieces today. My desire is the opportunity for theatre to return to truth and not fabricate stories. People want connection.

Have the guts to go and perform in a park without the comforts and lights. That is breaking things down.
Audiences will be demanding a lot from the artists when we return, and I think that’s great.

The industry has to remember and allow that it’s not about tickets. We may have to do theatre in very unconventional places as we, the audiences and artists, return and emerge into this new understanding of the world. I’m looking forward to be challenged as an artist and audience member.

So no, I will NOT go and see anything that deals with Covid.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

That I believed deeply in everything I did to the bones. I cannot do something that I did not believe in. Hopefully people will recognize my complete commitment with every cell in my body what I’m doing, how can I pretend for others to join me on the journey.

To learn more about Aluna Theatre, visit www.alunatheatre.ca; Facebook: @AlunaTheatre; Twitter: @AlunaTheatre.

Blythe Wilson trained at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre School right out of high school. Christopher Newton started it and Blythe was there when Larry Lillo was in Vancouver. There were eighteen of them and Blythe was there for two years, but she left early because she landed a job and took off.

I’ve truly enjoyed watching her work on many stages across Ontario. The last time I saw her perform before the pandemic was at the Stratford Festival as feisty ballet teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in a dazzling production of ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’. I also saw her work there in ‘The Music Man’, ‘Guys and Dolls’ and ‘Julius Caesar’.

I also recall her work as Baroness Schraeder in ‘The Sound of Music’ at Toronto’s Princess of Wales. This was the production which selected Maria from the CBC show ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?”
Blythe also joined the US Tour in Los Angeles in 2010 of ‘Mary Poppins’ where she played the role of Winnifred Banks. She made her Broadway debut in ‘Mary Poppins’ in 2011 when she joined the company there to play Winnifred Banks.

She next appears in ‘Home for the Holidays’ at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much for your time, Blythe:

Could you share one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful.

Right off the top, I immediately thought of and am still in touch with her – Susan Gilmour, a brilliant Canadian artist who really influenced me.

I met Susan in Charlottetown when I was all of seventeen years of age. Susan was so graceful. She was just so humble and a solid worker and gentle with all of us. We were all playing her school children, and I’ve just watched her over so many years. We’ve worked together, then separated, then worked together, and as soon as we come back together there’s that instant friendship is right back there.

I always think, “What would Susan Gilmour do?” at this point. She leads so beautifully, and I thought if I ever become into that position of being in a company and being looked at for leadership, I just think “Do how Susan did.”

Susan really influenced me and how she held herself onstage, backstage, working with everyone, how she was involved in her community and how close she is with her family.

I connected with all of these things she has lived in her career.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?

To be honest, I had a really, really tough time the first five, six, seven months during Covid. It really shocked me to the core. I had an entire year of work lined up, and periodically through the first year, every time the theatre company had to terminate our contracts, we were given a notice.

So, you feel like you’re starting to move on and work through the pandemic, and then all of a sudden there was this really shocking reminder that we are terminating this contract and moving on.

Throughout that whole first year, it really jolted my being as we all were traumatized by it.
I looked to nurturing my soul in ways of getting outside, gardening, cooking. I became obsessed with menus. My husband and I are real foodies, we’re really enjoying cooking for us, for friends. I found nurturing my soul through nurturing other people safely and checking in on those whom we knew were alone, solo, single. I found that helped.

It was a wild year. I just kept shaking my head thinking, “Who would have thought that we’re in this?”
Some days I was just pushing myself through that weight of Covid and getting outside. I was pushing myself over exercising with these strange injuries occurring and I though that I need to back off.
You feel like you need to give yourself something to do during the day because we are so scheduled as artists and how our entire day is logged out for us. To not have that I just felt lost without stage management telling us what I’m supposed to be doing.

There was also the silver lining of so much freedom with my busy brain calming down and really enjoying the beautiful simple things in life, but still there was that underlying pressure of ‘What is happening? Will it come back?”

I remember completing a puzzle one day and then yanking it off the table and crying. I was having a fit and I threw the puzzle into the wall. I was yelling at myself and Mark, my husband, was behind saying to me,

“Blythe, it’s okay.”

And here I am saying, “It’s over. There’s no more.”

It was a lot for all of us in all different ways.

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

I think it’s coming back to it. I’m realizing that I can take time throughout all of this and that I really need to trust what I’m doing in this process.

Before the pandemic I really focused on getting it right, right away, getting my words in my brain. There was this sense in me that I have to be perfect by the end of week one.

You just can’t.

As an artist, it’s allowing the time and the thought and just being a little more patient with self and brain.
We’re all discovering coming back into rehearsals for ‘Home for the Holidays’ that part of our brain has really slowed down. We’re in high-speed mode learning a ton of material, but there is still a part of me saying, “It’s okay, there will be time to figure this out.” and the pandemic allotted me that.

‘Covid brain’/ that fog has really changed the artist. Some of us have not been as busy as others have been busy. If I was in a vulnerable mood and on Facebook and I saw a lot of people booking shows, booking commercials, working on Zoom workshops, you always compare and then you feel like I’m making bread again today. That always happens in our business and you do get used to that, but this time, I thought this just didn’t seem fair. When will it happen for all of us to return?

I think there is room for all of us to be back in this work environment and back in doing what we love to do.
That fog, even a month ago, there was a lot of that self doubt that many of our cast members have been open about. There was the thought that I haven’t been doing what I should have been doing, and I’m so out of practice and how will I go back?

But it’s amazing when you’re in the business as long as we’ve been – we’re all different ages – I’ve been at this since I was 18 professionally. You do build those tools. They are all back there and it’s realizing the trust is there of those tools of memory, and choreography, and music.

The one thing I was most concerned about was vocal and vocal fatigue. There were times when I was on walks when people asked if I was still singing, and there were a couple of months where I hadn’t sung at all and completely silent. I burst into tears just trying to vocalize.

In your professional opinion, how do you see the global landscape of professional theatre changing, adapting, and morphing as a result of these last 18 months?
It felt like another huge eruption with Covid when Black Lives Matter occurred. For me, I just felt overwhelmed again.

The changes are good. These changes need to happen. Everyone needs to be heard and to have their voice.

We’re learning along the way. We’ve all made mistakes and we will continue to make mistakes, and to allow those mistakes to be made. Being back in the room was being open and people are voicing opinions now. I now, for me, I would stay silent and listen and just watch and feel the temperature of the room.

There is some of that as well, and I think change is good.

There was a period of time where I felt maybe it was time for me to step aside. I’ve had this beautiful career and maybe it was time to step aside. Now coming back to it, I just feel like there should be a place for all of us, FOR ALL OF US.

Artists weren’t going to come back until at least two years especially for the musicals, the singing, the dancing. This is really, really hard coming back. We’re not back to where we were before the pandemic hit. We are back, we are fully layered. Wardrobe has built us this huge singer’s mask.

At times it feels like there’s this boundary between all of us as artists. At times we still feel nervous when we walk by each other in the hallway, or is it okay to touch another person? Some feel comfortable taking off their masks, and that’s fine but I’m not there yet.

Having had 18 months off, we’re trying to do our best work but there’s this other banter in the back of your brain monitoring us as always happens with our lives. It’s even more, I find, for artists, that we’re feeling overwhelmed.

What intrigues/fascinates/excites Blythe Wilson post Covid?

What excites me is the community coming together and theatres are reaching out and drawing in artists again. What also excites me is theatres also reaching to audiences and inviting them back in again.
What fascinates me is people working and going back to their craft and what they love to do and what we’re made to do and our calling to do.

What frustrates/annoys Blythe Wilson post Covid?
The frustrating thing is not seeing our faces right now. There’s very gentle, tentative hugs, and no one is really sure about giving or receiving hugs at this time.

I feel like I’m a nurturing spirit and I feel guarded and that I have to watch everything I do. The impulse is there and the voice behind it saying, “Nope, don’t do that.”

I miss the faces. We were in the Artists’ Lounge having our lunch and we can take off our masks to eat. A cast member looked at me and said, “It’s so great to see your face.”

We’ve been working and chatting for this past week, but we have not visually seen one another on account of these masks. So that’s the total drag.

The annoying thing is that fear. I want that fear to go away, the possibility of Covid, the idea of Covid.

How are rehearsals going for ‘Home for the Holidays’?

We’ve completed a week of rehearsals. They’re overwhelming. We were thrown a ton of music, and we are in brilliant hands with our musical director Alex Kane. She is brilliant. Dennis Garnhum, our director, has this huge vision of the show. Dennis has been sitting brewing this show in his mind, and we hope we can accomplish this mammoth task.

I have to say this is the most singing I’ve done in any musical, and this is a 90-minute musical. I think it’s going to be a gift to the artist and a gift to the audience. It’s a real coming together.

RAPID ROUND

Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors and teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

“Be on time. Learn your lines. Write down your blocking. Be kind. Don’t be an asshole, just don’t.” (and Blythe and I share a good laugh)

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

“If I work hard and stay committed, that’s all I can do as we continue to age in this profession.”

What’s your favourite swear word?

“Aw, for fuck’s sakes.”

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Breathe, breathe.

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

I catch myself when I say, “I hate…” because that’s a really negative force
.
With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live Canadian performing arts scene?

My agent. (and the look on Blythe’s voice and the tone of her voice made me burst out in laughter once again)

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

Be patient, be patient, be patient, be silent, step back, watch, take it in. Take it in.

With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell the upcoming Blythe Wilson from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist?

I would always think “What would Susan Gilmour do?”

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Personally, there’s a part of me that would really love to travel more and see the world. I know when I’m away from Canada, I really let go of who I think I am. It’s wonderful being somewhere else and being someone anonymous. Not that I’m recognized everywhere I go, but I just want to see how the world is moving and I get to dip in.

I would love to travel more, but during Covid it felt like that was never going to happen. I’ve done some Canadian travel to go see my parents in Vancouver, and getting on a plane was a huge accomplishment during Covid.

I’ve never fully learned how to completely read music and I wish I was patient enough with myself to really fulfil that task professionally. It has set me back in rehearsal for many, many years that I sit in a terrified state and it’s difficult to admit as a musical theatre and singer.

I try to follow music. I’m ear taught. I come home and I drill the music that’s recorded. It would be nice to know how to read music.

Name one moment in your professional career that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.
I was thinking about this question last night. When I was in my early 20s in Chicago for a year and a half performing ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ with Donny Osmond.

I was understudying the narrator and I went on many times with Donny. We did a show Friday, two shows Saturday and two shows Sunday. We had a 5-show weekend. We were all in our 20s and dancing our tits off and it was a huge show.

We would meet either Saturday or Sunday on the beach and play volleyball. Donny would show up. We would all be there playing volleyball and just escape the show.

It was a mammoth weekend coming up and again, following Donny, he was an amazing leader. He’s been a star all his life so there was a bit of detach, but when he would enter the group of the ensemble it was a pretty sublime moment of being with him. He let go of who he was for the moment, and his kids, and his commitment to the show and he would just BE with us.

I just relished those moments on the beach. Because we were so young and in our twenties, we’re still in touch with each other. We had every month we had a huge reunion on Zoom, and Donny chimed in a couple of times and there he was in Utah in his sound studio.

We all took the time to thank him as he made us all feel part of something that was really great.

What is one thing Blythe Wilson will never take for granted again post Covid?

Seeing people’s faces, for sure.

Would Blythe Wilson do it all again if given the same professional opportunities?

I have to admit there were a couple of times during Covid that I wished I had chosen a different career.

There were times when I thought, “What have I done? How is all of this work so easily shut down and brushed to the side?

I don’t feel like that now. I still want to be part of it all. It doesn’t feel like I’m at an end. During Covid, I thought it’s done. It’s at an end, it was a great ride but let’s think of something else. That’s not how I feel right now.

I think there’s more for all of us to take part in. There is. There’s a place for all of us.

From his personal website, Canadian Brad Fraser is “a writer, director, producer, host and generally creative guy.” (www.bradfraser.net).

I’ve read many articles, reviews and reports about Brad’s work in the theatre over the years and have seen that some of his stories have been deemed controversial, but isn’t that what makes for good theatrical drama when we can discuss calmly something we have seen that has moved us to the point where we need to examine and talk about it? Brad studied Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto according to his personal Facebook page.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you so much for your time, Brad:

It has been an exceptionally long seven months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

I suspect we might. Certainly, the idea of work and workplace are changing, as are certain jobs. I suspect we’ll discover we don’t need all the space we insist on occupying, as well as most of the stuff we feel we have to buy.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last six months?

My immediate family is in Alberta and seems to be fine. My chosen family is in Toronto and it’s a mixed bag. I care for a senior neighbour with dementia, who also has asthma, and has to be monitored almost constantly. Oddly, I suspect she’d doing better than other members of that family, since we’re in the same city and still can’t see one another. At least my neighbour starts each day with no real memory of how long we’ve been in lock down.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Not being able to interface with my other artist friends and share ideas and opinions over a meal and a few drinks. Not being able to attend the theatre, or any of the other live venues we generally work and party in.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

The only live gig I lost was an amateur production of “5@50” in Edmonton. Luckily, I had just found work in publishing and film just before all of this broke so I’ve actually been quite busy.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Working, talking to friends, painting, watching movies, generally staying as creative as I can.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Everything changes. This will pass. Be patient. Find a way to parlay your skills into another profession for the time being.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

If we’re lucky it will force people to re-evaluate our current political system which got us into this spot and seems mostly uninterested in getting us out of it.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Yes. Many people will be insecure about attending for a very long time. For concerts etc. I think the bounce back will be quicker. Theatre is a marginal industry during the best of these situations, and I suspect people will use this as an excuse not to return. We’ll need to be wildly imaginative to lure them back and I think the entire structure as it exists across the country now will be changed.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?
Perhaps. I’m skeptical. Theatre needs to be live to work. YouTube is not live, it is merely a platform that is open to amateurs. It is not theatre.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

The power of the medium and its ability to change the way people see the world.

Augh!!!!!! I nearly ran out of time on the Zoom clock in chatting with artist Brad Hodder as there was so much I still wanted to ask him.

Brad proudly talked about how his parents supported him and didn’t mind when he chose to pursue theatre professionally. He also had teachers in junior high and high school who encouraged him to pursue a path in the arts. He called himself really lucky and is very fortunate in his life that he met people along the way who helped him to this point in his career.

Just looking at his resumé, I’ve seen several his performances at Stratford: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘An Ideal Husband’ were just three.

Brad also was Assistant Director on two productions that were quite good: Groundling Theatre’s production of ‘King Lear’ and the Stratford Festival’s production of ‘The Crucible’.

Brad has two upcoming productions at Mirvish this season that I am keen to see. In November, he is directing the musical ‘No Change in the Weather’ which opens at the CAA Theatre on Yonge Street November 19, 2021. And he will play Draco Malfoy in the all Canadian production of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ when it opens at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre on May 31, 2022.

Brad and I conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much for your time:

Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me one teacher and one mentor in your life for whom you are thankful that brought you to this point in your life as a performing artist.

Well, two of the same. I had a teacher in theatre school at the University of Alberta, my first year Acting Teacher, was a guy named Charlie Tomlinson. Big connections.

Charlie’s family is originally from England, but he’s also lived in Newfoundland. Charlie’s father was at the Med School. Charlie was involved in the early days of CODCO here in the province in the 70s and 80s. I’d never met him before here in Newfoundland until I got to the University of Alberta. He had a profound influence on me, and we started a theatre company together here in Newfoundland that ran for ten years before I moved up to Ontario when I got into the Stratford Festival where I spent eight seasons.

The other is Martha Henry who brought me to Stratford as part of the Birmingham Conservatory. I auditioned for Martha here in St. John’s when they were doing a national tour from the festival, and Charlie’s name was all over my resumé. When Martha was the Artistic Director of the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, Charlie ran the Second Space there. They had quite a strong friendship and he definitely put in a good word for me.

So, Charlie was a strong teacher and Martha became a real champion for me and a real mentor. I learned a lot from her. I ran the Langham Program at Stratford under her as well. She cast me in the lead in ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ and gave me opportunities. I got to assist Robin Philips simply because of Martha before he passed away. I was his assistant on ‘Twelfth Night’ that he was directing. I spent six intense theatre weeks with Robin, but he too had a profound influence on me.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?
Well, we moved home to Newfoundland. I have a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old. We were living in Stratford and getting ready to move to Toronto for ‘Harry Potter’.

When everything started happening, we made at the time a complicated decision to move back home to Newfoundland not knowing what’s going to happen. In hindsight it’s the best thing we ever did. That changed me that I’ve been home for nearly two years now with my family, my parents, my kids’ cousins, that kind of family time and recognizing (I know it sounds so clichéd, but everyone is so busy and things were happening so fast). Then when we didn’t have to be so busy and so fast, there was the reality that for all those opportunities I had in Stratford, I became Dad too. I was working six days a week in Stratford. I missed getting to go home in the summertime because I was at the Festival working. The kids and my partner would go home every summer for a month or six weeks but I couldn’t. Even at Christmas time, they could go home but I couldn’t because I started working at Groundling Theatre and we’d rehearse over the Christmas break. My time home at Christmas in Newfoundland was short, and my time home in the summer was non-existent.

The silver lining during this time for me is being with my family, my kids, and my time to re-connect with Newfoundland which, I’m sure, Joe, you’ve heard from anybody that a connection with Newfoundland is a special place. It’s where work takes me away, but if it wasn’t for that I’m very happy in Newfoundland and it’s a great place to be.

I have been transformed these last eighteen months. We were all on hamster wheels, and then all of a sudden, the hamster wheel stopped, and I started baking. I became one of those pandemic bakers and seeing what else I can do with sour dough discard, and how to laminate pastry. I’ve been running a lot. It’s been a good time.

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

The art that comes out of Newfoundland, and the history of our art here is very different from anywhere else in Canada. The idea of a national theatre in Canada I’ve always found to be a little silly because each region is so large, and each region has such a different relationship with theatre history. The cultural icons from each region of Canada are different. The idea of a national theatre in Canada is a topic for another conversation.

I’ve been very lucky. Very few people move to Newfoundland for work. There’s a company here called Terra Bruce that’s producing ‘No Change in the Weather’ that I’ll talk about shortly. Terra Bruce was doing a web series so I did a web series with them for a few months in the winter. Terra Bruce has a resident company so they’ve kept about 30 to 40 artists employed during the pandemic and paying them a weekly wage.

We’ve got a building here where we’ve been rehearsing ‘No Change’.

I also started a Chekhov reading group online with actors at the beginning of the pandemic and we’d meet once a week to reach each of the Chekhov plays, one act at a time. I led that until I ran away from all things online because it was feeding me the same way as live theatre and shows do.

There’s been lots of work in Newfoundland, so I’ve come home. I’m working on this production of ‘No Change’ with people I went to high school with; we started out together in going to the theatre and making theatre together. Even though I lost touch with them, I’ve been reunited with them. My sister is doing the costume design for ‘No Change’.

I did a movie here. I did a short horror film with my 12-year-old kid where I got to play the killer. I’ve never had the opportunity before.

Professionally, I’ve been able to keep food on the table and the family supported. The dog (a rescue dog) gets really expensive dog food to help in digestion (and Brad and I share a laugh over this). I’m aware that so many of my friends have had to pivot and that has been big for them.

For me, the biggest change was to leave Ontario with my family, but work wise I’ve been very, very fortunate and it’s not lost on me how lucky I am.

It’s been nice to reconnect professionally with so many people here who I cut my teeth with. Getting to work with these people again has been a real, wonderful gift.

In your opinion, do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last 18 months?

I think so. I think it has to. We’re already seeing it in the way we’ve been working here. For ‘No Change’, we’re rehearsing in mask; we’re singing in mask, and that in of itself has been a bit of a game changer.
The way we build our rehearsal days, especially working on a musical, we’re building in there has to be time in the day for the room to air out. We can sing for 15 minutes out of the hour without masks on. Practical things have changed.

Our rehearsal week has changed. We’re doing five days now instead of six days for this contract. We’re seeing what’s possible and how much time we have together.

The rehearsal hall, to me, has to be a place where you can try lots of stuff. It’s safe and respectful. I love parameters and that’s a good thing, but some of these parameters that Covid has put us into can dull the creative impulse. So finding a way to create in these parameters is a challenge. I like the challenge of putting on a musical during this time.

I’m really curious to the many social things that have been happening around us. What are the plays that will be here when we are fully back? Are we going to see a bunch of pandemic theatre? What’s going on with equality, and diversity and racialization in so many ways and how that informs our theatre.

With theatre do we want to reflect back to audiences the way the world is OR the way the world could be? I don’t know where we go now because the world the way it now is might not be the way the world is going to be. But the world that it could be? It could be so many different things when coming out of pandemic and how difficult it is to get a positive message going globally.

Theatre should be responding to the way the world is going around it. It should be for the people. I’m always weary of truth onstage, but LIFE, we want to see LIFE on stage. I still think I’m two years away of realizing how my life has changed right now. It’s emotional during rehearsals right now.

In this long-winded answer, Joe, I hope the theatre is very different in a lot of ways in that it reflects all the things we want it to reflect. I was drawn to the theatre; it made a lot of sense to me so I hope we don’t lose that sense of safe space.

Maybe we’re trying to open it up a lot more?

How are rehearsals going for NO CHANGE IN THE WEATHER? What drew you to want to direct the story? Tell me about the characters and the artists playing them? How has this experience enriched you as an artist? What do you hope audiences will take away from NO CHANGE IN THE WEATHER?

As director it’s a challenge. This is a show that they’ve had for a few years. It’s gone through a couple of incarnations and had a lot of work done on it. I was part of very little of it.

I was going to be in the cast because I was a member of the resident company of this show. One day out of the blue I got a phone call asking if I would be interested in directing ‘No Change’.

Before I moved to Stratford, I was doing a lot of directing than acting here in Newfoundland. When I was at Stratford, I was an actor and did the acting thing. But I have an interest in directing so I did the Langham thing towards the end of my time at Stratford. I started a small theatre company with Steve Ross. We would do late night one acts in the Art Gallery at Stratford, a midnight showing of a one act play for just a small, invited audience every night.

I love directing. My insecurities as an actor leave me when I’m directing. When I think of a play, I never think of the part I want to play but the play I want to do. I often think I get hired as an actor, I love acting, but if someone told me tomorrow that I’m not going to be acting anymore, I’d be okay.

I’m really curious and hungry about directing. I’m good at it and I want to do it. I enjoy it and I feel comfortable with it. It’s all positive stuff in directing.

For me, this was an opportunity. I’m used to directing a couple of actors and no technical support, just to get a good play with a couple of good actors and tour it around. I love rehearsing. One of my goals as a director is how can we bring rehearsal on to the stage? How can we keep this living, breathing, thing of a play alive? Different directors approach that in different ways, and I’m still trying to figure that out.
‘No Change in the Weather’ has been a playground for me with this company that has such wonderful resources and support for its artists. The bells and whistles are here, and I was able to get the company of actors that I was really excited about.

In its earlier form, ‘No Change’ was more sentimental and dramatic of a Newfoundland story. One of the things I wanted to do with Steve Cochrane’s adaptation of the story was turn it more towards a comedy and make it more of a farce. I just thought there was more strength in the story the adaptation wanted to tell. I thought the play is a lot funnier that people initially thought it was.

Terra Bruce agreed to me wanting to work with the adaptor of the play and to be in control of the cast I wanted, and they were agreeable to that. I’ve a design team that complements the production extremely well.

I feel like we’ve got really good people involved.

One of the best things I’ve learned as a director is not working alone, but they have their people, they have a team. There was a sense years ago of the director as tyrant, the boss, the all knowing. I don’t run into that – the directors who excite me the most are very collaborative. The director needs the actor to help tell the story as opposed to the director who tells the actor how to tell the story.

This process is almost like working on a new play. Getting these actors together and getting them to help me figure out the story – I love that process. I could stay in the rehearsal hall forever. For better or for worse, I’ve never directed a musical so this was just one of those things that is scary, but I should do it. There are lot of people involved whom I respect and I love, and I want to spend time with.

It was something I got excited about – the challenge of it. There’s an ensemble resident company of actors here that I did this web series with This group of actors has been together for a year. Outside of theatre school, sometimes at the Festival, you get to work with one group of actors for 8 months to a year. It’s so rare when that happens.

When you’ve got that group of people that I had here for a year, and now I get to create a play with them and complement them but filling out the company with other artists, but at the core there is this group of artists here that is of such value to me. ‘No Change’ is a real ensemble piece and it makes it hard to rehearse. Pretty much everyone is on deck the whole time so I can’t rehearse a small group if a dance rehearsal has been called.

It’s not always easy, but this is a strong company and they’ve got a leg up since they’ve been together for a year, and I’m just fortunate they’ve accepted me as a director.

The collaboration is there, the history is there. It makes the challenge easier but a lot more attractive.
I hope audiences will leave ‘No Change in the Weather’ with having a laugh. It’s a comedy in the tradition of CODCO, even ‘Kids in the Hall’. Steve Cochrane who has done the adaptation has had a long history with sketch comedy. There’s a lot of Newfoundland music.

There’s a political story at the heart of ‘No Change’ and the high drama surrounding The Churchill Falls blunder.

Walter Schroeder, Executive Producer of Terra Bruce, fell in love with Newfoundland music and is passionate about the province and its artists. He is involved with the music he wants in the show, plus the story and politics he wants. There’s been a pretty collaborative and effective way of working with him.
I hope the audience will see ‘No Change’ as a Newfoundland comedy but not the plaid shirt and rubber boots. A lot of Newfoundland jokes are old and have been told a lot. Like so many cultural stereotypes these jokes become stereotypes of themselves. We play with this and flirt with it but we’re trying to be aware this production is a Newfoundland comedy; a Newfoundland musical being created in 2021 and not relying on the Newfoundland tropes from 40 years ago.

What intrigues Brad Hodder post Covid?

Chekhov really intrigues me, and I want to direct. Obviously ‘Harry Potter’ is intriguing me at Mirvish and I’m looking forward to getting going on it.

I’m really intrigued about what the next ten years will be like for my kids. I know that sounds cheesy, but I’m really curious about coming out of this pandemic and everything and what the next ten years will be like.

RAPID ROUND

Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors or favourite teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

Thank you.

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

Thank you (Brad says with a quick laugh and smile)

What’s your favourite swear word?

Fuck, but I’m told what I usually say is ‘Shitballs’.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Satiated

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Patronize because I never know which way to say it.

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

You are enough.

With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming Brad Hodder from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist?

Be patient and take your time.

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Professionally, I want to direct all of the Chekhov plays. It used to be the Shakespeare history plays but after so much Shakespeare, I now want to hang out with Chekhov.

Personally, I want to have really good, good adult children. That’s something I keep coming back to. I just want to make sure they’re okay, and they’re making other people okay, and that they’re a force of good in the world. I aspire to give them love and hope each day, and I hope they will do the same to others around them.

Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

Playing Edmund in ‘King Lear’ at Stratford because I never feel like I got it.

What is one thing Brad Hodder will never take for granted again post Covid?

My family or my work and TIME.

Would Brad Hodder do it all again if given the same opportunities?

Yah, unfortunately (and Brad has a good laugh) I wish, Joe, I wanted to be an action movie star and I honestly think if I wanted something like that I could be rich and famous.

I’ve always to do theatre in a small black box.

To learn more about ‘No Change in the Weather’ in November, please visit www.nochangeintheweather.com. Brad will appear next year in ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ at Mirvish in May 2022. To learn more visit www.mirvish.com.

Even before I started reviewing for professional theatre, I had the good fortune to see Canadian performer Brenda Robins in many productions of Toronto theatres over the years. I continually like to make reference to Soulpepper’s moving production of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ where Brenda performed along with some of Canada’s finest actors. Again, I saw Brenda in a thrilling production of ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ at Toronto’s Canadian Stage Bluma Appel Theatre. She has also appeared in several Canadian television productions including CTV’s ‘Flashpoint’ (one of my top five favourite shows) and CBC’s ‘Heartland’. A bit of online research enlightened me that Brenda has appeared across our country in some fine shows and theatres.

She and her husband, actor Patrick Galligan, live in Toronto. I will profile Patrick in another article shortly:

It appears that after five exceptionally long months, we are slowly, very slowly, emerging to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Has your daily life and routine along with your immediate family’s life and routine been changed in any manner?

Mostly, I feel as though I’m in the middle of a ‘between gigs’ scenario. As actors, we are lucky in that we are not unused to being out of work from time to time. In the past, we have planned a vacation if we were looking at a stretch of time off. Now, a coffee with a friend, in a park, is a big adventure and something to plan my day around. Small things are taking on more significance.

Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down?

Not a one. Just before everything shut down, I had wrapped up several days on a TV gig out west. For that, I’m grateful because it put some extra money in the bank. Earlier in the year I worked on a web series that’s hoping to shoot a second season. I’m not sure when that is going to happen.

Describe the most challenging element or moment of the isolation period for you. Did this element or moment significantly impact how you and your immediate family are living your lives today?

I feel most frustrated for my son who has completed his Master’s degree and, under normal circumstances, would probably be working in his dream career. Now he’s applying for any kind of work he can get – along with thousands of other people.

What were you doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre? Since theatres will most likely be shuttered until the spring of 2021, where do you see your interests moving at this time?

I’ve been doing a lot of sewing, gardening and writing: a kind of Bronte sisters’ existence. I’ve collected a lot of vintage fabric over the years and so I’ve been sewing cushions, cushions and more cushions. Couch candy, that I was hoping to sell at our local fall fair. The fair is not happening, and the cushions have taken over a room in our house and there seems to be no end in sight….

Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

That’s a hard one. I think the new graduates might fare well. Hopefully, they still have a burning desire and ambition and this period may prove to be a time of real creativity. I worry more for actors with young families and mortgages. I wish words of wisdom could ease their burdens, but I’m not convinced of that.

It’s going to be a very difficult few months for some people. Sorry – not very sage advice.

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

Some very creative new work is going to come out of this period, I’m sure of that. And maybe by the time we get back into our theatres we will have a greater appreciation of the power and potential of live performances.

In your informed opinion, will the Canadian, Broadway and Californian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted on account of the coronavirus?

I just hope theatres survive. Time will tell.

What are your thoughts about streaming live productions? As we continue to emerge and find our way back to a new perspective of daily life, will live streaming become part of the performing arts scene in your estimation? Have you been participating, or will you participate in any online streaming productions soon?

I think streaming is a different beast altogether. I’m enjoyed some of the work I’ve seen online, but it’s not the same as the experience one has watching a live performance.

What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding our world now?

I look forward to performing again, in a theatre, with an audience. I find gathering in a space with a group of strangers and sharing a communal experience to be very moving.

With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

It’s two words actually – ‘Quelle Emboutiellage’ which means ‘What a traffic jam”. It’s such a satisfying sequence of syllables. I like saying it to describe anything extraordinary (another good word)

b. What is your least favourite word?

I’m not sure…I mean, I really don’t have an answer for that.

c. What turns you on?

A really good action movie.

d. What turns you off?

Bullying…and impatience

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Waves

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Car horns

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

If I had the talent, I would have liked to be a visual artist. Large canvases.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

A podiatrist.

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Head straight through to the left. Your friends and family are waiting.”

Not only is Managing artistic leader Brett Christopher one intelligent man who inherently knows his community and their artistic interests, but he is also extremely patient and kind.

Especially with me.

I was to have compiled this second profile on him months ago.

Thank you, Brett, for your patience and kindness.

The upcoming 2024 Thousand Islands Playhouse season slate looks rather impressive:

‘Liars at A Funeral’ to be directed by Krista Jackson and runs May 31 – June 22

‘Mamma Mia’ to be directed by Stephanie Graham and run July 2 – August 4.

‘Mary’s Wedding’ to be directed by Brett Christopher and runAugust 16 – September 8

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ to be directed by James MacDonald and run September 24 – October 27

‘Murder for Two’ to be directed by Jeremy Webb and run August 1 – August 25

‘Doubt, A Parable’ to be directed by Lisa Karen Cox and run September 5 – September 29.

‘Sequence’ to be directed by Kathryn MacKay and run October 4 – October 27

(At this point, the casting of each show has yet to be announced. This is the next bit of excitement to come)

What was my initial impression just by looking at these titles? Get yourselves to Gananoque this summer and fall. Plus, there are the Boat tours, so why not make it a couple of nights? Stay in town at some of the bnb homes, see some theatre and go on a boat tour.

Since Covid, I can’t imagine how exhausted Christopher must be at this stage. He agreed that he was.

But he’s like the Energizer Bunny. He keeps going and going.

What did he have to say about these past few seasons?

“What was great was that people did return for [the past two seasons] despite having full mask mandates. We had great houses and audiences…there were full restaurants and accommodations. The challenge is that everything costs 30% more than it used to including set materials, housing, and labour. These are national trends, not just in the theatre.”

When he built the budget in August 2021 for the 2022 season, Christopher was basing those figures on what had happened in 2019 regarding the scope of the producing model. He wanted to return as fast as possible to what the company had produced in 2019 before the pandemic. Christopher knew materials had increased in cost, but it was shocking how quickly the operating budget went from 2.5 million running cost to $2.9 million. This was all just in the cost of the plays, as administration and facility costs were virtually the same. Producing theatre costs way more than it used to.

Yes, the pandemic did eat some of the costs in returning to the performances, but there were some capital reserves that the company could use to help re-establish the foundation.

What are the biggest challenges as he advances into this coming 2024 season as the Managing Artistic Director of the Playhouse?

“We have to anticipate these increase over the last two years are not going to drop. We just have to match the revenue to keep things going forward. A conundrum facing the entire [professional] theatre community is how to do it. Sell more tickets? Get more public funding? Donations? We must be more creative in diversifying revenue…raising ticket prices is the last resort… I’ve always been adamant that we maintain accessible pricing so that pretty much anybody can come and see a play here…. So, we’ve got to be more innovative.”

Well, Brett, just looking at the 2024 season titles tells me you might be on your way to matching the revenue costs.

What are some plans for the Thousand Islands Playhouse Christopher has in mind in the future? He’s open to teaming up with other theatre companies or educational institutions in the Haldimand/Dundas/Stormont/Glengarry Region and trying to figure out what sort of projects could be worked on that we’re already paying full-time staff to do.

Ultimately, the game right now is finding money, which is awful because that’s not about art. Art is about imagination and creativity.

Does Brett have concerns about the theatre industry going forward?

Like any theatre administrator and producer, yes, he does.

The other big challenge that producers are trying to address is that the producing model has been predicated on a six-day, 8-hour work week:

“A conversation is happening in the [theatre] industry as to how to change that. If a week of rehearsals is added, labour costs are exponentially increased, as are housing costs. There has to be a tough conversation in the industry about how long we have leaned on people’s willingness (even with the Equity standards required) to get the play up. Can a working schedule be created that is more humane while, at the same time, not losing our shirts?”

The reality of working is that the theatre industry does not follow the traditional 9 – 5 period. There are odd hours, yes. However, education is another area where teachers usually don’t just work the school hours during the day, and that’s it. Teachers also work outside a traditional designated work time frame.

Nevertheless, teachers and actors/artists choose to work in this field knowing these conditions. It is an unusual labour situation. Yes, there has to be some give and take and an acknowledgement that it is unusual. Otherwise, the danger in not doing so – the theatre industry will or could lose many excellent individuals dedicated to their craft.

Brett was a working artist/actor and remembered his career choice’s long hours and ‘unusualness.’ He then went into theatre administration because he missed his wife and kids. He didn’t want to travel across the country anymore in that capacity:

“I think a lot of actors are now looking at this same thing. Covid and the isolation allowed all of us (yes, even actors) to be with our families…I think a lot of people have been considering leaving the industry for something ‘normal.’”

And none of us wants that to happen.

As an artist and theatre administrator, does Brett believe listening to feedback from audience members and reviewers/critics/bloggers is essential?

As an artist, he tried as hard as he could not to read reviews or feedback from audience members until after the show run. Positive or negative, the comments always affected his performance. Criticism/feedback cannot be embedded into an artistic process in the moment. But after the fact, as an artist with a bit of time and distance, usually most of the time, Brett agreed with constructive feedback since there is always a spectrum of comments. After the fact, yes, feedback is always helpful for the actor. As an artistic leader now, Christopher’s feelings never get hurt if feedback is not as positive as he hoped it might have been for the show. If feedback is more negatively constructed, he will think about the artists involved in the production. He will also consider his reasons as an artistic leader why that play was selected.

I also asked him about Intimacy coaches for productions as they have become part of shows dealing with sensitive subject matter. Brett says it’s all about artist safety and believes entirely in these coaches trained to deal with unsafe moments that actors may have to confront during the play. Discussion takes place during rehearsals with the actors involved and the coordinator. Rehearsals involve choreographing each move, where every intention is discussed to ensure everyone feels as if he/she/they have a voice and to speak up clearly, if there is a feeling of unease.

Brett added further:

“Intimacy moments are now being choreographed with a great deal of care. No one is in any way confused. Artists are included in the decisions of what’s going to happen on stage, in terms of intimacy, so that they are complicit in the act. It’s not one person doing something to another person. It’s choreography that is discussed, learned, rehearsed, and performed. Safely.”

Our discussion then turned to some edgy drama I’ve seen at the Playhouse over the last two summers. The Firehall Theatre (the thought-provoking space) was developed twenty years ago as the counterpoint to the comedy/summer stock musicals on the Springer stage. The Firehall has evolved slowly and is not seen as the ‘poor cousin.’ Brett hopes that as a program leader and programmer, he will continue to mature the relationship between the Springer Stage and the Firehall, where the productions complement each other to create a dialogue with the audience. That takes time, nevertheless, as Christopher does not want a polarizing effect where specific audiences will only go to Springer Stage and the Firehall. He adds:

“My goal is to loosen up the wall between these two buildings to allow audiences to see all the stories told in the season.”

As we wound down our conversation, where does Brett see the Playhouse and his role as Artistic Director headed, over the next proverbial five-year plan:

“I still have many things I want to achieve with the company, both artistically and operationally. I want our audiences to continue to be excited about the breadth of our work, artistically. We must continue growing our relationship with eastern Ontario’s communities, and foster more community-based artists, administration and crew. It’s also vital to continue relationship building with our High School community and conceive how to bring young people forward into the theatre.”

To learn even more about the Thousand Islands Playhouse, visit their webpage: https://www.1000islandsplayhouse.com/ and their Facebook page: @ThousandIslandsPlayhouse.

In my recent compiled profile, I wrote that Canadian playwright Norm Foster would be the kind of guy where you could sit down and discuss everything and anything with him over a few beers in a pub. I wouldn’t solve the world’s problems with him, but Norm just seems like the kind of guy to give a new slant, spin or take on seeing the world from another perspective.

From this online interview with Bruce Dow, I learned he is the no holds barred, cuts straight through the crap stuff to get to the heart of the matter, kind of guy. So be strongly aware of this as you read what Bruce has to say.

With Norm, I’d have a few beers. With Bruce, I’d have a few glasses of wine, just sit back and listen to him. Why? Because I believe that Bruce would do the same for someone whom he calls a friend.

Bruce was a marvelously uproarious Pseudolus in ‘Forum’ when it played through Toronto’s Mirvish Productions. Bruce also appeared in one of the many casts of the famous (or infamous) ‘Les Miserables’.

You’ll see from his first answer that he was appearing in previews for the musical based on ‘Diana, Princess of Wales’. This was one show in the Big Apple that I was hoping to get to see. I still hope the show doesn’t lose its momentum after we get out of all this.

Thanks, Bruce, for this interview and for your time:

1. It has been just over two and a half months right now that we have been under this lockdown. From your Facebook page, I see you’re living in New York and that you are a member of the cast of ‘Diana’. Are you still in New York now or did you return home to Canada? How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine? How is your immediate family doing?

‘Diana, a true musical story’ was in previews at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. We were rehearsing in the afternoons and doing previews at night – less than ten days away from our Official Opening Night.
When the announcement was made that Broadway was shutting down, I saw it as an opportunity to come back to Toronto to see my fiancé, friends and family. The Broadway League told us that we would only be shut down for three weeks. I assumed it would be longer – but I had no idea it would be this long. (It’s only been two and a half months? It feels like an eternity.)

On March 31st, the entire company, crew, creative team and producers met online for a toast to what would have been our Official Opening Night. Over 70 people joined the Zoom chat. It hit me then that we were not going to be coming back to each other for a very long while.

For the first month plus, because I was living with roommates (3 grown-ass middle-aged men in a 2 bedroom apartment – Me sleeping on a cot in the living room. #StillAm) and because my fiancé was living with his parents – we were in a form of quarantine, so I didn’t see him other than on FaceTime.

My roommates are saints. None of us expected this. I can’t believe it’s only been two months. It feels like forever. In the last few weeks, we been able to meet while “social distancing” – and I’ve helped out around the in-laws garden a bit – always “social distancing”.

Though I realize mine are 1st world, privileged problems… It’s been hard. Very hard.

My roommates and my fiancé’s parents are all of an age where this shit could kill us. I have asthma and a tendency to bronchitis. If I get this disease, I’m gone.

It’s not so much the fear of death as… the fear of losing a life I finally want to live. There are things I want to do. Ways I want to give and serve.

That said – my understanding of the life I want to live has drastically changed – and perhaps, this whole “time out” has given me a great gift in the chance to reflect and grow.

Still. It’s hard and it sucks. Really, really sucks – but not perhaps in the ways you might think.

2. Along with your work in ‘Diana’. were you involved in any side projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down? Were you involved in the planning stages of any new projects? How has the cast of ‘Diana’ been doing for the most part during this lockdown?

I can’t speak for any of the cast of ‘Diana’. We are in touch sporadically. Our producers and the creative team (the writers of the ®Tony Award Winning ‘Memphis’, and the creative team behind ‘Come From Away’) are very much committed to ensuring that ‘Diana’ will be among the shows on the rialto when Broadway re-opens.

Everything else that I was working on before and during ‘Diana’ has come to a screeching halt.

But, I’m also aware that I’m not feeling the same drive, so I’m not missing it.

This “should” be the time for me to finish any number of projects. But, I’m not. And that feels healthy to me, right now. “Shoulds”, in my experience, never lead to healthy choices.

3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation?

So many things. I’m sure what I am feeling is similar to what many are feeling – a complete lack of focus and direction in life, with the added bonus of a near-complete lack of tangible options toward moving forward in life. I can’t do what I do – and I can’t find anything new to do.

I say ‘near-complete’ because, believe me, I am digging in every corner of existence, trying to find my purpose and direction – I am digging so hard my fingernails are bleeding.

And I am finding some very interesting things… none of which I would have expected.

4. What have all of you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

I am teaching online – a college level course in acting through song, and private lessons/coaching through my mini-company Dow Workshops. (https://brucedow.com/dow-workshops/) For a long time now, teaching has given me the greatest reward in my life. It is challenging, rewarding, daunting and fulfilling.
That… and… aside from digging in corners till my fingers bleed, I have been getting out for walks when possible… eating and drinking too much… and sleeping too little. (My cot is not comfortable, and my body is old.)

As for “Creativity”? I am not feeling remotely creative. So, I am not pushing myself.

I find there are some folks who are feeling the creative bug – that’s wonderful! Then there are some not feeling creative – that’s also wonderful!

What I fear is the toxicity I am witnessing in some who are feeling compelled to be creative when they are not feeling it innately.

It’s a part of our art that scares me and disgusts me –

It’s that toxic “the show must go on!” even when everything in your heart (and the universe) is telling you to stop. pause. reflect. rest.

5. Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

In context with what I’ve said above: No one should lose sight of your dreams. BUT – the universe is telling you to pause and reflect.

Now is the time to ask yourself WHY you have these dreams and to ask yourself, “are these dreams healthy for me?” Are they feeding me, or are they poisoning me?

Do they come from a positive, forward moving energy – “I want to explore and give” – or do they come from a wound, a need, an emptiness – “I need attention and validation.”

One kind of dream is healthy. The other can actually prevent you from growing and healing, and can end up hurting you very deeply.

(The one’s who need to read that will either feel a sigh of relief, or they will be thrown into a panic. Don’t panic. Choose the sigh. Breathe – always.)

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

Our world has been a train wreck for a long time. Our art has been reflecting the world’s panic in both healthy and unhealthy ways. Calling attention to our individual stories has been of vital importance. There have been some astounding conversations in our art of late. (We can see how the United States has ignored, glossed over, and sugar-coated its stories for far too long, and now the country is imploding.)

On the other end of the spectrum, some wounds have been weaponized – embracing a confrontational politics – as a child having a screaming tantrum with its thumbs firmly stuck in its ears. No conversation can be had.

We are going to need truly inclusive stories coming out of this.

The narcissism of Instagram and Facebook and Twitter (guilty as charged!) and our knee-jerk desire to fix the wrongs of the world with a clever quip and a click-of-support have proved insufficient.

Our desire to scream of our differences has been healthy and necessary, but I don’t see it as a means to an end.

I’m hopeful that, if we are able to survive this “pause”, we will be able to think more broadly and more inclusively than ever before.

7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the North American/Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

Uhm. Yeah.

There will be no live performance with anything resembling a full-house or a “live” audience until there is either a vaccine or a successful treatment.

We saw what SARS did to Toronto – It took years to recover from that. And back then, we only shut down for two weeks. Two things will probably occur:

a. People will need to rebuild their financial situations to a level where they have disposable income to spend on things like theatre

– OR – we will have to find another funding process, yet unimagined.

b. People will have to rebuild their confidence in sitting in close proximity to a stranger so that they will feel safe on a plane or in a theatre seat.

So – if we can’t come up with a clear cure/vaccine – and/or if we can’t come up with an entirely new financial model – and/or if we can’t find a new form of spatial relationship with our audiences – We will not be coming back for a long, long time.

Guessing 12-18 months or longer. Most likely if SARS is the model – 2 or more years.

In terms of content in art: I feel we must shift the conversation from its present focus on individuation and confrontational politics and find a place where we can share our differences and grievances in a healthier way – and I believe that place is much further down the road than our present position.

But… Inclusivity – if that’s the right word. We need to find a place where we can recognize our mutual humanity while in no way diminishing one another and where we can accept/embrace the responsibility we have to each other.

If we can’t talk to each other, we can’t learn and grow.

It may mean we may not get to have our full conversations the way we want to have them at this point. And that’s going to be hard for a lot of us.

But, I believe we will be able to have those conversations in a richer and deeper sense further down the road, even though, right now, we may need to jump ahead for a moment – We will need healing after this.

A lot of healing.

We aren’t talking about our dead right now in anything more than numbers. We are gonna have to talk about our dead -Birth and death are the two things we all have in common. Our awareness of them is what makes us human.

We will have to talk about that – but, in a new light .

8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts about this format presentation? Any advantages to doing this? Disadvantages? Are you participating or will you be participating in this presentation format soon?

I think ALL performance is great and necessary! As for how it’s being accomplished online: we are working out the kinks! Look at the first strips of film from the birth of cinema… it’s an imaginative mess! That’s where we are right now with online work.

Filmed versions of stage productions are noble and beautiful – but they still kinda suck. Online readings and creations are proving successful in “what they are” – but they still kinda suck.

But that’s why we have to keep trying!

How can we make online versions of stage productions more engaging?

What is the actual online experience as different from the theatre or the cinema or the lecture hall?

– We don’t yet know! SO – Keep playing and making mistakes and making glorious messes!
That said – there is a toxic trap online of which each artist must become aware, and upon which they must reflect before engaging. Unfortunately, you can see a fair amount of desperation in some of the work online right now. While it is par for this unknown course, that desperation can take an individual and personal toll on the artist.

Intuitively, I set myself some rules: I have participated when asked – and I’ve felt it’s “right for me, right now”. I have turned down some offers – because they didn’t feel right. I even accepted one very prestigious offer, only to decline it recently, because I wasn’t feeling it.

Right now, as a creative person (I know that’s who and what I am) -who is NOT feeling creative – I feel it is my purpose to be a voice against the panic.

Creative is me. I do not have to create constantly for that to be true. I am trying to avoid the endless cries of the bottomless abyss (the internet) as it screams to be satiated.

The internet will always need more and more content. I cannot fulfill its needs. But I also know I cannot fulfill my needs through the acquisition of “hits” and “likes”.

So, my philosophy: If you’ve got it? If you’re feeling it? Flaunt it! Bravo! Explore content creation!
– but expect no glory till, perhaps, long after the fact. (and even then!)

If you’re not feeling it? – even though you know you’ve got it – If you wanna sit in a corner and stare at the wall?

Choose that! Choose your mental and spiritual health over the constant cries from the internet in its unending quest to be satisfied.

Stop. Pause. Reflect. REST.

9. What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding Covid?

I’m not loving performing right now – and I’m okay with that.

I have taped a couple of self-tape auditions, and it was nice to dip my toe. I’m good. I’ve still got it. (I just don’t want it right now.) I have recorded a couple of songs for various church services and events for friends of mine. I still love to sing.

But I don’t have to do either in front of an audience to feel valid and whole right now. I guess that’s what I’m learning – about myself.

As for the confusion and drama? I’ve had enough of that bullshit in my life and my work! (meaning every good family and every good play is full of ‘confusion and drama’) I’m very tired of the drama we manufacture for ourselves, for our lives – Most of our life drama is manufactured. Very little of it is real.

This Covid thing is REAL.

Drop you own drama – (‘cause really? aren’t you bored with it yet? I’m bored of mine!)- and deal with what is real, right now.

Food. Shelter. Family/Friends.

Live what’s real…

With a respectful acknowledgement to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

lesbian. (seriously. it just feels so great to say it. its origins are amazing, and it means something beautiful!)

b. What is your least favourite word?

Right now? “Creativity.” (fuck off, “creativity”)

c. What turns you on?

The idea that there is something huge happening right now. Lives can and will be changed – for better and worse. We are being shaken by the scruff of the neck.

d. What turns you off?

Anger – might sound funny after this – I know text has no tone of voice, but none of the above is said in anger… just in fatigue… with a wistful smile.

Anger is always pointed at the wrong people, at the wrong time, and is delivered in the worst possible way.

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Laughter. (dull answer, but joyously true…)

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Construction. (It’s not ‘progress’)

g. What is your favourite curse word?

FUCK

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

That’s for me to know and you to find out – and why is this question in the past tense? I very well may yet change professions.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything that isn’t real. I want dirt and sweat on my skin and in my nostrils. I want ideas to circulate my brain. I want healing and sharing. I don’t want anything to do with “hits” on my “page” (He says, scrolling through his Twitter with the other hand… but, seriously, the internet is toxic AF these days)

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“You tried.”

I can’t reflect on my life and expect him to say, “you tried your best”. I know I haven’t. But, I know I have tried. To be responsible. To be honourable. To make amends. To help find peace for those I meet.

To learn more about Bruce, visit his website: www.brucedow.com.

I’ve known Carey Nicholson for over ten years. As an actor, director, adjudicator and teacher of the arts, she has been engaged in performing arts for over thirty-five years. Carey began her love affair of the arts with community theatre in St. Catharines, Ontario. She moved to Toronto to pursue professional dance studies with Lois Smith, O.C. at George Brown College and becoming a faculty member at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre for fifteen years before moving to Durham Region.

Carey has been involved with community and professional theatre companies ranging from work as producer, director, choreographer, set and costume designer in Durham and York Regions.

Carey is Artistic Director of ‘Theatre on the Ridge’, a not for profit, professional, collaborative company in which committed artists can produce high quality work in a broader scope of theatre and storytelling in Durham Region, just outside of Toronto. Theatre on the Ridge is unique to the Durham Region in that it uses theatre as a tool to engage, to shift complacency and to provide growth to its participants into the world and human nature whether they be from the professional or non-professional/amateur circle.

This summer 2020’s season by Theatre on the Ridge includes Drew Hayden Taylor’s ‘Cottagers and Indians’, Edmond Rostand’s ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’, a remount of TOTR’s successful production of Yasmina Reza’s ‘God of Carnage’ and Beverley Cooper’s ‘Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott’ all staged in Port Perry, Ontario (50 kilometers east of Toronto).

Recently, I had a chance to interview Carey via telephone:

How are you and your family doing during this time of worldwide upheaval? Have your lives been changed or transformed on account of Covid?

Our lives haven’t changed dramatically on the outside with no real shifts. Like everyone, we’re shifting inwardly. My husband, Andy, and I live in a rural area so social distancing has not been a problem. My family unit (which also includes my mother) has been involved in a regular routine. We’re doing more walks, eating healthier and we are more mindful of what we practice daily. We’re being reminded that we don’t need as much as we thought. I’m also baking more which, while being personally stress reducing, makes everyone happy.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this tumultuous time?

I run the company (Theatre on the Ridge) from my home. I am an optimist and keep working at a moderated level. With too many unknowns during this tumultuous time, it is a perfect opportunity for me to complete ongoing and needed maintenance and planning for the company compared to the active stage of rehearsals and performances. I’ve also been doing a lot of ‘webinaring’ to stay connected to the cultural and tourism sectors. This current crisis will pass at some point, and I’m trying to keep myself ahead of that curve when it does.

In your estimation/opinion, will the value and place of the performing arts in the professional and non-professional communities change as a result of COVID-19?

I can only hope. As much as one doesn’t want this crisis to last long as it takes time to instill new habits, it will. It has been said that new habits can become installed in three weeks, so maybe performing arts will become a new habit for more people.

Even though the performing arts is considered a ‘non-essential’ industry, it’s amazing how essential we have become to the communities. In our world, it appears that value is often measured quantitatively, not qualitatively, in tangible numbers and dollars. The success and value of the arts cannot be measured simply in finite dollars or numerical data. We do need to make some money along the way, but there’s also an intrinsic value of the arts in a community and other more experiential rewards for active participation within theatre.

I’m hopeful that the sheer volume of arts activities during this crisis will weigh past any emergency response funding and influence future funding and support.

Once life returns to its normalcy or a sense of a ‘new’ normal, explain how and why you think it’s important for audiences to venture out to see these four productions this summer in Port Perry.
My first thought is that people should get out to see any theatre this summer. We’re going to need that after being shut inside for this length of time we are now experiencing.

We’re going to need that live experience connection because, as humans, we need to share something together. Even the internet, Skype and Zoom are having trouble keeping up as we try to provide ourselves that human connection. We need to be in the same place, sharing the same experience and breathing the same air at the same time.

Forward is the only direction we can go. Let’s just keep going forward as much as we can.

Your upcoming 2020 summer season looks exciting. You have selected four plays that will offer opportunities for actors and audiences to learn more about the world and human nature. At this time, in your role as Artistic Director, are you planning to go ahead as scheduled? Have you been preparing in the event modifications may have to be made?

We’re prepared for anything that could happen, but realistically some things are out of our control. I’ve had informal conversations with some of the artists involved this summer. We‘ve had structured brainstorming sessions regarding what a ‘reimagined’ summer season could look like, should that occur.
There are a number of possible doors and it’s difficult to decide which unlocked door to open as we do have limitations. It’s not the performance dates that pose the challenge; instead, it’s the fact we don’t own and control our own space as the theatre is in a municipal building.

As we also know, the current provincial law states that we are not allowed to get more than five people together to rehearse.

Moving forward is the only way to go and, yes, we are holding our breath as we do so. We’re continually focusing on many ideas of how to deliver as much as we can regarding our performance and educational goals for the company while serving our emerging artists’ goals and our audience. As Dory, the fish, says, “Just keep swimming.”

Many artists and some companies have been switching to online and/or live streaming their work in order to share it with audiences during this time of COVID-19. Given how our world is changing daily, has Theatre on the Ridge given any thought to live streaming any of its summer productions if necessary?

We’ve looked at and considered live streaming if the need arises; however, there are technical logistics involved. For example, how would the performance rights be affected if the production was streamed.
I’m also carefully watching how the other professional companies are handling this idea. Thankfully, the technology is there should the need arise. We wouldn’t have had this opportunity to stream our productions online twenty years ago.

Theatre on the Ridge wants to keep connecting to our audiences and communities for growth and development, so online performance or live streaming is an important opportunity to discover how we can continue to serve and expand our audiences.

Why do you and your artists love to perform?

Tony Nappo says it well in his profile. I like his distinction between acting and performing. Our artists act and we love to create and communicate. It’s comparable to building a machine, piece by piece, where we plug it in at the end once it’s constructed and assembled for the live performance, and the light goes on for everyone.

As a nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are ten questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

What is your favourite word?

Is it alright if I use a phrase instead? Under ‘normal’ circumstances I would have used the word ‘curiosity’. For the time being under this pandemic, I’m now using ‘tenacity with grace’ as I have to trust the universe ultimately knows what it’s doing.

What is your least favourite word?

Can’t (Note: Carey said this word with uproarious laughter)

What turns you on? New ideas and possibilities from a theatrical sense and on a lot of levels.

What turns you off?

Working from pre-determined outcomes. I’m very processed driven. I like to stay open that I might arrive somewhere different from where I thought I would be.

What sound or noise do you love?

Words hanging in the air on stage which develop weight and shape. These hanging words are those wonderful rare moments that become a hologram in space.

What sound or noise bothers you?

Sound for sound’s sake. I dislike extraneous noise. Don’t clutter with sounds that aren’t needed. I compare this to skilled painters who don’t waste their brushstrokes on a canvas.

What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck – it is extremely effective when used appropriately and accordingly. I love the consonant sounds in the word.

Other than your own at this time, what other profession would you have liked to have attempted?

I’ve been a dancer and choreographer, basketry artist, B and B operator and gallery owner. I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do. With theatre, I am home.

What profession would you not like to attempt?

Anything where you rely on numbers or tangible outcomes to let you know you’ve succeeded. I like to measure value and success on how you’ve been of use to the community and to others. Helping others on their own journey through theatre is something that touches me.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Well done. If you’re not too busy, we’ve a rehearsal down the hall if you care to join us.”

To learn more about Theatre on the Ridge, visit www.theatreontheridge.ca.

Carolyn Fe was quite a dynamic and vibrant personality during our Zoom call today. At one point during our conversation, she used the Quebec French term ‘On clique ici’ meaning we’re clicking together, we’re making connections with each other.

Listening not only to Carolyn’s voice but to the 150 plus voices I’ve compiled over this last year, I like to think that I’ve also clicked not only with Carolyn but with these other performers who continue to add their voices to the discussion of the live theatre industry in a post Covid world.

Born in the Philippines, her family moved to Montreal in the early 1970s. Fluently trilingual in English, French and Tagalog, she started her performing career as a classically trained dancer, quickly moving to contemporary styles. Carolyn Fe eventually became a commissioned choreographer for local & international dance companies, TV and music video productions with her dance company, Phi-X 174 Inc.

An entrepreneur at heart, she left the stage to take a 25-year hiatus from performing to join the corporate ranks as an owner/operator of a human resources firm. This was a good decision as the years in corporate life gave her business skills that she utilises in her artistic life.

Carolyn came back to the stage in full force in 2005 at Montreal’s Teesri Duniya Theatre’s ensemble production of Miss Orient(ed) by Nina Aquino and Nadine Villasin-Feldman, where she jumped into three very different characters as mother to three different stage-daughters.

2014 brought her to Toronto’s stage as an invited guest singer in Raoul Bhanja’s “Life, Death and The Blues” (Theatre Passe Muraille) but it was in 2018 that confirmed her love of Toronto; when she appeared in Dora Award Winner Audrey Dwyer’s play called “Calpurnia” to sold out shows and thrilling reviews on Carolyn Fe’s performance. She won the 2018 Toronto Theatre Critics’ Award for Best Supporting Actress Award her role as Precy, in ‘Calpurnia’. Other awards and accolades include 2017 Balangay Award Nomination for Best Filipino-Canadian Entertainer and 2015 Filipino-Canadian Artist Award recipient for the North American Filipino Star Newspaper.

Carolyn is also an award winning and Juno long-listed nominee as a Blues singer/songwriter with four albums under her belt with many more in the works: collaborating with musicians from around the world with her songs charting top 10 if not, #1 on Blues charts. Her band, Carolyn Fe Blues Collective, had a long-standing 8-year residency at Montreal’s iconic House of Jazz. Sadly it ended when Covid-19 took place. Her self-produced music video, Jerusalem’s Thorns: a song from her 4th album, where she appears as the matriarch won the 2019 Fete du Clip Montreal Award for Best Video and was screened in the Luxembourg edition to compete with other videos from all over the world, while still running the festival circuit and gaining recognition.

Thank you for participating in the discussion, Carolyn:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

Okay, now that I can see you at least on screen, Joe, I can comfortably say that I am of another generation and also of another generational mindset.

This pandemic has brought me back to my younger years when I was back in the Philippines. I was born there and I, lack of a better word, ‘woke up’, I became aware when, towards the end of the Vietnam War I was still in primary school. I was going to school with the children of the American GIs who were based in the Philippines and then deployed to wherever.

The pandemic brought me back to that timeframe and mind frame where there is a new normal that we have to adapt to. That people, places and things are temporary. It’s always evolving. With the pandemic, I was in Tarragon Theatre’s tech week when they announced the lock down. I was still living in Montreal. I was renting an apartment.

During tech week, the nerves were bubbling, we’re going on next week, and then the shut down. One by one, theatres started announcing they were postponing their production to three months ahead until finally we went into the theatre and Tarragon management announced they too were postponing.

I come home, my husband says don’t take the VIA train or the plane back. This is bad stuff. He drove from Montreal to pick me up, and the next day we went back home to Montreal and that was it. It’s weird that theatres are shut down, but film sets and tv studios are still working (with strict Covid protocols in place). During the year, I did return to Toronto by train. I was masked, put on gloves and wore a shield for the five-hour ride. I still wasn’t feeling comfortable with all that.

Will we ever feel comfortable again? Even when all of this is under control, but that’s a later question to answer.

Today, with this first question, it brings me back to the major shifts that I lived back in the Philippines at the tail end of the Vietnam War where things were going to be different from then on and will continue to be different. So, from a very young age, I got used to a bunch of new normals happening again and again and again.

Another image that flashed, my brother and I stuck among the American children since we were allowed and privileged to attend the American school, but what I do remember my friends crying. The soldiers would get weekend leaves. But when the parents would leave after, the heartbreak and crying my friends would have that was powerful.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

You know that saying ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’? This is where theatre artists and theatre creatives thrive.

I believe, in my humble opinion, all of a sudden, a big chunk of what we are used to seeing and having in the theatre world is taken away. As an artist, what do we do? What are we left to do? We continue to create.

In my formative years, I was heavily, heavily influenced by the surrealist movement. It was born around World War 1 and continued on. During these wars, what did they have? Nothing!! And from nothing everything came out.

I think someone in the Toronto theatre world coined this phrase ‘This Grand Intermission’ we’re living through. It’s a beautiful time for creatives to flourish. It’s a perfect time to sit back, and it’s okay if you don’t want to do anything. Everyone digests this new reality in their own way. But if the urge is there to create, it’s a perfect time.

That big chunk of ‘We have to produce’ is taken off our shoulders, that stress, and we can just sit back and let it flow. This is how I see this moment. There are good, bad and okay moments, yes, but these moments are full of creative opportunities. And rightfully so.

Look how Tarragon switched from live to the old-style radio plays. Factory Theatre did this thing with video. It was like television in the 50s, or even earlier as it had a ‘theatre feel’. I enjoyed that.

I agree with Kelli Fox’s statement that digital theatre is now a part of the industry along with the live element. Also, the day we can get back into the theatre and see the mish mash of technology and live at the same time, it’s exciting. Yes, it might appear frightening and unnerving, but I like being frightened, I like being unnerved. That means something will come out, so in the moment I get scared or worried, the ‘what ifs’, and then all of sudden we take that step forward, and the ‘what ifs’ dissipate.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

The most…. it’s the ‘communion’ of people. Not the gathering, the immediate reaction of the audience while the artist on stage is performing. The communion between the two.

The audience witnessing what is unfolding on stage and me, as an artist and still in character but the depths within Carolyn are saying, “Oh, my God, they’re reacting; that’s their reaction to this.” That’s what I miss, that communion.

And I’m going to cheat here as well, Joe, as I want to add something else. After the five minute call, there’s that last second of the five minutes where Carolyn disappears and whatever character comes on, that one second for that character is born and says that first line. I miss that.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

It brings me back to my upbringing, to my life experiences of great, great, great losses and great, great, great wins to the extremes of my life.

I’ve learned never to take anything for granted.

As a professional artist, you get a gig today, and it ends. I’ve learned to live in the moment. I’ve learned that these moments are never to be taken for granted. Joe, thank goodness you sent me these questions earlier for me to think about them before our conversation today. Gosh, you’re bringing me way back.
I had a friend in the Philippines. She was Vietnamese. She was from a privileged family. I don’t know how she was able to attend the American school I was in. I remember the day when her family had to take her out of school. We all know now why.

I remember the morning. We were bunk mates. She said, “I’m going now. Never forget this moment, okay.” And we were kids, 7 maybe 8 years of age. She held my hand, and put her nose to my nose and said, “Never forget this moment. We will be friends forever even if we never see each other again.” I never saw her again. It never occurred to me what she was talking about.

Moments like that as I grew up when I would have great losses – friends, family, things, finances, ups and downs – I would always remember her saying ‘Never forget this.” This pain strengthens.
That moment taught me never to take anything for granted.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry as a result of the pandemic.

I’m gonna cheat again, Joe.

One is the pushing of limits and boundaries. The pandemic pushed theatre companies and artists already, but there’s more room to push the envelope, more room for growth.

Another thing is the normalization of the underrepresented profiles that we have out there. It’s not’s just about the BIPOC/IBPOC and Asians. It’s also about people, and stories about special abilities, about older people, ageism. We too have stories. We too have lives that I believe is interesting.

I understand that the theatre community, and a lot of its players and managers and producers are of the younger generation; therefore, a lot of the stories are written by the younger generation.

I would love to see the young look at the old. I would love to see the perception of the elders. I think it’s too easy to write about ‘me’, the young ‘me’. I’d be curious to see who they would write about ‘us’.
Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

I’m writing for the first time in my life as I approach my sixties. I’ve learned so much already about it, about the technical stuff, but I’m told also to write from my experience, my selfish point of view. I’m thinking, “What about me? My elders have stories that need to be told.” So, I’m pushing it that way.

I would like to do, to be involved, to be part of the normalization of the ‘marginalized’ in all senses of the word, whether it be as an actor taking on the roles of a marginalized character, whether it be writing stories thereof; whether it be joining committees in Equity.

There’s a lot of normalization to be done within our industry.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

As an artist and audience observer, I say to both, “Why not have a tsunami of Covid themed plays?”

As an artist because it was during Covid times that a lot of people who are not used to radical changes or not used to new normals, they came out. Their social media feeds were full of how painful and how lonely Covid was to them. The human stories of Covid came out even more intense. So, why not write about it and have that ‘communion’ on stage when we will be allowed back or allowed ‘on screen’. That communion and connection are so important.

One story of being lonely might ease an audience member’s story because they might be able to connect.
As an audience member, I look forward to seeing Covid themed plays. I’m looking forward to this tsunami of Covid themed plays because everyone’s experience is a variation on the theme. We come to a certain point in life, and we look at the ‘young ins’ and say, “I remember when…” But for the young people, they may say it’s the end of the world for them on account of Covid, but for us older folks, we can say, “It’ll be okay.”

As an audience member to see all of this unfurl on stage and to see the chaos that is going to be written, and then us sitting there saying, “We’ll be fine. We’ll be okay.”

What better way to put communion into action then to participate in, to see and to listen to Covid themed plays and stories.

As a professional artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

That I ‘communed’ with them, and that they ‘communed’ with me.

One day when we will meet in person and, hopefully, in the theatre environment, I’m very introverted and shy person before and after the show. I will say hi. I’m open with you right now, Joe, because I’m protected by the fourth wall of the screen. But I’m not performing, I want to clarify that point.

I want audiences to remember that I ‘communed’ with them while I was on stage telling whatever story I was offered whether it’s my story I wrote or another one.

To learn more about Carolyn Fe, visit the following social media links:

Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/carolynfe

Albums: https://carolynfe.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @TheCarolynFe

Website: http://www.carolyn-fe.com/

In early December, I had the chance to profile mother and daughter Deborah Drakeford and Charlotte Dennis who are part of quite an impressive ensemble of cast and crew of ARC’s first production of 2023: MARTYR by Marius von Mayenburg (translated by Maja Zade) which is the North American premiere of the play to be directed by Rob Kempson, his first production with ARC.

I first learned of ARC in early 2020 just before March of that year when the world changed as we know it and wanted to learn more about this company. On its website, ARC bills itself as: “an ensemble-based company that produces contemporary international theatre in a multinational city. We take a rigorous, bold, socially active, and highly collaborative approach to producing thought-provoking international works in their Canadian premiere. By collaborating with community stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and our audience, we create this work to engage with relevant global conversations. Community engagement and social justice are at the core of who we are as theatre-makers.”

Deborah and Charlotte’s evident enthusiasm for MARTYR certainly led me to engage with what they were telling me about the production.

Both Deborah and Charlotte are still feeling somewhat nervous about returning to the theatre but are grateful for the implementation of ARC’s solid Covid policy. Everyone has been wearing masks during the entire rehearsal process and they won’t be without their masks until the tech/dress, and Deborah smiled saying that’s when they will all get a chance to see everyone’s faces again. Charlotte echoed Deborah’s sentiments by telling me: “It feels safer as this is my first show back after Covid.”

I found it interesting that Deborah has performed in two faith-based plays back-to-back. In November, I saw her wonderful performance as Sister Aloysius in BNE’s riveting production of John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Doubt: A Parable’. Drakeford jokingly stated she has performed in one-word titles in the last few shows: GLORIA (another terrific production), DOUBT and now MARTYR.

Although MARTYR might be considered a tale of religious extremism, Deborah states it’s “much more than that”:

“It’s about loneliness. It’s about seeking community. It’s about a young man trying to find his identity and his way in the world. He latches on to religion which in turn affects his schooling, his friendships, and his family relationships. In his desire to seek community, he actually further isolates himself.”

MARTYR is an exciting piece for Drakeford as it goes to crazy places and she’s looking forward to seeing how that sense of ‘craziness’ is going to be achieved on stage.

For Dennis, in terms of the plot, she states: “We are at a very volatile time globally and MARTYR comes at the perfect moment because we know what isolation does to the human person since we’ve engaged in these many times these last two-plus years. We know what these feelings can do in the depths of depression and sometimes that kind of pain can lead to very hard-shelled anger. We’ve seen it around us…engines are hotter…tempers flare easily…there’s been a rise in violence [of all kinds] and religious extremism, and I believe this stems partly from the way we’ve been isolated from each other and our communities.”

Charlotte then made a comment which made me think further:
“MARTYR is very topical right now and it’s an important discussion to talk about the difference between religion and extremism because often in liberal media we place these two terms together.

She was also keen to speak about Rob as director. At an October workshop regarding the play, Charlotte was excited and a tad nervous because this was her first time back in the theatre with Covid’s embrace still felt. Because MARTYR is such a volatile play and being in the room with Kempson, Dennis ran the gamut of emotions, wondering how rehearsals might proceed under Rob’s direction. According to Charlotte, Rob led: “a beautifully collaborative very curious deeply kind room that I felt completely safe throughout all of our discussions. It is a room I’m very excited to return to, and I thank Deborah for leading ARC and Rob in leading the room so generously and collaboratively.”

What intrigues me the most about seeing MARTYR?

It’s an important conversation starter about the difference between religion and extremism that Charlotte alluded to earlier. The play is neither Christian nor Catholic bashing. Charlotte says throughout the play the young male protagonist of the story cherry-picks and pieces portions of Biblical text together to back up his arguments and his own agenda. For Charlotte, that’s not talking about religion anymore.

Because the play deals with issues that hit home to people of faith, those who may question elements of faith, will there be an opportunity for audiences to discuss, hear and listen to what other audience members are thinking?

Deborah says the production team has planned for a couple of discussions with the audience after a performance, and she is really looking forward to that. She elaborated further:

“We are all coming from such specific experiences and MARTYR just like DOUBT is going to hit people very particularly. So, to offer up a space where people can discuss and keep the conversation going is going to be really important. Plans have been put into place to allow for that feedback between actors and audience.”

Audiences who want to discuss the show more in-depth should consider attending a Thursday performance with a Post Show Talkback where the cast will be joined by Jad El Tal of the Canadian Arab Institute on January 19 and Stephen Drakeford, an Anglican minister, on January 26th. This is a continuation of ARC’s signature Open Room initiative, a process of investigation featuring company members alongside Community Collaborators who help place unique and challenging plays in Canadian context before rehearsals begin.

As our conversation concluded, I asked Deborah and Charlotte why audiences should see such a thought-provoking piece like MARTYR coming off the Christmas/holiday season.

Deborah pointed out how ARC has a good track record for producing and delivering excellent and interesting performance pieces so that is one prime reason to see the production.

I heartily concur on this account.

Drakeford went one step further about why we must go to see the play:

“That sense of isolation that we’ve all been feeling for so long. Now we are given an opportunity to be together in some kind of communion, to share an experience together and breathe together the vitality of theatre. But also to have this time and space to examine these potentially very tricky questions, and to have an opportunity to look around, to be curious and feel each other’s understanding and take on these questions and see things from another point of view. That’s vital, theatre is vital and that’s why I’m so glad she survived these last two plus years.”

What’s next for Deborah and Charlotte once MARTYR concludes its run?

Deborah considers herself to be a very fortunate actor. As soon as MARTYR opens, she will be in rehearsals for Amy-Lee Lavoie and Omari Newton’s ‘Redbone Coonhound’ which opens February 7 at Tarragon Theatre. In March 2023, Charlotte will appear in WHAT ROUGH BEAST with Théâtre Ouest End and Tantalus Theatre in Montréal. She considers this production an opportunity to visit ‘home’ as she studied in the city. The production is being staged by Theatre Ouest. Just like her mother, Charlotte is quite excited about this chance to go from one show to the next.

The MARTYR cast features ARC Co-Artistic Producer and Resident Artist Deborah Drakeford and ARC Resident Artists Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Ryan Hollyman, and Nabil Traboulsi, with Ryan Allen, Richard Lee, and Adriano Reis in their ARC debuts.

ARC Resident Artists Jackie Chau and Tamara Vuckovic will lead Set and Costume Design and Stage Management, respectively. The rest of the creative team includes Michelle Ramsay (Lighting Design), James Dallas Smith (Sound Design), Taija Shonée Chung (Assistant Director), Hannah MacMillan (Assistant Stage Manager), Za Hughes (Assistant Lighting Design), B.C. Batty (Technical Director), and Jack Rennie (Fight Director). Julia Dickson will be the Producer, with Patrick Lynn as Production Manager.

LISTING INFORMATION The Canadian Premiere of MARTYR, an ARC Production

Dates & Times: January 13 to 29, 2023. Opening night is January 14. 8:00 p.m. (Tuesday-Saturday) & 2:00 p.m. (Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday)

Venue: Aki Studio Theatre, 585 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Ticket Prices: Tickets from $20 (early bird) to $35; discounted tickets are available for seniors, students, groups, arts workers, and on Tuesdays.

Ticket Link: https://www.nativeearth.ca/shows/martyr/
Website: Arcstage.com
Twitter: @arcstage | Instagram: @arcstage | Facebook: ARC

The first time I saw Charlotte Moore’s name was in the early 90s up at Town Hall 1873, Port Perry, Ontario. I saw her headshot on the wall, and someone had told me she had given a concert there sometime earlier.

It was in 1990 when I had travelled with the Borelians, a local theatre group from Port Perry, to see a live production of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. I had seen it on film but never done live. I’ll always remember being told during a live performance of ‘Rocky’, the audience could shout whatever they wanted but not to throw things. It was in this production where I saw Charlotte play Janet. That year, Charlotte won the Dora Mavor Moore Award (named after her grandmother) for Janet.

And I missed seeing the extraordinary production of ‘Cabaret’ at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre in which Charlotte appeared. Darn it all! This production was slated to tour the show, but who knows what will happen with the theatres closed. I really hope I get to see this particular production.

