Profiles & Interviews

I have been trying to track down Ma-Anne Dionisio for quite some time to profile her work as an artist. I first saw Ma-Anne’s performance in the original Canadian production of ‘Miss Saigon’ which opened Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. Since then, I have seen her performance as Maria in ‘West Side Story’ at Ontario’s Stratford Festival. I’ve also seen online that she and other artists have given concerts as our world slowly makes its way out of the pandemic.

I was so thankful when she agreed to be profiled for this series as she is one busy lady in preparation for an upcoming production in May.

Originally studying in the Sciences either to become a doctor or a dentist, Ma-Anne was invited into the world of the performing arts. She has three children and homeschools them during this time of the pandemic. Ma-Anne sees her purpose in life as healer and provider so the science mind within her was highly cognizant of the constant flow of varied conflicting information we were all receiving as a collective race during Covid.

She is a self-assured, confident lady who opened up quite a bit about what she called the ‘loaded question’ of year three of the worldwide pandemic and how she and her family have been doing. She candidly spoke how she feels she has heightened and deeper intuitions and has learned to trust them especially when it comes to the safety of her loved ones. Ma-Anne continues to work on her personal well being because the situation of Covid in which we now find ourselves, we put our loved ones first.

Ma-Anne spoke about the challenges she has faced during the pandemic, but she also says this time was a blessing for her. With gratitude, she acknowledges several of her family members who are front line workers and with sadness she has also experienced several familial losses during this time both from Covid and other reasons. Personally, this time has given her the opportunity to be with her immediate family members and those close to her, and to look inward where she honoured and made use of that time in the first year to get connected with herself and the planet.

She made a definite choice not to perform for that first year.

Ma-Anne knew that a lot of artists panicked where they felt they had to move towards virtual performances because they needed to do so. She respects and honours those who felt this way and made that choice because it was a challenging time.

She chose not to do this. Instead, in her own words, she said: “Let’s honour the quiet, be quiet and do nothing because why not?”

This time away was a real gift for Ma-Anne to honour. She is quite humble in that she doesn’t like to talk about herself so much or to be the centre of attention. She doesn’t consider herself a stereotypical performer and actor. For her, she is grateful to be able to use the theatre to connect with people and to heal both herself and whoever is present. She clarifies the work comes ‘through’ her and it is never about her. I found this latter statement interesting.

But as a single mother, whenever Ma-Anne signs on to a project, she is mindful of the fact her children rely on her as caregiver and provider. It is a big decision now to come inside a theatre for everyone because there is a risk involved, but it’s even bigger than before the pandemic. She cannot afford to put herself in a situation where she endangers herself and therefore her children, so the project has to be worth it to make that decision to get involved.

It was only last year where she decided to take on a couple of projects. The first production was ‘Follies’ a two-evening concert at Koerner Hall directed by Richard Ouzounian back in October.

The second project is the upcoming ‘Lesson in Forgetting’ in May with Andrew Moodie through Pleaides Theatre at the Young Centre in the Distillery District. Ma-Anne took this project on as she learned Pleaides would sell 50% capacity for the run of the production, and that is for the safety of those attending plus the performers.

How true, Ma-Anne, especially for all of us who have a keen interest in the live arts. We have seen how things can turn so quickly so we must take things day by day especially when we look to the Broadway theatre scene.

What drew her to want to get involved with ‘Lesson in Forgetting’:

“Once in awhile in this business you come across certain pieces that are just beautiful. Hopefully we are successful in delivering the intent of this piece and what it has in its very core in this story. The play is a wonderful observation of humanity and devotion.”

And how is Ma-Anne feeling at this point in the value of rehearsals as she, Andrew and the company approach opening night?

Before she answered this question, Ma-Anne reiterated once again the value of work is always in progress. For her, the beauty of theatre is that it is a living, breathing piece, and because it is living it constantly changes in an instant. Rehearsals are still a work in progress for Ma-Anne as she continues to become comfortable with the material in the moment and learn about the character so that, in the end, she can move out of the way so that whatever needs to be delivered through her and the piece can come through.

And what does she hope audiences will leave with after seeing ‘Lesson in Forgetting’:

“This piece is so beautifully written about the vulnerability and fragility of the human mind and heart, and the human spirit. It’s a wonderful observation of what goes on when your own idea of what love should look like is being challenged.”

What’s next for Ma-Anne Dionisio once ‘Lesson in Forgetting’ is completed?

She laughed and said there’s a lot happening simultaneously right now for her, and she said that’s the thing about this business because when it rains, it pours. Personally, she is a work in progress all the time. Professionally, Ma-Anne is developing a new musical with a writer from New York and a Canadian co-writer, so a writer/director team from there. Her limited series she shot last year with Apple is coming out soon. Her other series ‘Astrid and Lilly Save the World’ both on Crave and Sy Fy.

Andrey Tarasiuk, Artistic Producer of Pleiades Theatre, announces the English language world premiere of ‘Lesson in Forgetting’ by Emma Haché, commissioned by Pleiades and translated by Taliesin McEnaney with John Van Burek, runs live on stage from May 3 to 22 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s historic Distillery District.

For tickets visit www. https://tickets.youngcentre.ca. To learn more about Pleaides Theatre, visit www.pleiadestheatre.org.

I’ve seen Maddie Bautista and Deanna Choi’s names in theatre programmes in the Toronto area for several years. I’ve always thought they were behind the scenes in theatre production. I had no idea they are performers as well. Their ‘comedy-special-meets concert atmosphere of ‘Love You Wrong Time’ will play at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre April 20-23.

According to a press release: ‘Love You Wrong Time is a brand-new work. Created and performed by Maddie and Deanna, directed and created with Erin Brubacher, and visually designed by Helen Yung – it delivers a hilarious, no-holds-barred song cycle featuring two friends looking for love while contending with the fetishization of Asian women. Using music, true stories, bar games, and stand-up, Maddie and Deanna’s inventive, interactive show serves as a battle cry in the wake of mass violence against Asian femmes, creating a space for rage, grief, tenderness, and ruthless comedy.”

I conducted an interview with them via email about ‘Love You Wrong Time’, and their comic flair became immediately apparent to me. For example, Maddie said she broke up with Covid a year ago as the two of them had a very toxic relationship and she had to move on. Deanna concurred with Maddie. She said there’s a lot of bullshit going on right now in the world and we need to deal with it through laughter.

Ergo, this ‘comedy-special-meets concert atmosphere’ is something we might all just need right now. Maddie believes ‘Love You Wrong Time’ is the perfect setting to meet a potential date or make a spicy connection:

“You get to test a cute audience member’s politics and belly laugh in the same evening. Get your instincts for scoping out prospects ready. This show is how I met my partner! Our 5-year anniversary lands on a show day… April 21st.”

Deanna also spoke about the informative journey for the show’s germination. She and Maddie had about five iterations of the show with a limited one-off audience. This process proved beneficial because they could see what was working and what didn’t. If a joke or anecdote falls flat for any reason whatsoever, it gets rewritten.

The show has evolved as the two of them have developed further as humans and artists. What is meaningful to Deanna and Maddie has changed over the years. Both believe for the show to work they must be live in front of an audience for each performance. Choi noted the highs are seeing how the show surprises them every night with new answers from the audience – those moments keep [Maddie and her] on their toes and keep the material fresh and alive.

Bautista and Choi hold a great deal of respect for the director of the show, Erin Brubacher. She constantly challenges the two of them to have fun in a no holds barred kind of way. By asking difficult questions about what they are doing with the show, Erin has got both Maddie and Deanna to be their true authentic selves in making the songs the centrepiece of the production while using anecdotes and banter with the audience to hold it together.

As the interview wrapped up, Maddie shared what she hoped one message the audience would take away with them after seeing ‘Love You Wrong Time’:

“Love your friends for a long time – no one will see you in the same way your friends do.

Nightwood Theatre presents a Bad Muse Collective production of ‘Love You Wrong Time’ at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Toronto. The production runs to April 20-23. Tickets for the evening performance are all sold out, but 20 Pay What You Can tickets are available at the door for the Saturday, April 22, 2 pm matinee.

To learn more about Nightwood Theatre: nightwoodtheatre.net.

Maev wondered if this statement above sounded cheesy on the page.

Not at all.

She has attained a great deal of experience in the industry. I believe any upcoming artist would benefit tremendously from Maev’s sagacious wisdom about the peaks and valleys of the performing arts industry whether she teaches, coaches, interviews or watches emerging artists.

I am one grateful guy Maev was available for a Zoom call last month. She had a few errands to complete before concluding her final performance at this year’s production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at the Stratford Festival.

She’s now back in Toronto.

I’ve admired her variety of stage work, from productions at Soulpepper Theatre to the Stratford Festival. Some productions that come to my mind in which she has appeared are ‘August: Osage County,’ ‘The Front Page,’ ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘The Last Wife.’ This month, she will appear with Jesse LaVercombe in the Canadian premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Letters from Max, a ritual’. More about the upcoming production shortly.

Her sharp, comical wit set me at ease during our conversation. When I asked her where she completed her training, she smiled and said: “At the dinner table.”

Maev grew up in a family of storytellers. Her mother is a storyteller. When Maev was growing up, her mother was a children’s librarian. Her maternal grandmother was a teacher interested in teaching English and storytelling, and that love of language came through Maev’s mother. Her father has always been a visual artist. Her parents play instruments, but Maev poked fun at herself, saying she doesn’t. She calls her brother “an artist of all trades,” who, in her words, “is a beautiful actor, hilarious improviser, and an incredible musician.”

Using art to think about what it means to be human was just part of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in her house while she was growing up. It was part of who they were. Maev’s father was also a farmer. Her brothers also had a few careers beyond that, so it wasn’t necessarily all ‘bohemian’ as she called it.

When Maev attended school as a child, she grew up on a couple of different farms in the Thousand Islands area. She attended KCVI (Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute), and her drama teacher was Ian Malcolm, who worked with many celebrated Canadian artists who now appear in theatre – Jacob James, Chilina Kennedy, Brett Christopher – they were all Maev’s peers.

Another interesting fact that I didn’t know. At KCVI, the fathers of two band members of ‘The Tragically Hip’ also taught there.

Maev called KCVI a high school that prioritized the humanities to educate the students, which she calls a “huge, huge gift” to the student body.

Beaty attended the University of Toronto in the University College drama program. Pia Kleber ran the program at that time. She proudly states that Ken Gass was her first-year drama teacher. She called her final year in the program life-changing when she appeared in her graduating show ‘Twelfth Night’ which toured several cities, including a few Globe theatres. She also visited the Globe Theatre in London, England, and Prague.

Although she appreciated the chance to perform at Stratford in one of the most glorious versions of ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ Maev says she has been so jealous of the Toronto theatre-going public these last few weeks. There have been some incredible offerings in Toronto theatre since September. She calls the work thorough, passionate, and unified in voice. There are big artistic risks and choices being made. Yet, there is a general atmosphere of gratitude, humility, hope and a real presence of experience and mind in the theatre community.

She added further:

“I think the Toronto theatre-going public (and not just the traditional theatre-going public) are longing for, yearning for, desperate for live human connection and collective human experiences after this time of separation. More than ever, a chance to come together and experience something with strangers and yet still feel safe to do so that explores the primary questions of what it means to be alive.”

Nothing does this better than live performance, even though she strongly admits she’s biased since she is involved in theatre. She would be remiss to say that the connection of feeling and being alive can also be felt in the other live performances of dance and opera that provide a human collective moment.

Our conversation then veered towards her upcoming production of ‘Letters from Max, a ritual.’ The story focuses on the profound connection and friendship between playwright Sarah Ruhl and her student, poet Max Ritvo, who faces the return of Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer.

Maev says ‘Letters from Max’ is so completely about exploring the questions of what it means to be alive on the human heart, human consciousness, and noticing that you are alive while you are alive. The privilege of working on ‘Max’ allows both she and Jesse to venture even deeper into that question. She has read the source material for the play – the book ‘Letters from Max: a poet, a teacher, a friendship’ by Ruhl and Ritvo.

She spoke about the connection she and her husband, Alan Dilworth, have with Ruhl.

Dilworth and Beaty have a ten-year-old daughter. The first Sarah Ruhl piece Maev worked on was ‘Passion Play,’ a substantial theatrical endeavour with ‘Outside the March,’ ‘Necessary Angel,’ ‘Convergence’ and ‘Sheep No Wool.’ The production was an epic promenade three-location, three-and-a-half-hour ensemble piece. Beaty was eight months pregnant at the time. She laughed at the memory of the madness used in the most respectful term as the ensemble walked outside down Danforth Avenue.

Alan has gone on to direct Ruhl’s play ‘Eurydice.’ He and Ruhl have gone on to have a correspondence like what ‘Max’ is about. She’s reminded of the biographical confessional production ‘Secret Life of a Mother’ which she co-created with Marinda de Beer, Ann-Marie Kerr and Hannah Moscovitch. Risks were taken in the revealing of true selves in ‘Mother’. Ruhl does the same thing in ‘Max,’.

Maev further adds:

“The generosity of the writer (in both plays) to share their actual private writings with the public is a special kind of vulnerability and generosity because you’re just so exposed. I feel privileged and vigilant about shepherding Ruhl’s words to this play.”

What’s one thing that drew Maev to Ruhl’s script?

She says it’s a play that deals with death head on, but it’s so much more about life.

She paused for a moment to think before adding:

“Because of the environment I grew up in, I really believe that words are sacred and hold sacredness. Words can be medicine, holy and transformative. Words work on the body, they work on the neuropathways, the nervous and skeletal systems… In ‘Max’, what has struck me the most is how words put down in a letter, email, or text to another person or loved one carry medicine, meaning, and profound connection through the airwaves (or postal system) to another soul and be reciprocated.”

Maev marveled how can that be not purely an intellectual exercise but an existential one? In the pandemic that’s what everyone had – relying on words that carried to others that carried through Zoom, social media, and text.

In the case of ‘Max’ where the two characters are distanced physically across the country from California to Connecticut, or the distance in illness, what can one do to let that person know they are not alone? That they are alive? Or trying to find the right words to reach that person far away in isolation (whether it was through the pandemic or physical distance).

This last part of my conversation with Maev has touched my soul and I found myself welling up as I write this profile. As a cancer survivor and someone who lost a younger sibling to the disease, I can still vividly recall how words I used, and others used, influenced my life and my family’s life at that time.

Rehearsals for ‘Max’ have been going wonderfully in the circular antechamber of a church in Stratford. Maev worked with Jesse before in ‘Bunny’ at Tarragon. It’s a pleasure to work with someone again as they continue to discover the voice of the play and take risks. Jesse and Maev have a shared sense of humour, and Alan has been very ‘patient’ with it. She laughed at the word ‘patient’ so I’ll allow my imagination to wonder about what has gone on during rehearsals.

And what’s one message she hopes audiences will take away from ‘Letters from Max’?

“Notice that you are alive.”

True words spoken that mean so much.

What’s next for Maev Beaty once ‘Max’ concludes its run?

She coyly smiled and said:

“Maev is just going to rest and try to take a wee break. Maev is very much longing for some time with the family. It’s been such a huge gift at this particular time of the year, and there are some adventures ahead in 2025.”

She has something planned for next year in 2024 but she doesn’t want to talk about it yet. All she did say – she fulfilled one of her dreams in playing Beatrice in ‘Much Ado’ this past summer. Now that one dream has been fulfilled, the door has been opened for some other opportunities to fulfil in the next thirty years.

I can wait, Maev, because what’s that adage? Patience is a virtue.

‘Letters from Max, a ritual’ presented by Necessary Angel Theatre and directed by company Artistic Director Alan Dilworth will run at The Theatre Centre from November 10 to December 3. For tickets: https://theatrecentre.org/tickets/?eid=106867

To learn more about Necessary Angel Theatre Company, visit https://www.necessaryangel.com/.

Marcus Nance’s name is one I’ve heard in the Canadian professional theatre circuit for some time, but I never had the opportunity to see him perform. When he agreed to be interviewed and sent me his bio, I most certainly want to see this gentleman perform in future as his credentials and credits reveal extraordinarily fine work.

American-Canadian bass-baritone Marcus Nance is equally at home in opera, musical theatre, concert, and cabaret. The New York Times described him as “a thrillingly powerful bass-baritone” while the Globe and Mail says he “has a rich voice and strong stage presence”.

Marcus Nance garnered international attention as Malcolm in the world premiere of Atom Egoyan’s opera ‘Elsewhereless’ with Tapestry New Opera Works which earned him a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Most Outstanding Male Performer. For Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, he created the role of Moses in the world premiere of the epic opera ‘Beatrice Chancy’, performing alongside opera superstar Measha Bruggergosman.

His other opera credits include Porgy in excerpts from ‘Porgy and Bess’ with the Nathanial Dett Choral and the Toronto Symphony, Sparafucile in ‘Rigoletto’ with the Tacoma Opera, Compere in ‘Four Saints in Three Acts’ with Chicago Opera Theatre and an array of exciting roles and concerts with Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Chautauqua Opera, Vancouver New Music, The National Arts Centre, Shreveport Opera, Ash-Lawn-Highland Summer Festival, Natchez Opera Festival, Orchestra London, Victoria Symphony, North York Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony, Fairbanks Festival Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, the Monterey Bay Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Hawaii Opera Theatre, London Symphony, and the Monterey Bay Opera.

New York audiences saw Marcus Nance on Broadway as Caiaphas in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, in Baz Luhrman’s Tony Award winning production of ‘La Boheme’, in New York City Centre ENCORES! productions of ‘Kismet’ and ‘Of Thee I Sing’, as Alidoro in ‘Cenerentola’ with New York City Opera Education and in concert at the Metropolitan Room.

Recent projects include Rev. Alltalk in Volcano Theatre’s workshop of the reimagined production of Scott Joplin’s ‘Treemonisha’, Van Helsing in Innerchamber’s concert version of ‘Dracula’, and as Judge Turpin in the Shaw Festival’s production of ‘Sweeney Todd’ where the Toronto Star proclaimed that he “gives the production’s standout performance as the corrupt Judge Turpin: with his stunning singing voice and commanding physical presence, he is horribly convincing as a man who aborts justice and tramples morality…”.

He has spent nine seasons at the prestigious Stratford Festival where his assignments have included the monster in ‘Frankenstein Revived’, Bill Bobstay in ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’, Caiaphas in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, Queequeg in Morris Panych’s ‘Moby Dick’ and Rev. J.D. Montgomery in Gershwin’s ‘My One and Only’. He has also made seen as the Mikado in ‘The Mikado’ for Drayton Entertainment, and Clairborne in Charlottetown Festival’s world premiere of ‘Evangeline’.

Expanding further his creativity and artistic horizons, Marcus Nance has has made his film debut as the Singing Accountant in Mel Brooke’s feature film ‘The Producers ’ starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and his television debut as Rev. Moses in the opera ‘Beatrice Chancey’. He has also appeared in concert at the Cornwall Concert Series, Primavera Concerts, Elora Festival, Toronto’s Jazz Bistro, the Metropolitan Room in New York City, Stratford Summer Music, the Elora Festival, the Toronto Jazz Festival and as a regular guest with the Ottawa Jazz Orchestra.

We conducted our conversation via email, but I had the opportunity to speak with Marcus briefly via 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?

By nature, I am a positive and happy person. So, a year ago when rehearsals at the Stratford Festival abruptly stopped, my goal was to make good use of my time and to not sit around and wallow in self-pity. It was easy at the beginning because I never dreamed that a year later, I would still be waiting to get back into the theatre. So, between that day and now I have had my ups and downs. Days of panic and days of joyful discoveries about life and purpose.

The biggest disappointment was not being able to play the monster in Morris Panych’s production of ‘Frankenstein’ in the new Tom Patterson Theatre at the Stratford Festival. I was so excited to be asked to play this character. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for me. But as the death toll from the Coronavirus began to rise, I got over myself and realized that just being alive at this time in history was a greater gift than any role I could ever be offered. I am heartbroken at all the lives we have lost.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?
I have actually stayed busy doing a number of different things.

One: My husband (music director Franklin Brasz) and I always work in the summer. So to have a summer off is highly unusual. We decided to make lemonade out of lemons, and we bought a tiny trailer. We spent the summer and fall camping all over Ontario. I absolutely loved it. I love cooking outside, going on hikes, hanging out on the beach, and drinking gin and tonics all night. I can honestly say that camping saved us and kept us from falling into depression. In the end it has made this a summer to remember. A life highlight.

Two: Many years ago, I tried to get involved in the tv/film world, but an experience of blatant homophobia caused me to flee that world with no intention to ever go back. When COVID hit, my agent wrote me and suggested I be submitted for tv/film as that industry was still able to produce safely. I figured I had nothing to lose so I said yes. To my shock this has kept me busy all year. I never thought it was possible, but the opportunities empowered me and helped to erase the negative experiences I had to deal with earlier in my career. It really made me happy to know that the world is changing for gay people.

Three: I started teaching voice again. I was asked to give masterclasses in Nevada, California, and Colorado. I also rejoined the faculty of Sheridan College and started giving private voice lessons from my home (via Zoom of course). I love working with young artists.