From one of her answers, you’ll see Charlotte has appeared at Drayton. I haven’t been there to review productions as of yet, but am hoping when it is safe to return to the theatre.

Charlotte answered the questions via email. Thank you so much for participating:

It has been an exceptionally long five months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears we are slowly emerging to some new way of living. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I was alone for all of lockdown and that was very challenging. About a month ago my daughter moved back in with me so now I have someone else to cook for, which is vastly preferable! My other daughter was in that 4th year class at Sheridan that got shut down on Friday the 13th. They were all pretty devastated by the way their last year was cut so short and their final productions cancelled.

I found in the beginning I was very skittish about going out, and when I did the number of people not observing protocols was maddening!

I did a lot of driving for the Sewing Army that Diana Coatsworth formed to make PPE for hospitals, Homes, Clinics, etc, and then I borrowed a sewing machine so I could make the masks and scrub caps in bulk myself (a typical order would be 25 scrub caps or 50 masks). This really gave me a sense of purpose and made me feel much better about things. Felt like I was contributing instead of just hiding.

As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

All the cancellations. The friends I won’t/don’t get to see, the stories we won’t get to share. Also, as a person who was living alone until very recently, the lack of the companionship you get at work was pretty devastating.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

Oh, yes. I was supposed to do “42nd Street” for Drayton (one of my favourite places to work) – we were gonna play Cambridge and then July in Grand Bend (which is spectacular that time of year). With a director I adore. All these very large singin’ and dancin’ shows will be, I’m sure, the last things to come back. Don’t know how long we’ll have to wait for that. Probably a couple of years. Quite bummed about it.

And we were going to go back into rehearsal next month for the remarkable production of “Cabaret” we did at the Grand Theatre last year for a national tour! That’s been “postponed”, but I honestly don’t know how we can do our Show in the New Reality – it was VERY interactive. We were on top of and in the midst of the audience, so…

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

As I said – making and delivering the masks and scrub caps to all the various places that have requested them. I also am learning the script for an existing one-person show to keep my mind working. Going on weekly Distance Walks with various friends – that really helped with the isolation.

I also have done a great deal of Zoom Yoga! My favourite teacher works out of Charlottetown…

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

I truly wish I had some advice to give! And the message I gave my daughter was: “This really sucks! What a way to have to start your journey – with everything on hold! It sucks!”

I will tell you that the same daughter has decided to devote this time to her Side Hustle – she’s going back to school for the next year to get a diploma in a practical field – she’s getting her Esthetician’s Licence! I think that’s genius!

So maybe that’s my advice – we all need to find another purpose. Maybe it’s just some way to make some money, but this being in Limbo thing is very bad for our mental health.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

All the revelations that are coming out about the systemic racism in our industry have been shocking and necessary. Very necessary. So we can’t go back to that.

And maybe we have all learned to be a little kinder to one another.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Definitely. It’s a very scary time, with entire seasons of large Arts Organizations being cancelled. I think a lot of people may be forced to find other industries to work in, which makes me very sad.

But I do feel that this strange time has given everyone out there a stronger appreciation for the Arts in general. I really do.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I was a huge watcher of livestreams when the whole thing started. They kept me company in a very lonely time. I’ve kind of started thinking of them as a separate art form, to be honest. They can’t replace live anything, but they are a platform for people to at least make some music!

That being said, I do worry about giving it all away for free…

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

All of it. It may have put all our lives and careers on “hold”, but it can never take away the shows we’ve already done, the music we have already made. I am grateful that I’m older and have so many great experiences to look back on.

I feel really badly for the young people – like my daughter – who were just starting out and have had to jam the brakes on.

Doesn’t seem fair at all.

Chalk one up for Durham Region. I had no idea performing artist Chick Reid lived and grew up in Ajax, Ontario, and knows many of the same spots that I do in Durham Region.

Chick completed her theatre training at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Other selected theatre credits for her include Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Matchmaker, Cymbeline, Grapes of Wrath, Little Years, Comedy of Errors, Ideal Husband, Noises Off, No Exit, Troilus and Cressida, Much Ado About Nothing, High Gravel Blind, Eternal Hydra, Merry Wives of Windsor, Country Wife among others); Theatre Plus Toronto (Abundance, Holiday, Hamlet, Burn This, Scapino, Marriage of Figaro, Crimes of the Heart, Dora nominee); Shaw Festival (The Woman, Cavalcade, Peter Pan, Marathon 33, War and Peace); Neptune Theatre (The Goat); MTC (Steel Magnolias, The Sisters Rosenzweig); Grand Theatre (Helen’s Necklace); Actors’ Theater of Louisville (Heartbreak House, Anton in Show Business); Broadway (Much Ado About Nothing). She is a recipient of the Tyrone Guthrie award.

What an extremely enjoyable and delightful chat I had with her via Zoom. Chick has been teaching at Queen’s University in the Drama Department for 16 years. She and her husband, Tom McCamus, live in Northumberland County where they raise Nova Scotia Duck tolling retrievers.

Thank you so much for being a part of the conversation about theatre in a post Covid world, Chick:

It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

I’m feeling, in spite of everything, I’m feeling hopeful. I’m not getting anxious about it like I’m not hoping it’s going to happen in two weeks or even two months. But I’m feeling hopeful that there will be a vaccine and it will be effective. I’m really hopeful that the long-term effects of this on people’s home lives, finances, work situations, doesn’t go on for ages and ages and ages. I don’t have an end date in my brain, but I hope the long-term effects of this aren’t too horrible for so many people that stand to lose jobs, who have lost jobs, stand to lose homes.

If I think about all this too much, I get on the despair bus, but I’m hopeful it will get sorted. But I’m also really hopeful that people will do what they’re being asked to do to help. I don’t think the vaccine is the answer in the meantime. We have to look after ourselves and look after each other, right?

Emerging to some new way of living is further ahead in the distance to tell you the truth. I’m not so disappointed in some of the changes that have come about, that have had to come about because of Covid. It pleases me to see people really looking out for people. Maybe I’m more aware of it now because of this pickle that we’re all in together.

I like the enforced quiet time that I think we all, everybody, in every walk of society, creates and needs. We rarely can give ourselves that. When quiet time becomes a luxury, there’s something not very right. I would like that to continue for everybody. There are some people who don’t have quiet time right now because they’re scrambling at three jobs when they had one good one, and now they may have three part time jobs, especially in our profession and the ‘in between’ times.

I like planning when I go into town as it makes us all a little more mindful.

You mentioned about Lucie Arnaz and how she said that perhaps we may not be back until at least 2022. On many levels, I bet she’s right. There are a lot of things that won’t be back in the form that we know of them right now. It might be a new form but the way we knew them in our profession, I have hope for it, of course, because it’s so necessary for everybody that we can get back to listen and tell stories.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months?

I have to say that I think I’ve been faring pretty well, actually. I’m a lucky one that I share my life with Tom (McCamus) so I haven’t been alone. I feel so lucky to be at home. We have a little log cabin just north of here and we rarely get a chance to use it when we’re working so we’ve had a chance to have a good couple of meaningful lake time opportunities. That was great.

Emotionally, it sometimes hits me. What makes me upset (and it’s not what we’re going through now) is the thought when we get back into the rehearsal hall and a room full of people that we love. That makes me a bit weepy. I don’t pine for it but it’s going to be so momentous for everybody, don’t you think? I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like when we make that first entrance on to the stage when it’s safe to return to the theatre. It makes me tear up. It’s going to be overwhelming. Will we even get through that first performance? That’s okay, at least we’ll all be in the same damn room. (Chick laughs and so do I)

I miss my immediate family. That has been hard on me, I have to say. I have four siblings under me. They’re all married and have children and grand children and we’re a pretty tight family. So I miss that. This year, I was supposed to host Christmas, my whole family, and every other year is the in-law family celebration.

Christmas was meant to be here this year and I was supposed to have a house full of 30 people from toddlers to older people. Obviously, that won’t be happening this year, and I’m going to miss that.
My immediate family are all healthy and everyone is behaving. My siblings have children and grandchildren and that’s their bubble so they’re not losing contact with their family. We definitely miss each other as siblings but they’re all well. One sister moved back to Scotland a year ago and I was going to see her there after my semester, so that bothers me I can’t go and see her. Two of my other siblings are recently retired and they’re doing fine.

We’re lucky.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

I think they’re tied for me. I’m sorry that we didn’t get to do the plays we were supposed to do this summer. We were all looking forward to it.

Personally, I miss my friends so much. I have dear friends at Stratford that I won’t be able to go see perform that I would have done had I been at Shaw. And I have dear friends at Shaw – these are people whom I love seeing every day and love spending time with them. We’ve had a couple of Zoom calls when them, cocktail Zoom calls which is lovely. Everybody gets so busy with nothing to do, isn’t that weird?

I miss going to work and seeing my people. When I was asked to teach my acting courses online at Queen’s University, I thought, “Uhhhh, okay, I’ll bite and put my hand up and see what I can do.” I asked for permission to go and teach from my studio so that I can go to work every Monday. And they gave it to me. So, all the protocols are in place at the Isabel Bader Performing Arts Centre.

I’m teaching live on Zoom from my studio. I drive to Kingston, so I really like that. It makes me feel as if I’m actually doing my job.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

It was Monday March 16. Tom and I were in the same play, ‘The Devil’s Disciple’ at Shaw. It was our first day of rehearsal. We drove down to Niagara on Sunday, unpacked, left the dogs here for the week with our friend who looks after them. We just packed a week’s worth of clothing as we knew we would be back.
We went to rehearsal March 16 at 10:00 am, walked out of the theatre at 11:15 am, and we haven’t been back. So, I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to do those plays, but I have every hope we will get a chance to do them. The plan is to go ahead with these productions next summer. That’s hopeful given everything else that people are still moving forward. I think that’s fantastic and that makes me happy.

Although we were sent home that day and everything closed, we carried on because there was insurance through Shaw. We carried on rehearsing ‘Devil’s Disciple’ and Tom and I started rehearsals for the second show that we would have performed at Shaw just this past summer. Tom was to perform in ‘Desire Under the Elms’, and I was to perform in ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Raven’s Curse’. We continued in rehearsal for all four of these plays online until May 12.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Tom and I have been raising puppies. They’re due to go to their new homes in the next week or so. I’ve been teaching at Queen’s University in the Drama Department and this is my 16th year. My semester was over in a couple of weeks.

But I go right into elf mode. As soon as those puppies are gone, and yes, I’ll shed a tear as I always do, but I’m right back and ripping open the boxes for those Christmas decorations.

I love reading murder mysteries and having a cup of tea if I’m looking for lovely entertainment.

But you know what, our deal when we get up here every morning. We deal with the dogs. Tom does his thing. I do my cryptic. And then both of us read for half an hour and then our day starts because we know we won’t be able to sit down again until the end of the day. I love reading. And that’s our routine around here.

But when I’m on contract and start rehearsals, I don’t read a book for the whole season. It’s as if my brain tells me that I’ve got too much else to fit in there and there’s no room for a book right now. I think I read two books throughout the entire pandemic. Isn’t that weird? It’s like I’m in a work mode and I can’t pick up a book in the morning.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty?

To my students I just keep telling them to go forward because there is somewhere for them to go. They can go forward. It may be a glitch, but everyone is in the same boat. No one is going to be left behind. My students are worried about graduating because they’re meant to graduate this year. And I tell them, “And what if you don’t? It’s okay as others are also in the same boat as you. Literally, you’ve got your whole life in front of you.”

For younger actors, I tell them to just hang in. You’ve got it all in front of you. This isn’t going to disappear for you.

The older actors, I find, they’re in a real pickle because such maturity comes to you at this age as an actor. You’re so ready and you’ve just got to hang on to it. Find something in the interim that makes you happy.
I really do believe it will come back. You have to go forward as if there is somewhere to go.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?
I think if people can hold on to those moments of quiet. Hold on to those moments of “I’m not going to look at the clock today.” I’m going to go through my day, hour by hour as it unfolds.

I think there’s something positive about this notion if they are in a position to do this. It’s easy to become unaware of a bigger picture when you’re in a rabbit hole of whatever your job is. It’s hard to easy lose sight of this bigger picture and become unaware, and I think for a lot of people this has reminded us that we are part of something really, really big.

And that’s a good thing. I hope we stay aware of the world that Covid has made us become.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

It’s going to change the way we look at being in those big places with those numbers especially if you’re at the Festival in Stratford where it’s 18+, 11+ at the Avon, and 8+ at the Festival theatre in Shaw.

I don’t think it’s going to be once everyone gets the vaccine, okay now it’s time to cram together again. I don’t know what they are yet, but Covid will bring a lot of artistic opportunities that are going to crop up because we have to do it a different way. That will be an encouraging way to look at things that we haven’t looked at in the same way in the past.

It’s going to take a long time for it to be what it was, if it ever will be what it was.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

You know what, I think those artists that want to stay creative in their chosen field and have the technical skills to tell a story online, I think it’s fabulous for them. It’s not a route I would take because I probably wouldn’t be very good at it frankly.

I think these artists who are providing an opportunity for people who are hungry for a creative experience and be part of it are providing a great service. If they can find a way to be compensated for that service that’s even better. I don’t know how these online and YouTube projects and compensation work.
I think it was great Stratford aired those projects at the beginning of the pandemic. We were compensated for them at the time and that’s what we signed on to and that’s what was meant to be done. In the early days of the pandemic, Shaw provided online cabarets for their patrons and that was lots of fun.

There are questions that need to be addressed concerning compensation both from Equity and ACTRA standards. Tom and I were going to be a part of The Foster Festival in St. Catherines. I love Norm Foster’s work as it makes me howl. We were lucky enough to be chosen as part of 12 married couples and we were each going to be sent to different restaurants in parts of the city in the Niagara Region and read this play called ‘The Christmas Tree’. The play is hilariously funny and Tom and I can’t even get through it without losing it through laughter.

It was going to be safe in each of the restaurants as per protocol standards. Tickets were being sold for a dinner and show. It was an Equity contract since Shaw is an Equity company. We were going to rehearse online, show up, do the safe social distance dinner and play thing and leave. Two weeks ago the decision was made to cancel it, and rightly so since the numbers are up.

What they’re going to do now is we’re still going to rehearse online and it’s going to be recorded so people can buy tickets to see the recording. So now, it’s not really an Equity issue but an ACTRA issue since we’re being recorded. I’m just going to go do it since I’m a member of ACTRA.

If I’m told it’s allowable, I’m just going to go ahead and do it.

Despite all this drama, tension and confusion, what is it about the art of performance that Covid will never destroy for you?

My love of it. (I can see tears welling in Chick’s eyes on the screen as I truly believe her). I never get tired of being in the same room with a bunch of people who are all there for the same reason. They’re there to tell the story and together in that big, beautiful room and my love of performing in telling a story will never go away for me.

Chilina Kennedy certainly has a lot going on in her life right now as you will see from her answers below.

With a five-year-old son who is the pride and joy in her life right now, I am grateful she was able to take a few minutes from her schedule to check in with me as she moves forward into a new way of living.

Along with her work as one of the Co-Artistic producers of Eclipse Theatre, Chilina is a top-notch and dynamic performer. I’ve seen her work as Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ, Superstar at The Stratford Festival. I hadn’t heard the music from ‘The Band’s Visit’ so when I attended the opening night performance through the Mirvish series I wasn’t sure what to expect. I did like the story, and one of the reasons why was her performance.

The one role I will always remember her was in ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Story’. I had taken m sister as my guest when I reviewed the opening night production. My sister, Kathy, even remarked how I put my pen down as I didn’t want to write any notes but simply enjoy what was presented before me.

It was glorious. Thank you again, Chilina, for taking the time from your schedule:

It appears that after five exceptionally long months we are slowly, very slowly, emerging to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. How has your daily life and routine along with your family’s life and routine been changed?

Well, it’s interesting that you asked me at this point because I’m in quarantine with my five-year-old son. I didn’t want to lose our green cards so we had to go back to the US for three nights just for the while we re-applied for the entry permits so we could stay in Canada for the next two years.

Once you come back, you have to quarantine and they’re very strict about it as they should be. It’s been very interesting. He still continues with at home learning. He had a drum lesson this morning and we’re about to go into a home school situation with three or four other kids. We’re going to take turns as each family is going to teach on a different day.

It’s been fascinating, but unfortunately for people in our business there has been virtually a 100% unemployment rate in the terms of performing artists at least. People are able to continue doing all other sorts of things which is great, but at least in terms of the performing arts film and tv are starting to come back and that’s been great as I’ve had lots of auditions for that kind of stuff. But everybody job that I had has been cancelled which is disappointing.

Were you involved or being considered for any projects before everything was shut down?

I was supposed to be playing Fantine in ‘Les Miserables’ right now. That’s a disappointment as I’ve always wanted to play that role, and I figured it was my opportunity to do that role now. I don’t know if I’ll get that chance to do it again. I just had a fitting for it when the pandemic hit.

A lot of things are now shooting in Canada so they’re looking to fill a lot of Canadian quotas, the American companies are, and there are a lot of Canadian companies that are too. That’s good news plus the online concerts.

What has been the most challenging element or moment of the isolation period for you.
Solitude is not something I’m afraid of even with my five-year-old son. I quite like it. I like the peace of mind it brings. It’s a positive thing really.

The hardest part for me initially was not seeing my parents for the first couple of months until we decided to bubble with them. It was tricky because we came from New York, so we were really worried that we were carriers of the virus. The last thing I wanted to do was to spread it to anybody, particularly my aging parents. That was hard with the panic of what to do.

And the panic of what to do with my apartment in New York. That still remains a challenge but at least I’ve got somebody in there right now. Life as we know has kind of died. It’s a bit tricky because I’m never going back to that apartment in New York as I’m going to let it go.

Everything has just changed. I don’t know if Broadway will ever be the same again. In some ways, that’s a good thing because we’re learning a lot of lessons in this time.

It’s challenging, that’s for sure.

I agree with the comment that Lucie Arnaz also made about Broadway not coming back until the fall of 2021. I think it will be at least that. People are very creative and there are lots of interesting ways of getting around things. As you know, I’m the Co-Artistic Producer of Eclipse Theatre here in Toronto along with a bunch of other people. The company is trying to follow suit and do some of the things we want to do at a distance, but it’s challenging. Our systems have not really been tested yet, so we don’t know yet what we’re doing.

What had you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

To be honest with you, there has been a lot to do, running the household and keeping my five-year-old entertained. I want to make sure he’s stimulated so we have a lot of projects happening. I’ve been re-doing my basement, cooking a lot, and I’ve had tons of auditions which has been great for film and tv so that’s been helping me to get my chops back up.

We’ve been setting up an Education Department at Eclipse which has been great. There have been some online classes and I’ve been teaching a little bit.

Most importantly, I’ve been remembering how to relax, gardening and doing things like that.

I’ve also been trying to open my eyes and educate myself on what’s been going on in the world.

Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of Covid-19? What advice would you give to new theatre graduates about this time?
Oh, that’s a very good question. In fact, I’ve just offered some words to artists at York University who are about to start school next week.

My advice, and you can take it with a grain of salt, “I hope that people don’t feel discouraged.” I know it’s a challenging time but theatre is going to survive, it’s never going to die. We’ve been through wars, through pandemics and all sorts of things and theatre has always survived. I think it’s going to look a little different on the other side, but I think we’re going to get through it so I hope the next generation of artists are training as hard as ever because they’ve got to be ready when we ARE ready to come back.

This is a pause button and an opportunity to reflect. It’s a time of great change so if we can learn something from this time and move forward with new voices and new stories and exciting material coming out of this time, we’ll be all the better for it and have a stronger arts community.

A lot of the great artists wrote their masterpieces during times of great suffering and trial – ‘King Lear’ was supposedly written during the Great Plague.

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

If we take the bull by the horns, I see a lot of positive change. I also see a lot of possibilities to revert back to the way we were, and I don’t think that’s a very good solution. There’s a lot of push and pull – there are a lot of people who do want lasting change, and I think there are a lot of people who have a stake in the way things used to be and want things to go back to the way they were.

And I understand both as there is a comfort and familiarity in going back to the old ways. We’ve got to strive ahead in a much better fashion than we were before. I feel encouraged for the environment, for diversity in representation.

In your opinion, can you see Broadway, the Toronto, regional and North American professional performing arts scene somehow being changed on account of the coronavirus?

I sure hope there is diversity in representation with the BIPOC voices and communities. I hope there is a lot of change. I think there should be change. There should be more listening happening, much more diversity and inclusion in terms of stories that we’re telling, and who’s telling, and who’s creating them and the way we collaborate.

I think we have this great opportunity to enter a new phase of how we create art and how we tell it.

What are your thoughts about streaming of live productions? Will it become part of the performing arts scene in your opinion? Have you participated or will you participate in any online streaming soon?

Well, I’m probably going to misquote somebody. I’ve heard somebody say there is a name for acting on camera and it’s called film and tv. I don’t think live performance is meant to be Zoomed. It’s weird.

Frankly, I’m not a huge fan but if that’s all we have well I think we’ll find creative ways to present it in a fresh capacity.

To be honest, isn’t there a term – I think we’re all getting a bit Zoomed out? People are just aching to be back together again in the theatre. There’s something about gathering that is so unique to what we do for a living, breathing the same air, and the heart beating at the same time as we wait for the production to begin. Indeed, it’s a shared experience. It’s so important and those live emotions that are shared with each other do not exist through a screen. It’s only a percentage of the experience.

Obviously, artists have to be compensated appropriately if streaming is the only possible option if any kind of profit is made.

Despite all the change, the confusion and drama surrounding this time of re-emergence and recovery, what is about performing you still love?

I love creating new work as that is probably my greatest love. One of the things I have been continuing to work on is a new musical that I’ve written with Eric Holmes who’s one of the writers on ‘The Good Fight’. He was one of the writers on ‘Smash’. He’s a fantastic guy, very talented and he and I have been working on this new musical for a couple of years. We’ve been continuing to bash away at it.

It’s wonderful because I do have a piano in my house, guitars and ukuleles and all sorts of instruments around the house. My son and I make music together. I continue writing my show. There are ways to keep at it.

I was sitting in an outdoor gathering with a bunch of wonderful women, friends of mine and colleagues and we were all sitting at a distance around this fire. We were talking about singing, not for the pay cheque, but just for the fact we love to sing and that’s something I think so many of us have forgotten.

Now this chance, this quiet opportunity has made many of us so aware that we miss singing simply for the joy of it. We started singing in this circle with all of us getting involved not because we were getting paid or people were watching, no job at stake.

It was just for the simple fact we love it. We were just feeling that live vibration in that space and right in that particular moment, in that outdoor space. And I think that to me, “Oh, wow”, I think back to when I was a kid just starting out.

And it’s the whole reason why I do what I do. That’s why I love it.

PlayME, a unique show, offers anyone around the world the opportunity to experience some of the best theatre Canada has to offer. PlayME is a podcast that is the brainchild of Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley. They were looking for a way to expand the audience of some of Canada’s best theatrical productions.

PlayME has been a CBC podcast since 2018 and this year they have put together their most ambitious season to date in offering some of the greatest hits in theatre this year including shows such as ‘Prodigal’, ‘First Metis Man of Odesa’, and (the most talked about show of shows of 2023) ‘Uncle Vanya’. This season may seem more ambitious than previous ones. For anyone that has been listening over the years, that is by design.

A few weeks ago I got to chat with Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley about the show. Below is a little insight into PlayME.

We talked about starting the show, what makes a season, and how does a show come together. Getting some of this insight provided more appreciation for the podcast.

Each season Mullin and Tolley try to put together a season that gives a lot of insight into what is going on in the theatre scene across Canada. Once they have selected the show they would like to have included in the season, the work really starts. As you can probably imagine, taking something from stage to an audio format would require a different approach.

Mullin and Tolley will sit down with the playwright to help make a show more suited for an audio only audience. But it is vital to keep the integrity of the original production. This included, as best they could, getting the company members together to record the show in the studio. This helped to keep the vibe of the stage production.

PlayME is really a love letter to Canadian theatre. This is a way to experience shows that you may not be able to experience in the theatre because you cannot always travel to a show.

Experience all Canadian theatre has to offer vicariously through the CBC podcast, available where you get your podcasts. If you love theatre you’ll love what PlayME has to offer.

Artist Chris Tsujiuchi will appear this month (along with a slew of other Canadian artists) in the quirky musical ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre.

The production will be directed by Artistic Director Rob Kempson, with Music Direction by Jeff Newberry and Choreography by Genny Sermonia.

The plot is well-known among theatregoers and those who remember the two feature films in black and white and in colour. The hapless and orphan florist Seymour has been hired to work in Mr. Mushnik’s floral shop on Skid Row. Seymour has fallen in love with the store’s other assistant, Audrey. While this is happening, Seymour has managed to grow a strange new plant which he lovingly names Audrey II, which finally captures her attention and that of the community surrounding the shop on Skid Row.

Audrey II, however, holds some bizarre eating habits that set Seymour on the course of changing his life and all those involved in the story.

Chris Tsujiuchi (who goes by ‘Tsuj’ with a soft g sound) provides the voice of Audrey II. He will also play a few other roles in the show.

Tsujiuchi is a 2010 Sheridan College Musical Theatre program graduate who is excited about returning to live theatre, especially with ‘Little Shop.’ He added how grateful and relieved he is, and I’m sure other theatre artists have felt the same emotions. There wasn’t much for artists to do when everything was closed, and he’s excited to be doing work he loves to do again.

He was involved in some online and digital performances when the theatres were shut down for Covid. Tsuj is a self-produced cabaret performer and does a big Christmas cabaret in Toronto every December. He had to move to a digital Christmas cabaret during the shutdown. This meant he shot and edited a two-hour film which people watched from home. He further added:

“As great as it turned out, it was not live theatre. It lacked that live connection the performer has with the audience. The film was shot over six days and then I edited it on I Movie for 3 weeks straight. I’m not an editor, but if I were one with the proper skill and software, it would not have taken that long. It would have taken way less time.”

Chris was elated to share how rehearsals for ‘Little Shop’ have been going extremely well. He emphasized that point by slapping his knee twice on ‘so well’.

When I spoke with him last week, the company was only on its third day of rehearsals. He said they watched the opening number, which has already been choreographed and it looks, in his words:

“Ammaaazzziiinnggg! and that everyone needs to come to see the show.”

Tsuj glowingly spoke about working with Rob Kempson. He has always loved working with him and has done so many times and in many different capacities. When Rob was Associate Artistic Producer at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille, he created and programmed the Songbook Series. Tsuj has performed in the Songbook Series alone and as part of his vocal group ‘Asian Riffing Trio’. He was also Music Director when Rob directed ‘9 to 5’ at Randolph College.

I then put him on the spot and asked Tsuj how he would describe Rob in one sentence:

“Intelligent and sassy.”

Chris then sent me the link when I asked him to explain the latter term. The humour doesn’t come out in print as it did when I heard Rob say it. So, when you’re at the Capitol, ask Rob directly why he is sassy, according to Tsuj.

To be true to the ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ script, it’s impossible not to be a little sassy because the story is out there, so Rob’s sassiness is on the mark.

Tsuj expresses great enthusiasm for finding and developing the voice of Audrey II. He’s having so much fun in the process.

He then relayed some information I found interesting.

For this production of ‘Little Shop,’ the actors honour the versions of the characters that have come before. If something that might have been used in the later film version (with Rick Moranis) is helpful for your character development, use it. If something is not working, then deviate away from it.

After speaking with Rob and Music Director Jeff Newberry, Tsuj wants to honour the voices of Audrey II that have come before while also finding the ‘Tsuj’ version of the plant’s uniquely distinct voice. Chris saw the Broadway revival of ‘Little Shop,’ which featured Broadway artist Hunter Foster. That production focused on Crystal, Chiffon, and Ronnette, who acted as a Greek chorus, narrating the story and occasionally serving as extensions of the plant.

Tsuj praises the cast of this upcoming production. He calls them all so talented and wishes he could tour this show with this cast. They were all surprised that everyone was available at this time to perform the show at the same time. The cast includes Amir Haidir as Seymour, Tahirih Vejdani as Audrey, Tyler Muree as Mr. Mushnik, Michael Derose as Orin (and others), Michelle Yu, Sierra Holder, and Taylor Lovelace as Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon respectively, and Joel Cumber as the Audrey II puppeteer and the entire ensemble.

As we concluded our conversation, I asked Tsuj why audiences must make their way to the Capitol to see this production of ‘Little Shop’:

“The music will be on point. The choreography will be on point. The story is ridiculously hilarious. You will laugh, you will cry because you will laugh so hard. The production value is out of control. We’re giving you a man-eating plant from outer space realness on stage at the Capitol. That’s why audiences must come to the Capitol.”

Once ‘Little Shop’ has completed its run at the Capitol, what’s next for Chris?

He is Artistic Director of The Sing Toronto Vocal Arts Festival focused on the unaccompanied human voice. It is a week-long festival that happens every May in Toronto. To learn more about this festival, visit https://singtoronto.com/ to learn how to enter. He’ll work on getting contracts out for this festival for a couple of months before he heads to Nova Scotia to be the music director for a panto and then back to Toronto to do his Christmas Cabaret.

In December of this year, he will be the Music Director for “A Whole New World: The Story of Alan Menken” in which four actors and a three-piece band take the audience through Menken’s life and music. Tsuj will also reprise his role of Audrey II in this show.

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ opens August 11 and runs to September 3 at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street, Port Hope. For tickets, call the Box Office (905) 885-1071 or visit https://capitoltheatre.com/events/little-shop-of-horrors.

As we slowly emerge from this worldwide pandemic, it has been fascinating to discover how many artists have found themselves on new paths moving forward and heading into a future unknown to all of us at this time.

Actor, storyteller, writer, creator and teacher Christel Bartelse’s profile shows she has prepared herself to head into this unknown future but she appears to be equipped with what the future might or can possibly bring to her.

Christel discovered theatrical clowning at the age of 21 and honed her skills with some of the top instructors, including Mike Kennard, John Turner (Mump and Smoot), Sue Morrison, Philippe Gaulier, Francing Cote, Andy Massingham, and Caroline Dreaming.

She got her start in comedy with the physical comedy duo, The Burnt Marshmallows (Canadian Comedy Award Nominees). She has also created and written six award-winning solo shows (Chaotica, ONEymoon, Significant Me, All KIDding Aside, The Surprise and Encore!), which have toured across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

Christel is currently promoting her online Comedy School called Comedy Coop (Home for Hilarious Chix). She is one of the co-founders and an instructor of Physical Comedy. Comedy Coop is a unique training ground for women (including female identifying/non-binary students) to explore their passion for comedy and get their comedic voices heard. This school is the first of its kind in Canada.

For more information, please visit www.comedycoop.ca.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you so much for the conversation, Christel:

Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me about some of the teachers and mentors in your life for whom you are thankful and who brought you to this point in your life as a performing artist.

I’m very grateful for my early drama teachers – Dorothy Leitch in Kitchener at the Beckett School and Mrs. Catherine Carlson, my drama teacher, at Grand River Collegiate. Both these women were great teachers who believed in me and fueled my passion in acting. I’m also grateful to Andy Massingham, who is now a great friend and colleague. I looked up to him in my early days because he is a great physical theatre/comedy performer, teacher and it’s been a delight to work with him over the years on some shows. I believe everyone you me teaches you something in some way.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in our dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?
Now that we’re moving towards all restrictions lifted, it really feels like we’re moving on. The one positive about Covid is that it really forced me to slow down and take some time to reflect.

As an artist, and educator, I was always on the go, always busy, so it was nice to just take a pause and reflect on it all. However, I have been teaching a lot over the last 18 months and it was a great challenge to figure out how to teach physical comedy and clowning over Zoom.

And I really made it work.

It taught me, when faced with a challenge, you find a solution. My husband and I also lived out in the country for a long time with my parents, and I am grateful for all that time I had with them when so many couldn’t see their loved ones. But we did miss the energy of the city.

Now that things are open, it has been exciting to go out again, see friends, go to restaurants, go to shows and perform again. We do love all the stuff the city has to offer and realized how much we missed it. The buzz of the city and people is wonderful. I did a lot of things during the pandemic because I hate being bored. I was actually very busy, so I’m taking more time to applaud what I did, rather than chronically beat myself up, which I’m very good at.

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

Just before Covid hit, I was re-writing and re-working my solo show ONEymoon. I had performed it on and off for several years but wanted to give it a full revamp. I was headed to Brighton, and London, UK with the show in May of 2020. That was all cancelled when Covid hit and I lost my mojo for working on the show.
I felt so uninspired to work on something I didn’t know when I would get to do again. That was hard because I always had such a drive to create. But, at the same time, I continued my Storytelling Show online and the silver lining was that I met artists from all over the World I normally wouldn’t have had the chance to meet.

I also started my online comedy school for women, Comedy Coop, with my colleagues because we figured online classes in some capacities are here to stay. I want to help people and bring laughter and joy to those who I can, especially when the World feels so dark.

In your opinion, do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last 18 months?

I think very slowly it’s starting to come back. You are able to go and see a play, and that’s exciting. But it for sure has changed.

Can we ever sit in a packed theatre again and feel fully relaxed? Who knows?

Also, I think theatre companies/productions had to get more creative with virtual shows, pre-filmed productions, and I think some of that will stay – I hope it does in a way since it expands the potential audience for a show beyond geographies. So many people lost work, and some moved on. I think it will be interesting to see the content that is created as well, after we’ve all been through this.

What excites/intrigues/fascinates/interests you post Covid?

I’m excited to get back to creating and performing again; in this new “normal” I hope to be able to tour and travel again, and excited to return to festivals from years past.

I’m excited to go and see shows and movies again in a theatre.

I’m also excited that so many huge Global issues were brought to the forefront and people are taking more care, paying attention, and listening. So, I’m interested to watch the type of work that will be created. The innovation that came from this time. But I’m intrigued to see what will happen. It still feels like everyday there is new information.

Can we get over to the other side?

What disappoints/unnerves/upsets you post Covid?

It’s still disappointing to see people who don’t take the pandemic seriously or are selfish in their views. They don’t care about others, only themselves.

That people are still so mean to others.

I’m still unnerved with the uncertainty of the future. It’s hard to plan anything when you don’t know what will happen in a month from now. Fingers crossed we continue to get through this, but no one knows, especially when you see places such as the UK going in the wrong direction again.

Where do you, the artist, see yourself going next?

For a long time, I’ve been wanting a big change. I still don’t know what that means, but the pandemic has taught us you can work from anywhere. Self tapes have allowed this. Classes online etc. So, I’m looking to maybe try out my craft in a new place?

I’m also excited to work on a new Solo show. It’s been a few years since I’ve created one and I’m itching to do this. I’m excited to continue building this online comedy school. I believe it has so much potential. And I’m excited to be back doing “live” storytelling and comedy shows again.

Where do you, the person, see yourself going next?

On a wild adventure. I just need to get over my fear and take a leap of faith. And also see what travel looks like, post pandemic.

RAPID ROUND
Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I give credit to the late James Lipton and ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this format of questions.

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors or favourite teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

“Thank you. I appreciate you more than you know.”

As a teacher myself, I know how little teachers get thanked. So just a simple thank you for all you did, goes a long way.

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

“I’m glad I didn’t listen to you. But thank you for pushing me harder.”

When someone thinks I can’t do something, I’ll go out of my way to prove that I can.

What’s your favourite swear word?

Fucking Fuck!

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Ridiculous.

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Can’t.

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

Slow down and trust it will all work out.

With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming you from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist?

Keep going, work hard, believe in yourself and when a door slams in your face, it will only make you work harder. Oh, and also, don’t try to do 500 things all at once. Focus on one thing at a time. (even though I haven’t learned this as my older self yet, ha)

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Personally, there are so many places I’d still love to travel to. I’ve been grateful for my travels so far, but 2 years without it, I’m dying to get on a Plane. First stop would be Italy.

Professionally, although my first love is live theatre, storytelling and comedy, I really would love to do more film/tv. I’m hungry for this. And love being on set.

Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

I’d love to go back to my 20’s when I was doing a ton of improv and sketch comedy. I would want to revisit this because there were so many incredible people around who were all just starting out, and we were all having the best time. This was well before anyone had phones, or social media, so we were all just so present with each other, and it really was word of mouth to get people to come and see you.

Would you do it all again if given the same opportunities?
Being in the Arts, as unpredictable and wild as it is, I wouldn’t change it. I have amazing stories to tell, I have met so many incredibly talented people and I’ve been able to see and tour the World while doing what I love.

And wow, have I laughed which keeps you vibrant and young.

As far as teaching goes, I have loved watching myself evolve and learn, not only from myself but all my fabulous students.

I mentioned in earlier profiles there are some artists with whom I would like to sit down and have a beer.

I’m putting University of Southern California Graduate, Los Angeles and Toronto based artist Christopher Bautista on this list as well.

I saw Chris perform in ‘The Negroes are Congregating’ with friends at Theatre Passe Muraille just before the pandemic was declared and all the theatres were shut down. This performance was one that hit me right square in the face when it came to some of the societal issues presented. My friends and I wanted to speak with some of the actors after the talk back as the opportunity was made for audience members.

I approached him and remember asking my question which, I think, probably put him on the spot now that I think of it even more. But my question did not faze him. Instead, Chris was extremely patient with me, took the time to explain, and to help me re-examine the issue from another perspective which was extremely crucial to complete the review.

Thank you for remaining calm and patient, Chris. Before we began our interview, Chris did state for the record he’s had a lot of experience and practice in explaining and remaining levelheaded.

We conducted our interview via Zoom conference call:

It has been over the three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation, and thankfully we’re starting to emerge slowly. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

We are, we’re like low crawling out of our caves, aren’t we? I’ve had a lot of time to focus on self-care. I’ve made my own moisturizer. I’ve done something I imagined I never would have done. (laughs) I ordered raw shea butter and raw jojoba oil and made this concoction. I looked it up on the internet. This is one of the satisfying things I’ve done all of COVID. I have this moisturizing routine. (laughs) I don’t know how many people are interested in hearing about it. (laughs) It’s pretty cool. Us guys, a lot of time, don’t take a lot of time to do that.

A lot of contemplation on this current state of global affairs. It’s given me an opportunity to focus on my physical, spiritual, economic, and mental well being, as well as the well being of people that look like me. It’s given me the opportunity to think about what we prioritize as a global community of brothers and sisters.

I would like to see Canadians and everyone, for that matter, as concerned about dismantling institutional racism as they are for solving and providing solutions for COVID. This includes police brutality, our health care system, housing, economic and political equity, infrastructure and community development and funding, as well as equity for the arts.

We’re talking tech and business sectors. This includes representation, pay, administrative roles that provide equity in terms of position and power. Coverage and representation in the media to include a maximum effort to remove 500 years of both unconscious bias as well as intentional misrepresentation based on colonial and white supremacist ideologies.

This is a lot to unravel, so I have a lot of time to think about these things. Who would have thought the thing that would have put 4000-7000 people on Bloor Street would have been anti-Black racism. It’s a beautiful thing. I’m super grateful for this time. I think we’re living in the best possible time ever in history. Isn’t that amazing? It means we have a responsibility which is huge for the next generation. What we do today is going to lay precedence for the new system that is going to emerge.

My immediate family is doing well. I’ve had some people affected by COVID. I’ve also had some people very unaffected by it. I’ll leave them unnamed but I’m very proud of them as they took a road trip to LA. They were safe when they arrived. For the most part, everybody is having their ups and downs but they’re trying to make the most out of this.

As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Funny enough, professionally, the most difficult thing has nothing to do with my job. I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I love and what fulfills me spiritually, economically, and artistically. On the other hand, in the matter of a year, I’ve had several people carry out micro and major aggression in terms of race. This includes a show I was working on that was canceled five days away from opening because a very white director accidentally (if there were such a thing) using the ‘n’ bomb during conversation with his almost entirely black cast. This was one of the most difficult things I had to deal with in my professional career that had nothing to do with my job. It shouldn’t have happened.

It has inspired me to really be a champion for putting black people in positions of power within the artistic community which includes the theatre. I’m uninterested in these place holder positions that don’t have any power attached to them. Let’s put people in artistic director roles, on Boards of Directors so that when these situations happen, and they’re going to continue, when they do happen then we have people in positions of power that can handle them correctly to minimize the amount of collateral damage that is put on these performers. We need to learn the most from them without bias, without the sort of automatic denial or worse, suppression.

On a personal level, Joe, I like that you say challenge because that’s how I perceive it. It’s not something that I’m not able to get past because I’ve been able to get past those challenges, both personally as well as professionally. The things I’ve been able to implement in my life have really allowed me to refrain from those situations.

Personally, there are two things: the first, I feel being in my 30s, my entire adult life, I have been screaming what everyone has been listening to and hearing for the last month. This last month, I finally feel as if I’m being listened to and more than that, heard, acknowledged, and responded to. People are really taking this on for action. This has been one of the most challenging things.

The other has been my transition from my decade long stint in the military into the life of an artist. It wasn’t seamless. Although I don’t regret that decision, it’s one I do not have any intention of going back from. I’m happy with the lessons I’ve been able to learn from that time. Some of these lessons affect my professional and personal life – determination and focus on my goals.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I was in the prep process for my role as Prospero in Company of Fools production of ‘The Tempest’ in Ottawa. We were set to start rehearsals on June 1 and to go into production in July. I’ve been very impressed by the company’s handling of the situation. They were very communicative throughout the entire process and I look forward to next summer when we can begin the production of ‘Tempest’ again.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Aside from my self-care routine? (laughs) I know you saw me on television last week on Bloor Street when I spoke to the CTV reporter on combatting black racism. I’ve been active in the Black Lives Matter movement, meditation. Exercise. I like playing basketball but a lot of creative projects of my own on the go, along with weekly play readings with my acting teacher and fellow students of The Lighthouse Actors’ Studio. Celebrating Black Lives and cultural contributions through the creation of my series of events called BLVCKFEST. We had our first event on June 7. – Instagram.com/blvckfest.

I’m working on some other exciting things with more details to come.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Do what you can with what you have. I cannot stress this enough. Stop waiting for someone to hire you for that job. Paint that painting. Make that film. When you focus on resources you do have, the number of resources that you’re able to employ automatically increases. Keep moving, keep going. Momentum is the name of the game.

Build up your content. I’m working on two shows of my own and constantly writing on those as well as developing Blvckfest. Things can stop out there but they can still be going on in here (points to his brain/mind). Don’t get discouraged if that show isn’t going this summer. That show will come back. It always comes back.

Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

A re-set. The re-set. Who would have thought that COVID 19 would have awakened people to the 500 years of anti-black racism that has been woven into global systems, especially in North America? That’s huge. Now we have an opportunity to learn about that, to dismantle it. The one thing about all people – we’re really smart. We can do this if we really want to do this. That tells me one of two things: We didn’t know, or we didn’t care.

Now that we know, what are we going to do about it? Either we can or we don’t want to because it benefits too many people. At what cost does your comfort come at? At what cost does my comfort come at? Does it come at the cost of the livelihood of some people, at the oppression of some people? In my heart of hearts, I believe we are inherently not only good but great. When we level up in terms of our consciousness, we realize our well being doesn’t have to come at the cost of someone’s oppression. Our pain doesn’t have to be the ammunition for us to put that pain on someone else because that’s when we’re elevating. There is no separation as a global community. If my brother is suffering on another part of the planet, I’m suffering.

Once we begin to look at things like this, we can turn this bad boy around.

Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Absolutely. You look at platforms at Ghostlight.ca, Monologue Slam, what they’ve done for Canada and globally. The Canadian Isolation Film Festival – the people at Mann Casting have put this badboy on. I’ve had the opportunity to do meaningful work with some incredible friends and colleagues.

The fortunate part of this is it is giving artists, theatre-makers and filmmakers the opportunity to innovate, not avoid what we’re dealing with. Zoom allows us to create while social distancing. What are the ways that will weave into the stories that we want to tell? There’s talk about relaunching of ‘The Negroes are Congregating’ that you saw at Passe Muraille virtually (and which was nominated for a Dora). This is long-lasting.

It’s like everything else. It’s a revolutionary time that we’re in and a reflection of the transitional period in which we’re now in. Streaming is an opportunity to increase viewership. Are we going to use traditional forms of storytelling and pretend we’re not in the world we’re in, or are we going to utilize the period in which we find ourselves and find ways to tell the stories?

Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I think that depends. Are people paying for that streaming service, then yes, the artist should be paid. We need to re-investigate how we look at streaming across the board, and how artists are to be paid across the board which is one of the tenets of Black Fest. Black Fest is an opportunity to change all this and to put money into artists’ pockets. For 500 years, black people have been under-compensated, and Black Fest is an opportunity to change that. This should be a focus for everyone when we really think about it.

Who would have been able to get through COVID without art? Art provides value to our lives and we need to compensate the people who are giving value to our life.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that COVID will never destroy for you?

The joy, the electricity that I feel when I’m on stage, on set, on a Zoom call with my scene partner. It doesn’t matter if we are inside, if we’re connected in some way, I’m feeling it. It’s been like that for me since the first time I was on stage as a child as Eeyore.

As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

What is your favourite word?

Gratitude

What is your least favourite word?

Ooooo – I had an answer before but I’m not going to say that answer. Thanks, Nigel (Shawn Williams)…Ok, my least favourite word…’can’t’

What turns you on?

Compassion

What turns you off?

Apathy

What sound or noise do you love?

Djembe drumming – follow Blvckfest on Instagram

What sound or noise bothers you?

Police sirens

What is your favourite curse word?

Motherfucker – it’s a noun: person, place or thing.

What is your least favourite curse word?

Oooooo… the ‘n’ word

Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

Artist, activator, and activist, and that’s about it.

What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

The military. I always say that’s the best role I ever played.

If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“What took you so long? Hurry up! I’m tired of your Grandma Shirley kicking my ass at Scrabble and dominoes. She’s ready for you.” Yeah! That’s it.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-negroes-are-congregating-zoom-reading-tickets-112565955804 Chris also wants audiences to be aware how artists are to be paid across the board which is one of the tenets of BLVCKFEST. BLVCKFEST is an opportunity to change all this and to put money into artists’ pockets.

Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Cliff Cardinal has been called controversially subversive and a cultural provocateur. He has studied playwriting at Montréal’s National Theatre School.

His website (cliffcardinal.com) also calls him a polarizing writer known for his black humour and compassionate poeticism.

He doesn’t seem bothered by these labels and calls them lovely. Cliff grew up as a punk rocker and played in punk bands. He loved George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Cliff doesn’t live in the mainstream of society. He says he still has this outsider perspective, and that happens whether he goes to the rez, the suburbs of the city or travelling. He’s always the outsider perspective, which is natural to him. Where Cliff comes from, this is what he talks about within his family. He doesn’t consider this controversial at all.

We chatted via Zoom recently just before his show ‘(Everyone I Love Has) A Terrible Fate (Befall Them)’ opened at VideoCabaret on 10 Busy Street, Toronto—more about the show shortly.

Who encouraged and influenced Cliff to continue in the industry. He said candidly:

“Everyone who doubted and tried to stop me and withhold resources…and everyone who said I wasn’t good enough. I truly could not be here without all of you.”

I couldn’t help but burst into instantaneous laughter. Cliff had this sly grin and relished the opportunity for me to laugh with him.

He grew up the son of actress Tantoo Cardinal CM. When he dropped out of high school, he showed up at the back of a theatre company, just ‘shut up,’ and listened at this theatre for his Grade 10 year. He spoke fondly of his mentors Layne Coleman, Michael Hollingsworth and his partner, the late Deanne Taylor. The latter two co-founded Toronto’s VideoCabaret, integrating videotape, music, and theatre.

He also spoke dearly of his director of ‘A Terrible Fate’ Karin Randoja. Cliff smiled and said they had been co-parents of all these shows they’d done together. She’s taught him a lot already, has come through, and is sometimes one step ahead of him. For Cliff, Randoja understands the craft of theatre in a way he doesn’t.

I was first introduced to Cliff’s artistic work in his two one-person solo productions of ‘The Land Acknowledgement’ at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre and later at Mirvish Productions. The former production created a wave of controversy within the theatre community. The latter was an entirely different iteration but still used the exact text.

I wanted to explore this understanding of controversy within the theatre industry further and asked how far an artist can push the envelope regarding being controversial.

Cliff resolutely stated theatre doesn’t work as propaganda. If this is the objective for the artist, then he/she/they has/have the wrong medium.

He elaborated further:

“A theatre artist’s job is to be entertaining, exciting, dazzling, and marvellous and to present both sides of the argument. The theatre is an industry where we have a lot of people in the seventies show up. These people have read a lot more than I have.”

The idea that Cliff will teach someone in their 70s something or bring them around to his politics is naïve.

How far can a theatre artist go for Cliff, then?

“It all depends on the artist’s relationship with the audience and how many times they have given the performance. You have to really try and listen as you have these ideas you fight for. Are they making the jump with me? Can they still suspend disbelief and project their imagination onto this moment, or have they checked out? Do they hate what’s happened to them?”

For Cliff, artists have the right to say what they want, but great artists take responsibility for what the audience hears.

I attended the opening night performance of ‘A Terrible Fate.’ When I asked him how he felt about opening night, Cliff said he had no idea what they all did. He knows opening night occurred but can barely remember it.

He calls ‘A Terrible Fate’ a compelling exploration of being the guy in this position and asking Robert to inhabit him in this solo piece. To go on this journey and explore it is an exhilarating opportunity. Cardinal has unending praise for VideoCabaret and Crow’s Theatre, the two companies that have produced ‘A Terrible Fate.’

He further adds:

“I’m just trying to soak up, be inquisitive and be curious about what is there. Maybe at the end of November, I’ll stop and ask, ‘What the fuck was that?”

And again, I’m laughing at his frankness.

Ironically, he and Jenn Stobart, the show’s Stage Manager, were in Perth and just started talking about how everyone they have loved who had a terrible fate befall them. Thus the genesis of ‘A Terrible Fate’ was conceived. Cliff writes daily and said, “As soon as I tell you I love you, watch out because you’ll get sick, get hit by a car, or an anvil will fall from the sky and land on you. Watch out.”

What Cardinal finds intriguing is the redundancy, the idea he is presenting himself as this traumatized guy. Yes, Robert’s trauma occurs quicker than others, but that is the story of all of us. Cliff calls ‘A Terrible Fate’ a satire and magical realism but also a redundancy. He’s hoping that he can use the comedy to step outside of ourselves and look back at how we’re dealing with the worst fundamental truth, which is that this will end for all of us.

I love the candidness in that last line because it’s true.

And again, I started laughing, and Cardinal was smiling. He said: “See, you and I are laughing, so it’s all going well.”

What messages is he hoping audiences will take away from the play:

“We should be holding onto each other. We should be coming together. We should be more honest. We’re not good at grieving about those we have loved and lost in this culture. Great stories shouldn’t silence the room. Great stories should provoke us to tell stories to others. If that doesn’t happen, I hope audiences will leave having enjoyed a few laughs and a good time and purchase some artwork in the lobby.”

In true artist style, Cliff also added:

“I hope people are offended, and those who want to be offended are. Those who need to be triggered, come on down and get triggered.”

It’s not Cliff’s way to conduct audience talkbacks, so don’t expect there will be one after the performance. There’s something about audience talkbacks that doesn’t feel right.

He’s hoping ‘A Terrible Fate’ will tour other Canadian cities after the VideoCabaret run. It depends on how the show will develop from its incubation at 10 Busy Street.

And what’s next once ‘A Terrible Fate’ concludes at VideoCabaret?

A movie adaptation will be made of his ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare. He’s a tad coy about sharing anything else regarding the film now, except that he is working on it with his friend, Daniel McIvor.

This film adaptation is one to keep an eye on in the future.

‘Everyone I Love Has’ A Terrible Fate (Befall Them),’ produced by VideoCabaret in association with Crow’s Theatre at the Deanne Taylor Theatre runs to November 12 at VideoCabaret, 10 Busy Street. I hear tickets are selling very quickly for the remaining shows. Visit crowstheatre.com for further information.

The first time I heard Colin Ainsworth sing was at the opera.

He has participated in this stunning art form for twenty-plus years. Opera is one of his passions. He never stops learning as there are more roles he wants to sing and more he wants to learn.

Now, I have no formal training or education in opera. I’ve attended several productions since I started reviewing. I have exited the theatre and sometimes have learned something about this dramatic art form. Sometimes I understand completely what’s going on. Other times, I think I might. There have been those rare moments where I didn’t understand a thing.

However, from my brief experience, I’ve learned there is something for everyone at the opera.

Co-Artistic Directors of Toronto’s Opera Atelier (OA) certainly espouse this thinking. Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg reached out over two years and encouraged me to attend. OA continues to look for audience members who want to learn more. It doesn’t matter if someone has no background or education in this field. Come, see, and hear unique stories told and sung with passion and intrigue.

Colin concurs wholeheartedly with this goal Marshall and Jeannette have set for OA:

“If we don’t encourage the next generation to come and see opera, there won’t be an audience in five, ten, or fifteen years. The art of opera must continue to cultivate emerging audience members.”

If he could look into a crystal ball and see where the art of opera is headed over the next five years, Colin adamantly states there has been a big shift in inclusiveness for everybody, not only for singers and performers and artists but also for the audience. For example, he was working in Pacific Opera and there is an initiative there to include the blind and the deaf, people whom one would think might not like opera. Opera Atelier has also begun initiatives to include audience members who are deaf and blind.

Colin’s parents are both deaf, so this initiative is very close to his heart. His parents love the opera because it’s very visual, everything from the theatrics right down to the lighting, the costumes, and the dancing. Some operas incorporate American Sign Language interpreters and they are placed at the side of the stage. The deaf students who attended that Pacific Opera performance were enthralled because the production was in their language.

Ainsworth works with various school groups across Canada as well. Every single time students come to the workshops and programmes offered either through OA or other companies, and then see the opera, the young people are enthralled with what they are watching.

“They love it!”

Most of the time, students say they want to come back to the opera.

How is Colin feeling about this return to the theatre even though we are still in Covid’s embrace?

He says it has been a long time coming but it is nice to be back in the theatre. Ainsworth recognizes audiences have been a bit apprehensive about returning. From his artistic perspective, he’s fine with that but he wants people to come back. What’s important is the fact confidence is re-building about sitting indoors again in crowds. Just take a look at Blue Jays’ games where people are sitting shoulder to shoulder, screaming and wearing no masks.

During the pandemic, Colin completed several digital projects with various groups, but he is quick to add:

“It’s not the same. You don’t get feedback from the audience. You don’t get the energy from the audience. You can’t play off that give and take there is in live theatre.”

‘The Resurrection’ will be staged just before Easter Sunday. I did see the digital production during the pandemic, and it was fine; however, I know it will be a completely different experience live. Colin even pointed out something of which I was unaware. He found the digital production challenging:

“You’re lip-syncing to a recorded production of your voice. You have to make sure your voice and your lips are moving at the exact same time. That takes a bit of practice in remembering where you sped up or slowed down, or perhaps sung differently.”

With a laugh, Colin added he has learned and enhanced a new skill.

What is it about opera that keeps Ainsworth focused and makes him still enjoy what he has chosen as his career?

Opera has so many layers that you never seem to stop discovering. There are operas he has performed four or five times, and Colin continues to discover layers and pieces of things whether it be in the orchestra, the story, or the character. With a return to a role he may have played or sung before, Colin always discovers something new he may not have understood or hadn’t heard the first time. He’s also interested in diving into new roles now that he is of a certain age:

“Endless discovery is wonderful. You never stop learning. That’s the joy for me. That’s so cool.”

Colin has participated in new operas of the day. He never seems to tire of the older ones. If he can’t sing Handel’s Messiah each year, he humorously states it’s just not the same for him.

(Note: I must make a concerted effort to hear him sing Messiah next year).

What is it about the biblical story of ‘The Resurrection’ that lends itself so well to opera?

“It’s dramatic”

He further adds:

“You go through the Bible from Noah to prophets and through Jesus Christ, these are very dramatic stories. Religious themes, the pathos from Jesus’s death and his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. These are all dramatic stories that come together as a cohesive unit to make a beautiful story.”

When I asked what Biblical story he’d like to sing if there was an opera written, Ainsworth paused momentarily and then with an: “Ooooo, Samson.” There’s also a piece by Benjamin Britten called ‘Abraham and Isaac’ that calls for alto and tenor and that’s it.

And what’s next for Colin Ainsworth once ‘The Resurrection’ concludes its run just before Easter?:

“That is always the hard question (and he has a good laugh). I travel to Parry Sound for a summer festival up there. In the fall, I’m coming back to Opera Atelier. There are a few items that I cannot share at this time, but they’re wonderful upcoming things.”

‘The Resurrection’ runs April 6 and 8 at 7:30 pm and April 9 at 2:30 pm. The three performances will take place in person at Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street West. To purchase tickets online and to learn more about Opera Atelier, visit www.operaatelier.com.

To learn more about Colin Ainsworth, visit his website: www.colinainsworth.ca.

To the 115 Canadian and American professional theatre artists whom I’ve profiled over the last six months: thank you so much for sharing your stories and your thoughts with all of us. On a personal note, it is the arts to which I have turned during these sometimes very trying six months of the pandemic to keep me focused and going in knowing the end will be in sight.

I passionately believe with all my heart and being the end of this pandemic is in sight. When is anyone’s guess?

Live theatre will be back, and it will be a pleasure to return and watch all professional artists grace the stage again with those roles, those ‘dream’ roles, you so very much want to play. Who knows what format theatre will take as we slowly emerge from all this? But that is the exciting part in anticipation of wondering how the theatres will tackle this new challenge.

When the decision was made in October to conclude the ‘Moving Forward’ series November 30, I struggled trying to decide who to ask as there were so many other artists out there with whom I so very much wanted to contact but time restraints didn’t allow me – at least for now.

But who?

I came upon a trailer of ‘Bon Cop, Bad Cop’ a few weeks ago online, and I just knew right then that I wanted to ask Donna and Colm Feore for an interview. I just sensed they as well were the right choice to conclude this series.

And so, I contacted the Stratford Festival to ask for a contact to get in touch with the Feores. And I was equally humbled and elated when Donna got in touch with me to say she and Colm would be delighted to participate and to conclude the series. Donna is an extraordinary director and choreographer of many shows at the Festival. I’ve seen Colm in many wonderful productions at the Festival as well along with many television and film roles.

Thank you/Merci, Donna and Colm for the interview via email. Until we all see each other again:

It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

DONNA: It is very troubling to see the numbers climb so high again in November. It is a stark wake up call that Covid has gone nowhere and we are completely dependant on behaviours of our society to keep everyone safe. Hand washing, distancing and mask wearing continue to be the smartest action we can do at the moment. I am optimistic we will come out the other side of this pandemic. The recent news of vaccines is very encouraging!

COLM: I am feeling optimistic and defeated by turns. On the one hand, I believe we will be back when circumstances allow and that we can stay ready for that moment; on the other, the sum of what we’ve lost is huge and I am trying to reconcile that loss with the need to keep moving forward. When we emerge from this pandemic period I think we will keep what we have learned about best practices and have a new, and I hope, appreciation of the value of what we do, both our audiences and ourselves.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months?

DONNA: I think there are good days and there are fewer good days for me. I miss the social and physical contact with people. I have however been given a huge gift of time to see friends that I have lost contact with over these last years with busy schedules.

My immediate family is doing well. We had our daughter home for almost 6 months as she is a professional volleyball player, and her sport was shut down. Our son just graduated law school, so he was home for an extended period of time before he started articling. Our oldest son and his wife work form home in TO but we found we had more time with them. I believe we would have never had this time with our adult children without this pandemic and I will be profoundly grateful for it forever.

COLM: I began the shutdown committed to keep working on what I was doing when we stopped. When it became clear we were not coming back, I grieved for the work done but began to think about the new perspective the shutdown offered. Our business is precarious. If you are lucky enough to do it and keep doing it, you keep going, almost afraid to stop. When you are forced to stop you start to reflect. We had some of our family with us to share our time and even though it was weird we cherished it. These moments showed us what is really important.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

COLM: Well, professionally this has been catastrophic. And, like my wife and I, many of our colleagues and friend are two artists households. The threat is existential. We’ve relied on each other to reach out and encourage, philosophize, laugh and cry about the situation. And it helps. I’ve got a lot of balanced advice from other artists about how to cope with the stresses of these days. Some offer wisdom, some books, some recipes, some exercise ideas. All useful, all welcome.

DONNA: I miss my creative teams most of all. I realize now that it has been taken away, just how much I love and cherish our time together. The laughter, the brilliant ideas, the collaboration.

It is a loss both professionally and personally because we are a close group and have worked together for a long time. It just always was so great to be together. I miss them all so much. We have stayed in touch a fair amount these last months. It is an important bond that a pandemic can’t destroy.

I worry for the artists, especially the artists that are alone. I feel terrible for the younger generation of artist that is just beginning, but I am especially sad for the actors and creative artists that are mid career and on the cusp of huge breakthroughs. It is painful to see them having to put everything on hold and rethink knowing how incredibly talented they all are.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

DONNA: At the Stratford Festival I was directing and choreographing a version of “Chicago’ that I had been given the permission to completely reimagine. There are 15 production numbers in the show, and we were one day away from the sitzprobe for ‘Chicago’. The sitzprobe is the first time the company gets to hear our orchestra play the score, and the singers get to sing the songs with the orchestra. It is a magical day ALWAYS, no matter the show but this one felt incredibly special.

‘Chicago’ has a magnificent score and to hear our brilliant musicians play it was going to be off the charts! It was heartbreaking to have to stop dead and, when we went in to collect our belongings, the rehearsal room was set up for the sitzprobe. I will never forget that feeling of sadness when I walked in the room and saw that. I feel extremely optimistic that it will be produced in the future, so we just have to be patient.

I was also directing and choreographing a new musical of ‘Here’s What It Takes’ written by Steven Page and Daniel MacIvor. We had been developing the show for over 2 years and we were in production on week 3 when we stopped. It was another blow to not see the show produced and it was going to be in the beautiful new Tom Patterson Theatre. I am very hopeful that it too will have a life in the future.

I also have two shows that are in pre-Broadway tryout phase. Both of those shows are new works, and both have dates set for fall of 2021 and early 2022.

COLM: I was rehearsing ‘Richard III’ which was scheduled to open the new Tom Patterson Theatre as an echo of the production with Alec Guinness which opened the festival in 1953. We were well on our way and I had been preparing for many months before we started so when we stopped and then realized we weren’t coming back, it was a shock. I continue to work on the play, but I don’t see us returning to it until at least 2022.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

DONNA: Lots of hiking!!

I am the creative producer on a new project for the National Arts Centre Orchestra. It is a 4-part television show that features some of our most gifted artists both in the worlds of music and the visual arts in Canada. I am excited and look forward to an announcement of the project in the very near future.

I have been working on both shows being produced in the USA with the writers throughout the pandemic. They are both brand new musicals, so we have taken this time to continue working on the score and the script. It has been wonderful to have the time in a more relaxed environment to really dig in.

I have cleaned out my house and continue to do so. I cannot believe how much stuff we have accumulated and kept over the years! It feels good to purge and do the stuff around the house that I have said I would do for the last 10 years!

I have connected with friends that I have not seen or talked to in far too long. That has been such a positive part of Covid for me. We have some close friends in Stratford that have been in our bubble this whole time, so we feel lucky here. We also are extremely fortunate to have an amazing family that we are so grateful for.

COLM: Well, once the biggest question of our day became “what’s for dinner?”, I knew I’d have a purpose. I love cooking and having time to try stuff out has been great. I’ve had a chance to read more and more widely. We’ve also begun to just start fixing things up around the house that our work allowed us to ignore for so long. And perhaps the best thing is that we had a couple of our adult children isolated with us while they studied for various things. It was a great pleasure getting to know them better.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty?

DONNA: To be honest, everyday is a new day of discovery of what interests me and how I enjoy spending my time. Live theatre will be back. It will be different, but it will be back. I guess I would say to keep trying to work on your skills. Keep exploring new skills and get curious about other things. These are opportunities that you might otherwise not have had without this enforced pause in our industry.

Colm has always been interested in so many other things other than acting and I admire his ability to allow curiosity to take him down some really exciting paths. I am trying to do that more and I highly recommend that a young actor and creative artist coming out of theatre school allow that curiosity into their being.
It is a scary time for so many artists. Our industry was uncertain enough financially, so this added stress is a lot for many to bear. I hope and wish that people are finding a way through it.

COLM: I am certain that public performance will return and that the lessons of the pandemic will change how it works. I think that the best way to ride out this crisis is to continue working on your craft. It’s about staying ready and being flexible. And no matter what you are doing to make a living, never stop the imaginative work of the actor.

I was taught that every class was an acting class, that there was always something to be learned from living. Nothing is wasted. That said, I know that for the perennially unemployed this has gone from a dry spell to a desert, but we must trust that what we offer the world is desperately needed and, as soon as we possibly can, we’ll be back.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

DONNA: That’s hard because there has been so much suffering and continues to be for so many. I do however feel that Covid has given time for all us to reflect on our choices, our actions, and our evaluation of the future.

I have talked a lot about family and friend time which has been such a positive. I have also seen so many artists create a new path for themselves that is so impressive! It is amazing to see the talent that has come out of these artists.

Our community in Stratford has been hit hard both in the theatre, the retail, restaurant and hospitality industry. I have watched a community get behind each other and support each other so much. People who are hard hit themselves reaching out and helping others. It has made me love this city of Stratford even more.

COLM: In the face of such global suffering I find it hard to see much positive though perhaps, the time for isolated reflection has been of use. We’ve had time to question our choices, and I know that moving forward our choices will reflect the experience of Covid.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

COLM: No question that Covid will transform the performing arts locally, nationally, and globally. We are going to have to learn to live with it, or something like it, forever. The lessons of science will allow us to come back together, but I think it will take some time to figure out how. The one ray of hope I have is a fundamental belief in the deep desire humans have for community. We need to share our stories, our songs, ourselves, it’s part of what makes us human.

DONNA: Yes, it will. There is a hard reality for all the performing arts in North America. It will be a long climb for the arts to get back to a healthy financial position again.

I do think we have all taken for granted that we will always be able to do what we love in our industry. Our worries were our next jobs. When the anchor was thrown overboard in our speedboat, and our industry literally stopped around the entire world, it proved that it can all be taken away instantly. I know I will never take it for granted ever again.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

DONNA: I think it has been particularly good for some artists to be able to continue showcasing their work and teaching on You Tube and other platforms. I am interested in content that is developed strictly for a digital platform. I think it is something that can live alongside the live event in the future. We live in a huge country geographically and being able to digitally reach communities that do not have the means to come to a live event whether it be theatre, dance, opera or symphony is crucial to the future of the arts and their relevance.

COLM: I’m happy to see artists taking advantage of whatever medium is available to get their work out there. In a few short years there have been profound changes in how people get their entertainment. If an artist can connect with their audience via You Tube etc then why not? I will always love the live experience with both players and audience in the same space and if that space must be virtual, bring it on.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

DONNA: Our creativity remains in us all. That won’t go anywhere. It is where it needs to be right now, whatever that looks like.

COLM: I have been incredibly lucky to have worked on a few projects while under Covid protocols and restrictions, and what it couldn’t kill was my gratitude for, and delight in, the work. Acting is a crazy business at the best of times but working under these peculiar conditions made me appreciate how much I enjoy it.

Not retiring just yet!! (Editor’s Note: and I’m pleased you’re not just yet)

When I saw Colton Curtis on stage a few years as the elder Billy Elliot at Ontario’s Stratford Festival, I knew the Canadian musical theatre world was in VERY GOOD HANDS. He is an extraordinary dancer and artist who stopped ‘Billy Elliot’ in an exciting solo dance piece that was captivating and mesmerizing to watch. Exquisitely performed.

Colton also appeared in Stratford’s production of ‘A Chorus Line’ with a string of other artists who commanded the Festival Stage with unabated enthusiasm. Incredible work to watch. Additional work in which he appeared at Stratford: ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, ‘The Music Man’ and ‘HMS Pinafore.” I asked him off the cuff how he will be at his first curtain call after the pandemic was lifted. His words:

“I’ll be all smiles and professional during the bows onstage, but I know backstage I will be a weeping, blubbering mess.” Thanks for your honesty, Colton, as I’m sure many audience members will experience the same emotions as you.

On top of his work as an artist, Colton is also a photographer and launched his business in July 2020. I’ve seen his extraordinary work in some headshots of other artists whom I’ve interviewed for this series.

From his website: “Colton began performing at an early age in his home province of New Brunswick. Upon graduation from high school, he moved to Ontario to attend his Bachelor of Musical Theatre in the Sheridan College program where he received the Brian Lineman triple threat award for each year he attended.

Between his years at Sheridan, he spent summers working for the Charlottetown Festival, as well as training with Florence Ballet Company in Florence, Italy, and performing with the Finger Lakes Music Theatre Festival in New York State.”

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you, Colton, for your time and for sharing your thoughts and adding to the discussion:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

It goes without saying that it’s changed a lot. I’ve personally changed the province I live in. Currently, I’m now in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. I was in Stratford until October. I’ve done a re-shuffle of things to make the past year work.

My understanding of the world maybe hasn’t changed but has become a lot clearer because I’ve actually had time to think about things. I’ve spent a lot of time this year learning, on learning, thinking about the world I want to create and the world I want to work in, and the art I want to create.

Now that we’re into Year 2 of this pandemic, as a young adult I’ve just grown up a lot. With a lot of time that has passed, I do feel like a different person when I last stepped on stage in 2019.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre business been altered and changed?

My perception hasn’t changed a whole lot but the business itself has changed immensely which is incredible.

This year has given the time for people to step back and look what we’ve been working in, the environment we’ve been working in, and for people to use their voice. Let me preface by saying that I love the theatre community. I think this is great opportunity for a lot of those voices that have never been heard in a long time to get the platform to speak out about things that drastically needed to change within the entertainment industry.

I think we’re going to see theatre made differently which is exciting. I love big Broadway type and style of musicals that shine and sparkle. When we return after this pandemic, I think we’re going to see things pulled and pared back; smaller cast sizes at least for a bit until theatre companies get the means to create these big budget shows again.

As an ensemble dancer that is terrifying for me when I first came to that conclusion. My career for the past five years at Stratford was as an ensemble dancer. I was at The Shaw Festival understudying and dancing.

It’s something scary to think about as theatre companies no longer have the money to create these big shows. When Stratford announced their summer season with cast sizes of four or five people doing a cabaret in a tent, it was, “Oh yeah, right, this is what we’re going to do now.” In order to get back up and running.

That side of the business has changed, but it’s exciting that we’re slowly seeing people get the opportunities to voice their concern to see new people step into power positions in theatre companies, and for more people be given the opportunities to create art that we didn’t see before.

We see many theatre companies committing to anti-racist policies and turning around the people who are in these director positions, directors’ offices positions. I think this is all great, but we still have a long way to go. It’s the beginning. We’ve had the time for the call to action for the whole community to step things up.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

I miss the people and the community, but I really miss working. I miss the first day when you crack open the score and start learning the music. I miss the discipline that it takes physically in order to get into shape to do a show, and the stamina required to do a two-hour musical.

I don’t think a lot of people understand that to be a musical theatre performer is akin to being like an Olympian athlete. I’m not tooting my own horn. Just imagine what it’s like for those who want to be in the Olympics. That same discipline is necessary and required.

I really miss that stamina of working so hard. And of course, we’re trying to keep that up in our own ways whether through dance classes, voice lessons.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

Hmmm…I mean I’ll never take for granted again the feeling of being on stage with thirty other cast mates in front of an audience of 2000 people.

That is a feeling that I will hold on to dearly.

That’s not to say that I never did take that feeling for granted, as there’s no feeling like it that can replace it.

That is something I will hold on to dearly forever. It’s like a drug.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

One thing specifically that I really want to see changed when we get back to the industry is young adults stepping into leadership roles of positions and power within theatre companies, whether it be as Associate Artistic Directors. I feel like that is something that is missing a lot of the time in places where I’ve worked at least.

We constantly hear that theatre is a dying art all the time. Let me just say that I don’t think like that at all. Well, if people say this then get some young people who know what other young people are like and are attracted to do and put them in a leadership role to create something that will be irresistible to the next generation. This is something that I get so frustrated about a lot of the time.

This is something I want to see happen. Take a look at Jayme Armstrong and Kimberely Rampersad. Jayme received a Woman of Distinction award in the arts community and Kimberly is the Shaw Festival’s Associate Artistic Director. That is exciting. That is so awesome.

More of that, please.

Oh, I don’t want to sound ageist, (and Colton and I share a good laugh) but on the record I think those with experience in the industry have done a wonderful job, but we need to stop hearing theatre is a dying art form. There are so many young people who aspire to do this so it can’t be dying as there’s still a need for it.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

I love this question.

I feel like I have so much still to accomplish.

I love what my career has been so far but a lot of it has been dancing in the ensemble of musicals which I love, but it is never what I thought my dream in theatre was going to be. It’s never what I saw for myself.

I still have so much I want to accomplish. I want to create new things. I want to break the mould of what we think theatre can be a little bit and challenge audiences.

I’m creating this inter multi-disciplinary show with James Kudelka, a former Artistic Director of the National Ballet. I’ve always wanted to do something where I have created a hybrid between a play and ballet because I really think they are similar art forms actually. I’ve been working on this, so it’s been keeping me going.

It’s through ‘Talk is Free’ Theatre so I’ve been thankful for that opportunity with Artistic Director, Arkady Spivak. He is really shaking things up which is incredible in giving the permission to do exactly whatever they want so I feel really lucky that he has given me that opportunity. So, Stay Tuned for what’s in the works there.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

As an artist, there’s probably something interesting there in this possible tsunami of Covid themed plays. Artists have had a varied experience as to what this time has looked like.

I don’t think anybody wants to talk about this time of Covid right now. I don’t think anyone wants necessarily to spend a couple of hours per night what we just lived through because it’s not been lovely, it’s not been the best time.

I don’t think audiences want too either. Who knows, maybe in twenty years time or so, that’s something we can look back on and remember.

There has been some really cool art that has been made during this time that we’ll be able to look back on and appreciate.

Near future??? NO!!!!!, but in a few years, maybe.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

Hmmmmm…..you know what, my hope for when people watch me perform is that they are transcended into a different realm. I think about that a lot.

As we move forward out of this pandemic, I also want people to be inspired by my creativity. I’ve thought about this a little bit.

I want to change the way people think, and I want to inspire them by my creativity in the ways I do that.

Theatre was made to entertain and to escape. When I perform, I want people to get sucked into whatever world I’m in, and for them to leave their seats even for a few seconds.

Who knows? That could change, but it’s funny, you know? Will people even remember? I don’t know.

To learn more about Colton, visit his personal web page: www.coltoncurtis.com.

Instagram: @coltonccurtis. To see Colton’s photography: @coltoncurtis.jpeg.

I’ve stated it earlier in other profiles from the Toronto company’s profiles of ‘Come from Away’. We need this show now more than ever once it’s safe to return. Hopefully the Toronto company will return again SOON.

Cory O’Brien is just one member of a tremendous ensemble of dynamite actors who make me want to see this production so much when it does finally return.

Cory holds a BFA Acting from the University of Windsor. While there he studied vocal performance (singing) with Jeannette Dagger. Once he moved to Toronto, he largely studied with David Dunbar.

He has completed seven seasons at the Stratford Festival; toured North America in ‘Mary Poppins’ and performed in theatres in Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and extensively all over Ontario.

Cory was part of the original cast of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ with Mirvish. He appeared in ‘Cats’ at the Panasonic Theatre, performed in the Toronto Fringe Festival as well as the Next Stages Festival. Additional work with Toronto Operetta Theatre.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you so much for taking the time and to add to the conversation, Cory:

Many professional theatre artists I’ve profiled and interviewed have shared so much of themselves and how the pandemic has affected them from social implications from the Black Lives Matter and BIPOC movements to the staggering numbers of illnesses and deaths. Could you share with us and describe one element, either positive or negative, from this time that you believe will remain with you forever?