Four: I started modelling again! I contacted a modelling agency I had worked with many years ago and they were thrilled to have me back. I shot two fun campaigns. At 56 years old who would have thought?
Five: Lastly, I was given some incredible opportunities to film performances for online streaming. Highlights being a Christmas concert for Stratford Summer Music filmed at the beautiful Knox Church in downtown Stratford, and filming my cabaret “Voice of a Preacher’s Son” on the Stratford Festival stage for their upcoming series “Up Close and Musical” for stratfest@home

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, an escape? No! Covid didn’t allow me to escape because it gave me too much free time to think. I was consumed with BLM and the racism that was being exposed all around me. I was consumed with the racist US president and with those that supported him. I was consumed with watching people die while others were protes7ng masks. Had I been performing eight shows a week at the Stratford Festival, I would have had a place to escape from the world. I would have put my energy into performing and laughing in the wings with my friends. So COVID was not an escape for me.

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 sounds about right. My gut is telling me that the world needs another year to get everything in order. The new strains of COVID, the lack of enough vaccine, the COVID deniers… yes, we need another year to fix all this and allow ourselves and our audiences the 7me needed to allow everyone to feel comfortable coming back to the theatre.

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 have more appreciation for what I do. Not that I didn’t appreciate art before but having been in the business for over 30 years, one does start to take it for granted… feeling that it will always be there. I now know that that’s not true. Anything can be lost to us at any 7me. I have spent a lot of hours on YouTube as of late, watching ballet dancers, opera singers, orchestral performers and theatre performers and I can’t help but feel the pain of all these amazing people who suddenly lost their jobs because of COVID. All the work that goes into perfecting their crafts and suddenly they have nowhere to share that talent. I don’t think anyone of these people will take their art for granted ever again.

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?

COVID is dangerous, so yes, I have felt a sense of danger for me and for others.

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?

This time of COVID has forced us to sit still and to listen. I am sensitive by nature, but my heart is more open than it ever was to the world and to those in need of being heard or acknowledged.

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 will answer this by saying that I have always been curious about what it means to “follow one’s own path” and COVID has forced me to do that. To be creative, to try new things, to work toward the impossible to see if it’s actually possible. In the last year I feel that I have done these things and I have discovered so much about myself.

This pandemic is not over and this next year will most definitely test us. Can we continue to strive and grow? Do we have it in us to stay healthy and hopeful for another year? I think so and I hope so.

To learn more about Marcus, visit his website: www.marcusnance.com.

From the Class of 1977, University of Windsor, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre and English, Maria’s forty-seven-year career as a professional performing artist has taken her on many paths, some of which I’m truly envious she has travelled.

She appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster hit ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ as Sofia. She has also appeared in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ and has made appearances on television in ‘Schitt’s Creek’, ‘Rookie Blue’, ‘Murdoch Mysteries’, ‘The Rick Mercer Report’ and ‘Riverdale’ only to name a few. I’ve also seen her performances both at Soulpepper and The Stratford Festival where she appeared in such classics as ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘Electra’ and ‘Pericles’.

Maris is also a member of the ENSEMBLE of Toronto’s Company Theatre where she is indeed in very good company with some of Canada’s finest talents.

We conducted our interview via email. Thank you so much for the conversation, Maria:

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 loath to make any predictions as to how long this will last in its current incarnation but I have every reason to believe that between vaccines, treatments and the virus just wearing itself out, we will be returning to public gatherings in another year or so. In the meantime, the inventive minds of our theatre practitioners will be finding interesting and novel ways to bring stories to audiences.

I do hope that we take a lesson from some Asian and African countries who, at the first sign of a transmittable disease, don their masks and take precautions. We need to make this kind of respect for our fellow man an intrinsic part of our society.

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

In truth, by fall of 2019 I knew I had to take a big break. I had two more projects for early winter of 2020 that would be done by the end of February and after that I was going to stop, spend time in my new home and town (we had moved to Stratford in late 2017 and I’d barely been able to settle and enjoy it) but lo and behold, a strangely timed, worldwide pandemic forced me into it anyway.

My husband had been retired for a bit, so we just settled in to see what being “retired” together was going to look like. Not without some guilt, we’ve really been enjoying ourselves. We don’t get bored, we have a lot of home projects on the go and we’ve been reveling in our time together, really getting to know our town and surrounding areas.

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

The worst part for a time, was trying desperately to envision the future, how was I going to enjoy going back to an art form that, for me, was all about engaging closely and without fear, with other artists. I had to let that go and allow others with greater imaginations than my own, start to develop these new ideas. I also knew that, with time, my comfort levels would evolve. I had to just pull back from that and just live in the present.

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?

As I said earlier, my personal timing was rather fortuitous – I flew home on February 26th and went into isolation on the 29th. In late January, I had been contacted by producers about a film project that was in the works for summer but that has been put on hold. They believe they may go in 2021. I try to make no plans these days beyond what I’m going to make for dinner that evening. Mitigates stress.

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

I was able to throw myself into doing work on our new home, building new gardens, having time for my passion for growing food, cooking and baking and improving on those things. We love walking and hiking and with a lot of countryside around us, we were able to indulge. The warmer weather was also great for meeting up with a couple of friends at a time on our patios and porches. I also got to read books that had nothing to do with a project – just pure pleasure and interest.

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?

That’s a hard one as I think everyone needs to do whatever it is that gets them through. We’re all different, at different stages of our careers, our lives.

I am in awe of many of the younger artists I know who seem to have thrown themselves into creating art other than theatre – they’re writing, making music, putting out content on line or in other interesting ways. Maybe it would be to take this time to “meet yourself” outside of your art.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Generally, I believe that as a society we might start thinking that the ecology of the way we live our lives, the way we do our work, the way we engage with our environment is more important or, at least, as important as how economically successful our endeavours turn out.

On a personal note, it was great to discover that after 47 years of working, pursuing work, thinking about work, I still had an identity without work, that I’m not completely defined by being an actor. This time is also forcing me to be present in my life – not having to think about doing work, getting work, learning lines, I realize that I have, at times, given my personal life short shrift.

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

Perhaps we will become “preppers” in some way. We’ll always think of ways to keep ourselves prepared for these types of disasters. I personally doubt these will be long lasting. We say we learn from history but in so many ways we don’t.

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 haven’t had much to do with the online theatre world. Coming into this with major burnout, I just wanted to get away from theatre for a while and viewing work online was not satisfying to me – it felt like a bus man’s holiday.

I understand people’s need to do it and I applaud it, but artists and audiences alike crave the real thing. We’ll be back in the theatres soon enough – there are already signs of it around the world.

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

I’ve been fortunate to have had a 43 year career so Covid certainly can’t take away from me and it can’t take away the friendships formed with some incredible artists nor can it erase the memories of all the great theatre I got to see.

Marie Beath (pronounced Mary Beth) Badian is a Canadian Filipino performing artist whose plays have been commissioned by The Blyth Festival, The Stratford Festival, Prairie Theatre Exchange, and Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre. (www.mariebeath.com).

Like any writer, she thinks very deeply about all her characters before she puts pen to paper.

Commissioned by The Blyth Festival, Badian’s play ‘Prairie Nurse’ opens Saturday, July 15, at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre. This play, along with ‘The Waltz’ (a terrific production staged at Toronto’s Factory Theatre earlier this year), is part of a multi-generational story spanning fifty years and set in rural Saskatchewan. The third, ‘The Cottage Guest,’ is in development 2.0 and has just been finished in draft form.

Badian had a workshop on ‘Guest’ in February of this year. The litmus test is to be in a workshop of the play and listen to the actors. If the characters are speaking in the way Badian imagined in her head, that’s a huge relief. ‘Guest’ needs a bit of tweaking and Marie Beath is hoping the play will hit the stage in the next couple of years.

We had conducted our conversation several weeks ago, and at that time, rehearsals for ‘Prairie Nurse’ were just getting underway on June 26. Badian would miss the first day of rehearsal because it was her ‘kiddo’s’ (I like that) Grade 8 graduation. Sometimes, the family unit must take priority, and I’m all for that.

Badian had completed her training and received her diploma from Toronto Metropolitan University. She was the second last of the diploma programme. She graduated in 1999 and then grandfathered into the Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.

Does Marie Beath consider herself a Toronto girl at heart:

“Oh, yeah. I was born and raised in Scarborough. I didn’t move very far. I’ve been living downtown since 1997. [Toronto] has always been my home and will always feel like that when I’m away.”

Badian calls it an exceptional privilege to return to live theatre. It’s still tremendously unique to sit in the audience beside people and experience the play. For her, it feels incredibly novel and fleeting. There’s joy in seeing people’s faces once again. Badian does not take this generosity in this return to the theatre for granted. To decide to attend the theatre is a crucial choice.

Before the lockdown, Marie Beath was feeling exhausted. Sitting in a theatre felt like a chore, and she now feels guilty that she went through that experience:

“You can’t take anything for granted that there is going to be an audience.”

Marie Beath and I both agreed on this point strongly. At one point, we wondered if the lockdown meant the end of the live theatrical performing arts because we are not essential workers. That’s the reality regarding sacrifice and heroism among the healthcare essential workers in the grand scheme of things.

Her mother was a nurse for forty years and Marie Beath worked at the Ontario College of Nurses for a long time. The community of nurses has always been a part of her community’s lifeblood. Knowing that their diaspora and the family legacy of these front-line individuals put into perspective what essential work truly meant, especially essential work for the soul.

On its website, the Capitol Theatre describes the plot of ‘Prairie Nurse’ as a laugh-a-minute comedy of confusion based on a real-life story. The story involves two Filipino nurses who come to work at a small-town Saskatchewan hospital in the late 1960s. Cultural clashes, personality differences, homesickness, and the amorous but dim-witted goalie from the local hockey team complicate the women’s lives and create chaos at the hospital. Add a doctor more concerned with fishing than his patients and an overly romantic candy striper. ‘Prairie Nurse’ is based on the true story of Badian’s mother’s immigration to Canada.

Confident that ‘Prairie Nurse’ is being well taken care of under Megan Watson’s direction, the playwright is adjusting to the unusual experience of having one of her plays performed multiple times. Badian considers it a privileged position in Canadian theatre and is always amazed when her work is produced. Even with ‘Prairie Nurse’ no longer a world premiere, Badian still feels the same jittery excitement as before.

She is over the moon with the cast the director has assembled. It’s unique and exciting, and she was delighted to hear who they were after the fact. Megan and Rob Kempson (Capitol’s Artistic Director) have been so thoughtful about the casting process of the play.

What’s delightful about all productions of ‘Prairie Nurse’?:

“It gets to introduce me to new people in the Filipino diaspora that I hadn’t known before and that there is work for them. I don’t know the two actors who are playing the nurses. I think they are fairly recent grads. What’s exciting first is that this production [at the Capitol] marks the ten-year anniversary of ‘Prairie Nurse’. It’s also exciting that these two ladies who were in school when the play premiered now understand there is work for who they are authentically as part of the diaspora.”

For many years, Marie Beath has been friends with Rob Kempson. She is impressed with how he and Erin Pierce (Capitol Theatre’s Managing Director) have made their values of the live theatre performing arts come to fruition and how exciting it is to be part of the season. Badian holds Canadian actor Deborah Drakeford in high esteem and is thrilled to have her involved in the production as the ornery head nurse at the hospital. She’s a chain smoker at the hospital in the sixties, becoming a riot as the play unfolds.

What is a message Marie Beath hopes audiences will take away after seeing ‘Prairie Nurse’?:

“Joy, the joy and the laughter that I feel is so inherent about the story. I hope audiences will also take away a different perspective of the period piece of the fabric of Canada in 1967. It’s a gentle and loving way to remind people of the value of the Filipino diaspora in health care. It’s a way to reflect health care that if we have ever experienced health care in Canada, it has been at the hands of a Filipino caregiver.”

‘Prairie Nurse’ begins performances July 14 and runs to July 30. All performances take place at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street, Port Hope. For tickets call 905-885-1071 or visit capitoltheatre.com.

To learn more about Marie Beath Badian, visit her website: www.mariebeath.com.

Mark Cassius made his Broadway debut in the revival of Shenandoah in 1989. He was an original cast member in the World Premier of Ragtime (1996) in Toronto. Ragtime took him to Broadway for a second time in 1998. The third time’s a charm and he was on Broadway again in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2012. That production came out of his second season at The Stratford Festival of Canada in 2011. In his first season, 2007, his performance as “Mr. Magix” in My One and Only won him critical acclaim.

Mark was a cast member of many of Canada’s mega-musicals in the 1990s such as Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (with Donny Osmond), Miss Saigon, and Showboat (second replacement Toronto company with Cloris Leachman). And I’m pleased to say that I saw Mark’s performances in each of them when there was no need to travel to New York as we had top notch entertainment here.

Regionally, Mark enjoys performing in shows for D2 Entertainment – Hollywood Sings, A Starbright Christmas. And always feels at home in front of Drayton Entertainment audiences, – Damn Yankees, The Little Mermaid, Sweet Charity, Dance Legends.

One of the few times doing theatre in Toronto in the past decade, he received a Broadway World, “Best Actor” nomination, for his role in The Musical of Musicals (The Musical).

From 1997 – 2005, he was a member of world-renowned acapella group, The Nylons, touring with them extensively.

He has been a Kiwanis Musical Festival adjudicator, is a wildly sought-after vocal coach and has taught at the Randolph College for the Performing Arts and Sheridan University. He continues to mentor and support young performers and is passionately invested in and dedicated to the creation and survival of Art.

Thank you so much for this conversation, Mark:

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

I won’t lie to you – denial for the first two months. Nothing changed. I went back to school and just finishing my master’s degree in Music Composition at York University when this started. I had already suspended my performing to work on the degree even though I was doing a little performing throughout that. When it started, I didn’t feel the shutdown immediately and then slowly I needed to take time to finish my Master’s Research Project that it started to sink in.

After the first two months of being in my head and conjuring up an idea of what this paper was going to be like, the reality of writing the project became further and further away because I realized 1) the solitude was all of a sudden not finite. It was going, “When is this going to end?”

I live alone and the solitude of the pandemic started to get to me. It was about May when friends reached out and I started responding and there were more Zoom calls and Face Time of coffee or toast in the evening just to get myself socializing again.

It was disbelief first, then dismay, then disdain. I went through those phases and now, a year later, I’m starting to feel the creative bug again. I’m getting my paper finished and realizing this time hasn’t stopped me from being a creator and an artist and it’s great to be having that.

This is something that I didn’t realize alone. I’ve lots of friends who helped me realize this and we are moving forward and trying to create content. There’s no point in saying, “Woe is me, what do I do now?” Eventually there will be venues and places to showcase the work so, create the work.

My immediate family is good. I have an aunt in Pickering that checks in on me pretty much every day. I’m not a very big family here. I have an uncle in Montreal and cousins there. But I was born in Trinidad and that’s my mother’s side of the family. Since she’s been gone we’ve been trying to keep much more connected with more frequent calls and check ins.

It’s difficult but social media (even though I have my problems with it), I have to discipline myself periodically and shut myself off it. I was off Facebook for six months during the pandemic. And now I’m off Instagram for now. I’m giving each one a break and rest so I can have a fresh perspective when I re-join because my needs on social media are very specific. It’s an outreach and a way for people to know what I’m up to and what I’m doing. When it gets into all the opinions and expressions, I need to, as we say in tap class, time to do some pullbacks.

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

The Master’s program has taken up most of my time. I had my thesis statement and now it’s, “Wow, that was eight months ago when I thought that.” I’m doing revisions on my thesis because there are things about the world that have changed since then. I wanted to write about music in terms of my native country. A lot of what has happened in society is not yet a global voice. Before it becomes a global voice, the people who I want to pay attention need to do pay attention to the globe and listen to the other voices so there’s more of a consensus.

I just want there to be more listening than speaking. So I’m hoping from my small corner of the world to say, “This is what happened in the native history of my country and how music influenced us as a culture and how we influence music as a culture. Whatever, in Trinidad, the different cultures that came influenced something that we know all own. We talk about it in terms of Trinidad music, not in terms of African music.”

I think this is something the world can learn from because it speaks to a level of integration that happened through the arts, music and culture and learning from each other and not pushing people away. Holding on to this gives me a cohesive sense of what the world is supposed to be about.

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?

‘Escape’ is an interesting word because it feels like some sort of fantasy, and yes theatre is fantasy at times. But there is so much truth in theatre that it’s interesting that I don’t see it as an escape but as a necessary journey.

Sometimes you can’t believe what’s happening so the actual reality becomes like a fantasy because you’re in such disbelief of what this near year of Covid was really like. This year seems like an alternate reality, it just can’t seem to be real, but it is really happening.

So I guess escaping from something like that into theatre which is always better because we really get to explore the human condition through theatre when we get into the work. Even as an audience member people get to live out things by watching plays and musicals. As artists we never get to really know sometimes the effect we have on an audience. The story has to be told with such honour when we’re up there.

There’s always part of me thinking, “Somebody’s going to be moved by this.” This is going to have some relevance in ways I can’t even think of.

So, full circle, I think Hal Prince is right but certainly not escape in trying to run away from things. Sometimes it’s an escape to run into things and make discoveries. Life is very difficult right now and I want the escape to hear a piece of music or see something that may move me.

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?

Well, the logistics of it would indicate this is kind of accurate. I might not using back at all. I’m always moving forward into whatever is going to occur or be next.

For theatre to be what fully what it is going to be next, that’s an accurate prediction that it won’t be back until at least 2022. However, I don’t think in 2022 it’s going to be there. Absolutely not. I think there are going to be versions of it trying to creep in all along. That’s what I will add to that statement.

As soon as it is safe to do so, we’re going to have to try and make attempts to reach audiences because THAT is the relationship that makes theatre – the artists and the audience. We need both to make it happen.

The buildings might be a problem for theatre to return because I don’t know if I want to be in any room with a thousand people right now or anytime soon until we have real proof of the efficacy of the vaccine when everyone has it. We’ve got to start doing something, continue to do something and not lose faith and not lose momentum because that is what is going to get us to that 2022 projection.

I am looking forward to all the new discoveries and the re-discoveries of theatre because let’s face it – when things were being performed in the amphitheater by daylight or moonlight many, many moons ago, that was the only lighting plot we had. We can’t let our advancements and concepts now surround the piece and the people get in the way, we can’t let this happen. We need to find new discoveries to do things in live performance.

We’ve got to stop depending on all the electronics and amplifications that we have used as enhancements. Yes, they’ll come back but they’ll be the last to add once we have the buildings again and we’re inside again and people feel secure again.

Meanwhile we the artists and the audience have to be convinced that yes we still want to do and they still want to see.

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 cannot ever put aside the strong sense of responsibility that I now have. I always felt that there was a greater purpose than me just making people laugh. Yes, there is vanity in the theatre and great feeling on stage doing what we do.

I’ve got a stronger sense of responsibility for the mantle I carry, the body of artists actually, to tell these stories, to get these messages, to get things heard. The isolation has made me super aware of how, despite the fact we’re so connected by the Internet of technology, still how many people don’t get the messages or are not hearing the voices outside of their own realm.

There is a bigger picture for me than just the eight-show week. I’m not sure what exactly that is going to mean but I think I’m still in the middle of transformation of that. I honestly don’t know but it’s definitely put me in a place where I’m thinking beyond the next contract, or beyond realizing my voice isn’t limited beyond the 2 ½ hours on stage and what that’s going to make me do next.

My work as a writer is just beginning so that may be the thing that will fuel me now.

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’m going to speak quite frankly about my physical danger. I’m a recent kidney transplant recipient so physically this pandemic and things around it have been a dangerous thing for me. When Covid started I received all the notices that I had to be extra cautious so there’s that other level. I’ve adapted that extra level of caution to make me feel safe all the time so physically overcoming all that has been a huge part of my time during Covid.

There’s this danger on a philosophical level almost. We do so many things as humanity to put the structure of safety into our lives. We want to make ourselves and the people whom we love safe. And in a moment this thing that we have no control over sweeps in and devastates that plan. It’s doing raspberries in our face. That’s maddening to our sense of self-empowerment.

Yes, there’s been danger on many levels – society, the things we are seeing right now on a social discourse; Did it take a pandemic and the feelings and stresses to make this matter ooze out of us? With the danger comes the caution.

I am cautious now. I am cautious of the world and my world. Don’t take anything for granted. Be vigilant. Know that the job isn’t done. My mantra is “I believe everything is going to be fine” but I’m also thinking at any time I might be called to arms to defend that. If called, what am I going to do and what can I do? My place is as an artist so be prepared.

The danger is hovering, but I am thinking of ways to offset it. Dark times? Well, I have a lot of musical material to make things happy for myself and for others so that seems like a good counter.

So, Zoe Caldwell, there’s something in your comment.

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?

Oh, gosh, yeah. I’m going to get all dramatic here. If this was a bigger disaster, and we were looking at the end of days (or something prophetic like that) I would have really been caught off guard. I thought I was actually doing a good job of giving my all when I was on stage and not holding back.

I’ve been more successful on stage than I have been off. And that is something I am confessing and I admit it to myself and since I’ve been able to say that, I can now say, “It’s time for some balance. You need that presence in your life.”

Leading with love and joy instead of fear, that is one of the basics. Fear is a component and can’t escape it but I’d like to think I have a fairly conquering spirit and I can apply it to that particular demon. Sometimes I allow fear to spend too much time and I have to learn to tell it to take a hike. Sometimes fear is good. It can come in and have some tea and can tell me how it’s going to challenge me today. When it’s time to tell fear to go, I have to learn how to say to it, “Bye, bye. It’s time to go.”

I have to re-set the table for love and joy. That’s where I want to be and that’s what I want to tell my friends and to invite them to this table. I want to make sure my family knows without a doubt what they mean to me. I want others to know that I am engaged with them and others to know they can give me a shake when necessary, and I can give them a shake when necessary, all the while feeling safe with each other.