This is a tough one. There are so many implications to this time in our lives (point in history really). I think we will continue to feel the vibrations for years to come before anyone will be able to say with any certainty what has ‘happened’ during this time.

You mentioned Black Lives Matter and BIPOC movements… I would actually say that Black Lives Matter and BIPOC awareness has grown. And I hope that awareness never goes back to normal. The death of George Floyd happened early in the pandemic, at a point where most people’s lives were on hold. Where during normal times people could keep their heads in the sand and miss things that seem to be outside their daily experience, this happened while people were essentially holding their breath and watching events very closely. And what we witnessed was an undeniable case of racism, with horrifying consequences.

In the broader sense I think (and hope) we are moving towards a time where society shrugs off the apathy and self-centred views that allow systemic racism, fringe political extremists etc. We need to stop only seeing things in our personal spheres. Indeed, this time has shown us there is only 1 sphere we need to be concerned with – This planet… and we’re all in it (or on it) together.

I heard on the news yesterday that there was a police department in the GTA that has discovered, and been criticized for, systemic racism. The viewpoint seemed a little shocked. I think we need to switch that thinking up… we should be shocked if there WASN’T systemic racism. Accept it and let’s move forward making things better or everyone.

Post COVID will be and should be a new reality.

Have you learned anything about human nature from this time?

Ha! Learned about human nature? The above kind of covers that.

People have had a tendency to see the world through the lens of ‘what affects me?’ What a wake-up call to see ‘what affects the world affects me…. and what affects me affects the world’. I think people are generally good. And WANT to be good.

During the pandemic I’ve seen it time and time again… from people helping with basic needs when their neighbours are quarantined to people taking more time to say hello and check on their neighbours (in a responsible and socially distanced way!). However,… I’m sadly still shocked from when we were able to actually go in stores to see so many completely ignoring the protocols in place regarding distance and masks. I thought at the beginning of the lockdowns that after 4 weeks the spread should be entirely stopped…. or at least to the point where the origin of new infections should be easily traced and managed. 1 random international flight here or there etc… Obviously, that hasn’t happened ….

How has your immediate family been faring during this time? As a family, can you share with us how your lives have been changed and impacted by this time?

On a personal family note… we have fared better than many during the pandemic. We’ve been lucky to be able to spend this time together.

My wife and I have a daughter who just turned 2 yrs old. So this time is priceless.

The sad part is that our daughter isn’t able to play with other kids. We can see how badly she wants to interact with other kids if we take her to the park or see them out for a walk. How do you explain this to a 2 yr old? And what is that impact going to look like on kids at different ages moving forward??

But certainly blessed to be together as a family unit all the time!!

I know none of us can even begin to guess when professional theatre artists will be back to work. I’ve spoken with some who have said it might not be until 2022. Would you agree on this account? Have you ever though that you might have had to pivot and switch careers during this time?

I’m hoping for theatre to come back this fall… but time will tell.

As far as a pivot goes… I haven’t considered the type of pivot that would be everlasting. I still see myself in this business over the long haul. However – I have had to supplement with doing some construction work on the side. I’ve done lots of renovations over the years and this has merely made it a more regular part of weekly life.

I’m hoping to have our own house finished by late spring!! My wife has pivoted by creating a meal delivery company specifically targeting those looking for options on the Keto diet. Ketochickcreations.com. Website isn’t live yet but should be within a week or so.

How do you think your chosen career path and vocational calling will look once all of you return safely to the theatre? Do you feel confident that you can and will return safely?

Do I feel confident that I can and will return safely to my career? Yes. How will it look? Not sure entirely…. but I think on the other side of this there will be a collective longing embrace of the arts/theatre/live performance.

People are desperate for a sense of community right now, having felt so cut off from one another. It could be an exciting and ‘awakened’ time…. but there will also likely be some building back up through the rubble.

This time of the worldwide pandemic has shaken all of us to our very core and being. According to author Margaret Atwood, she believes that Canadians are survivors no matter what is thrown in their path. Could you share what has helped you survive this time of uncertainty?

In regard to Margaret Atwood’s comment…. I would imagine she has a much more worldly view as to how Canadians are different from others around the world than I have! I’ll take her word for it!

For myself personally… I would say family family family… the biological kind and the chosen kind. With so many forces pulling us apart (distancing etc)… the bonds of family and community are proving how strong and supportive they are, and can be.

Imagine in a perfect world that the professional theatre artist has been called back as it has been deemed safe for actors and audience members to return. The first show is complete and now you’re waiting backstage for your curtain call:

Describe how you believe you’re probably going to react at that curtain call.

JOY JOY JOY!!!!

I’m one of those actors who generally doesn’t enjoy a curtain call. I prefer to share the life of ‘the character’ with the audience. In that sense I share and help facilitate the communal experience of the story, whereas as a curtain call feels more like I’m presenting myself to the audience.

I had a director once say that the curtain call isn’t about you as an actor…. it’s about giving the audience the opportunity to show their appreciation for being a part of that communal experience I just mentioned. So, in that sense, the curtain call was about the audience and not me – that enabled me to be able to do curtain calls all these years without feeling awkward….

On the day we get back to theatre (and I strongly believe that I will be lucky enough to be back in ‘Come From Away’)…. the curtain call won’t be about the audience or me… it’ll be about all of us! And I’ll get to participate in that!!! For the first time ever … I can’t WAIT for the curtain call!!!!

There is a crowd of people waiting to see you and your castmates at the stage door to greet all of you. Tell me what’s the first thing you will probably say to the first audience member:

“Hi! Thanks for coming!” I’m tempted to insert a joke here such as “Yes I was in the show.” Or…”No I wasn’t in the band – you’re thinking of Jon Maharaj” but with ‘Come From Away’ I have been generally more recognized after the performance than previous shows I’ve done.

I think perhaps my personal energy just seems very different than what people see onstage. That first night back in the theatre I can see the stage door actually turning into a bit of a celebration – wouldn’t that be nice actually?!? We should make that happen…

When we all emerge from this pandemic, I would really like to have a glass of wine, beer or coffee with so many of the artists whom I’ve interviewed over the last several months. A good majority of the time I’m unable to place everything they’ve shared with me in this column because we sometimes veer off on different tangents if the subject warrants.

Although artist Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster and I chatted over email, you’ll see from her answers below she has whetted my appetite to find out more and I wish I could ask more. She and her husband are new parents, (congratulations and best wishes, by the way), plus she has also been able to continue in her work as Assistant Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre.

I’ve reviewed several of the terrific productions in which Courtney appeared: ‘Innocence Lost’, ‘Idomeneus’, ‘Spoon River’, ‘Of Human Bondage’, ‘The Crucible’ at Soulpepper.

She is a theatre maker from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and the current Assistant Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. Courtney is also a founding member of The Howland Company. During Covid-19, she has directed radio play versions of Three Women of Swatow, 7 Stories, and upcoming productions of Shape of a Girl and Democracy (Expect Theatre for Tarragon Acoustic).

Her theatre direction includes The Wolves (Howland/Crows, Toronto Theatre Critics Best Ensemble 2018 and MyEntertainmentWorld Best Production 2018), Cannibal (Scrap Paper/Next Stage), 52 Pick-Up (Howland, Best of Fringe 2013), Gray (Inamorata) and Three Women of Swatow (Tarragon – delayed due to Covid-19).

Her acting credits include Cyrano de Bergerac and Man and Superman at the Shaw Festival, seven seasons with Soulpepper Theatre and credits with Public Recordings, Canadian Stage, Citadel Theatre, Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Native Earth, and Tarragon Theatre. She is a graduate of the UBC BFA Theatre program, the Banff Citadel Theatre Program and the Soulpepper Academy. Courtney has twice been named a ‘Top Ten Theatre Artist’ by NOW Magazine and is a grateful alumna of the Loran Award and a recipient of two Dora Awards for Best Ensemble.

Thank you for participating, Courtney:

It has been an exceptional and nearly eight long months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

People can get used to anything. It’s our worst trait.

Isn’t that terrifying?

Already, I’m used to endless zoom play readings. I’m almost starting to like it. I never have to put on real clothes.

In April, I was frantically washing my groceries. Now, the numbers are higher than ever, and yet I can’t seem to muster the same panic I felt in those early days, even as we hit numbers far beyond what we saw in the spring, and even as Toronto’s medical officer of health warns us to assume the virus is everywhere, right now.

I think back in August, September even, I was still in a mental state of emergency, but humans aren’t built to live like that. I’ve normalized this.

But I’m not sleeping well.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last six months?

My family is mostly healthy, my family is safe, my family is not on the front lines of this pandemic. We are immensely privileged to have that kind of safety right now.

I was already prepared for 2020 to be a strange year: we had our first child in February. I went into parenthood with very little experience of children. I had changed one diaper, I had never babysat. I had never been ASKED to babysit, my aura of discomfort around children is so palpable! So 2020 already seemed like a gaping pit of unknown.

This reminds me of graduating from theatre school in 2008. All the business graduates around me were leaping into a depressed job market, a far cry from what they’d been promised. The theatre graduates were pretty sanguine in the face of limited opportunities and an uncertain future, we’d been preparing for that reality throughout our training. Artists are resilient.

I digress.

My husband is a musician, so much of his work performing and touring through the year was cancelled, but he has been able to access some of the government support and keep some work. I had taken on a learning position as Assistant Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre in the fall of 2019, and so I had a maternity leave which I wouldn’t otherwise have had access to as a freelance artist (hot tip, artist friends, if you’re expecting, try to accrue those 600 hours of employment somewhere). This fall, post mat leave, I returned to my position at Tarragon, but the company has given employees the option to work from home through the rest of the season, so that’s what I’ve been doing. It’s sometimes hard with the baby but mostly great.

So, while we’re anxious about the future, worried about our families, and a little sad that friends and family haven’t been able to share in this first year of our child’s life, we’re okay, more than okay. We’ve had much more concentrated family time than we would’ve had.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally

I miss people. I miss the community of ‘hug-in-a-lobby’ theatre folks.

And there are big doubts, a career in the theatre, already so difficult, now seems even more daunting. Kristina Lemieux of Generator said in the Toronto Star “My advice for gig workers and artists is to expect that your ability to live off the gig economy in the arts will not return for seven to 10 years at best,”

This strikes me alternately as pessimistic and wise depending on the hour of the day.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

In 2019, when I found out I was pregnant, I’d already signed on to direct the world premiere of Three Women of Swatow at Tarragon at the beginning of 2020. In a rather hubristic decision, I fudged my due date oh-just-a-wee-bit (both in my own mind and with my producers), consulted with many theatre parents who were wonderfully encouraging (but maybe a little wary about my timelines), enlisted my mother and husband’s support, and decided to go ahead with the job. Tarragon followed my lead and set up a sweet nursery for me (Richard Rose turned his office over to the cause, insisting the heat was better in there), I arranged shorter rehearsal days and longer breaks, and it was full steam ahead.

Despite best-laid plans, baby was late, quite late, and I started rehearsals 9 days after birth. Which I don’t exactly recommend to anyone. But we were very fortunate in all aspects – a healthy child who was a good eater and sleeper out of the gate, a fairly easy recovery for me, my husband and my mother game to hold down the fort, and a wonderful team of artists working on the show diligently and sometimes independently as I took extended breaks to nurse. I set out for work every day tired, but giddy because somehow, it was working out.

Of course, things started feeling wobbly that second week of March. The bottles of hand sanitizer appeared on every surface, hushed conversations between me and my SM bloomed into full cast dishes about what little information we had at that point. The producers checked in with me to ask if I had concerns about my safety or my baby’s safety, but I was much more concerned about my mother. By March 12th I knew enough to book her a flight home to Nova Scotia, and we put her on a plane the morning of March 14th, before I started my second day of tech. We got through teching the very last cue of the show right before lunch, and then my wonderful SM, who later told me he’d picked up the pace “because we were going to get to the end of the show, dammit”, took me aside and said we needed to go speak to the Managing Director.

And so we were shut down, “for a month”, and we all went to drink and drown our sorrows at the thought of having to delay our opening for a whole month which of course became six months, and then indefinitely. The set is still up, as far as I know. And until recently, I still felt quite stuck in the mourning of that show, and the baby-art shuffle which was the first six weeks of my child’s life.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I’m working a lot, learning a lot. Many not-art type things, with a few pleasant art things thrown in like readings and workshops and radio plays. I’m parenting. I’m teaching, I’m questioning and planning with my colleagues at the Howland Company. Everything, save the parenting, happens on zoom. I’m agonizingly texting other new parents in the middle of the night. I’m very fortunate to not have to go out into the world much. I stare at screens a lot.

I’m examining a shift in my interests, and a gap in my training. I’ve been a freelance artist throughout my career, hustling for myself. Now, I feel that I haven’t done enough to strengthen my community. A new friend reminded me of this (https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1336891971503) project led by the late, great, Ker Wells, wherein he activated a whole community into a pageant around the River Clyde and the state of its waters. This moment calls out for that kind of community building, for neighbours and friends to check up on you, feed and fight and march with you, and know your humanity.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Oof. I think the usual advice still applies – diversify your skillset. Do lots of things. Write, direct, design. Learn an instrument. Make videos, make virtual reality…stuff (and then teach me how), make plays. Going into the theatre was always going to be a hard row to hoe, but if you do lots of things, there are lots of ways in.

But honestly, the next few years are unknown to me too.

Also, honestly? I think about quitting all the time. ALL THE TIME. It’s an option, amongst many. When I was about 20, someone I looked up to quit the theatre to run a non-profit for youth, and I was so MAD about it. I was venting to another established artist who gently told me “Courtney, life is long” and I huffed and puffed and swore I’d never quit. The artist I admired was back a few years later, refreshed, refocused. But it would’ve been okay if they hadn’t returned, too.

Community theatre is theatre. School plays are theatre. Theatre as a hobby is no less valuable than theatre as a calling (this idea was anathema to me until embarrassingly recently). Theatre schools make great, smart, engaged, justice-seeking, art-loving PEOPLE, regardless of whether they stay in the industry. So, I would tell a new graduate, if you want to pursue other skills right now, that is not a failure. Life is long.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Theatre people: can we really go back to a 6-day work week after this? I don’t think I can.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Smarter people than I have said and will say smarter things about this.

I think the zoom reading might be here to stay. In certain contexts, it’s wonderful to be able to read a play with artists from across the continent. Our artistic borders are more permeable than ever.

Though maybe we’ll need a zoom hiatus for a bit when this shit is over.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I winge (wince and cringe) about this because it’s not the same and I don’t always or even often love it, and I’m confused about how to monetize it to adequately compensate artists in a country where the arts are chronically, majorly underfunded, but I recognize the doors that are being opened. The ACCESS is amazing, seeing things that would have been impossible due to geography, money, and other barriers.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

We’ll get back to it. Tonight, as I write this at 4:37am (it’s not the baby keeping me awake, it’s anxiety and too much blue light from my screens) I miss the sweat. I miss the rented period costumes that can’t be washed, and only the alcohol-water spray to keep the odours at bay. I miss talkbacks even though I hate talkbacks. I miss nice lobbies and shitty greenrooms. I miss making weird eye contact with audience members at the bathroom sinks after the show. I miss the shiver of a scene going well. I miss whining about everything, the inadequate heating backstage, the injustice of matinees, the wigs, the shoes, the cellphone in the audience, the paycheques, the reviews. I swear when we get back to it, I won’t whine for at least a week.

Oh, I can’t wait to get back to it.

The first time I saw Craig Francis’ name was in the programme for performing artist Rick Miller’s productions of ‘Boom’ in Montreal and ‘Jungle Book’ at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre. I was pleased to learn as well that Craig was also following reviews from On Stage and the ‘Self-Isolated Artist’ series.
Craig (he/him) is a writer, director, illustrator, and multidisciplinary creator. As a founding member of The 20K Collective, Craig co-created with Rick Miller the productions ‘Jungle Book’, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea’, and ‘Game of Clones’, and he is adapting ‘Frankenstein’ with Rick Miller and Paul Van Dyck. He’s a producer, dramaturg, and Stage Manager for Miller’s solo works: the BOOM, BOOM X, and BOOM YZ trilogy (Kidoons/WYRD/Theatre Calgary).

He performs improv comedy, and theatre credits include ‘The Refugee Hotel’ (Teesri Duniya). Craig’s animated digital shorts for the Kidoons Network and Not-for-Profit Organizations are seen by millions of viewers and are installed in museums in four Provinces. Craig lives in Montréal, has illustrated several books, and voiced games and animated series.

How have you been keeping during this artist isolation period with no clear end in sight for the performer?

I just hit 120 days isolation! That’s a lot. Overall, though, I feel grateful and enormously fortunate. I had surgery for cancer in my leg in December and was pronounced all-clear before the pandemic hit, so I really feel for the people in the throes of other illnesses or suspended treatments during this time. The first shows I came back to in February 2020 were our Kidoons productions of Rick Miller’s BOOM Off-Broadway, and Jungle Book at Young People’s Theatre, which both had excellent theatres and audiences, and were well-received (including by yourself – thanks!).

What has been most challenging and difficult for you during this time? What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy?

The most challenging thing has been moving my creative effort into new projects, and then finding their development also postponed. We had even cast our next project for rehearsal. I feel like I’ve gone through the Kübler-Ross “Five Stages Of Grief”… sometimes all in one day! There was the suspension of our Jungle Book run, then the remainder of the season, then the fall season for our 4 touring productions…. now we’re looking at a solid year dark. Sometimes 2020 feels like a dream where you’re standing on the side of a mountain and seeing a snowball rolling towards you, and it’s getting larger and larger, in slow motion. But it’s not snow, it’s shit. And the mountain is also made of shit.

The silver lining is getting to be off the road and back in Montreal with my husband, for the longest stretch in years. As well, all my biological family is in BC, and ironically, I’ve been seeing them more than ever before, as everyone learned video calling. I also recently upped my training with a terrific GhostLight directing class with Jillian Keiley. I will be creating the design of our third family production Frankenstein as a graphic novel. Most of my work is optimistically forward-looking, but some is deliberate distraction.

Yet somehow RuPaul managed to foresee that need for distraction, and give us three overlapping series of Drag Race.

Craig, I remember Rick saying one of the hardest things he had to do was to let the actors know from the touring company of ‘The Jungle Book’ that the production tour has been cancelled. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian performing arts and theatre scene?

That was a bad moment; and we had to do it a second time for a different show, also cancelled.

“Decimated” is not too strong a word, as one in ten artists or companies may not come back from this. It’s not just us creators and performers who’re suspended, but also the designers and technicians and crew who would work on the runs and tours. Further, given that programming happens 16 or months out or more, when our industry reopens, AD’s will have to choose whether to run previously suspended shows or create new ones, but either way half the artists who might have expected to be in that season, won’t be.

Beyond that, how performers perform intimacy may well change; I think we’ve all had that pandemic experience of watching a TV show where someone is touching someone else’s face and you scream at the screen “DON’T TOUCH THAT PERSON! Oh, for the love of God, now DON’T TOUCH YOUR OWN FACE!”
We may well see a glut of COVID-isolation pieces and political tragedies, so I think my next script will be something maximalist, fun, and stupid. Meantime, online I’ll be pursuing our video collaborations with Not-for-Profit Organizations, to help them tell their stories online.

Do you have any words of wisdom to console or to build hope and faith in those performing artists who have been hit hard as a result of COVID 19? Any words of sage advice to the new graduates from Canada’s theatre schools regarding this fraught time of confusion?

I would say it’s a good time to practice self-care that is too often overlooked in the rush of this art form; to reconnect with the people who really matter, and to find your people.

I recently looked out an old quote by Armistead Maupin that I love, about chosen family: “Sooner or later, though, no matter where in the world we live, we must join the diaspora, venturing beyond our biological family to find our logical one, the one that actually makes sense for us.”

Do you foresee anything positive stemming from COVID 19 and its influence on the Canadian performing arts scene?

I do. The conversations I’ve been listening to in support of Back Lives Matter, and The Indigenous Circle, and the Queer community, might not previously have the opportunity to bloom, because under normal circumstances someone would go, “We don’t have time to think about this, we have to get a show up and open!” Now, everyone has time to think. From better social justice to better backstage hygiene, we may come out of this with some new best practices.

YouTube presentations, online streaming seems to be part of a ‘new normal’ at this time for artists to showcase their work. Nevertheless, I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming or YouTube presentations destroy the impact of the moment of a group of people who have gathered with anticipation in one sitting to watch a particular production.

What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for Canadian theatre as we move forward from COVID 19?

With Kidoons productions, Rick Miller, and Irina Litvinenko, I already create digital shorts that help Not-for-Profit organizations deliver narrative content. That is not theatre, but it’s creative storytelling that’s very fulfilling to me, and also lets me pursue my visual art.

Thanks to the covid-response streaming of theatre, my family in the UK has been able to see our “Jungle Book” and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea” productions on Broadway On Demand, and I have also watched pieces that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to access. Of course, the best of these were filmed for cinemas, and so aren’t really theatre. Filming in front of a live audience helps, but there’s a shared energy in the room that can’t be duplicated.

Some theatre-makers have possibly been naïve, going “We’re going to figure out how performance could work on social media!” as if there weren’t an established ecosystem of performers doing that already. But one piece that I have enjoyed is using social to complement the production as outreach and behind-the-scenes process, generating interest in the art of theatre itself. I hope that continues.

I have participated in a few readings on Zoom, and as a playwright I hope this will remain as a viable, non-public way to hear text delivered by terrific actors, for accessible work-in-progress performances and feedback.

As far as “real live theatre” goes, I am optimistic people that will want to buy tickets and return as soon as possible.

What is it about the performing arts that COVID will never destroy?

The delight of a performer and audience in a room all suspending their disbelief at the same time, to create a shared reality.

With a respectful acknowledgement to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

Kerfuffle

2. What is your least favourite word?

deadline

3. What turns you on?

A well-turned phrase well delivered. Failing that, Henry Cavill.

4. What turns you off?

Using “gifted” as a verb; what did the word “gave” ever do to you?

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Wind in leaves.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

The squeak of Styrofoam® packaging makes every hair on my body stand on end.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuckface

What is your least favourite curse word?

Homophobic slurs, anything demeaning because of gender or sexuality. Stick with fuckface. Or maybe asshole, everybody’s got one.

8. Other than your current profession now, what other profession would you have liked to attempt?

Muppeteer.

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

Anything involving driving, I let my license expire because I’m really… not great.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Your friends are waiting for you downstairs.”

To learn more about Kidoons, visit: www.kidoons.com.

When I was teaching full time, Friday nights were always my time to unwind after a busy week at school. I looked forward to ‘The Royal Canadian Air Farce’ each week as I loved their lampooning of current events. It was the year that I was on recovery cancer sick leave from work that I really took an interest in ‘Air Farce’ and watched carefully many of the routines of the performers.

I admired Indigenous artist Craig Lauzon’s work on the show, especially in his impersonations of Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper. When I was preparing to review ‘Orlando’ at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre, I saw that Craig was to appear in the production and was most looking forward to seeing it for many reasons. Craig’s appearance was another reason I didn’t want to miss ‘Orlando’.

Craig and I spoke with each other over Zoom.

First, I must say that he is one helluva decent, down to earth guy and I really enjoyed our conversation.

Second, I was also pleased he gently corrected me (and also ribbed me) that I knew him from comedy and then discovered he was an artist with his work in Soulpepper. Craig corrected me by saying that comedy is a form of art, which it truly is, so thank you for that gentle correction and reminder, Craig.

To perform comedy takes a skilled artist as there is a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. Craig has had no formal training but has performed in The Second City Touring Company, taken a weekend workshop in 1992 with Sears & Switzer, and learns from some of the best in the business as you will see in his answers below:

It has been four-five months since we’ve all been in isolation. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

Well I’ll tell you, I grew a beard (and he has, by the way. Keep the beard, Craig). The first 7 weeks of isolation, I didn’t leave my apartment. I have asthma. Even though advice and information kept changing, word from the experts was if you have asthma you might be more susceptible to the virus. I have a balcony, thank goodness. I was going a bit stir crazy to be honest.

My wife and I decided to rent cars and start going on day trips and drive out somewhere, sometimes to Tweed, somewhere that had a brewery with curb side pick up. We’d buy some beer from a place that we’d never been, drive back, have a couple of beers and discuss the benefits of having a brewery in Perth.

My wife has been handling all of this a little bit better than myself. We both would go to the gym quite a bit, especially her, but when that all went away, I could not get into working out in the apartment. I couldn’t do it. My wife is a voice artist as well, so she had more auditions in the first chunk than she had in awhile which was interesting.

I’ve got the Covid 19, but all in my stomach. (Me too, Craig). My wife has been a blessing for me especially in those first seven weeks where I wasn’t going out. She would go out and do the groceries on her own, pretty much all the stuff on her own. She was my cave canary. I sent her out, she came back, and everything was good.

As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

I love acting, I love being in front of an audience, and I love feeling that reaction from the audience when you’ve got them right there in the palm of your hand. I ran into Nina Lee Aquino when I was getting a coffee the other day. She directed me in ‘The Drawer Boy’ at Passe Muraille where I played Angus. Even though there were some small houses, but at every performance, I could just feel the energy from the audience and they really connected with Angus. It’s that connection with people.

That connection is not the same through the computer screen. When people talk about how people are a little more are brave online, I think that translates into this as well. There’s a bit of a disconnect as you might say or do something that you wouldn’t normally do because people are not right there.

Early on I tried to do a series of monologues from Indigenous playwrights and put them on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. It’s not the same. I just love being in front of people and performing. That was tough. So, the professional challenge is keeping the chops up during this time.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I had some film and television stuff and some theatre things on the go. I was just about to go into rehearsals for another Video Cab show. We were going to do the Cold War and it hadn’t been done since its original presentation. Michael would be directing with Mac Fyfe as Assistant Director, so I was going to play Diefenbaker.

I know you’ve written a profile of Jani Lauzon. We’ve been in talks to doing ‘Where the Blood Mixes’ at Soulpepper. It might still happen, but I don’t know how much in advance they were planning. It would have been fun.

I would love to hope ‘Where the Blood Mixes’ especially with Weyni Mengesha (Artistic Director) at the helm. She’s looking to have strong pieces from playwrights of colour and with Jani directing is a real bonus for it to go ahead. She was on fire just before all of this happened and was directing all these hits before Covid hit.

It’s exciting and I hope ‘Where the Blood Mixes’ finds a place when Soulpepper gets back up and running.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Well, I’m a dad. I have two boys. I share custody with their mom who was living in Barrie and now living in Thornhill so that’s been a bit easier. So, Parenting. And my wife’s family has a beautiful cottage in the Ottawa area, so we’ve gone there a couple of times. I’ve been watching a lot of Australian Rules football, rugby league we’ve a team here in Toronto. And spending time with my wife who is just starting back to work. She works in production so she’s going to start getting busy again. For the last 4-5 months we’ve spent every minute of the day together. It’s been great.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Just hang in there. This is just now. Tomorrow is something different. It eventually will get back to some sense of normalcy. People keep talking about a new normal, but I don’t know what normal really is, but we’ll get back to a routine of being able to do what we do. And if you’re in my category, just give up and go into Accounting or whatever just so I can get all the gigs. And I’ve been writing. Eric Wolf and I are working on something, but I can’t share with you yet what we’ve been writing.

I’ve been thinking about two things here. Theatre, sometimes, is like church. If people are allowed to return to church, why can’t they return to certain sized theatre? It’s ironic for me to be giving advice to the theatre school graduates since I don’t have the training they have. For what it’s worth from a practical view – find a way to keep training. It’s what I would say to someone regardless. Just because you’ve finished theatre school doesn’t mean you know everything about acting. Keep reading those plays you’ve never had a chance to read. Rehearse monologues and scenes – keep flexing those muscles. Read and memorize as the first thing to go is memory. Keep your brain active – read and memorize.

My training has been practical in soaking things up everywhere and every opportunity I have from working with different people like Jani Lauzon, Lorne Cardinal and Nina Lee Aquino and learning from them as my teachers.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Maybe not so much in what we’re doing in terms of career wise or in theatre. As a whole, people, planet, it has made people to quote Ringo Starr – “To stop and smell the roses.”

There was a collision course coming with our planet and what we’ve been doing to her. It’s slowed consumerism, packaging. To help ease in transition of cooking, my wife and I ordered from some of those ‘to your door’ meal prep services. It sounds great, but with all the packaging from the box to the plastic packaging, we stopped ordering because that’s defeating the purpose.

It’s slowing people down and making people take stock which is always a good thing.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Some theatres might say, ‘We’ll play to a half house”, but I don’t know. Some places that normally jammed how many people aren’t going to be able to do that for the foreseeable future. Even when the Spanish flu hit, it’s amazing how far we haven’t come. The big task then was for people to wear masks. People wore masks for two years. Are we ahead of that? Maybe not depending on how strenuous the strain is. This is Covid 19 and there could be Covid 22. They could be coming in more frequently.

The worst thing for this planet is people. For so long people were pushing the planet to the brink. And now she has started to push back and say, “No”. Mother Earth is like ‘Hey, man. Slow down, bro.”

Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

Well, I’ve watched some and I’ve done some. For me, it’s not any kind of replacement for live theatre. If we’re doing that, then everyone should just move into television because essentially that’s what it is. I get it that people are looking at it as an opportunity to showcase themselves because people are looking for things to watch.

But I worry there’s that thing for Canadian artists and musicians that it’s great for the exposure, but if it’s going to be this way then there has to be something in place for the artist to monetize it. Right now, it’s being pumped out for free as free content and we keep talking with our unions about this to ensure artists are properly and appropriately paid.

Not to sound capitalist, but how can we be assured the artist will be paid appropriately for that online streaming/work because we have our bills to pay, families to feed, and we have to live just like everyone else. CERB ain’t gonna last forever.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

It’s the desire, there’s a desire to have it, there’s a desire to do it. Theatre has been around the longest. Before cave painting people were re-enacting stuff out. Maybe they were both born from some kind of performative acting/dance. Storytelling is the oldest form of entertainment, not the second oldest. (with a quiet laugh).

There’s a DNA deep desire for it, to want it, and to see it. And for some of us ridiculous folks, to do it. ‘Cause who wants to stand in front of people and do it? It’s ridiculous and yet we do.

As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

What is your favourite word?

Dad. When I hear my boys call me, “Dad”, I love hearing them call me that all the time. I love being their dad. I get choked up even talking about it.

What is your least favourite word?

Ironically, it’s “Dad” because I didn’t have a great relationship with my father, so growing up that word was full of disdain for me. And “No” is also my least favourite knee-jerk word. So “Dad” and “No” are my two least favourite words.

What turns you on?

Time spent with loved ones. I’m loving this extra time spent with my wife and my kids.

What turns you off?

Prejudice and all that goes with it – negative vibes, racism, that sense of superiority that some people have over other people.

What sound or noise do you love?

Laughter, especially baby’s laughter.

What sound or noise bothers you?

Construction, it’s just nonstop right now.

What’s your favourite curse word? What is your least favourite curse word?

My favourite word because I can only use it sparingly is cunt. My mother’s British. There’s a lot of European people around my family so it doesn’t have the same connotation as it does over here. ‘Cunt’ has the most shock value.

The least favourite curse word: Fag or faggot when it’s used as a putdown.

Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

I’d love to be a chef. I love cooking.

What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

I have the utmost respect for the military and police, but I couldn’t see myself doing it

If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“They’re waiting for you. All your ancestors are there.”

Twitter: @TheCraigLauzon Instagram: craiglauzon

Let’s count ourselves lucky, Canada, that we have an eloquent and articulate Cynthia Dale who opened her compassionate heart and soul to me in our conversation about how she has been faring during this worldwide pandemic.

I remember watching her work on CBC’s ‘Street Legal’ during my undergraduate years, but I had no idea how diverse her stage performance resume was until I reviewed it myself. At the Stratford Festival, I saw her work in a poignant ‘Miracle Worker’ where Cynthia played the tenaciously resolved Annie Sullivan.

Ms. Dale was also touching in her portrayal of Maria Rainer in ‘The Sound of Music’. Most recently, I saw her work in an astonishing production of ‘Fun Home’ through the Mirvish series where I freely admitted that I wiped tears from my eyes at the end.

Cynthia and I conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for this opportunity and I hope to speak to you in person soon:

It has been an exceptionally long five months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears we are slowly emerging to some new way of living. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

Actually, I don’t feel like we’re emerging at all. I beg to disagree on that. The numbers are horrendous in Ontario today (and Cynthia is correct on this account as the number have been rising the last few days). I feel like on pain of death people will feel like we’re emerging.

It’s been an interesting time. I have a low-level rung of anxiety all the time. It’s like a low-grade fever that’s there all the time because I think it’s just there in the world. There’s no doubt that in the beginning there was an overwhelming amount of sadness and fear, and I don’t have the same amount of that anxiety, fear and sadness as I had. I still have incredible caution.

I’m also not a fan of the term ‘new normal’. I don’t know what that means. We will never go back to the way life was, I don’t think. It will just be different. As far as the industry I’m in, I understand there are film and tv productions and things getting back and filming, but under such incredible circumstances. Theatre has not gone back and cannot go back, and it will be so long before that can happen, and this makes me incredibly sad.

The term ‘new normal’ is a sugar coating and fake. If this has taught us anything, it’s to be incredibly honest in every single situation with every single person at every moment because there’s no time left. For years, we’ve heard use the good china, burn the good candles…people, what are you waiting for? Do it now, honey, c’mon, enough already.

As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Well, I guess they sort of bleed together because the most challenging thing for me was to sing again, in fact. I couldn’t sing. I lost my voice. My heart, I couldn’t sing. I was too sad. I was too in fear. I locked it all down and I didn’t sing for five, six months. I had no real desire to do it.

I don’t sing just for the sake of singing as there’s a goal in mind. I didn’t have a thing I was working towards because ‘towards’ was just a big question mark. Koerner Hall wasn’t going to happen so I didn’t have to work on those. And so, personally it was just all I could do to open my eyes every morning, thank God for the day, thank God for my health and go from there. That was it. It was a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, and all I could plan was what was for dinner, that’s all. That’s the only plan that could happen for thousands, millions of people. We couldn’t plan anything else.

It was just a matter of taking care of yourself, taking care of your family, and just getting through. That morphs and changes and you plant flowers, you help move your son into his own apartment and all those things, and life goes on.

And I started to sing again, thank God, in August. But it was an interesting process. People would send notes on Twitter, other singers would comment and say, “I tried to sing today and all I could do was sob.” And that’s what was happening. I sobbed every day for four months, like everybody in the world. People just cried, a lot. And it wasn’t about feeling sorry for myself, it was just a matter of this is all really hard what’s going on in the world.

And if you are at all an empath and feel what’s going on in the world, you are aware of it. I knew everybody was having the same problem I was having. So many other singers and people were having the same problem, so I didn’t feel weird or awed. I actually felt there was a great group of us around the globe feeling like this or that. And slowly, slowly, slowly, I listened to my body, I listened to my spirit, l listened to my heart, and I knew I would sing again at some point, but I didn’t push it. I didn’t have to because there was no gig coming up.

And when the possibility of something coming up, I started to sing again.

I wasn’t different from so many performers, really. I have friends who are on Broadway, friends who are in shows in Toronto, and they literally walked out of their dressing room one night, and their stuff is still sitting in their dressing room. It’s like everything is frozen in so many areas of the world. People who left their offices back in March, their desks are still exactly as they were, the coffee mug, the pictures of the family, the ‘to do’ pile. People didn’t know how long this was going to last or that this was going to happen.

I wasn’t different from everybody else. Everybody is still feeling this and I’m not ashamed to say it’s been really hard. The richness of my garden and family and cooking, (and thank God I love to cook), all of that, my goodness what would we do without it?

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I wasn’t actually filming or rehearsing anything, but I was supposed to be doing a production of ‘Follies’ this fall in October at Koerner Hall, a concert version. That was in the world, in my psyche and in my body in thinking about it, rehearse, learn the music. That inevitably got stopped.

I had a few other music concerts and gigs to sing at but other than that, no.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I walk a lot but Peter (Mansbridge, retired newscaster from CBC) and I don’t walk together. We walk in our own spaces, listen to our own audio books. I paint, I love to paint and that for sure got me through the first eight weeks. I painted a lot.

I’ve always been a big reader. I read a lot. Binge watcher of TV and goodness knows I’ve watched a lot more now than I have before.

We all sort of do what we do, to keep busy, happy and fulfilled. I’m loving singing right now and that’s a good thing. The singing is just for me right now.

It’s a funny time, isn’t it?

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?
Even before all this whenever I’ve mentored, taught, lectured, I’ve always said to theatre students, “Get a Business Degree”. You are a business! You are a business and you’re going to have to know how to pay your agent, pay your taxes, maybe start a theatre company, pay a publicist. Do all those things and you need to have that ability.

It’s great you can do a triple time step, that’s wonderful; it’s great that you can sing a high C and know five Shakespeare monologues, but you also need to know the nuts and bolts, and that has absolutely nothing to do with you may want to do something else in life, or you should have a back up plan. I don’t believe that it’s not about that, at all.

You, yourself, are the backup plan, and so you need to fill up yourself with knowledge and with stuff that gives you opportunities because you may turn 40 and get sick and tired of having $350 in the bank which is what a lot of actors and performers have. You don’t go into this industry for money. If you’re lucky and click on TV or film, you might make some money, but you need to know more.

And so, I would say to anyone even before Covid and the pandemic. Now, I say it even more. I have friends who are the leading players in some of the top shows in the city who are working now at the liquor store. They have to pay the bills. These people were making top dollar in the theatre, one of the most coveted jobs in the theatre scene, and they have to do something else now.

There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a noble thing to pay your bills. You need to be able to diversify.
In our parents’ generation, they did one thing – teachers, plumbers, accountants. They did one thing, hit retirement and that was it. Now, young people do this, and they do that. It’s not an either or. They can be incredible photographers and have a great career and take 8X10 photographs for headshots, and they’re kick ass dancers and singers and work all the time at the Stratford Festival. People do lots of things – they have a web design company during the day and work at night on Broadway. Younger people do more things and different careers. They don’t do one career for 30 years anymore like our parents did. It’s a different thing.

If you’re 21 and coming out of theatre school, I might say, “You may not want to do this in twenty years time, or ten years. You may, as it’s a calling and there’s no doubt about it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to stop any passion you have for something else. It doesn’t lessen your ability to be an actor or a singer or a dancer. It enhances it. It fills you up more.”

I guess that’s what I would say.

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

(with a slight laugh) Yes, sometimes, the question is, ‘Does it outweigh the negatives in my mind?’
Staycations instead of travelling. Lots of things, but the question to me is does it outweigh. I’m not a negative, downer type of person so I can’t live in the place of it’s all that. I have to believe the good that will come out of this will outweigh the bad. It’s really hard to think of that though with all of the people who have died, all the people who have lost someone.

It’s really hard to believe that the good could ever outweigh it. I’m a keener, a Pollyanna, but it’s really hard to believe in the face of the sadness.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Devastating. Absolutely devastating. I can’t imagine how some of these larger theatres are going to continue.

Just North America alone…Think of the touring companies. How do you do that? How do you entice people back? I don’t see how you entice people back into a theatre until there’s a vaccine, and a safe vaccine at that.

I can’t imagine people wanting to sit beside someone. It’s one thing to get on an airplane and sit beside someone to travel across the pond. Yes, it’s longer than a two- or three-hour theatre show. I don’t want to sit in the theatre and wear a hazmat suit. I don’t want to sit in a theatre and think my two or three hours of potential enjoyment are at the cost of potentially getting sick or getting someone else sick. It’s the opposite of the enjoyment and the magic of theatre.

I don’t want to sing in fear. I can’t sing in fear. I can’t sing afraid. And singing is one of the worst things for transmitting it, right? And so, I don’t want to sing or be in an environment where someone could get sick or I could get sick or bring it home to my loved ones.

I think it’s going to be a long time. I think there will be shows that were up and running that won’t be running again be that in Toronto or definitely on Broadway. It’s almost a given in the West End. Just this week Andrew Lloyd Webber came out again and said some of his shows just won’t come back that were playing.

It’s going to be years and years before recovery.

I think of those school touring programs. They seem so small but they’re so important. How do you get them back? For some kids, that’s their first inkling of theatre. That spark, when they lie their head on their pillow and think, “My God, something changed in me today.” Or they sit at the dining room table over dinner and tell their parents, “Please, I want to take a dance class, or I want to learn to play the saxophone.” This ripple effect has stopped-there will be none of that.

My dearest friend is a Grade 8 teacher and all those extra things like band practices, choir, stuff related to the arts has just stopped. Those kinds of things are truly heartbreaking to me. That’s a black hole that’s going to be felt for so long, the missed opportunity of inspiring a kid to be in the arts. That’s gonna happen and we won’t feel it for 10 or 15 years. That breaks my heart.

I always felt the most important time at The Stratford Festival was the fall season when all the school groups arrived to watch a play. This is the audience of tomorrow. These are the ones who will keep coming to Stratford and keep the Stratford Festival alive when I’m long gone. They’ll be here, they’ll be bringing their kids here. Those audiences, those shows, gone. That breaks my heart.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

No, it’s not really my thing. In the beginning, the first six, eight weeks, I co-hosted a show with Tom Jackson called ‘Almighty Voices’ that was singers. Tom kept asking me to sing, and I said, “Tom, I can’t sing but I’ll co-host with you.”

Once, in honour of someone who had passed, a group of us sang ‘Amazing Grace’. But other than that, it’s not my thing. I don’t play an instrument. I can’t accompany myself. It’s too hard figuring out how to link me with the orchestra in Edmonton which were all options.

I’ve watched some live stream shows. I don’t count watching ‘Hamilton’ when it played. It wasn’t a live streamed show, it was a filmed version and I could watch that every single day for the rest of my life.
It’s not my favourite way to watch. It’s a different thing. It’s not theatre.

There’s nothing wrong with watching television or going to the cinema, but it’s not theatre.

(Cynthia then links her fingers together) Theatre is here (left fingers), the audience is here (right fingers) and the magic is in between the two. It’s what happens right there. It’s in the ether. It’s ‘that’ thing called ‘it’, and ‘it’ doesn’t come across on film or in television. It’s a different thing and thank God it is. You can’t describe it.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

(pause) You’re going to make me cry…(pauses)…

It’s a funny thing, I turned 60 this year and I don’t have the same ambition as I’ve had for the last 45 years of my life. And I’m aware of that in my body. It’s changed, it’s morphed.

I don’t feel like I’m done yet, but I don’t feel like “It’s the be all or end all” or “I have to be performing.”
Believe me, I’ve asked myself this question many times as I sit up here in my little office. This is where I sing. I check in – what is it…it’s not about the vocal cords because singing for me is so much more than the vocal cords. Where is it in my body that I still love to perform or still feel like I want to?

I did a show called ‘Fun Home’ in Toronto (side note: I saw it and cried at the end). I found it interesting at that point in my life I was more nervous (almost sick) for the opening night of ‘Fun Home’ than I was the ten years of opening nights at the Stratford Festival. It didn’t matter.

I found it interesting and I think about it and why was it that particular opening night of ‘Fun Home’. That show cost a lot to do and to live, and all of us paid for it every night but happily to pay it.

I’m prepared to pay it still. I don’t have to pay it as often as I used to do. It’s not because I don’t want to as I’m still prepared to do that and give that. Thank God, that’s come to me because there aren’t a lot of parts for 60-year-old broads, that many that you really, really want to do. And so, if I was in a corner, crying because I wasn’t working that’s different but I’m not. I’m fine with it.

I just now know when I sing now there’s something that vibrates that still feels good. It’s like taking my B12s in the morning, another vitamin in my body, another something which still reminds me, “I’m not finished yet.”

We’re in the process of building a house in Scotland and I may be spending a lot of time over there in my life. If I’m desperate to sing, I’ll go sing in a pub, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ll go sing in the Highlands somewhere because that vibration is something that I still need.

To learn more about Cynthia Dale, visit her website: www.cynthiadale.com.

Once again, Cyrus and I shared some good laughter during our 45-minute conversation. He was candid, frank and honest with me (and yes, we sometimes did dive into some ‘colourful’ language during our conversation.)

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I did see his work last year in ‘Oil’ at ARC Theatre, thankfully before the pandemic shut down all productions worldwide. Some of Cyrus’s credits include: ‘Bunny’ at the Tarragon. Scrooge in Ross Petty’s A Christmas Carol: The Family Musical with a Scrooge Loose at the Elgin Theatre. Selected shows from his 6 seasons at the Stratford Festival include The Changeling, Macbeth, As You Like It, Bunny (original production), The Taming of the Shrew, Possible Worlds, Cymbeline, Peter Pan, Titus Andronicus, Richard III and Wanderlust.

Happy moving between musicals and dramas, some favourite credits are Twelve Angry Men (Soulpepper – Dora Award, Ensemble), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Talk is Free), Passion Play (Convergence/Outside the March/Sheep No Wool – Dora Award, Ensemble), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (YPT), The Tin Drum (UnSpun Theatre) and An Inconvenient Musical (Factory). After two seasons at the Shaw Festival, Cyrus acted in several shows for Canadian Stage including Rock N Roll, Habeas Corpus, and Take Me Out.

TV credits include Reign, The Border, The Summit, Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, and on the Murdoch Mysteries playing Roger Newsome, and now that Roger is dead, his identical twin brother, Rupert.

Cyrus trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is married to comedian, podcast, and television writer, Joanne O’Sullivan. They have an 11-year-old daughter, Eliza.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thanks again for your time, Cyrus:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

(Cyrus laughs)…that’s like three massive questions you’ve asked…

Man, oh man, way to cut out the small talk, Joe…(he laughs again) I don’t want to give a glib answer because this is a big question…I think, for me, it’s just a hugely increased sense of precariousness and uncertainty. It’s been a period of great reflection and time to think and time to reconsider everything from relationships to politics to professional practice.

And now, in the spring of 2021, I wish I could say I had some calm, gathered insight but what I have is complete uncertainty about what the future will bring for my family and myself, specifically and especially for my kid. There’s a lot of fear, not just in me but in the majority of my colleagues I speak to. There’s a real sense of ‘What’s next?’

It’s not a hopeless feeling. There have been so many things in our profession, especially in the last year, that have been so meaningful and important. Most significantly, we’ve had time as a profession to question the racism and colonial roots of theatre in Canada, and the very nature and structure of power in our profession.

All of that is vital and exciting and important, but I wonder about the world those changes will be enacted in.

(Cyrus laughs again) That’s maybe a bit of a joyless answer but, to be honest, that’s kind of where I’m at now, where my wife is at and where many, many, many, many, many of my colleagues are at. It’s just a sense of ‘Geez, what are we gonna do?”

This pandemic will affect the kids in ways that I think are difficult to measure. I think of my daughter, Eliza. She’s in Grade 5 now. It can’t possibly be healthy for them to be sitting in front of a screen for eight hours a day. And who knows, kids are incredibly resilient, and I’ll know she’ll be back in her groups of friends soon for socializing, but it’s a habit forming thing, this time with a screen.

And kids today live with so much fear. Set aside they’re living through a pandemic, all the children my kid’s age are aware of the impending climate catastrophe which, at this point, is not if but when.

God, Joe, it appears all I’m saying is gloomy shit…it’s not a very encouraging time to be a parent and there’s not a lot of faith in our elected officials the majority of time that they will effect positive change that will last and be meaningful for their generation.

I’ve become much more politicized. I was protest oriented and political before all this stuff started. And this pandemic has only made me more so, on her behalf and people younger than me.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

Well, you know within the shutdown there’s been a great questioning for our profession. As someone who represents the dominant culture, I’ve done a lot of questioning about my own role in how things are.

Professionally, I’ve questioned a lot about what my role is now, and what I ought to be thinking about and doing has all been questioned. There’s not a lot of intellectual or emotional stability to be found in terms of ‘This is what I like’ or ‘This is what I want to do’ or ‘Here’s what I’m going to aim for”. I don’t know any of that anymore.

And I don’t necessarily think that’s an unhealthy thing. It’s just a precarious thing. My main feeling is ‘Can I actually call this a profession?’ When I think ‘profession’, I think of something that sustains you and while my love for it is unabated, I really question how many people the theatre is going to be able to sustain when it comes back because a theatre can’t run off a 20% Covid spaced house.

I’m not without hope. I think a lot of the thinking and the re-considering and the attempt to change the way theatre is structured and administered will be hugely positive in the end. It will be.

Right now, mostly it’s a profound sense of how we’re going to move forward.

I’m working with Talk Is Three Theatre in Barrie, and (Artistic Director) Arkady Spivak has created this amazing thing called the “Artist BIG” Program. He is really trying to re-configure the relationship between artists and institutions in a way that I think is incredibly important and powerful, and smart. And so, a lot of theatre companies talk about having a company; that company model is really more corporate, meaning company or family is what’s invoked when someone is being disciplined, but most of the time there’s no real loyalty and no real sense of continuity or home or artistic ownership.

Whereas Arkady is bringing artists on and saying [he] will guarantee a certain amount of work for three years in a row and giving the artists enormous agency around what work they’ll be doing, and that’s extraordinary. The feeling of having an artistic home is an incredible thing which I hope eventually more theatres will seek to emulate. Arkady didn’t invent this idea. Obviously there have been resident artists in most companies at some point, as there is at Soulpepper, for example. But the idea of having a basic guaranteed income is really innovative in Canada.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

I miss nothing about the ‘industry’ part of that sentence. I miss everything about the community. I miss my colleagues. I miss the thrill of risk and closeness and exploration and vulnerability and humour and love and fun, and just adrenaline and audiences and that awesome roller coaster kind of fear.

I miss all of it.

No one in this business ever misses the business part. (Cyrus grinned and offered a good hearty laugh)

Whatever complaints you might have about Canadian theatre, the community is just gorgeous. People are fantastic, and I feel tremendous love for my community here and for my friends and colleagues. (I could see then in Cyrus’s eyes and his voice began to quiver a bit that he truly meant what he said.)

I miss the work, the work of acting. You don’t realize how much you’re wired for something until it’s gone.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

Any of it.

The last show in Toronto I did was ‘Oil’. It was one of the last shows to close. I thought a lot back to how I felt doing that show. It was a great. I felt great love for the cast, the work, the production. Huge pride in it, but I was also hitting a wall of weariness with being precarious with the business side of things. A bit of a “meaning” wall – what does this mean, doing this? Who are we doing it for?

And it had nothing to do with the production. It was just where I was at professionally. There were younger people in the cast who were new to the business and so excited, and that made me aware that I had become a little jaded. Not about the work, but about the life that comes with it.

But now what I would not take for granted is ever doing it again. Because I don’t feel I’ll ever do it again in a regular way. Theatre will be something I do perhaps once or twice a year and that’ll be it.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning live theatre.

Oh my God….This year has been a massive time for change and reflection. I mean, 2020 wasn’t the beginning of the conversation, but the BLM uprisings of 2020 and the time and space for reflection imposed by COVID on theatre forced us as a community to face the systemic racism built into our culture and our profession. I hope that the positive changes that happen in our theatre ecology as a result of that reflection extend into the power structures of our business and institutions and aren’t just gestural, performative, and superficial. That is my hope.

I am trying to figure out my own role in all that and figure out how my own voice will be useful in that conversation, if at all. I’m not sure.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

‘I don’t know’ is the answer to that question. If I did, I’d be a much less restless brain. I don’t know. I don’t know.

Honestly, the baseline answer is, “Make a fucking living.” That’s been the baseline for so long. That’s been the baseline for most actors. The idea of choice is available to maybe 5% of our business. Unless you’ve been hugely lucky in film and TV or your parents are rich or both, most of the time you’re just trying to survive.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

I think that is an unlikely prognostication.

From the beginning of this thing, there have been jokes about all of the Covid plays that are going to happen. But I think the better theatre artists will take this and run with it from a metaphorical standpoint rather than a literal one. Hopefully.

But because I need to survive, sign me up for your Covid plays, folks! But, I don’t even think that’s true. Everyone is so fucking bored with it. What playwright is going to say, ‘You know what I need more of in my life? You need what I need to dedicate two years of my life to? Writing about Covid.”

You know how long it takes to write a fucking play? It takes forever. And then after you finish it, nobody knows if it will be produced. Obviously, some playwrights know, but It’s a massive commitment.

If I were a real playwright, I wouldn’t suffer through two years of writing a Covid play because I want this out of my life. If you are sensible, you will avoid this theme and it’s pretty unlikely any theatre producer would pick or pay you or pay to mount that show unless it was MINDBLOWING!!!!

Seems unlikely.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

(Cyrus begins to laugh again) As a theatre artist, I have very little hope that my work will be remembered. I mean, it’s written on water, it’s written on air.

I guess if I were to hope for anything if people have seen me work, it’s that I didn’t make safe choices. I like risk, but again everybody thinks they’re doing something risky, but who fucking knows?

I don’t know, man. If anyone remembers me at all, even if it was a negative memory, that would feel like a win at this point.

I’m being facetious. My kid doesn’t know any of the actors I adored when I was a kid. So, it doesn’t even matter if you’re massively famous, you will be forgotten. Eventually. (And Cyrus laughs again)

I think that’s a really healthy way to think as an artist, especially in theatre when you know this is not made to last.

Theatre is for right now. And it should be.

Dahlia Katz’s name is one I’ve been recognizing for quite some time when I review professional productions from Toronto to London, Ontario. I’ve only seen her still photography of actors from various shows and they are stunning to behold.

During running dress rehearsals, Dahlia relayed to me her work is fast paced in following the action of the play. Often during the dress rehearsal she might only get one chance in capturing a natural and believable moment on film. In my opinion, each photo I’ve seen of her work is outstanding.

You’ll see from the answers below that Dahlia is also a professional director. She has had three Dora nominations (one this year and two last year). One nomination was for design and the other two for direction. The design nomination received was for puppet design as Dahlia is a thoroughly trained puppeteer.

She is one busy lady as she also teaches movement and gesture and was Artistic Director for five years.

I look forward to seeing her vision as director very soon when it is safe to return to the theatre.

It has been nearly four months since we’ve all been in isolation and now we’re slowly emerging. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I was overworking for years and needed a break but didn’t know how to take one. I have intermittently struggled with an autoimmune disease over the past 15 years, I’m very grateful to have my health right now. My family is also alright, thanks for asking.

As a photographer for many professional productions, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Well, as a photographer mainly of people and events, there’s virtually no work if there’s no gatherings. I also do real estate and food photography, so there’s been a wee bit of that.

As a director, well, I’m dreaming of a future of making great moments in small rooms but finding inspiration in outdoor spaces and a summer of yearning for the simplest human connections that motivate everything we do as theatre artists. Asking the big questions about what liveness means, what it provides us on a social/psychological/spiritual level.

Were you in preparation or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

Having stepped down from the position of Artistic Director at Solar Stage about a year ago, I aimed to launch some independent projects with my husband M. John. We still talk often about those projects and how we might envision/re-envision them, but right now are enjoying our time together *not* working.

Running Solar Stage was enormously consuming for both of us for the last six years, we’re still recovering from it and redesigning our life together to provide more safety, comfort, and power.

I was also preparing to direct a fabulous production ‘Spring Awakening’ for We Are Here Productions to benefit Kids’ Help Phone. At the time of lockdown, we were just about to announce our cast and were supposed to have gone up in May. The plans to resurrect that project are on hold but very much intending to proceed as soon as possible.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I’ve been trying to learn how *not* to be busy, and mostly it’s been about cooking, baking, fermenting foods, watching movies, exercise, the outdoors, quality sleep, lots of time with my husband and cat. Lately I’ve had the chance to do a few gigs that have really lifted my spirits and now I’m missing my work and dying to get back into it. Slowly. I hope for a bit more balance this time.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Don’t waste time and energy despairing. Get creative. We don’t have to obsess over digital technologies to get out of the black box. There are thousands of years of theatre traditions all over the world that make great examples of the use of outdoor and unconventional spaces. Get busy making stuff and showing it to people. We need connection; take the holy responsibility to provide it.

Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

Hopefully some out-of-the-box thinking for producers and boards of directors. A recommitment of donors who appreciate the necessity of theatre for social and community healing.

Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Well, yes and no. We’re awfully good at falling back into old habits and patterns if we’re allowed. If we have a good and regular infusion of new leaders and thinkers, we can adapt and take advantage of impact and turn it into new beginnings. I hope the ongoing conversations can stay as honest and humane as they have been during the pandemic. Remembering both 9/11 and SARS, life always finds a way to balance out even after immense tragedy. It can be both a strength and a weakness. We should both embrace and interrogate that phenomenon.

Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

It’s a great tool for sharing with wider audiences across time and space, it provides a fascinating amount of access. I’ve had the joy of tuning in to streamed archival videos of Sandglass Theater’s old productions, which has been enormously enriching for me because they’re from a time before I trained with them. Tapestry Opera has been seeing their audiences expand geographically through live streaming and smartly built their next season around capitalizing on that. It’s exciting.

But we need to keep liveness in mind. Our craft is the instant and constant ritualized exchange of energies with an audience; we are not filmmakers and we don’t need to be. We have always pledged our allegiance to the collective experience of a moment. I wish for us to not lose sight of that. We should adapt the given mediums to serve this necessary purpose.

As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

What is your favourite word?

Liminal.

What is your least favourite word?

Diaper.

What turns you on?

Courage.

What turns you off?

Entitlement.

What sound or noise do you love?

A spontaneous shared breath/gasp/sigh in a group of people.

What sound or noise bothers you?

Dragging feet.

What is your favourite curse word?

Feck, or any other adorable reshaping of a conventional curse word (frig, frack, fork, fudge, sugar, shizz, butts, heck, dingus).

What is your least favourite curse word?

C-nt.

Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

Cult leader! Or maybe personal chef.

What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

Mother.

If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“I’m so proud of you.”

One of Canada’s accomplished artists, Damien Atkins was raised in St. Albert, Alberta. He is a graduate of the musical theatre program at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta.

This month, he will appear as Oscar Wilde in the world premiere of Soulpepper’s ‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail.’

I held a telephone conversation with Atkins as he walked to the theatre as the show was now in preview. Adapted by the creative team of Gregory Prest as Director with Original Music and Lyrics by Sarah Wilson and Mike Ross, the production is billed on the Soulpepper website as a musical fantasy based on Oscar Wilde’s letter. At the same time, he was incarcerated for ‘gross indecency’ (homosexuality) with his love, Lord Alfred Douglas, for two years at Reading Gaol. Over three months, the letter was written a page a day, collected at the end of each day, and handed over to Wilde on his release from prison.

When I asked him what drew him into wanting to learn more about Wilde, Damien paused momentarily. He added that, as a queer person himself, he has a connection to the flamboyant writer and author; however, the spectre of Oscar Wilde was a familiar nightmare of what can happen to a gay person, and Atkins didn’t want to look too far. The troubling factor remains that Oscar fell in love, which destroyed him. He went to jail for being gay, a wrong reason for imprisonment.

Prest, Wilson, and Ross delved further throughout the rehearsal process to uncover the extra nuances of understanding Wilde. The creative team had always wanted to write a show for Damien when he received a call to see if he would be interested. Initially, he had no idea the story would be about the author.

Atkins quickly adds that he has great confidence in the creative team and calls them brilliant. Audiences must come to see the production because it’s fierce, it’s wild, and it’s unlike anything they have ever seen:

“[Gregory, Sarah and Mike] bring mischief and a sense of impishness. It’s a perfect blend of reverence and irreverence. A terrific blend of seriousness and frivolity has been balanced during this time. Their intuition, patience, and sensitivity to the culling of Oscar’s letter have been both fearless and kind…Prest has been unassuming and kind but also mischievous and fearless in his direction and staging.”

There’s sensuality, sexuality, pleasure, and wit for audiences to witness. Atkins states the production is a theatrical endeavour unlike anything ever seen. Philosophically, it will lead us to ask if we all really know what happened to Oscar Wilde. The man was a genius, a revolutionary and a hero, but he was also a terrible person at times and, in Atkins’ words, could also be an ‘asshole.’

Nevertheless, ‘De Profundis’ will allow audiences to see Wilde’s tremendous humility in taking responsibility. Wilde does not apologize for his sexuality and renounces it. Instead, he takes responsibility for a bad lot and vows to do better by holding those in charge accountable for the wrong reasons for his imprisonment.

When I asked him how he felt about rehearsals and previews, Atkins didn’t say too much except that things were going okay. During that time, his basic tenet was that everyone works as hard as possible. Damien keeps his head down and does not want to evaluate so much.

How does he feel about the Canadian theatre landscape and industry changes?

“Change is constant and necessary. It’s not always fun, but there has been some worthwhile movement forward that has been worth the hard work. The industry must continue to work on equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI). Yes, the pandemic made us aware, but we must continue to do more.”

Atkins spoke about the troubling audience reluctance to return to some theatres nationwide. Encouraging people to return remains challenging, which has been a tremendous loss to the industry.

Realistically, it’s all a question of money. That money (whether from the provincial, federal, or municipal governments) will also help other sectors. The help from the government is crucial moving forward as theatres continue to deal with changes and adaptations. Damien continues to hope audiences and governments will recognize that dollars are well spent promoting the arts.

Once ‘De Profundis’ concludes its run, what’s next for Damien Atkins?

At first, he jokingly stated: “A break,” and we laughed briefly.

He’s not one to sit around, though. Atkins returns to the Shaw Festival this summer to play Sherlock Holmes for the third time in a new play entitled ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart. He will also appear in Bernard Shaw’s ‘Candida’.

Damien would also like to continue to appear in his solo show “We Are Not Alone.’ I saw the production at Crow’s a couple of years ago. At first glance, the solo piece becomes a look at “mysterious sightings, videos of shapes moving in shadows and inexplicable crop circles. Are these occurrences a sign of otherworldly visitors, or are we being deceived?” Atkins stated the show becomes a comment on how we live together. Can we live peaceably with crazy ideas and notions?

Hmmm…’ If “We Are Not Alone’ returns, it might just be worth another look.

‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail’ is now in previews. It opens on February 8 and runs to February 18, 2024, in The Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane, in Toronto’s Distillery District. For tickets, youngcentre.ca or call 1-416-866-8666. To learn more about Soulpepper Theatre, visit soulpepper.ca.

A 2015 Toronto Metropolitan University theatre graduate, actor Dan Mousseau is preparing with a big-name cast for the premiere of The Howland Company’s ‘Prodigal’ written and directed by Paolo Santalucia, produced in association with Crow’s Theatre. The production opens on Friday, February 24 at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre.

I’ve also seen some of Dan’s other theatrical work this season. He appeared in ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Campbell House in December 2022 and in ‘Three Sisters’ at Hart House in November 2022. Some of his other work includes the upcoming ‘The Seagull’ for Soulpepper. Other productions at Soulpepper: It’s a Wonderful Life (2016), Innocence Lost (2018) Other Theatre: Perfect Wedding (Thousand Island’s) Film/TV: Frankie Drake Mysteries, Workin’ Moms (CBC), and Tempted By Danger (Lifetime).

About a year after completing his theatre degree, Dan attended the Soulpepper Academy to complete their two-year training program.

“The learning is ongoing”, he candidly stated. “It always is whether you’re in a workshop to help develop a play, develop your own work, or even attend an acting class. I don’t think it ever really stops. It’s a cool career because you’re always growing when it comes to the challenges an actor can do.”

Dan is thrilled to be back to performing in the live theatre even though Covid’s embrace still tightly enwraps the community. During the pandemic, he found it extremely hard to take a step away as he missed what he called the ‘ritualistic’ bonds of connecting with other cast members and ultimately an audience in front who have come to hear and watch a story unfold.

Mousseau calls the theatre ‘a soul-filling act’ (and he doesn’t consider himself religious). He’s feeling hopeful in watching the theatre community return with such renewed energy and a real hunger for people wanting to come back to what it was before. He acknowledges it is a tenuous time for the theatre as there is the business end of it. Audience numbers are starting to climb back up cautiously.

However, there’s a cathartic feeling about being back for Dan. He likens it to a mental health practice as he feels everyone who attends and participates in the theatre needs some kind of release from the strongly felt pandemic restraints. Although there are still cautions in most of the houses where audience members are strongly encouraged to wear masks (and some companies stating masks will be worn), PRODIGAL will have Mask Mandated performances on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Our conversation then swung around to the rehearsal process and preparation for ‘Prodigal’.

“Rehearsals are going so, so very well. I don’t know why I’m so very superstitious (and Dan knocks on the table). It has been such a trip.”

This is the first new play Dan has ever worked on, especially with Paolo as writer and director who Mousseau firmly stated: “has been amazing.” Mousseau has been in awe of Paolo’s endurance for rehearsals, re-writes, and cuts as he has established clear guideposts regarding the story of ‘Prodigal’:

“We’re in really good shape at this point. Paolo has made things feel so tremendously collaborative. I’m very proud of my friend. He’s a creative rocket ship. I’m in the most talented cast. I’m so honoured to be working among these actors. And it’s their bravery and work that has made this collaborative spirit of rehearsals so fruitful.”

With a cheeky grin and laugh, Mousseau said Paolo better keep hiring him for future gigs:

“I’ll hitch my wagon to his cart if he’ll have me.”

‘Prodigal ‘follows the return home of Edmund Clark (Mousseau), the open-wound eldest son who has been estranged from his family for the last five years. Edmund makes a surprise homecoming with a new acquaintance and everything gets turned upside down. Without giving away too much of the plot, Mousseau added the story centres around this very wealthy, privileged Canadian family with many pivotal turning points in their trajectory. An engagement party night for one of their sons takes place quickly gets thrown off the rails.

Another family is also involved. Mousseau says there’s a microcosm of the interplay of privilege, forgiveness, and (mis)communication that plays into the broader context of the Clark family that just can’t connect, can’t talk as they are so distant. Dan says there’s a great deal of yearning and pain in this distance between the family members in their inability to see each other for the cost of privilege and also those who don’t have that sort of privilege.

“It’s funny as tragedy is,” Dan said with a smile. “Audiences will be laughing one moment and possibly wiping away a tear in the next.”

For Dan, ‘Prodigal’ is such an important play for audiences to see. What’s really important about this play is twofold for him. There’s an important and meaningful conversation for him about the intersectionality between the experience of a queer person in privilege and the reckoning of how society has been built:

“The more we talk about it, the more we see these experiences on stage, the less mystery, the less ignorance, and the less fear there will be. There is also the reality that people have very different experiences. Even two people who identify as queer are going to have two different experiences depending on the context of their lives and their families.”

As an actor, what are some of the messages Dan hopes audiences will take away with them at the end of ‘Prodigal’?

He first jokingly said: “Go to therapy” and we shared a good laugh over that comment.

For Mousseau, ‘Prodigal’ is the story of a family but also the cost of parenting and the ways unchecked trauma can move through a family and affect the community. He would love audiences to think about their relationships with each other in their families and themselves in light of some very difficult questions demanded of us in these last few years as a result of the pandemic.

Dan’s final comment – he hoped audiences would walk away from the theatre and consider there’s more to life than the next paycheque. There are more important things in life than just having a beautiful home. When one lets these things fall to the wayside, there is a cost. ‘Prodigal’ is a story of meeting each other and seeing each other as a community and in community in order to heal.

Performances of ‘Prodigal’ begin February 21 and run until March 12 in the Guloien Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. For tickets: crowstheatre.com or call the Box Office at (647) 341-7390 ex. 1010.

Oh, my goodness, what an honour it has been to communicate with Canadian playwright and actor Daniel MacIvor for ‘The Self-Isolated Artist’ series.

I’ve seen several of his works performed at local community theatres over the years. I also reviewed his production ‘New Magic Valley Fun Town’ at Tarragon in which he also appeared. Daniel began following me on Instagram recently. Because I hold tremendous respect for him and his work, I wasn’t certain if I should get in touch with him about a possible interview. Again I thought, as I had written in the profile interview with Mark Crawford, “Why the hell not?”

I took a chance, got in touch with Daniel through Instagram, and was most pleased when he responded and said he was interested in participating via email.

Daniel has written a short play for Tarragon Theatre’s UnGala coming up in late May. The UnGala is a series of three online events featuring scripts about possibility and hope from the bold voices of 16 of our resident playwrights: three video segments of 5-minute original plays presented over two days and read by the playwrights themselves!

1. It has been just over two months right now that we have been under this lockdown. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine

As a writer I’m a pretty isolated person anyway. My interior life remains very active. Other than lining up for groceries I find this familiar and emotionally comfortable.

2. Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down?

I was in the middle of rehearsals for “Here’s What It Takes” at Stratford, the Steven Page musical that I wrote the book for. That was shut down, maybe next year. Also this fall I was supposed to embark on a tour of my Tarragon play “New Magic Valley Fun Town” and the solo show I created with Daniel Brooks “Let’s Run Away”. All of that is up in the air.

3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation for you?
Two things. One, not having a choice. Though I live in a Spartan and isolated way for the most part, I have chosen to do that. Now I have no choice. But really that’s just a game of the mind. And maybe part of the malady of the modern world is too much choice.

The second thing is no longer a problem, but it caused me a good deal of anxiety initially. I had to cut off all connection to American media. The horror show of American politics was too much for me – in fact, it felt like too much before the pandemic. I find the media generally unhelpful at this time, they can’t resist trying to stir up a sense of urgency when that is the very last thing that this time is about.

I suppose there is an urgency for epidemiologists and ER workers but for the rest of us, we need step back and breathe, day by day. If that is not the message, then the message is simply opinion. I have enough opinions of my own.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lock down?

I am working on a couple of screenplays and editing a documentary called “Everything Is Real Nothing Is True” that I shot with cinematographer John Price over the last couple of years about my work with Daniel Brooks on the solo play “Who Killed Spalding Gray?”

5. Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

I think this is a wonderful opportunity to look at our desires, our dreams, our hopes for the future. What are they? Why are they? What is the purpose of theatre? What is our place in that world? We get very caught up in careerism and gigging and jobbing and the like and we forget that we are a service industry. This is a chance to ask ourselves what is the service we do? In service of what? In service to whom?

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

The very nature of the protocols – keeping distance, considering our actions, knowing where we’ve been, what we’re touching, who we’re talking to – are at the heart of mindfulness. If we can learn to move more mindfully through every day – pandemic or no – we will be better people and make a better world.

7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

Yes. I think it will be difficult at first but ultimately the big questions that will come up as a result of this event will make us more focused and more compassionate.

8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts about this format presentation? Any advantages to doing this? Disadvantages? Are you participating or will you be participating in this presentation format soon?

I have participated a little. I’ve done a rewrite of my solo show “House” so that it could be performed to camera. It was performed by Kevin Hanchard and directed by Nina Lee Aquino under the auspices of Factory Theatre in Toronto. It was fun, 1400 people tuned in. I’ve also written a short play for Tarragon Theatre’s UnGala coming up in late May.

My interest is how this work lives in an online reality. I’m not so interested in work read or performed as plays in this format. It’s too flat. Theatre needs space.

9. I’ve seen your work on stage throughout Toronto. I saw you perform at Tarragon in ‘New Magic Valley Fun Town’. I also saw a memorable production of HOUSE that was streamed online through Factory with magnificent work from Kevin Hanchard and director Nina Lee Aquino. I listened carefully to the after-show discussion. What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding our world now?

Aha, you saw it. Yes, it was memorable wasn’t it. Kevin was sublime. I loved working with Nina. For me performing is a metaphysical journey into being and presence and connection. That’s essential, more now than ever.

With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

Onomatopoeia.

b. What is your least favourite word?

Partisan.

c. What turns you on?

Silence.

d. What turns you off?

Bloviating politicians.

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Wind in the trees.

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Chewing.

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck still works a charm, in moderation.

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

Architecture.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Politician.

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Finally!”

Find that balance between confidence and humility and surround yourself with people who inspire you.

The art and theatricality of dance continue into the 25-26 Toronto season.

Recently, I received a press release detailing the 5^th anniversary celebration of the Common Ground Dance Festival presented by TOES FOR DANCE at Lee Lifeson Park, 223 Gladys Allison Place in North York, from September 18-20, 2025.

This celebration of dance is a free outdoor festival. It will feature a diverse line-up of mainstage and site-specific performances.  Patrons will also have the opportunity to attend artist talks and interactive workshops for all dance levels, presented by both established and emerging artists with roots in Toronto, beyond, and across Turtle Island.

According to the release, five years is an important milestone for the festival.  To mark the occasion, the opening night, September 18, will feature a program that brings together past and present festival artists to explore the evolution of the Common Ground Dance Festival.  This opening night celebration will inspire reflection on the significance of intercultural dance dialogues in public spaces.  To continue developing the program in welcoming diverse audiences, the mainstage program will be co-hosted in Farsi on September 19 and Mandarin on September 20.

I’m grateful David Norsworthy, Co-founder and Director of The Common Ground Dance Festival, took some time to discuss dance, its theatrical elements, and the themes of this fifth annual event via email.

A Juilliard School graduate, Norsworthy started in 2009 and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Performance.  He considers himself grateful for living in New York City, where he was exposed to rigorous and deep knowledge in his studies, while experiencing performances at The Joyce, Judson, and Fall for Dance, among other venues. Learning from the Juilliard faculty was a true transformative experience for him as a wide-eyed young dance artist. In retrospect, David says he was not really a ‘Juilliard dancer’ in terms of his physical capabilities or creative aspirations. He says he was far more skilled at grounded, fluid, expressive modern and contemporary forms than ballet. Back then, he couldn’t, and today he still can’t lift his legs above 90 degrees to save his life. As an artist, he has always wanted to defy the rules of what dance could be.

David speaks fondly of some mentors he had while living in New York City. Alexandra Wells’ and Andra Corvino’s ballet classes both had a strong influence of his perception of his body and notions of ballet technique. JoAnna Mendl-Shaw was his composition teacher in the second year, and her work, which focused on physical listening, interspecies dialogues, and choreographic necessity, also had a significant impact on Norsworthy’s artistic voice as a choreographer.

As someone without formal dance training or study, I always like to begin a conversation by asking how the artist sees this specific art form.

Norsworthy offers an interesting analogy about dance that prompted further personal thought.

In simple terms, David says dance is also movement with intention. It’s an art form of change and transformation. On one level, moving the body is about getting from A to B, a journey. Then the mover can continue from B to C, or back to A (perhaps involving repetition).

When a dance artist goes back to the starting point of A, something new has emerged. That original and initial movement is changed with a bit of heat or sweat. There is a different relationship to the audience. There is a new sense of time and the memory of what came before and/or a slightly altered emotional state.

David explains further:

“Sometimes, when I teach, I describe dance as a ‘practice of changing’ that involves a dialogue between movement, thought, relation and sensation. [An artist or group] can start with any of them, and if you really commit, then one of the others will inevitably be produced or altered, giving [the artist and audience] a new sense of inspiration or a new direction to explore.”

Norsworthy’s favourite dance includes a poetic or philosophical element, along with a sprinkle of joy, and the energetic embrace of a thoughtful community.

In anticipation of the upcoming celebratory weekend for Common Ground in September, the artists will explore how dance emerges across different contexts and cultures, drawing from diverse values, traditions, and expressions of lived experience.

David hopes that the September weekend festival attendees will be able to experience the joy of community and that their participation in the festival will invigorate their curiosity. It’s an invitation to witness each other in fullness and to consider how a shared sense of belonging can be co-created. The Common Ground Dance Festival is about intercultural exchange – bridging the lines of difference to cultivate mutual understanding, appreciation, and respect. That doesn’t mean that we all need to agree to be together. It’s important not to forget that the weekend is an invitation to witness each other.

Does Nosworthy have inspirational words and mentorship to assist young dance artists eager to pursue and follow their dreams in the performing arts industry?

Without wanting to sound cliché, yet supposing it’s cliché for a reason because there’s truth, he says:

“Show up for yourself. Dare to do the uncomfortable, take care and take your time, commit and recommit to your artistic interests.”

David says it’s so easy in this profession to get sidetracked by what an artist thinks will get funding or what an artist thinks will please an audience. If the funding doesn’t exist, then the artist must make it happen:

“A healthy dose of do-it-yourself energy is very useful. Find that balance between confidence and humility and surround yourself with people who inspire you.”