This is a lot of time to think and I’ve tried not to dismiss anything.

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?

Oh my gosh. As you know, Joe, I worked with Hal in Showboat for the second cast in Toronto when the original cast went to Broadway. I can say that I heard Hal utter these words in a room and that was so exciting for me then and when I read the question you sent me.

I had been doing Miss Saigon in Toronto and came in the second wave of Showboat. Hal used these words and it’s true. Truer words have never been spoken. Theatre should spark curiosity from everybody involved, everybody.

It’s a journey, every step of it, and the artists and the audience should be thinking, ‘What’s next and how do I participate?’

Covid has made me curious on a more esoteric and spiritual level. If I’m going to do something that is going to harm another person then I have to think and be curious about the awful implications behind that. Things like this have made me realize why I am doing the things that I am doing.

I like to believe I am a good person but this time of Covid has made me curious about our human actions and responses with and to each other. Hopefully this time of isolation, I know it worked for me, it’s about how much I appreciate interaction with others as I never have before. I’m an only child so growing up I was content to be on my own but now I appreciate interaction with others because I miss people.

Just simply that. I miss people. I miss the option of seeing them because it’s been taken away. This time has made me curious to be aware of who I am and what is my relationship to others in a positive way.

This time of Covid has made me aware to keep curious about our relationships with others because those people in your life is changing just as you are. Remain curious about them and don’t take who they are for granted. Maintain the curiosity that made you want to be that person’s friend in the first place.

You can follow Mark on Facebook and Instagram: @TheMarkCassius

I’ve often wondered if professional artists who wear more than one hat as an actor might prefer one identity marker over the other. For example, there are those who are actor/director, director/actor, playwright/actor, actor/playwright…the possibilities are endless.

Since I’ve entered the Facebook and Twitter universe, I’ve seen Mark Crawford’s name appear under PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW. I remember his play ‘Bed and Breakfast’ was a summer hit at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre where Paul Love described it as “adding a splash of fun to the dog days of summer”. In January, I reviewed a good community theatre production of Mark’s ‘Stag and Doe’ at Bloor West Village Players and really liked the story.

When Mark’s name appeared a few days ago again under PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW, I threw caution to the wind and thought, “What the hell?” and sent him a message asking if he would like to be profiled. I was pleased he agreed. Just from our online conversation, I found him pleasant and affable and I hope I get the chance to meet him in person soon.

Mark studied theatre at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. His plays which are published by Scirocco Drama have been produced across Canada and internationally. Recent acting credits include Stage West Calgary, Arts Club, Blyth, Centaur (Montreal), Port Stanley, Factory Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick and Thousand Islands Playhouse.

I’m not going to tell you here whether or not Mark likes to be referred to as a playwright or actor or both. I’ll have you find out:

1. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine? Is your family doing well?

Thankfully, everyone in my family is healthy. I’d love to go see them, but we’re being good and hunkering down at home.

As for how I’ve been doing…turns out pandemics are a real roller coaster ride! Today, I’m feeling pretty good. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had moments where I stand in the middle of the kitchen, staring into space, saying to no one: “What is happening?!” At this point in the game, I don’t think there’s any point in pretending this isn’t weird and hard.

2. Were you involved in any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down? What has become of these projects?

Yes, I was performing a play called The Outsider at Stage West Calgary when everything ground to a halt. We were about halfway through our run, so it was disappointing to stop when we did.

As a playwright, I had some productions that came to a standstill. Theatre New Brunswick’s Young Company was on tour with my play for young audiences, Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures. Neptune Theatre’s Touring Company had just started rehearsals for that play as well. The University of Windsor was about to go into tech with Stag and Doe. I’m hopeful that some of these productions will see the light of day again.

In the past few weeks, I’ve experienced the next wave of postponements. The Birds and the Bees at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre has been put off till next year, Bed and Breakfast at the Charlottetown Festival is delayed as well, and I’m in the Toronto cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is also postponed till 2021.

So yeah. It definitely sucks. But there’s comfort in knowing that everyone in the business is in the same boat.

3. What has been the most challenging part of the isolation and quarantine for you?

The not knowing: not knowing how long this will last, not knowing when we’ll get back to work, and not knowing what life on the other side of this will look like.

Also, it’s been a challenge to not eat two weeks’ worth of groceries in four days.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

I’ve been going on a lot of walks, using my actor training to balance the stage picture and keep my distance. I’ve been doing lots of cooking, lots of baking, and now that the weather is nice, lots of work out in the yard. I’ve given myself some big garden projects to work on this year. It feels good to get my hands in the dirt.

I’m reading all of the Harry Potter novels. I read the first two when they were fairly new, but then I got too busy in university reading The Canterbury Tales and ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore. Anyway, I’m halfway through Order of the Phoenix and loving it.

After weeks of not feeling able to write, I’ve started work on a little radio/podcast play. It’s different than anything I’ve written so far. It’s fun because the form allows me to dream up stuff I wouldn’t write for the stage.

In a few weeks, I start teaching an online play writing class for teens through Theatre Orangeville. I’m really looking forward to that.

But let’s be honest: I’m spending a lot of time staring at my phone, watching TV, negotiating how much news to consume, developing a love/hate relationship with Zoom, and lying on my yoga mat not doing yoga.

5. What advice would you give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19?

Oh, jeez. I don’t know if I’m in a position to give anyone advice!

I’ll say this: if you thought you’d use this time to write your King Lear and it’s not happening, that’s OK. I saw a great tweet the other day that said, “It’s a global pandemic, not a writer’s retreat.” If you’re able to focus and create, more power to you. But if you sit down at the computer and nothing comes out, that is completely understandable.

Maybe instead of output, this is a time for input. Read some books, watch some movies, listen to music or podcasts, talk to your friends, fill up your tank. And by this, I don’t mean, “This is your chance to read the Riverside Shakespeare cover-to-cover,” I mean, “Absorb whatever you’re drawn to.” The finest actors and writers I know have wildly eclectic (and often pretty low brow) taste. Everything is grist for the mill.

6. Do you see any positives coming out of this pandemic?

Wouldn’t it be great if our society used this as a chance to look at some big stuff? It seems like the ideal time to address economic injustice, the minimum wage, a universal basic income, workers’ rights, health care, education funding, long term care, household debt, homelessness, poverty, climate change, I could go on and on…

On an individual level, I hope this experience makes us all a bit more compassionate, more patient, and more grateful for what we do have.

Who knows if any of that will happen? A boy can dream…

7. Do you believe or can you see if the Canadian performing arts scene will somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

There’s no doubt that it’s already been impacted.

Sadly, I don’t think all theatre companies will survive this. Not all plays that were programmed or in development will go forward. New work opportunities will decrease as theatres try to salvage contracts they had to terminate. Worst of all, I’m afraid some artists will have to make hard decisions about whether or not they can afford to stay in the business. I don’t mean to be a pessimist here, but I think we’re all realizing the next year or two will be tough.

One positive way to think about it, though, is in ecological terms. When something dies and breaks down in the forest, it creates an opportunity for new life to emerge. Maybe out of these hard times, we’ll see exciting new companies form, young actors burst onto the scene in creative ways, and over scheduled directors and designers come back to their craft with a fresh approach. I sure hope so.

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?

If you have the energy and the chutzpah to create something, I say go for it. I’ve been watching some stuff and it’s fun to see what folks are coming up with.

But for me, watching a play on YouTube or a reading on Zoom underlines the ways in which theatre is—at its very core—a live experience. The magic happens when artists and audience inhabit the same space, at the same time. Until that can happen again, I applaud any attempts to stay connected to an audience.

9. Mark Crawford is a playwright and an actor. Is there one he prefers over the other?

Nope! I love doing both. Acting and playwriting are challenging and rewarding in different ways, but they also inform each other. I find it funny when people want me to choose one or the other, as though wearing two hats is a newfangled fashion trend and not something people have been doing forever.

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?

Hope

2. What is your least favourite word?

Despair

3. What turns you on?

Wit

4. What turns you off?

Meanness

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Waves lapping on the shore

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Important announcements over a loudspeaker in which you can’t make out a damn word the person is saying.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

I’m a big fan of the curse phrase. For moments of personal frustration, a particularly evocative one I picked up in rehearsal a few years ago is, “Oh, fuck me with a rubber hose!”

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

Baker

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Banker

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

“You did good.”

To chat with Studio 180 Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director, Mark McGrinder, was a lesson in learning and watching someone who is humble, down to earth, articulate and passionate about where he sees live theatre moving forward once we all find ourselves emerging slowly from this world wide pandemic.

Mark’s biography from the Studio 180 website states he is a co-founder of the company. Mark is an actor, writer, and artist educator. As a member of Studio 180’s Core Artistic Team, he coordinates Studio 180’s IN DEVELOPMENT program and works as a Studio 180 IN CLASS workshop leader. For Studio 180, he has appeared as an actor in many productions, adapted and directed, Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, directed Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays and a reading of The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, and worked as Associate Director for Blackbird (Metcalf Foundation Internship), God of Carnage and our 10th Anniversary reading of The Laramie Project.

He has performed in several reviews with The Second City’s National touring company and was a member of the acting company at the Shaw Festival for five seasons. Mark’s directing credits include the issue-based comedy Power Play and a workshop production of the musical Parade at the Shaw Festival. He has been head- or co-writer on several collective creations (Single and Sexy, That Artz Show and The Berlin Show) and his play MacHamlet was presented as part of the Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival.

Mark was the one who suggested he and I have a hybrid conversation. He took the first five questions, answered them and sent them back to me AND I transcribed the answers to the final five questions. Mark made me feel very much at ease and, at one point, I think I told him I could sit and talk to him about everything and anything but I had to get back on track and the reason for this conversation.

Thanks again for your time, Mark:

It has been an exceptionally long eight months of the pandemic, the isolation, the social distancing and now it appears the numbers keep edging up and down every day. How are you feeling about all of this? Do you think we will ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion?

It’s strange. In so many ways the outlook is bleaker than it’s ever been, at least in terms of the prospects for live theatre, and yet I find everything much more liveable now. Maybe I’ve just found my groove or a sense of certainty in the uncertainty, but I think I’ve been able to normalize the day to day of it all. Perhaps that’s just becoming numb, but I prefer to think that it’s some form of adaptability.

I often hear people discussing whether we’ll ever get back to “normal” but normal is just what you’re used to. This, now, this moment we’re in is normal. It’s a new normal but it’s normal. Actors talk a lot about being “in the moment” so maybe I’m leaning into that. I can’t have every day be focused on hypotheticals or aspirational “what ifs”. I’ve stopped living for what might be and am settling into what is. I don’t see that as abandoning optimism. It’s more a conscious act of embracing the moment and living for what we have and can achieve in the here and now. It’s surprisingly freeing.