Nosworthy supports that an artist’s finding his/her/their circle is more than half the battle. One doesn’t know what one doesn’t know after all.

Once the Festival concludes its September weekend celebration, what’s next for David Nosworthy?

Well, he’s going to follow the advice he gives to artists after intensive work: “Rest! Celebration! Gestures of gratitude!”

While there will always be administrative, financial management and grant reporting following the festival, TOES FOR DANCE will be preparing for the annual presentation of our Process+Practice Double Bill at Assembly Hall in Etobicoke on November 7-8, 2025. This year features Boys’ Club Tap Dance Collective and Kiera Breaugh. These works have been incubated through the residency program at TOES FOR DANCE and both deal with notions of femininity through sonic expression (tap dance and jazz music/spoken word) and embodied movement.  Nosworthy thinks it will be a really compelling event.

As a dance artist, David is currently in rehearsals for a repertoire piece with ĀNANDAM Dance Theatre and starting a new creative process with an emergent collective called In Good Company (Rakeem Hardy, Katherine Semchuk, and Judy Luo). In the autumn, I will be choreographing a new work for the students at Dance Arts Institute, a post-secondary professional training program here in Toronto. Being back in the studio comes with its challenges (sore muscles being one!), but he is reminded of the great privilege of being a professional dance artist.

David concludes our email conversation with:

“I am so grateful for the ways that dance calls me back into my body, and into presence.”

To learn more about Toes for Dance and the upcoming Common Ground Dance Festival, please visit: www.toesfordance.ca.

Headshot Credit: Colton Curtis

Recently I held a Zoom call with Dawn and Ramesh through ASL interpreters. This was my first experience speaking with Deaf artists. Their background in development as theatre artists is fascinating.

Both are here as part of the Summerworks Festival. Ramesh has directed the premiere of ‘Lady M (Margaret)’ now onstage at The Theatre Centre. Jani appears as Lady M.

Dawn has always loved theatre but didn’t have an opportunity to study it growing up in Canada. Coming from a third-generation Deaf family, she used to find herself the only Deaf person looking to pursue a career in the theatre. company. Fate took her to Scandinavia when she was aware and shocked to discover a professional sign language theatre with Deaf actors. Finally, she could go into a theatre for the first time and see a production in her unique language.

She was thrilled with this discovery, and it became a natural fit. Dawn established friends with theatre people, was entranced with the theatre and took courses from Deaf professionals. All this experience led her to take summer school. She took her professional training in Scandinavia. Dawn then pursued a Master’s in Physical Theatre in London, England, in 2016. Since then, she proudly asserts she has been working at her life’s calling.

Ramesh is from Singapore. He did not receive any formal training in the theatre. Growing up, he saw Deaf Theatre when he was young as there was a company in Singapore and was fascinated with their work. After school, Ramesh became involved in the semi-professional company He had the opportunity to work with Deaf and Hearing actors for eight years, where he learned a tremendous amount.

After this time, Ramesh knew he needed some new challenges and to find something different. He moved to England and studied at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts. He was the only Deaf student when he enrolled, as the others were all hearing. Luckily, these eight years under his belt in Singapore, this experience allowed him to connect in the program because the communication issues were very challenging.

After a couple of years, Ramesh began to build bonds with the other students. At the Liverpool Institute, he became involved with Hearing actors who were Physical Theatre actors. Ramesh also honed his craft here, not only school learned but through active involvement in theatre companies. He developed a taste for Asian and Western theatre, and he has been able to incorporate and mould these components in his performances as an actor and artist.

Now onstage at The Theatre Centre as part of SummerWorks, Lady M (Margaret) is a new, Deaf-led adaptation of Macbeth that explores Shakespeare’s famous power couple with an intersectional experience for both Deaf and hearing audiences. Adapted, created and directed by Ramesh Meyyappan, this world premiere performance work is the inaugural production by 1s1 Theatre featuring Dawn Jani Birley and Sturla Alvsvåg in the title roles of Lady Macbeth and her husband.

When I taught high school English for thirty years, ‘MacBeth’ was one of my favourites to share with the students because young people seemed to be into the elements of the witches, the murder and the gore.

The one difference here?

Influenced by Shakespeare’s ‘MacBeth’, ‘Lady M (Margaret)’ is a one-hour production that explores one of the key themes, guilt, and its impact on her and her husband, who are at war with each other in their marriage. They have been living with this tremendous sense of guilt and grief, and the audience will see this desperation play out in front of them.

Our Zoom call delved further into the text of ‘Lady M”. Dawn affirms that we all know the story from our high school days, but in his adaptation and direction, Ramesh focuses on the character of Lady M and for the audience to look closely at her. For Dawn, the play is really about looking at different perspectives.

She adds further:

“It’s always been easy to lay the blame at the feet of women. Historically, women haven’t had rights or assert their independence in history. In playing Lady M, I question why this woman does what she did and how she would cope with what she’s done. ‘Lady M’ is not a story told from one perspective. It’s a story told and perceived from multiple perspectives, making this play fascinating.”

In his role as Director, Ramesh agrees with Dawn’s understanding. He added that in 2004 he directed a production of ‘MacBeth’, which was done entirely through elements of visual language with no spoken or signed dialogue whatsoever. It followed Shakespeare’s text.

Now almost twenty years later, Ramesh looks at the play again. This time he focused on a quotation: “I have given suck/And know tender it is to love the babe that milks me”. With Dawn’s heavy involvement, Ramesh began to look further at the concept of Lady M and this child. The woman is noted for her ambition and scheming nature, but what Ramesh wanted to do was unpack what happened to her:

“Shakespeare obviously hinted in this quotation that Lady M was a mother. If she was, then what happened to that child? That got me started in thinking about different concepts and building the critical story of Lady M as the character. In her motherhood, was she looking to protect the family? Was the family not everything to her? If that’s the case, we might look at her differently. Are these new questions now the driving force behind Lady M’s ambition?

The SummerWorks website adds further insight into ‘Lady M’:

“Without a child, there seems little purpose. When a heart is broken and the heartache never fades, the dull ache becomes resentment, then anger. This is what drives Lady M (Margaret). Searching for a purpose, her hardened heart will lead her to do the unimaginable to get what she wants. Her desire for power to keep her family leads to haunting guilt and swelling paranoia.”

Performances of ‘Lady M’ run August 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 at 7 pm, with a 1:30 pm performance on August 12. For tickets and other information, visit http://summerworks.ca/show/lady-m-margaret/

A 1s 1 Production, co-produced by Why Not Theatre.

The four years pursuing my undergraduate Arts Degree at King’s College, University of Western Ontario (now known as Western University) solidly shaped my personal and professional interests in the Arts. One of those areas where I still believe the city holds its appeal is in the performing arts sector. When I attended Western, Purple Patches was one of the central student theatre groups on campus which provided a creative outlet for likeminded individuals.

I also remember the extraordinary Grand Theatre where I saw some wonderful productions nearly forty years ago. When I started reviewing for On Stage, I wanted to make sure the Grand was included. I have seen some terrific world class professional theatre there recently, and I am always grateful when the invitation has been extended to me to come to London to review their opening night performance

The Current Covid pandemic has thrown the professional performing arts sector into a tailspin that has many, who hold a vested interest in it, still reeling from the devastating impact. It’s going to take an extraordinarily calm and clear-headed individual to sift through with a firm grasp and clear vision to move forward into an unknown and uncertain future. I spoke about this quality trait in an earlier profile regarding the Stratford Festival’s Director, Antoni Cimolino.

I also place The Grand Theatre’s Artistic Director, Dennis Garnhum, in this same category with Mr. Cimolino.

Mr. Garnhum became Artistic Director of the Grand in the fall of 2016. His credentials have been profoundly notable within the theatre community. Since his arrival and return home to London, Dennis has created several new programs with the Grand. He has also launched a new partnership with Sheridan College’s Canadian Music Theatre Program that now positions The Grand’s High School for its next phase of development.

Across Canada, Dennis has directed many plays, musicals, and operas with a number of companies. At the Grand Theatre, he directed Timothy Findley’s ‘The Wars’, ‘Prom Queen’ and ‘Cabaret’. He was set to direct the premiere of ‘Grow’ before it was cancelled on account of the Covid pandemic.

Dennis and I held our interview via email:

1. How have you and your family been keeping during this two-month isolation?

We have found some creative ways to fill our days: I work for the Grand in the basement, my husband’s office and broadcast studio (he’s a journalist) is the bedroom, and our daughters bedroom doubles as her school room. We started tiny school: 4 kids, 5 parents all on zoom. One class a day taught by a different parent. I teach drama and art!

2. What has been most challenging and difficult for you and your family during this time? What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy?

The most difficult thing is to not be able to reach out and touch and play. Our daughter, Abby, is most affected by it. We always have a minimum hour of outdoor time daily and I have organized and reorganized the house a few times.

3. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian performing arts scene and on the city of London itself?

We will refer to the time before and the time after COVID no doubt. Ultimately, I think the ultimate impact will be positive: streamlining, priorities and abundant passion. We will focus on doing less, better, and with more imagination and thrill. The City of London too will learn from these things, and I do believe prosper. People will discover London is a perfect city to live in: it has a lot more space than the larger cities, combined with great things to do: Population will rise.

4. Do you have any words of wisdom to build hope and faith in those performing artists and employees of The Grand who have been hit hard as a result of COVID 19? Any words of fatherly advice to the new graduates from Canada’s theatre schools regarding this fraught time of confusion?

First of all, I have great compassion for the loyal Grand team whose jobs and lives were interrupted with very little notice. People who work at the Grand live in London and make their lives mostly around being with us – so that is without doubt the most painful thing of this time – not being able to continue to make theatre.

My hope is that we return to work sooner than later, that we will return to a company and a city willing to enjoy live theatre. The last thing we did was to have a staff breakfast on that fateful day (March 13) and one of the first things we will do will be to sit together and share a meal again. I miss these beautiful people.

This past year the Grand Theatre’s production of GROW was workshopped at Sheridan College and at Goodspeed Opera House. Both events used incredibly talented graduating students. They are now out in the world – waiting. I can see their bright faces.

My advice is just to be clear with one thought: We’ll return. You’ve lived this dream this long – keep it in your heart – don’t focus on the dark thoughts – and think how glorious it will be when you are able to be on our stages. And you will.

5. Do you foresee anything positive stemming from COVID 19 and its influence on the Canadian performing arts scene?

Only positive things. Everything will be reconsidered. The best part, I think, is how we will appreciate what we had to a greater extent. I think it will make for extraordinary conversations.

6. I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming and You Tube presentations destroy the theatrical impact of those who have gathered with anticipation to watch a performance. What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for Canadian theatre as we move forward from COVID 19?

I think online streaming was a brilliant first effort and reaction to a need. What do we have? Computers – and go! I think it’s usefulness is nearly done – and won’t play an important part in live theatre in the future. It’s film. I think it will speed up meetings and allow for some very creative shoutouts etc. But, live theatre is live theatre: people sharing stories in a room.

7. What is it about the Grand Theatre that you still adore in your role as Artistic Director?

Well, I adore everything about this role. Everything.

What I appreciate the most right now, is that it is a complete honour to be working at the Grand Theatre during this point in history – and I know my role is to be part of team who sees it through to bright, bright, better days.

With a respectful acknowledgement to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

Beautiful.

2. What is your least favourite word?

No.

3. What turns you on?

People.

4. What turns you off?

Long lines.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

My family laughing at the same time.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Car horns.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Dang.

8. Other than your current profession now, what other profession would you have liked to attempt?

Architect.

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

Giving out parking tickets – too stressful.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“I have a Muskoka chair by the lake waiting.”

To learn more about the Grand Theatre, visit www.grandtheatre.com.

Dianne Montgomery is a Toronto-based tap dancer, choreographer, and composer who will present the world premiere of her commissioned work ‘Softly Losing, Softly Gaining’ which she has choreographed and composed. Her work will be performed at Meridian Hall, on October 6-8 as part of Fall for Dance North Festival. The show was to have first premiered in 2020 and then in 2021.

She considers performing her work on these evenings an honour and joy to be supported amid such powerful offerings. Given so much change over the last two-plus pandemic years, Dianne is appreciative of feeling respected and included by the Fall for Dance North team as she senses they want the best for and from the performers.

What struck me the most about our conversation was Dianne’s frankness in sharing her vulnerability as an artist. She feels quite an emotional attachment to the premiere of ‘Softly Losing, Softly Gaining’ as she sensitively compares it to the intimate act of giving birth to her work. Finding that vulnerability requires and encourages her sense of self and soul, particularly in the experiences of the last two years. Montgomery feels a deeply renewed sense of responsibility to bring heightened senses and awareness of her work to audiences, especially to those who may have felt a sense of isolation during this time.

When I inquired where Dianne completed her studies in tap dance, I learned something that I hadn’t realized about the art form. It is not just a three-to-six-week lesson twice a week with a recital at the end. Tap isn’t structurally built in a way where there is a particular school where to study tap for three or four years.

For Dianne: “Tap takes years and years and years of concentrated study and training, and it never really stops. A tap dancer doesn’t have a start and end date as there is always exploring and finding. Becoming technically proficient is a forever job. The beginning students study intermediate steps; the intermediate students study advanced steps, advanced students work to be professional and professionals study beginning steps. It’s cyclical in nature.”

She has performed, taught, and presented her choreography across North America and Europe. She toured the world for two years with Canadian singer-songwriter FEIST as a tap dancer and shadow puppeteer, also performing on Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

As a professional artist, Dianne finds the world of dance intriguing. For her, there’s still so much to explore, learn and find in the expression and the connection to the history of the art. There’s a connection to each other in the world of dance, which is always exciting to discover. There’s a passion for dance, and there’s also the sheer joy of kinetic movement. Words sometimes cannot do justice to the art of dance like sauteed mushrooms and butter. (Writer’s note: I like that analogy)

One of the elements Dianne most appreciates is that of community with artists connecting with each other. There’s something profoundly healing in moving bodies together. In her case, there’s something profoundly healing about keeping time together as a tap dancer. Bonding and pro-social behaviour are captured in the world of tap dance, and Dianne considers it motivating to continue doing tap dance because it has a net positive effect socially:

“Tap dancing is profoundly powerful in its self-study ability to connect and heal. It requires a level of focus…discipline and commitment…it has lessons in it no matter what people may think…if you don’t tap dance or have had lessons then you don’t understand the richness of the form that you carry wherever. Tap teaches you how to fall and how to get back up. It teaches you perseverance and humility and boy does that lesson come back again and again.”

When it comes to the art of dance and performance, I think specifically of those husbands, boyfriends, and partners who might not hold any interest in dance and who may have been dragged to the theatre by their significant other. How can tap win over an audience when they walk into a theatre?

Dianne recognizes that dance will not be to everyone’s taste within an audience, but it is her genuine hope that as dancers, and people who place work on the stage in front of audiences, it is their job to be as authentic and to be as present in the moment. The artists are generous as they are trying to make a connection to the very generous folks who have shown up:

“We as artists don’t take that very lightly, not at all.” Montgomery firmly avows. “People who take their time, their money, their precious resources and come and spend an evening with us. As someone who creates for stage work, I take that responsibility super, super seriously.”

Dianne invites ALL audience members to see a dance show with open authenticity, which can be very disarming. Hopefully, if the dancers and artists are lifting the moment on the stage then the audience should be feeling that lift. If we’re on the stage feeling constricted, then the audience should be feeling constricted. This is the goal for all live shows, and yes, it can go astray if egos are involved as that builds barriers and creates a kind of different performative rather than experiential.

And how is Dianne feeling about this gradual return to live performance with Covid still hovering and hanging in the air?

Even before she began to address the question, Dianne acknowledges the incredible very real loss that so many have experienced whether it be loved ones, lost livelihoods, homes, partners, friends, family, or senses of self-regarding mental health. The picture has not been good for many.

Coming out of Covid, Montgomery likens it to a two-year hiatus, but within this hiatus there was a huge opportunity to deepen the practice of dance if you could or were able to spend time on it. Throughout the pandemic, a lot of artists had to move into other kinds of work to survive during this time. A lot of dance classes and work shifted to Zoom and other online platforms, and there were challenges regarding the time lagging in Zoom which was difficult to manage.

Dianne stated that dance artists got on the best they could with what they had. There were little silver linings, however. Virtual classes had the advantage of being global in connection, so Dianne was teaching classes that had folks from Germany, the UK, all parts of the US and all over Canada. These students began to know each other, and they may not have been able to make these connections had they not been in the Zoom room together.

For tap classes, yes, Dianne once again said the artists did the best they could given what they had, but the beautiful quality of the art of tap dance needs to be heard live through the ear and not through a computer or television screen. So much was learned about online classes and all the artists involved learned so much about humility.

And what’s next for Dianne once ‘Softly Losing, Softly Gaining’ is complete at Fall for Dance?
Dianne calls herself in process all the time. This is something she believes will be forever. She plans to continue working and to continue evolving as an artist and bring kindness into the equation of her work as she continues to learn while encouraging those around her to discover who they are and how they relate to what’s bigger than us.

A final statement she told me about artists made me laugh: “Every night I quit and every morning I get back up and put my shoes on again.” How often I’m sure all of us have felt about doing this and yet we get back up and go again?

To learn more about Fall for Dance North, visit www.ffdn.com.

’ve seen Dion Johnstone’s work on stage in several Shakespearean productions at Ontario’s Stratford Festival. I was particularly taken with the very bloody ‘Julius Caesar’ presented by Groundling Theatre at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre just before the pandemic hit.

When I checked his biography from his website (included at the end Dion’s profile), I also discovered he has also been a part of some very fine productions in the US under some extraordinary directors. Dion made his Broadway debut as the Duke of Albany in ‘King Lear’ with Glenda Jackson as the titular character. That is a performance I would have loved to see Ms. Jackson tackle.

Dion plays the recurring role of Erik Whitley for ‘Sweet Magnolias’ now streaming through Netflix. Another one to watch during this time of provincial stay at home orders. Dion has also played in other Canadian shows including ‘Frankie Drake Mysteries’ and ‘Flashpoint’.

In December 2019, Dion made his Hallmark Movies and Mysteries debut starring in ‘A Family Christmas Gift’ opposite Holly Robinson Peete and Patti Labelle.

Dion’s training included The University of Alberta and The Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre.

We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thank you again so much for taking the time on a Sunday morning, Dion:

The doors to Toronto live theatre have been shut for over a year now with no possible date of re-opening soon. How have you and your immediate family been faring during this time?

You know, when the focus of the pandemic hit and we went into lockdown and isolation, the focus really changed for me because my wife and I knew we would be having a child. On July 28, 2020, my wife gave birth to a baby boy who’s now on his way to nine months.

That’s been an amazing experience for us. He’s really changed our outlook because we really wanted, especially during the time of great anxiety, for him to meet the best version of ourselves, and I think when you look at him and the level of joy, freedom, comfort and confidence that he already possesses and exudes is a testament to the work that we’ve been doing. We had to get control of our mind space and internal space through all of this.

One of the things we focused on right away – there was a meditation group that was going around hosted by Deepak Chopra right at the beginning of the lockdown called ‘Twenty-One Days of Abundance’. And that was the first things we did and thought this is great. With the fear of there being no work and when everything was going to open up again, to just take time and focus on inner work and thinking no matter what the external appearances may be you can always tap into a source of abundance, that’s an energy that you put forth into the world and that returns to you in some form or other.

We started by doing that, and that really set the template for our frame of mind through all of this. Despite what we see out there, what’s more important is how you feel internally. If you feel yourself going off the rails, do the work to bring yourself back to your centre. And we want to do that because those are the lessons we want to pass on to our son, especially in a world prior to the pandemic that was moving at a blazing rate and continues.

We wanted to help provide a space for our son where in the future he could step away where he can be a part of this world but doesn’t have to be consumed by it.

I think we’ve doing quite well, all things considered.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

I just arrived in Atlanta and can’t talk too much about it for all the non-disclosure agreements I signed. I can say in brief we’re shooting Season 2 of ‘Sweet Magnolias’ (now on Netflix Canada). I just arrived and just about to begin. I’ve done the period of quarantine with the multiple testing and once cleared all set to go.

The film industry has been quite progressive in finding the template necessary in order to continue filming. Modifications have been made along with heavy safety protocols, and the film industry has been largely successful. It puts a lot of pressure on the actor/artist to ensure that they are in top health to continue and honour the contract signed and to ensure the shooting schedule is kept on task.

Outside of being a new father and career responsibilities, during the early part of the pandemic there was a lot of binge-watching Netflix. Certainly, when our son came into the world, that changed a lot of the binge-watching as he doesn’t allow us to watch tv unless he’s out cold for a nap. But the moment he wakes up we gotta unplug our devices. Our son doesn’t even like us being on our cell phones. Our son calls us to being present.

I do try to find time on my own for meditational time through daily training, not necessarily weights since everything is closed. I do yoga, I use resistance bands training. I’ve been doing a lot of yin yoga, very relaxing with deep, deep, tissue work and that’s been good. I don’t get out a lot but now that I’m filming in Atlanta, there’s a park across the street from where I’m staying. It’s similar to New York’s Central Park, and there’s lot of open space and opportunities for social distancing so I can spend some time there.

In Toronto, we live across the street from the Harbour on Queen’s Quay, so my wife and I were able to take our son out for walks on pathways.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you, or would you describe this year long plus absence from the theatre as something else?

You know, in some ways I would say, yes, it has been an escape, and it’s been an escape from the world in the way that we knew it which has really caused me to examine it and question it.

So much of my life is influenced by being a new parent and considering what things might have been were the pandemic not happening. I remember many seasons at Stratford watching other actors become parents. They would get the performance off to go and be there for the birth and would be back on stage the next day in both performances and rehearsals.

In Stratford, the week is divided in slots. So, there could be 12 slots in a week, and you could work 11 of those and then they have to give you an extra slot off periodically. That’s a lot of work and you get one day off a week. This period of time I’ve been able to share the load of parenting with my wife; obviously there’s only stuff she can do as the mother but there’s a lot of stuff I can do on the peripheral and allowed me the opportunity to create a very deep bond with my son.

I’m adopted. My beginnings were quite rocky. I don’t know my birth father, and my birth mother lost custody of me when I was quite young. So, it’s been really important for me to create a stability and foundation to end that cycle so that doesn’t pass on to my son, and that’s not a reality that he has to know. I think about if I weren’t there, if after the birth I had to go straight into rehearsals, and I only came home at night and wholly focused on preparing for the next day, I would be there physically, but I wouldn’t be accessible to my partner, Lisa, as a parent as all that load would be put on her and I realize how big a load that is.

It gets a little bit easier now that he’s a little bit older so me being out of town is a little bit easier. We do have a very good network support and he’s not quite as dependent as he was in the beginning. Those early couple of months, you realize how our world is not geared up for that, not geared up to usher new life into this world. You’re ripped away from your children too quickly, that’s the way of the world.

But the pandemic stopped that. It stopped the world and we’ve got a chance to look at what’s important and what do we value.

For me, it’s an escape for what it could have been in that sense. On another level, it’s an opportunity to question when it all comes back, what’s the kind of life I want to have, and how can I create a life that gives me more of a balance so that it’s not wholly work heavy. If that means I do condensed periods of time so we can take a couple of months off and go take a family vacation together, I don’t know what that form will be, but making sure I can be there for my family in a big way is very important.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

Given that we’re dealing with a virus, going in and out of lockdown, and you just told me today the numbers in the province are up over 4400, it’s impossible in my mind to predict when we will be back. I would say 2022 is a safe bet. It could be longer.

I think the reality is that theatre as we knew it has changed. And we may never quite see it in that same way again. But I do have hope for what theatre will evolve into. Right now, seeing Stratford and Shaw come back in interesting and careful and limited fashions is a good thing. Both my wife and I worked with Obsidian Theatre and they did a co-production at the beginning of the year with CBC Art called ’21 Black Futures’ which brought theatrical work to the screen. I think that’s another avenue that’s been successfully explored.

Theatre isn’t dead. It’s under the ground and working it out and figuring it out what can it do. How can it manage in this period and how can it re-invent itself for what’s to come.

My life has changed. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk into my house again without ensuring I wash my hands down. Our experience of the flu may be radically changed in the time to come. Our world is going to be radically different, and we will always be under the reality this happened once, and we reached a threshold where it could happen, and it shut down the world. That’s now a possibility. We don’t know what else is coming, what further things are coming down. We have to be prepared and safe.

The excess that we knew may not happen in the same way, but I do think theatre will evolve nevertheless to meet the capacity of the time, whatever that form is going to be.

I had a discussion recently with a Toronto Equity actor who said that theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you as an artist?

That’s so interesting. It’s hard to know as an artist how Covid has transformed me. It’s certainly made me look at different avenues and explore what else I have inside to offer. I sit down and go, well, if I’m not performing on a stage, what’s my purpose? Why do I act?

If I can’t do it in that form, what’s another form I can do it in? That led me to explore teaching opportunities. I love to see people empowered and transformed by different thoughts and different ideas. I like being the vessel that can contain those ideas so that people can reflect and see it. I can achieve that same feeling through teaching what I know.

Ghostlight Theatre came out of the cage really strong when we went into the lockdown initially and offered an opportunity to teach a class of whatever I wanted. And I decided to put a class together on rhetoric using Shakespeare as a platform to really explore the ideas of ethos, the logos and pathos and the pillars of argument.

My intent was whether you were an actor looking to sharpen their skills or an audience member who wants to know more about what the craft is, it didn’t matter what walk of like you came from. In the end we are being affected by messaging all the time and we are being played on intellectually, emotionally, and ethically all the time. You open your Twitter feed and think about what triggers you. Some of the images we see there are pathos, and some are facts and figures that make your brain spin whether they are true or not but present themselves as true.

To have the ability to have more discernment about what’s coming at you and more choice as to how you want to play something as an artist, and how you want to play upon your audience, I thought was a very fun thing to explore and share and had been really introduced to me when I was at Stratford doing The Conservatory Program. I give full credit to the knowledge and training I received there, and also from the late Ian Watson who was one of our instructors and was a master of argument.

And so, really sharing the way those principles that affected me and how I now use them in my work is how I put together this course and I found that a satisfying discovery, and I probably wouldn’t have done. Covid has created an online opportunity where you can work with people from around the world. I’ve been able to do play readings with a company in New York. People can now be pulled from anywhere say to do the reading of a Jacobean play, and audiences now have access to be able to log in anytime to those writings and artists.

It’s really brought the opportunities to use your craft in different ways globally.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

I definitely agree with Ms. Caldwell’s notion of danger. And certainly in performances, something has to be genuinely risked in order for the stakes to be real and in order for the audience experience to be transformative. If there’s nothing happening in the artist, and it’s just acted, then what happens is a separation between the audience and the performer where the audience is just watching you, and not breathing with you and experiencing with you.

The more that the artist can access a true feeling of risk and danger, the danger. The best directors I’ve had are those who have really pushed me in my performances to risk more, to go further in order to draw and drop deeper in myself in challenging and frightening work because you don’t know how you’re going to get there.

Now, in terms of Covid, it’s a strange thing because it affects everybody differently. Some people have had direct experiences with it, some people have had or have the virus. Others have had close family members or friends pass away from Covid, so they feel differently. Others have had no direct experience with it and haven’t been in an ICU so it’s a challenge for those who do not understand what it like or have the experience with it.

Living with this invisible threat which has been very disorienting and weird and certainly frightful on those days when I have to have a Covid test, and I fear if I get a positive result that’s it for my ability to be on set, to provide financially for my family, and my contract is now gone. I really had to challenge myself to ensure that I don’t bring this negative and destructive energy into my reality, well that stop telling that story because it’s not serving me. Yes, fear has been triggered in me on account of this virus but I haven’t had a direct personal case or a family member so I can’t speak of it from that angle. In many ways, it’s been a bizarre thing that’s there, but I respect how many have been affected by it but it’s so strange because it feels like nothing is happening.

In terms of how Covid will affect my work? I don’t know. Everything that happens in life is going to affect your work. It filters in ways that we’re not aware of. Sometimes, for an actor, the best problems are solved when you’re working on a role in your dreams when you start to dream about a part because that’s your sub conscious working it out in better ways than your intellect can.

I’m sure subconsciously the way I have grown and changed over this period of Covid will bleed and is bleeding into my work, but I couldn’t intellectually say how.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

Well, certainly in a beautiful way, having a child and we made a real commitment to validate his feelings to recognize, acknowledge and understand what his needs are. Even though he doesn’t have the language to communicate just yet, we wanted him to feel that he was being heard and responded to. In a way, he’s been very communicative from the very go.

There is this thing called baby sign language and you can help them communicate early in life. We tried that and that didn’t really work for us, but we can feel his energy and been in communication from go. He doesn’t cry very often. He’s not a crier but when he does it’s because we’ve missed a lot of signals that he’s been given along the way. More often than not, we’re able to figure out those signals before the crying so that is something important to figure out.

Just that level of sensitivity, that relationship we share with him is so profound, so unlike; I love in a deeper, fuller way than I have before. I’m fiercely protective in ways. I laugh. This kid makes us laugh. He’s brought so much to our world and that’s a beautiful thing.

Looking at this world through the pandemic, I’ve become really sensitive to the messaging that comes our way. There’s so much confusion. I’ve never learned through anything where there have been so many mixed messages – lockdown versus lockdown and all that illogic that has been followed through, it’s no wonder there are anti maskers, anti-vaxxeers, hoax, an opportunity to decimate society and a re-set. We live in mass confusion.

We are in great need of discernment, and it’s made me very sensitive to what I take in. I want to pay attention to how I’m feeling internally, and if I’m getting too worked up maybe it’s time to take a step back and look at something else OR to explore all sides of the argument. We’ve lost how to debate because everyone is so entrenched in their camp with no cross discussion. We’ve a lot of work to do to find shared common ideals as opposed to where we are different if we’re to get anywhere in this mess of confusion we’re living in.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

Really, it’s a furtherance of what I just broke into. There was a time on my social media feed where I wouldn’t follow anyone of different beliefs and ideals than mine. But then I realized I don’t know what other people are thinking and so when things happen, I don’t understand why it’s happened.

In terms of curiosity as an actor, we’re very often playing individuals who don’t share that same ideology that we hold, how can we do this if we don’t allow ourselves to see things in another light or way, and allow ourselves to go through that ideology that we don’t understand? I started including in my feed people who hold opposing views to my own, just to keep tabs to the rhetoric they’re using and what others are thinking.

There seems to be a fear that in doing this we lose our own identity or you are affirming other people’s beliefs that are right or wrong, and who’s to say what’s right or what’s wrong. But nonetheless, you can’t have a conversation if you can’t find common ground.

Because we’re all human beings in the end, somehow in our world it makes sense to try to see the other side, to see the logic there. Where do we connect? Where is our common humanity? How can a bridge be made from one common ideal to the next without trying to see another point of view?

Through me doing this, I can potentially have the same affect on someone else trying to see from where I cam coming.

To learn more about Dion, visit his personal website: www.dionjohnstone.com, To follow Dion on his social media: Facebook: @DionJohnst ; Twitter: @DionJohnstone ; Instagram: @dion_johnstone

I had heard of playwright Drew Hayden Taylor as his play ‘Cottagers and Indians’ was to have been presented this summer by Port Perry Ontario’s Theatre on the Ridge. Unfortunately, the production was canceled so I am hoping it will take place next summer. When Drew sent me his CV, I was sorely mistaken when I thought he was a playwright.

Self-described as a contemporary storyteller, Drew’s exploration of the storytelling tradition has crossed many boundaries. He has written more than twenty plays (resulting in almost a hundred productions). As a playwright, Drew has proudly been a part of what he refers to as the contemporary Native Literary Renascence. In the world of prose, he enjoys spreading the boundaries of what is considered Indigenous literature.

Drew and I conducted our interview via email:

1. It has been nearly three months right now that we have been under this lockdown. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine? How is your immediate family doing?

Life in the age of Covid is annoying and somewhat difficult but overall, things are fine. I go back and forth to my reserve north of Peterborough, Ontario, and Toronto for a change of scenery but overall, life as a writer I am used to long periods of isolation. One of my best memories was spending a month in the Leighton Studios in Banff…but three months is getting kind of ridiculous. I am so sick of my own cooking. Also, I am jonesing for a play/movie/restaurant or something like that.

2. Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down?

Oh God, I think I’ve had four, maybe five productions of my work shut down this spring and fall, and about a good six to eight speaking engagements canceled. One of the projects I’m working on is a documentary series for APTN and we are several segments short of finishing the 13 episodes. Add to that I was to have a talk how on APTN too that was postponed. As a result, it has been a pretty quiet spring.

3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation for you?

I used to travel a lot. I love crossing this country and this world spreading the Gospel of Indigenous Literature. Some writers hate that, but I actually quite enjoy it. Ah, for the smell of jet fuel engine.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

Well, I’ve written a novel. Started work on another anthology in my ‘Me’ series of non-fiction. Developed two plays that I will be starting work on in about a week or two. Planted a garden and put on some weight.

5. Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

I know many performing artists have been hit hard. All I can say is this too shall pass. Soon they’ll be back on stage being underpaid just like it never happened. As a writer, I just tell other writers to put it to good use. As I said, I don’t think I’ve been more productive.

This time next year, there is going to be an explosion of babies, divorces, and novels/plays. Turn something negative into something positive.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

I do not know if it’s positive but, up until six weeks ago, I had no idea what ZOOM was. Now I get ZOOMED regularly. And I’ve almost caught up on my reading. And again, I don’t know if it’s positive, but I binged all of the ‘Tiger King’ series.

7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19? Will streaming/online performances become part of the scene?

Good question. I don’t know. I am not a performing artist…other than lecturing and I have a feeling so much more of that will be done via ZOOM. It’s a lot cheaper and a lot less fuss for the hosts.

8. What is about the arts that COVID will never destroy?

The ability to dream, to imagine.

With a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

In which language!?!?!? For the sake of argument, let’s say ‘coobmen’. I am not sure about the spelling but in my community’s dialect of Anishnawbemowin, it means ‘I’ll be seeing you.” There is no word for goodbye where I come from.

b. What is your least favourite word?

Primitive

c. What turns you on?

Intelligent humour

d. What turns you off?

Stupidity

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Cricket

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Sirens

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Crap!

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

A chef

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything involving a cubicle

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Tell me a story.”

To learn more about Drew, visit his website: www.drewhaydentaylor.com.
Twitter: @TheDHTaylor

I’ve seen Duff MacDonald’s name over the last few years in theatre programmes and through some of the social media websites. His name sounded familiar to me, and I soon figured out where I recognized it. I saw him play in the first Canadian company of ‘Les Misérables’ at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra. Duff was also part of the first National Touring production of ‘Les Mis’ in 1989-1990. Duff also played “Eamon” in the recent Grand Theatre (London ON) and RMTC (Winnipeg) productions of ONCE.

According to his bio, Duff proudly hails from the Saskatchewan prairie land. He has recorded albums and sang in many venues across Canada and the United States ranging from coffee houses to large auditorium venues. He is proud of the training he has received. He obtained a full scholarship to go to North Dakota State University to study opera. He also studied at Vancouver’s Gastown Actor’s Studio and private studies in Acting with June Whittaker, Linda Darlow and Uta Hagen.

Duff has also completed voice-over work in commercials. He has been seen in film and television roles like the recent LOCKE AND KEY (Netflix), CARTER (CTV Drama Channel), GOOD WITCH, TITANS (Netflix), CLAWS OF THE RED DRAGON, Incorporated (SyFy), Tru Love (Winner of 35 Worldwide Film Fest Awards), Cinderella Man, Foolproof, The Music Man and most recently in the nation-wide spot for AMERICAN EXPRESS/AEROPLAN and BOSTON PIZZA as the gold Professional Sports Trophy Model.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom as Duff lives in St. John’s Newfoundland, at this moment. Thank you so much for the great conversation and laughter, Duff:

Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me about one teacher or mentor in your life for whom you are thankful and who brought you to this point in your life as a performing artist.

I am very grateful for a number of people in my life who brought me to this point in my life as an artist.
In the beginning, in my small town of Watson Saskatchewan, there was this lady named Jean, and she played the piano. She took me on. She was best friends with my mother and father for years. Both my mother and Jean were teachers.

I just remember going over to Jean’s house and her teaching me a lot about music and singing and singing some old classic tunes. She was always the woman who was coaching me through all of that early stuff.

Later on, I became part of ‘Saskatchewan Express’, a teen talent competition and I won and became part of this group of performers similar to “Up with People’. We toured all over Saskatchewan and I learned so much in the early 80s when I was 16 from all of those musicians. We had a 12-piece band behind us, and we had dancers; it was a big production sponsored by the lotteries. The woman who ran that, Carol Gay Belle, who worked for the CBC, she was also a huge influence on me as a kid in my teen years.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?

Oh boy, that’s a big one. Initially, it was a shock as it was with everyone. I was just about to go away and do a show.

Personally, I did a full pivot turn. We performers spend a lot of time on our own, and as a writer and painter, I have a lot of different creative outlets. So, right away, the first thing I did was turn to my creative side and that really saved me during most of Covid until I ran out of projects. I produced a web series with a friend (check it out on Duff’s personal web page), two of them actually, a comedy series and another web series where I was interviewing people from all over the world. That brought me a lot of joy and peace in checking in with people around the globe and gaining a global perspective on what was exactly happening in our country and other countries.

This really helped me to check in because the media was going crazy, but when you talk with other people in other countries, one on one, it really changed my whole view of everything and cut out all the crap the media was feeding us.

I became grateful personally. I had my own apartment; I was in seclusion. I didn’t have a family; I wasn’t attending school. Everything just stopped for me, and I turned into a creative monster (and Duff says this with a good laugh).

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

Well, they’re synonymous for me as an artist because I’m self-employed so everything is melded together.
As an artist, it encompassed so many things for a lot of us. The rug was pulled out from all of us, but as artists, we’re very dependent on the community, the audience. That’s our living. When that disappeared, it really affected me but I used that artistic talent as a way of survival and it changed everything and started to focus on that.

Also, my technical skills and my game went up about ten notches because artists were all forced to audition in our own homes, with our own lighting and our own camera. Luckily, I had done my comedy web series called ‘The Duff Show’ and learned so much about filming myself with green screen.

So when auditions were coming up where they were doing live one on one Zoom calls, it didn’t shock me as much as some. My technical and voice-over side that all went up. My agent didn’t worry about me technically because he knew that I had seemed to have everything in order.

Tell me further about ‘No Change in the Weather’ opening in St. John’s shortly. Are you hoping to bring it to Toronto after St. John’s?
‘No Change in the Weather’ …(and then Duff stopped for a moment to catch his breath and continued). I’m almost going to cry because it has been such a gift.

The past couple of months were really, really hard even with the creative projects I had. After a while for me I kept wondering when I was going to get a job. I’d be so close to getting national commercials. I was starting to really doubt myself.

I was away camping and got a call to audition for ‘No Change in the Weather’. I started looking into it and reading the script and doing some research as the play had been done previously. I saw there were some Ron Hynes music in the production. Ron is a Canadian institution on the East Coast, especially in Newfoundland.

‘No Change’ just came along out of nowhere and I got the job. Again, I put together a self tape, had all my equipment together. I had clips that I professionally recorded at the time. Everything just lined up and I had sung ‘Sonny’s Dream’ which is a Ron Hynes song in another show before, and I was auditioning for the character of Sonny. So it was a really sympatico moment where it all happened really fast as they were only looking for a few people. I’m part Irish, and Newfoundland has deep Irish roots here.

‘No Change in the Weather’ is the story of a family that comes home for their mother’s wake and to celebrate her loss and her life. They all come together on an island called God’s Pocket. The family doesn’t want the wake to be a downer so they’re trying to celebrate their mother.

And then I show up as Sonny, and I haven’t seen anyone in 20 years as Sonny works for the government. There is a connection to the Churchill Falls political incident and blunder. I represent the political side of the show, and everyone has a lot of disdain for my character.

It’s a beautiful story of this family coming together and finding a place of peace amongst all the craziness. It’s funny, it has some great Newfoundland tunes, some Alan Doyle and Ron Hynes music, some really classic Irish music. It’s full of heart and laughter.

It really has been a gift for me and for the company. There are beautiful voices, and the talent in the production. The production is different from ‘Come from Away’ as this is Newfoundland people. It’s quite a bit different from ‘Come from Away’ as ‘No Change’ deals with the political slant, and it’s got some real Newfoundland heart.

Bob Hallett, one of the members of Great Big Sea is Executive Producer of the show. Our director is Brad Hodder who is going to be in the Mirvish production of Harry Potter when it opens next year in Toronto. Steve Ross, who has completed 18 seasons at Stratford, is in the show with me. (Note: a profile of Steve Ross can be found through OnStage).

These are only a few heavy hitter artists in the show as there’s more in the cast and it’s going to be a good show. It runs at the CAA Theatre in Toronto on Yonge Street and blow everyone away.

We’re just performing ‘No Change in the Weather’ in St. John’s Newfoundland from November 12-14 as a tester and we come to Toronto November 19-27, 2021.

In your opinion, do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last 18 months?

I really do.

There were some theatres that took the proverbial ‘bull by the horns’ and embraced this challenge and clicked in right away to continue connection to audiences. Some went virtual right away.

I have a friend who lives in Texas who filmed a whole play virtually. The actors were not all in the same place. They were filmed separately and edited together to look like they were all in the same room. $20 was charged for the link to see the show, and they made some cash. That theatre wasn’t waiting around waiting for things to start up.

The theatre scene has changed and I hope it doesn’t stay this way at half capacity.

Ontario just went full capacity so fingers crossed, but what has happened is that theatres realized they can make money virtually: ‘Diana: The Musical’, ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Come from Away’ are the first three examples that come to mind. I think theatres are realizing that some want theatres to be live for them and as you and I know, Joe, there is nothing like that in the world. Nothing beats live.

But, there’s also that clientele who can’t attend live theatre and can afford $200.00 tickets. Filmed productions of live musicals are getting pretty good, and there are those who would like to see it as well but can’t afford to go live.

I hope it doesn’t go back to zero capacity but theatres are thinking things through. Look at Stratford with the outdoor tents.

I think theatres will be a little more prepared for things now that we are slowly emerging from Covid.

What excites/intrigues/fascinates/interests Duff MacDonald post Covid?

Oh, wow! (and Duff and I have a good laugh at his initial response) Well, I’m fascinated by the human condition and how people operate under the conditions we’ve been under and how we’ve adjusted and not adjusted. I’m also fascinated by the strength of the human spirit. So many things happened during the pandemic – Black Lives Matter, Juneteenth, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but we persevered through it all and learned some important lessons.

Things won’t be the same ever again, but I’m fascinated by how things have to be taken to the extreme in order for humans to learn. It’s incredible how hard we have to fight to get what we want and get to where we want – and we’re still doing this, really Saskatchewan? really, Alberta (Duff is making reference to the Covid numbers in both provinces)

What excites me are the possibilities of what we can do.

What disappoints/unnerves/upsets Duff MacDonald post Covid?

Stupidity (and Duff and I share a good laugh again) and no lack of logic.

Where does Duff MacDonald, the artist, see himself going next?

Like I said, I’ve been really trying to up my game. I see myself being better. I want to be as good as I can possibly be.

As every audition come through, I want to do my best. If I don’t get the job, at least I know I did my best. Everything else is out of my control. I believe that’s the mantra of my industry.

Where does Duff MacDonald, the person, see himself going next?

Uh….(and Duff starts to laugh again) it’s so hard to separate the Duff artist and the Duff person.
It’s so hard…as a person I’d love to care less MORE. (and Duff laughs again.)

I’m in my 50s (almost 55), so when you hit your 50s, it’s I don’t give a shit, I don’t give a fuck.

I wanna care less about what people think MORE.

RAPID ROUND

Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I give credit to the late James Lipton and The Actors’ Studio for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors or favourite teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

Well, that’s kinda obvious. “Thank you.”

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

(Duff laughs) “Fuck you.” It’s part of my performing artist mantra in not giving a shit.

What’s your favourite swear word?

(And another good laugh from Duff) Actually, I like, and it’s a bad one…by the way, Joe, are you able to print these words? Okay, here it is. It’s a strange thing, but I always say, “Cock!”

I ended up on a tv show and that was a line we had to say. The other character had to say, “Cock and balls!”

But for me, for some reason, it’s “Cock!”

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

It’s actually an Italian word, and when Italians pick up the phone and say (And Duff, in his best Italian on the spot, says): “Pronto!”

I don’t know why, I just love saying the word: “Pronto”.

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Well, it’s two words: “I can’t”

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

“Hang on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride” (and Duff says it again this time in an on-the-spot Bette Davis with an imaginary cigarette between his fingers). And then make sure your readers know they can watch my comedy show live, “The Duff Show” and see me do it live.

With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years as an artist, what would you now tell the upcoming Duff MacDonald from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career?

Oh… take more dance classes and study more. Study music more extensively.

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

Professionally, I’m also a writer and would love to have one of my scripts produced. Personally, I would like to be independently wealthy. (and another laugh from Duff)

Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

Hmmm…one moment…I would have probably stayed in ‘Les Misérables’ another year. The show was on its way back to Toronto after touring. I was offered another year and I said, “No”. Because I was a cocky 22-year-old. Can you imagine I said that? Who says “No” to another year of full-time work in “Les Mis”?

Little idiot, me.

What will Duff MacDonald not take for granted ever again?

Oh, boy, it just hit me (and I could tell Duff was tearing up). My parents. Yep.

Would Duff MacDonald do it all again if given the same opportunities?

No. Completely, I call it divine order. Everything that happened, happened for a reason and put me where I am.

I totally believe good and bad it all brought me to this place, and I’m talking to you, Joe.

To follow Duff at Facebook: @duffmacdonaldmusic, Twitter: @DuffMacDonald and Instagram: @duffmacdonald

To learn more about Duff, visit his webpage: duffmacdonald.com

A year ago, I had reviewed an outstanding production of what many in Toronto were calling ‘not to be missed’.

Toronto’s Crows Theatre had staged Annie Baker’s ‘The Flick’ terrifically directed by Mitchell Cushman. I had never seen this production, but word on the street and from what I had researched online indicated this play was something that would be remembered for a long time.

And to this day, I can still recall that specific production, that awesome set design, and the three powerhouse performers who literally took my breath away as I watched with keen fascination. One of those dynamos on stage for his debut professional performance was Durae McFarlane, and he is one we should all keep an eye on when it is safe to return to the theatre. Mr. McFarlane’s performance was stellar.

Durae is an actor and writer originally from Mississauga, Ontario. He is a recent graduate of the University of Windsor’s BFA Program and also trained with Canada’s National Voice Intensive.

We conducted our interview via email. Thank you for the conversation, Durae:

It has been an exceptionally long seven months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

To be honest it is what I expected. There were always talks about a second wave and so the numbers raising is not surprising. What is a bit surprising is the way it is being handled by the government (at least in Ontario where I am). It is less than ideal. There was also a part of me that was holding on for some sort of miracle that things would continue to get better and that life would somehow resemble what it used to be in some ways, but that is more idealistic than anything.

I think this is going to be our new way of living for a long time. Wearing masks, always washing our hands (which should have always been a thing), and social distancing. Now if we will ever not have to do these things, I’m not sure.

I think at the beginning of the pandemic, I just thought that we just need a vaccine and then things will resume how they use to be. But, I don’t believe that anymore. I’m not super informed about what the release of the vaccine would look like, but after witnessing how many people are against even wearing a mask, I’m sure there will be a group of people who will be against getting a vaccine altogether. And I’m sure that will make things complicated.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last seven months?

I’m been doing okay all things considering. I really spend a lot of the first couple of weeks watching tv shows and movies and distracting myself from what was happening because it was just too much information and stimulus all the time. I also stopped going on social media and listening to the news for a bit, which was new for me (not constantly going on my phone to go on Facebook or Instagram). And now I limit the amount of time I spend on social media.

My family is doing good. I was staying with my grandmother when the pandemic first started, and she is doing good. She wasn’t really stressed or anything but was cautious and was always updated with what was going on, which was the complete opposite of what I was doing. So, if I wanted to know something, I would just talk to her about it. My mom works in a nursing home, so it was stressful for a bit, but she has thankfully been safe and everyone else has been working from home.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

The most challenging thing for me at the start of the pandemic, was that I was feeling really great after coming out of The Flick and, as that was my debut, I was really looking forward to capitalizing on that. But then I couldn’t audition for any theatre things. But I think people will remember things and roles that had an impact on them, and I think I will be okay.

Personally, I really hated not having something to do, or something to work on. I’m someone who is always looking for a way to continue to grow and get better both as a person and as an artist. So, having so much time and not knowing what to do with it was challenging. There was the possibility of doing online things, but I also couldn’t afford to do a lot of the things I wanted to do. But then I found myself writing a lot which was something that I have been interested in but wasn’t necessarily my focus.

But that’s kind of all I’ve been doing is writing and every couple of weeks it’s like there’s a new idea for a play or screenplay that comes to me. Way more ideas than I’m capable of writing.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I wasn’t in preparations or rehearsal for anything, I was just working a part time job in the food industry, so I was kind of grateful at the time for things to close because I was staying with my grandmother and I was very concerned about continuing to work while it started to seem more and more unsafe to do so.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

A couple of friends and I started this sort of web series back in the middle of March just as a way to stay creative, have some fun, and just have something to do. But that took a pause in June. And as we all started to go back to work, we haven’t continued it and don’t know if it will continue, but it was a good thing for me to do at the time.

I also started meditating which has been such a great practice for me to start. It has really helped me feel less anxious in my day to day life and helped to bring awareness to my habitual thinking patterns and allowed me to tune in to what isn’t helpful to me. I’ve also been reading a lot and writing.

I’m part of the Cahoots Theatre’s Hot House Lift Off Unit where I’m with a bunch of incredible artists as we all are writing our own plays. We’ve been meeting on Zoom pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s been wonderful to have that space to chat with them all about all things theatre.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theatres and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Being such a new artist to this industry myself, I don’t think I’m in any position to give any advice to anyone, but I would just say to find the joy in whatever it is you’re doing. I think the world can seem very dark, so it’s important to find purposeful moments of joy when you can.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Yes. I think because everyone was home and not doing much, it allowed certain people who maybe have not paid attention to issues of racial justice to really start listening once the murder of George Floyd was all over social media and the details of the murder of Breonna Taylor started to circulate the internet as well. It caused people to mobilize and fight the systems in place that are hurting BIPOC in a way that I haven’t seen happen before.

I think being stuck at home forced people to really have to reflect about who they think they are vs who they actually are and made some of those people go “oh maybe I’m not doing things I need to be doing to align my idea of myself with the actions I take.” And I hope that now that a lot more people are back to work, it doesn’t also mean they go back to their old habits of not really caring or doing anything about these issues.

It also allowed BIPOC people to feel more empowered to speak up and not let things slide by. I think we’ve been hearing people speak that haven’t simply been given the platform or space to speak about the issues they’re facing and what people can do to help change things. I think I’m seeing a lot more space be given to those voices and that’s been something long overdue, but great to see.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

I hope with the sort of wake up with the racial inequities of the world, theatre will be more conscious of what it means to be an equitable space for all people. It really goes beyond just saying a bunch of nice things but implementing things in how they run their theatre companies and who makes up theatre companies.

Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I think if it works for the artist, do it! If it helps them stay enriched in some way, absolutely go for it. It’s something that I did for a little while and it definitely helped me feel more connected to other people and performing. I think at least for now, theatres have to utilize it in some ways. Some theatres have been. Sometimes I think it works great and sometimes I think it doesn’t, but it’s definitely new territory that places are learning to navigate and it’s not always going to be perfect and that’s okay.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

Covid could never destroy the need for stories. During this time a lot of people turned to their computers/TVs to watch shows or movies or listen to music or read books. The need for stories will always be present to either distract people from their current situation for a little while or to illuminate something about themselves or the world. I think the need for stories will always be present and thus the need for storytellers. The way in which we tell stories and the medium we use may change and adapt but there will always be a need to

Visit Durae’s Instagram: @duraemcfarlane

In the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, my discussions with most Canadian, American, and European artists led me to understand just how their professional lives have become forever changed and dramatically altered. In all honesty, I’m still wondering how this pivot back to the indoor live theatre will look for them and their colleagues as necessary worldwide social movements have spotlighted the need for change.

I first came across Dylan Trowbridge’s name in the early stages of GhostLight. All of the co-founders of GhostLight wanted to create a space to keep the theatre community active, inspired and connected while the industry was shut down. During the last few days, theatre news from Broadway indicates the theatres in Manhattan will be open this fall.

Still no word about the indoor Toronto and Ontario theatres. Yes, there are pockets of outdoor theatre and I for one am pleased to hear this news, yet still Canadians wait when we can all return indoors.

You’ll see from Dylan’s responses he has tried his best to remain positive and to keep moving forward.

From the University of Toronto website: “[he] is a Toronto-based actor, director and teacher who began his career at the Shaw Festival where he played the title role in Christopher Newton’s production of Peter Pan. Other Shaw Festival credits include leading roles in The Lord of the Flies, The Matchmaker, Widowers’ Houses, The Coronation Voyage and Rutherford and Son. Dylan made his West End debut in 2009, playing Neil Kellerman in Dirty Dancing at London’s Aldwych Theatre.

He also spent two seasons at the Stratford Festival, appearing in Mary Stuart, Measure for Measure, Titus Andronicus and The Grapes of Wrath.

Additional theatre credits include: Tribes, Julius Caesar (Canadian Stage), Taking Care of Baby (Critics Pick Award for Best Supporting Actor), the English language premier of Wajdi Mouawad’s Tideline (Factory Theatre) and Tiny Dynamite (Theatre Smash).

Dylan is a founding member of Theatrefront, with whom he co-wrote and performed in Return (The Sarajevo Project), earning a Dora nomination for best new play. Film and television credits include The Handmaid’s Tale, Anne with an E, V Wars, Impulse, American Hangman, Dark Matter, Private Eyes, Alias Grace, Orphan Black, Bomb Girls and Hemlock Grove.

As a director, Dylan’s productions of The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy and Space Opera Zero! for Toronto’s Eldritch Theatre have earned multiple Dora nominations, and one win. Other recent directing credits include Herringbone and The Yalta Game (Talk is Free Theatre) and Every Brilliant Thing starring Gavin Crawford (Festival Players).

Dylan is the Artistic Associate of Theatrefront, the Associate Artistic Director of The Festival Players of Prince Edward County and the Co-Founder/Co-Creative director of GhostLight, Canada’s online platform for mentorship in the theatre (ghostlight.ca).”

We conducted our conversation via email as Dylan is an extremely busy family man. Thank you for taking the time to add to the conversation, Dylan:

The doors to Toronto indoor live theatre have been shut for over a year now with no possible date of re-opening soon. How have you and your immediate family been faring during this time?

Thanks for asking this, Joe.

While this has been a profoundly challenging time, I have tried my best to seek silver linings where I can. I’ve got two amazing kids, and I have spent a lot more time with them over the last year than I would otherwise have been able.

When everything shut down last March, I took the opportunity to teach my youngest son how to read. We had a great time with it, and we never would have been able to do that under normal circumstances. We established some fun family traditions during the pandemic: Thursday night campouts in the living room (or on the balcony in the summer). Takeout and old episodes of ‘Survivor’ on Friday nights. Because there are four of us and a dog packed into a condo, I have been fortunate to avoid the massive challenges of isolation that so many people have had to deal with over the last year. We’ve tried to make it fun however we could.

About indoor live theatre shut for over a year, there is a void for sure. More than anything I have missed the social interactions, the ridiculous jokes and meeting new people. I miss the event of theatre. The anticipation when the lights go dark. The thrill of audience and artists sharing a space.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?
I’ve tried to keep busy!

A few days before all the theatres shut down, Graham Abbey and I had opened a production of ‘The Winter’s Tale’ at U of T. We’d had such an inspiring experience working with these students, and we were discussing the possibility of creating more training and mentorship opportunities in the near future.

Then when March 13th hit, and, like everyone else, all our immediate theatre plans evaporated. Graham called me and we began a conversation about building an online platform for theatrical mentorship. We wanted to create a space that would keep the theatre community active, inspired, and connected while the industry was shut down.

Through that conversation we laid the groundwork for what would become GhostLight (www.ghostlight.ca) Alongside co-founders Stephen Barnard, E.B Smith and Adrianna Prosser, we spent the next several weeks developing this platform, recruiting mentors and creating our launch event Friday Night at the GhostLight (featuring Margaret Atwood, Adrienne Clarkson, Torquil Campbell, Colin Mochrie).

In May we launched our first series of free classes lead by some of the great theatre artists in this country, and we continued to do so throughout 2020—offering 19 classes to over 300 students.

Then, in September, Graham and I returned to U of T to teach Advanced Performance: Mainstage Drama. In that class we created two digital theatre pieces: an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rosamund Small’s play ‘Tomorrow Love’. It was a great opportunity to explore the possibilities that exist when creating theatre online.

I also shot a couple of Film and TV projects: ‘Marry Me this Christmas’ for the Bounce Network and ‘Titans’ for HBO Max. In April I directed a new play workshop for Alberta Theatre Projects (a company I have long admired), and a “First Day Read” for Talk is Free Theatre.

I also work with Festival Players of Prince Edward County (https://www.festivalplayers.ca ) as associate AD. We are busy planning an exciting season of outdoor theatre, music, dance and comedy for July and August.

The late Hal Prince described theatre as an escape for him. Has covid been an escape for me or would you describe this year long absence from theatre as something else?

I think he must have meant that theatre is a great escape from ordinary life, and that I can understand and relate to. Theatre allows us to live in wonder and to transcend the ordinary

This year-long absence from theatre has not been an escape for me though. It definitely has caused me to reflect and re-evaluate my life and my work in a healthy way. As actors and theatre artists, so much of our identity is wrapped up in our creative lives.

This year forced me to cultivate an identity outside of those parameters. I have learned that while I love being an actor, I don’t need to base my sense of worth upon it. It’s also taught me to keep an open mind about what theatre is, and what it can be.

The popular opinion (and I totally understand it) is that theatre is defined by live assembly in a physical space shared by actors and audience. But this year has taught me to challenge that.

We are storytellers. When the traditional parameters of our story telling are taken away from us, how do we adapt? I have been profoundly moved by digital theatre. I have been wowed by digital visuals in online plays. I have laughed heartily. I have witnessed beautiful, genuine connection between actors over Zoom. I have witnessed student actors deepen their understanding of the craft in an online classroom.

So, while it hasn’t been an escape, it has been enlightening, transformative and satisfying.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

My understanding of this virus and the various vaccines is limited, so anything I say here is complete speculation. My instinct is that it will be at least a year before people are attending theatre in a way that resembles to what we are used to and accustomed.

Once we get everyone vaccinated, it will take some time for audiences to gain the confidence to gather in large groups again. My hope is, in the meantime, theatre-makers will be inspired to get creative with their approach to alternative strategies.

I started my career doing outdoor theatre in Montreal. There is a magic to it when it’s done well. And it can attract non-traditional audiences.

I think we will also see companies getting innovative with hybrid models of theatre: a live performance in a real theatre with a tiny audience and live streamed to a greater audience in their homes. I’m curious about how this challenge can create new models of theatre. The advent of Zoom theatre has opened up performance possibilities that transcend geography.

While I don’t expect we will return to ‘normal’ in 2021, I am confident that this obstacle will lead to innovative approaches that could transform the way we create and attend theatre. I think theatre historians will look back on 2020-2021 and expound on on its vital transitional moment in the way we create theatre.

The most important thing in all this? All levels of government must prioritize supporting arts organizations. As things stand, there is no scenario that will allow us to generate the ticket revenue sufficient to meet our costs. If we want a thriving performing arts sector on the other side of this pandemic, it is vital that we keep companies afloat.

How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

What our industry has endured over the last 14 months will forever change the way we create theatre, and the way audiences experience it.

The most important moment we have experienced as a result of Covid is the reckoning that took place, and continues to take place, at arts institutions across this country. The closure of theatres created an opportunity for theatre artists to shine a spotlight on the systemic inequity and racism that has been taking place in our theatres and cultural institutions.

I believe that a positive, permanent transformation has begun to take place. I anticipate that we will continue to see healthy, innovative leadership models evolve because of this, and that will affect everything from programming, to process, to casting and hiring practices.

With regards to how we will create theatre in a post-pandemic world, my hope is theatre artists will be inspired to devise work that celebrates what makes the medium unique: liveness, gathering, collaboration and imagination. Great theatre can be like a party or a concert. It should be an event.

Unpredictable. Dangerous. Exhilarating.

I expect that there will be a greater urgency to the work we do and a hunger in the audiences that experience it.

Have you felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will influence your work?
In 2006 I created a play with actors from Bosnia called ‘Return: The Sarajevo Project’. These artists grew up during the war in Bosnia and experienced legitimate, tangible threats to their lives every single day for several years; it affected everything. Their work was raw, spontaneous, and unpredictable and I learned a great deal from being on stage with them.

I have not experienced that kind of sustained and palpable danger.

Covid has been frustrating, stressful, and inconvenient. It has posed a threat to my livelihood and my ability to pursue my dreams. But it would be inauthentic to suggest that I have a deeper understanding of danger that I will bring to my work as a result of this.

The word I keep coming back to is “urgency.” I will create theatre with more urgency when this is over. I’ll make up for lost time. I’ll relish the opportunities to collaborate with great artists in a shared space in front of an audience.

I’ll enjoy it more. I’ll play more. And I won’t take one second of it for granted.

Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made an impact on your life in such a way that you will bring it back to the theatre?

In 2019 I suffered a serious concussion while rehearsing a play. I was unable to act on stage for the entire year.

Then I lost a very close friend to a tragic accident.

And then Covid hit.

These three events permanently altered the way I see the world. Life and health feel much more fragile now. Everything we experience is raw material for the work we do. I hope and expect that these challenging events will have a positive impact on my work as an actor and director.

Once again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?
Covid has intensified my desire to do three things that I have been unable to do: traveling, creating theatre and socializing.

I want to meet new people and see new places. I think that our work requires us to feed our imaginations by seeking out a multitude of perspectives and pursuing new experiences.

That’s what I plan to do as soon as I am able to do so.

Follow Dylan on Instagram: @dylantrowbridgeyyz

Just this past Saturday June 6, The Stratford Festival held ‘Black Like Me past, present and future: Behind the Stratford Curtain’ round table discussion involving 10 black artists on its social media channels. I didn’t get the opportunity to watch the discussion until Sunday evening, and all I am going to say is this is essential must-see viewing for patrons of the Festival. I was shocked, angered, annoyed (and these are only three words) to hear of the abuses suffered and endured by black artists. Absolutely deplorable behaviour on all accounts.

After I watched the round table discussion, I immediately sent a message to EB Smith who was a member of the panel to ask him if he might be available for an interview. I wasn’t sure if he would be up for one since he and the other artists shared emotional moments where I often wondered if they would even be willing to speak about them again.

As I was writing the message to EB, he started responding back to me. I was most appreciative when he said he would be interested in being interviewed. His calm eloquence combined with just the right moments where he made me laugh made for a fascinating Zoom discussion:

1. It has been the almost three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation. Just yesterday I finally saw ‘Black Like Me: Behind the Stratford Curtain’ and, right now, I have no words as I am stunned. How have you been doing with this pandemic and now having to deal with this awful reality which has been obviously going on at the Festival for quite some time? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I’m doing great. This time is very interesting. The pandemic is hard in some ways. Routine has been shaken, and we’re all trying to figure out who we are in isolation. That’s a scary prospect for a lot of us as that requires navel-gazing and self reflection. But I think it’s also allowed people to listen in more genuine ways than they have in a long time. This industry because it’s stopped has been able to look at itself. For the first time in my career or education frankly, I feel like I’m not being gaslighted.

My immediate family is okay. My parents and my grandmother live together in Cleveland. I think they’re doing fine. It’s crowded in the house and they might be getting a little tired of each other. They get to be with people they love so there could be worse fates.

2. As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally during this pandemic?

Most difficult thing professionally for me, I guess, has been trying to figure how to get this message out. I think part of the reason why it’s coming to the surface for so many of us right now is the power structures of this industry have shifted fundamentally. Actors feel like they can speak their minds right now because they’re not afraid of any kind of retribution. Look, right now, there’s not a single artistic director in the world that can give me a job, so I have no fear of losing a job to anybody.

Reality is starting to sink in across the industry where folks are finally taking agency that they haven’t given themselves licence to take yet, and I don’t blame them. There are a lot of actors out there and very few jobs in the theatre. So, if you make those enemies of powerful people you run the risk of running afoul of them and losing employment. Losing the ability to do the work and it’s always been assumed that the price for doing the work is a forfeiture of your agency.

Personally, it’s a little weird going to the grocery store and wearing a mask. Trying to remember not to touch your face and all the other stuff we didn’t think about before. It’s strange when I really take a good look at this time of isolation, I’m doing better than I have done in years. And I think it’s because I don’t have to walk into a place that I have to convince myself every day isn’t harming me.

I love the theatre and what I do. The conditions under which we do this work are toxic and deadly. And there’s no reason for it. That’s ultimately what I’ve realized. I don’t miss being responsible for having to take care of people’s feelings, emotions, impulses that impinge upon my own agency, freedom, and ability to live. I don’t miss having to take care of that white fragility in the room. And that was an everyday balance you have to strike.

What I do miss is speaking the words and telling the stories. I miss playing with my friends on stage. That is why I do this.

I think my experience of this social isolation is unique in some ways. I don’t hear a lot of people talking about finding release in it. Financially it’s hell, and that’s a common experience. I used to think the financial stresses were the things that really stressed me out. I tell you something, I’ve been on the edge this whole time. And I’m fine.

The variable I was missing was walking into a rehearsal hall where I knew I had to be on guard 24/7.

3. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

We were in rehearsals for ‘Richard III’ and ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ at the Festival Theatre. I was set to begin rehearsals for ‘Hamlet 911’ last week. We were well in process for a few weeks of rehearsal for staging and doing our thing. It was exciting because the new Tom Patterson was opening so these shows were going to be in the brand-new building.

It was jarring like being launched out of a canon and there’s no netting beneath you. We were in the middle of rehearsal and things started getting a little weird as there was some strange disease happening in the world. Then it got closer and closer and closer. We went through a few surreal days weird rehearsals where we tried to be socially distant and it didn’t work. It was very odd, but ultimately it was clear we had to stop. We walked away from the rehearsal halls.

I’m not an epidemiologist so I have no idea if whether Stratford will be able to present this slate of plays for next year. Personally, I think it’s probably ambitious. I hope Stratford does a season next year. The sooner we can get theatre going again, the better in terms of organizational health and the health of the industry.

I do hope that, in the meantime, we make some fundamental changes in the way we do business in this industry. The not for profit theatre is broken. Theatre is broken in general. The practices we employ are outmoded and catered to a white supremacist patriarchy that just isn’t helpful in making art. It needs to be addressed.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Well, actually, I’ve been working with some friends of mine in launching a company called Ghostlight which is an online theatre training and education company. We’re trying to engage our students with material they won’t gather in theatre school. We want to develop and work with diverse stories.
We also have digital production services. We’re doing online live-streamed productions of theatrical work and interview style productions. I’m writing a pod cast with a friend of mine from Atlanta. Generally just trying to keep myself engaged in what’s happening in this industry and how to move forward with it once we’re able to resume.

The thing about this discussion this week – for me, it has been going on for twenty years for me. This has been my life for twenty years trying to say, “Look, something’s wrong.” I love this work but something’s wrong, so we gotta fix it, we gotta fix it, gotta fix it. And finally, those messages have gotten some traction from people of colour in this industry. Some of my white friends have been in touch this last week with me to ask, “Are you okay, this is a lot of work going on.” And I tell them, “I haven’t been okay since Rodney King got beat up. Since I’ve been old enough to recognize my relationship to the world as a black man, I’ve not been okay. I’ve been able to manage but I haven’t been good.

Is now what’s happening a new revelation for me? I got news for you.

And that’s why I said earlier in the interview, that’s why I’m not feeling like I’m being gaslighted by my industry and my chosen profession. It goes further. Part of the reason why this discussion was so impactful was the fact it was solution-oriented. It was the black artists’ decision to broadcast because we have to build the empathy first done through narrative first. When empathy is built, we have connection and then a solution with the motivation there to attack it. This was a unique opportunity to speak with the entire community.

5. Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty?

Don’t panic. We’re going to come back. When is in question, but in the meantime tell stories however you can. Use your imagination – digitally, socially distant, online, YouTube, stream. Even telling stories around a campfire is the first form of theatre.

This isolation is a reset button. We’re giving a rebirth to the industry all over again.

At the end of the day this is about the people. I think the institutions can forget all that. You cannot have a play without the actors performing. I don’t care what the stage looks like. Get back in touch with that across the industry. That’s what’s critical.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

All of this is positive. Look, we’re sitting in a place where we have 18 months of reconstruction we can do. We can do nothing, sit around and let the theatre re-boot itself, or we can re-design this industry to be empowering, to be collaborative, and to be all that it hasn’t been for a hundred years. I think that’s an amazing gift, as tragic the cost of that gift, we’ve been given it and we have to honour that cost with really hard work. When we come back, we have to re-focus our energies on people and not profits.

7. Do you think ‘Behind the Stratford Curtain’ will leave some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

I’m reminded from a line by Shakespeare – “We know not what we do.” The Festival didn’t know the damage they had done. A lot of arts leaders right now are having this epiphany. When I hear of people’s reactions, white artistic directors about all this, I’m reminded of ‘King Lear’ – “I’ve taken too little care of this.” They’re realizing they’ve had a responsibility they’ve neglected in terms of the shepherdship of this industry.

So much of the power structure in the rehearsal room is an import that favours a top down patriarchy. It’s a way to do theatre, but not the only way to do theatre. But the buck has to stop somewhere. There are so many other practices to employ that would allow people to have a much fuller and freer engagement with the work.

Who are we talking to in the industry? Who is the master in this industry? It’s not just removing detrimental practices, but you have to replace them with something.

8. Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

Sure. I think so. We’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s not new technology. We’re figuring out ways of utilizing it, but it’s nothing new.

Look, one of things it has always been is theatre is inaccessible. And theatre has always touted itself as an exercise in empathy, universal experience. But, at the end of the day, you’re not allowed to come see a Shakespeare play unless you have $200.00. Or, you go to see Shakespeare in the Park.

To get the experience of something like Stratford, you need a lot of money. It’s a lot of money for some people. This online work can bridge that divide because everyone has a cell phone. Way more people have access to YouTube than they do to a theatre. If we can start to figure out how to utilize that accessibility, we’ll fill our theatres up again.

We’ve been looking at the writing on the wall for years that attendance has been dwindling at theatres. So, I think we need to be realistic about that and say, “It was time for a pivot, anyway.” No amount of outreach is going to do that. We need new practices, we need a new approach to how we tell stories and what the impact of live performance is. If we can figure out how to distribute the weight of what we’re doing across the platforms, it can only serve to help us. It’s a diversification of a portfolio. I’m all for figuring this stuff out.

Streaming could be great and these immersive experiences that we might be able to create one day. Ghostlight is looking into that heavily right now because we want to free people from the Zoom window because it’s terrible. But there must be ways we can utilize technology in terms of innovation and theatrical experiences. The entire experience doesn’t have to happen in a theatre, perhaps part of it can happen online. Or it’s personalized. You can personalize with technology, but you can’t personalize for 300 people watching a live performance all at once. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but that’s what professional theatre has the time for right now.

9. Despite all this fraught tension and confusion of Covid and of ‘Behind the Stratford Curtain’ reality, what is it about performing that neither of these will ever destroy for you?

We did a Ghost light broadcast called ‘Friday Night at the Ghost Light’ about a month and a half ago. In it, Torquil Campbell (son of Stratford Festival veteran Douglas Campbell). He played a song. Graeme played Torquil excerpts from an interview done with his father. Douglas talks in those audio clips about the ectoplasm. And that’s what I miss.

I miss those moments that you cannot recreate anywhere but on stage. I miss playing with my friends. I miss the opening scene of ‘Coriolanus’ where I sat across from Tom McCamus and got to mess with him. I miss those moments of the bar of soap look where the actor dries as if the bar of soap just slipped out of their hands in the shower. I miss the vitality. I don’t miss the building and the lights – it’s fun and beautiful. What I miss are the human moments.

With a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

Fuck! (EB says this with a definitive tone in his voice)

2. What is your least favourite word?

No.

3. What turns you on?

Hmmm…A specific and excellent use of language.

4. What turns you off?

An unappreciation of the difference between there, they’re and their.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

I love the sound my dog makes when he sees another dog.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

The sound of my cat scratching in the litter box. I hear a lot of these things right now ‘cause I’m not around other people.

7. What is your favourite curse word? Fuck.

b) What is your least favourite curse word? (thanks to Nigel Shawn Williams for this suggestion) – Least favourite curse word? Damn it, Nigel…you gotta give me a minute there, Joe…I don’t know. I love words. Cursing for me is one of the more honest forms of expression. My least favourite curse words are the ones they dub in on movies for television.

8. Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

I could see myself doing a lot of things. Pilot probably. I learned how to fly when I was a kid. I almost did it for a career but that would have involved going into the military and I didn’t want to have to kill anybody. So I became an actor.

9. What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

Accountant.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

Oh, that’s a good question…”How did you get here?”

Follow E. B. on Social Media: Twitter: @starringeb Instagram: @storyforge

Over the years while working as a full-time teacher, I’ve travelled to Montreal to visit relatives and friends in the summer, (et parler francais aussi). I’ve only attended The Centaur Theatre sadly just once as the theatre was usually closed for July and August. Since I’ve been reviewing for On Stage Blog, I made it a point to get in touch with The Centaur again as I was receiving word there was ‘good stuff’ going on, and I wanted to check it out since my retirement from teaching.

I must credit a lot of the ‘good stuff’ going on for the last two seasons to Artistic Director, Eda Holmes, and her vision for the theatre.

From 2010-2017, Ms. Holmes was Artistic Director of Ontario’s Shaw Festival. Her curriculum vitae reveals extensive professional experience she has had across Canada. Her training at rather prestigious ballet schools in New York City, San Francisco and Houston, Texas plus her training at Montreal’s National Theatre School in Directing are quite impressive. When I attended opening night productions to review the last two seasons, Ms. Holmes eloquently opened each performance with a warm welcome to guests and patrons. I thought to myself here was a lady who genuinely cared about The Centaur and wants it to be a leading spot for theatrical creativity.

During this pandemic lockdown, Ms. Holmes still wanted to ensure audiences and patrons do not lose sight of the artistic and creative force of The Centaur. There are Saturday Salons where guests can listen to individual discussions. On Saturday May 23, the Salon features Playwright’s Workshop Montreal with Emma Tibaldo and Jesse Stong about our Queer Reading Series. On May 30, Eda’s guest will be Centaur’s former Artistic and Executive Director, Roy Surette. Roy is now Touchstone Theatre’s Artistic Director in Vancouver. We’re all looking forward for Eda and Roy to talk about their love for Centaur. The last Saturday Salon will be held June 6 with Imago Theatre’s Artistic and Executive Director Micheline Chevrier. Montreal’s Imago Theatre is a catalyst for conversation, an advocate for equal representation and a hub for stories about unstoppable women.

Ms. Holmes and I conducted our interview via email:

1. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine? Is your family doing well?

I feel really fortunate that I am home and well with my husband Tim Southam. Even though Montreal is a real hotspot of the pandemic we are lucky to live near the mountain where we can be out in nature a bit without having to go very far. For the first two weeks of the whole thing Tim had just returned from LA so he had to self-isolate and I was in Niagara-on-the-lake where we were supposed to start rehearsals for The Devil’s Disciple – which we ended up doing entirely via Zoom. I was able to come back to Montreal after 2 weeks and that felt really good. Now if it would just get a bit warmer outside, I would feel really hopeful!

2. I know that ‘Fences’ was shut down at The Centaur when the pandemic was declared, and everything began to be locked tightly. How long was the production in rehearsal? How far was it from premiere? Will ‘Fences’ become part of any future slate at Centaur?

Fences was supposed to start rehearsals 3 days after we closed the theatre on March 13th. At that point, the set was built and waiting in the theatre to be set up on the stage, the costume and set designer Rachel Forbes was in town and the costumes were just getting started. We had a video shoot planned for the first day of rehearsal as well to create a trailer for the show and the posters had just started going up inside and outside of the building. Since we didn’t really know the scope or scale of the situation yet, we decided together with our co-producers at Black Theatre Workshop to delay the start of rehearsals for one month in the hopes that things would calm down enough to make it possible to do the show a month later – how naive we were!

By the end of March it was clear that nothing that involved people gathering was going to be possible for quite a while so we paid the creative team and the actors their cancellation fees and postponed the show indefinitely. Quincy Armorer the AD at Black Theatre Workshop (who was also going to play Troy Maxson in the production) and I committed to finding a way to make the production happen with this cast and creative team in the future even if it meant waiting 2 years. It was initially sort of stunning but eventually the numbness gave way to real sadness.

3. What has been the most challenging part of the isolation and quarantine for you personally and professionally?

I think that the two most challenging things have been 1) trying to figure out how best to support the artists and core staff at Centaur as we navigate the upheaval of cancelling shows and finding ways to be authentically “online” in the short term, and 2) the fact that I did not get to have any creative time with all the artists that I was looking forward to being in a room with working on my show at Shaw. That said, the thing that has gotten me through has been the people both at Centaur and at Shaw – everyone has been so inspiring and supportive of one another it confirms that the theatre is the best family in the world.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

Every day feels like a week and every week feels like a year. For me the thing that is kind of surreal is the fact that even though everything has supposedly stopped, nothing seems to have stopped for me.
I was rehearsing with the Shaw actors until May 10th by Zoom and at Centaur I have been planning and replanning how to keep the theatre creatively alive while we wait to see what is possible – something that changes almost hourly. I am hoping that it will all calm down soon and I will be able to at least read a bit, listen to music and spend some quiet time thinking, cooking and watching the Spring come alive. I might even dance a bit!

5. What advice would you give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What words of advice would you give to the new graduates emerging from the National Theatre School?

Even though no one knows how long this extraordinary situation (where we are not able to gather in public) will last – I know that it won’t last forever and when it is over the need to share our stories and make each other laugh and sing and think will be immense. The thing that has been most impressive has been the way all the artists I know have simply taken what is in front of them in this crisis and looked to make something of it. It might be bread for everyone they know, it might be a new song or a series of photographs or paintings or it might even be a commitment to get back to the basics of their own lives without the crazy race that a life in the arts usually entails, but every one of them seems to be saying “What is in front of me right this minute and what can I do with it.” So I guess my advice is the same as I would give an actor in a play – be in the moment and listen – that is the only way that I know to bring the full force of your own ability to the table with real authenticity.

6. Do you see anything positive coming out of this pandemic?

I can only speak for myself on this one but I know that this crazy time has reminded me that you have to work with what you have and not lament what you don’t if you want to find a creative way forward. We can’t try to remake the world in its old image once this over – that would be a tragic waste of the immense toll the pandemic has taken.

Never before, in my lifetime at least, has there been a single event that has impacted people around the world the way this virus has. We can’t help but be affected by that. It may not all be positive – we are human after all – but it will change all of us and hopefully it will give us the courage to make choices politically and collectively that will provide a better future than the one we were heading toward before we were all sent home.

7. Do you believe or can you see if the Quebec and Canadian performing arts scene will somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

It can’t help but be changed in both good ways and sad ways. I know that some companies will find it hard to survive or certain projects which were absolutely perfect before this crisis may fall away because the world will be so different afterward they are no longer as relevant.

But the performing arts in Canada in general and Quebec in particular is full of intensely driven creative people who will be pushing at the gate to come forward and take on the new world and wrestle with what it all means. And the fact that Canada as a nation provides real effective public support for the arts at every level of government means that we have the best chance of coming out of this crisis ready to work.

8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts and comments about this? Are there any advantages or disadvantages? Will streaming/online/ You Tube performances be part of a ‘new normal’ for the live theatre/performing arts scene?

The thing that we all crave in the performing arts is the experience of being personally in the room with something extraordinary – a brilliant performance or a perfectly cast audience that hangs on every word or note or step with the performers. It happens in real time with each person on either side of the footlights making a million choices in 3-dimensional real time together. The online world cannot reproduce that real time impact we have on each other in the room. Also we are all very sophisticated consumers of recorded media which at its best is the result of a very selective creative process that results in an intensely edited 2 dimensional final product.

So I think that the theatre needs time to find authentic ways to create for an online platform – simply filming performances and broadcasting them will only work some of the time and only when the performance lends itself in some way to that selective edited final product. Painters have been playing with the surface of the canvas and all artists toy with the desire for or avoidance of verisimilitude all the time. It has always led the arts to innovate. I am sure that will happen during this period while we are not able to be in a room together – but it will never replace being in the room together.

9. As the Centaur’s Artistic Director, where do you see the future of Centaur headed as a result of this life changing event for all of us?

I want to see Centaur continue down the path we were building toward becoming the theatre for all Montrealers. This city has changed so much in the past 10 years. The old notion of two solitudes is being dissolved by a young generation of artists who speak at least 2 languages, come from a variety of backgrounds and who have a wide range of influences. It makes the work that comes from here completely unique and I want to put Centaur at the centre of that creative energy and offer our audience the highest quality and most relevant theatre in the world – as soon as we can make theatre again!

As a nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

1. What is your favourite word?

Wicked

2. What is your least favourite word?

Nice

3. What turns you on?

Fierce Joy

4. What turns you off?

Laziness

5. What sound or noise do you love?

A purring cat

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Music at the wrong volume.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

It is unrepeatable.

8. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

Chef

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Accountant

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“You’re late.”

To read and learn more about Montreal’s Centaur Theatre, visit www.centaurtheatre.com.

Elena Belyea is the Artistic Director of Tiny Bear Jaws, an agile, femme and queer-run cross-Canadian theatre company.

Founded in 2015, Tiny Bear Jaws produces innovative, provocative, and engaging new works. It is committed to exploring the creative possibilities that exist exclusively in live performance. Tiny Bear Jaws creates theatre that’s transgressive in content and form. Past shows: Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable; Everyone We Know Will Be There: A House Party in One Act; Cleave; The Worst Thing I Could Be (Is Happy); I Don’t Even Miss You; and This Won’t Hurt, I Promise.

Recently, I had the opportunity to email performer Elena Belyer questions about their artistic work and background.

Belyea opens at Toronto’s Factory Theatre this week in ‘I Don’t Even Miss You.’ The show runs at Factory Theatre from October 31 to November 10 in the Studio Theatre. It then travels to One Yellow Rabbit’s High-Performance Rodeo in Calgary (co-presented by Verb Theatre as part of their 2024/2025 season).

According to the Factory Theatre website, the story centres around non-binary computer programmer Basil who wakes to a new world and devastating loss. Using live music, dance, and video, I Don’t Even Miss You is a bold exploration of grief, love, artificial intelligence, and legacy that asks how gender, identity, and family can exist without anyone to perceive them.

Belyea completed undergraduate work in Drama and Creative Writing at the University of Alberta before attending the Playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada.

What is it about the performing arts that continues to keep Elena focused and interested?

Whenever Elena watches or performs a play, one of their favourite parts is the knowledge that a particular moment or scene may or will never happen quite the same ever again, even if it’s a recording or coming back to watch something the night after.

For Elena:

“Something happens…. we’ll experience it together, then it’s gone forever. I find this really exciting. Before I step onstage, no one, not me, not the audience, knows for sure what will happen. We have an idea, but nothing is guaranteed. Anything could happen, which means everything is possible.”

In profiling the artist, I also like to ask who in their own lives has either influenced or mentored them up to this point.

Belyea was pleased to share the names of some mentors: Michael Kennard, Christine Stewart, Derek Walcott, Tedi Tafel, Haley McGee, Karen Hines, and Adam Lazarus. They also named artists whose work and writing they are inspired by right now: Makambe Simamba, Young Jean Lee, Anne Carson, Kae Tempest, Sophie, and Nick Cave.

I’ll review the Sunday matinee performance. on November 3. The press release for the show calls the production ‘dystopian pop.’ I was intrigued by this label and wanted to know more from Elena about it.
They shared the concept of the show. Protagonist Basil exists in a fictitious world where everyone else on Earth has disappeared – hence the word ‘dystopian.’ Basil creates and is now performing an autobiographical play about their life. After a thwarted attempt to star in a musical during their teen years, Basil decides the only way to summarize accurately their chronology is through narration, self-recorded videos, dance, and (pop) songs.

Audiences can expect synthesizers galore, boy band motifs, choreographed melodrama, and an electric ukulele from the performance.

Whenever Elena starts writing a play, a series of questions comes to mind rather than messages. I find this interesting myself—questions instead of comments.

What are some of the questions Elena asks of audiences in ‘I Don’t Even Miss You?’:

“What is a legacy? Can love, identity, and family exist with no one to perceive them? Is it possible to develop technology that could replace human connection? What are the physical, psychological, and spiritual impacts of loneliness? How does Basil’s transness inform the play’s content and form? “
Some heady questions, indeed. I’m always a fan of audience talkbacks about these kinds of questions.

There is a talkback with the audience on November 3. I like to stay for these as I learn more about the show and the artist.

Elena clarified that ‘I Don’t Even Miss You’ had a run of a very different nature in 2022. It ran again in Ottawa in 2024. But it’s hard for Belyea to know how the audiences will react. Their favourite part of the show is “Listening to the audience’s reactions and trying to identify what is landing when.” Once again, Elena clarified there were moments in Ottawa where an audience member would make an unexpected sound in reaction to something happening. Elena finds that impactful as the show’s writer, the performer and the character at the moment.

The life of a travelling performing artist can be tiring and exhausting. To be honest, I don’t know how these young people do it.

What’s next for this ambitious young artist once ‘I Don’t Even Miss You’ concludes its run:

“First and foremost— rest. I’m fantasizing about wrapping myself in a thousand blankets for a week at least, napping, reading, and playing non-stop video games with my partner and dog. After that, I will begin prep for “I Don’t Even Miss You” in Calgary and re-learn how to knit.”

To learn more about Tiny Bear Jaws Theatre: www.tinybearjaws.com.

To purchase tickets for ‘I Don’t Even Miss You’ and to learn more about Factory Theatre, visit www.factorytheatre.ca.

Eliza-Jane is an actor and singer based out of Hamilton Ontario. She is currently on “pandemic hiatus” from Come from Away where she plays Beverley Bass in the Toronto production. She has had an extensive career in the theatre in Canada, with some highlights including playing Maria in The Sound of Music at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Donna in Mamma Mia! The Musical at The Confederation Centre for the Arts, and Hold Me, Touch Me in the Canadian Company and First National Tour of The Producers. She is Dora nominated for her work in The Musical Stage Company’s Elegies and is a founding member of both Theatre20 and The Montreal Young Company.

Eliza-Jane is director and producer, having worked on such projects as B!TCH ISLAND at the Hamilton Fringe, A Misfortune which has its world premiere at the Confederation Centre for the Arts, Laura Secord at Festival Players of Prince Edward County, Les Belles Soeurs at St. Lawrence College among others.

She received her teaching degree in 2008 with focusses in both vocal music and theatre. She was Head of Theatre at Asbury College and has taught at St. Lawrence College, Carleton University, Randolph Academy and Sheridan College in their Musical Theatre Programs and courses. She received her BFA in acting from The University of Windsor.

We conducted our conversation via email, and you will see from her responses her bona fide sense of humour emanates strongly.

Thanks, EJ, for taking the time to add your voice to the conversation:

Many professional theatre artists I’ve profiled and interviewed have shared so much of themselves and how the pandemic has affected them from social implications from the Black Lives Matter and BIPOC movements to the staggering numbers of illnesses and deaths. Could you share with us and describe one element, either positive or negative, from this time that you believe will remain with you forever?

One element is the loss and grief around my Mother dying. She headed into long term care a week before the shut down. She died this January. When you are so intimately connected with grief and spend your days caregiving, you don’t have much left for anything else. Except maybe binging ‘Arrested Development’. Again.

Have you learned anything about human nature from this time?

I’ve deepened my belief that we are more the same than different and that it is our nature to empathize and listen to others. Wait, what did you ask me…

How has your immediate family been faring during this time? As a family, can you share with us how your lives have been changed and impacted by this time?

Well, sometimes loudly and with bluster, but mostly just tiny squeaky parfs that oddly can travel the entire house. Oh, wait. I thought you said farting.

But seriously speaking, my family is doing really well. We are healthy and lucky and are deeply appreciative to spend this time together.

I know none of us can even begin to guess when professional theatre artists will be back to work. I’ve spoken with some who have said it might not be until 2022. Would you agree on this account? Have you ever though that you might have had to pivot and switch careers during this time?

Oh, geez, all we do as artists is pivot. We are well versed in this technique. I’ve pivoted so many times in my career that full circle isn’t just an idiom. It’s all or nothing, feast or famine (OK, those are just idioms)

Half the time you are working, you’re not actually working…you are just trying to get work. I’m constantly thinking about pivoting, and already am…at the moment I am teaching online education which has been a challenge.

How do you think your chosen career path and vocational calling will look once all of you return safely to the theatre? Do you feel confident that you can and will return safely?

Alright, for a brief and I said brief moment, I will be serious here. If the industry rebounds I will as well. I am a theatre person. It’s just who I am.

I love the theatre and everything in it…weellll…except the people. (I said I would TRY to be serious). I will run to it with open arms and hug the stitches out of it. I will never stop acting in the theatre…unless I get a series.

This time of the worldwide pandemic has shaken all of us to our very core and being. According to author Margaret Atwood, she believes that Canadians are survivors no matter what is thrown in their path. Could you share what has helped you survive this time of uncertainty?

Donut Monster, water paints, Covid testing, nature walks, Meditation, cottage porn, free farting, Ultra docs, SSRI’s, camping trips, running, baking, teaching gigs, sleeping, yoga, judging my cats, skiing, biking, Wah Sardaarji snacks. ALSO, taking my relationship with my pyjamas (co-dependant) to the next level and doing my son’s homework (also co-dependant). AND FINALLY, taking an online chemistry course and quitting an online chemistry course.

Imagine in a perfect world that the professional theatre artist has been called back as it has been deemed safe for actors and audience members to return. The first show is complete and now you’re waiting backstage for your curtain call:

a) Describe how you believe you’re probably going to react at that curtain call.

It is likely I will have a good cry. It is also likely I will flatten the first four rows crowd surfing.

b) There is a crowd of people waiting to see you and your castmates at the stage door to greet all of you. Tell me what’s the first thing you will probably say to the first audience member:

“So…I was your favourite, right…No hold on, that’s what I would be thinking. What I would say was, “Thank you”.

You can connect with EJ on Instagram: elizajanes and as ejfromaway.

“As an upcoming artist myself, one of the key things I’ve learned is trusting yourself. If you trust your ideas, abilities, and capabilities, you can push yourself to try new things, go new places, and get your work out there.”

Emily Paterson’s unique voice as an artist will ring loud and clear soon in the Toronto theatre industry.

Currently, she trains at the University of Toronto Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies.  She is in the final year of her undergraduate degree and will complete her dual degree in Drama and English Literature in Spring 2026.

Paterson is preparing Butch/Femme for its opening at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) this month.

She has received extensive advice, training and mentorship from a variety of notable Toronto theatre artists during her undergraduate years.  Emily credits Ken Gas, who has given some of the best advice, support and encouragement as a theatre artist. Gas has especially given Emily great insight regarding opening their own production company (The Green Couch Theatre) to produce Butch/Femme at Passe Muraille this month.  Paterson also credits playwrights George F. Walker and Moynan King, who have given extensive feedback and encouragement regarding writing practice and the development of Butch/Femme.

The one person Paterson speaks of fondly is Marjorie Chan, Artistic Director of Passe Muraille:

“Marjorie has been one of the most significant mentors in the development of my practice. She adjudicated the 2025 Hart House Drama festival, where Butch/Femme premiered. From there, [Chan] chose to bring [the production] to Passe Muraille. The trust [Marjorie] has in me as an upcoming artist, as well as the support and advice she has given me through the play development, has been integral to my artistry.”

Paterson puts it simply regarding Chan:

“If it weren’t for Marjorie, [Butch/Femme] wouldn’t exist as it is today.”

Emily didn’t know much about the Toronto theatre life when moving to the city three years ago and has learned a lot both in studies and experience. Fast forward three years, and what’s her current understanding of the Toronto theatre industry?

“I think the performing arts space in Toronto is very distinct and provides a space for experimentation, growth and boundary-breaking theatre. However, there is still a distinct lack of female voices in Toronto’s theatre scene. Most of the slates in other theatres feature more people who aren’t women than who are.”

What’s exciting for Paterson at this time about the opening night of Butch/Femme?  It’s the fact that women appear front and centre this year at Passe Muraille. Paterson also says that we don’t explore the inspiring aspects of Toronto enough anymore. So much contemporary theatre produced in this city is not Toronto – or even Canadian-centred. Paterson states that’s part of what makes Butch/Femme so special. Audiences can identify and locate the places the characters discuss in the play, gaining an intimate familiarity with them.

What is the story behind Butch/Femme?

From Passe Muraille’s website: “In the stillness of 1950s rural Ontario, Jenny’s (Annabelle Gillis) quiet evening is shattered by an unexpected visitor – Alice (Tessa Kramer), the woman whom Jenny thought she’d left in the past. In one tense night, the two reminisce, seeking answers from one another about their relationship, their past and their future.”

Emily is elated that Gillis and Kramer are part of the TPM production, as they have been integral to the script’s growth. The ladies are also undergraduate students at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama and Theatre Performance Studies.  Gillis and Kramer’s ability to perform to such a professional level speaks to their refined skills as actors so early in their careers.  One of the most integral aspects of Butch/Femme is the “beautiful tension” they create together.

Recently, I received a public relations release about Butch/Femme, which stated that it was essential to disseminate the following message about the show to as many people as possible. This release states that the message feels both urgent and underreported: the ongoing scarcity of sapphic spaces, which are especially rare in cities like Toronto.

I had no idea what sapphic spaces meant, so I had to ask Emily about the importance of these spaces and why they need to exist.

Emily was pleased to share what this term means.

Sapphic spaces are physical locations where lesbians, bisexual women, trans women, and other sapphic-identifying people can gather and socialize in a space free of the patriarchal dominance of men in queer and “straight” spaces. Space is a political construct that has been dominated by patriarchal standards throughout time. In this city, lesbians have historically always had “space”. Bars such as The Continental, The Rose, and The Pussy Palace, as well as theatre events like “Dyke City” at Buddies and Bad Times. Over time, we have watched these spaces disappear or “rebrand” to have a focus on queer men or a general queer audience for financial gain. Essentially, eliminating a place for queer women, who de-centre men, to have a space where they can feel safe, open, and be allowed to express their sapphic identity, free of the pressures that come with patriarchal expectations.  

This is a lot to take in.

Emily explains further:

“The idea I keep repeating regarding this show is focusing on the ways the past reflects the present. Although Butch/Femme is a historic story, the issues, insecurities, and tensions the characters – Alice and Jenny – face are still incredibly relevant to the present moment.”

What is it that Paterson hopes audiences will leave the theatre once Jenny and Alice’s story has been shared?

Paterson wants audiences to leave with the ability to reflect on how the nuanced aspects of queer identity, space, and relationships explored in Butch/Femme not only connect to their lives but also challenge the biases with which audiences approach these queer histories.

What’s next for Emily once Butch/Femme concludes its TPM run?

She plans to finish the degree and continue to grow as an artist. Pursuing graduate studies in theatre or writing at U of T, Toronto Metropolitan University, or York might also be in the picture. She says working at historic queer companies like Buddies in Bad Times would be a dream come true and a vital part of refining her artistic voice. She’s also had her eye on TPM’s emerging creators unit for a while. Writing for film and TV is also another path she could take to build a foundation as a working writer and share her voice with the world.

She also hopes to inspire up-and-coming young artists in the same way she has been inspired.

Butch/Femme runs September 20-27 at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue. To learn more, visit passemuraille.ca.

Headshot credit: Kieran Ramos

Actor, writer, and musician Eponine Lee’s maturity as an artist within the theatre industry makes me proud to see our Canadian young people move forward.

I saw her first onstage as one of the children in the annual Soulpepper production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL years ago (Nudge and wink to Soulpepper: please bring back the production).

When the Stratford Festival held productions outside during Covid with audience members sitting six feet apart in their chairs, I saw a very mature Eponine play Juliet in WhyNot and the Festival’s production of ‘R & J.’

Suppose I feel this surge of artistic pride for our country’s young talent. In that case, I can only begin to fathom the overwhelming love, delight, and gratification that her parents, Nina Lee Aquino and Richard Lee, must be experiencing. Their daughter’s accomplishments are a testament to their support and guidance.

Eponine and I couldn’t converse via Zoom this time as I have some family issues to which I must still attend. However, she was very kind in responding via email.

Born and raised in the theatre community, Lee feels incredibly familiar with this world and everything that is part of it. She uniquely understands how the industry functions and all the amazing possibilities that may arise when artists get together to make theatre. Through the creative, collaborative, and wonderful people she has enjoyed working with, Eponone adoringly spoke of the constant positive energy, openness, and passion in theatre that many other industries don’t seem to present.

As for the changes in the industry during the last four years, she sees accessibility, awareness, and adaptivity are necessary for the industry development in the future:

“As more people realize that the theatre industry is not perfect, these big and small alterations of how future generations can continue to produce shows in an environment that is less biased, less harmful and less devitalizing on one’s artistry will become more and more possible.”

In a 2022 online interview with Canada’s National Observer, Eponine stated, “to just ask around for any opportunities you can get and to say yes…Say yes to even the smallest of roles with the smallest of theatre companies…You just have to do it, you just have to go through it and grit your teeth through all the nerve-wracking things that come and know and believe that you take up space in that room and you matter,”

Two years later, she still feels the same way about the industry.

It remains her core mindset and mantra for everything; there is no audition room, rehearsal hall, or main stage that she walks onto and still does not feel what she said in the above paragraph. She tries to remember that she is here because she matters and is part of this space.

This month, Eponine will appear in THE FIXING GIRL by Kevin Dyer at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre, where she will share the stage with Zoé Doyle and Eric Peterson. Rehearsals have gone swimmingly. She has no complaints – Lee has been part of previous iterations of the play from workshops, and that knowledge helped tremendously in the rehearsal process.

THE FIXING GIRL is a story about grief, loss, and navigating change as a family that certainly feels broken. A young girl named Meghan has lost her grandfather (Peterson). The play opens right after she has returned from his funeral. Meghan is determined to bring her grandfather back by locking herself in his old shed and fixing everything he left. Meghan’s mother (Doyle) needs her daughter to stay in the house while her grandfather has left his granddaughter with a task that may not seem as easy as it looks.

Given the story deals with grief, loss and navigating changes because of death, why does Eponine believe THE FIXING GIRL is an essential story for audiences to see:

“What’s so lovely about Kevin Dyer’s script…is that it will engage with the audience by planting the first couple of seeds about what it means when someone has passed away. I firmly believe that his play is the type of play that will generate meaningful conversations about topics that are rarely talked about—like death and mortality—long after it has been watched.”

To work on this production with director Stephen Colella has been fantastic for Eponine. He’s the kind of director that is specific and precise, but also open to ideas that people may have. From an actor’s perspective, Lee thinks Stephen really understands how to talk to her about almost anything (especially when doing “scene work,” which is just making certain sections of her dialogue clearer).

She adds further:

“[Stephen] treats me like an equal and an individual, which is quite important to me being the youngest person in the room — as all I ever truly want is to be respected in the same manner as everybody else. He has seamlessly created a space through his directorial and leadership practices where I feel safe, empowered, and able to show vulnerability without judgment.”

What’s next for Eponine once THE FIXING GIRL concludes its run at YPT?

She’s off to perform in the 2024 season of the Shaw Festival. She will appear in ‘Orphan of Chao’ (directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster), ‘Snow in Midsummer’ (directed by Nina Lee Aquino) and understudying one of the ensemble roles in ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Human Heart’ (directed by Craig Hall).

For her music, she’s planning on releasing another album in the next couple of years while, in the meantime, making more covers of songs she loves (follow coco.penny_ on Instagram/TikTok and Coco Penny on YouTube for more).

THE FIXING GIRL runs April 15 – May 2 on the Ada Slaight Stage at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front Street East.

To learn more about the production, Young People’s Theatre or purchase tickets online, visit youngpeoplestheatre.org.

An anticipated nervous excitement might be the best way to describe the ten minutes before I had the golden opportunity to be in the virtual presence of actor Eric Peterson, a highly respected artist from CBC’s ‘Street Legal’, CTV’s ‘Corner Gas’ and many stage productions throughout Canada.

The butterflies in my stomach flew away as he genuinely put me at ease quickly through much laughter in the interview that I was annoyed when Zoom informed me I only had ten minutes left in the conversation. I still had many things to ask him about his career and his upcoming work in Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ to be staged at Crow’s Theatre in September and directed by Artistic Director, Chris Abraham.

I’m always interested in where artists have received their theatre training. Eric’s facetious response:

“So, you start off with a totally embarrassing question… I’ve never been formally trained.”

And when you are as good as Eric Peterson, who the hell cares whether he was?

He had one year at the University of Saskatchewan in the drama class which he says got him hooked on “this terrible, terrible profession I’ve been involved in now for 55 years or something like that.” (and I’m in stitches of laughter this early in the interview) Eric also completed one year at UBC. One of the great things he says came from his year there were meeting so many people like John Gray, the late Brent Carver and Larry Lillo. Eric once again had me in laughter when he called all of them many years ago ‘emerging artists’ and now they are ‘submerging artists’ where he put himself at the top of the list.

Peterson had lived in England for a while. He was stage manager for a time and an assistant stage carpenter. Peterson has learned about acting through participation in plays which is a good way as far as he is concerned because artists get to work with all kinds of different people. There were some years when he felt embarrassed because he had no formal training from places like NTS or the University of Alberta, or Britain. But those days are behind him right now as he considers how fortunate he has been in his career and says, ‘it’s a little late now to be concerned about the training.”

Eric jokingly spoke about his Dorian Gray years (and they were terrific, by the way) on CBC’s ‘Street Legal’ where he looks back at it when he had so much hair and thinner. But I agree when he says why should we rail against the passage of time.

I also wanted to get Eric’s personal and professional perspective on where he sees the trajectory of the live Canadian performing arts headed over the next five years on account of the continuing Covid presence and its new variants. Eric recognizes how the theatres are leaving it up to the individual choices of the audience members to wear a mask or not which seems to be working in helping to keep Covid at bay as much as possible. All this plus the vaccines and the booster shots are doing what they are supposed to be doing. From what Eric knows, there will be a couple of performances where masks are mandatory at Crow’s so those who wish to attend may do so and feel safe. This seems to be the reality we will all have to live with for now.

Will Covid demolish live Canadian theatre?

That will never occur and live theatre will never leave us because Eric believes [it] is too dear to our hearts. Peterson recounted back at Crow’s in June when he performed in George F. Walker’s ‘Orphans for the Czar’ and the heavy enthusiasm of the audience for just being out of the house and being able to attend live theatre once again. Eric compared this feeling to being at a reunion.

He also shared he had just finished reading a book about Christopher Marlowe where the theatres in Britain were closed on account of the plague. In a sense, live theatre has dealt with pandemics and disease. It’s just part of the environment. We here in this country are just not used to doing it in this modern age where we think we’re a fraction away from immortality.

I never got a chance to see his work in ‘Orphans for the Czar’ as it was covered by a colleague. In true facetious response again, Eric told me how marvellous he was in it (and my colleague most certainly agreed), but I did get to see his five-minute appearance near the end of an astounding ‘Detroit’ at Coal Mine Theatre. Eric loved his time in this production. He compared himself to ‘The Ghost of Suburbs Past’. ‘Detroit’ was a surreal experience for him because as he states: “I was kind of in another play where I came on in the last four minutes. I was a character nobody heard about and I began talking about people nobody heard about.”

And now he’s in rehearsals of one of the great masterpieces of live theatre – Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya.’ I asked him how rehearsals are going at this time:

“They’re fantastic, fantastic, and interesting, very, very interesting. We have got a decent rehearsal time, so the stress and deadline of the opening aren’t as present which is always good in rehearsals because people don’t feel that kind of stress and are more open, easier going and more relaxed. The more relaxed you are, the more creative you are and there isn’t that fear of how am I going to get through this.”

Eric then spoke glowingly of his cast and how superbly talented and gifted a leader Chris Abraham is as a director because he is so well prepared with a thoughtful mind and amazing energy. This is not meant in a formulaic manner, but Eric is appreciative of the creative atmosphere Chris engenders and encourages during rehearsals. It’s a wonderful scary challenge, but so enriching that Peterson feels he’s part and parcel of something important. Eric then joked how he hoped Chris doesn’t read this article so he doesn’t get a swelled head. (and again I’m in fits of laughter).

As a theatre artist who is Artistic Director, Eric believes Chris’s programming is an absolute connection to the world in which we now live. In one way or another, any slated play is not going to be a museum piece but will be something audiences can relate to in a personal way or civic way. In other words, what we see on Crow’s stages are aspects of the world in which we all live in, that we read about in newspapers. Eric and I then shared a good laugh because there are no such things as newspapers anymore so it’s what the young people see on their damned instruments.

What has also made Eric excited about rehearsals and eventual performances of ‘Uncle Vanya’? No matter how long ago they were written, classic works like ‘Uncle Vanya’ still encapsulate absolute accuracy about the human condition in one way or another. These plays speak as loudly now to audiences as they did to contemporary audiences when they were first written. It is up to the production and the company involved to exemplify what was intended. Eric told me the company had completed its first ‘run through’ (or as actors call it a ‘stumble through’), and for him, it’s both a terrifying and awesome experience.

Eric’s theory as to why ‘Uncle Vanya’ still speaks to twenty-first-century audiences? The two and a half years we’ve experienced the absence of theatre because of the pandemic have left us contemplating ourselves and how we are doing and whether should we be doing anything differently. Each of the characters in ‘Uncle Vanya’ is doing exactly that. Each asks: “Who am I?”, “I don’t like what’s going on, and I must change”, “I can change, and I should change.”

For Peterson, questions like these may and do sound serious on the one hand but these questions are also incredibly comic. It’s a kind of entertainment that isn’t about escaping the human condition. It’s a kind of entertainment that looks at the human condition where an audience member can say, “Yes, I can see me in that, or I can see other people in that.” And along with these questions and discoveries, it’s also the ‘What the hell is going on here?’

So, for Eric, ‘Uncle Vanya’ is funny, it’s sad; there’s violence in that with gunplay, unrequited love stories, all of this kind of human activity that we all know so well. With a play like ‘Uncle Vanya’, we witness it, and we can imaginatively participate in the lives of the characters on stage and do what theatre does.

Eric believes audiences must come out to see ‘Uncle Vanya’ because he guarantees they will be transformed by it. Audiences will arrive at the theatre in one frame of mind wondering how we are, and we will come out the other end highly entertained, delighted and possibly changed in attitude about who we are.

To conclude our conversation, I asked Eric what keeps him motivated in this industry with his 50-plus years of experience:

“Acting. We all question why we do it, and for me, I like to get up and show off in front of other people. I begin to wither unless I can grab the centre of attention. (and once again I’m in fits of laughter) I know that’s not a very honourable kind of motivation. Silence is my own sense of self-criticism and acting allows me to be someone else.”

Eric continued and I could sense his honest commentary:

“The economic and security rewards of the life of the artist can be problematic, but there is something incredibly valuable about people who enjoy together trying to make something interesting and beautiful and funny and entertaining, rather than making war on other people or doing this or that.

Artists bravely pretend. The arts serve a deep pleasure in humans regardless of how society may look at them. There have always been artists treasured by culture and society. That’s what joins us together through our imaginations in large groups, small groups, and individuals.

We do need people to help us stop life in the flow of life so that we can look at the life and then it can flow on again.”

Eric Peterson will appear in Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ in a new adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell and directed by Crow’s Artistic Director, Chris Abraham. The production runs from September 6 to October 2 in the Guloien Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. For tickets and other information about the production or the new season, visit crowstheatre.com. To purchase tickets, please call (647) 341-7390 ex. 1010 or by email: boxoffice@crowstheatre.com.

Artistic Director Eric Woolfe of Eldritch Theatre thinks of himself as a guy who works in show business. He tries not to refer to himself as an artist.

Born into the performing arts profession, Eric grew up in London, Ontario, and worked at the Grand Theatre. His first professional job at ten was in the Grand’s production of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ given to him by Director Bernard Hopkins in 1982. Actor Barry Morse appeared as Scrooge as did London Ontario actor Tom McCamus as Bob Cratchit. By age fifteen, Eric took semesters off school and worked across the country for the last forty-some years.

Eldritch bills itself as Toronto’s only theatre company specializing in ghoulishly giddy tales of horror and the uncanny. During our Zoom call, Eric enlightened me further, saying ‘Eldritch’ is an old archaic word that means ‘strange and eerie.’ It became a bit of a joke that the name Eldritch was used as the title of the theatre company:

“Our first show was for the Summerworks Festival almost 25 years ago. It was called ‘The Strange & Eerie Memoirs of Billy Wuthergloom.” We were running overtime by about a half hour for the time limit the Festival gave us, so I came in with a hacked piece of the version of the script which fit in the time. Just as a joke for the director, I crossed out the title and wrote ‘Billy’s Eldritch Diary’ to shorten it, and we thought, why not call the company The Eldritch Theatre?”

Eldritch Theatre operates from Toronto’s Queen Street East’s Red Sandcastle Theatre. They were two separate entities until they married when Eldritch took over the space in December 2021.

The art form of puppetry remains an important part of Eldritch Theatre. The first show performed by Eldritch was a one-person show. Rod Beattie travelled with the Wingfield plays nationwide. Eric thought if he did a one-person show, he would play all the different characters while Rod did his own show. Woolfe compared it to writing symphonies in Vienna in the time of Beethoven.

Eldritch puppets are both strangely grotesque yet beautifully alluring simultaneously. That’s the trump suit for Eric. Yes, puppetry is an art form, but he quickly discovered that it exists in the audience’s mind. In turn, it is the audience that creates the performance:

“A puppet is an inanimate object being wiggled by someone. It doesn’t have sentience. It doesn’t move on its own and we know it … Nobody is fooled, but the audience creates the existence of that puppet character in your mind when you’re watching it…we imbue that inanimate thing with life.”

Woolfe’s extensive knowledge of puppetry kept me on his every word. Since the supernatural and horror plays into Eldritch’s season, using a puppet can connect further with an audience, more so than, say, a character in a costume. Eric spoke about an earlier play from Eldritch about Jack the Ripper. The first scene was a dream sequence of one of the last victims who was having a nightmare about Alice in Wonderland and a giant, 15-foot-tall caterpillar puppet. That puppet could be funny one moment, threatening, sexual, aggressive, angry, weird, and jump from these different tones and from word to word and line to line because he was a puppet. If that exact text were done with an actor in a giant caterpillar costume, the only thing that caterpillar could be would be vaguely stupid. There’s no same ability to stretch tone and get under people’s skin when using human beings.

Often puppetry and magic go together at Eldritch:

“Magic is an opposite art form of puppetry…if it’s a puppetry performance, we are complicit to suspend disbelief to make that puppet come to life because wonder has been created. If it’s a magic trick, it works when the audience resists suspending their disbelief and has no other ability to explain what has just been seen.”

The last three years for the theatre industry have been challenging for commercial theatre. Eric refers to himself as ‘the angry outsider.’ He despairs and feels terrible for those theatre companies that find it challenging.

Woolfe doesn’t find many things terrible right now in the larger sense regarding the industry for Eldritch. Everything has been pretty good. Eldritch shows are selling well at Red Sandcastle. The audience demographics for Eldritch are not all dying or people in their 80s. Eldritch audiences are leaving their houses and coming to see shows. People come because they feel the Sandcastle Auditorium is not a COVID trap.

His upcoming show at Eldritch is ‘Macbeth: A Tale Told by An Idiot.’ Directed by Dylan Trowbridge and coinciding with the 400th anniversary of the play’s premiere, show dates run from February 8 – 24 inclusive; Eric told me that Dylan has been pushing for a few years now that Eldritch should present a Shakespearean play.

Woolfe calls this ‘Macbeth’ a one-person, surreal, classic comic telling of the Bard’s classic with puppets and magic. He’s terrified about the upcoming production because it’s a lot. He plays every single character.

Here’s what he had to say about the state of the theatre:

“The real truth is I don’t like a lot of theatre. I find theatre artists are often really conservative in their imagination. I think in Canada, there are way too many plays set in kitchens and way too many stories about a broken family getting together at their father’s funeral. We’re reluctant as theatre artists to engage the imagination of our audiences…People interested in conservative theatre from years ago are not coming out anymore.”

Woolfe even believes that when tackling the classics, often, when theatre companies present Shakespeare, what they’re really presenting is a kind of museum piece where it isn’t even really the play they’re doing. It’s a comment on other performances of another production of another play. For example, Eric said there have been pieces from ‘Hamlet’ handed down from generation to generation. Assumptions have been based on the text that are not based on the text. Instead, these scenes are based on performances of actors making choices that are copied and copied and copied.

Younger, diverse audiences have not been reached yet, according to Eric. Why? The style of plays still echoes this old model of theatre viable in the 1960s and 1970s. Yes, ‘Macbeth’ is slated to begin performances shortly, but it’s a weird Macbeth. Eldritch’s idea is to blow up that preconceived notion of the old model of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy.

I’m most certain that, under Director Trowbridge’s artistic vision, ‘Macbeth’ will be ‘aggressively unconventional yet still rooted in the actual words.” The Scottish play was one of my favourites to teach because there are witches, ghosts, and magic. It’s also Woolfe’s favourite; however, he has never really liked any production he has seen. Instead, he likes versions of Shakespeare that upset people because the plays don’t obey the rules, don’t bluster, or don’t attempt to entertain.

He then made a most appropriate analogy:

“As people make theatre, we try to worry that it’s good for you. We’re trying to make healthy plays, and sometimes in theatre, we’re like restaurants: “We have the best broccoli. Come and get the broccoli. Eat our broccoli; it’s good for you, and all we’re selling anybody is broccoli.”

Broccoli is great, but it’s only one thing on the plate. There are all these other tastes and things you can serve. If the food happens to be good for you, that’s fantastic, but you don’t have to tell people. It shouldn’t be the selling point. The selling point is that this meal is wonderful and has broccoli that will taste good. Eldritch’s ‘Macbeth’ will be approached like this. It’s a horror play about fear with puppets and cartoon noises, and it’s everything that should be in a Macbeth without the bluster and stuffiness and attempting to do it properly.

There are four sold-out school matinees. A steadily growing demand for tickets extends the production to February 24.

Does he listen to feedback from audience members, reviewers, critics, and bloggers?

Woolfe prefaced his answer by saying he was always the kid in school who never liked to do the assignment the way the teacher asked. For example, if he wrote an essay, he would try to do something slightly different than the assignment. He spent a lot of time on it and did more work. Why did he do this? He thought the assignment may have been stupid or lacking any reason why it had to be done. So, when the graded assignment was returned, Eric was always that kid who was a tad annoyed when the teachers said he didn’t follow the conventions for the work.

Eric reads the reviews. He listens to honest feedback. If every feedback or review is five stars, no one will pay much attention to what is said in the article. Woolfe remembers every bad review as opposed to the good ones, but the thing to answer regarding feedback, whether it be from audience members, reviewers, critics, or bloggers:

“We are entering a world where people expect to be able to get entertainment that appeals to their specific tailored individual tastes…Theatre has to reflect this. Over the years at Eldritch, we are building our little niche market and our growing fanbase of weird nerds who don’t go to all theatre but like the horror stuff of comic books, Dungeons and Dragons, sci-fi movies and strange things with puppets and Tarot cards…This is our audience base. Everybody is welcome here at Eldritch Theatre, but it is a specific tent.”

What’s next for Eric once ‘Macbeth: A Tale Told by An Idiot’ concludes its run?

A series of play readings of some older plays from early on in Eldritch’s existence is happening through February and March. The season’s final show is ‘The House at Poe Corner,’ from April 11-21, 2024, written by Woolfe and Michael O’Brien.

To learn more about Eldritch Theatre, visit eldritchtheatre.ca. You can also find the company on Facebook.

Tickets for ‘Macbeth: A Tale Told by An Idiot’: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/45534/

A recent conversation with Dora nominated choreographer and dance artist Esie Mensah certainly opened my eyes to what is occurring in the world of the professional performing artist especially in moving forward to ensure inclusion, equity, and diversity of and for all members.

June 1 will mark two important dates – the first is the premiere of the upcoming short film ‘Tessel’, commissioned by Fall for Dance North and Harbourfront Centre. National in scope, this short film features 14 Black dancemakers from across Canada in a crucial conversation on what it means to be an artist in this unprecedented historical time.

The second marked importance for June 1 is the one-year anniversary of ‘Blackout Tuesday’ where organizations around the globe publicly committed to institutional change to help the Black community.
‘Tessel’ was conceptualized and directed by Esie Mensah, so I felt it was important to highlight the prolific work of what she has captured.

I was quickly introduced to her work through a CBC Arts Segment on her work as a choreographer and dancer, but it was her TED Talk “My Skin was too dark for my profession, so I changed the story” which caught my attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgGQv4efnI8

To begin our conversation, Esie let me know her immediate family has been doing well and in her words: “So far, so good.” They haven’t been hit too hard, but she is sadly and consciously aware how this medical epidemic has affected each of us in some way. Her family are healthy and when it has been allowed, they have been able to see each other on different occasions when they could. At one point during our conversation, Esie re-iterated what many of us are hoping – we “keep looking to the horizon where it feels safe for everybody, but we’ll see how things go the next few months…even years.”

Such true words spoken.

Just like many artists to whom I’ve spoken throughout this pandemic series, Esie’s professional world also came to a halt as many of her upcoming projects or solo works were either cancelled or postponed to who knows when. And like many of the artists, Esie felt it was a really good question in asking her what she has missed the most about performance during the lock down. She paused for a few moments before she responded. To dance is her first love, and what does she miss the most:

“There’s a feeling that you get when you’re on stage live…because I’ve been choreographing so much, I wasn’t always performing and dancing, but there’s that synergy, that energy you get when you’re either creating in a room with people or you’re on-stage dancing with people and the audience is receiving you. The faces to me are such an invigorating and affirming experience as a dancer.“

I was grateful how Esie felt comfortable in speaking about the TED Talk and how her skin was ‘too dark’ for her profession, so she changed the narrative to keep moving forward. She spoke candidly about some of the limitations she encountered early in her career:

“I attended George Brown College for the Commercial Dance Programme. That first year I came out of school, I felt the doors opened up and I experienced what I thought the potential of my career could have been. After that first year and over the next two and three years, I realized the reality of the business that I was in as a dark-skinned black woman. What I noticed through the work (since I’ve been in this for so long) was that people place a commodity over dark skin and for whatever reason, they don’t think it’s the same value as somebody with lighter skin.”

I’m going to be honest and say that I was rather surprised by Esie’s revelation and I listened intently as she continued:

“I had people bluntly tell me that, yes, they think you’re too dark for this music video, and that video was for black artists…when I was applying for a four-month contract in China, same thing, well they really, really love you, but they just think you’re too dark for television…this was the first time I had to contextualize and swallow someone telling me, very candidly, that you’re too dark so we can’t take you. It’s almost as if you could change that one thing the doors would open.”

Conversations like this were something Esie said she was used to swallowing, but it wasn’t until giving her TED Talk that this was an issue and real problem.

Clearly, this shook the foundation she was on, and it became the catalyst she was on that pushed her to be so good, so amazing, so undeniable that her shade was never be an issue so that people can’t say they want to hire her despite her shade. In other words, I want to hire her because it’s her and that her shade is never an issue.

This issue has been a roller coast for Esie as “this issue made me feel very, very small, marginalized or pigeon-holed because of it which, now her skin colour is my superpower.”

And as we continued our conversation, I saw how she is a determined and strong woman who took agency in her own hands to carve out her path as a professional artist regarding these limitations of skin colour. What she has done specifically is “to become my own boss, essentially.”

I wanted to quote Esie directly for the rest of the questions I asked her because it’s important to read her voice in her own words:

How else specifically have you taken charge of your professional artistic journey and path:

Becoming my own boss started when I was in the commercial dance scene because I recognize throughout those two to three years where I was waiting for somebody to call me and waiting for somebody to say that I was good enough or if somebody cancelled then I got in for the certain jobs that were coming out, and I was like that I can’t be sitting here waiting for the next job. I want to be in charge of my own life.

That was the shift of me in becoming more of a choreographer.

As the industry shifted and I shifted, I began more intrigued to tell my own stories and say the things I had experienced, the questions I wanted to have answered or that I wanted to explore through art making, through dance, through theatre. When I was in school at George Brown, I did some acting, but for the amount I’m doing now has just been absorbed through working in theatre.

I was really intrigued by it. My first production was a dance play I was writing. That was my first experience in creating my own stories, real true experiences doing work at Harbourfront Centre.

Friends of mine were saying I should take this experience and start applying for grants and building my own shows. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

My first impulse was to start writing, and I did and started creating stories to ask questions about as a first-generation Ghanaian child, my parents come to Canada, but nobody ever desires to go back. To me, we can’t really be surprised by the fact that our home countries are not progressing because all of the knowledge is now in the diaspora.

That was the first set of conversations and that transformed into ‘Shades’, the next thing that happened because of a movie film I had done – I had done the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ remake that had come into Toronto a number of years ago. A friend of mine and I both got the film roles at the audition and we were questioning how many black girls were going to be on the project. There were four of us they seemed to like, and we didn’t think we would get it, and we did.

I remember talking to the assistant choreographer. He overhead us at the audition. He quizzed and asked why we would say this, and we told him something like this never happens, having four black girls on a project that are medium to dark toned, never happens. He was shocked and he’s been working in the business for decades.

This is a huge conversation about ‘shadeism’, and I know I can’t change everyone’s mind on it but If I can get people to question it, and the ‘why’ behind it, that I think is really important.

I am looking forward to seeing ‘Tessel’ Tell me about this short film and why it is so important for you as a person, as an individual and as a professional artist.

This short film project was a springboard to everything that has been going on over the past year and beyond.

I hit a point last year and recognized as an artist and creator that the space for conversation may not always be there for everybody. When Ilter Ibrahimof from Fall for Dance North called me, he wanted to do something to amplify Black voices.

I said, “Great!” Well, if we’re going to do that, I need to bring people together in conversation, and that’s it not just centered in asking people to film themselves and splice something together. I wanted there to be depth and truth. I work as an Artistic advisor, so I’m working in the equity, diversity and inclusion stream that has been popping up over the last year for everybody especially within arts organizations.

When I recognized being entrenched in that conversation is that we all have questions, and some people are scared to ask those questions. Some people are scared to step forward with an ignorance to say I don’t know; I didn’t know about your experience; I didn’t know what it was like what you went through.
The majority of the artists in the film didn’t know each other which was wonderful, so everybody is meeting new people. The whole group hasn’t met officially yet because some artists came on two different days. Over those two days, we ended up with a seven-hour conversation, and it was so humbling. People needed the space to talk, to chat and knowing people are feeling the same thing I’m feeling and understood my experience.

What does it mean now to amplify Black voices? It can mean different things to different people. For me, within my community and my close circle, conversation was the thing that pulled me through last year. I started a group chat with some friends, and it gave us space to have honest, candid conversation.
If we’re going to take steps to change, we really need to be more attuned to those conversations and open to hearing the truth of those conversations. For me, giving Black artists a chance to speak and getting our artists to really listen was so important.

Now these were the words of only 14 dancers and people We’re not speaking for all the Black community across Canada. We are saying there is a commonality of everyone’s experiences of pain, a heaviness but there’s also a lot of joy and being able to find freedom through movement.

Having this conversation and being pushed forward through dance shifts it for people. Talking about racism is never easy but to hear from people and see their bodies move or stillness in looking at the camera, that solicits a response from the audience altogether. We’re starting to see the person behind the skin, behind the artist. We’re seeing the reality and I hope this leaves a lasting impression with the film.

How do you see ‘Tessel’ continue to challenge the global discourse on race?

With a lot of my work, there’s been that consistency of sparking a conversation. I really want there to be a conversation and want people to feel inspired to come together and discuss.

This is the first time we’ve had Canadian dance presenters on one project. This has never happened before, and so I hope everybody continues to understand the urgency and that it takes continual work consistently to open up new doors and allow other people to fill in the gaps that are present.

I hope there’s some real honesty and perk up from people. I hope can receive that honesty. Talking is important, but also the listening is far more important.

As we slowly emerge from this pandemic and look toward the future, what is it about your work that you would like future audiences to remember about you?

Hmmmm… I would hope that future audiences can feel changed from my work, and that it’s an experience. It’s not merely coming in to watch a show or film, it’s an experience they can take with them and it sparks change, a way to care, to love people more, to be more empathetic.

I hope my work inspires growth and that the seeds I plant within my work that I hope it continues to flourish in people’s lives.

I hope that stays consistent with my work.

‘Tessel’ premieres June 1. Please go to www.harbourfrontcentre.com to learn more how to access the film online.

In chatting with artist Evan Buliung (graduate of George Brown Theatre School and the first Stratford Festival Conservatory Program), I felt like I was having a cup of coffee with an old college buddy whom I hadn’t seen in years, but I knew what he was doing up to that point. We laughed so much during our conversation that, yes, sometimes the language did turn a tad ‘colourful’ on both our parts; that was okay because Evan made me feel quite comfortable around him.

We also played a game of six degrees of separation when we discovered that Evan had chummed around in his younger years with the son of my first cousin who lives in Brantford. Another point of interest, he and artist, Lisa Horner (who appears in the Toronto production of ‘Come from Away’) are the only actors in history who have played all of the Mirvish theatres.

I had seen Evan in a tremendously moving production of ‘Fun Home’ with the Mirvish Series at the Panasonic Theatre several years ago. Evan also appeared in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at the Princess of Wales. I was so sorry to have missed that production because I heard it was extraordinary. Evan has also appeared at the Stratford Festival for 12 seasons.

Evan believes the world of live theatre will come back. It’ll just be different and that’s probably a good thing because theatre was getting, in Evan’s words, “fucking stale”.

I also went off script and asked Evan what he would be doing if he wasn’t an actor and artist. He told me he probably would have been a soldier. He was in army cadets when he was younger and was fascinated with war, even though he was a sensitive kid and probably would have quit the war. As he looked back on that time, Evan now believes he was looking for some kind of discipline.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom.

Thank you so much for your time, Evan:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

It’s been, I hate to say it, actually been one of the best times of my life – allowing for introspection and some more work that needed to be done for myself personally.

I don’t mind isolation, so it doesn’t really bear into my soul. I know a lot of people struggle with it, and I get that. I’ve been preparing for it my whole life.

I say that from a very privileged standpoint that I’m not in a financial hole.

I find it quite profound and quite a time to be alive. Things could always be worse, and that’s the Sagittarius in me, the eternal optimist.

My parents are okay, they’re in Brantford. The numbers aren’t really high there. My brother and his wife and their kids, they have a lot and it’s a struggle for them, they’re busy. I don’t have kids so I’m not in that arena.

Thanks for asking. They seem to be doing alright. Knock on wood.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

I’ve always been one that I like to vary my craft and learn new things. Years ago, I stepped into film and tv pretty heavily and I’ve been doing that ever since and more dabble in theatre now.

Someone once said to me, “Theatre is a young man’s game.” And I get it.

Some of those seasons doing three shows…The last season I was there I performed in ‘Guys and Dolls’ and ‘Romeo & Juliet’ thinking “Yah, I can do this” and forgetting I was 40. By the end of the season, I was exhausted. It’s a lot of work. “Guys and Dolls” is massive.

So, I’ve been doing other things to be honest. A wise man said to me years ago, “What’s going to happen if you walk out the door, get hit by a bus, and can’t act anymore?” Because I was.

I was identifying myself with my job which is a bit tricky, but we have that ingrained in us as actors.

I hope Stratford is able to pull off their outdoor projects this summer. They’ve selected good works and they’ve got great people on board. Those people deserve to work, and I hope things go well for Antoni [Cimolino] (Artistic Director) because he’s put so much fucking work into that place with blood, sweat and tears and the new Tom Patterson Theatre that should have been open for all of us. What a feeling of being kicked in the nuts that so much work has gone in especially to open that brand new theatre along with the work and nothing came of it.

(I then asked Evan about the appropriateness of some titles of Stratford productions in a patriarchal world)… It’s funny, well, it’s not funny, when we were performing ‘Guys and Dolls’ in the middle of the summer is when the Harvey Weinstein story broke. I remember walking out the stage and feeling, “Ugh”. It just hit me…“Why do we do it?”

I even thought that before. I asked Donne [Feore, director of the production] in the audition why are you doing this show? Now, mind you, it’s a fantastic show. The stuff with the other two is some of the funniest writing in musical theatre, and the music, obviously, is gorgeous.

It’s tough to answer this question. I’ve felt this coming on for about ten years. In all of classical theatre, I can’t see this being sustainable in the direction that we’re going in terms of equality. Unless we figure out a way to do it that we have to address the patriarchal nature of the classics. It’s just the way it is and clearly white favoured…yah, it was just a matter of time before it happened.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I’m not an Artistic Director so they will have a lot to consider. After Antoni’s term is completed, hopefully, it will be a woman who will assume the role of Artistic Director. The Festival needs female energy behind the lens, especially in light of some of the patriarchal nature of some of these plays, and I think it would really help.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

God, I miss the people more than anything, they’re really good people. Opening nights are fun. (Evan laughs and then says) I don’t know if theatre misses me, so I don’t really miss it.

There’s new voices and new stories to be told, and that’s great. I’ll be part of it, but I don’t need to be centralized in it.

I’m really enjoying doing film. I’m taking a lot of classes and working on that skill. I’m taking classes with a great teacher in Los Angeles. If I’m taking film and tv classes, I thought GO TO THE SOURCE. And I’m learning shit here that I wouldn’t learn in Canada. That’s their game, so why not go right to the source…at times, it’s terrifying and fucked, but really good and really exciting.

If you don’t keep learning, what’s the point?

I don’t miss ‘The Crucible’. I don’t need to see ‘The Crucible’ ever again (he says with a laugh). I don’t need to see ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ ever again. I get it, I get what it’s for, and I’ve performed in it.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

That’s a really good question. I won’t take the people, the experience, for granted.

I don’t know if I ever did. As we all know times moves very quickly and it tends to double as each day goes by.

I certainly won’t take for granted the responsibility I have to the next generation to mentor or teach or be of service to them, to be the person that I wanted when I was that age. It’s hard because the younger people can do it themselves.

It’s finding that balance.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

Well, so much has changed, I don’t think it needs my help. (Evan says with laughter. And then I re-phrase the question with one element Evan is glad that has changed concerning live theatre)…

I’m glad that first and foremost, behaviour in rehearsal halls. And the treatment of other artists.

I was never really a whipping boy but there were, sometimes I was but I was able to laugh it off and deflect it, but some people weren’t as lucky. So I’m grateful that’s being addressed, and I don’t think people can get away with that behaviour as much as well as like teaching in theatre schools.

In theatre schools there’s no need to tear someone apart in order to make them a good actor. That’s just bad teaching because you don’t need to rip the person apart and rebuild them in some sort of structure that makes them an actor. There are other and better ways to get around and not do that destructive behaviour in teaching.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

Well, in the past number of years, I’ve really enjoyed teaching Shakespeare. I teach it with Cathy MacKinnon who’s the head of Voice at Stratford and we teach at colleges, and we also taught at Etobicoke School of the Arts, and the Conservatory at Stratford.

I love teaching that. I love giving back what was given to me, and I love seeing people go, “Oooohhhh!” because once you get the keys to Shakespeare it’s like (and Evan makes a kaboom sound), “Holy Fuck!” and you get inside the language and come in underneath it and make it a part of me. Then you can actually sound like [Stratford veterans] Tom Rooney or Tom McCamus or Stephen Ouimette speaking Shakespeare as opposed to someone who doesn’t sound like these fucking guys.

There’s a way in for everyone and I keep saying to Cathy this is our tagline: “Give me an afternoon and I’ll make you a Shakespearean actor guaranteed.”

Now, that being said, it takes about ten years to become a good Shakespearean actor.

Teaching is my next foray. I still would love to play MacBeth some day, and Lear and those old fuddy duddies….

I tell you, this pandemic is giving me a whole new perspective on King Lear.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

I’d rather shoot myself (with a good laugh) than go to a Covid themed play. God, we’ve all been here. What the fuck do I need that for?

This is the last thing I want.

Maybe, but who’s gonna go see it? What the fuck are you gonna tell?

I don’t know. I can think of a fresher hell than go to a Covid play. Let’s move on.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

Oh, wow! Jesus. Well, I mean I think what I’ve discovered is that my work has been a journey in actualizing my emotions. Coming from generations of alcoholism and different forms of dysfunction within the family unit, I haven’t had a drink in 15 years, but it’s always gone parallel with my profession is mental health and discovering these feelings that I wasn’t able to discover as a child through no one’s fault.

I would hope that, for instance, when I was in Mirvish’s ‘Fun Home’ I had some people say you’re not homosexual so how could you play that. That’s not what it’s about. To me, the play is about shame and living with deep rooted shame regardless of its shame-based living.

I’m hoping when audiences see this that this is somebody working through the states of being in their work that mirrors life. Our responsibility is to hold the mirror up to nature, no more no less. If an audience can resonate with that, which a lot of people did especially in ‘Fun Home’, if we can have an effect on an audience as those three girls did at the end of ‘Fun Home’, then that’s successful.

Otherwise, what’s the point of doing it?

I remember Peter Hutt said that to me years ago when I was younger. He said, “I don’t know why that guy doing it in this business; I know why that guy is in this business.”

And he looked at me and said, “I have no idea why you’re doing this.”

And it made so much sense to me. Because truly I was never in it for anything other than trying to figure out my life. And it just seemed like a really good way to do it.

When you miss a live theatre production and begin kicking yourself because you heard it was good, you wonder if there will be that minute infinitesimal opportunity of a chance to see it again.

Thank you to the theatre gods for aligning the stars, to Crow’s Theatre, to Fiona Mongillo and Lucy Jane Atkinson, for bringing Dennis Kelly’s ‘Girls & Boys’ to Toronto. I missed it at Stratford’s Here for Now Company last summer. Mongillo returns to the solo role in which she appeared last summer with the production directed once again by Atkinson.

Artistic Director Mongillo founded Here for Now in 2012. According to its website, the independent professional theatre company based in Stratford, Ontario: “aims to challenge and inspire its audiences by producing a bold annual theatre season, comprised of new or underproduced plays. Here For Now focuses on the stories of women and also seeks to amplify all unheard voices.”

Recently I had the chance to interview both Fiona and Lucy in a Zoom call and really enjoyed speaking with them. They have known each other for a decade. Fiona calls Lucy her favourite director on the whole planet. They had just completed a rehearsal for ‘Girls & Boys’ and were tired but invigorated. Atkinson is excited to return to the production after six months of being away from it, but she has also said the script is a very heavy and draining piece as there are more layers to uncover.

I’m doing my best not to read any reviews of last summer’s production but the brief plot synopsis still intrigues me. Fiona assured her synopsis of ‘Girls & Boys’ would be “super brief because it is so difficult to talk about this play without spoiling it.” Essentially, it is a woman who shares her life story with the audience about her relationship with her husband, her children, her career and how the events that have occurred in recent years and the turn these events took.

What drew the two ladies to ‘Girls & Boys’?

For Lucy, she saw the production when she was working at London England’s Royal Court Theatre Box Office a few years ago. She has loved Dennis Kelly’s work for years and the production featured Carey Mulligan and was directed by Lyndsey Turner.

Lucy remembers it was about mid-point in the show she saw at the Royal Court and describes the moment as “all of the air left my body. It just hit me in a way that I can’t remember another time that I’ve had that physical response to a piece of theatre.”

Atkinson calls herself predominately a new writing director. A lot of the work she does is female-focused with small casts that specialize in monologues normally up to three-four people at a perch. Everything she does is very intense and close and ‘Girls & Boys’ is all these things as it fits everything she has wanted to do with the script. For the past five years, Lucy has been waiting for someone to allow her to direct ‘Girls & Boys’. She sent Fiona the script along with several other titles with the caveat being Kelly’s story.

In Fiona’s own words, the initial reading of ‘Girls & Boys’ scared the shit out of her and she said no to it, absolutely not. She closed the script and thought she might not be up to it or perhaps Here for Now audiences might not be up for Kelly’s story either. But she couldn’t stop thinking about it for a couple of days. She read the script again and then read it aloud to her husband. She told him: “I should probably do this play.” And he said: “Yep. 100%”

She added further:

“It’s a really brilliant piece of writing. The only reason I was initially hesitant and balking at it was if audiences would be up to the intensity of the story or maybe I wouldn’t be up to it. That’s not a really good reason to say no to something because that’s really fear. So I said yes.”

Since the show concluded its summer 2022 Stratford run six months ago, has Atkinson’s vision for Kelly’s script been transformed?

Lucy found it a good question. She thought for a moment:

“The interesting thing – when we rehearsed it last summer and I directed it then, so much of what we were doing was world-building for Fiona. It is just her on the stage talking to the audience and making eye contact with them as everything had to feel so truthful and so embodied.”

For the two of them, the real mission of the show is honesty and being as truthful as you can possibly be.
A great deal of time was spent building the house so Fiona could walk around it in the scene and know where everything was. There was the building of an intricate timeline and printing out of photos of everywhere where she lived. There was also printing out photos of her kids. This was all done so it would appear real in Fiona’s memory.

This time in preparation for the Crow’s run, both ladies concur:

“We don’t need to do that quite so much because it’s all there already. What we’re really looking at is just deepening from what we had before. Last summer if we found the top three layers, then we’re now looking for that fourth, fifth and sixth layer and trying to get into the guts of it. This is my mission this time around is to go to these next layers.”

What do the ladies hope audiences will come away with after seeing ‘Girls & Boys’?

For Lucy, it’s a very provocative play and she hopes to provoke people to think about power dynamics between the sexes and within relationships. ‘Girls & Boys’ is a piece that sets out to poke at sore spots, and she hopes audiences are receptive to that and don’t flinch when they are poked and instead stay engaged when they go home and really think about what has just transpired on the stage:

“It’s a delicate balance. When I saw it at Royal Court just after the curtain call and the audience was filing out, there was a fistfight between two men. It was insane and crazy as it became obvious to me people were triggered by it. On the train ride back home, my partner and I had an argument about the play as well. This was one of the only arguments we ever had.”

Lucy hopes audiences don’t shy away from these reactions and will take the time to look at them in the same way Fiona did when she read the script and took the time to consider, re-evaluate and explore why she was fearful. I hope the audiences trust us enough. This is not to say that ‘Girls & Boys’ is traumatizing. There are some moments that are quite hilarious.

For Fiona, what theatre brilliantly does is hold up a mirror so we can take a look at ourselves. In that reflection of showing the entire spectrum of the light and the dark, ‘Girls & Boys’ is meant to impact us, teach us, shine a light on within us and create room for reflection and growth. ‘Girls & Boys’ achieved these goals in the summer run. Although she did have that initial fear an audience might not be ready for the play, Fiona thinks she underestimated the Here for Now audiences last summer.

“We don’t always need to go to the theatre to be entertained or feel comfortable. Sometimes we go to the theatre to have catharsis, to be uncomfortable in order to sit in discomfort. That is an equally important experience ‘Girls & Boys’ provides, and that’s what I hope audiences will experience.

What’s next for Fiona and Lucy once ‘Girls & Boys’ concludes its run at Crow’s?

As Artistic Director of Here for Now, Fiona says she will be on a very high workload since two months have been taken away. There will be grants to write and details to hammer down since the Here for Now 2023 season will be outdoors. The season will be launched March 1 at the Box Office. For Lucy, she has a show of hers that has been touring for the past year that has come to London, England so she will be doing a remount of it. She is also directing some shows for drama schools. There is a musical she has been working on for the past five years and a fifth draft has been finished so there will be some revisions and deletions on that. As a freelancer, Lucy says there are always little bits and pieces of things to continue examining.

‘Girls & Boys’ opens January 26 and runs to February 12 in the Studio Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. For tickets visit crowstheatre.com or call the Box Office at 1-647-341-7390 ex 1010.

To learn more about Here for Now and its 2023 summer festival, visit www.herefornowtheatre.com.

Playwright Frances Končan’s ‘Women of the Fur Trade, which played at the Stratford Festival in the summer of 2023, will run at Toronto’s Aki Studio in the Daniels Spectrum from April 9 – 21, 2024.

Geoffrey Coulter, a site contributor to OUR THEATRE VOICE, attended that summer 2023 production in Stratford and called it: “a wildly entertaining, giddy and thought-provoking history lesson.”

Directed by Kevin Loring (Artistic Director of NAC Indigenous Theatre), this current play revival, a co-production with National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre and Great Canadian Theatre Company, will feature an all-Indigenous cast including Kelsey Wavey, Cheri Maracle, Lisa Nasson, Jesse Gervais, and Jonathan Fisher as Louis Riel. Joelle Peters, Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts is the Assistant Director.

There was a run of the show in January 2024 at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre

A press release briefly explains the plot:

“In eighteen hundred and something, somewhere upon the banks of a Reddish River in Treaty One Territory, three very different women trapped in a fort with a preference for twenty-first century slang sit in a fort sharing their views on life, love, and the hot nerd Louis Riel. ‘Women’ is a true story seen through the lens of these three women. It’s a lively historical satire of survival and cultural inheritance shifting perspectives from the male gaze onto women’s power in the past and present, and through the lens of the rapidly changing world of the Canadian fur trade.”

Končan saw the show in previews and opening, calling the current revival cast terrific. Frances looks forward to seeing this cast in Toronto and seeing how strong and confident they have become in telling the story.
The revival cast has new staging, direction, and vision compared to last summer’s Stratford presentation. Končan calls this upcoming cast at the Aki clever and unique, as they put their own spin on telling the story.

I received a press release about playwright Končan, an Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright and theatre artist from Couchiching First Nation who holds an MFA in Playwriting from the City University of New York Brooklyn College. In our Zoom conversation, Frances told me it was a two-year program of five students each year with a LOT of opportunity for playwrighting. They spent a lot of time with their professors during these studies. During the interview, Frances smiled and said they now miss their time hanging out with like-minded others just like them.

Productions of Končan’s work include ‘Women of the Fur Trade’ (2023) at the Stratford Festival, directed by Yvette Nolan, ‘Women of the Fur Trade’ (2024) at the National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre/Great Canadian Theatre Company, directed by Renae Morriseau, ‘Space Girl’ (2023) at Prairie Theatre Exchange directed by Krista Jackson, ‘The Crows’ (2023) at Gwaandak Theatre directed by Miki Wolf, and ‘Women of the Fur Trade’ (2020) at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre directed by Audrey Dwyer. Other plays include ‘Don’t Go Into the Woods,’ ‘Riot Resist Revolt Repeat,’ ‘How to Talk to Human Beings, and ‘zahgidiwin/love.’

When Frances first started writing, they were used to writing for themselves, and no one really saw what they wrote; however, when they started working on the MFA, Frances again stated how much they could learn from talking to others about the process and that it was sometimes hard to go back to writing alone.

As an artist, how does Frances feel about the theatre industry’s changes and growth?

They laughed at first because there was so much to answer in how the question was worded. Frances reiterated that it’s a huge conversation, but it must still be ongoing. They wanted to focus on the positive side first, even though many things must be improved.

Just recently, Končan spoke about the value of new plays in the Canadian theatre landscape. Frances is highly interested in this conversation as they concurred that Canadian artists always support new work. For some reason, though, Canadian audiences often really respond to events that we take from the US with these big-budget shows and big musical numbers. Končan also thinks a lot about the economic balance of the support needed to produce new works within the country; nevertheless, they also say:

“It’s essential to have that reflection of every corner of the country represented in the theatre…There’s been a lot happening in the past 10, 20, 30 years to show that Canada is on its way to ensure representation and reflection, and it’s important to celebrate because we have come very far. But there’s still so far to go on that journey.”

Our conversation then turned towards last summer’s production at Stratford of ‘Women of the Fur Trade’ and director Yvette Nolan’s vision.

Končan glowingly complimented Nolan, saying she is a legend to any Indigenous theatre artist and considers Yvette at the top of any list to stage any story. At first, Frances said it felt unreal and unfathomable that Yvette would take the helm. But Frances was eternally grateful for Yvette’s vision as the production got further into the process with editing and rehearsals:

“I was grateful and honoured to have someone like Yvette so curious about theatre and what you could do with a show and a script directing it. Yvette saw so much in the script that I didn’t see even when I wrote it. She made the work so much better than I think it is.” (Frances laughed with such grace, which made me laugh.)

Frances was pleased with the Stratford production and said it was surprising that something inventive and clever was done with the script every five minutes. As a writer and playwright, Končan sees themself as a gatherer and collaborator in the organization of the ideas of a story. They love it when actors bring something to the script, as Frances will then go back and make changes to perhaps add to what the actors had done in their discovery of the script.

Does Frances have any say in casting actors, or was that process out of their hands?

They find it interesting because, technically, they always have a say in that process, but it’s never been expressed until the issue comes up. this until the issue comes up. Usually, when a production is cast, sometimes the names are also run by the playwright just for a thumbs up. Frances has never been in a position where they’ve never trusted the director.

What are some messages Končan hopes audiences will take away from the revival?

“Theatre can facilitate conversations that might feel difficult or uncomfortable compared to a meeting or face-to-face. Theatre can talk about ideas in a safe and fun way. I hope audiences will leave thinking new things and not be afraid to think of new things.”

Končan would like audiences to come to see her story because it is an Indigenous work and story performed by Indigenous artists. However, that opportunity does not avail itself—perhaps only once or twice a year. ‘Women’ takes a lot of the great stuff that we have regarding the standard of Canadian and American theatre and spins it in new ways that will make audiences excited to see what happens.

After the Aki run, ‘Women’ will travel across the country, but Frances is not allowed to say when or where at this time.

What’s next for Frances Končan?

They’re living in some chaos, but it’s part of the journey. Frances started a new job in the fall. They moved to Vancouver and are still in the process of getting settled. Frances is looking at some commissions of plays.
They will be at the opening night of ‘Women of the Fur Trade’. They believe there will be a talkback or panel for audiences who wish to remain and learn more.

Tickets for ‘Women of the Fur Trade’ may be purchased at this link: https://www.nativeearth.ca/shows/women-of-the-fur-trade/ or call the Box Office: (416) 531-1402.

Frayne McCarthy is one extremely busy artist.

As the Artistic Director of King Street Productions, Frayne works alongside his creative partner, Kevin John Saylor, who is the Artistic Director and owner of the Royal Theatre, Thousand Islands in Gananoque, Ontario. This quaint Eastern Ontario town is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in late spring, all summer and fall.

After two invitations with no response from Frayne, I had moved on. It was a nice surprise to get the answers to the questions from him tonight through Messenger. As you read his answers, you’ll understand and see why he must place some elements of his life in priority.

Frayne has liked some of the profiles I’ve published over the course of the pandemic, but his name sounded familiar to me even before I saw his resume. Once I saw it, then I knew where I had seen his work before. I saw Frayne’s performance as Marius in the Montréal production of ‘Les Misérables’ at Théâtre St. Denis. I also saw his work in the original Canadian cast of the musical ‘Napoleon’ at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre. You’ll see from his answers what else and where else Frayne’s life and work have taken him.

Thank you so much, Frayne, for adding your voice to the conversation:

Tell me about some of the teachers and mentors in our life for whom you are thankful and who brought you to this point in your life as a performing artist.

I haven’t had a typical performer’s training, so some of my mentors might surprise you. I suppose I can honestly say that my earliest mentor was my mother. I remember singing with both my Mom and Dad during the longish car rides to visit my grandparents. My mother always had a beautiful singing voice (and still does), and even as a young child I appreciated that she had something more significant in her sound than any of my teachers who taught us ditties at school.

Fairly recently, I heard a keepsake cassette-recording of Mom singing with a twelve-year-old me for an aunt and uncle’s wedding, and I realized that, indeed, Mom had the natural talent to have been a professional singer. That sort of thing just wouldn’t have been considered realistic for an English-speaking girl from a rural background in western Quebec in the 50s and 60s…but she was absolutely that talented.
In fact, performing never seemed like a possibility for me either. I attended a high school where there was no drama program to speak of, except for the small mafia of popular kids (which definitely did not include me) who seemed to monopolize the class for social time. There were no school plays or musicals, so I was never the least bit inclined to explore Theatre in school.

But once I got to college things changed.

Heritage College in Hull (now Gatineau) Québec didn’t have a Music or Theatre program, but while I was there, it did have a National Award-Winning stageband comprised of high school grads (that’s grade 11 in Québec) with exceptional talent who came from the separate school board’s feeder school (so, not the high school that I attended). These players were so remarkable that they were kept together as a group by two very caring bandleaders, Bobby Cleal and Heather Karas, who volunteered their time and talent to continue working with these students who had so much musical potential, and to help carry their development further.

Bobby, Heather, and this brilliant gang of musicians to which they were committed just came together to rehearse (for no academic credit or financial remuneration at all) because it was thrilling to make amazing music together. And my own life was completely changed when I was allowed to participate as a band vocalist.

Now, I know you might be wondering what singing in a band might have to do with Theatre, but I only later came to realize that it had a great deal to do with how I evolved as an actor. I learned to interpret my songs. Acting is storytelling and every song is a story being told through with music; it’s a sung soliloquy of sort. As I explored the feelings behind the lyrics, the dialogue that told these stories, I was becoming an actor.

I was privileged to be a real part of this group of brilliant, talented players who, again without a Music Program, went on to win several Music Festival awards including the National College and University top prize and a regional ‘Best Festival Soloist’ – usually reserved for an exceptional instrumentalist – by me, a singer. I will always remember Heather talking through a band arrangement for a vocal number, and I will always remember when, after hearing me sing, Mr. Cleal officially announced that I was in the band. Excellence was nurtured by these great mentors who gave so much of themselves to our young band. Several of the players went on to professional careers in music. And because they took a chance on me and believed in my talent long before I ever took a singing lesson, I had an opportunity to discover my own potential as a performer.

Sorry for reminiscing at such length about how I became a band singer, but it really was a catalyst for my personal artistic development. I later went on to study at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec; I took electives and audited classes in the University of Ottawa Music Department (while I was a full-time student in the Visual Arts Department). Later I studied Vocal Performance for a few semesters in the Jazz Program at Humber College.

Some of my music teachers were very helpful, but I made my greatest strides as a singer with my private voice teacher, Bruce Kelly in Toronto, who became my mentor and friend. He took on the mantle of mentor very seriously, and he was a constant and generous source of guidance, information, and support. I had the privilege of studying with Bruce for several years and he still inspires me today.

As for Acting mentors, well I learned stagecraft mostly “by doing”, and talking to directors and other actors whom I respected. Much of my formal education was spent in Art studios with a paintbrush in my hand, but I realized eventually that I yearned to be a performer, particularly in Musical Theatre. Rather than go back to school to immerse myself in a formal theatre program, I instead threw myself into as many amateur productions as I could audition for in the Greater Toronto area, where I was living at the time. And it was an amazing education, although I sometimes joke that it was the School of Hard Knocks.

I spent many hours learning my lines and lyrics while on buses and subways travelling to rehearsals in Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga or wherever there was a show that I wanted to be in. I just got myself there.