How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months?

I’m fortunate to have two young children who staunchly refuse to believe that theatre is dead or that there’s any sort of moratorium on live performance, so that’s heartening. There’s an opening night in our living room virtually every night, even if it’s just for an audience of two. It’s been tough otherwise and the return to school was fraught with anxiety but since they’ve been back it’s made a huge difference in our collective mental health and well being.

We’re a pretty tight unit and, despite the anticipated challenges of being cooped up in a finite space we were doing pretty well but I don’t think we realized how much they missed their friends and we missed the space to focus on each other and our work. There’s a lot more movie nights than there were a year ago and it’s daunting to imagine the winter ahead but so far, we are getting by just fine.

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

I just really miss the intimacy of working in person, of feeding off each other’s energy. Whether it’s in a rehearsal hall or a workshop we might be doing with high school students, I miss being able to feel the room. It’s such an intangible thing and something I admittedly take for granted. Or used to. It only takes its absence to be felt deeply.

Theatre is such a live, embodied art form. It’s about proximity and spontaneity and presence and, no matter how hard we endeavour to replicate or approximate it with online rehearsals or performances, it will always feel a bit bereft of something. Of magic. I’m not usually one to embrace that sort of vocabulary but that’s what it is. It’s finite and fleeting and it’s at the heart of what we do.

Were you in preparation, rehearsals or any planning stages of productions before we fell into the pandemic? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?

There was a lot on the go, both for Studio 180 and for me personally. One of the few bright spots in all of this was the fact that we were actually able to complete our run of Sweat in the winter before everything shut down. That was such an extraordinary group, and it would have been heartbreaking for them to have had their run interrupted or to have been denied the experience of sharing that work with an audience.

Unfortunately, we were just about to begin rehearsals for Indecent, the second show of our season, that was cut short literally days before it was about to start. We invested a lot of time, energy and financial resources into that show so the hope is that it will see the light of day but it’s a big, ambitious piece, the likes of which will be hard to contemplate when we eventually ease back into live performance. Still, I can’t imagine a piece that better exemplifies theatre’s capacity to create an intimate, communal experience. It’s very much about our primal need to tell stories and endeavouring to find some essence of truth in those tales. I really do hope that we can share it with Toronto audiences in the not too distant future.

On the personal front I was about to head off to Montreal to be in a production of Oslo at The Segal Centre. I was really relishing the notion of being a part of another production of a play I knew so well through our own Studio 180 production. It’s a pretty rare gift to get a second chance at anything and I haven’t worked in Montreal for years, so I was really disappointed when that fell through. As with so many other projects there’s a sense that, once things get back on track, we’ll have an opportunity to do the piece, but I don’t anticipate that happening any time soon.

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

Surprisingly, I’m extraordinarily busy right now, which I recognize is a privilege not afforded to everyone in my field. We have really front loaded the work of our season and are creating digital presentations that enable us to connect with audiences and artists alike. My work over the last little while has been to put all the pieces together, and now we’re in the midst of doing the work which is always the most rewarding part.

So much of our time has really been spent trying to figure out how to not only get by in the current climate but to also figure out how we can create practices and infrastructure that can become a vital part of our work when we return to live performance. So much of what Studio 180 does is about the conversations the work instigates and I’m so grateful that; even in the absence of being able to share a common physical space, we’re finding ways to connect.

And grants. Lots of grants. There are so many foundations and funders that have created programs to support arts organizations, which is extraordinary, but there is a lot of writing involved in courting that support. What’s terrific about that though is that it really forces you to articulate a vision and can help focus your planning for an uncertain future.

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 for at least 1 ½ to 2 years?

I don’t know if I consider myself one capable of giving sage advice, but my chief offering would be to be kind to yourself. It’s an occupational hazard of being an artist that a massive amount of your time is not spent being an artist. It’s the work and trying to find the time to share the art.

A lot of the time when you’re not working people can feel I’m not an artist. I think we just really need to be generous with ourselves and we need to say no. Just because I’m not in a play doesn’t mean that I’m not an actor. It’s incumbent on everyone to embrace opportunities to feed your artist self. Maybe your doing ‘The Artist Way’, maybe you’re just reading plays, maybe you’re just exposing yourself to art or contemplating art or finding ways to fill the tank. Maybe you’re memorizing monologues that you’ll never use but you’re keeping the engine going.

In good times, I’m still only working a few months a year as an actor. The possibility of performing keeps you going and makes it easier to say, “I’m an artist and I’m pursuing that work.” When there’s so little of the work, that becomes harder, that optimism and that belief in yourself as an artist.

Just because the work isn’t there doesn’t mean you’re not an artist. Be an artist. Believe in yourself as an artist. Maybe this is a flipside and perhaps a contradiction: It’s also okay not to be an artist. Let yourself be in the moment. Especially out of the gate when the pandemic hit, we all panicked, we had to reinvent ourselves, we gotta do this, we gotta keep doing the work. I’m devoid of meaning if I’m not sharing or writing. I think it took awhile but we did arrive at the point where we can contemplate our lives outside the treadmill of the busy, busy of trying to be an artist.

So believe you’re an artist, embrace that you’re an artist but at times it’s okay if you don’t do any of that for awhile but instead just ‘be’ in the moment. If you have to work at the LCBO on the weekends, don’t feel as if you are giving up on your dreams as you have to do that NOW in order to get to where you want to go.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

A few things coming out of it – sort of counter intuitively it’s been a time of re-connection especially for families and for me. This Zoom platform has been a joy and the bane of my existence since we’re all getting Zoomed out. I can talk and connect with people all over and Zoom allows us to normalize this weird interaction.

In terms of the doing the art, we’ve already had the opportunity to collaborate with artists in Toronto, working with people in Winnipeg and on the east coast. Zoom has opened up a lot of possibilities to work with so that’s been positive. It also means that our work can be enjoyed by people who are not here in Toronto area. The lack of live theatre has created a real recognition of how much we are missing that. I feel people are recognizing how special that is. When the opportunity does come, and I know it will be slow and people will be cautious, I think there will be a hunger for that authentic in person experience. I’m hoping that becomes a positive effect as we return.

Theatre has been a dying art for so long, (Mark laughs, as he is kidding) but it seems to always find its way back. It’s an act of communion and people need that. That’s why they go to church, to the synagogue, it’s our temple and we are going to gather again. I’m excited about that.

The other thing I hope for is that people will recognize the value of art in times like this. The numbers on Netflix and other platforms must be astonishing and that’s how people are getting through by watching films, reading books, listening to music. I’m not sure if people make the connection such as “Oh, wow, the arts are really important. They help us survive and feed our soul.” The arts is a vital piece of our society, even though it’s always an uphill battle.

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

I think it’s going to be significant. The effects will be seismic and will ripple for years, and the landscape will have changed. In some ways, it will be devastating as some companies will not come back after this. Non venued companies like Studio 180 are particularly vulnerable. We’ve been really fortunate to have so many great partners and so many venued partners, and that makes it easier to keep going.

The inverse and converse of all this is the teaching of a real resilience and a pull up the boot straps and a Mickey and Judy ‘put on a show’ to make something happen. For the young people coming out of the theatre schools, there’s a real resilience coming out of all this, a sense of purpose and wanting to continue the work. I think there’s a lot of innovation coming out of it. There are a lot of companies like us who are hesitant to dive fully into the digital realm, but then realizing it’s an authentic form of connection. For us, and a lot of other companies, it’s easy to be precious and sacred about the live space, but we’re already learning there are ways to supplement that live experience with online experiences.

When we come back and when we’re in theatres, we’ll see a lot more integration of online technology. I would love to see emerging out of this a movement in Toronto and Canadian theatres in general to accommodate real archiving of our work. That’s not something we have outside the Stratford Festival productions. Those are epic and cost a lot. You can go to New York and go to the library and watch a really high-quality video of an off-Broadway production that was done 10 years ago with close ups and angles.

Just because of economic realities and union rules, the only recording that can take place of one of our productions is a still camera at the back of our house. It is that. It’s a resource for understudies and stage managers, remounts and a lot of us are thinking maybe we can get permission to show our archives and that would be something people can enjoy while we wait six or eight weeks until we’re back on stage. But when we watched them, we saw how terrible it was.

We’re trying to figure out ways how to improve. We’re doing recordings on Zoom, try to get a few people in a large space and work with the regulations and create some videos together in the space.

Now more than ever I’m realizing how little capacity we have to archive the incredible work we do. If we have what they have in New York and London’s West End to archive clear and precise encapsulations of that moment and time, I would love to see a movement of that sort come out of this so our work can be captured, remembered and enjoyed going forward.

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?

Well, there are two different realms there. You Tube is one thing. My daughters do fake You Tube videos. They don’t have a You Tube channel. For some, You Tube becomes an encounter with the banalities of life. I’m certainly not interested in a You Tube personality. That maybe something for some people as it is a cultural currency right now. All the power to you if can exploit that medium.

That said, Studio 180 is sharing video and recordings of work we’re doing via You Tube/Vimeo and those platforms are good as they help to get the work out. Something important to us is that people are getting paid for the work.

It gets complicated because a portion of the work is Canadian Actors Equity Association work. As soon as you record and share it, it then comes under the jurisdiction of ACTRA (Association of Canadian Film and Television) union. That relationship has evolved and the rules on how you can disseminate the work have evolved. It’s been a real dance and a lot of paperwork balancing to make sure that the right channels are being followed and that people are being compensated properly.

I’m really grateful we’ve been able to embrace the platforms and create work that we are paying artists for. One of the things that has come up is the thanks for the opportunity to work which goes back to what I was saying earlier in our interview about feeling like an artist. I don’t mean to be cynical and having a You Tube channel and you’re not getting paid but you’re trying to make the most of that and get paid somehow. That’s no different than putting on a Fringe show. You’re not in the union and not working at Tarragon but you’re creating and getting out there and being entrepreneurial and seizing the opportunities out there.

Know the value of your work and don’t be taken advantage of in any form of streaming. There will be times when you’re doing it for free. But, if you’re going to engage in it, do it responsibly and make sure artists are compensated properly and embrace it and take advantage of it.

Artists, value yourselves and do whatever possible to be compensated for the work.

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

I think it’s coming back to that notion of ‘aliveness’, of community. Theatre is something that you experience with other people. Covid has taken that away from us for the moment, but it has not killed the recognition or the desire for that and the hunger for it.

In our current climate and limitations, the two things that keep me wanting to do the work is the desire to tell stories. I see my own kids always wanting to write plays. They are constantly focused on narrative (which can be a dirty word in theatre). But my kids, artists want to tell a story and put a point across. If that story has a deeper lesson or meaning, that’s great.

It’s where we all start as kids playing, acting and telling stories. There’s joy in that. Maybe we can’t gather in a physical space, but we can still find joy in telling stories. I think it’s terrific to see the breadth of stories that are being told and that people are pursuing. I’m excited to be a part of that. Even though we can’t gather in a space, we can still create dialogue, meaning and I think we get cynical about youth and their connection to the theatre.

For some reason, theatre has become a stodgy old person event and form. I’m sure that’s true to a large degree, but Studio 180 is involved in a programme where it focuses on kids in high school and our work. It’s been challenging but also so rewarding on how hungry the kids are for connection to art and engagement around stories and ideas. Teachers are struggling to feed that in this digital platform. To be a part of helping in some small way to make those connections and to allow people to follow their creative impulses and tell stories is really special and heartening.

Drama saves lives in high school. So many kids are at a critical point in their lives right now and a connection to drama could be a make or break moment. That’s scary but the fact the kids still have an appetite for this connection is riveting and special.

For me, once again, Covid will not destroy that desire to connect and to participate is undervalued for audiences. Engaging in theatre is less passive than we think. It demands of you things that you can’t do when you watch television. It’s exciting on some small level to create those opportunities.

To learn more about Studio 180: http://studio180theatre.com; Facebook: Studio 180 Theatre; Twitter: @studio180.

To follow Mark on Twitter: @McGlinter

Marshall Pynkoski and I shared a good laugh later when we were able to communicate via Zoom.

I had logged on earlier to be ready for our meeting. Because I had forgotten to re-start my computer after loading updates, we spent a few minutes trying to ensure our microphones were working. Completely my error on all accounts, but Marshall was so gracious and kind that he put me at ease immediately and we continued forward.

From Opera Atelier’s website: “Mr. Pynkoski has collaborated with many of the finest artists in the world of early music and his productions of opera and ballet have toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1985, he founded Opera Atelier with his partner and co-Artistic Director Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg and he has since directed a wide range of period productions of Baroque and early Classical opera and ballet in close collaboration with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

He is a recipient of numerous awards including the Toronto Arts Award, the Ruby Award for outstanding contribution to opera in Canada, and the TIME Magazine award for Classical music. He has been named Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France.”

Thank you so much for your time, Marshall:

As we now approach Year 3 of this worldwide pandemic, as Artistic Director of Opera Atelier, how has the company been able to weather the winds of this tumultuous time and move forward?

We did something called ‘Together Apart’ to begin with and had a tremendous response. And then we did ‘Together Apart Part 2’. Again, a wonderful response.

It then occurred to us there was a new Canadian composition we had begun in, I think it was, 2018 at Versailles, and this was with Edwin Huizinga who was writing new music for period instruments as part of a staged concert that we gave in the Royal Chapel. It had been so successful that we were asked to return the next year and expand it.

We had continued expanding it and we suddenly thought well maybe this is the answer – maybe we look at expanding what was first called ‘The Eye and Eye’s Delight’ with what we finished calling ‘Angel’. Maybe we continue expanding this and create something made for film rather than an apology taking something that was meant to be for the stage and filming it.

Do you know that It turned into the most wonderful experience for all of us, for all of the artists involved. It was all of our dancers, many of our favourite singers, Tafelmusik Baroque orchestra. We were working with the poetry of Milton but also poetry by Rilke. We had commissioned a wonderful English translation of that poetry. We put together a piece that was about 70 minutes long. It has already won a number of awards at film festivals. I just heard it was just accepted into the Austrian Film Circle as the Critics’ Select.
I’m very proud to say that money that came to us through the government. The government has been very generous to arts companies. They did everything they can to maintain our funding and to help us. It was made very clear that if we felt we couldn’t produce it wouldn’t be held against any company. Everyone decided to wait until this pandemic is over.

I’m very proud to say we spent every penny on producing, on composition. We spent it on singers, on dancers, on filmmakers. Consequently, we’ve learned a great deal, we’ve grown a great deal and we’ve maintained a sort of different contact with our audience in what we would ever have imagined possible.
That being said we’re thrilled to be going back into the theatre and even then, we’ve never hedged our bets. We’ve never been a company like that. I was very proud of the fact we were one of the last companies standing and saying, “We are opening in February!” The moment you say that, all the contracts kick in. If we had been shut down again, we would have still been paying the full contract to all the singers, all the dancers, a cancellation fee to Koerner Hall, all of those things.

Our Board of Directors were very fortunately behind us. We took a deep breath and said, “We’re in. We’re opening.”

And here we are, and God help us I don’t think there’s going to be another shutdown. We’ll be in Koerner Hall and it will be our much belated debut fully staged. This is something we would never have dreamed of producing otherwise. We’re calling it our valentine to Toronto entitled ‘All is Love’ and just hoping that people will feel comfortable enough that they will fill up the 50% capacity allowed to us and to celebrate together.

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

Personally, I’ve been doing extremely well. I don’t want to sound flippant, but I don’t like fear. I don’t like people trying to control me with fear.

I do feel the media has done a wonderful job of terrifying everyone. Again, that doesn’t mean I don’t take this seriously because I do take it seriously. But I don’t need the media to frighten me. I’ve lot lots of things to be afraid and I can provide that for myself.

My concern is that we have been surrounded by a media and by individuals who cultivate fear and that I object to. Why would we cultivate that fear? We should be cultivating courage. We should be cultivating tenacity. We should be cultivating our imaginations and finding how we can make this into something that is positive and be able to look at in in a realistic way.

Again, I am being realistic. I have all of my vaccinations. Jeannette has all of her vaccinations. We spent $125K on tests for our artists in order to be able to film ‘Angel’. For our company our size, $125K is gigantic. So, we’re taking it all seriously.

But I also insist that we must recognize life has to go on. We have to create. Artists need to create. Meashha (Brueggergosman, Opera Atelier Artist in Residence) says, “We are the first responders.” We’re the people who are out there giving people hope and solace. This is the moment we can really shine and show who we are. It would be good for us and good for everyone.

Other than the fact we’ve had to plow and push through a certain degree of negativity and fear on occasion, I would say it’s been a very positive experience that has forced us to re-examine our values and the things we think are important. It’s created a degree of solidarity in the theatre community that I know, and it can only end up being something that we have all benefitted from.

When we’re dealing with singers, dancers, musicians, we’re dealing with young people who don’t remember other serious threats that the world has faced. I’m dealing with singers and dancers who never lived through AIDS. You want to talk about a pandemic at that time? I would need four hands to count the people whom I loved were lost. There have been huge issues.

We get back. We bounce back just like people did after AIDS, after the First and Second World Wars, after the Spanish Flu, after SARS, after diphtheria. C’mon, this is unfair and counterproductive.

Although I personally have no background or training in the study of opera and ballet, I’ve quite enjoyed watching Opera Atelier productions live before the shutdown. I’ve also enjoyed watching productions online.

I’m receiving the impression you believe it’s important to ensure this exquisite art form gets to be seen by as many as possible. Why do you believe this is an important goal to achieve?

I think it’s important because exposure to the arts that are built on such a groundwork of positivity. It benefits people emotionally, it benefits people spiritually and eventually has an impact physically as well.
The arts should have an important place in our lives to make us completely full, well-rounded human beings.

We are dying of a surfeit of a specialization in this world, in North America and Europe in particular. If you’re not specializing, then you’re considered a dilettante. The moment you’re considered a dilettante, you are discarded. It is and consequently we have people who are fiercely intelligent about one small area of knowledge and yet will know nothing about opera, nothing about ballet, nothing about music, nothing about literature.

We have to broaden our life experience. We all have to so we can be more well-rounded human beings and then maybe, when something like this pandemic comes up, we will be better equipped to deal with it spiritually and intellectually in every way.

I’m tired of hearing people trying to justify the arts by saying, “Oh, if you take music your Math marks may improve.” Well, that may be true, but that’s not what I’m interested in. I don’t need to justify music because that’s going to help you have better marks in the Math class. The Arts do not require that justification anymore than eating the best food and exercise require justification.

We know these things are good for us, and the responsibility to bring them into our lives or with artists to make sure to make them accessible so we bring them to people’s lives. If people have not had the opportunity to be exposed to them because of this specialization that I speak of, then we try to rectify that by making the Arts more accessible. I don’t mean by dumbing them down. I mean by not costing as much, finding ways to get them to people for free, finding ways to meet as broad a demographic as possible.
There are many people who don’t attend the theatre because they are intimidated by it. There’s this idea of a certain exclusivity and won’t be able to understand. I think that film allows us to jump past that and just say, “In the comfort of your own home, put up your feet. Pour yourself a drink, have a cigarette, whatever you need to make yourself comfortable, sit back and watch an artistic presentation.”

If it bores you, put it on Pause.

There’s something wonderful about the Arts and I’d like to think it becomes a catalyst to walk into the theatre, sit down and see what this is like live. If it can have a powerful impact on screen, what’s the impact it can have on a real-life situation? Something even more powerful.

I thought how appropriate Atelier is returning live to the stage (hopefully with fingers crossed) with ‘All is Love’ on the Valentine’s Day weekend.

In the press release there is reference to the character of Love, so obviously this emotion permeates the production. Along with ‘love’ what other messages do you hope audiences will take away after seeing the production?

I want audiences to leave the theatre feeling they have had a cathartic experience.

I take for granted that people will be nervous stepping into the theatre, why wouldn’t they be after all this time that we haven’t been in a large crowd? Even though there is only a 50% capacity with space between everyone, I still think it requires an act of courage for people for the first time to step out and go and do that.

I hope people come away feeling more alive. I hope people come away remembering what they felt before so much was taken away from us. It’s amazing how complacent we’ve become and convinced to live differently or in ways that are not good for us where we start to feel comfortable in ways that should make us feel uncomfortable. We start to become uncomfortable with real life contact, a real physical contact, a face-to-face meeting.

All of the inconveniences that are an integral part of being human – This is too easy. You could be wearing your pajama bottoms for all I know, Joseph, during our conversation.

We have to get back to living and all the grit of living and making our way to the theatre and sitting down and put on reading glasses to read the program.

We have to get back to something that takes us off the screen. I’m glad it does exist for some things, but we have to get off the screen and get in each other’s faces again.

Tell me about the genesis of ‘All is Love’ and its progress to the stage.

‘All is Love’ includes much of the repertoire that we explored on film, but again we’re accepting the fact that in a real-life situation it becomes a completely different repertoire, and it would be experienced differently. But we have also added additional pieces as part of that, pieces dealing specifically with Love.
We’ve moved into 19th century French art song for the first time that will be completely staged. So, you will hear Debussy and Reynaldo Hahn on period instruments, the instruments that it was written for.

Act 1 Peleas, something I’ve always dreamed of for thirty years, we are actually going to be doing. It’s so, so exciting.

We’re also moving into some brand-new repertoire that still has a very, very close link to 17th century French music. When I hear Debussy’s music, I hear Rameau, I hear Lully. When I listen to Reynaldo Hahn, I hear Charpentier. That’s what these giants were steeped in, and we forget that. We always look to where they were going, and we forget what was their grounding.