Of course, there were lessons to be learned through every show in which I was cast, but wo very special people stand out as my mentors during this period of my life: Lorraine Green Kimsa was the Artistic Director of Broadway North in North York, and she knew how to push me to be bolder and more confident that I eve thought I could be on stage. She took my shyness and vulnerability and made them strengths.

Next, choreographer Nina Falconer, who became like a sister to me, taught me to have fun with dance, and to remember to smile in difficult scenes or through songs of melancholy or sorrow. Nina was never my director, but she was a constant artistic touchstone whom I always trusted when I asked for her personal notes. You can instinctively figure out who you best teachers are, and Nina was one of them.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in our dealing with Covid even though the media tells us otherwise. How have you been able to move forward on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed personally?

Covid has been a terrible beast. I admire the people who can honestly say they have been positively changed through this period. Like many, I put on a brave face, pulled away from friends and family, took a forced break from my career, followed all prescribed protocols (including double vaccination and then boostered), and I’ve been waiting for things to get better.

You know this, but your readers likely are now aware that I co-own the Royal Theatre Thousand Islands in Gananoque, Ontario with my partner, Kevin John Saylor In March of 2020 we shut down our operations before many other theatres, and we’ve remained closed until some limited capacity events were briefly allowed.

But the stress of having both our home and the theatre to maintain without an income has been hard on my partner and me. Just because there weren’t any shows on our stage didn’t mean that we didn’t have the regular monthly overhead to pay. Kevin took a job on the Mohawk Territory of Kahanawake, which is his home community, teaching Grades 7 and 8 English. We are grateful for his employment at this time because we need some kind of household income to cover bills at the house and at the Royal.

Unfortunately, I know that Kevin who has taught Theatre at the State of New York, has four University Degrees and a Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada, is not in the most fulfilling teaching position for someone with his qualifications and artistic experiences. And so, while he’s in the classroom, we’re apart from one another during the week, every week, which is challenging, stressful and depressing. It’s an entirely different mindset than when we’re separated for creative work, like a show in a different city.

So, I suppose the greatest challenge these days is maintaining a degree of optimism for the future. We need to take care of our mental health more than ever because, honestly, Covid has not presented any positive experience in our household at all. We are thankful that we and our circle of friends and family have not suffered any casualties.

How have these last few months changed or transformed you professionally?

Okay, I appreciate the nuance in this question, but again I’m amazed when I read about people who say that their creative careers have been transformed because of the pandemic. I’m not saying that it can’t be, but that I respect and tip my hat to these artists.

Before Covid hit us all sideways, I was enjoying a bit of a career reboot. I had just come off a back-to-back gig in two of the most popular shows in Québec. I spent a year playing Harry Bright, a role I’d dreamed of playing in the spectacular multi-million-dollar production of ‘Mamma Mia!’ for Just for Laughs Productions in Montréal and Québec City. This French language production was a bold and beautiful (and frankly much improved) new version of the popular show. I knew well from being cast in the Mirvish Production in Toronto. Director and translator Serge Postigo’s reimagining of ‘Mamma Mia!’ was one of the most joyful experiences of my stage career.

And while Kevin and I were apart, we were both creatively engaged (he at the Royal) and happy, and we managed to see each other quite frequently.

Mamma Mia!’ then dovetailed perfectly with my next show, which was quite possibly the most prestigious stage production of the year in Montréal, Michel Tremblay’s and Andre Gagnon’s gorgeous ‘Nelligan’ for Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. I played the role of the father, David, in the piece and I was so captivated by the intimate family drama about unconditional love being impacted by mental illness that I collaborated with Michel on an English language adaptation of the show.

I didn’t have an agent but was quite confident that I would be able to attract bilingual representation with my work in ‘Nelligan’. I was also very certain that I had acting work on the table for several months still as I had already been tapped to continue on as David Nelligan through the next summer in Québec City. The production was actually on tour throughout the province when we got word that we were cancelled.

Overnight, every creative person I knew was unemployed. And soon after, as I tried to reach out to agents, I got the same unsurprising response that they were not taking on new talent, especially not at this time.
Yes, some artists have tried to embrace the internet and present themselves online through live streaming. I was (am) one of them. I was very excited to be one of the first batch of performers selected by the National Arts Centre for their Canada Performs series. My one-hour live show was called ‘Émile Nelligan & Michel Tremblay in Poetry/en Poésie’ and it was well received

Then Kevin and I worked with the American Federation of Musicians, the Musicians’ Trust Fund and the Union of Professional Musicians of Eastern Ontario to present several concerts at the Royal Theatre. And we also helped to produce twice the First Peoples’ Performing Arts Festival of the Thousand Islands online.

But I’ve discovered that I do not have a particular passion or aptitude for the technical aspects of this very specific forum/medium that is the very particular specialty of some Creators. Sadly, the glut of amateur video production may have devalued the work of creatives working seriously in this medium. And the flood of free online performances of all sorts, I think, has somewhat devalued the work of many professional performing artists.

But we need to move forward, and so, at the Royal, we have invested in equipment and continue to collaborate with the Union of Professional Musicians of Eastern Ontario. We hope we will be able to improve our online presentation when the gathering of groups for the purpose of livestreaming is allowed again (it’s been restricted, on and off). The Royal Theatre Thousand Islands is an amazing space acoustically for presenting live music, and musicians love the vibe of the place. So we do what we can, when we can, to use our space creatively, but that is not why my partner and I bought the Royal in 2013.
Kevin and I bought a theatre because we are both actors and directors and we hoped that we would be establishing an exciting performance venue in Eastern Ontario, but it’s been extremely hard, and Covid has only presented more challenges.

But has Covid changed or transformed us as artists?

I guess it has made us fighters. We will not lose our dream, and so we are adapting at every turn, as best we can, and we do so with determination.

And I hope that I will personally be able to get back on stage soon as well. In French or in English, I need to be performing.

Do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last two years (and moving into a third year)?

The Canadian live theatre scene has been in limbo for basically two years now. I hear about actors who are looking forward to picking up contracts that were deferred all this time, but they are nonetheless doubtful that the shows will go on. I, myself, was offered a since-postponed ‘Nelligan’ concert tour, that is now being reconsidered, but no contract has been offered because everyone is still in a wait and see holding pattern.

I completely understand. As theatre owners, Kevin and I are concerned about public safety, and we know that we are not alone. The global pandemic hasn’t run its course yet…and so we need to resign ourselves to being patient awhile longer. We know of theatres and companies that have closed permanently since Covid started, and so, yes, fewer performance opportunities and spaces will definitely affect the Canadian live theatre.

Interestingly, I have many actor friends in Paris, France, whose shows are still going on and being sold to full-capacity houses. The spectacular mega-production French adaptation of ‘The Producers’ is completely sold out and has now announced a long-extended run.

Meanwhile, in Canada, the huge success of Mirvish’s ‘Come from Away’ had to close completely because there wasn’t enough government financial support or understanding of how important this production was, what it represented or how terminating its theatrical run hurts a Canadian industry as well as many satellite businesses that rely on the success of the arts.

But is it reckless for big shows (or shows of any size) to still be running in France? When I hint at my concerns for my friends’ and the public’s safety, I am gently rebuffed…so I say nothing further. The subject is so completely polarizing that I don’t want to lose friends, either here or in Europe. I see all sides. As an actor and theatre presenter, I am desperate to get back to business as usual, but I don’t want to be doing so in a way that endangers fellow artists or patrons. And when you are talking about someone’s livelihood in the performing arts, it’s even more difficult because our industry was the first to be completely shut down and has always seemed to be the least understood in terms of how to support our professionals and how to get show business back on its feet.

How much our own Canadian theatre scene will change remains to be seen, I think. We still need to see how many companies survive, and how many theatre professionals have moved on to other employment opportunities. There is certainly going to be a period of rebuilding our industry required for awhile.

What excites/intrigues/fascinates Frayne McCarthy post Covid?

Post Covid? I want to get representation (remember, I’m in agent limbo) and see if I can get back on the boards and in front of the camera a bit more. I am also starting work on a second English language adaptation of an opera by Michel Trembly and composer Christian Thomas.

In a perfect world, I’ll get back onstage as a performer. ‘Nelligan’ will be workshopped and produced.; I’ll work with Michel and Christian on ‘Solemn Mass for a Full Moon in Summer’; and maybe some light might also shine on ‘The Virgin Courtesan’, a musical I wrote with the brilliant Blair Thomson.

And, of course, there is the Royal Theatre Thousand Islands, which is the 165-seat vaudeville theatre that Kevin and I run in Gananoque which I hop will become better known and appreciated as a great live-performance venue in Eastern Ontario. How many actors do you know who would go so far as to change their lives to buy, restore, and operate their own theatre? Not many, probably, because it’s madness! But Kevin and I love the Royal, and we have surrounded ourselves with great people who, like us, see wonderful potential for making our town a much more important arts destination in Canada.

What disappoints/unnerves/upsets Frayne McCarthy post Covid?

I supposed the idea of needing to start so many things from scratch. This is a weird business where you are quickly forgotten unless you are in the immediate creative mix. You’re apparently only as relevant as the last show you were in.

I’ve always straddled Toronto and Montreal because I don’t seem to be one of the usual suspects in either city, and now I live in neither, but between both. I have been written off as retired by some people, and I just want to scream from the mountaintops that I’m still here, probably more dedicated to performing than I have ever been in my life. But I suppose that’s up to me, to make a stronger impression.

Where does Frayne McCarthy, the artist, see himself going next?

GOING next? Is that a trick question?

Because if I could choose to actually go anywhere other than here (Gananoque/Montreal/Toronto), it would be to return to Paris to perform. I was blessed to live there for a time, and that city just felt so perfectly like home. Kevin loves it there too, so if there was a way to work in Paris again, and bring my Kevin along for the ride, and somehow leave the Royal in the care of a brilliant Manager (oh, the dream of being able to hire a Theatre Manager is so huge for us) that would be amazing.

And seriously, I do see myself returning to Paris at some point in the future. I think I have more professional cachet in Europe as the first French Marius in ‘Les Miserables’ and the first French Capitaine Haddock in ‘Tintin, le temple du soleil’ than I have for any of my work in Canada.

But next…-most immediately? I want to see my English language adaptation of ‘Nelligan’ come to life on stage so that I can continue to work on it with Michel Tremblay. And I will also continue working with Michel and Christian Tomas on the English language adaptation of ‘Solemn Mass for a Full Moon in Summer’.

I also want to get an agent…and in jig time, I’ll be booked in the Big Time…Oh, what a dream! (Sorry, I geeked out there on a bit of ‘Gypsy’) Yeah, I want to get back in the saddle!

And Kevin and I, and our Board of Directors, and our team of Royal Family volunteers will continue to build on our Royal Theatre Thousand Islands brand as an important Arts Venue in the Best located tourist destination in Ontario!

Where does Frayne McCarthy, the person, see himself going next?

Oh, you are being tricky! I see what you did there!

Frayne the Artist and Frayne the person have been the same for so long that I hardly distinguish between the two. Frayne is only perhaps less the Artist when he is “Frayne, the son of Teresa and Kevin”…but even then, as I mentioned, my Mom was always a singing mentor; and both Mom and Dad have been my greatest supporters as an artist, and my Dad is even on the Board of Directors of our Production Company! I’m incredibly blessed to have them both so fully involved in all facets of my life.

My friendships, too, nearly all revolve in some way around the world of the arts.

And my relationship with Kevin is also deeply rooted in our artistic partnership. We met working on Theatre together; grew closer through working on Theatre together; and now we own and manage a Theatre together! Kevin makes me a better person, but he also makes me a better artist in every way possible.

Frayne the person will go wherever Frayne the Artist needs to be.

RAPID ROUND

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors or favourite teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

I discovered that my mentors were people whom I wished to somehow emulate, and so I thank you for your example, support and guidance.

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would it be?

The news of my retirement has been greatly exaggerated.

What’s your favourite swear word?

I honestly don’t like to swear. Swearing is a lazy form of expression, and I don’t think much of it in play dialogue either.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Gorgeous

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Disingenuous

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

To that kid who was mercilessly bullied, I’d say “It gets better.”

With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming Frayne McCarthy from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning his career as a performing artist?

Go to the events and be seen; go to the parties and mingle and do your best to make friends and network with people in the performing arts.

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish personally and professionally?

I want to record a solo album while I still kinda like my own singing voice.

Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

I wish I could live in the pure euphoric joy of being cast as Marius in ‘Les Misérables’.

Would Frayne McCarthy do it all again if he was given the same opportunities?

Yes, Frayne McCarthy would do it all again, but I think with a little more confidence, focus and drive.

To learn more about The Royal Theatre Thousand Islands in Gananoque, Ontario, visit https://www.royaltheatre.ca/
Social Media: Facebook: @RoyalTheatreThousandIslands AND Twitter: @RoyalTheatreTI

Actress and jazz singer Gabi Epstein is certainly appreciative of the many opportunities she has had in her twenty-year career

Just like her brother, Jake, whom I saw in his one-man show ‘Boy Falls from Sky’ at the Royal Alexandra last year, Gabi is just as humble as he is.

I saw her perform as Audrey in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at the Stratford Festival. I also had the chance to see her perform as part of a tremendous ensemble of artists at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre, and the production of a heart-warming ‘Home for the Holidays’ which put me in the Christmas spirit.

Just recently Gabi played the office spy Roz in a fantastic ‘9 to 5: The Musical’ at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre. She’s off now to be part of Barrie Ontario’s Talk is Free Theatre’s ‘Giants in the Sky’ two-week festival this month.

What is ‘Giants in the Sky’ apart from a song title in Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’?

According to Talk is Free Theatre’s website: “Over September 9-11, 2022, and September 16-18, 2022, culture, music, and theatrical performance are bringing rooftops, balconies, and fire escapes of the city of Barrie, Ontario to life, and it’s all free.”

Growing up, Gabi attended The Claude Watson Program in elementary and high school at Earl Haig as a vocal major but also had an interest in the drama program. She then decided to pursue her studies in Music at McGill University and loved living in the city. She holds a Bachelor of Music. At that time, she had put so much work into her music studies that she decided to specialize in that one area and be an expert.

When she returned from Montreal after obtaining her degree, she said she was already a few steps ahead. Gabi went into music knowing she wanted to do theatre. After school, she took some scene study acting classes, but did not attend theatre school nor have any formal acting training through a theatre program. She started auditioning right away and working about one-two years after her graduation. She learned about theatre on the job through osmosis, watching other actors, and very happily stated: “I thrive in rehearsal because that’s my training.”

What a great way to learn about the industry.

There’s that little thing called Covid still out there that the live performing arts scene and industry must still consider. When Covid hit, like all the artists I’ve spoken to, Gabi had some time to think and reflect about who she was if she wasn’t a performing artist.

So, what did she do?

She started self-producing everything from her own cabaret evenings to full productions of shows. Her friend, artist Sara Farb and Gabi self-produced a show called ‘Edges’ that they performed themselves that ended up being a co-production with The Musical Stage Company (but at that time called ACTING UP). Gabi also teaches singing.

If there was a time when there wasn’t a period of work for Gabi (as there wasn’t for many artists during the pandemic) she made work for herself. Over the pandemic, she said she had a newfound confidence that was tested in trying to make a profitable time for herself while continuing to be an artist. She and her husband ventured into online performances and started a company called ‘The New Local’ where they paired up with local restaurants and did a virtual dinner and show which kept them inspired.

How does Gabi see her place in a five-year trajectory of the Canadian artist moving forward slowly?

Whatever that trajectory may be going forward as we all deal with Covid, Gabi says whatever path she takes she will be performing for as long as she can in whatever she can to keep herself open. The reason why she has stayed in this industry is that she has learned to enjoy not really knowing what’s going to happen Whether it be through recording audiobooks, some administration, or teaching singing lessons – she’ll keep herself open. Being in the industry professionally for over twenty years is not a very long time, but long enough to know all of the different opportunities that are presented to her.

What drew Gabi to Talk is Free’s Theatre Festival celebration of ‘Giants in the Sky’ where audiences can look up and there are going to be performances on rooftops in Downtown Barrie. It’s a boundary-pushing extension of the immersive theatre that both Arkady and Talk is Free do so well by expecting theatre in different ways.

Gabi and Arkady Spivak have known each other for many, many years. She finally confided it has been 15 years of involvement with Talk is Free although she was hesitant to state how many years. Her second professional show was performing in ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ with Talk is Free. Gabi smiled and told me this foray led to “a series of exciting and wild roles that I’ve played with them” and fondly recalled a five-person version of ‘Candide’ directed by Richard Ouzounian where she played a split track in playing Paquette and the old woman. She played the Beggar Woman in ‘Sweeney Todd’ in Toronto which was outstanding on so many levels. Gabi said she just can’t say No to Arkady because she is always inspired by what she called the “wild ideas that come out of Talk is Free and Arkady. The experiences are always going to be fun and will expand my repertoire just a little bit.”

Gabi’s set as part of ‘Giants in the Sky’ is called ‘Broadway Broads’ where she will sing the great songs by women of Broadway – everything from ‘Cabaret’ to ‘Funny Girl’ to ‘Wicked’ and ‘Waitress’. She says: “I’m not quite a Broadway broad, yet. I’ve still a few years ago to be put into that ‘broad’ category but these are songs by women who have inspired me over the years.”

Where does she see herself in that proverbial five-year plan we’ve all had ingrained in our minds? It’s continuing to be open to new opportunities and to learn. She loves not knowing what’s going to happen and for Gabi, that’s what’s exciting about this industry and what keeps her on her toes. It’s not helpful to set goals by the number of roles you’d like to play. She feels lucky that she has had the chance to play a couple of dream roles; however, she’s also aware that if it happens, it happens AND if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

As we concluded our conversation, I asked Gabi what the one piece of advice is she would give her vocal music students who want to enter the business as she did:

“If you are lucky enough to find the thing that makes you unique and different from everyone else, just focus all your energy on that because that is the one thing no one will be able to do but you…It takes time to figure it out and it’s tough to discover what makes you unique.”

And what’s next for her once ‘Giants in the Sky’ finishes its September festival run?
It has been an extremely busy year for her from ‘Home for the Holidays’ at London’s Grand Theatre last Christmas to just finishing up ‘9 to 5: The Musical’. She now calls this: “an exciting fall/winter where she will be doing several things. Gabi spoke about workshopping a couple of new musicals in which she is involved. She’s recording another audiobook and will have an album release concert in October and several concerts throughout the upcoming months. She will also be completing some educational outreach through Talk is Free.

What she is most proud of at this time is being at home in her own house with her husband where they just celebrated their third-year wedding anniversary.

To learn more about ‘Giants in the Sky’, visit www.tift.ca.

Genny Sermonia is one person whom I hope to see on stage again very, very soon. The first time I had seen her work was in ‘A Chorus Line’ where director Donna Feore and the Stratford Festival had received permission to stage the production in a unique way to fit the Festival Theatre. And my goodness, every part of that stage was used to full effect. It was a terrific performance.

I had a chance to peruse her resume, and Genny’s work on stage, in film and television is extensive. Her training is top notch as she is an Honours Graduate of the Sheridan Institute with further study at The Charlottetown Festival Young Company and Shaw Mandate Intensive.

We conducted our interview via email. Enjoy every moment with your new baby girl in your lives, Genny:

It has been an exceptionally long six months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

I’m not going to lie; I am beginning to feel a little anxious again about the numbers edging up because it broke my heart to not be able to see my family at the beginning of isolation. Summer allowed us to safely be socially distant outside and so going back into isolation indoors, though we’ve already experienced it. I am not looking forward to remaining away from family and close friends.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last six months?

Well, I was pregnant all throughout quarantine and so I wasn’t sure if my anxiety was because I was pregnant, being afraid of contracting COVID-19, or just my anxiety in general. I’m an introvert and so staying in wasn’t so bad at first, but not having the option to leave our condo unless necessary made me feel a little trapped.

My family and I are very close so in the beginning of isolation we Face Time’d quite often and also kept in touch through Facebook Messenger where we have a family group chat. We’ve safely seen each other this summer but there’s definitely an invisible barrier around each other that I wish wasn’t there.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

I was actually supposed to perform in this season at the Stratford Festival but my husband and I were blessed with news of being pregnant! Even though we were over the moon to become parents, a part of me was sad to let go of not being able to be in one of my favourite dream shows, ‘Chicago’, and to be in the world premiere of ‘Here’s What It Takes’ in the newly built Tom Patterson Theatre. It was a whirlwind of emotions coming to terms with letting go of my professional dreams for my personal dreams but oddly in the end, I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t able to perform this season. Is that weird to say?

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I guess I sort of answered this question with the previous question. I’m not quite sure what is to become of these two musicals. Donna Feore, who is the director of both ‘Chicago’ and ‘Here’s What It Takes’ invited me to sit in on a technical rehearsal one day for ‘Chicago’ and it was incredible. I would hate for all of Donna’s work and the work of the actors and creative team to never see the light of day. The talent and caliber were out of this world.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

During isolation I was taking dance classes through Zoom, reading up on pregnancy and parenting, baking, self-tape auditions for commercials, and lots of yoga and meditation to keep me centered. As of late, I’ve been giving all of my time to my newborn baby girl and now teaching Jazz technique to the Music Theatre Program at Sheridan via Zoom.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

You know it’s such a dark time for many right now. I feel like while we’ve been going through this pandemic for months now; we have also been seeing many social and racial injustices come to light. So much is coming out of us mentally and emotionally, and as artists our job is to portray and mirror society, and so my advice for fellow performers and colleagues but really for anyone who is trying to find light in such a dark time is to be gentle with yourselves.

Take this time to reflect on how we treat each other, and how we’ve been treating each other while we have time…and we have lots of time right now. Take that Zoom dance class, brush up on vocal scales but pace yourselves and remember to work on your well-being. We rarely get that chance to slow down in our fast-paced “God, I hope I get it” industry. How are you able to mirror reality as an actor if you’re not grounded as a person?

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

I am actually seeing a lot of positives coming out of COVID-19. Me personally, I have been able to spend time and LIVE with my husband in Toronto for almost an enter year now as I am usually living and working in Stratford or Niagara on the Lake. I’ve seen many friends develop new skills and create their own businesses. I’ve been able to be present and have a baby!

I am hopeful that if and when theatres are back that the talent is going to be show stopping because many of my colleagues are itching to get back and have been keeping up with their training and finding ways to keep themselves grounded which I find so important as an artist.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Like I said, my colleagues are itching to get back to work and already Canadians are known for their talent and work ethic it being such a smaller theatre scene in Canada already. I can’t wait to see what’s in store when we eventually get there!

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I think it’s great that artists have been showcasing their work online. We are entertainers living in a new era where we have to be even more creative wit how we share our art because our job is to remind people how to feel. I’m not saying it’s our duty because not all artists feel open right now, but it’s certainly an outlet for some and I’m enjoying watching our theatre community come together if not for an audience but for each other.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

Performing is a feeling, an emotion. I can’t ever fully put into words but when I act and dance it says it all. Even if it’s just dancing in my kitchen right now or looking at stage photos it makes me happy. A recent clip of ‘What I Did for Love’ from ‘A Chorus Line’ that I performed in at the Stratford Festival in 2016 popped up online that I didn’t even know was filmed. The song, the scene, the moment was a good reminder that there will still be dark days, but what I did for love and what I still hope to do was and is still worth it.

I look forward to the day theatre comes back.

Follow Genny on Instagram and Twitter @gennysermonia

The first play of George’s I had read during my undergraduate at Western over forty years ago was Zastrozzi. I had the opportunity to see a rather solid production of it performed well several years ago at a local community theatre group here in Durham Region.

I remember my Canadian Literature professor stating during the lecture the play was rather controversial for its time, but it was an extremely important one as part of the Canadian theatre mosaic. As an eager undergraduate of English Language and Literature eons ago, I waited patiently for Walker’s response to this rather brief analysis during our recent telephone conversation.

What he said made me wonder if other playwrights did or now do the same thing.

George has thought a lot about Zastrozzi over the years since its 1977 premiere at Toronto Free Theatre directed by Bill Lane. Walker felt accomplished with the work that was done with the original cast because it was so different at the time from all the other plays on the Toronto stages then. Zastrozzi had all the elements necessary to make it a good production: swashbuckling scenes, melodrama, selfishness, greed, playfulness, sexual references, psychological wordplay. Yet Walker and Lane wondered where the play fit in because it wasn’t like others in Toronto at that time.

Hmmm…and thus the reason why he has returned to think about Zastrozzi. Walker’s pleased that it is still an actor’s piece and that it still speaks to the community theatre and professional level because actors love to perform it, but that question of fitting in remains.

I wonder if audiences now, and in the future, will look at Walker’s newest play Orphans for the Czar and consider how it fits into the current Canadian theatre mosaic? Will it be considered an actor’s piece? Will the actors allow the story to speak for itself? Possible discussion I guess when the production opens on March 29.

From Crow’s website: “George F. Walker’s newest high-stakes comedy [Orphans] ruefully explores the duplicity, revenge, and self-interest at the core of a culture about to go up in flames. Suggested by [Maxim Gorky’s] ‘The Life of a Useless Man’ and set before Bloody Sunday in St. Petersburg, a hapless double agent tries to stay on the right side of both the revolutionaries and the czarists…a comedy of pathos about the fragility of people in unstable times, Orphans for the Czar is a plea for the possibility of decency.”

Some very heady stuff here in Orphans’ brief plot description so I asked George why he felt the play was an important one for 2022 audiences.

It was during the Trump era that Walker became fascinated with those Americans who voted for the Donald. Were they vulnerable people easily convinced to join any group, or in this case Trump’s group? One wouldn’t know it from seeing the recent news reports of the terror emanating from Russia on Ukraine right now, but George spoke about the Russian people as a vulnerable people in his play. I’m curious to see how this possible vulnerability might play out in Orphans.

The play will be directed by Tanja Jacobs with some cast members whom I’ve seen on other stages and in other previous works. She spoke in a recent online conversation with George about the love she has for Orphans and how he has been inspired by her enthusiasm. George told me he hasn’t sat in on any rehearsals at this time and is hoping to sometime this coming week as he has been at his home with his seven-month-old granddaughter. In our conversation, George told me he trusts Tanja, and this cast completely and is not worried at all. When he sent some re-writes to the cast, everyone fell in love with the new pages.

George further commented how he has fallen in love with writing for the theatre once again. There was a near ten-year absence as he was working on television shows: This is Wonderland, The Line, and Living in Your Car. Yes, he had control over the writing he was completing for television, but he felt that at least in Canada you can’t go that far in writing regarding elements that might be either too emotional or too personal.

Walker writes freely. He likes digging deeper into the psyche of individuals and he’s now having a hell of a good time writing again for the stage. From listening to his voice at the other end of the line, I could hear a jokester tone as he acknowledged whether the plays get produced is another question. Whether his children and grandchildren will make sure his plays are produced in the future is another discussion as well.

I promised George that I would not turn this phone call into a Covid related pre-show/profile for Orphans, and again he laughed, and I could tell from his voice he was pleased that wouldn’t occur; however, there was one Covid related element regarding the theatre and how it will look post-Covid for George and I wanted to hear his perspective.

And again, his response was something that I hope all theatres will take to heart as we all move forward after two years.

In his conversation with Tanja, George spoke about “the higher the stakes in the world, the higher the stakes there must be in anything he writes about the world.” I asked if this statement could also be applied to Canadian actors as they move forward.

George once again confirmed how actors nearly had almost everything taken away from them during these last two years. Everyone involved in the theatre is thankful to be able to return and has recognized how lucky they are to be back, but for George, it appears that audiences have been left out of the conversation.

It’s important to have that connection to the audiences and let them feel things once again. There is going to be a hesitancy for some audience members, but there will be a voracious eagerness for those who want to return. There’s nothing in the world like a live connection to a theatrical piece where the audience can see the sweat on the actor’s brow or the tear in the eye. Walker wants to get back to theatre touching us on so many levels. Perhaps more blood will be spilled, but if that provides a live connection to an audience to feel emotions, so much the better.

Thank you so much for the phone conversation, George and for re-connecting me once again to experience those emotions that make all of us human.

The cast for Orphans for the Czar includes Christopher Allen, Shayla Brown, Eric Peterson, Kyle Gatehouse, Patrick McManus, Michelle Mohammed, Paolo Santalucia and Shauna Thompson.

The production previews March 29, 30, 31. It opens April 1 and runs to April 17, 2022, at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. Call the Box office to purchase tickets at (647) 341-7390 ex. 1010 or visit www.crowstheatre.com for more information.

To learn more about George F. Walker, visit his website: www.georgefwalker.ca.

Performing artist George Masswohl has graced Canadian stages in highly charged performances over the years. I had the opportunity to see him play opposite Fiona Reid in a solid production of ‘Sweeney Todd’ at Canadian Stage. A little tidbit of information I also discovered. George sang the title role of ‘Sweeney Todd’ off stage for Vancouver Opera at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre when the actor playing the titular role developed vocal issues. Wow! I applaud George’s dedicated professionalism to ensure a quality production for the entire community.

Recently, until the pandemic was declared, George also appears in some little play in Toronto with packed houses called ‘Come from Away’ where he plays Claude, the mayor of Gander, plus other roles. By the way, the Toronto company is extraordinarily wonderful, so if you haven’t seen this production make sure you do when we can all return. I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the Canadian and Broadway cast members for this column, and ‘Come from Away’ is one show I do want to see again.

George is also a member of The ROWDYMEN, a band dedicated to the preservation and the propagation of the vibrant music of the people of Newfoundland. Hopefully, the band will play somewhere in Toronto when it’s safe for all of us to return.

I also discovered from his Facebook page that George studied English Language and Literature at my alma mater, The University of Western Ontario (Go, Stangs!) Excellent choice, by the way.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thanks for the conversation, George:

It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

If I’m being perfectly honest, I feel differently from moment to moment. As things drag out, and confusion reigns, despair and hope come in waves. But so far, I’ve always managed to come back to hope. I renew this effort every day. That is my current way of living. I’m keeping it in the moment.

How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months?

It’s been tough on my family. My partner and stepson and I have all been shut down. She is a dancer and yoga teacher and he was working, variously, as an usher at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, at an escape room business, and at the Beer Store – which is a filthy job in an environment where most patrons seem to be non-compliant vis a vis Covid protocols, and management less than vigilant. Almost all of these have become impossible for me now.

Beyond our household, it’s even tougher. My sister struggles with the new difficulties in her already difficult work as a counsellor at a women’s shelter and with caring for our 90-year-old aunt, who lives with her. In addition to all of this, we are still in the aftermath of having lost our mother last year after a long and difficult series of illnesses. Having said all of this, we are remarkably upbeat and, as mentioned above, fiercely committed to coming back to hope, finding the joys where they can be found…and doing our damndest to incorporate fun into our days wherever we can.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

The part of me that thinks it’s over…that 35 years of constant hustle has come to a dead end. Watching my colleagues, all at different phases in their journeys, going through similar angst. Trying to imagine, at age 53, what I’ll do for the rest of my life if that part of me, heaven forbid, is right.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I was working on recovering from hip replacement surgery to return to my cherished community and the role that I love in the Canadian company of ‘Come From Away’.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I have been working with my band, ‘The Rowdymen’ with Greg Hawco and Gerry Finn. It has been a saving grace for all of us. Not a money maker at this stage, but it has kept me creative, and for that and them, I am very grateful.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty?

I think it’s best for me to defer to their wisdom and ingenuity. The smart money in this business has always subscribed to the credo that the best way to ensure your employment is to create your own work. If they were to ask me for advice, I think I’d offer that up, and encourage them to do whatever they can to reimagine and rebuild the industry. I’d also pledge to continue to do the same – and pledge my support.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Oh, well, there has to be something. Can I tell you in a year?

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?
You better believe it. Many theatres, like many other small businesses, have shuttered forever. Our associations are tapped out and struggling to maintain relevance in a desert landscape. Funding is stretched beyond previously imaginable limits. Our artists are suffering immeasurable psychological stresses. On top of it all – and not surprisingly as it has ever been thus – much of the rest of society seems blind to the connection between the content they voraciously consume and the value of the artists who create it.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?
I’ve been involved in quite a bit of it, mostly as fundraising for various entities struggling to survive. I’m not sold on it as a vehicle for theatre. We need communal experience…book clubs, concerts, poker games, choir, sports, church, THEATRE. Having said that, I’ll be involved in a live stream on Boxing Day. Stay tuned.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about the art of performance that Covid will never destroy for you?
My creative spirit. The fire of creativity in me is burning hotter than it ever has. I went through a bunch of years where, for various reasons, I didn’t care about anything. I was telling everyone I was retired – and they were starting to believe me. But even through that, I was, somehow, able to preserve an ember to carry forward. I never really know quite how, but I know that I have an undeniable drive to survive. My creativity is at the centre of that flame.

To learn more about The Rowdymen, visit their Facebook page: The Rowdymen,

Twitter: @TRowdymen Instagram: @The_Rowdymen

From Gerard’s website and our Zoom conversation:

“Gerard Gauci is the Resident Set Designer for Toronto’s Opera Atelier. Educated at the Ontario College of Art and Design, he graduated with Honours in 1982. He was in the Communication and Design Department. Gerard wanted to work in the applied arts, and he studied to become an illustrator.

The theatre has always been at the back of his mind.

His work encompasses art, theatre, and museum design. He has worked with Atelier since its first fully staged production in 1985. He has designed the company’s complete repertoire, spanning Monteverdi to von Weber. His work for the stage has been seen across Canada, throughout the United States and Europe. Gauci’s sets have been presented by Houston Grand Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival in New York State, and the Opéra Versailles.”

During our conversation, Gerard mentioned that his designs are all done by hand and rarely uses a computer.

Ever since I’ve had the opportunity to attend some of Atelier’s productions, I’ve been highly impressed with Gauci’s designs.

How did Gerard connect with Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse-Zingg from Toronto’s Opéra Atelier?

While working as an illustrator, he was commissioned to do a magazine cover for the monthly CBC Radio Guide (the TV Guide for Canadian radio). There was always an illustrated cover, and Gerard was asked to produce one about theatre. He’s always been interested in the fine arts and decorative arts of the eighteenth century, particularly in France and Italy. Gerard created a published cover that featured a Baroque dancer in a kind of allegorical costume set on a stage.

Marshall and Jeannette subscribed to this monthly Radio Guide, saw the cover, and found it interesting. They tore it off and stuck it on the fridge door. Jeannette happened to be working with some photographers, and one of them said she and Marshall should meet this ‘guy’ who’s interested in all this Baroque stuff “you’re interested in.” Through one connection leading to another, Gauci received a phone call from them and wanted to meet one day. He did.

Marshall and Jeannette asked if Gerard would design some props for “The Choice of Hercules,” a production they were doing in the theatre at the Royal Ontario Museum theatre. Gerard agreed and enjoyed the experience. Marshall and Jeannette then continued to ask Gerard to work on set designs.

Thus, his connection with the two of them began, and a new chapter opened:

“Thirty-five years later, I’m still here.”

Where does Gerard see the world of opera and theatre’s trajectory over the next five years?

He paused for a moment. First, he said that’s a good question as the industry is still in recovery from Covid. Many of the artists whom I’ve interviewed have also agreed with this, along with the fact everyone wants to establish once again where they were before 2020.

He then added:

“Technology is becoming a bigger and bigger factor on the stage itself. In terms of scenic design, projection is a huge part of what one now sees on the stage. There’s talk of exploring AI scenically on stage. I’m not sure where that will go, but eventually, it will have some role on stage for certain kinds of productions.”

Gauci can’t speak as a director. In terms of set design, the world of printing is changing everything. For his entire history with Opera Atelier, Gerard has everything painted on stage: backdrops, set, and flats. He has a team of painters who do all this work. Gerard creates a small-scale rendering, and the painters reproduce it at a large scale on canvas with scenic paint. This is all changing now dramatically.

In the early days, one couldn’t print anything at that scale. Today, if something is 25 feet by 25 feet, it can be sent out and printed. Gerard foresees that printing will probably overtake the world of scenic painting. Atelier did a production in Italy several years ago where all the drops would be printed in Germany. Gerard had to send scans of paintings. He called this both technological and concerning because he had no idea what the quality would be like coming from a printing press instead of the hands of a team of painters.

Gerard was astonished when he saw the quality of the work:

“These were drops that were 60 feet X 25 feet. They were enormous. The quality was superb, and it looked exactly like my painting. When you have someone physically paint it, there’s a kind of translation that has to happen because their hand is not the same as my hand. It doesn’t look exactly like me. What I had printed looks exactly like me and done in a fraction of the time and cost fraction of what it would cost to have something painted by a team of painters.”

Gauci concurs something is lost because there’s an ineffable quality about a painting versus a print. It’s not the same thing. Printed versions usually have a bit of sheen, whereas scenic paint is designed to be very flat and not reflect light but absorb it.

This kind of technology in the theatre has revolutionized the world of scenic art and will continue to do so. Unfortunately, as Gerard sees it, the world of scenic painting becomes less and less of a profession. It has been used less and less over the years because scenic designers have been thinking digitally for an entire generation.

Why should people continue to see the opera?

The pandemic proved to everyone the value of live theatre. Everyone watched online offerings when everything shut down, yet Gerard found that experience unsatisfying. He couldn’t be engaged with that screen in the way he was engaged in the theatre.

When everything ‘returned,’ Gerard said he rushed back like everyone. He saw some shows – in his words, they were fine, but they weren’t great productions. The experience of being back in the theatre reminded him of how irreplaceable it is. As audience members, we participate in that production because there is an energy exchange between the performers and the audience. Then, there is the added exchange of energy among audience members. It’s a human resonance. There’s some life-affirming about the experience of being in the theatre.

Gerard added something that many artists I’ve profiled have intimated the same thought:

“I found I was moved far more in the theatre than I was looking at the screen.”

For Gerard, opera strives to combine all the arts. The exciting thing about Baroque opera? It was seen as a synthesis of the arts – scenic, orchestral, vocal, and balletic. Emotions were big. It allowed spectators to participate in the opera. It’s about life, but it’s bigger than life.

He also added:

“It was an age of invention in the theatre. The Italians were the great genius of scenic design. They could create very magical effects that would happen before the eyes of spectators. Seeing these changes on stage was an exhilarating experience for an audience.”

Gerard admires Marshall and Jeannette’s commitment and tenacity. It takes incredible energy and determination to run any theatre company, even if for a very short period to keep it running and lively for almost forty years is an amazing achievement. They are high-energy people and have never wavered in their commitment to the company and its vision. Marshall and Jeannette’s energy is infectious, and most of all, it’s fun. For Gerard, these qualities are scarce, and he has always admired them for these qualities.

As we concluded our Zoom conversation, I asked Gerard where he sees himself within the next proverbial five years:

“Oh, gosh. That’s a good question. Throughout my career, I’ve worn three different hats – a theatre designer, a painter and a museum exhibition designer. I just like to keep going. I love juggling all of these things because ultimately one thing influences the other. There’s a nice relationship between these three things.”

Gerard still loves painting. He has always been interested in curation and decorative arts of museums. The theatre has been his life for so long. Opera Atelier is not going anywhere so he hopes he will continue designing sets for the company.

His final words: He’s just going to continue going on.

To learn more about Gerard Gauci as artist, visit his webpage: https://www.gerardgauci.com/

To learn more about Opéra Atelier: https://www.operaatelier.com/

I’ve read many of Glenn Sumi’s articles in Toronto’s NOW Magazine over the years. At the conclusion of his profile, he speaks about being balanced and fair in his commentaries on live theatre and film. Whether we are critics, reviewers, columnists or simply theatre and film goers, let us hope as we emerge from this Covid world in which we now find ourselves that we can also be ‘balanced and fair’ in how we view any work of art.

Glenn is the Associate Entertainment Editor at NOW Magazine, where he’s written about film, theatre and comedy since the late 1990s. A member of the Toronto Film Critics Association and the Toronto Theatre Critics Association, he’s written about and discussed the arts for a variety of outlets, and for three years was a weekly pop culture commentator on CTV News Weekend. He misses live theatre and seeing movies in actual theatres. Being part of the recent Canadian Screen Awards feature jury – done on Zoom – was the most fun he’s had in 13 months.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you so much for adding your voice to the discussion, Glenn:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

Wow, what a place to begin. Bare minimum, this crisis has made me think about the enormous social and economic gaps in society. Most office workers have been able to work remotely from home, but that’s impossible if you’re a supermarket clerk or factory worker or security guard. It’s cracked open how badly run many of our institutions are. Did any of us know how long-term care homes were run until last year?

Did we ever think that we’d get more useful and practical vaccine information from a pop-up Twitter account called Vaccine Hunters (@VaxHuntersCan) than from our government? Seeing anti-mask and “freedom” demonstrators has been utterly demoralizing and has made me think a lot about personal vs. collective freedom. Seeing how places like Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand have handled the virus – strict lockdowns (including limitation on how far you can travel), contact tracing, quarantining – has shown it’s possible to return to some normalcy if you follow the science and work together.

On a personal level, I didn’t realize how important even casual day-to-day interactions were before this: working in an office, sitting in a café, sharing small talk. Your world is so much richer and more interesting when you’re exposed to other people and ideas on a regular basis. I live alone, and I haven’t hugged anyone in 14 months. I was never a big partygoer, but I miss being in small groups eating, drinking, and laughing, meeting friends of friends, that sort of thing. I miss big family gatherings, catching up with people in person and not via social media or email.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

I guess I instinctively knew it before, but only after the pandemic did I fully grasp how many people are actually involved in the theatre industry: everyone from the box office clerks and ushers to the photographer who does the season brochure to the restaurant workers near the theatre. I’ve also been thinking about the economic realities of theatres – things like the minimum audience capacity needed in a theatre to break even. And it’s made me think about something that’s been troubling me for the 20+ years I’ve been writing about theatre regularly and interviewing its artists: how so many people in the industry come from privileged backgrounds and have families to fall back on in tough times.

On a more positive note, some of Toronto’s more creative companies have found ways to keep the theatrical spirit alive, via phone plays, audio dramas and other creative substitutes.

What are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

Live theatre? I miss everything. The artistry, of course. The energy communicated between the performers onstage and the audience. The 3D-ness of it all – watching a filmed play on a screen doesn’t come close to being at the play. (I was wondering why, in the single time I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario last summer, I was so drawn to the sculptures, and I think it was because I was so tired of looking at flat surfaces.) I even miss annoying things, like the crush at the box office and intermission refreshment stands, the fidgeting and talking. The live theatre industry? Harder to say. The excitement around opening nights, I suppose. Seasons that don’t have the word “virtual” in them.

What is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?
The importance of a group of people sitting together in the dark experiencing something together.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

I hope last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests and the recent anti-Asian racism incidents have made the industry seriously question who runs theatres, who sits on theatres’ boards of directors, and how that affects the art form.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

Encourage and support more talented BIPOC writers to consider arts journalism and criticism.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement as an audience member observing the theatre?

It’s inevitable. I’ve already seen lots of COVID-related material on social media and in comedy – both sketch and stand-up. You have to address the elephant in the room. And some TV shows that have taped seasons after the pandemic began decided to set their show during the pandemic, showing proper health protocols, etc. I’m very curious to see how theatre artists respond. Back in December, the satiric Beaverton already predicted how painful this trend might be, with the headline: “Health Canada Warns of Inevitable Spring Wave of Terrible COVID-inspired Fringe play.”

As with all things, it takes time for the full effect of an event to inspire original and lasting art. I think at first, audiences may be so exhausted and fatigued by the real thing that they may want to experience escapism.

Personally, I’m looking forward to plays that don’t rely on traditional narrative. Like millions of others, I’ve watched a lot of film and TV over the past 14 months, and I want to engage with theatre that’s less story-based and more abstract and metaphor-based, stuff that doesn’t necessarily work well on Netflix.

What specifically is it about your work that you want future readers to remember about you?
People don’t have to agree with what I write, but I hope they feel I’ve been balanced and fair.

To connect with Glenn Sumi on social media: Twitter: @glennsumi Instagram: @goaheadsumi

I’ve begun a check-in on some artists. In 2020, I held my first conversation with artist Gregory Prest. You can find the link to his earlier profile here: www.onstageblog.com/profiles/gregory-prest.

Last time I saw Gregory on stage was as Ron Weasley in the now-closed Toronto production of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’

For the last several weeks, he has been the adaptor and the director of the world premiere of Soulpepper’s ‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail’, now in previews. The production opens on February 8.

Before we even talked about the opening of ‘De Profundis’ this week, I wanted to check in on him to see how he’s feeling professionally and personally about the theatre industry:

“It’s not NOT alarming…I don’t know what to think about it. I’m unsure about it. I really don’t know what to do other than to continue doing the work. I don’t have the responsibility of running an institution and trying to figure out how to make it all work in this new world. I feel my job right now is to continue making work.”

That reminded me of the motivational UK poster in preparation for World War 2: “Keep Calm and Carry On’. Now, I’m not saying there will be a war of any kind; however, when challenging times continue, we all need to continue what we do daily and keep busy.

Prest sees this as an opportunity for the theatre community to continue supporting each other, showing up, and buying tickets to see the work.

His latest venture, ‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail, ’ opens on February 8. According to the Soulpepper website, [it]is a musical fantasy based on the letter Oscar Wilde wrote while incarcerated for two years at Reading Gaol to his love, Lord Alfred Douglas. The letter was written a page a day over a period of three months, collected at the end of each day, and handed over to Wilde on his release from prison.”

Prest is the adaptor and director for this world-premiere production. Rehearsals have gone well, as did the technical rehearsals. Part of the exercise was to come in every night of the preview and watch as if he had never seen the show. There was so much historical context that had to be taken into consideration. The text of ‘De Profundis’ would have probably created fifteen shows, so the entire letter is not in this production. Selections had to be made, and audience experience was essential at this time.

Gregory doesn’t call the week before opening Hell Week but rather the ‘wildly unstable snipping section of time.’ ‘De Profundis’ is an experiment in a lot of ways. The creative team is trying something exciting and moving, challenging, interesting, and engaging. Part of the preview period is seeing what the show does and responding as a creative team to how the audience reacts. Prest sees the show changing significantly during previews as the time right now is seeing what is clear for audiences and what is not clear:

“A show like [De Profundis] that is abstract in nature is not really linear or narratively driven but emotionally and narratively driven. There’s so much space in it; sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s a confusing thing and a puzzle to figure out.”

Gregory does not want to leave anyone out in the cold. He jokingly said he doesn’t want audiences coming in and wondering, ‘Who’s Oscar Wilde?’ We shared a quick laugh over that, but again, that’s a fear a creative team must keep in mind.

For Prest, Wilde is an incredible artist. ‘De Profundis’ is not meant to be a piece of theatre; it’s a letter.
Yet something is fascinating about this letter. It feels like this letter has become the first celebrity trial. Wilde was someone at the top of his game with significant influence, power and reputation who publicly fell, failed, and was the target of scorn and humiliation. The experience of this process for Prest himself is being on the inside. One of the things that became clear at the end of the letter was how to move forward when everything has fallen around you. How does one deconstruct an ego when you’re alone? How do you move forward with sorrow and disappointment?

What is so moving about ‘De Profundis’ for Gregory?

It’s the piece’s dynamic, along with Wilde’s slow movement toward walking with the disappointing facts of his life hand in hand with acceptance. The transformation in the piece is one of moving with a former self as opposed to becoming something new. Prest finds this really interesting right now.

The process for the generation of ‘De Profundis’ started with Prest and Original Music and Lyrics by Sarah Wilson and Mike Ross in a room. They spent three days reading the letter, going through it and then realizing the need to break it. Prest calls himself conservative and said if it were up to him, he’d like to stage the entire letter. He had a good laugh, knowing that wouldn’t be possible. The task of bringing ‘De Profundis’ to the stage has been humbling.

The team had to: “pull things out and explode things as an act of love.” Out of love, they’ve had to destroy the letter and try to re-build it again. ‘De Profundis’ is not a natural idea for a musical, but it’s challenging and worth pursuing. Mike and Sarah then went to work, and the three came back together, worked again, and then went away to work. Eventually, Damien Atkins (who plays Oscar Wilde) was then brought in. It was continuously creating material, putting it side by side and seeing how everything spoke to each other.

The music in ‘De Profundis’ reflects something underneath the plot, a bird’s eye view, perhaps of a moment with Oscar and then coming back down.

Jonathan Corkal-Astorga and Colton Curtis appear with Damien in the production.

What has each of them brought to the story according to Prest?

Jonathan has brought professionalism, skill and heart with care, interest, and sensitivity. Colton brings incredible skill as a dancer and is the most generous person in the room you can find. With sensitivity and skill, Colton brings an enigma to the character of Lord Alfred Douglas (Wilde’s lover). To play him is not an easy task.

Damien is all humanity, humour, rage, camp, and talent. This is why it’s so beautiful to have him play Oscar Wilde. Prest calls Damien a ‘great’ friend. When you’re in his presence, and he is ‘on,’ Prest calls it as if you are sitting next to the sun. For him, this is what it must have felt like to be around Oscar Wilde.

Just to be clear: Damien is not making an impression of Oscar Wilde; there’s no dialect as we’re not in that world for ‘De Profundis.’ The story is set in a different kind of dreamlike place but with that sense of celebrity.

As we begin to close our conversation, Prest recommends reading the entirety of ‘De Profundis’ because it is a beautiful experience. The letter is such a coded document. Wilde could say things and couldn’t say certain things. Even though the letter was very private, it was also public.

Prest smiled and said they were being reckless about some things. Without being weird about it, Prest believes some people will really dig ‘De Profundis’ while others are really going not to do so. The flip side to this thinking is if you really like Oscar Wilde, you may really loathe this ‘De Profundis.’ Prest also quickly adds that the production is not meant to be definitive, as there have been many stories, plays, and films about Wilde.

What’s next for Gregory once ‘De Profundis’ completes its run?

He begins rehearsals as an actor for Canadian Stage’s ‘The Inheritance.’ For these last few days, he has been doing double duty of rehearsals at CanStage in the morning and heading back to Soulpepper in the afternoon for final tweaking and juggling. A remount of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ will be performed at Soulpepper, and he’s involved in that production:

“It’ll be very good and healthy after this process [of De Profundis] to land in someone else’s room with a big ensemble and have a change of pace as an actor.”

Is there time for Gregory Prest to be just Gregory: son, partner, brother, and friend amidst all this rehearsal?

“Never!!!!!!!!!, but we’ll see, we’ll see.”

‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail’ is now in previews. It opens on February 8 and runs to February 18, 2024, in The Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane, in Toronto’s Distillery District. For tickets, youngcentre.ca or call 1-416-866-8666. To learn more about Soulpepper Theatre, visit soulpepper.ca.

Gugun Deep Singh’s name periodically appeared liking some of the profiles I had compiled. When I saw his picture, I kept wondering where have I seen this man before. And once again it dawned on me. Gugun was part of a solid ensemble cast of ‘Men in White’ staged at Factory Theatre and directed by Philip Akin.
His resume is impressive. Gugun was born in Toronto, raised in Mississauga but moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was in Grade 12. He graduated from high school in LA and attended university out there.

Medicine was his sole goal at that time but theatre was his elective so he changed majors. Gugun spent a year discovering many new ways to fail while attending the Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. He took a year off, then moved to New York City. He completed the musical program at Circle in the Square Theatre School followed by a fellowship with the Shakespeare Lab at the Public Theatre. He has bee working as a professional actor ever since.

Notable film credits include the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films and the forthcoming ‘Scrapper’. On television, he has appeared in ‘Nurses’, ‘The Expanse’ and ‘The Detectives’.

Our interview was conducted via a Zoom conference call and boy, oh boy did I ever have a good time asking him these questions and seeing sometimes his facial features when he answered. What struck me as very respectful after some of the questions was the way in which he paused to think before he spoke. Thanks for doing that, Gugun. I wish more people would be like that:

1. It has been the almost three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation? How have you been doing? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

My parents live in California on the west side of Los Angeles. I’ve been ok. Some days are tougher than others. I’ll admit that I do consume a fair amount of media. It’s not always just television. I get a lot of energy from interacting with folks. I had just returned from the US before Covid-19 hit. They didn’t even have a name for it. I had gone a week ahead before my partner joined me the week after. We had a great trip visiting family, but to come back and feel the shift was very interesting. Some days are tougher than others, but it’s great to have purpose. Being disciplined to institute some structure. I look at the days as opportunities to do things rather than trying to structure the day.

It’s been a complex time as well because I’m thinking about my parents and not being able to see them. They’re in their seventies so there is that possible threat to their health from Covid. On top of that, the cultural and social tumult has been on my mind and the issues coming to the forefront. Isn’t it interesting that we are now living through some chapter in a history book for future readers? I rarely leave the house without wearing the mask, carrying the hand sanitizer and practicing the distancing. No one in recent history in the western world has placed this much attention. Everything is covered. Gosh, this is one hell of an answer, isn’t it?

To sum it up, I’ve been managing to keep positive, sustain my energy, remain curious remain healthy, check in on friends and family and maintain healthy practices. I’m maintaining these connections and encourage them to do the best they can because we all have a lot on our minds today from the threat of Covid.

2. As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

In this time, I’ll caveat this by saying I moved back to Canada to be in Canada, to work in Canada as a Canadian, and to a lesser extent as a Canadian of colour. I wanted to be up here, to return home, and to check in on my peers. I have a lot of friends who work in film, television and theatre in Los Angeles and New York as that’s where I went to school and I do consider it my second home. I’ve been thankful for the opportunities in LA and New York as it has been a privilege.

The creative market of film, television, and theatre in Canada and in the Toronto area is wonderful. I don’t have the relationships yet even though I have the experience. In the time of Covid, this has been rough to be in Canada in wanting to connect with others. Big time. I was looking forward to seeing with a freshness who was building work and where I wanted to work in the summer. Last summer I worked on a show in a park with ‘Shakespeare in Action’ in Weston.

I’m very keen to collaborate with new artists to build relationships and longevity as a performer/actor and possibly diversify as writer, producer, and director perhaps. So, the loss of connection and the distance that Covid has brought with my peers in trying to achieve this goal has been difficult and getting the wind knocked out of me has been tough.

The other challenge might be getting right to the point and returning to brevity in answering the question and carrying on.

3. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I was not currently contracted on anything. There were projects to which I was attached. I have some small things I’m developing myself, planning, putting notes together and having more time to work on it. I have the time, but I don’t know if I have the inspiration as other things take your energy. I have a couple of days to finish up on this indie feature.

I want to remain on people’s periphery for my talents as an actor. To be hired because producers think I’m the one for the role.

It’s going to be exciting to return with new conversations with new and established companies who might want to do things a different way.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

Well, I’m trying to improve my culinary skills. That’s been a nice change of pace. I’m grateful for the time. I’ve pivoted a bit in learning other things I’m keeping in touch with family and friends. I’m in a writer’s boot camp learning about writing and producing of children’s television. John May has been running this workshop. I was invited to audit and now the nature of the health crisis has allowed me to focus on the writing camp.

My partner and I are spending more time together which has been wonderful.

I’m still approaching things as a performer first, but I’m also learning how to improve my producing and directing skills. I see this transition as an archipelago. I figure I’ll get to that island as long as I’ve come through the other islands.

I remain excited for the day I can go back to work.

5. Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty?

It’s okay not to be okay. That’s a bigger lesson as our ever-increasing understanding of mental health is key and how taxing it can be. There is no cookie cutter approach. In this time there are opportunities still opening up, but you’re going to have to re learn certain things.

For example, a self tape.

“Take a breath. What is it you want to say?” These are words I would also say to theater graduates.
Theatre grads have received a certain group of opinions. Those opinions might be great training. Training is not any substitute for experience and the wisdom that comes from the experience. I would tell theatre graduates – “Get ready to apply your wisdom. Learn, read, invest as it’s the experience which is far more useful in the business.”

Invest in who you are and distill what it is you want to say. We don’t get an opportunity to pause like this so take advantage of this opportunity to learn instead of receiving as you would have done when you were at school.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

It’s slowed everybody down. And that’s good. Running at a breakneck pace is tough. It wears you out.
Learning how adaptable, flexible and resilient you can be is important. This takes time and it’s okay that things take time. We also need to find the stillness, to breathe and to consider. The lessons coming out of the crisis – the crisis was already in our head and heart.

If we’re speaking, we’re not listening. Turn it around. We need to listen more.

7. Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

There’s an estimate that it might take ten years for the greater economy to recover. I’m trying to focus on something I learned in school – When on stage, distance can give you strength and perspective. If the distance will help give us perspective, then the nature of how endangered arts and culture has been will become apparent.

I have no idea when we will come back. There’s a culture here in Canada of how we secure the grant and the money for arts and culture.

I think ‘drive in theatre’ might become a thing. Old school skills with vocal training will come in handy; learning how to sustain the voice in an in the round space that doesn’t maintain the sound. Revisiting the Greeks and how they presented their plays will probably come back.

Resources will be lean, but the collaborative spirit of communication and community will survive from the Indigenous community to the LGBTQD2 spectrum. The business will suffer a bit, but the arts will survive because the ingenuity is there.

The rallies being reported around the world will have a far greater impact on us. The lasting impact will be the conscientiousness coming out of it. The awareness is there. The door is now open, and we have to step through it. The arts will remember this. We’ve had this awakening and the arts will continue to remind us to keep moving forward. There will be positive change and shifts in the arts as we move forward and become available.

8. Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

Streaming has become part of our reality. The entities that are most greatly invested in the business have realized the opportunity of streaming for the need to survive. Not all the entities need it to survive. It will be necessitated in certain live streams of performances. People have adapted how to adapt and film a work where you feel like you are right there in the audience. It’s film making but how to adapt the energy of the moment in the play and how to bring it to life.

I like the union has adapted so the artist continues to get paid. Residuals and buy outs are now on the table but it’s important the union brings this forward in this new reality.

Presenting a play is different from a film and theatre. The theatre actor will have to become aware of the streaming. It will become part of the business. You Tube and streaming are not going away.

9. Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

Performing is human, especially as a theatre artist. That’s just my belief. Covid can’t take away the imperfections of the human, which becomes perfection for the theatre artist. Covid created distance but I can use that distance to create connection from distance. Remember, the plague didn’t destroy William Shakespeare and the theatre. He wrote about life which is messy. That’s life. Covid will not destroy the spirit of human imperfections of life.

As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

It’s a Punjabi word – RUDG-KAY. It’s an inside joke. It means ‘with enthusiasm’/ ‘with gusto’.

2. What is your least favourite word?

‘Um’ – I say ‘Um’ a lot. It’s a place holder, just a sound. It’s filler. It’s a non word. It’s onomatopoeia.

3. What turns you on?

Audacity/courage/authenticity (I feel like I’ve contacted these)

4. What turns you off?

Cruelty

5. What sound or noise do you love?

The bullfrogs at night by my partner’s cottage.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Hesitation (it may be silent, but it remains very noisy)

7. What is your favourite curse word? Horseshit. It’s specificity, makes someone pause and it’s just waste.

8. Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

I’d want to help people. Something where I’m caring for others where I could take pain away and help others. I have moments where I wonder if I did complete my medical training as a doctor or nurse.

9. What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

Whatever anything repetitive, monotonous, uncreative. It doesn’t matter the field – ‘life in a cubicle’.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

I would want God to wrap me up in a big hug, look into the centre of me, and ask ‘Are you at peace?’ I would like very much to be able to meet that gaze and nod my head.”

You can follow him on both Twitter and Instagram: @gugundeepsingh.

I have either read or heard of Hannah’s name over the years in the entertainment section of the newspaper (is there such a section anymore?) or in discussion with others who have a keen interest in Canadian theatre. When I sat on play reading committees for various amateur theatre groups years ago, I can’t recall if I had read anything by Hannah or not.

After reviewing two extraordinarily fine productions of her plays ‘Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes ‘and ‘Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story’ at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, I certainly want to keep aware of Hannah’s upcoming works. I found both productions exceptionally theatrical while crossing boundaries of all sorts with a fine mixture of psychological drama added to pepper character development. While a prolific and exceptional playwright, Hannah is also a TV writer (‘X Company’ which I did watch on CBC) and librettist.

Regretfully I bow my head as I did not have the chance to see ‘The Secret Life of a Mother’ or ‘Bunny’ where I heard artist Maev Beaty’s stunning work was captured exquisitely. I hope and trust there is an opportunity to see both works in the future once we’re all allowed back in the theatre.

Hannah and I conducted our interview via email:

1. It has been nearing three months now that we have been under this lockdown. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine. How has your immediate family been doing?

We are good. None of us are sick. We have money. We live in Nova Scotia where there are a small number of people – it’s easy to stay isolated here. My work is solitary for long stretches so I am used to being alone.

2. Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down?

I’ve had, I think, seven shows cancelled or postponed so far. New productions of ‘Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes’ in Edmonton and Melbourne Australia and international tours of ‘Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story’. A couple of workshops of new projects have been pushed back – ‘Post-Democracy at PTE’ and ‘Ten Days in a Madhouse’ at Opera Philadelphia. More will be cancelled or postponed soon, I think. But there’s a worldwide pandemic so, uh, that seems like the right choice.

3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation for you?

I have half the work time because my son is home. He’s only four. There are still big expectations on me to meet deadlines, as though I don’t have a kid at home, so that’s been harder, I feel crushed by work. On the bright side, I have work.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

I think this question applies to people without children. I am busy all the time. There is not a minute I’m awake that I am not working flat out or with my son. It feels relentless at times, in fact. It’s complicated because I love my son and my life, but it’s hard not to let the work pressure colour what is actually beautiful time with my son. Anyway, I am not lonely or bored or in need of distracting activity.

5. Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

Jeez. Pandemic circumstances are new, so I can’t draw on any experience or theories of mine to offer advice or consolation.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

I hope that empiricism and science and rigorous truth-making systems will be re-established, and that the right wing won’t so breezily make up facts like “coronavirus is a hoax”.

7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

I think it already has. There are theatre companies that are going bankrupt. There are artists who won’t be able to hold out, financially, and will opt out of this industry, taking their talents with them. There are established artists who are turning to other mediums – publishing for instance – to get through. Artistic Directors speak regretfully about how new works will be stalled. Listen, there may be good outcomes too – we aren’t at that moment yet.

8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts about this format presentation? Any advantages to doing this? Disadvantages? Are you participating or will you be participating in this presentation format soon?

I gave a 20-minute talk on this recently for Canadian Stage. The short version is I think it makes sense to maintain audience bases via archivals. I’m interested in live online work, and I have no doubt iterations of it will blow my mind. I do also think theatre people going online live could consult with people in the TV industry who are more familiar with the medium and get good help.

9. What is it about the performing arts scene you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding the theatre community from Covid 19?

I love that it’s a supportive community, and that everyone is managing to be kind in a difficult situation.
With a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the ten questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

Love.

b. What is your least favourite word?

Words used to demean people.

c. What turns you on?

I’ve given long and short ones below, Joe. (Note: I had no issue with this, especially when you read Hannah’s answer to question d.)

Short Answer: Right now I’m into the TV show Normal People.

Long Answer: Right now I’m into the TV show Normal People, and I have been listening to Connie Walker’s podcast which is so extraordinarily good – Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo and Who Killed Alberta Willians, and I just read “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Mohsfegh which I loved.

d. What turns you off?

Short Answer: Right now? The murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers.

Long Answer: I’m turned off by reconciliation in Canada without justice or a reckoning for Indigenous communities. I’m Jewish, and we don’t believe in forgiveness without justice – that’s a Christian concept. I’m turned off by the failure in Canada to take responsibility for the genocides and atrocities of the past and the present on a systemic level.

I love Canada, and so I’d like Canada to be better, I’d like our country not to just pay lip service to taking responsibility. I want us to actually reckon with our fucked up prisons, fucked up child welfare systems, fucked up police forces where racism is entrenched, fucked up drinking water, fucked up governments responses and our overt and insidious racism towards Indigenous people. I feel strongly about it because I come from a people against whom atrocities and genocides have been committed. I can’t distance myself from it.

And listen I want to say I didn’t know very much about what was going on with Indigenous communities until the last few years – and it took me a while to really get the full scope of the horror, and to wrestle with my own false ideas about Canada, so.

e. What sound or noise do you love?

The wind. In particular on Northern Atlantic beaches.

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

It distresses me, on a physical level, when babies cry. Even though my son is four now when I hear that sound I get ready to run towards it.

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck.

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

War journalism.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Vermin control.

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

I guess if I think about God as being my mother and father, and my sister, and my husband and my son, combined, I can say I’d like them to say to me: “Hannah, I love you and you’re a good person. You have made my life good. You’ve done your part. It’s going to be okay.”

The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary from March 5 to 16, 2025. It will showcase contemporary sketch comedy, storytelling, musical comedy, and clowning. Over 70 troupes from North America will perform high-energy acts.

Recently, I held an online conversation with performers Hannan Younis and Rakhee Morzaria. They will perform ‘My Best Friend’s Friend’ on March 12 at Toronto’s The Theatre Centre.

More about their upcoming show shortly.

Comedy is a complex art form. It’s not an easy one to perform live.

What does comedy mean for a twenty-first-century audience? Is there anything that a 21st-century audience should consider when attending comedy?

For Hannan and Rakhee, comedy is always rooted in truth and their experiences. They are both racialized artists, and their experience of the world is filtered through this lens. For them, the most important thing in their comedy is to write what’s true for them, what makes them laugh, and what spooks them.

I find it interesting that artists who work in comedy also search for truth and experiences, just as theatre actors constantly search for truth and believability in their performance work.

Performers in comedy aren’t just born. It must start somewhere and be nurtured.

Where did this nurturing begin for the two of them?

When looking at college brochures in high school, Hannan started a descent into comedy. Enrollment in 2004 in the Humber Comedy college programme followed. Rakhee started Second City in 2013 and completed their Conservatory, Bob Curry Fellowship (meeting Hannan followed) and worked on their mainstage in their Education Company, Family Company. Rakhee also made a comedic digital series in 2018, which was an incredible learning experience. The series was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award.

Some comedy performers typically had mentors throughout their career journeys. Who were some of Hannan and Rakhee’s mentors in comedy?

Their response was interesting:

“The audience…that sounds like a really weird answer, but our art is contingent on an audience coming out and giving us feedback. We write what’s honest and true and funny for us, that’s our voices – and no one can teach us about that except for ourselves (and our core group of comedy friends who encourage and empower us). In terms of honing skills and getting stronger in our craft, it’s about audience response and trying things out over and over to understand the mechanics of why something is working or not…it’s about being true to our message and figuring out the strongest way to communicate it.”

Their show, ‘My Best Friend’s Friend,’ opens March 12. It concerns two comedians trying to forge a friendship through the creation of their new, never-before-seen experimental comedy show. But the two of them whetted the appetite just a bit more.

Hannan said the show came to be because they share the same best friends. They didn’t want to do a show with us, so we made the show to spite them. Rakhee playfully added that since the two of them have hung out since 2015, they haven’t created something together since then. They got to know each other through the show.

Rakhee calls it very meta.

Are there any messages the two would like audiences to take away after seeing “My Best Friend’s Friend?”

Both agree:

“To be yourself and have fun.”

What’s next for them when the Comedy Sketch Fest concludes at The Theatre Centre?

They’re planning a tour of “My Best Friend’s Friend.”

But there’s something else they’re keeping in mind regarding the tour:

“Given the way things are going globally, it feels like the right time to dig our feet in and build an arts community that we’ve always wanted. We’re also writing a television show, but it’s under wraps so we can’t get into details at this time. You’ll have to stay tuned.”

To learn more about the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival at The Theatre Centre, go here:

The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival

This time of isolation from live theatre and the emerging civil and social reforms have certainly made me aware of the importance of hearing from as many voices as possible within the artistic community. Several of the artists profiled have been extremely helpful in suggesting names of individuals who deserve to be highlighted.

I was pleased when two artists suggested Heath V. Salazar. In the twenty-first century, it’s wonderful that we have social media sites like Facebook to make initial introductions; however, nothing beats speaking to a person face to face which is what I hope I can do in the near future with all of the artists I’ve profiled so far, and when it’s safe for all of us to return.

And I was grateful to make an introduction as Heath told me they would be delighted to be profiled for this series

Heath V. Salazar (they/them) is a Dora Award-winning trans-Latinx performer and writer. Since graduating from Randolph College for the Performing Arts, Heath has developed a body of work as an actor that spans the gender spectrum in both theatre and film. Within the drag world, they perform multidisciplinary draglesque as Gay Jesus and are featured on Season 1 of the CBC Arts’ Canada’s a Drag. Through their writing, Heath was selected for the Spoken Word Residency at the Banff Centre of the Arts (’17) as well as the Emerging Creators Unit at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (’18). In addition, Heath has gone on to teach as a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto.

Currently, while Heath continues the development of their short film, Préstamo, in partnership with director Tricia Hagoriles, they’re also an Artist in Residence with both Aluna Theatre and Buddies in Bad Times.

It appears that after five exceptionally long months, we are slowly, very slowly, emerging to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Has your daily life and routine along with your immediate family’s life and routine been changed in any manner?

My daily life and routine have changed drastically over the course of the past five months. As a multidisciplinary artist, I’m accustomed to working multiple gigs throughout the week that involve audiences or being in close proximity with large groups of people. In addition, as a queer and Latinx creator, I personally hold a strong community focus within my work which involves actively engaging with audiences outside of a performance setting as well as regularly attending community events.

Due to safety restrictions, all of those spaces were put on pause which has completely altered my everyday life.

However, that community focus has been a great contributor in motivating me to seek out alternate platforms and methods of creating that allow me to remain in connection and of service to my communities and those around me.

Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down?

There are a number of projects that I was preparing for when the pandemic was declared. In addition to local gigs and performances, I was in the midst of making arrangements to move to Stratford, Ontario for the summer to perform as Rafe in Wolf Hall as a company member at the Stratford Festival. In the past year, I’ve been involved in creation and research development programs at the theatre including working as a guest artist for their Laboratory Ensemble as well as for the Stratford Incubator. This would’ve been my debut performance with the company, however, in order to keep everyone as safe as possible, the theatre was forced to close.

Fortunately, the Stratford Festival has worked actively throughout the pandemic to continue upholding a sense of community with their company members. They’ve arranged mini-challenges and projects to bring people joy, they’ve ensured consistent and transparent communication, and when the civil right movement currently taking place began, they took the time to listen and have used their reach and platform to engage in productive and important conversation with Black and Indigenous artists and creators.

The state of our world, let alone our industry, needs to change and having a company like Stratford take accountability for its history engages a lot of people in a dialogue they may not otherwise have had.
Describe the most challenging element or moment of the isolation period for you. Did this element or moment significantly impact how you and your immediate family are living your lives today?

One of the most challenging elements of the isolation period for me, particularly in the beginning, was navigating limitations regarding my ability to bring aid to my loved ones and community. Safety isn’t something that’s afforded to everyone in our society. Even before the pandemic started, violence and discrimination against racialized trans people, particularly those who are Black and Indigenous, disproportionately affected their ability to access basic necessities such as housing, healthcare, and food stability.

Since the initial lockdown, those circumstances have only escalated but, since I had lost my employment for the foreseeable future, I felt very limited in my ability to help.

However, the work I’ve done over the years has allowed me to learn from some of the most incredible activists on how to provide community support in ways that don’t involve monetary donations, and that translated very well even in a time of isolation and social distancing. This came heavily into play over the past couple of months.

Ways to help can range from promoting and sharing information about organizations that provide resources for marginalized communities, donating performances and/or performance fees for online fundraisers, attending protests and demonstrations that call for the reallocation of city/government funding to be put towards community resources, using social media platforms to share accurate information about how people are being affected and ways that your friends and peers can help, engaging in a personal dialogue with city officials to demand protections for our most vulnerable communities, learning about the impact that the redistribution of funds can have even on a minor scale, seeking out petitions with clear demands to bring aid to those in need and much, much more.
Quite often, difficult times can bring on feelings of despair and helplessness, but those I’ve had the privilege of learning from have shown me the impact that can take place when we stand together as a community.

What were you doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre? Since theatres will most likely be shuttered until the spring of 2021, where do you see your interests moving at this time?

During the time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre, I’ve largely pivoted my focus to online creation and performance as well as the development of new work through my residencies at both Buddies in Bad Times Theatre as well as Aluna Theatre. As a creator, my practice involves approaching work development from a holistic standpoint centering and prioritizing the human in human experience.
Working as storytellers within a capitalist context can, has, and does encourage toxic and damaging methods of working in order to ensure a high turnover of creation and consumption.

However, we as people are not products and if we’re going to tell stories about people, but all of them get damaged in the process, then what good are the stories? What are we actually saying when we tell them?
This pandemic has really highlighted those values for me. Life is very short and needs to be appreciated because, ultimately, we can’t stop ourselves from dying.

My main interests right now are nurturing my relationships with my loved ones and working to protect, empower, and advocate for those around me.

Sometimes that’ll be in the form of performance and sometimes it won’t. But life isn’t about performance, performance is about life; I’m making life my priority in whatever way that takes place.

Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams?

The greatest piece of advice I would give to performing artists and new theatre graduates concerned about the impact of COVID-19 is that your value as a person isn’t determined by the jobs you do and don’t book. Life will always bring what we least expect, but how we adapt influences the people we become as well as the world around us. As creatives, artistry can be a very personal element within ourselves but remember that though art is a glorious part of you, it’s not all of you.

Give yourself permission to become someone that you would admire in a way that centers your character, not your profession. That way, no matter what you do, your legacy will be one that you’re proud of.

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

It’s a complicated thing to find the positivity in a time that’s brought people so much loss. However, I also think that there were a number of deadly crises taking place prior to the arrival of Covid-19 that were costing people their lives and weren’t being addressed until a mass amount of our population was forced to slow down. Canada has a consistent track record regarding the erasure of our history and the systemic racism upon which our country was founded.

Knowledge is powerful, but a lack of information hinders the ability to understand and address the long-lasting effects that this racism has had on people of colour on this land. The repercussions have manifested in our modern-day society through a number of violences including the mass amount of missing and murdered Indigenous women who have yet to receive justice, the disproportionate incarceration and murder rate of Black and Brown people at the hands of our police system, as well as the targeted violence experienced by our sex workers, particularly those who are Black trans women, only to name a few.

The world of theatre is largely regarded as progressive and inclusive, however, when we look closer, we find exclusionary practices that not only contribute to but encourage systems of oppression within both our workplaces as well as on a mass scale due to the number of people taking in the messaging within our work. My hope is that our companies and our theatre workers take this time to grow their scope of awareness in order to change the toxic culture that previously existed within our spaces.

We’re all capable of growth and, as an industry whose practice is so deeply steeped in compassion and empathy, I have faith in our potential to create a better work environment, and in the long term, a better world.

In your informed opinion, will the Toronto and the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted on account of the coronavirus?

I have no doubt that the Toronto and Canadian performing arts scenes will and have been changed on account of the coronavirus. This pandemic has cost people so much from their safety to their livelihoods and, worst of all, their loved ones. A lot of our people right now are grieving while others are ill, and we don’t know what our futures look like.

But when I turn to those around me in the performing arts scene, particularly disabled, 2SLGBTQ+, and BIPOC creators, I see phenomenal innovation and community care. This spans from performers, to writers, to lighting designers, and more. I’m watching, in real-time, as people adapt the use of the performing arts to keep one another alive and to share their ruthless faith for a new future.

Our practices across the board will have to be reassessed and adapt to our new circumstances. But I think that as long as we prioritize people’s safety and wellbeing over profit and product, we have a great capacity to improve and strengthen the future of our industry.

What are your thoughts about streaming live productions? As we continue to emerge and find our way back to a new perspective of daily life, will live streaming become part of the performing arts scene in your estimation? Have you been participating, or will you participate in any online streaming productions soon?

What I’ve found so far regarding the streaming of live productions is that it’s made the performing arts far more accessible for a lot of people. Our industry isn’t financially or physically accessible for many members in our communities which applies across the board from on-stage, to behind the scenes, to our audiences. I’ve received a lot of feedback in the past five months from people with a variety of different accessibility needs that being able to access performances, panels, and classes online has drastically changed their ability to become involved in and/or take in the performing arts.

This shows us that accessibility has been a possibility all along and that it’s crucial for it to be a priority in our work even as we begin to reconvene in person. We also need to keep in mind that viewing art online still has its limitations as it requires the ability to own a computer and have access to wifi, which simply isn’t a possibility for many people. As our industries slowly re-open and we develop new practices in regard to safety, it’s vital that we ensure accessibility becomes a core point in how we adapt moving forward.

These conversations have been prevalent for me in the past five months as a lot of my performance work has shifted to online. As a drag king, I watched the drag industry adapt very quickly. Within days of the announcement of the lockdown, drag artists were creating online content in a variety of different formats.

I, myself, have now participated in live online performances, fundraisers, interviews, discussion panels, and more. Most recently, I developed a three-part video series during Pride whose pieces were screened separately at online events throughout the month of June. The last piece in the series, All of the Above, can be viewed online through the CBC Arts website.

What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding our world now?

Storytelling is an ancient practice and I chose the performing arts as a profession because I believe in their ability to influence monumental change within our society, thereby shaping our world. I grew up speaking three languages, so I’ve seen how limited words can be.

As a multidisciplinary artist, I view art as a form of communication that allows us to connect with some of the most profound parts of one another, as well as ourselves, in a way that transcends the confines of language. Performance allows us to document both our history as well our current human experience at the same time, all the while, influencing our future. It’s something I have great respect for and am incredibly honoured to be a part of.

With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews:

a. What is your favourite word?

Amor

b. What is your least favourite word?

Impossible

c. What turns you on?

Privacy

d. What turns you off?

Willful ignorance

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Family reunion rancheras at 4am

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Sirens

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Nothing I’d let my mother read in an online publication

h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt?

Immigration Lawyer

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything that involves euthanizing animals. I grew up in Sudbury, Ontario and as a teenager, I used to volunteer at the Science Center. The section I worked in specialized in caring for Northern Ontario wildlife but, for some of the animals, their feeding process involved having to euthanize mice.

Though I understood the importance, I just didn’t have it in me and, after seeing my face when my supervisors taught me the process, they thought it best that I not be allowed to do it because they were concerned I would free the mice.

They were correct.

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

‘Took you long enough.’

To connect with Heath, visit their social media sites on Instagram and Twitter: @theirholiness.

Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre new Artistic Director Herbie Barnes talks about the movers and shakers of the next generation to follow him at the end of this profile.

Even before this occurs, I am eagerly anticipating and waiting to see where he will take Young People’s Theatre just over the next five years itself because I would also call him a ‘mover and a shaker’ in the theatre industry.

According to YPT’S website: “Mr. Barnes is an accomplished playwright, performer, director and arts educator whose 30-year-career spans stages across North America. He was among the generation of young Indigenous artists in the 1990s breaking down barriers to forge professional careers in Canadian theatre. Mr. Barnes will officially begin his tenure at YPT in the fall of 2021.”

An Anishinaabe theatre artist from Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Mr. Barnes was raised in Toronto. His theatre career began in 1989 with Debajehmujig Theatre Group, touring Ontario with the first run of Drew Hayden Taylor’s Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock. Since then, he has collaborated with some of North America’s largest theatre companies and was nominated for a John Hirsch Director’s Award. His new play, Bent Boy, was workshopped at YPT and shortlisted for the Sharon Enkin Plays for Young People Award in 2020.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much, Herbie, for the interview and for sharing your voice to the discussion:

We’re now one year without live theatre where the doors have been locked for who knows how long, Herbie. How have you and your family been faring during this time?

I have to say I’ve been one of the lucky ones, knock on wood. It started out where I thought it was going to be a two-week holdup when we got sent home from Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. And I went, “Oh, this is okay. I’ve been working a lot, and this is good, I’ll take a two-week break and then I’ll move on as we were supposed to take a tour from Magnus down to Nova Scotia.” I further thought we’ll pick up the tour in Nova Scotia and we’ll be fine and then I was going to go off last summer to work at the Charlottetown Festival.

No thought of this closing down for a year. And then it just kept going.

So, I took a little bit of a break at the beginning and then I thought I should find some work since I’m not working. I ran around and did a bunch of things online. We did children’s mysteries on the telephone through the Ministry of Mundane Mysteries. We would call kids on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and create this mundane mystery. It was a great idea and the kids just latched right on to it and we got to play so many different characters. Brilliant, brilliant idea. So much fun.

I started teaching and taught all the way through. I did a program online where I was teaching young people. Theatre that I just filmed in this crawl space in my basement where you see me now that I get to kick around in.

I’ve been very, very lucky. My partner Marjie has been working almost straight through. My two kids were lucky, and they’ve been working right through too. Everyone’s healthy. What we did was we took the pandemic seriously. The hardest thing: my two kids live outside the house and so they weren’t part of our bubble. We have been masking from the porch to see them. Their grandparents put a big heater in the garage for visits.

I can’t wait until we can hang out with our kids again.

Outside any theatre stuff, what have you been doing since the industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

I’ve been doing a number of interviews and have been teaching in the evening from 3 pm – 9 pm. My afternoons are full so I’m booking a lot of morning events. I’m also writing for Charlottetown Festival right now and also sorts of little things all over the place.

I didn’t realize I was going to be that busy. One of the things I did I took a writing course for ‘Writing for Television’. I decided I was going to take guitar lessons online. I’m in the midst of building a guitar. I kind of got heavily online.

We have three storeys in the house. Marjie’s got the upstairs level where she is teaching classes in an office space she has. Down here, this has always been my space. I come down in the morning, make a pot of tea and then get lost down here for most of the day and then realize it’s 6:00 pm. so I go upstairs for supper. Marjie’s been great because she does all the cooking. I’m a horrible cook.

Every day, Marjie takes me for a long walk. We got to know our neighbourhood really, really well. Every once in awhile we’ll drive to somewhere else and walk around that neighbourhood.

The late Hal Prince has described theatre as an escape for him. Would you say Covid has been an escape for you, or would you call this time something else?

This is definitely not an escape. I haven’t escaped theatre. I’ve escaped…this is an awful way to put it but I’ve escaped the audience. Unfortunately, they’ve been on the other side of this screen which is totally different.

As a theatre artist THIS (Herbie points to the screen where we are talking) doesn’t compensate for what the theatre does. There’s nothing like a live audience. Even when I did film and television, I was always performing for the camera guys or the lighting guys. I never thought of that little box recording all of that. If the crew was laughing, then this must be working.

I miss the audience. I miss sitting beside somebody and having that same effect as the person next to me.
I’ve been telling this story quite a bit. We know the audience’s heartbeat is synchronous while they watch a show so that all 150, 300 whatever number of people, their heartbeat beats at the same pulse during theatre.

That’s an amazing feat live theatre accomplishes. I love that.

What I’ve been doing is developing. I’ve been working really hard having stuff lined up here; I’ve been teaching classes. There’s going to be a group of students coming out of this pandemic hopefully more prepared. My writing: I’ve finished writing a native adaptation of ‘Tartuffe’ which is getting produced this year at Magnus Theatre at least.

I’m also doing an adaptation of ‘My Fair Lady’ in a native context as well. I think it’s really interesting how the white guy or the settler in that case is saying that your language isn’t good enough and what it did to the First Nations people.

And also preparing to get ready to take over Young People’s Theatre in Toronto in October.

I’ve been more busy now since I haven’t been travelling. What travel used to do to me was I could block off three weeks while I was directing in Vancouver and not take work since I was directing. Now I’m free so I can take work up until 230 pm. I’ll write that, direct that, teach that and there are days when I come out of my basement Zoom tired.

I’ve interviewed a few artists since the pandemic began who have said they cannot see live theatre returning fully (or what might some call ‘normal’ or ‘back to normal’) until at least 2022. Yes, there may be pockets such as what the Stratford Festival is proposing. What are your thoughts about this? Will live theatre return before 2022?

I think theatres will open. I think by September 2021 we’ll start to see a crack with public spaces being open. I think audiences are thriving to be together.

I firmly believe that. But…

Audiences will be a little afraid to get into a space with each other. That will happen. Certainly, we will know, not in my case with YPT, a lot of theatres rely on older audience members. They’re going to make sure they’re safe first.

But I think the audiences are striving for that feeling. I think we are a communal animal. I think we need each other. We desperately need each other, and people are missing that. That’s the big thing. A lot of people are willing to risk in order to be with human contact.

I’m hoping it comes back even stronger.

I fear for our film industry. I think our film industry, and we’ve realized we can watch most movies on our home systems because we’ve got these great tv screens and being able to hook them up with incredible sound systems which don’t need to be that expensive, but the more expensive the better the sound. You can build a theatre in your own basement now with very little money.

Superhero movies are the big blockbuster now. They aren’t making the great small screen stuff now. Our tv shows are phenomenal. ‘Game of Thrones’ would have had to be a movie 25 years ago. Now we can watch this incredible journey.

I fear for our film industry, but I don’t fear for live theatre because there’s nothing like being in the same space waiting for that production to begin and feeling the same thing.

I had a discussion with an Equity actor who said that not only should theatre entertain, but more importantly, it should transform both the actor/artist and the audience. How has Covid transformed you as a theatre artist and in your new role as we all move forward post pandemic?

It’s given me a huge respect for theatre, that’s one thing for sure. I miss it.

I’ve been working in the theatre for over 30 years now. It’s been something that’s been a part of me. We’ve all had goals to do film and television, and I’d love to do more film and television because it pays well, it’s lucrative, there’s the instant gratification of knowing who you are.

Whereas in theatre, you slug it out. Theatre, you’re a plumber. You go to work every day, put a satchel over your shoulder and walk into the theatre. Few people recognize you. Even after the show, you can walk past people out into the middle of your audience, and they don’t know who you are because they are not on that stage.

With tv, it’s the instant recognition perhaps in a commercial.

Yes, we do go into the arts in order to get recognized a bit.

Being without theatre and that fear of it never coming back, yes, it’s a little bit but it’s still there, it’s re-grown my love for the theatre. I love being with the audience. I love opening nights being unsure of what the product you’ve got, that edginess.

I come from an improv background. When you’re out on that tightwire, not knowing how an audience will react, it’s the best. There’s nothing like it.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the artist the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid, and how will this danger influence your work as we re-emerge from the pandemic?

Do I agree with Ms. Caldwell? I somewhat do. We’re going through a different time right now. I grew up in an era where actors who were constantly put in danger emotionally, psychologically (it’s like pushing the envelope and trying to get deeper and deeper into the character).

Now, when we’re training, we’re doing less of that. Safety first, everything is about your emotional well being. I’ve seen lots of trauma in the theatre. Many of the actors before and during me endured a trauma being misdirected or harmfully directed in that sense. We’re taking greater care now to ensure actors can get on with their lives as students and as people in the arts.

I think theatre should push as far as we can. I think emotionally that’s our job to take audiences on an emotional journey. That’s it. Other than that, any of the arts – music, painting -it’s not about painting inside the lines. Great painters don’t paint inside the lines, they colour outside the lines. When I see a certain painting, I might go ‘Wow! Okay! I don’t know why but that’s different than that.”

Same with music. Right now with all of these television competitions, I hear amazing voices. What I miss is the emotion attached to it. When Neil Young and Joni Mitchell sing songs, I go “Wow!” Levon Helm didn’t have the greatest voice, and you can’t hear ‘The Night They Drove ol’ Dixie Down’ without welling up. Or Rick Danko in ‘Makes No Difference’. You can hear the hurting and heartache behind the song.

So that’s our role. The actor must take the audience on an emotional journey and feel like there’s danger. I tell my students when I’m writing or directing in the theatre or acting, I want my audience to pay for the whole seat but only sit on the corner of it. I want the audience to feel like they can save the person who’s about to die on stage or to stop that woman from falling in love with that bad man.

We need to push the emotion, but we must also keep the actor safe.

How is it going to transform after Covid? I think we’re going to be surprised where theatre is when we come out of Covid. I think we’ve had an incredible amount of protesting that’s gone on in this time.

A crazy amount of change is going to happen. People on the fringe are going to be let in IN A HUGE WAY, and theatre will transform. We won’t throw the European framework away completely, but we’ll explore other forms of theatre and be able to welcome.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. How has this time of Covid made you more sensitive to our world and how will it impact your life when you return to the theatre in your new role as Artistic Director?

Marjie and I were talking about this the other day on our walk. There is no way that we cannot think globally anymore.

We have all been included in this pandemic and there are no borders and no walls. Those borders are false borders so it’s amazing how quickly the pandemic spread.

It makes me aware of countries in the world that are different than me and how I have to be aware of them, how I have to be open with them, and how I have to exist with them.

I’ve said this before: I don’t believe in a minimum wage. I believe in a maximum wage. I truly believe we should set up a system where you’re only allowed to make a certain amount of money, and once you’ve hit that level of money (and I don’t know what amount it should be) you have to stop working and travel the world so that you get to see it. And you hit those countries not the Riviera, not England or Hawaii, you go to countries that are desperate and I think you start to see where that cheap piece of clothing comes from or that electronic device and this will change your outlook on life.

Covid has made me aware of how much I need people, aware of the rest of the world and aware of how much I want to be a part of it.

And we’ve come full circle back to the late Hal Prince who spoke of the fact theatre should trigger curiosity in the artist and the audience. How has Covid sparked curiosity in you as an artist and what will happen with your curiosity as you return in your new role as AD of Young People’s Theatre?
Curiosity? I want to hear 100, 000 different voices. That’s my curiosity. As a teacher, I’m interested and want to hear the voices of young voices, BIPOC voices LGTBQ2 voices. My goal is to go into areas we haven’t tapped into yet.

As a First Nations artist, I want to go North and go into the communities in the North. I know, growing up on the reserve, young people had little to do. We were good at playing sports, and the fear of going outside that, especially in the arts.

We need strong people to keep the interest in the arts going. We need strong teachers and educators to keep that energy going.

Those are the curiosities I want to seek out. I’ve always been a curious person so it opens conversations and I want to be a listener in a big way as the Artistic Director of Young People’s Theatre.

I think I have a couple of years of just hearing what the world is saying. That’s going to be my job there to listen to what the world is saying and then try to pass it on to the next generation of young people so they are the changers, the movers and the shakers.

That’s it.

To learn more about Young People’s Theatre, visit www.youngpeoplestheatre.org;
Facebook: @YoungPeoplesTheatre Twitter: @YPTToronto Instagram: @ypttoronto

In my first profile of Iain Moggach during the height of the pandemic, I mentioned how other personnel from the theatre industry have described him with terms like whip-smart, astute, talented, and clever. These are just a few of the descriptors. He’s also one of those artists who makes you feel comfortable and at ease when you speak with him.

He says he’s extremely honoured by the accolades many have showered him with over the years. Moggach recognizes how people in the theatre industry pour their blood, sweat, and tears to make theatre happen in Canada, often without due credit, so he can’t help but be very touched that his work has been recognized. The messages of support and encouragement are motivating.

Moggach is also a modest fellow:

“I am very aware that most of the awards did not come from my work alone. It truly takes a village. I have tried my best to make sure that credit is provided and express gratitude to people whose work has helped make such accolades possible happen.”

He remembers the many artists and volunteers, juries, sponsors, and donors who made realizing the vision of various projects possible. He received the ‘Contributions to the Community Award’ last fall for the Barrie Arts Awards.

Much has changed significantly since he departed as Artistic Director at Barrie’s Theatre by the Bay. We’ll discuss that bombshell shortly.

Change is inevitable in the artistic career. He feels the artist must learn to embrace it fully when that occurs.
Ironically, for many years, Iain couldn’t even envision what life outside Barrie’s Theatre by the Bay would look like. Now that he is experiencing a different life, he discovers there is so much to learn, experience, and do. A philosophy or cause can also help keep an artist grounded during inevitable changes. Iain has ultimately realized that he has a desire to help people. As an Artistic Director, he aims to support local artists, enable the community to see itself more clearly, and understand itself from important perspectives.

Change in the way audiences respond to theatre is also inevitable. Iain embraces this change in the industry. He wants to help actors deliver their best performances, allowing the playwright to perceive their work in new ways without sacrificing the authenticity of what has been written. Moggach aims to assist designers in crafting worlds they can take pride in while aligning with a cohesive vision. His desire to help embodies what working actors are all about.

In return, being surrounded by inspiring and hardworking people inspires Moggach to work hard to help them. He has a loving network of family and friends upon whom he can lean during the challenging days ahead after what happened at Theatre by the Bay.

Iain says there have been incredibly emotional days since leaving Theatre by the Bay:

“ It has been a roller coaster, to say the least…it was not the way I could have imagined going out, but I stand behind the decision to leave and am the better for it. I put a third of my life into Theatre by the Bay and achieved many wonderful things, met amazing people, and created art I thought was interesting, important and creatively engaging.”

As every theatre artist knows, the work in the industry can be and is very hard.

Even before he decided to leave, Moggach intended to take a mental health break because he wasn’t sure how much he had left in his cup to give. Now he’s getting a chance to heal, realign, and refocus. He feels healthier, happier, and more aligned. Plus, he’s doing work that he finds fulfilling. Moggach can be a better husband and dog dad – all important and lovely things.

During the upcoming summer season of 2025, Iain will direct one of the three plays for Port Perry’s Theatre on the Ridge. Artistic Director Carey Nicholson is thrilled to have him on board.

Iain shared his past connection with Theatre on the Ridge.

After graduating from George Brown, one of his first directing projects was a production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that Moggach and actor Landon Doak adapted as a musical at Port Perry’s Old Flame Brewery in 2015. At that time, Theatre on the Ridge was known as Theatre 3×60. Nicholson saw the show.

In 2017, he participated in a week-long directing workshop led by Philip Akin. One of the participants was Nicholson, who recognized Iain and knew he had seen the previous 3×60 productions of ‘Peter Pan’. During that week, the two became friends and kept in touch, occasionally making calls and meeting. Nicholson viewed Theatre by the Bay as an example of the type of company she wanted Theatre on the Ridge to become.

She was also among the first artistic directors to reach out to Iain professionally after he stepped down from Theatre by the Bay. It felt like the time had finally come for them to collaborate.

Iain values Carey’s work in the Port Perry arts community and beyond. Her passion and results are extremely impressive and inspire support. Port Perry is where Moggach felt his career truly began. Now he’s back as his career starts anew.

Iain will direct playwright Vern Thiessen’s ‘Bluebirds’ at Port Perry’s Scugog Shores Museum and Village this summer.

It is a beautiful and powerful play about three Canadian nurses who bond during their service in World War One. Canadian nurses were in a league of their own and were called ” bluebirds ” for their iconic blue uniforms. The play presents a fascinating glimpse of Canadian history wrapped in a touching and engaging story.

Although it is still early, Moggach sees ‘Bluebirds’ as both evocative and a very physical play performed in the round, with as much of the music and other elements presented live by the three actors as possible.
For those who saw Iain’s work at Old Flame back in the day, ‘Bluebirds’ should capture the ensemble feeling with nothing hidden from the audience. This is his favorite way of working when it makes sense. He is looking forward to rehearsals because it should be very special and worth the trip.

Moggach also adds:

“With everything going on in the world, ‘Bluebirds’ story about the dedication of nurses, and (more generally) of the burdens women carry during times of crises feels quite topical right now.”

With tension lingering between Canada and the U.S., how does he view the future status of the Canadian theatre industry?

For a long time, Iain has believed it is important for Canadian theatre companies to present Canadian work. He has built his career on that belief and has also witnessed the benefits that come from that work.

However, as an Artistic Director, Moggach also understands budgeting, audience interest and engagement. While there are benefits that come from presenting Canadian story work live:

“Survival and convincing increasingly strapped audiences and donors to see shows and give money is going to be the priority. I can’t help but respect that decision. If Canadian work makes sense for your community and audiences, as it did with Theatre by the Bay,…then absolutely do it. But at this point we have to respect companies that do musicals, pantos, American and British classics and whatever else to get butts in seats right now.”

What lies ahead for the entrepreneurial theatrical Moggach?

Right now, he is consulting extensively for arts organizations, which includes creating strategic plans, corporate restructuring, and developing fundraising strategies. This work has been rewarding and serves as a great way to stay engaged before the next big opportunity arises. He is also applying for various jobs and opportunities to see what yields results.

Even if he doesn’t get that big flashy job somewhere, Iain is happy in the lane of directing, consulting, doing some advocacy work and trying to live a healthier, more wholesome life.

He concludes our online conversation:

“In this world filled with so much noise and anxiety, maybe that is enough. But my favourite project is always the next one, so I am ready and excited for whatever is next.”

To read my first conversation with Iain, go here: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2021/3/22/theatre-conversation-in-a-covid-world-with-theatre-by-the-bays-artistic-director-iain-maggoch?rq=iain%20moggach

To learn more about the summer 2025 slate at Port Perry’s Theatre on the Ridge, go here:

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Before this great theatrical pause of 19 months, I had the opportunity to attend some productions at Theatre Passe Muraille which bills itself as one of Canada’s original alternative theatre companies currently developing and producing new Canadian plays. TPM is striving to articulate a distinct Canadian voice that reflects the complexity of our intercultural society. TPM believes there should be a more diverse representation of artists, audience members, and stories in its theatre. I was most appreciative of the time that two of its artists were able to take to speak with me.

Marjorie Chan is the Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille. As an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, she primarily identifies as a writer with specific interest in contemporary opera and collective forms, while also maintaining an active practice as a dramaturge and director.

Indrit Kasapi is the Interim Managing Director of Theatre Passe Muraille. A graduate of Montreal’s National Theatre School of Canada he is well-known to the Theatre Passe Muraille community, having been the Associate Artistic Director under Marjorie Chan for the last two years— collaborating on programming, budgeting, producing as well as coordinating special projects. Prior to beginning in that role, Indrit was also the Accessibility Lab Co-ordinator which explored experimentation in access initiatives which recently culminated in a series of short documentaries.

Five years in the making, his play Toka (A Theatre Passe Muraille and lemonTree creations Digital Co-Production) for which he is the writer and choreographer, will finally be shared with audiences in the upcoming year. Indrit is also the Co-founder (along with Cole Alvis) of the prolific lemonTree creations, which was a TPM Company-in-residence for the past three years.

We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thank you so much, Marjorie and Indrit, for your time:

Could you share the names of one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful.

MC: Ohh, that’s always really tricky. One teacher – his name was Mr. Kishibe. I knew his first name but I can’t think of it now. He taught English Literature. I took English 11, 12 and OAC (when the province had it). He was at St. Joseph’s/Morrow Park a Catholic girls’ high school. Mr. Kishibe loved Shakespeare and because it was an all-girls’ school, whenever we read Shakespeare he would read the lead – Hamlet, King Lear, he would read MacBeth. He was extraordinary. We were excited to go to his class because he made the lesson interesting because he would perform.

I did read a few times aloud in his class and enjoyed it. I didn’t know I was going to be an actor or involved in the theatre at that time. He spoke to me one time and asked me if I ever considered going into the theatre since I really appeared to enjoy it. It never occurred to me that could be a career. Mr. Kishibe came to one of the first performances in Shakespeare in the Rough (the older collective, not the collective now) when I graduated theatre school. I really appreciated it that he saw I was performing and came to see it.
I have so many mentors in many forms and roles.

A lot of times when I mentor a young person, I often think the reverse is true as well as they have become my mentor because I’m learning about different approaches and perspectives. If I had to mention a particular mentor at this moment, it would be Michael Wheeler who is now a professor at Queen’s University. He certainly helped me think about digital work in a different way and structural organization at theatre companies in a different way. Julie Phan, a young artist who just graduated from the National Theatre School, is also someone who has influenced me. She’s a playwright. She would be ‘mentor/menteree’.

IK: This is an easy one for me because I had an important Drama teacher in high school and his name is Teodoro Dragonieri. He’s become a friend of mine now as we’ve kept in touch. He has a brilliant mind. He’s a visual artist who learned mask work and fell in love with theatre and had an extensive wealth of knowledge. He was just one of those people who has a creative mind. He was teaching us in Grade 10 how to make masks out of recycled jugs. He was an inspiration and made me realize the potential of what theatre can be and what live performance can be. He embraced my training as a dancer and saw the world in a multidisciplinary way without even using that word.

Now that I think about it, my work strongly centered around that sense of creativity in a multidisciplinary format. There’s an immediacy to the work he was doing in the stories he was telling.
I’ve been very thankful that my mentor is now my colleague – Marjorie Chan. She has been a huge influence on me. It’s been a beautiful journey of learning from an incredible person dating back to Cahoots Theatre from years ago. She has so much to teach all of us even as she learns from us.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 -19 months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?

MC: It’s a huge question. I’ve been quite public on my social media; as a matter of fact, Joe, in late October of 2020 I had a stroke. I feel great. I’ve had a lot of support through the various programs available, but it’s an ongoing, lifetime journey for me. Doctors will be looking at my brain for the rest of my life.

This particular full calendar year since 2020 has been a huge re-examination of everything for me and that includes in my personal life as I’m dealing with my health. All the conversations that are happening around the culture of work in the theatre industry, in terms of our scheduling, and in the way we do things, these are things that I really take to heart in terms of these conversations.

IK: These last 18-19 months have made me appreciate my alone time a lot more than I used to. Before I was always needing to be in community and with people, but the pandemic has made me think more about my alone time.

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

MC: It’s been interesting to think about if you’re a practicing artist and you also have a full-time job running a theatre company, I’m already very specific about the other projects in which I involve myself. Definitely that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic – to be mindful to what I put my energy towards. For me, that’s about a selection of projects of what I do outside TPM (Theatre Passe Muraille).

As an artist, I’ve limited energy so I have to be quite specific, careful and intentional whether to take a project or not.

IK: Professionally, it has made me think a lot about the technology and technology within the context of the theatre medium, and how these two intertwine in various different ways, how they help and sometimes how they challenge each other. My perspective has been opened as I thought live performance was a different experience than something that’s digital. The digital world has a harder time creating community.

But I think I was proven wrong in many ways because we found community in different forms, and technology was a huge support in that. I’m thinking a lot more about how technology and digital methods continue to do what live performance does in terms of bringing people together.

In your professional opinion, how do you see the global landscape of Theatre Passe Muraille changing, adapting, and morphing as a result of these last 18 months?
MC: When we were streaming work and doing OUTREACH where we were meeting new artists, that opportunity to connect with individuals not necessarily in Canada, even in North America, opened itself up. The artists were interested in it as well. It just shows what is possible.

Certainly, on one end it was exciting to have equal access to work all across the country even if it meant that I had to wake up at 7 am in the morning to watch a show that was coming out of Hong Kong. I don’t usually watch a live theatre show at 7 am, but an exception will be made when you want to connect with live work across the globe.

At the same time it’s made us all understand the need and the change in conversation that can happen when a global conversation happens. I think that’s very exciting and it’s something we’ve been pursuing in our upcoming year. We do have an international artist coming and who might bring a different perspective and enlighten our community here in Toronto. We’re also aware and want to learn more about our local neighbourhood here in the area of Queen and Bathurst and the area.

IK: To add to what Marjorie is saying, I think we’ve also taken some big steps towards what is being updated through TPM. We are renovating our Back Space and we’re also launching a Digital Creators as well at the DC Lab. We are looking at how technology comes in theatre and also who from the community of artists gets access to those kinds of training, those kinds of tools.

We want to make sure that our priorities in terms of the kinds of artists that we want on our stages and the stories to be represented on our stages that those artists are the first ones to have access to these trainings, the tools. The learnings from the other companies with whom we partnered, we will bring some of their expertise as part of that journey.

What intrigues you post Covid?

MC: Of course, I want our audiences to have positive experiences. That seems very general, but I think very deeply about this from what it means in trying to invite audiences back on their own terms (ie. a gentle entry to being back in the building and sharing the space with others). I’m intrigued by the art to come.

I don’t think anyone can be unchanged by these 20 months from a social-political perspective, from a personal perspective, from not experiencing in person theatre. A lot of our work that is to come on our stages is work that was postponed from the pandemic. I’m definitely intrigued to see what’s to come.

IK: For me, I’m intrigued by immersive experiences and the immediacy of us being together. How does technology and augmented reality all become a part of this. I’m curious to see how virtual reality will make its way into theatre, how audio dramas will fit into this equation.

It feels to me we are in an exciting place of rejuvenation of sort as live performance art makers, and what does that mean, where is it going to go? The possibilities are endless and I’m intrigued.

What unnerves/disappoints you post Covid?

MC: What’s unnerving and disappointing is if the lessons of the pandemic are lost; if the lessons of the pandemic have been dismissed and there’s a return to “normal”. We can’t have the murder of George Floyd and then things return to the status quo. What is the conversation and how do we dig in? What is an organization’s responsibility? To me, that would be disappointing if the theatre industry did not take away lessons from the pandemic and things returned to the way they were.

IK: I’d say the same thing. If we pretended the pandemic didn’t happen that would be unnerving and disappointing. So much has changed and how are we taking in what happened and moving forward rather than retreating and going back to what once was. I want for all of us to learn and not forget and to grow and to move forward.

RAPID ROUND

Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors and teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

MC: Thank you for seeing more of me than I could see of myself.

IK: Thank you for your passion and creativity because it’s inspirational.

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

MC: In a short way, I would say “Welcome”. Some of these naysayers have not come around.

IK: I would say “Thank You because it was you not believing in me that drove me to work even harder.”

What’s your favourite swear word?

MC: I swear a lot actually depending on the company I’m with. I use the “F bomb’. I don’t use the word ‘Shit’ very much, I don’t. I’ve said, “Damn”. Sometimes if I have nothing to say or I’m stuck in a situation where I don’t know how to proceed, my staff will tell you that sometimes I might meow when I don’t know what to do (And Indrit pipes in and agrees that is Marjorie’s favourite thing).

IK: For sure, 100%, it’s the “F bomb” because it’s not as heavy for me. English is my third language actually. I don’t swear in Albanian as it feels very wrong for me to do. When I use the “F bomb’ in English, I get what I need to get out of it.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

MC: What I like to hear myself probably say is “Welcome”.

IK: ‘Hence’. I don’t mind hearing myself say it.

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

MC: Frankly, I don’t like to say “No”.

IK: Wow!!!! I don’t know. I don’t enjoy hearing myself say “No”. I don’t say No often.

With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live Canadian performing arts scene?

MC: I would like to have dinner with a person who hates theatre and hates what it represents and has articulated they will never return to the theatre.

IK: This has been on my mind lately. This is a person whom I didn’t have a chance to get to know and have been reading a lot of their tributes. I think I would have loved to have dinner with David Fox. It seems as if he has affected so much of Canadian theatre and the lives of artists in this country, and I would have loved to have heard from him what he thought about the Canadian theatre and the scene.

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

MC; To my 3-year-old self: “Hang on to your sense of playing because it will help you as you continue.” To my 10-year-old self: “Hang on there because art will reveal itself soon and you will love it.” To my teenage self that did acting randomly: “Pay attention as this might be your career, and not in Museum Studies or Teaching as you thought.” To my theatre school self: “This is all great knowledge. Hang on to it but you may not end up as an actor as you think.” To the person that got an internship to become an artistic administrator: “Becoming a cultural leader is going to change your life.”

IK: “Don’t be afraid to be all the things you want to be rather than just trying to be one thing. As long as it’s clear for you, be all the things you can be.”

With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell your upcoming artist careers from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career?

MC: “Continue to be brave.”

IK: Wow!!!!!! This is good. “You are a director. Period. Get over it.”

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

MC: Personally, I would like to run a 5K race. I’d like to be in a place where I can do that. Professionally, I’m so open to whatever comes. I’d like to write a play that is popular (and both she and Indrit start to laugh) and just has a broader reach even in a story in some way.

IK: Personally, I would love to live in different places in the world and learn a fourth language. Professionally, it has nothing to do with theatre, but I would love to publish a book of poetry.

Name one moment in your professional artistic careers that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

MC: As not quite 18 years of age, I was a production assistant at Mirvish Productions for the opening of the Princess of Wales from years ago and the Canadian premiere of ‘Miss Saigon’. I was learning so much; I was doing sponsorships, opening nights and all this producing work and not understanding that I was gaining such invaluable experience from that. This time was also a lot of fun and to be involved in such a large production with ‘Miss Saigon’ for a teenager was quite magical as an assistant to the Assistant Producer.

IK: Performing at The Tokyo Metropolitan Arts Centre on a piece by Corpus Dance Projects. It was a good time.

What is one thing you will never take for granted again post Covid?

MC: For sure, my health. 100% IK: Proximity to my friends and family and the side conversations at the office.

Would you do it all again if given the same professional opportunities?

MC: I would do it exactly the same. IK: That’s exactly my answer too. I have zero regrets. I’d be happy to come back again and do it all the same.

To learn more about Theatre Passe Muraille and its upcoming season, visit www.passemuraille.ca. You can also visit the Facebook page: @TheatrePasseMuraille and Twitter: @beyondwallsTPM.

I saw ‘Kim’s Convenience’ when it was remounted at Soulpepper in 2012. At that time, Ins Choi did not play the central role of Appa, but this time, he does at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre.

I’m most appreciative of his time to answer a few questions via email.

Ins studied acting at York University in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Program. He’s also quick to point out that his training was from not only one institution but many influences.

Skateboarding was one, although he acknowledges he wasn’t that good at it:

“I’d practice for days, weeks on a trick – an ollie kickflip, for example, and then “perform” it in front of people once I was comfortable landing it in private. I also kinda liked playing the part of a skater – the clothes, the shoes, the hair, the attitude, the jargon. It was like a role.”

Although he doesn’t consider himself an athlete, Ins played on his high school’s volleyball, rugby, hockey and soccer teams. He never regretted this participation in sports because he recognized how they all added to the importance of collaboration and teamwork. Being kind to one’s teammates also figured prominently. To be kind, collaborative, and part of a team, he had to listen to others and find his part and voice.

Ins is very family-oriented. As a child, at family gatherings, he would watch his father and siblings tell stories and reminisce about the ‘old days’ while making each other laugh. Ins’ father was the Pastor of a Korean immigrant church in downtown Toronto. At home, the young lad would watch his father research, read, write, and practice his sermons first. Then, at the church’s regular Sunday matinee ‘gigs,’ Ins’ father would frame ancient stories for a contemporary congregation with humour, craft, and passion. Ins’ mother put her boy in several violin, piano and voice music lessons. He also recalled singing in many choirs and ensembles, where he learned the importance of musicality and rhythm.

He credits his training as a writer with writing songs, poems, and short stories. The next bit of advice is something most of us have experienced at least once in our lives: ‘Failing at something but getting up and trying again.”

How does he feel about the current state of Canadian theatre and where the industry is headed over the next proverbial five-year plan?

“I think we’re still in a bit of a hangover from Covid, but I hope we can fiercely support our Canadian playwrights and see to [writing, producing, directing and acting in] more productions that help us continue to find and define our collective voice.”

I was taken with the family unit behind ‘Kim’s Convenience’ the first time I saw it at Soulpepper. The Kims are an immigrant family with flaws, striving to make ends meet and raise their children in a culture that’s a little foreign. The story deals with a small family convenience-run store and what to do when the next generation doesn’t want to take it over.

The family is not perfect, as none is. However, this family tries to express their love and care for each other despite language and cultural barriers. Feelings are hard for everyone around.

That’s precisely one of the messages Choi wants audiences to come away with after seeing ‘Kim’s Convenience.’ He also adds:

“I’d love for people to leave the theatre having fallen in love with a family that perhaps looks differently than theirs and for that to have had a positive effect in how to view and treat others in their day-to-day lives.”

There’s a little bit of Ins in each of the characters. He was single into his thirties and pursuing an artistic career like Janet. Much like Jung, he has felt like a failure many times in my life. Like Umma, he’s tried to please others.

The following statement made me laugh when I read it in his email:

“And like Appa, I now have two children who don’t listen to me. I’m joking.”

Ins has never considered continuing the story of the Kim’s in another script.

When I taught high school English, I always sought new material with strong Canadian content about bringing contemporary drama to students. I asked Ins to imagine that he had the opportunity to go to the Ontario Ministry of Education and defend why ‘Kim’s Convenience’ should be studied in high schools across the province.

Ins hated reading in high school. He states: “A pageful of words was intimidating.”

‘Kim’s Convenience,’ however, is an easy read for students. A page of the text can be flipped in ten seconds. The dialogue is quick and in contemporary speech with a variety of characters.

Choi is proud to state that young people in the Ontario school system can relate to the play even if their parents were born here. The play deals with immigration, racism, gentrification and racial profiling, and these issues are part of our Canadian world today.

The one crucial thing that will sell students to read the play.

‘It’s funny.’

What’s next for Ins once ‘Kim’s Convenience’ concludes its run at London’s Grand Theatre?

He’s returning to being a real Appa with his family and taking a break in November. He’s then off to London, England, to perform the role of Appa in the United Kingdom’s premiere production of the play at Park Theatre. Esther Jun will direct the production there.

Choi was also a tad coy in saying he’s also chipping away on a few projects in theatre and television but wouldn’t reveal what they are at this time.

‘Kim’s Convenience’ continues at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond Street, until November 4. For tickets, visit www.grandtheatre.com or call the Box Office at (519) 672-8800.

It has been rewarding personally to watch artist Irene Poole in a variety of compelling roles over the last few years. First, I must make reference to the emotionally astounding production of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at The Stratford Festival in which Irene played the adult Jean Louise Finch who looks back on her life in Maycomb, Alabama. I know I’ve said it before, but that production left me in tears because it struck right at the very heart of my core and emotional being. Sooo good…..

Irene has also appeared as the ghostly Catalina/Katherine in Kate Hennig’s ‘Mother’s Daughter’ at Stratford. Other appearances include At Tarragon: The Little Years – Dora Award. Soulpepper (The Gigli Concert), Pleiades Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times (Manon, Sandra and the Virgin Mary), Stratford Shakespeare Festival (The Little Years, Three Sisters, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Phèdre), Factory Theatre (The Leisure Society – Dora Award, Bethune Imagined, Escape From Happiness, Better Living, Fighting Words, The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum, and Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad), Birdland Theatre (The Last Days of Judas Escariot – Dora Award), Citadel Theatre (God of Carnage), Alberta Theatre Projects (The Age of Arousal), Prairie Theatre Exchange (Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad), Theatre Aquarius (Wuthering Heights), Sudbury Theatre Centre (The Game of Love and Chance and The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls), Resurgence Theatre (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Talley’s Folly, Salt-Water Moon, Romeo and Juliet). Film and TV: Killjoys, Murdoch Mysteries, Carrie, Republic of Doyle, Breakout Kings, Rookie Blue. Other: Directed Canadian premiere of David Mamet’s, Romance, at Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs.

She studied acting at Dalhousie University. We conducted our conversation via email and, from some of her responses, Irene gave me some ‘food for thought’ ideas on how she is dealing with the pandemic.

Thank you for the good conversation, Irene:

It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

Throughout this pandemic I’ve felt very fortunate to live in Stratford where we’ve been relatively free of Covid, except for some outbreaks in LTC Homes. With numbers creeping up again though, and in this region, I feel it’s time for extra caution and patience. And perhaps a small, family Christmas.

With several vaccines on the horizon, I think we’ll be looking at some sort of normal within the year. For many of us though we’ll emerge from this experience with a more cautious approach to interacting with people and being in public spaces; with perhaps more walls around our personal space than we’re accustomed to as artists. I wouldn’t be surprised if masks and sanitizers continue to be a normal part of our lives, especially during the season.

How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months?

I’ve been ok. Trying to find the positive side of having so much time on my ands. That meant a wonderful summer with my husband and kids, 12 and 7 – lots of trips to the beach, lots of walks with friends, distanced backyard visits. We taught them how to play Hearts and Euchre (editor note here: excellent choice) and forced them to listen to music created before 2019.

But it’s been difficult to be entirely carefree with so many unknowns and worries about the future.

As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Well, beyond the obvious shuttering of our industry and the financial fallout of that, the most difficult thing has been feeling somewhat insignificant. That what I do for a living is so easily pushed to the side, and seemingly forgotten. While the government has been generous in taking care of people in the ‘gig economy’ I don’t feel there’s been many lights shone in the corners where we work. And we do work, and pay taxes – Federal, Provincial, Municipal, school. We carry mortgages and contribute to local economies. I wish there was little more effusive respect from our leaders for what we bring to our cities.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

I was in rehearsal for ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘Hamlet’ and prepping for ‘Wolf Hall’ at the Stratford Festival. My understanding is that those productions may go ahead at some point but there are no immediate plans for their continuation upon reopening.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I have been working on our house! I love home reno projects and luckily have this big old house to putter around in and fix up. It’s kept me sane. I’ve built railings and steps, repaired siding, rehung doors and painted everything. Since filming started up again in Toronto, I’ve also been auditioning and working.

And being a mother keeps me busy all the time!

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty?

I’d say to recent grads, “Get yourself a really good agent and audition for film and television.” I’d also say, if you can write, write. If you can produce, produce. If you can direct, direct. Get experience wherever you can.

Also, and I say this with all respect for my chosen profession, if there’s anything else you love to do, develop those skills as well. I’ve been extremely lucky to have made a living as an actor, but the pandemic has left me bereft of any other employable skills.

To my fellow performers, I’ll say, “We’ll survive, and I miss you.”

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

The time I’ve had to cement the important relationships in my life has been a real gift. I hope that we can seek a better work life balance when things open back up. Going from working insane hours (and trying to squeeze all the other important life moments into the remaining hours) to barely working (and having lots of time to focus on those other moments) has illuminated how unbalanced life in the theatre can be. And it doesn’t feel tenable anymore. I hope our industry leaders will recognize the importance of that balance and act on it.

Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Without a doubt. Theatres that manage to actually survive will have to make many changes going forward. Not just the obvious changes to health and safety but to programming an responding to issues highlighted during the time of Covid.

The break has allowed us time to ponder our place in society, our responsibility to the events happening around us, especially with regard to BIPOC conversations and inequities. There’s no going forward without more inclusivity and real change in all areas of production.

Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I think artists should feel free to showcase their work however they want. There are no rights and wrongs about how to be an artist during this time. Let creativity boom and see what becomes of it. I did a Zoom reading of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ early on and had a fantastic time learning and trying to connect with the cast. I’m not sure it was the most engrossing theatre ever, but it was an offering for those seeking a break from a very scary worldwide crisis.

Interestingly, we filmed our production of ‘Henry VIII’ last fall without an audience, due to the size of the Studio Theatre. I’ll be very curious to see if a play that has been rehearsed and lived in, then filmed can capture the spirit of the show, and audiences.

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you?

Connection, understanding, communication – with words, stories, colleagues, audiences. If I can’t have those connections in a live theatre I can seek them in other mediums – film and television, voice work.

Also the community I’m proud to be a part of, the deep lasting friendships are the result of work in the theatre, and they remain strong. Even stronger since the pandemic started.

When it is safe to return to the theatre, and we will (sorry to disagree, Dame Judi Dench), if you have not gone to see the extraordinary ‘Come from Away’, make it one of the shows you definitely must attend. I know I would like to see it again.

Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s apres 9/11 story of hope, of kindness, and of generosity is one that resonates with me in an emerging post COVID world now more than ever. Amid the statistics and the confusion of this coronavirus time, I know there are stories out there of front-line workers who have instilled hope, shown kindness, and born generosity of spirit.

I had the good fortune to see the show three times: twice in Toronto (and once with the Canadian cast) and the New York/ Broadway company.

Many thanks to Irene and David who were extremely kind and generous to participate in this interview when they have so much going on in their lives right now.

How have you and your family been keeping at this over three-month isolation, and now with a slow re-emergence?

IRENE: We’ve remained healthy. Not sure how with so many people we know having been hit by this wretched virus, but so far, we’re okay. We’re grateful for what we have and try to stay aware of our privilege. And wear our masks when we’re out near others but mostly stay home. I really miss my life from The Before Time. It was all gone so quickly, y’know?

DAVID: We had been living in New York but have driven back with our daughter and two cats and renting a place – and we’re only now sorting out where we’ll be going forward. We’ve been trying to keep an eye on our five CFA companies who are all out of work – not just the onstage team, but the box office, front of house, crew, etc. And we’ve been trying to do some good, donating, buying a 3D printer for makers to make face shields and delivering them.

What has been the most challenging and difficult for you and your family during this time? What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy?

IRENE: In the early days it was fear over the outbreak at my Mom’s Long-Term Care Home. We spent a lot of time sourcing and delivering PPE as well as coming up with ways to keep the staff and residents’ spirits up, whether it was having food delivered or doing impromptu performance art outside the building. Now that the outbreak has resolved (knock on wood)

I’m missing the community I had in NYC, as they drift away from that city and all over the map. I spend a lot of time texting or video chatting with them. So – keeping busy has not been a problem. Work has not slowed down (I know, I’m surprised too – and grateful).

And then there’s the education and entertaining of our six-year-old. She is used to a lot of programming and stimulation, having lived the last three years in Manhattan. But she is LOVING being here – and running in and out of the house and hopping on and off her bike and making friends with kids across the street or over a fence while yelling “6 feet back!”

DAVID: We’re surprisingly really busy. Between homeschooling our daughter and figuring out where we’ll live next, we’re doing interviews and as many benefits as we can, trying to raise some money or cheer on front line workers – many of whom are our friends. But we’re also doing work in film and television – and everyone in those fields seems to see us as writers at home with nothing to do – so there’s suddenly a lot to do!

We’ve been working on the ‘Come From Away’ movie, a TV project, and a couple of other irons in the fire.
In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian and North American performing arts scene?

DAVID: I don’t think there’s a way that it won’t – it’s been so challenging for every theatre company, performers, all our crew members – not being able to work. And at the same time, I hope that some writers out there – the ones without six-years-old to homeschool – are writing the next great Canadian musical. Or just recharging and being good to themselves, so that when it makes sense, they can write the next great Canadian musical! Zero pressure to be productive during this.

But long term, I know that theatre will come back – our producers are determined that “Come From Away” will return – and its message of resiliency and coming together in response to a tragedy feels even more relevant now.

IRENE: Yes. I definitely think COVID will have a lasting impact. You can’t come out of a moment like this unchanged, both metaphorically and practically speaking.

I’m mercifully (for all involved) not on the business side of things – but when I speak to those who are, they are cautiously optimistic about the long term. They are constantly running through options and worst-case scenarios and running task forces, and I try not to bother them too much because I don’t know how they do it.

Do you have any words of wisdom to build hope and faith in those performing artists who have been hit hard as a result of COVID 19? Any sage and wise words of parental advice to the new graduates from the theatre schools regarding this fraught time of confusion?

IRENE: I’ve always been a big fan of having a Plan B. I always had more than one and lived them for a long time. It gave me income, insight into humanity, and knowledge that I then used in my artistic pursuits, as well as confidence that there were many things I could do to earn a living. So, I was never desperate and always had the ability to walk away if I wasn’t happy in a situation.

It also gave me friends who weren’t in the arts who could advise on life matters and who could frankly afford to come and support our shows. So, this seems like a great time to go to your Plan B. What else can you do?

I’m not saying to give up, not one bit, but you’re going to have to be creative about HOW you are going to keep going while there’s nothing to go to. What else can you do right now to keep yourself fed, and to keep yourself learning so you’re not burnt out by the time this is all over? (Also, I don’t think it will ever really be ‘over’. But I’d love to be wrong about that).

Before COVID, it was predicted that people would have 7 different careers in their lifetimes. Not jobs, careers. As people in the arts, we shouldn’t think we’re exempt from that. David and I are each on our third, maybe fourth careers? And that’s before COVID.

DAVID: I obviously, often think about Newfoundland and what a hard place it can be to live – the winters are awful – it’s literally a rock in the ocean, the fisheries failing – all of that. But the people there have responded by becoming some of the best people in the world – kind, generous to both neighbors and strangers, and brilliant musicians and storytellers. Each winter, they get stuck inside, and they’ve learned to overcome them by coming over to each other’s kitchen parties and telling stories and singing songs – and making sure their community survives together.

So, I think there’s hope that we can learn from this moment and become better. And to the graduates – many of whom were born during 9/11 and are now graduating during this – you have an incredible, unique story to tell – and that story and this time will bond you together as a group.

Find the people you love who you’ve studied with and make art that you love. That’s what we did. Worst case scenario: you’ll have enjoyed the process.

Do you foresee anything positive stemming from COVID 19 and its influence on the Canadian and North American performing arts scene?

DAVID: I think the pressure it’s putting on the system is exposing so many inequalities, which is painful, but acknowledging those issues and working together to find solutions is positive. We’re already seeing new theatre companies being founded to share unheard voices and we’re excited about the art that this moment in the Black Lives Matter movement will create – which as allies, we are trying to educate ourselves on and work to support.

IRENE: COVID has shown so many cracks in the way things were all along it’s dizzying. But the positive side of that is we can look to ways to change during this pause. Inequalities in healthcare and education and access to technology are painfully more pronounced. That’s why performing arts schools all have students who look the way they do – not a ton of racial and/or socioeconomic diversity.

And women are being squeezed out of professions again not just in theatre, but elsewhere as well, as men usually make more money so their jobs take priority, and child-rearing and domestic management still tend to fall to women somehow. I’ve had so many friends, in arts, science, business and even healthcare say something along the lines of “how did I become a 1950s housewife?!”

Wait…I was supposed to stay positive. Oops.

I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming and YouTube presentations destroy the theatrical impact of those who have gathered with anticipation to watch a performance. What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for theatre as we move forward from COVID 19?

IRENE: I have no idea. If it is all going to be about streaming, I better learn how to use the TV. Although, I do have a kid. Isn’t that why people have kids? So, they can change the TV channel? They don’t even have to get off the couch anymore. Back in my day, you had to walk all the way over to the TV.

DAVID: I don’t think anything will replace live theatre – that feeling of your heartbeat synchronizing with the audience members around you. But if theatergoers want to watch theatre right now on their computers, how can you blame them? And why would you discourage it?

If you don’t want to watch it, don’t –there’s already theatres working out how to do live theatre with socially distanced seating, or in front of your house, or by phone or zoom – but I don’t have an issue with streamed theatre – the more theatre the merrier!

What is it about the performing arts you still adore that will never be destroyed by COVID?

DAVID: We stand at the back of the house at Come From Away and we watch the show, but we also watch the audience. I love hearing a thousand people laughing at once or hearing them all sigh together – or cry together and then pass Kleenexes down the row.

There was that article about how everyone’s hearts start to sync in rhythm within a theatre. It’s such a gift to get to witness people coming together in a shared experience – which is really what our show is about – and I can’t wait till we can return.

IRENE: I’m not sure I adore this, but somehow, from the very beginning and no matter where in the world we’ve been, David and I have always ended up writing cramped in the middle of the night on a closed toilet seat in a bathroom, one of us seated on the edge of the tub if there was one. There was no tub at the Broadway theatre, but everyone knew the bathroom in the stage manager’s office was where we worked.
And lo and behold, we’re working in a cramped bathroom again right this minute. Apparently COVID can’t destroy that.

But seriously, a line from ‘Carousel’ comes to mind that gives me hope. This isn’t quite it, but the sentiment is right: “As long as there is one person on Earth who remembers, it isn’t over yet.”

With a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

What is your favourite word?

DAVID: When I was a kid it was “Hawaii” – I’d say it over and over again even though I’d grown up in Saskatchewan and had never been there. With ‘Come From Away’, when we had to travel to meet our Australian company, we stopped there and it became our daughter’s favorite place – primarily because of the stray cats, so it’s as good a word as any.

I also love the word “kindness” both for its practice and that it implies a “kinship” or “similar kind” with another person – recognizing our similarities rather than our differences.

IRENE: Roller Coaster.

What is your least favourite word?

DAVID: This is such an only child word to pick – and I hate saying it to our only child too, but “No.”

IRENE: Sprain.

What turns you on?

DAVID: A good Canadian self-deprecating sense of humour.

IRENE: Surprising people.

What turns you off?

DAVID: People not listening, or not learning. I’m guilty of it too, plenty of times, but it drives me crazy. Also, when computers don’t work. It makes me crazy.

IRENE: Ableism. ‘Isms’ in general.

What sound or noise do you love?

DAVID: Irene and my daughter’s laughter when they literally can’t keep it inside and it just burbles out. It’s my favourite sound ever. I spend a lot of time being goofy mostly so I can hear them laugh.

IRENE: Rain.

What sound or noise bothers you?

DAVID: Chalkboard fingernails and my daughter crying. Or our cat, Gambo, “wowing” for breakfast at 5am.

IRENE: Ignorant people talking.

What is your favourite curse word?

DAVID: Fuck. I also love the Newfoundlander’s “lard tunderin’ jaysus” though I never feel like it’s mine to use.

IRENE: Fuck.

Other than your current profession now, what other professions would you have liked to do?

DAVID: I always wanted to be an animator or draw comics. Through Come From Away, I got to draw a backup Spider-Man story and I can’t wait to do another one.

IRENE: Teacher. Being surrounded by small children. Is. The. Best.

What profession could you not see yourself doing?

DAVID: Oh man, there’s so many. Prime Minister since I’m terrible at decision making. Deep sea diver because I’m claustrophobic. Is scorpion zookeeper a thing? I might rather die. I have a lot of respect for all of those, but I couldn’t do them.

IRENE: Teacher. There is no profession more underrated, underpaid and under-respected. Post-COVID I’d add ‘essential worker’.

If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

DAVID: “Excellent, you and Irene came together. Glad you took your time.”

IRENE: “You can dance the way you used to, and it won’t hurt a bit.”

To learn more about any of the worldwide extraordinary companies of ‘Come from Away’, please visit www.comefromaway.com.

‘Joseph’ fever has struck the city of Toronto once again. Word has it the show is on its pre-Broadway run.

Thank you to Mirvish Productions for allowing me to e interview Jac Yarrow who will play Joseph and Ben Michael Turner, the Musical Director, of this newest production of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’

One tidbit of information. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber gave his blessing to Yarrow to play the title character. How does Jac still feel about it:

“When Having Lord Lloyd Webber see my audition and think I was capable of being up on the London Palladium stage, playing this iconic character is still unbelievable to me. I will be forever grateful to Andrew for taking a chance on a new kid like me. It’s an experience that has shaped my life.”

Can you please share where you completed your training as an artist?

Jac: I attended The Arts Educational Schools, London (ArtsEd).

Ben: I read music at King’s College London; I received my performance training from voice tutors at the Royal Academy of Music, and I was a conducting scholar of Sing for Pleasure. In between rehearsals and performances here in Toronto, I am currently writing up my Master’s thesis – which I am also completing at King’s, albeit from a distance…

How are you feeling both personally and professionally about this gradual return to the live performing arts even though Covid is still present?

Jac: Naturally I’m so happy to be back on stage after such a frightening, unpredictable time. To share a theatrical experience with live audiences after so long feels so special. It’s something I won’t take for granted, ever.

Ben: Personally, and professionally, I am utterly thrilled about the safe return to live performance. The pandemic was a uniquely isolating time. Being able to come together once again, to create and share in the glorious experience of live performance, feels like a definitive, joyful step towards rekindling life as we used to know it. At the Princess of Wales, we are testing twice weekly, wearing masks backstage and adhering to the latest guidance; it feels like a very small price to pay for safely returning to work and be able to bring this gorgeous show to this wonderful city.

How have rehearsals gone so far here in Toronto as you prepare for this Toronto engagement of JOSEPH?

Jac: Rehearsals have been so exciting. We have Vanessa Fisher joining us here as the Narrator and Tosh Wonogho-Maud as Pharaoh. Along with a fresh batch of 16 Canadian kids (Two teams of 8.) It’s brilliant to see the new takes on these roles and to feel the buzz from these new cast members, who are raring to go.

Ben: It has been so lovely to rehearse in Toronto. Collaborating with the musicians here as we workshopped the new 14-piece orchestration was a personal highlight. Combining Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s music with these magnificent players has made for a truly extraordinary musical experience. Our young acting company (also made up of Toronto’s finest) has taken the challenge of learning this mammoth show in their stride. It filled my soul with pure joy to see our first audience shower them with the love and praise they truly deserved. n.b. they also took mocking my British-isms and pointing out my lack of Canada-appropriate attire in their stride, but that’s beside the point…

Is this your first visit to Toronto? What has it been like for you?

Jac: Yes, it’s my first time in Toronto! I love it here. I’ve been to a Raptors game, explored the city, shopped am desperate to try Puppy Yoga! I’m so glad we’re here for multiple weeks (10 weeks) so I can fit in as much sightseeing as I can. The people are also some of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. We’ve been welcomed here with open arms and it’s so lovely.

Ben: I have never been to Canada before and absolutely love it. It is frightfully chilly though, isn’t it? – and I’m promised it’s only going to get colder. Nevertheless, I’ve found that there are a few things here that can’t be fixed by a plate of poutine and a glass of ice wine. Our dark day is a Monday, so I begin my week living my best tourist life. I’ve started with the classics (the CN Tower, St. Lawrence’s Market, Niagara Falls etc.) – obviously – but we’re here until February and I’m a massive foodie so any niche ‘must-do’ suggestions would be hugely welcomed.

These last 2-plus years have most certainly altered the face of the live performing arts scene worldwide. Tell me how you’re both personally and professionally feeling and experiencing this JOSEPH. What is it about this new London Palladium production that you believe will make it worthwhile for Toronto audiences to see this Christmas and holiday season, and well into 2023?

Jac: Joseph is a timeless show. The music is so iconic and resonates with so many generations. That’s why I believe it has stood the test of time. This particular production of Joseph is not to be missed as the show has been completely reimagined for a more modern audience. The colourful story is presented on a huge, lavish set with beautiful, colourful costumes, athletic dancing, glorious voices, and real theatre magic. Direct from the stage of the London Palladium, our production of Joseph has all the excitement and surprises it did in London’s West End.

Ben: Joseph was Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice’s first collaboration in 1968. Back then it was only fifteen minutes long and it was performed as a one-off pop cantata in a school in south London. This year we took Laurence’s Palladium production around the UK to eighteen cities, and it was truly remarkable to see the show’s fifty-year history sewn into the fabric of British culture. From the first ‘Any Dream Will Do’, two thousand people in the Liverpool Empire Theatre were singing along with the “ahs”, reciting the colours of the coat, clapping the accelerando in ‘Potiphar’, and dancing in the aisles to the ‘Megamix’.

Ben: At our first preview last Sunday, there was a wonderful exchange when the audience at the Princess of Wales let us in on their Joseph story: clapping, dancing, and singing along, just as they did with Donny Osmond in the nineties and with every Joseph since. To me, this new production, and its North American premiere, feel like the start of a glorious new chapter in Joseph’s history, as a new generation of theatregoers – led by lifelong fans of the show – take this iconic story and its music into their hearts. There is something irresistibly infectious about the joy that pours out of this show every night, we are so thrilled to have brought it to Toronto for the festive season, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a small cog in amongst it all.

Once JOSEPH has concluded its run, Jac, what’s next for each of you?

Jac: I can’t say as of yet. I’m trying to soak up my last few weeks playing the role after four years with the show. Joseph has been a huge part of my life and I will miss both the show and the role very dearly.

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ opens Friday, December 16 at The Princess of Wales and runs through the Christmas and holiday season to February 18, 2023. For tickets, visit mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333.

Bravo to the independent theatres outside the Stratford Festival that continue to produce the works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare in Action is one such company.

Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Unchained Theatre Jack Burrill is pleased to continue presenting the Bard’s plays.

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat via email with the Centennial College graduate about the Canadian theatre scene and, more specifically, what’s happening in Toronto.   Burrill was pleased to discuss Unchained Theatre further.

The company is celebrating its fifth year this year. It strives to produce exciting, fresh productions in intimate spaces, specializing in classic works such as Shakespeare while exploring their modern relevance through innovative designs and passionate performances. Unchained emphasizes the importance of collaboration with the entire team, from production to actors, being creatively active in all aspects of the production.

The theatre company began when Burrill and artistic producer and co-founder Reuben Stewart were isolated together during the COVID-19 pandemic after a trip to the south. Within their containment, they watched, read, and even acted in works of Shakespeare to pass the time and decided to create the company. Unchained’s first show ‘Twelfth Night’ during the pandemic, teamed up with the local community theatre to build an outdoor stage so that theatre could resume even with restrictions.

To celebrate the five-year landmark, Unchained will stage another production of ‘Twelfth Night’ with some of the original cast returning. Reuben and Jack continued producing shows through theatre school, though… not without warning from our instructors. Now, the company is excited about the road ahead!

The Canadian theatre scene continues to change and evolve.  I’ve posed that same question to many artists through their profiles.

Burrill says he will always feel confident about the theatre and performing arts industry in the future despite the changes. He says the fact there are so many changes and the art form is still here speaks to the longevity of the theatre. In the future, he further adds:

“The reason I am so excited about the state of the industry: there are so many small, young companies doing great work who are rehearsing three times a week after putting in 40-hour work weeks. [These companies] save every penny to rent the $2000 space to do four shows, pay the team, support the design and market only to break even and do it all again in a couple of months.”

He’s always had a unique connection and affinity with the plays of Shakespeare. Jack calls the Bard’s works: “poetic examinations of the human spirit. What it means to be human hasn’t changed; therefore, the plays are allowed to be anything.” It is the allowance for Jack that Shakespeare’s plays speak to audiences. The plays are a safe place for actors and audiences to feel and to think to the maximum of themselves. Sometimes, if actors and audiences are familiar with the plays (having studied them in school), they can become excited by a new interpretation. 

One of Jack’s favourite plays is ‘King Lear.’ It’s also a favourite of mine. Jack says he has seen the play at least ten times, and he still cries when Lear carries his beloved yet murdered daughter Cordelia in his arms one last time.

Recently, Unchained Theatre produced ‘Romeo & Juliet’ with the setting in Toronto. Jack’s choice eerily spoke to the company of actors and crew. They discovered what Shakespeare said about fair Verona translated ‘scarily’ well with Old Toronto.

Collectively, what Burrill craves to see in the theatre is intimacy, passion and simplicity. The productions that excite him the most are the ones with three blocks as a set, an intimate space, and actors driving the play until the wheels come off:

“I love seeing actors work; I love seeing when the performances are raw. I love it when you listen to a line of dialogue, and it strikes with an immediate emotional response. Exciting intimate productions are what I aim to see always.”

Jack takes great pride in being multi-disciplinary. Acting is his staple, but he also loves directing, crafting a show and being in rehearsal. He loves rehearsal and wishes he had the opportunity to do more directing. He also shared a touching personal element:

“I started wanting to be a playwright. I had major stage fright as a teenager, but I loved telling stories. Behind the veil of a glitchy HP laptop did I lair myself. But I do see myself changing careers one day. One of my big dreams is to be an acting teacher and to open my own studio.”

Burrill is obsessed with the works of some of the great acting teachers, including Stanislavski, Meisner, Hagen, Chekhov, and Adler. He has read all their books and constantly re-watches their documented classwork films and clips.
Jack wants to keep the fire of acting alive, especially in the theatre, for the next generation to follow. He would consider that one of his life’s work.

For this year’s theatre graduates, Burrill advises creating your work and forming your own company. Do the plays you want to do and play the parts you want to play. Find the actors, directors, stage managers, producers and technicians. No one is going to do that for you. Theatre is a home, and everyone connected is a family. Go and make theatre with family. Don’t let expensive theatres or heart-stopping light shows deter you from what you want to do.

Jack’s also realistic as well. He knows he can’t make a full-time living just yet. Currently, he is a server for a golf course (which he calls an artist’s boot camp). Jack also tutors in English and drama for high school and college students, and he is trying to make steps into coaching, especially with Shakespeare’s texts.

As we concluded our email conversation, I asked what was next for Jack.

He has experienced a good year and is grateful for the artistic opportunities. Recently, he completed his participation in the York Corpus Christi Cycle at the University of Toronto, where he was part of three of the 33 clusters and directed one of them. Although exhaustion loomed over him, he says it was a life-altering artistic experience.

 Starting July 19, he will appear in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in Lawrence Park, produced by Thaumatrope, playing the roles of Theseus and Titania.

Finally, from November 6 to 9th, Unchained Theatre will celebrate five years with a production of ‘Twelfth Night’ in which he will co-direct and play Sir Toby Belch.

Burrill has also written his first full-length that he hopes to share soon.
Ah, the love of live theatre. It is most heartening to see young people relish and revel in this beloved art form.

To learn more about Unchained Theatre, visit their Facebook page: Unchained Theatre Company. You can also visit their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unchained_theatre_company___/?igsh=em5lNWJ1Z2Zta2Jw#

Jacob James is one extremely passionate fellow in sharing how this pandemic has ultimately transformed his life. I wasn’t able to include every single bit of information he shared with me during our hour-long conversation as one topic sometimes dove into another completely different question or topic that I hadn’t even considered.

But that’s okay. At one point, Jacob poked fun at himself by telling me that I would glean from our conversation that he loves to speak with others who are just as passionate as he is about the arts and about the state of live theatre as we all move forward post pandemic.

He is an actor, director, drama professor currently at Queen’s University in Kingston, and creator of the YouTube channel Theatre Curation Project. He has spent seven seasons with The Stratford Festival, five seasons with Drayton Entertainment, five seasons with Videocabaret (Dora awards), five seasons with The Thousand Islands Playhouse, and has worked with Theatre Kingston, Soulpepper, Neptune, Globe Theatre Regina, Charlottetown Festival, New York Shakespeare Exchange, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse…and more.

As a teaching artist, Jacob has taught at arts institutions across North America for over 20 years including Michigan State University, St. Lawrence College, and Queen’s University. Please visit Theatre Curation Project on YouTube and subscribe, follow him on Instagram at @jacoboneilljames. Jacob is a graduate of The National Theatre School, Birmingham Conservatory (Stratford Festival), Second City Conservatory, and York University’s Teaching Artist program.

Jacob adores his six year old son, Henry, and still finds time to consider new and exciting ways to keep interest in the arts going. I plan to check out many of his passion projects with the links included at the conclusion of his profile.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thanks again for the lively discussion, Jacob:

The doors to Toronto live theatre have been shut for over a year now with no possible date of re-opening soon. How have you and your immediately family been faring during this time?

I must say that many people are talking about the waves that it goes in. Sometimes I feel positive, inspired and motivated, then the next day I’ll sit the entire day in my pajamas at the computer checking social media.

I was set to do my third of ‘Billy Bishop Goes to War’ this time with Drayton Entertainment. We were supposed to start rehearsals March 26. I was in New York at the time. I’ve been splitting my time between Kingston teaching at Queen’s and in New York where my son’s mother was based. It was a harrowing lifestyle for the going on two years I’ve been doing it. The numbers in Stratford are low right now, but we’ll see what happens in the summer. Henry, my son, is 6 and he’s doing alright.

All to say, yes, there was such a downfall from theatre becoming disenfranchised and yet, at the same time, it meant that I got my son safely back to Canada. My son’s mother and I, we co-parent relatively well and decided to locate to Stratford. I spent my 20s as an actor and she owns a house here. On the one level, I have felt totally disenfranchised but on the life level really grateful not having to split my week between Kingston and New York City and all that travelling. Having my son back in Canada and in one place is good.

I’ve had ups and downs, but it has forced me to get innovative and thinking about ways about what can I do to help. Theatre is being diminished through this pandemic and there is a real danger of it being impacted permanently.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

That sense of stewardship started to rise within me as a result of this worldwide epidemic. I’m not the kid anymore and it’s my generation to make the initiative to preserve and to curate what past mentors had shared with me. I wish they were here because I would really like to talk to them now as I reflect back and wish I could ask them things now, but obviously I can’t.

That gave birth to something I created on the You Tube channel called ‘The Theatre Curation Project.’ It started twofold. I got thinking about all the mentors whom I’ve had in this business who have now passed away. My original mentor, Valerie Robertson, was in Theatre Five. She is one of the mothers of Canadian Theatre. Here at Stratford, Richard Monette was my major mentor and influence.

Well, there are a lot of people who are still alive and have these stories and lessons. Why not reach out to those who were influenced by those who may not be here? Why not reach out to those who are still here and are leaving their mark on the theatre scene? Kenneth Welsh is a veteran of our time, but who was his mentor for example.

To my surprise, this avalanched into 40 + episodes of ‘The Mentor Series’ I’ve curated. I’ve about 20 in the bank ready to go. The idea here is to preserve these stories for future generations and from being lost forever when I’m gone.

I got to thinking about the conversations we would be having in the rehearsal hall, and I’m a big ghost nerd. I get into these conversations of did anyone ever work in a haunted theatre and what was their experience. I discovered a lot of people share that same curiosity and interest, so I created a second series for the You Tube Channel ‘Haunted Theatre Stories’. The basic format is similar to the Mentor Series channel.

The next phase of the Theatre Curation Project is the beginning of an online theatre school. Right now, we’re beginning with an online component. Eventually, I’d like to buy a building when we can be physically back together with that theatre school graduating into a theatre company, an apprenticeship school where there is an opportunity of doing.

So, preserving the tradition and maintaining community are important.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you, or would you describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?
Yes, it has been an escape for me in good ways and in bad ways. Being in Covid has been an escape from hopping on a plane and going to New York to see my son or only seeing my son for half the time.

It’s also been deprivation. I’ve been fortunate to have done a bit of tv and film over the interim since that has kept rolling. It doesn’t fill the void.

I love editing and I wonder I might have become an editor for film and tv if I had gone a different path.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return full throttle and full tilt until 2022?

I’d say that’s a very safe bet. Again, there are a lot of variables that could take us further ahead that could accelerate the process but there are a lot of factors that could set us back.

Of late, what I’ve been coming to terms with is the struggle. Certainly, in Canada and Ontario specifically, the colour coded roles and the numbers, these two things are not working together in tandem. My mom is still in Kingston and I talk to her regularly. When Kingston was opened up, even though Toronto was in lockdown, people in Toronto are going to Kingston to the restaurants.

I shudder to say it: If we created a uniform set of rules for the province, we’d be in better shape. If we stayed in lockdown since Christmas, we wouldn’t be where we’re at right now. There’s always that tendency of “Well, if I visit this person, it’s just me not everybody.” When Trudeau said at the beginning last year, “It’s time to come home”, we still need to be in that tone, or nothing is going to be done. I get the fatigue of it all but…

In the end, what is it worth if we can’t see our family next Christmas? My forecast for all this? There will be smatterings of outdoor theatre going on this summer. My thinking if rules are set that 100 or more can be in a theatre to watch a show, masked and social distanced, we could start seeing those small, distanced audience numbers in the fall, okay that’s a start. But back to where we were before with full houses and sitting next to people shoulder to shoulder? That won’t happen until at least 2022.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

It’s transformed me because empathy has been at the forefront of my mind because this is what is needed right now to help control this worldwide pandemic. If we’re not empathetic and care for each other and put ourselves in each other’s shoes, wear the masks, do the social distancing then it’s going to continue to be bad news.

I’ve been transformed because I used to be quite romantically optimistic about everything and had a lot of faith in humanity. I have to admit that the empathy is still there, but the faith in humanity has been dampened a little bit for me because it’s pretty simple. We’ve got a simple set of rules to follow to protect ourselves and each other, and yet there are people who are actively out to go against the grain. Here in Stratford, I’m seeing signs of NO MORE LOCKDOWNS.

I can’t wrap my head around it.

Where have I been transformed concerning live theatre? I’m all about theatre that engages as opposed to pacifies. Theatre needs to come from the inside out, not the outside in if it wants to be authentic and achieve any kind of vacuum quality acting level. The audience should feel like voyeurs, according to the late William Hutt.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

I agree with Ms. Caldwell. We need to see a character begin somewhere and end up somewhere else. In order to do that, there must be conflict. The conflict is where the danger comes from.

It makes me think about an experience I had. I originated the role of Clown 1 in the Canadian premiere of ‘The 39 Steps’. I had a strange kismet with that play where I later played Hannay at Neptune in Halifax. When I got to New York, there was an off-Broadway production running and I was asked to understudy all three male roles. But then the show closed.

I assistant directed a Canadian production oddly enough with the guy who assistant directed the off-Broadway production and who I had been auditioning for in New York for the understudy job. Dayna Tekatch directed the Canadian premiere. She reminded us, excluding the role of Hannay, the characters can be as big and buffoonish as you want them to be, but they have to be rooted in playing a real objective to come from the inside out. They have to be real people and start as real people and not inauthentic lunatics. If these people are not real, there can’t be any danger. If there’s no danger, then there can’t be any stakes. If there are no stakes, then it becomes a bunch of silly gags and actors playing different characters. It needs to be that thriller.

If there is no danger in this particular play, it’s over before it starts.

I did a short film in Toronto over the last summer. It was the weird period of being in limbo between the first phase of the pandemic and not quite into the second phase. I remember thinking we are in this little window where we can do this. Productions have learned a lot since then; companies have learned a lot about how to do the protocols. We all had our tests on this film, but I was the stickler during the film ensuring that we would all be safe.

There are these stories about Douglas Rain, one of the original company members at Stratford. He got a bit reclusive in his last days. Apparently, he set up a little tent corner area when he wasn’t working. He didn’t want to talk to anybody. I was close to pulling a Douglas Rain on the short film I shot last summer. I didn’t want anyone to come near me because I did feel the danger in my being a stickler about safety on set. I was grateful to do a job but felt petrified the entire time. I went to length of during that whole shoot and the two weeks after, I isolated from my son.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. How has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?
The thing I’m most keenly sensitive about from all this is we’ve all been experiencing some degree of trauma on the spectrum of trauma. I recognize that and have seen it manifested in myself and in others. It manifests in unexpected ways and it has heightened our reactions to so many things.

Being a parent of a six-year-old, there are so many undiscovered epiphanies. I’ve been keenly aware of the other two kids who are in Henry’s learning pod through school. For those kids who can’t articulate the trauma they’re experiencing or recognizing it, I’ve learned how to be more sensitive especially towards Henry. He’s happy here in Canada, his socialization is fine with a good balance of work and play.

There was a moment where something wasn’t right and just a moment out of the blue. Henry is a good kid. He’s funny, got a good sense of humour and is sensitive, there was a moment where he came up and sat on my lap, and cuddled up on me and hugged me and squeezed me.

I asked him if he was alright, and he just started crying. He said he just felt sad. For ten minutes he went through that. It was hard, heart wrenching but it was good because he was having an emotional release. That led to a conversation of saying it’s a good thing if you’re feeling sad to cry because you’re letting it out of your system. He doesn’t understand fully what is happening to him.

And it suddenly dawned on me that what I was telling Henry, I should have been telling myself as well. Sometimes you forget that if you need to take a day to be in pajamas and watch mindless movies or play video games, it’s okay to not feel the shame and to take the time to not do anything.

How will this translate into my work? With my students I was working on a couple of different Shakespeare monologues. I gave them something dense and challenging from Richard III. In working with them, we looked at the two different Richards. We saw the adult and the child Richard. How did Richard get to this point? It started me thinking what this would have been for him?

That level of trauma would probably have created some arrested development and to lead to insane behaviour and the shutting off of emotions.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

The Theatre Curation Project and Channel have made me even more curious. I’m a big theatre nerd. Long before I studied at the Stratford Festival, I had the books about William Hutt and renowned at Stratford and I was a big theatre history buff.

But looking at the journey and legacy of how we got from where it started to where we are now is at the forefront. What I’ve been recognizing as we’re 40 episodes in with more to follow, the similarities, the patterns and the story forming from hearing the accounts of these mentors, I’m realizing and now starting to map together the foundations of Canadian theatre and the commonalities.

It’s prompted me to perhaps have these stories come out as special presentations. Ultimately, I want to transpose a lot of these stories into books and volumes so they can be in libraries of theatre schools long after I’ve left this world.

I got thinking about this idea of the architects of Canadian theatre. At this point, I can count on two hands specific people who started it all. Almost in a Bible format, I’d like to write the ‘Genesis’ history of the architecture of Canadian theatre, the creation of Canadian theatre. One volume for example might be called THE BOOK OF HUTT (with great respect to William Hutt) and the impact they had then and now.

My drama students at Queen’s don’t know who are Val and Gord Robertson. This has to change. They have to know these names of the greats of Canadian theatre some who came from Kingston.

Just in terms of life as well has made me curious. There is re-inventing going on because of the pandemic. Rather than being defeated by all this, what can we do in spite of all this. Not only to keep it going and preserve the stories, but I’ve said in some of the faculty meetings with the drama department at Queen’s to look at online learning as an opportunity and silver lining that perhaps what we are doing online now will augment the learning of the students when they return in person.

To learn more about Jacob’s passion projects, please visit:

YouTube Theatre Curation Project: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhEdMQ-NVs_WC61tHYw7yQ?sub_confirmation=1

Facebook Group: Theatre Curation Project https://www.facebook.com/groups/645544769451393/

Patreon: www.patreon.com/theatrecurationproject

Follow Jacob James on his Insta: @jacobonielljames

I’ve known Jacob’s family for a couple of years through the school board where I worked before I retired from teaching.

The first time I saw Jacob onstage was in a wonderfully campy performance as the evil Puppet Master at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre in ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio.’ Just like all of us who were missing live theatre in person, I saw Bad Hats’ Theatre production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ produced by Soulpepper which included Jacob.

Jacob MacInnis is a Tkaronto-based non-binary performer and visual artist. After training for three years at Sheridan College’s Music Theatre Performance Program, Jacob has gone on to entertain audiences all over Turtle Island in countless musicals, concerts, and cabarets. In 2014 Jacob was nominated for a Dora Mavor-Moore award and won the Toronto Theatre Critic’s Award for best supporting actor in a musical for their performance in James and the Giant Peach (YPT).

This past summer, Jacob made their Stratford Festival debut in Play On! in the festival’s summer cabaret series. They currently work part-time at Sheridan College teaching acting tutorials.

Jacob will next appear this month and next month at London Ontario’s Grand Theatre in its production of ‘Home for the Holidays’.

We conducted our interview via email. Thank you so much for the conversation, Jacob:

Could you share one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful who believed in your chosen career as a performing artist.

A mentor/teacher I greatly appreciate—that is so tough to answer. Every contract I do, every show I perform in, every tutorial I teach, I am constantly inspired by my colleagues, directors, and students. The lessons I have learned over the years from each special person I look up to have served (and continue to serve) to shape the artist I am today.

I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level?

The last eighteen months (as I am sure they’ve been for many) have been tough to say the least—The emotional ups, downs have been enough to give a person whiplash! However, there have been a few silver linings: The first few months of the pandemic brought my family of five back together after so many years of living apart, throughout the lockdown I was able to come out to my community as proudly non-binary, I wrote and produced my first pop single ( In My Dreams), I became a teacher at Sheridan College, and I was blessed enough to be a part of a handful of online workshops, and magical projects like Bad Hat’s Alice In Wonderland. Making my Stratford Festival debut was certainly near the very top of the list of blessings!

How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally?

With the murder of George Floyd, we watched as the world was set aflame with anger, disgust, and a cry for justice. We started to listen to Indigenous people and people of colour talk about their lived experiences and the racism they have endured in this colonial world. We finally started to see and understand the atrocities Canada and the Catholic Church inflicted upon Indigenous people with the barbaric Residential “school” system.

And now we are starting to see a shift toward anti-oppression in the professional Theatre landscape. We are starting to see stories of people who, until recently, have been ignored altogether. We are starting to see a move toward kindness in the rehearsal space with a focus on mental health. And we are starting to see how art can be made while avoiding trauma. We still have a long way to go, but we must not go back to how things were…. I am a human before I am an artist.

What intrigues/fascinates/excites Jacob MacInnis post Covid?

What intrigues me is seeing how theatre will be shaped as we start implementing more and more of the lessons we are learning … I am intrigued to see just how much we can decolonize this beloved art form and make it of use for the world we want to see.

RAPID ROUND
Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea:

If you could say one thing to one of your mentors and teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be?

To my mentors—thank you for believing in me when I wasn’t able to myself.

If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be?

To any naysayers, I say nothing! —“If they aren’t paying your bills, pay them no mind”

What’s your favourite swear word?

F**K!

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Delicious

What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say?

Taxes

What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you?

Save your money and lay off the sugar!

With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming Jacob MacInnis from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning their career as a performing artist?

Keep going!

What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally?

I would love to pay off my debt, do a show on Broadway, star in some film and television, and own a house complete with a wiener dog named Dijon.

Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while.

I don’t think I would go back to a time in the past even if I could… I have had so many beautiful experiences, but I am always looking ahead!

What is one thing Jacob MacInnis will never take for granted again post Covid?

I will never take my friends and family for granted post Covid.

Would Jacob MacInnis do it all again if given the same opportunities?

I don’t think I would do it all again! Like I said above: what’s next? Bring on the future.

You can follow Jacob on instagram @jacobmacinnis. You can check out their visual art @jacobmacinnisart, or listen to their original music on Spotify, Apple Music, or anywhere you listen.

I know of TAPA and its vision as the voice of theatre, dance, and opera in Toronto. I also know the Dora Mavor Moore Awards (known as the Doras) are presented by TAPA as they acknowledge and recognize outstanding Toronto theatre in 50 categories over 7 Divisions in General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Theatre for Young Audiences, Dance, Opera and Touring. The awards in each division are voted on by a jury of eight to twelve individuals drawn from the professional performing arts community.

What I was not fully aware of regarding TAPA was the tremendous advocacy of the arts AND the extensive programs it offers. I’ve only just begun to examine TAPA’s website and plan to spend time in perusal to learn more.

I was also pleased TAPA’s Executive Director, Jacoba Knaapen, was available for an interview for this profile series. She is a tireless arts leader who, throughout this pandemic, has, as well, spearheaded numerous campaigns to fight for the interests of the performing arts community she serves. The most current one is petitioning the provincial government to allow theatres to rehearse in advance for outdoor performances and record digital content in their spaces (as film and tv are allowed to do) PRIOR to the stated Stage 2 opening (likely in July) so that the outdoor shows & streamed content will be able to go on.

In addition to Executive Director at TAPA, and, as part of her role there, Jacoba is the Producer of the Dora Awards, and thus is the Producer for the Dora Mavor Moore Ancillary Awards which will take place virtually on June 16, 2021 at 10am on the TAPA YouTube channel. I will include the link for this presentation at the end of Jacoba’s profile.

The Ancillary Awards are not based on a specific performance season but acknowledge a recipient’s whole career – and encompass administrative as well as artistic roles. The awards that will be handed out are Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration (LMJH), the Victor C. Polley Protégé Award, the Pauline McGibbon Award, the John Hirsch Director’s Award and the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award.

Given her extremely busy schedule as you will see from her first answer, Jacoba kindly answered questions via email.

Thank you so much for your time, Jacoba, and for allowing us to hear your voice on these important issues as the arts community emerges slowly from this worldwide pandemic:

It’s a harsh reality that Covid 19 has changed all of us. Please describe how it has changed your understanding personally of the world you once knew and how your perceptions and experience have changed and transformed.

COVID 19 has changed everything and the awakening to systemic racism has changed everything. Although it has been a time of heartbreak and pain, it has also created a new future time. A time of possibilities that seemed impossible before. That gives me hope.

Personally, I have never worked harder and longer days in my life. I hear and read about folks baking bread, finding new hobbies, reading books, looking for ways to fill their time. That has not been my reality and for me there have not been enough hours in the day. The advocacy work at TAPA has been relentless and all-consuming.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances, our ongoing efforts have expanded beyond TAPA’s usual municipal focus and included provincial work. Our entire existence seems to be all about advocacy. I feel privileged to be working and I am certainly not complaining, but these are indeed unusual and unprecedented times, and I am just now starting to carve out time for myself, which was originally prompted when my mom suddenly fell ill and I had to stop everything to take care of her.

Thankfully she is well and on track to recovery, but it was a real wake-up call for me to climb into self-care territory.

Of course (like everyone else) I am working remotely from a home office, and the large majority of communications have shifted to online, and I spend more hours on ZOOM than I ever could have imagined. The level of online exhaustion is high, and I miss in-person conversations and meetings. I have new folks on my team who were hired during the pandemic who I have not yet even met in person!

As a professional Arts administrator, how has your understanding of the arts industry of theatre, dance and opera been altered and changed professionally?

I think the professional theatre, dance and opera community in Toronto is extraordinary. There have been many shows that have been lost ­– that perhaps will never get the chance to be workshopped or presented on stage. The impact on individual artists and their careers is cruel, and acutely felt. Producers, managing directors, marketers, publicists, technical staff, bookkeepers – they have all been forced to pivot so many times that they have become expert alternate scenario planners.

It remains to be seen what will happen when audiences return to our currently-shuttered spaces (when it is safe to do so, of course) – how will that experience have changed for folks sitting together in a dark theatre?

As a professional arts administrator, what are you missing the most about the industry?

I miss many things. I miss seeing my team on a daily basis and being able to ‘jam ideas’ together, and on a very human level, sharing food together with them. I miss strategizing and sitting in person with the committee volunteers who are a critical part of the engine at TAPA. I am mostly missing seeing the community at live theatre performances, as well as dance and opera. The feeling of being with other people together in a theatre is impossible to replicate virtually.

Although I have enjoyed the digital content being created, in fact some of it has been personally inspiring, it is still not ‘live performance’ to me.

The magic of live, in person, is the best!

As a professional arts administrator, what will you never take for granted ever again?

Kindness. We cannot understand what is really happening behind those little ZOOM squares. The difficulties and personal stress individuals are experiencing is not apparent.

Please describe one element you hope has changed regarding the professional arts industry and community.

I don’t think we can fully know what the future looks like for our sector until we come back. But I do hope that we emerge as a community that is able to work equitably and with fairness. No one is interested in returning to an institutional status quo that didn’t work in the first place. I hope that we can come out of this with a sense of universal humanity that will give our artists and art-makers wings to take risks in their artistic exploration that was not previously possible.

And I believe that perhaps, as never before, the arts have become valued. I hope that the realization that arts and culture is an essential part of the overall mental health of a society will change attitudes toward financial support for the arts and the way that artists are paid. I hope that this new realization will end the cycle of poverty that so many artists face and their value will be recognized monetarily.

Toronto is a ridiculously expensive place to live and work on an artist’s salary.

Universal Basic Income!

As a professional arts administrator, what is it about your work that you would like members of the industry, the community, and future audiences to remember about you and your work?

I hope that folks will remember that TAPA has done its best to listen and to adapt, and to respond to the evolving membership needs.

I work with a very small, albeit hard-working team who are committed to serving the diverse needs of a membership that ranges from theatre to dance to opera. I am also fortunate to have an exceptional Board of Directors. Their collective wisdom is my compass.

I hope that folks will remember that always for me it has been driven by the love of theatre.

To learn more about TAPA (Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts), please visit www.tapa.ca.

On his day off from final week of technical rehearsals for his upcoming one-man solo show ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ (which had been postponed twice on account of Covid), Jake Epstein told me during our conversation that, once we were finished the Zoom call, he had stuff to do like laundry and clean his place.

I laughed because once I had finished speaking to him, I had the exact same tasks to do.

Performing artists also have the daily routines we all have.

What an enjoyable conversation I had with Jake this afternoon. He’s excitedly thrilled and feeling good for the opening of ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’. He says that working on the show has been one of the joys of his life in getting to turn this period he buried and didn’t talk with anyone into a show that is joyful and fun.

‘Boy’ is a show on Jake’s own terms as it celebrates the good and bad, and the absurdity of show business. and on his own terms

He had a normal life growing up in Toronto. One of the highlights he remembers were the yearly treks to New York City he took with his mother, father, and older sister (artist Gabi) to see Broadway shows. Epstein appeared for six seasons on ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ before he pursued further studies at Montréal’s National Theatre School.

He had applied to Ryerson (X) University and was accepted but wanted to attend school in Québec because there is a prestige as only twelve students are accepted. It was also a chance to move away from the comfort of home and try something new. Epstein also knew several of the Montréal faculty at that time who were and are remarkable artists: Marti Maraden, Alisa Palmer, Ted Dykstra, Kate Hennig, so that sealed the deal for him.

Jake’s dream was to perform on Broadway. When I asked him what advice he might give to the young people in theatre school now or who are considering a career in the performing arts?

“Life isn’t a fairy-tale. It’s not linear. Some of the best moments and career successes in my life have been complicated. A career in performing and show business is wonderful to get to entertain others and I count my lucky stars everyday I get to do what I love.

But after doing it for a long time, I hit a wall and had a hard time talking about the reality of the business. It is complicated. That quote you mentioned, Joe, from Lucie Arnaz: “It’s not all sunshine and autographs…I would put that on my wall. I’m not out to scare young performers because it’s one of the greatest jobs in the world plus it’s also one of the hardest jobs too. You have to be a hustler and have to be ready to take the good with the bad.”

Personally, how have he and his immediate family been faring:

“Knock on wood, everyone is doing okay right now. My sister had a mild case, but she is recovering so very thankful. My parents are doing okay. My wife, (actress) Vanessa Smythe, and I have had each other’s backs.”

Like all the artists whom I’ve interviewed for this Profile series, Jake has experienced his share of ups and downs when everything vanished and there was that initial state of panic and wondering if theatre was ever going to be a thing again. Jake and Vanessa were in the stages of purchasing a house so he wasn’t sure if he would be able to make mortgage payments when his work for a year simply vanished. He got a part time job as a transcriptionist.

How did the part time job fare?

“I was pretty bad at it. I was horrible at it, actually. I was transcribing people from all over the world in different dialects. I was very lucky when I got a film job getting to film a season of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ which is coming out on Netflix, so this work allowed me to quit the transcriptionist job thankfully.”

Epstein notes the preciousness and vitality of live theatre. It’s not a given in the world and it’s very special when it’s allowed to happen, and it becomes a big deal for all of us to see it in our third year of Covid waves. He appreciates very much the opportunity to perform ‘Boy Falls from the Sky’ even more.

The Mirvish website states the following about Jake’s upcoming solo show directed by Robert McQueen: “[dreams]… don’t always go as planned. Through a series of entertaining and soul-baring stories and songs, ranging from touring the US, to surviving ‘Spider-Man’, to withstanding steroid shots and Broadway boos, Epstein shares the rejection, stage fright and heartbreak behind a seemingly successful career in this showbiz tell-all.”

‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ began as a cabaret where it was a series of songs interwoven with some stories. Jake says he is a huge fan of Robert McQueen’s (director of the Toronto run of FUN HOME through Mirvish). Jake also recalled going to see ‘Life After’ a show McQueen developed at the Fringe which then went into further development with Toronto’s Musical Stage Company.

Epstein credits McQueen in taking what was very much a cabaret with ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ and transformed it into a solo show with some various characters, some scenes and stories. For Jake, yes, it’s still a cabaret. But he also calls ‘Boy’ a stand-up comedy show, a solo show and a musical show.

Without spoiling the show, all I’m going to say is there are at least two big Broadway names whom Jake mentions – and what they said to him made me laugh out loud. Plus, there is also someone with whom Jake worked who is now making world headlines. You’ll have to see the show to personally experience the comedy of the moment.

Epstein also mentions a few other individuals in ‘Boy’ whom he calls inspirational. When I asked him who are some of those who now inspire Jake in his work and personal life, he paused and considered first before he mentioned Tom Hanks (who saw Epstein’s work in the touring company of ‘Green Day’) and Mark Ruffalo. Jake also mentioned Canadian singer/song writer Hawksley Workman, his favourite performer to see. Jake also looks to his older sister and artist Gabi Epstein (who appeared in the Stratford Festival production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) for inspiration in his life.

Jake finally got the opportunity to originate a Broadway role – he played Gerry Goffin, singer/songwriter husband to Carole King in BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL. Epstein recalls the first time Carole came to watch and to speak with the original Broadway cast in rehearsals. The first thing she said: “Who’s playing Gerry?” At this point, the look on Jake’s face on camera said it all to me. Part of ‘Boy’ also recalls his time in ‘Beautiful’ and how he responded to Carole’s wish, so you’ll have to come see the show to find out what happened.

Epstein recalls how amazing and wonderful it was to be part of ‘Beautiful’, to tell Carole’s story, and to play Gerry Goffin, an iconic singer and songwriter himself. Jake called himself a weird kid because he grew up listening to folk music and not listening to the music he ‘should’ have been listening to in his room. The Beatles, James Taylor, Paul Simon – that was Jake’s music.

What are some specific themes or messages he hopes audiences will walk away with at the conclusion of ‘Boy Falls from the Sky’?

First and foremost, for Jake, the show has to be fun and a piece of entertainment especially right now given the state of our world with the sixth wave of Covid and the horrible events going on in Ukraine. People want to come to the theatre to be entertained and to be moved. Performing ‘Boy’ has taught him how to let go of the expectations of how life goes.

Jake built up this whole narrative that he was going to make it on Broadway, and he will have the world by the tail. That’s not how the reality of how life goes.

Jake has learned when you let go of the expectations, all of a sudden there’s space to see beyond a disappointment and to appreciate life more, to appreciate both the good and the not so good.

That, for Epstein, is the heart of ‘Boy Falls from the Sky’.

‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ runs April 19 – May 29 at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West, Toronto. For tickets, visit www.mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333.

The last time I saw Jamar Adams Thompson appear on stage was in Cahoots’ Theatre Production of Steven Elliot Jackson’s ‘Three Ordinary Men’, directed by Tanisha Taitt.

I remember being so moved by that production that I could not speak for a moment afterward. Jamar was part of a terrific ensemble that kept me riveted by the story’s action. He was appreciative and humbled by the audience’s experience of ‘Three Ordinary Men’ at the time, and he says that experience will remain part of his heart forever. Knowing that Jackson’s story deeply touches audiences means the world to him.

We interviewed via email.

Jamar is a University of Windsor alumni and holds a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) Honours in Acting.

He is smack dab in rehearsals for the upcoming Canadian premiere production of Peter N. Bailey’s ‘Tyson’s Song, ’ which opens April 26 at Toronto’s Factory Studio Theatre. This is Adams Thompson’s debut working with director Ash Knight and production company Pleiades Theatre.

Working on the production with a team that he calls passionate and intelligent has made the process both inspiring and challenging as an actor. He calls Ash Knight: “one of the most passionate directors I know who really speaks true to his convictions.” Knight is always keen on exploring the most interesting choice in a character’s objectives and motivations. For that reason, Jamar feels he has never felt more born for a role.

‘Tyson’s Song’ is a story about two best friends, two brothers, on one last big night out in the city. The play is a conversation not only among brothers but also one that is unspoken for many of the viewers who might relate to these characters. This conversation, this story, ultimately unpacks some very real issues in the Black male community of mental health, the absence of genuine emotional support and positive emotional outlets, and questions of masculinity, identity and self-fulfilment. It is a story of real pain but also one of hope.

Adams Thompson truthfully claims that ‘Tyson’s Song’ found its way to him. Unbeknownst to each other, two close friends of his had forwarded the e-drive submission about the show, demanding that Jamar audition.

When he read the submission email the next day, it was as if I was coming home after a very long pilgrimage:

“The email mentioned “Black men’s mental health” and “Brotherhood” and specifically sought second-generation Jamaican/Caribbean-Canadian artists. I have and will always remain an advocate for the continued discussion of mental health and support among all people, but to know that someone was finally writing a Canadian story for someone like ME was nothing shy of a dream come true.”

Excitement would be an understatement describing how Jamar feels about the upcoming premiere. He recognizes the pressure artists always feel when presenting new work. Still, as surreal as that may sound, this is the first time Jamar has had the chance to explore a character from his particular side of the Black diaspora.

Although many more stories are being told and written for his people in general, there is still so much more room for the stories of Caribbean people in Canada. Jamaica has influenced so much of the culture in Toronto, from its cuisine to music to art and, most notably, its cultural slang.

Despite this influence and the abundant population of Jamaicans in the city, their stories have not made footing in the theatre as they have in the poetry, music and dance scenes, or even the visual arts. One of his biggest hopes with the premiere of ‘Tyson’s Song’ is to motivate a greater ushering of Caribbean and Jamaican-Canadian stories within the city.

‘Tyson’s Song’ appeals to me for several reasons. One is to learn more about the stories of the Caribbean people in Canada. I also want to see Jamar’s work in a completely different setting from ‘Three Ordinary Men.’

I also have a personal connection to Jamar’s fellow actor, Kyle Brown.

I taught him when he was in high school:

“WOW! What a full-circle moment for you as well! You’ll be proud of him. Kyle and I hit it off very strongly from the auditions. We had the pleasure of working together in the callback, and right away, a palpable grace came with his presence. It was so easy to play off one another and help each other shine.”

Jamar calls Kyle an incredibly generous and honest performer. Their most significant discovery with these characters is their unique ability to relate with both of them. They each carry a bit of Tyson and Bryan and could easily have read for the other’s part. This unique empathy has allowed them to bridge many hidden gaps and barriers in connecting with the characters and each other in a way that he thinks has surprised them both.

What’s next for Jamar Adams Thompson once ‘Tyson’s Song’ concludes its Canadian premiere?

He jokingly stated in jest that a nap would be ideal, as I’m sure any actor who is presenting new work would.

But he’s not one to rest too long.

Jamar has been keeping busy in hopes of pursuing his MFA (Master of Fine Arts degree) quite soon. While his goal is always acting, be it on stage or in front of the camera, he is taking more steps towards participating in his own play premiere. Writing has not so secretly been a large aim in fulfilling his purpose as a storyteller! His hope is to have some scripts and anthologies that he has been working on come to life at a theatre near us.

He closed off our email conversation with a and said: “Stay tuned.”

‘Tyson’s Song’ runs from April 24 to May 19, 2024, in the Factory Studio Theatre (125 Bathurst St.). Tickets are pay-what-you-choose starting from $5, at PleiadesTheatre.org or FactoryTheatre.com.

James Dallas Smith is an actor, writer, and musician of Six Nations Mohawk and Scottish heritage. I’ve seen him several times on stage over the course of many years, the first with Soulpepper’s wonderful production of ‘Our Town’ several years ago.

Just this past year, I saw JD’s performances in two plays that continually raise and pique my interest in Indigenous theatre. The first was at Soulpepper in ‘Almighty Voice and his Wife’ directed by Jani Lauzon and the second at the Aki Studio Theatre in Native Earth’s visually haunting, ‘The is How We Got Here’ directed by Keith Barker.

Keep an eye out on JD as he alludes to some exciting projects he has once it’s safe to return to the theatre. We conducted our interview via email:

1. It has been the almost three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I’ve struggled. I’m a person who loves to rehearse and perform in a room with other people. Different ideas and energies that can feed one another. Without these gatherings – with other artists or audiences – I’ve experienced a lot of frustration and anger about what’s been lost. And it’s never been so universal.

Other times I’ve been able to draw strength or inspiration by seeing a peer or friend do an outstanding piece of work. There just isn’t any of that anywhere right now and no clear timeline when we might get a chance to gather again.

That said, I know my problems are first world ones. My family is healthy, fed, with clean water, and safe. My woes are pretty tame compared to a lot of places near and far.

2. As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

The lack of dialogue. I had a fortunate run of being in several really great projects (productions and workshops) that were having illuminating discussions about what the world is focused on in the middle of this pandemic, racism, and prejudice. I wasn’t leading these discussions. I was just fortunate enough to be in some great groups working on some incredible projects led by Jani Lauzon, Keith Barker, Taedon Witzl, Kaitlyn Riordan and Kevin Loring.

What was encouraging was these talks were happening in large institutions like Stratford and Soulpepper, and they finally seemed to be grasping the depth of the problems in a lot of our theatre practices. Those talks were gaining momentum and generating some really exciting new projects. I hope they’re not lost because of the need to pause live performance.

3. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

Yes, I had a few projects in the wings I was excited about. The closest was about a month away at Soulpepper. A show called ‘Revolutions: Songs That Changed the World’. Mike Ross does a lot of the music at Soulpepper. He’s a gifted performer, a great teacher, and just a kickass musician/writer. He invited me to the project, and I didn’t hesitate. I hope it does come to fruition sometime later. I think music is a great conduit for teaching and this is a time where a lot of people need to be educated. That and I just love music.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

We have a little boy who just turned 3. My wife is a director at a crisis phone line and she didn’t stop when the pandemic hit. In fact, she got busier (And promoted!) She had to make a downtown call centre into a work-from-home-for-each-counsellor program. And fast. She did a fantastic job, but it meant most of my focus was Daddying for a few months. If you have a kid, you’ll understand. If not, run a marathon and then do it again. And do a triathlon. Every day. That’s roughly the energy level required, anyway.

I’ve also managed to do some writing. Keith Barker is a friend and peer of mine (also a gifted writer and nominated two Doras this year – for his script and Outstanding Direction) who encouraged me to start writing stories a few years ago. Gil Garrat has also been kind and generous. It makes a difference to have that kind of support.

We workshopped my first play, ‘Crossroads’ at Native Earth’s 32nd Weesageechak Begins to Dance Festival this past fall and Blyth has commissioned it. The timeline’s pretty fuzzy now on when it might get done but I’ve finished a few full drafts of the script and it seems plausible now that I could be a writer. That’s an exciting revelation to me. So, I started a few other scripts as well. There are four that I’m really excited about.

5. Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

Now more than ever, try and generate your own material. Your own stories. They don’t have to be full-length plays or novels. It could be a ten-minute video. It could be a collection of those from several artists that relate. Experiment with form. And if it’s your own material you’re not infringing on anyone else’s rights or property. You can present your story in any format you’d like. But this is all if you’re able. A friend of mine who I write with sometimes told me he finds it incredibly to be creative now and “to write from a place of fear”. That’s ok, too.

Self-care was an under-discussed topic when I went to theatre school and it should be a huge topic. I’d also suggest reading or watching movies you might not normally be able to make time for. I’m learning that more perspectives only make you a better human and storyteller.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

My wife and I had a discussion about this a few weeks ago. Yes. The fact that most of us are idle has allowed us to see a lot of things that the eye may have – in the past – glossed over as we return to our own daily grind. But now the world is watching together and the hatred and venom of racism that’s been around longer than we care to admit has come glaringly to the front of our attention. I hope it stays there until we have some substantial changes to the way we educate children about BIPOC and some systemic changes in the way we spend “the people’s” money. It’s made me very angry but I’m trying to channel that into educating myself and writing stories to leave behind that will teach the next generation more truth, more tolerance, and more generosity.

7. Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

I think it already has, sadly. I can’t cite specifics but a lot of small venues (bars, concert halls, theatres) have already had to close and some larger project they won’t survive the pandemic. I’ve also heard of at least two universities canceling their theatre programs FOREVER because they can’t carry the cost of a year with staff and no students. (A friend of mine who works at a University and I were talking about what the hell you do with students who are in 3rd or 4th year of a Performance program. The practical application of your studies – ie. performing – is supposed to ramp up in your final years, not fall to nothing.)

I think it’s possible we may see more small theatre programs and companies have to close unless there’s some manner of fiscal pandemic relief for them.

8. Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

My only concerns with streaming are the monetary ones. We’ve seen it with musicians already – how little they get paid from the larger streaming platform. It’s fractions of a penny per play. Most of them have to make money by playing live. The streaming platform is more like affordable advertising.

I like the accessibility and the potential to reach wider audiences, but it has to be a fair wage for the artist. Where we’re hung up now is that we’re crossing all kinds of existing union boundaries. Artists have different unions for theatre acting, film acting, playwrighting, film direction, screenwriting, etc.
If we do a performance of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and we film it for live streaming, how do we pay the actors and musicians? TV rates? Movie rates? Theatre rates? That’s what we need to agree on but haven’t been forced to yet.

To me, as long as there are fair wages, it just seems like an extension of tv/film. I’d love to do it, but I think a lot of us are going to have to make some concessions about ‘ownership of content’. Which can be scary for a lot of people who have been exploited that way in the past.

9. Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that COVID will never destroy for you?

There is nothing like a gathering of people focused on a singular story that may or may not go flawlessly that I can’t find anywhere else. Sometimes it’s more fun when things DO go wrong in live performance. No one gets hurt and it’s usually delightful to see the recovery.

As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

Generosity

2. What is your least favourite word?

Pork

3. What turns you on?

Music

4. What turns you off?

Prejudice

5. What sound or noise do you love?

My family’s laughter

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Feedback. Ten years in a band will do that to you.

7. What is your favourite curse word? What is your least favourite curse word?

Billy Connolly taught us this. It offends everyone. “Jesus Suffering Fuck!” “Damn” is my least favourite.

8. Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

Video game tester

9. What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

Banking. I’m shit with numbers.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?

“Grab a beer…Mozart’s just finishing his set. I think Prince and Hendrix are doing something next…”

To learn more about James Dallas Smith he’s at Facebook: James Dallas Smith

Last week, I had the opportunity to interview James Grieve, the director of ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’ after the opening night show at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre.

According to his website j.grieve.com, James is a freelance theatre director and was formerly Joint Artistic Director and CEO of the UK’s national theatre of new plays Paines Plough from 2010-2019 alongside George Perrin. During their tenure the company produced 44 world premieres on tour to 291 places across the UK and internationally by playwrights ranging from debutants to Olivier, Tony and BAFTA winners staged in historic proscenium arch playhouses and student union bars, at music festivals and The National Theatre, in village halls, Off-Broadway, on BBC Radio and televised on HBO.

James’s freelance directing credits include a new production of Kander & Ebb’s CABARET for Gothenburg Opera in Sweden in 2020 and the new musical THE ASSASSINATION OF KATIE HOPKINS for Theatr Clwyd which won Best Musical Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2018. James’ new production of LES MISERABLES for Wermland Opera in Karlstad, Sweden, was described as “world class” by DN and played for nearly two years in two theatres. His production of Brian Friel’s TRANSLATIONS for Sheffield Theatres, English Touring Theatre and The Rose Theatre Kingston won Best Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2014.

In 2001, James founded the new writing company nabokov with George Perrin and Ric Mountjoy. The company forged an international reputation for presenting theatre events everywhere from pubs to warehouses to music festivals to Off-Broadway, including James’ production of Mike Bartlett’s ARTEFACTS in London, New York and on tour.

James trained as assistant and associate to Josie Rourke, and as staff director to Howard Davies at The National Theatre, and on The National Theatre Directors Course.

He was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2020 for services to theatre.

This was my first opportunity to conduct a live interview after a performance so many thanks to Mirvish Productions for this opportunity to speak with James.

From what I could tell looking around me on the opening night of ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical, the audience exited the theatre in tremendous high spirits because there was pure blissful joy emanating from the stage. What words of encouragement did James give to the cast before opening night:

“I just told them to enjoy themselves. When you spoke about that joy earlier, Joe, that’s very real on that stage. Although they’re acting as characters, these are very real human beings who love deeply and passionately performing and acting, but most of all singing. The musicians love making music and they change instruments in the blink of an eye.”

James then laughed and said he didn’t have to go and motivate them. They do it themselves before each performance.

James is equally as thrilled to be invited to this ‘beautiful, beautiful, Royal Alexandra’ and to be warmly welcomed by the crew and everyone here. The creative team for ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ had been in Toronto for just over a week and a half and it has been a thrill and a privilege to bring the show over the Atlantic and to receive such a wonderful reception.

Why does Toronto need a show like ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’ right now?

James calls the production a universal story about ordinary people who don’t seek fame and fortune but have extraordinary spirit and talent. Fame and fortune find them instead. ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ is a story about friendship, community, and love:

He further adds:

“In a complicated and oppositional world and difficult a lot of the time, there’s space for a story that reminds us of the real importance of the core values of being a human being. Family, friendship, community, and a love of music all play a part in this. Through telling the story of these guys, we’ve come to understand more of what they stand for as a group. The world needs some sea shanties now and then.”

As an artist for what he calls ‘twenty-something years’, James feels extremely fortunate to be part of the theatre industry which is not a straightforward profession. He feels tremendously fulfilled hugely and personally in doing something he loves and that is a rare and wonderful thing for him. For any aspiring artists, singers or dancers who might have seen this opening night show or who will see an upcoming performance, James tells them to work hard, delve into their passion and find out what makes them happy as an artist because the theatre industry is very competitive and a difficult profession.

How has he felt about Covid’s ongoing presence worldwide and its effect on the theatre industry?

As an artist, what James felt he missed the most was the sense of community that comes not only from working in theatre but going to the theatre. It’s extraordinary to be in a live audience that you can’t get from watching television at home. What James felt was missing was the ritual and the preparation of going to the theatre – getting dressed up, going to the city, getting a drink, sitting down, reading the programme, and waving to people whom you might know in the audience.

James has returned to the theatre with a renewed sense of theatre’s importance in a constantly shifting and changing world. Although we are still in the throes of Covid, this extraordinary special thing theatre does every night for audiences has almost a greater value than ever before at a time when people need human contact to experience something collectively.

‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’ runs until January 15. After Toronto, the production returns to Nottingham, England, home of Robin Hood and continues its UK tour running through until June 2023.

One of the most exciting parts for James is the show’s return to the Hall for Cornwall in May. ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ opened there a bit over a year ago in its home county among the people whose lives and culture they are representing on the stage. James fervently stated everyone is excited to take the show back home to Cornwall.

What’s next for James Grieve once ‘Fisherman’s Friends, the Musical’ concludes its run?

“I am doing a new musical about the life of Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian Prime Minister who has led an extremely colourful life. We are putting his story on stage in London and I’m really excited to do that.”

To learn more about ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’, follow fishermanonstage.com

What an enjoyable conversation with James Kall who appears as Nick and others in the Toronto company of ‘Come from Away’. And I even got the opportunity to be introduced to his beautiful dog, Harper. Gorgeous looking animal.

James Kall holds an MFA in Acting from Yale University School of Drama. He has appeared in numerous TV shows, films and commercials, including “Schitt’s Creek”, “Suits”, “Murdoch Mysteries”, “Salvation”, “Life with Judy Garland” and “The Christmas Market”. He has over 100 professional theatre credits including “By Jeeves” on Broadway, directed by Sir Alan Ayckbourne and national tours of “Mamma Mia”, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Fiddler on the Roof”.

He was in the original Canadian cast of the Tony Award winning musical “Kinky Boots”. James has worked at theaters throughout the US and Canada as both an actor and a director. He is a dual citizen of the US and Canada.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thanks again for taking the time, James to add your voice to the conversation:

Many professional theatre artists I’ve profiled and interviewed have shared so much of themselves and how the pandemic has affected them from social implications from the Black Lives Matter and BIPOC movements to the staggering numbers of illnesses and deaths. Could you share with us and describe one element, either positive or negative, from this time that you believe will remain with you forever?

I’ve been mulling over this question for over a week since you sent it to me. I think I wanted to stay positive about it.

What will stay with me is that I realize how much I took for granted and how blessed I am in so many facets of my life not only professionally in terms of the privilege I had, the white privilege I had. There weren’t times when I worried, “Oh, are there going to be roles for white men in this business” whereas my colleagues do have to worry about that, my colleagues of colour.

Having been doing this for over 40 years professionally, it never really hit me like that until the BIPOC movement, and I thought how very fortunate I’ve been.

As far as the pandemic, I’ve been blessed that I have a home, I have food, utilities; I have companionship, and the things I took for granted like seeing my doctor whenever I needed or going to the dentist or meet with friends. I realize now this is eye opening for me.

I’m a fortunate human being and I need to appreciate it more.

Have you learned anything about human nature from this time?

What strikes me the most is that it seems like we are divided into two camps: first, those who put themselves first above all else, and the other camp: those who put others first which would lead to betterment for all of us.

I’m thankful to be in the second camp, and there are more people in the second camp which allows humanity to survive as long as there are more people in that second camp.

I’m a dual citizen as I can vote in both countries. To see what has become of the US and all of the selfishness that has risen to the top and formed a head in regard to masks, vaccinations, politics, white privilege, police violence, you’re either in the one camp or the other camp.

That’s what I think I’ve learned about human nature but there is quite a division right now.

I’m blessed to be a part of ‘Come from Away’ and its story of people helping others in the face of tragedy.

How has your immediate family been faring during this time? As a family, can you share with us how your lives have been changed and impacted by this time?

My family in the US has remained safe and healthy and have been able to continue working. My family here, the person I worry about the most is my mother-in-law. She’s 98. She’s in a nursing home outside Ottawa that was hit rather hard early on and half of the residents succumbed to Covid. She’s been good and we were able to visit her until early November because there were socially distant outdoor visits. It was great. We tried to see her every week.

Since then, we’ve had to rely on Zoom and virtual calls which has worked, but she has shut down a bit because of the depression of being alone. She has people around her, but not seeing her family has been hard. We try to cheer her up online and keep her going until we can see her again.

I’ve lost a few colleagues of people with whom I’ve worked over the years to Covid which is devastating.

Harper is fine, and my partner, Randy, is fine. We’re all good here; we’re healthy.

I know none of us can even begin to guess when professional theatre artists will be back to work. I’ve spoken with some who have said it might not be until 2022. Would you agree on this account? Have you ever though that you might have had to pivot and switch careers during this time?

My answer changes daily, if not hourly, for what I see on the news. I’m going to hold on to the belief that some theatre will come back this year, and I hope the Toronto production of ‘Come from Away’ does just that. We’re fortunate in that our production is sitting there waiting for us.

I don’t think we will return until it is truly safe. So that’s why I’m disappointed with the roll out of the vaccines here in Canada. Nobody has really stepped up to the plate to make sure that they’re fixing whatever is not working.

In the U.S., Dr. Fauci is quite pleased and believes even with the new strains of the new virus that, by April, anyone who wants to or should get vaccinated can be vaccinated. Right now, they’re doing groups, high risk, seniors. By April, I thought that’s pretty amazing. (Note from Joe: Mr. Trudeau is promising September. Thus, the reason why James’s point and why he is disappointed)

We need that up here. In talking to our producers from ‘Come from Away’, we’ve had a couple of Zoom meetings, they really don’t want to compromise the show. They want to do it in the way it’s being done in Australia, intact as written. There’s so much close physical contact in the show that we have to ensure safety with this ensemble of 12 actors. We’ve done the show as a concert, which we’ve done, but it doesn’t serve the piece otherwise.

So, I can there being far few audience members until it’s completely safe, but I do think the Toronto production of ‘Come from Away’ will return this year.

How do you think your chosen career path and vocational calling will look once all of you return safely to the theatre? Do you feel confident that you can and will return safely?

I do feel confident that we will return safely, I honestly do, because they have proven that case by re-opening the show in Australia, but Australia has handled the pandemic a lot better on their continent than we have here.

The producers check in on us constantly to keep our spirits up and to ensure us that we have a job waiting for us. The producers want that we won’t return unless it is truly safe for us. Having been working in television since the pandemic came about, there are ways to continue in this business. In the face of the pandemic, it’s easier in film and television, but I think there’s enough energy and enough people behind restoring the arts.

The arts are essential. I do believe we will return. I do. And it will be safe. I assume all of us will be returning. And I applaud my friends who have found other creative outlets to keep going whether jewelry making, design, teaching or sewing. I’ve been really impressed with the creations coming out of this pandemic.

This time of the worldwide pandemic has shaken all of us to our very core and being. According to author Margaret Atwood, she believes that Canadians are survivors no matter what is thrown in their path. Could you share what has helped you survive this time of uncertainty?

First and foremost, my dog, Harper. I have to get out of bed in the morning and take her out. And I love her for that. She keeps me active and sane. We’ve explored new parts of Toronto safely along with new parks whether we walk or drive to them.

Certainly having my husband of 25 years, Randy, I thought being trapped together that this could be interesting. Really, it has improved our relationship. I realize how fortunate I am that we are together. It’s the perfect fit because we have gone through this year with just us and the dog and come out better for it, I think.

I can’t imagine being alone during this. That worries me because I do have friends who are really struggling because they live alone. I try to reach out to those whom I know are living alone.

I’ve been keeping busy because I’m going to learn Slovak. I’ve been brushing up on my Spanish and reading a lot. One of my passions is baking as the cast would probably tell that I would bring in some new baked goods once a week that I’ve experimented with.

At first I was doing some baking to take to the nursing homes or to some of my neighbours. Can’t do that now, but I’m still baking. I may not fit into my costume but I’ll deal with that when we’re back at.

And the usual stuff too. I sing a lot, talk to myself a lot, I volunteer. I found this organization called VOLUNTEER TORONTO and they send out, sometimes daily, notices where they need help whether delivering food, giving safe rides, or delivering goods to people who can’t get out. I miss that terribly that umbrella from our show COME FROM KINDNESS outreach program we started.

I miss that. I miss what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last couple of years. ‘Come from Away’ has become more than just a show. It’s become a movement. I highly recommend volunteering. That’s what I plan to do along with baking and rescuing dogs and enjoying life as much as I can.

Imagine in a perfect world that the professional theatre artist has been called back as it has been deemed safe for actors and audience members to return. The first show is complete and now you’re waiting backstage for your curtain call:

a) Describe how you believe you’re probably going to react at that curtain call.

I think everyone in the cast could answer this. I will certainly be crying but have a big ass smile on my face.

I cry a lot. I have become a very emotional person and I cry at the drop of a hat. I cry during commercials, I cry if someone in the audience is crying and I can’t look at them when the show is going on.

b) There is a crowd of people waiting to see you and your castmates at the stage door to greet all of you. Tell me what’s the first thing you will probably say to the first audience member:

Ya know I’d say (in a Newfoundland dialect),

“God bless yer cotton socks for bein’ here, b’y”, or I’d say “Ďakujem” (Thank you in Slovak),
Gracias, Merci,

It has been an honour for Our Theatre Voice/OnStage Blog to have reviewed incredibly poignant productions either written or directed by Indigenous artist Jani Lauzon. I had the opportunity to review what I thought was a taut but bloody production of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ in which she performed.
Along with the black lives voices that are strongly being heard and listened, the Indigenous artist voices must also be given equitable and due respect both in hearing and listening with regard to changes in national theatre.

It was in June at the Stratford Festival where Jani had taken the lead in organizing and moderating the “Ndo-Mshkogaabwimi” panel entitled “Ndo-Mshkogaabwimi — We Are Standing Strong: Stories of endurance, resilience and resistance from members of the Indigenous circle at Stratford.” I did get to hear some of the panel discussion as I did the week earlier at the Festival with some black artists.

June was a month for Canadian national theatre where I recalled a line from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ where Linda Loman tells her sons: “Attention must be paid.”

The time is right and long overdue not only to pay attention but also to listen and to hear.

Jani, how have you been faring during this seemingly never-ending pandemic for the isolated artist? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I am blessed in that my daughter and her girlfriend have moved into my home in Toronto. We are pooling resources, cooking for one another, and supporting each other emotionally and spiritually. I am used to being on my own and have a strong spiritual practice and my sage and tobacco, so I am also surrounded by medicine, but I suspect that I would not be as strong and grounded as I am now without the companionship I have at the moment.

That being said, there are days when I feel a negotiation with despondency.

As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

When I was little my mother told me that when you hug someone, it creates electromagnetic energy that helps the world rotate on its axis. I think what she meant by that was the power that relationship brings.
Navigating relationship is an action. It can be very powerful. Double that with actors navigating with actors (and directors etc) and characters navigating with characters. That’s a whole lot of magic that permeates the room. I miss that magic, that feeling that we are doing something together.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

My play, ‘I Call myself Princess’, was running at the Globe Theatre in Regina. We were heading into an almost sold out final week. And boom. I loved working at the Globe and having the opportunity to direct my own work, which can be a good or bad idea. In my case, it worked out well. I still plan to connect Artistic Directors to the archival but am fully aware that theatre will not resume any time soon and, when it does, there will be a long list of projects that are waiting in a well-deserved queue.

I was also heading to Stratford to act in ‘The Rez Sisters’. This would have been the 2nd Indigenous written and directed production at Stratford in its entire history. ENTIRE HISTORY. Just need to capitalize on that. I have been told that Stratford is committed to the production. Whether I will be available for it or not when they do decide to produce is a bigger question.

What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I digitized all my old VHS tapes. I am doing the same for my HI8, DVC, and cassette tapes. I have also been doing a lot of beading which keeps my hands busy. And writing of course. I have 2 plays on the go. One is a co-write with the fabulous Kaitlyn Riordan called ‘1939’. The other is in the research phase.

I suppose the biggest thing I am involved in right now is advocacy work. Funny that. After almost 30 years of advocating for inclusion and getting tired of the tiny baby steps that we were able to accomplish I decided that I wanted to concentrate on my work. And then my work was taken away and I am back, fully engaged in advocacy work.

Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ – 2 years?

My daughter, Tara Sky, is one of those recent grads having graduated from NTS in May 2019. She was also going to be at Stratford this season. She was loving the work and so honoured to be cast as Tiger Lily in ‘Wendy and Peter’. The great thing about my daughter is that although she goes through days when she shares in the collective despondency, she is finding ways to keep herself afloat.

My naturopath, a brilliant healer, gave me advice that I passed on to Tara and would say the same to anyone, get your tool kit ready. I know that feels redundant having just come out of school but now is the time to focus your mind, body, and spirit as well as your marketing tools.

Create your own demo reel, read as many plays as you can, watch what you can on-line, research actors who have come before you, read biographies. Be ready. When this opens up again, in whatever shape that takes, you don’t want to be scrambling. There is great power in silence and stillness. Much can be accomplished with visualization and clarity of thought.

Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

My hope is that we crave returning to the power of relationship. And of course, the ability to listen, learn and hear.

Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene?

Absolutely. There has been a big shift towards artists finding creative expression using a variety of mediums. We are now accessing work in a different way and more content to experience different forms of expression. For the majority of us, faced with desperate financial circumstances, we are doing whatever we can to remain connected to our artistic selves and to find ways of expressing that energy.
My biggest hope is that society will cherish the return to the communal experience of live theatre in a way that was forgotten. And that the artist in society will again be valued. After all, it is the artists that the world have turned to.

Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown?

I am one of many, I suspect, that have not felt compelled to add to the saturation of the medium. But I have enjoyed watching the work of others. My daughter and I were involved in a project with Urban Vessel called ‘The Homing Project’ which allowed us to collaborate together, combining our film, poetry, music, and editing skills together. That was an amazing experience.

My only word of advice would be that quantity does not trump quality. One small project that has a profound impact can be of greater value than a series created not for the art itself but for the purpose of marketing a career. I can see, experience, and taste the difference. And of course, I am laughing because I say this in the era of YouTube celebrities that have a different agenda which has served them well.
Perhaps the key to it is to be clear about two things: are you having fun doing in and does it bring you joy? Secondly, what is your hopeful outcome?

Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that COVID will never destroy for you?

I will always think like an artist. I will always live my life creatively. No one can take that away from me.

As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests:
1. What is your favourite word?

It’s a tie:
In Anishinaabemowin the word “Ahneen” or “Aaniin” is a greeting, like hello. But in English it is an empty greeting. A deeper translation of Aaniin would be, “I see the light in you”. It’s a different way to greet someone. To acknowledge them, truly, in spirit and body.

And my second favorite work is “sonder” which means, The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.

2. What is your least favourite word?

Unworthy

3. What turns you on?

Nature.

4. What turns you off?

Assumption of superiority

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Bass. It’s my favorite instrument. That and the oboe. That having been said, I am awake every morning with the birds.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Construction. A necessary thing but really? 7 am?

7. What is your favourite curse word? What is your least favourite curse word?

Fuck and Fuck

8. Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

I already have several. Actor, Director, Musician, Puppeteer, Artist Educator, Writer, Arts Administrator. What I regret was not having time to learn the medicines. Herbology I guess you would call it and wilderness survival.

9. What career choice could you not see yourself doing?
Police Officer.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?
I have my own kind of spirituality. I know it exists. And my focus has always been to bring that feeling of “heaven” to this earth. I figure…why wait?

What a kind, compassionate, and sympathetic individual is this Broadway and performing artist, Jason Danieley. And I am pleased, grateful, and humbled he treated me with the utmost respect in our nearly 45-minute conversation.

I saw his work several years in the truly wonderful original Broadway cast of ‘Curtains’. So much fun to watch and some excellent show stopping musical moments.

As you will see from the answers to some of the questions in our conversation, I found Jason to be a heartfelt deep thinker who has survived one of the most awful personal elements when he lost his wife (and marvellous performing artist), Marin Mazzie, to cancer a few years ago. But he is a man who (I believe) understands and knows how important it is in moving forward, even with tiny steps some days.

From his website: Jason appeared in the original Broadway company of ‘Pretty Woman’ by Bryan Adams, Garry Marshall, Jim Vallance and J.F. Lawton at the Nederlander Theatre. Along with Broadway and Regional Theatre appearances, Jason has also sung as a concert soloist appearing with the Boston, New York, and Philly Pops. I will include his website at the conclusion of his profile.

I held a Zoom call with Jason at his second home in Columbia County New York, that he and Marin had purchased, just an hour shy of Albany but right on the Massachusetts border. Weather was beautiful for him as it was here in Toronto. He told me he has all his deck cleaning supplies pulled out and said it was time to start spraying. Jason is a regular guy who keeps his house clean and likes to putter around outside on beautiful days.

Thank you, Jason, for sharing some personal thoughts and for adding your voice to the conversation.

We’ve come up on one year with the closing of live theatre doors. My heartfelt condolences to you as well, Jason, in the loss of Marin. How have you been doing during this time?

I won’t say I welcomed being isolated, but I have been able to find through an extended and forced isolation a gift of self reflection and introspection that I thought I had already set aside for myself. When Marin passed in the fall of 2018, I was doing ‘Pretty Woman’ on Broadway and, thank God, still had considerable months ahead on my contract. So that took me up to June 2019, and then I would set aside the rest of the year.

I went to India for a good chunk of July, trekked in the Himalayas and did some meditation and all the stuff that you would expect a widower to do. I had to go see the Taj Mahal, of course.

And then I said as soon as 2020 starts I’m gonna back to work. I had a bunch of symphonic concerts scheduled. I headed down to the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota to work on a new Ahrens and Flaherty and Frank Galati musical which I was starring in. 2020 was just ripe with promise and I was ready to get right back on. And then everything was just shut down.

We had one more week in the studio and then we were going to head into tech for this new piece and then were sent home. I think many people were thinking it would be several weeks or several months at most.
And then we became aware of really what was ahead of us.

I didn’t have much dread because we had springtime and the summer was ahead of us. The closer we got to the fall and winter, I thought, “Oh, gosh, here it comes.” We had no children and our dog passed away six months after Marin passed away.

It went from three and half years in watching Marin slowly deteriorate as well as our dog and then complete annihilation. I thought I had given myself plenty of time. Then through the fall and late winter, it really tested my mental medal because there was nothing to fall back on and nothing to distract me. So, it was welcomed because I was able to do work that I would have put aside.

I’m curious to how we move forward in the theatre, of course, but I think given the absence of the potential of work allowed me to do some deep digging. Now as the spring is coming, the smoke is clearing, and get my vaccination sometime soon, maybe now I’ll be ready to move forward with whatever my life is going to be.

Outside of the theatre and the industry, how have you been spending your time?

You know, I’ve found it a barren wasteland for creativity this whole pandemic. It’s very difficult to read. I know primarily there was so much buildup of the election. A big chunk of my whatever I had in reserve of my mental capacity or emotional durability was somewhat struck by the anticipation of the election, the closeness of it.

And then, January 6, the impeachment trial. I felt I couldn’t get outside of any of that OR be inside it and find some creativity, and I look at people who have done that and wonder, “How did you do that?”
Maybe it has something to do with being beaten down for the last five years of the last three and half years of Marin’s life and two years of grieving. It just felt like a continuation of it.

My therapist is so wonderful. She said, “You don’t have to do anything.” Not doing something is very difficult for me given our business as you’re constantly trying to find the next job, create a new cabaret. Whatever it is, casting your line out ahead, there was no there, there. Instead of beating my head against the wall I thought patch some holes in the wall, nail some holes in the wall.

I did a lot of outdoor activities. I was literally turning into Candide without the optimism angle. I was tending my garden, I was growing tomatoes and clearing parts of the property, sort of a physical manifestation outside the home that I was hoping to achieve for myself on the inside.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Just from what you’ve shared, Jason, yes, Covid has sometimes been an escape for you but I think the pandemic has been a lot of things for you. Can you also describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?

This time of Covid has been a forced exile from not only the business but also from the fact that I’m definitely not an actor who performs for adulation. I don’t need that. It’s a great gauge to know if I’m hitting the comic marks and if I sound in good voice and if people are getting it.

My father was a preacher and words are very important because they carry such great weight. My father was obviously for the congregations’ souls and salvation, so the stakes were high for two ‘shows’ that he had to write and perform. My mother played the organ. My parents weren’t showy, but they did things from the heart and helping people and whatever they were going through.

That’s not how I consciously approached becoming an actor, but looking at it, I thought, ‘Wow! I have a calling” just like my dad had a calling to be a minister. I think it’s reflected in the types of shows and work I select to do over the years. That’s what I’m missing.

This forced exile from something that helps me as much as I hope I’m helping others whether it’s a cathartic release from seeing ‘Next to Normal’ if they have bipolar spouse or lost a child at a very young age. You’re making them cry but you’re also making them feel they’re not alone. OR you present a musical mystery like ‘Curtains’ (NOTE: I LOVED ‘CURTAINS’ WHEN I SAW JASON IN THE PRODUCTION WITH THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST) and everyone is distracted from the goings on, I don’t have that outlet.
There’s the exile. It’s not an escape but it’s set out to sea.

I haven’t given myself the amount of time that I’ve guessed I really needed during this last while. So I’m sitting out there on the deserted island waiting for my rescue ship to come in which is the vaccine hopefully, along with the new leadership in our country.

I’m ready to get off the island. The isolation has been ultimately, looking back in hindsight, good but I’m ready to get off the island!

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return full head on until 2022?

I really don’t see us going back full tilt until 2022. I know everyone’s working full tilt to get us to whatever the first stage of coming back is going to be.

But if you’re saying full on, full capacity, doing shows like we did prior to the pandemic, I don’t see it happening until at least 2022, easily.

People are talking about getting back this fall for Broadway. If enough people wise up and take the vaccine, which I don’t understand in why people don’t want to take the vaccine. But if we can get enough people that herd immunity is a legitimate thing, then this all dependent on the audience as well.
The producers will do everything they can to get people back into the theatre but it’s up to the audiences as well. Will audiences want to come back and will they feel safe? Until those questions get answered, right now the way we’re shuffling forward in baby steps, well, Spring 2022 after next winter has worn off again and people are feeling optimistic and seeing the numbers hopefully down around the world.

I was supposed to do a cruise with Seth Rudetsky on a ship to Bermuda this last July and he’s asked me if I’ll do a cruise in January 2022. You know, I hope we can, but right now it sounds like I would be out of my mind if I wanted to get on a cruise ship.

I was supposed to sing with the Boston Pops with whom I somewhat regularly sing, and I just saw in The Boston Globe the Pops and BSO will do a limited season in Tanglewood, literally 10 minutes from my house here. I thought fantastic, outside, people will be distanced, and it will be a concert for Keith Lockhart’s (conductor of the BSO) 25th anniversary.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity and found out there will be no vocalists but only instrumentalists. It really punctures your tires when you think the outdoor venues might be a possibility but no, not even this year.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. Clearly, Jason, your life has transformed you personally. How will you take this personal transformation in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

I have been inspired to direct, I know that’s so cliché for an actor to want to direct. A lot of the concerts Marin and I did, we put them together, but I structured them and directed them essentially. Marin said, “You have to direct.”

Before she passed, ‘The Lyrics and Lyricists Series’ at the 92nd Street Y did an evening of Lynn Ahren’s lyrics and Lynn said she would only do it if I directed it, out of the blue without even knowing that I wanted to direct. So we did that, Marin was able to see it along with (the late) Terrence McNally.

That’s what I want to do. I had a couple of directing gigs that fell through this last year as well. There’s story telling and then there’s…it’s not about power but being in the business long enough and knowing and respecting what everyone does in the theatre – the crew, wardrobe, hair, orchestra, music directors, everyone that’s involved – I know what everyone does. If you take an interest, than you take an interest in what everyone does and contribute. I would love to be the filter for shows and to get the best out of everybody, because I’ve seen it done well, and I’ve seen it not done well.

And Marin was doggedly determined for me to do that, to direct more. We worked together a lot. We did ‘Next to Normal’ on Broadway, we did a couple of other musicals in California, but we did a lot of symphony and cabaret singing. And that allowed us to be choosy of which productions we would be a part of, we didn’t have to take any job, thankfully.

Now with Marin gone, there was a big question mark on whether I felt like I could continue just singing period. Moving forward, I do know that I can perform, but the concert aspect of it might not be as fulfilling or regular as it used to be. To fill that gap and to move on my own path, directing is something that I’m inspired to do.

I’m inspired to direct for this time we’ve been given that I mentioned earlier.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how artists should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it simultaneously. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

Well, knowing Zoe only a little bit but knowing her enough to understand what she’s saying that it might be more. For her she was a very dramatic and very full throttle all the time.

So, I do agree with it in respect to certain parts, but it depends on what it is I’m doing. If I’m doing a dramatic part that requires danger; If I’m doing something entertaining, funny and light, I hope there’s no danger involved.

It’s Helen Hayes, I think, who is the actor who like to go on with a full bladder because it gave her a performance urgency – going on stage to have to pee, okay, I’m going to move this forward. Without having to drink a gallon of water and put yourself through the torture, when you’re doing a performance, a show, or presenting a piece, there has to be a reason for it. There’s no reason to dramatize or theatricalize a story if there are no stakes.

So, I think danger, for Zoe, or Miss Hayes, there has to be a reason to be there, and you’ve got to be right on your front foot at the beginning of that. So, there’s the drive – George Abbott: louder, faster, funnier. There is really something to that. He broke it down to the mechanics of it; (That’s sometimes where I have issue with over naturalistic performances on stage. I get it that sometimes it’s wonderful to bring the audience to you because the stakes are super high. Think of ‘Next to Normal’ and that first scene where she has emotionally broken down and making sandwiches on the floor in the first scene). Other pieces may not be so rich with conflict you may have to ratchet up the stakes.

Whatever it is – having to pee, danger, raising the stakes, I agree. Going forward, I’m not sure it’s going to be exactly the same as far as danger goes in the stakes.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Just in talking with you this last half hour, Jason, you’re a very sensitive individual who has been through a great deal personally. How do you see taking this sensitivity and moving forward in a post pandemic world?

I think that sort of doubles back to wanting to direct. There are so many different kinds of directors and I’ve worked with so many brilliant ones over the years and they all have their strengths.

What I do have, as you have, Joe, kindly pointed out, that I am sensitive, super empathetic, sympathetic and without being a pushover or a wet rag. I think what I can do is funnel the empathy that we need as a country in a great amount – the Black Lives movement and the BIPOC community, the Asian community without co-opting their stories. If there’s a way that I can help facilitate them or if it’s telling a story of white community understanding and empathizing, that’s a huge thing that I’m hoping I can contribute.

I’m a pawn and puppet as some director who even worded it that actors are ‘meat puppets’, atrocious, but we are one part of the palette that a director and writer uses to paint the picture on the stage. I’m at their whim and will depending on what they’ve written. What I’d like to do is be in more control so I can infuse shows that might lack empathy, compassion with that whether it’s new or just needs a fresh dose of that.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

I’m most curious about how we will move forward outside of the parameters of Covid with our community of people of colour who need more and better and stronger representation on stage. It needs to happen and it’s long overdue.

I’m curious as to what that means and how long that will take. I believe that the first people who will be in line for change are going to be the artists and the theatre people: a woman of colour as artistic director; putting more writers on the season whenever a new theatre season comes up.

What we don’t have is an audience of colour in that back pocket. We have people who love ‘Hamilton’ and those shows that will draw diversity in the audience, but how do we get more of the audience to be diverse in order to support this new kind of theatre that we’re hoping to see beyond the forefront. That’s going to take some time.

The impatience of actors and people in the theatre who like immediate response – when we come back to the theatre and everyone wants to make change, but we don’t have the audience yet. We don’t have a great number of actors or writers yet infused into the already existing body. We’ll have to have patience, but I’m really excited about it.

What does this mean for me? Not selfishly, a middle-aged white guy who’s in a business where there aren’t a lot of guys to begin with. There are plenty but that’s been job security for me without putting my finger on it. You’re always going to need a leading man or the love interest, but maybe not so much necessarily moving forward.

So what does that mean for me?

Maybe I should get those directing resumes out right now.

To learn more about Jason, visit his webpage: www.jasondanieley.com

Jason Sermonia is one extraordinary artist in the world of dance.

He has appeared in some memorable musicals at the Stratford Festival including ‘A Chorus Line’, ‘The Music Man’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and appeared in the Broadway production of ‘Superstar’ when it transferred.

I also saw Jason perform at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre in a very naughty and adult production of ‘Snow White: The Panto’ which was a riot to watch and so much fun.

At 18 years of age, Jason appeared in the Toronto production of ‘The Lion King’. He also appeared as a dancer in the film version of ‘Chicago’ and performed in two Tony Award presentations in New York.
We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you for adding to the discussion, Jason:

It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level.

Over the course of the pandemic, I’ve come to realize that the world works heavily on a structured and scheduled way of life. We are always looking ahead and planning what’s next. Making multiple backup plans for every scenario or barrier that may get in our way.

The pandemic forced me to slow down and take life day by day because you never know what the future will hold. We live in a world where everything is fast paced. Everything has a time slot or time limit, to a point that it is no longer quality time well spent.

The pandemic taught me to take my time, use my time wisely and spend quality time with those who I love.

With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed?

No matter what the circumstances are in the world, artists will always find a way make art or use their amazing skills to find or create work. Artists are so versatile. We can wear many hats no matter what challenges are put forth.

Although the live theatre industry is at its worldwide interval, nothing has stopped me from continuing my training. I will be ready when those curtains open again. The world needs live theatre. The world needs that reality check out.

Art will always survive, and I believe that the industry will be stronger than ever when it returns.

As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry?

As much as I miss performing in front of a live audience, what I miss the most is the rehearsal space. It’s the place where you get to create art onto a blank canvas, explore your craft, tell stories, crack jokes and most importantly build a community… build a family.

It’s where all the magic happens.

As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it?

That the last time you perform on a stage may be your last. Embrace every moment. Enjoy every moment. Be grateful for every moment.

As an artist, every job, every gig, every opportunity is temporary. It has a beginning and an end. I always think that every time I hit that stage, I am possibly changing someone’s perception and possibly someone’s life.

Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry.

I hope the live theatre industry continues to represent more and more BIPOC artists not only onstage but offstage as well. I hope the live theatre industry continues their efforts to celebrate diversity and embrace all kinds.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.

I would love to accomplish becoming a choreographer within the industry. My love of dance and movement is itching for the opportunity to choreograph a musical or dance piece for film and tv.

Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre.

I believe that it’s too soon. It’s too close to home.

Live theatre, yes, is to relate to stories and themes of our society but I think live theatre should focus on getting patrons back into the theatre and give them an opportunity to escape reality just for a moment. I think live theatre should and will present Covid themed stories but just not at this time.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you?

I would want people to remember me for my love of the arts. How I danced and performed my heart out every night on stage. My joy of creating works with friends not for money or fame but for the love of art. How I was a strong leader and team player.

I felt it was time after a month to continue discussion with professional theatre and performing artists to see how they’re doing. It’s now getting turbulent in Ontario and it has been the arts community so far that has helped us endure the emotional volatility of the pandemic. So I thought of a new title to begin new conversations.

But who to ask first?

When I reviewed Calgary’s Storybook Theatre production of ‘Annie’, I thought why not ask Director Jayme Armstrong to see if she would be interested and available to share her thoughts. And I was pleased she agreed.

Jayme’s zeal, enthusiasm, and love for and of the theatre industry was highly infectious, and that’s something I wish all of us would catch from her. She and I had a good laugh when I told her I remember her from her work on CBC’s ‘How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?’ where she made it to the top three finalists to play Maria in the Mirvish/Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber production of ‘The Sound of Music’ at Toronto’s Princess of Wales over ten years ago.

But enough living in the past for me.

Jayme has been one extremely busy lady as you will see from our Zoom conversation. She is a staple performer at Ontario’s Drayton Entertainment plus she has just received her master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management. She and I both agreed that the production of live theatre, both at the professional and non-professional/community theatre is going to look so different when we emerge from Covid.

Thank you so much for the good conversation, Jayme:

In a couple of months, we will be coming up on one year where the doors of theatre have been shut. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

I will say that it has been a journey. As theatre artists we’re used to almost over functioning because we’re self-employed. Our level of busy generally exceeds what the average person’s level of busy is. Going from that to absolutely nothing was shocking. It was totally shocking almost to the point where a lot of artists didn’t know how to function.

One of the beautiful things that happened and that we saw, and I expected, were the artists who stepped up during this time. They were the first to step up online and provide the content, free classes, things to do. So many theatre creators and artists do so many other things. They wear many hats in order to sustain themselves as yoga, dance and art teachers. They draw on their bag of tricks to see what they can offer in times of peril.

I was really moved by all this because this is humanity to me. In times of struggle, we always see artists who step up. It is the most beautiful thing about the industry in which I work and, for me, it is one of the most addictive things about the industry. There are so many challenges about the industry and some things that work against my personality as I crave stability and consistency.

The theatre industry can be a bit tricky because you never know where your next job is coming from. Having that faith it will come, that it will be there and you’ll come across people who will see things the way you do can be tricky. The initial challenge of Covid was the unknown. When will it come back and what will it look like? And ironically here we are, approaching a year later, and we still have the same questions.

My immediate family has been doing well. As someone who is used to being incredibly busy I’ve had a lot of extra time to spend with my immediate family. My father has had a varied health existence over the last while. I lost my mom to cancer when I was 26 years old. The focus on family for me has been huge because as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized just how fast time passes. Covid has put a new influence in my life to focus on that which is important. Really, we’re so quick to overprioritize our work and our commitments and so many things going on in our lives. Simply put, the thing that we really missed were the people. The other stuff can go and the things that mattered were nearest and dearest to our heart.
I’m incredibly grateful to re-focus on the other aspects of my life that perhaps I’ve ignored in the quest for this career I’ve chosen and the sometimes-all-consuming thing I’m doing.

Scarlett, my dog, is doing better, thank you for asking, Joe, and for supporting. It’s so hard with animals because they can’t tell us what’s going on and what’s hurting or bothering them. They hide their pain from us because they don’t want us to feel it.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

Well, I’ve directed a production of ‘Annie’ for Storybook Theatre in Calgary. One of the things I did very quickly was pivot my side business. My side business is ‘Enchanted Entertainment’ and we do characters for birthday parties and children’s events. It’s my labour of love. I started ‘Enchanted’ because of my mom. She was an incredibly charitable person.

When I really started starting to get busy in my career in my mid twenties, I found that I needed another outlet, something that wasn’t consuming me in the way the theatre world can consume artists. The theatre world can become innately obsessive as it’s something we really have to put ourselves into. And yes, at times, the theatre industry can be a little toxic for ourselves if we’re not careful and taking on self criticism and all of the doubt and uncertainty.

I needed an artistic outlet that wasn’t that.

I needed something that was happy and that had an opportunity to give back to others in the way I had been so lucky to receive.

The first thing I did when Covid started was I immediately pivoted and shifted things online. Not for the purpose of our benefit as our tiny company, it was for charity. What I knew would probably happen was that families would be struggling for so many reasons. Yes, we saw the effect on the elderly and senior citizens, but I also saw the effect Covid would have on the kids. With the kids, they’re at such an influential point in their lives to be without any artistic influence potentially for two years PLUS that is enormous. I thought in my own little way, this was my way to give back.

I partnered with companies like Hospital for Sick Children and Make a Wish Foundation to grant wishes to kids that weren’t able to have their Disney trips. With children who were terminally ill, we were able to do a Zoom call for them with their favourite character. My wish was to bring some joy to the kids in a very dark time. Getting to watch not only the kids but watch the parents seeing their child have that moment of happiness in this bleak, grey time, my life is forever changed.

If I’m truly being honest with myself, why I did this was simply for the reason I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know what to do with myself with the loss of everything in my life. It was my way of coping. As Covid went on and summer approached, things started shifting and there was a lot going on with Black Lives Matter here in Canada and the US. Everyone was thinking “I need to go to my own bubble and close the window for the summer and get outside”. We pared back for a bit in the summer as we got tired online and so was everyone else involved.

I’ve never experienced anything such as what we did for the kids. It filled my heart in a way that nothing else can. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Doing this totally for free, voluntary, and to see the expressions on the kids’ faces was far more important in that moment. It was a privilege what we do.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you or would you describe this near year long absence from the theatre as something else?
(Jamie chuckled and then stated) This is such a loaded question.

Theatre is often described as an escape. That’s our job in the theatre – ‘to provide escape for people’.
In terms of Covid, it’s had periods of time as being as escape for me because life has looked so entirely different. However, the state of the world we’ve experienced during Covid, I don’t know if I would describe that as an escape. There are so many things in the world right now that have come crashing into our existence. I honestly believe for myself was Mother Nature’s way of correcting what was happening in the world – some of the selfishness, some of the unkindness, it’s been a chance for the whole world to stop and have things taken out of their everyday reality and examine the hardships all over the world. We needed to look beyond ourselves and the end of our own little nose.

Covid doesn’t discriminate. No one is immune. So, in terms of the escapism, yes, for me personally, I can recognize even as a self-employed artist (sort of the bottom of the barrel) that I lead an incredibly privileged life. I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve living a beautiful career; I’m one of the few artists I know who owns my own home, on my own. I can recognize in many ways as a Canadian, how privileged I am to live in this country, just to be born here. The fact that I was born here, into my family, my ability, my intelligence, my heart makes me privileged.

In terms of escapism, I can only say there’s been periods as the world has come crashing in at a few points. There has been some beautiful movement in my life in learning to relax, in learning to accept that as an over achiever, over worker and over thinker, I cannot control the outcome. It doesn’t matter what I do right now, I can’t make my industry come back. I can’t go back to work the way I want to. I just have to wait and be patient and there’s nothing I can do about that.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022?

I will say that this is a very fair and accurate prediction that we won’t be back full tilt until at least 2022 for a number of reasons. It will depend on the roll out of the vaccine. From an arts administrative perspective, Alex Mustakas (one of my mentors from Drayton Entertainment), always says it is called ‘show business’ not ‘show fun’. Yes, it is fun and a privilege, but you cannot continue to do it unless you are making money doing it. That is how we sustain productions and produce and create more and satisfy our audiences while growing them.

Realistically it’s more like three to five years before theatre will come back. The majority of these theatre companies will produce less shows, smaller shows, less rehearsal time. They’ll be looking to pare down their costs because many of these companies are not supported by the government or external funding. They still have to continue paying their overhead and their staff to run so many areas.

The unfortunate reality for arts organizations is that they are suffering, bleeding and they are going to continue to do so until they can get back to a place where they are producing. That also is impacted by people’s expendable entertainment dollars. In terms of live performance, we’re in the fortunate situation that people will be ready to get out and do things and return to experiences that feed their heart.

I do believe that live theatre is a totally unique experience for that. Although I enjoyed directing Annie that I knew would be transferred to film, it’s not the same as live theatre. There’s an energy and magic at live theatre that you cannot replicate on film.

I had a discussion recently with an Equity actor who said that yes theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

The one thing that I was always taught growing up – if you want to remain in the theatre industry, you have to be a lifelong learner. There is always going to be somebody younger, prettier, more talented coming up behind you. And that can instill a huge sense of fear in you or it can light a little fire under your butt moving forward.

Keep growing and changing. Finding my way to Drayton put me in a situation where Alex Mustakas sees no limits in what you can do. In an industry where you’re often typecast into certain types and performers, Alex sees ability and then trusts the person and the ability. There’s no limits. As a result, I haven’t been typecast into anything.

I now play such a huge variety and it’s challenged me to grow. In playing such a variety of characters, now that I’m transitioning into directing, I’m now more in tune with what it’s like to play a variety of characters and to explain it to people, let alone the transition to directing which is difficult to begin. How do you convince somebody to trust you with their multiple thousands of dollars, and you arrive at that first rehearsal in a group of friends who now you are in charge of to ensure the show goes forward.

What I ended up learning was the only way to be myself. I wasn’t any different and my duty was not to try and be anything else. It was to just give everything in my heart that I was lucky enough to be a part of.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre?

I do agree in a sense about feeling danger in the work, but my phrasing would be a little bit different. Danger equates a fear-based mentality, and I really do my best not to lead through fear. There is enough fear generally in my industry to really put themselves out there and to remain incredibly vulnerable. I do my best not to equate things from a fear perspective.

Danger does equate to fear so that’s the first part to this question. Fear challenges us to function outside of our comfort zone, and that is something I am for. When we function outside of our comfort zone, it challenges us to change and adapt and that makes us grow as people, as performers and as creators.
On top of that great theatre should inspire great change in the world. That’s why we produce theatre to inspire change. It’s an interesting thing right now in terms of what’s happening in the world in general. We’re working hard as a society to correct and right some of the injustices, things that are wrong. But if we go back and change our entire theatre history, how do we know how far we’ve grown?

Isn’t great theatre also saying, ‘Wow, isn’t that something from 40 years ago?’ Have we come far enough? I get concerned sometimes that we just take things that no longer serves us and say that doesn’t exist anymore. But that’s a great barometer for change and whether we’ve come far enough.

The truth is we can always do more, we can always do better.

So, I do agree with Ms. Caldwell’s statement, but I would phrase it differently.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre?

I speak a lot about vulnerability now because the truth of it for myself is that I’ve discovered that I’ve had an enormous fear of vulnerability. That is the truth. I wouldn’t be vulnerable as a performer.

Eventually, through circumstances in my own life, I’ve learned that your greatest power is your vulnerability. As an artist, it is essential to be vulnerable. I would not have been able to make this transition to director if I did not discover my vulnerability as a performer. It is an enormous gift and power to share your vulnerability. It is not weakness.

Sometimes we are taught through the industry and other means that expressing vulnerability makes us appear weak. As female leaders, that’s definitely something we are shown – don’t be vulnerable, sensitive, weak.

My greatest power is potentially (and I’m discovering it in real time) learning to lead through female energy NOT through male energy.

To become the best leader and arts creator I can be, I need to trust in my vulnerability because that’s going to make me the best female leader that I can be.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any interest in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?

We talked earlier about the trajectory of theatre and when it will possibly be coming back and realistically what it will look like. It’s another unknown.

I’m proud of the way my industry has adjusted given what Covid threw at it with limited number of resources. The curiosity I found in myself was through my experience in directing ‘Annie’ for Storybook Theatre, completing my Master’s in Arts and Cultural Management and discovering this art administrative perspective that I’m very interested in discovering.

This time has been very transformative in discovering these things for myself. Nothing is the same. The theatre industry is not the same. When it comes back, it will innately look different because it will have to.
And the way we produce. Will we go back to the way we produced things before? I doubt it because are used to being in their homes and having things accessible at their fingertips. There will be more variety made available online whether or not I personally view it that way or not.

I’m a purist when it comes to theatre innately, but to touch and reach people we’re going to have to figure out how to do that and what it looks like.

I’m really inspired by the growth I’ve seen in the short time. I know this will continue.

I have a new interest and curiosity in how to produce live theatre in sustainable ways to reach more people. Producing theatre is expensive and do people really realize this. You can stream Netflix or buy a $35 + for a ticket to a professional show. So why would people want to purchase such a high-ticket price?
Yes, there is magic in the theatre and it’s not for everybody. But that’s why the ticket price is a tad higher than Netflix.

In order for the industry to move forward, what I see coming out of Covid is that we are going to have to get very good at sharing resources and I’m curious how do we go about doing this. I tagged up with Storybook Theatre because I was curious in working with young people to ensure they don’t go without the arts in their lives for at least 2+ years now.

Yes, we realize that our seniors are our die-hard supporters of the theatre, but what are we doing tor ensure young people become supporters and subscribers as the seniors are? The seniors may be fearful upon returning and I’m curious how we accomplish to make the seniors feel safe plus ensure we begin to appeal to a younger audience.

Jayme welcomes connection to her social media accounts through Facebook: Jayme Armstrong and Instagram: jayme_and_scarlett