To have an orchestra that is immersed in French baroque music interpret Reynaldo Hahn and Debussy, I think we’re going to hear something absolutely a unique and legitimate perspective rather than trying simply to create something to amuse people or keep them coming to the theatre for whatever reason. We want to tell these stories succinctly and clearly; we want to be coherent not incoherent.

A coherent storytelling that people can follow because God knows Peleas is a difficult story anyway.
It’s such a pleasure to work on this repertoire and to have Meashha with us. The opening song she sings which was something created for her, that’s where the title of this show comes from and it’s perfect for the Valentine Season and to share with someone whom you love.

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:

Who would you say was the biggest influence on your life in your pursuit of your vocation as a professional artist? What would you say to this influence right now?

The biggest influence was George Balanchine, the greatest choreographer in history and the founder of New York City Ballet. Jeanette and I make a trip, a pilgrimage to New York City on a yearly basis, to see those dancers dance that repertoire.

If I saw Balanchine I would drop to my knees and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’ve changed how we listen to music. You changed how we experience music. Dancers literally changing how I hear Stravinsky. Thank you.”

If you could say something to the entire company of ‘All is Love’ what would it be?

“Remember all the reasons you chose your career. Bring all those things back together for this moment and let them crystallize in this performance for our audience.”

If you could say something to the audiences of ‘All is Love’, what would it be?

“Let yourself be carried away. Try to let any barriers or concerns that you have down. I want you to feel as those you are being in a dream. You’re in a safe place, and we’re giving you something that is like a wonderful, safe drug. I want you to wake up at the end and feel more human.”

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

(Marshall had a good laugh) “Yes”.

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

Impossible

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

(Another good laugh from Marshall) The current state of the Canadian arts scene…Ah, that’s a loaded question. There are so many possibilities. I would still go to the creator I admire most.

I would go to George Balanchine.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Canadian arts scene, it’s the ARTS SCENE that is happening universally and George never lost sight of the big picture. When he introduced Stravinsky to New York and was choreographing Stravinsky, there was a wonderful anecdote where someone said, “George, look at the people who are leaving.” And it was Balanchine who said:

“Look at the people who are staying.”

This says everything.

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

I’d say, “Maintain your focus. Try not to allow yourself to be distracted by anxiety about where your career is taking you. Provided you are absolutely doing your very best, and you know you’re doing your best, it will take you in the direction you need to go.”

This advice would have saved me enormous anxiety if I would have just believed that I had direction.
But direction doesn’t mean a straight line, and this is what young people don’t understand. You can be following direction and be taking the most circuitous route. I look now and it makes total sense that I am where I am.

At 18 or 19, this would have made no sense at all.

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

Well, I’d probably say what I say to all artists: “The most important thing you can do is to create. You have to be able to follow your discipline. It doesn’t matter who the audience is or how much of an audience you have.

You have to follow your discipline whether you’re doing it for yourself, in a studio, working with other artists or only for a few invited friends – you have to keep pursuing that goal so that it takes on a life of its own and can grow organically, not to force it and not be frightened of it. Simply devote yourself to excellence and let it take you where it’s going.”

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

I don’t make a big distinction between my personal and professional life. As Co-Artistic Directors, I would say Jeanette and I both hope that we’ll have the opportunity to explore more French baroque repertoire in the future – 17th and 18th century repertoire both with some of the major operas of Charpentier, Rameau and Lully plus we want to come back to those enormous productions that we were producing ten years ago and have been unable to visit.

We’d like to come back to these operas of ten years ago with many of the same artists who will have grown as artists and re-examine it and re-examine it as well as move into new repertoire.

And of course, the early 19th century repertoire like Debussy.

There’s no question of retiring; there’s no question of what will I do when I’m no longer doing this. If I’m no longer doing this, I will be dead. This is what I do because this is who I am. It’s not something I’m doing to fill up my time until something else happens.

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

I would say our performance immediately after the terrorist attack in Paris. That was an extraordinary event.

Most theatres shut down entirely after that attack in, I think, 2016/17.

We had just arrived in Versailles with all of our Tafelmusik, all of our singers and dancers, about 80 people. We had enormous pressure to come home and not perform and that it was too dangerous.

We decided that we were going to stay, and it was absolutely unanimous. The Royal Opera House re-opened, and we re-opened the Royal Opera House just days after the terrorist attack. They insisted they would not be terrorized by terror, and we opened with Lully’s ‘Armide’, a story of the Muslim warrior princess and the Christian knight and their affair and attempt to find some way to live with each other and live out their destinies.

It was the most extraordinary event when the curtain went up and there was that gigantic Persian writing on stage. There was a gasp from the audience as they couldn’t believe it. It was as if we had planned this particular event.

For all of us, it was one of the most moving experiences of our lives. The army was backstage in the hallways with submachine guns. All of Versailles was an armed camp, and there we were packed house of Parisians and people from Versailles.

To learn more about Opera Atelier, visit their web page: www.operaatelier.com. You can also visit their Facebook page: @OperaAtelier; Twitter: @OperaAtelier.

I’ve had a few conversations with Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg over the years. They are a warm and personable couple who enjoy chatting with theatre lovers, particularly those who appreciate attending the opera and ballet.

Respect is the first thing that comes to mind whenever I speak with them.

Marshall and Jeannette command respect. Additionally, their respect for others and of others professionally can be seen in their love for the fine theatrical art forms of opera and ballet. They also show respect for the audiences who have been loyal to Opera Atelier.

2025 marks a celebratory milestone – forty years.

How are they both feeling about their selfless work with the company?

In a recent email interview, Marshall and Jeannette expressed their overwhelming gratitude for the passion the Opera Atelier community has shown for the company. The years have raced by. Atelier has defined their lives. It is the creative process that gives their lives meaning. The eternal values of truth, beauty, and goodness are not figments of their imagination. These values exist, and Marshall and Jeannette, as artists, are designed to seek them.

The past five years have not always fostered the growth of the artist, nor of opera and ballet, however.

The world we know has changed from Covid, budget concerns and a constantly shifting political landscape. These hard facts have presented Atelier with challenges that could have been insurmountable. Nevertheless, the company’s vision and reality remain constant. By that, Marshall and Jeannette don’t mean their vision is rigid or codified:

“Adhering to the principles that ground our creative process and lives ensure that we have a base that encourages fluidity, change and a constant reassessing of our creative process and a constant re-assessing of [the company’s] mandate.”

As the two of them look at the list of productions Atelier has produced and their international touring schedule over the past four decades, it has little sense of reality. All the component parts are part of a much bigger picture that makes up the very fabric of their lives. Going forward, they say:

“Our belief in the importance of Opera Atelier’s repertoire and the unwavering commitment of our artists carries us through these challenges and ensures that we never lose sight of the ultimate goal – the reaching and striving for excellence and the commitment to productions that remain coherent and life-affirming.”

From April 9 – 13, 2025, Opera Atelier presents Marc Antoine Charpentier’s opera ‘David and Jonathas.’ In Charpentier’s hands, the opera becomes an extraordinary love story—in fact, a love triangle, with the complicated relationships between Saül and his son Jonathas and the extraordinary events that thrust the young shepherd, David, into their lives.

Marshall does not want the audience to forget that a love story does not necessarily romance. It is the ambiguity of the love shared by the three protagonists that make ‘David et Jonathas,’ in Marshall’s mind, a masterpiece of psychological tension. In fact, it is Saul’s love/hate obsession with David that drives the action of the opera, beginning with the Prologue in which Saül compromises his very soul by turning to the Pythonisse in an effort to foresee the future.

Marshall says that it is to OA’s great advantage that Charpentier emerges as a consummate man of the theatre who understands that his job is both to inform and entertain. Charpentier masterfully realizes both responsibilities as he integrates the chorus and dancers as an integral part of the action.

As a retired teacher myself, I wondered if Atelier encourages secondary school students to attend the opera, especially in a twenty-first-century world of gadgets and the internet.

Jeannette and Marshall speak about the Making of an Opera program through the company, which continues to provide students with free arts education led by a diverse group of artists who have learned how to navigate the performing arts scene in Canada – opening doors of opportunity that would otherwise remain closed to underserved young people. Through hands-on workshops, masterclasses, and tickets to mainstage Opera Atelier productions of opera and ballet – all offered free of charge – Opera Atelier is committed to making a real and measurable difference in the lives of young people.

Opera Atelier offers its bi-annual weeks of MOAO Workshops to Toronto area schools and presents a series of in-school workshops directly to students in Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs). This season, the company expands its workshops to serve Hamilton and the Halton Region at Theatre Aquarius.

Additionally, Atelier offers ongoing arts opportunities and performance tickets to first-generation Canadians, ensuring they are reaching young and new audiences across a broad spectrum of Toronto with more than 1,000 free tickets offered annually.

What is 25/26’s theme for Opera Atelier?

It will be a Season of Magic.

The season begins this Fall when the company presents the best-loved production of its entire repertoire Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute.’ This life-affirming masterpiece seamlessly combines comedy with the profound belief that music has the power to give meaning and purpose to the lives of children, young people and adults alike.

When Opera Atelier’s production of The Magic Flute premiered in 1991, it broke new ground as the first-period production in North America, propelling the company into the international spotlight.

The second offering of the 25/26 season promises to do the same. After decades of planning, Atelier will unveil its production of Debussy’s dream-like masterpiece, ‘Pelléas et Mélisande.’

Both ‘The Magic Flute’ and ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’ represent pivotal moments in Opera Atelier’s continued journey as they reshape the concept of period performance.

Audiences have always stood by Atelier. The company asks its audiences to do so again in going forward.
In concluding our online conversation, Marshall and Jeannette avow that the well-being of Opera Atelier and the creation of new repertoire take up the majority of their time. That being said, their relationship with Château de Versailles Spectacles and the Royal Opera House in Versailles is one of the most fulfilling aspects of their creative lives.

Thanks to the generosity and the vision of Château de Versailles Spectacles Director Laurent Brunner, they have the opportunity to produce in the most beautiful theatre in the world yearly and in an environment in which they have no responsibilities regarding fundraising or ticket sales.

Artists are also dreamers, always looking to the positivity of the future. Marshall concluded our conversation with the following statement:

“The opportunity to focus exclusively on the creation of new repertoire is a luxury we could never have dreamed of when Opera Atelier first began.”

I look forward to saying hello to Marshall and Jeannette again very soon.

To learn more about Opera Atelier, please visit www.operaatelier.com.

Since I’ve started the profile series, I’ve heard Martin Julien’s name or have noticed he may have responded to some Facebook comments these last few years.

He has been a professional Canadian actor since the age of ten. Over time, he has also become a playwright, theatre deviser, lecturer, and scholar. Martin has been nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards as Best Performer and was also highlighted as Toronto’s top-rated theatre artist of the year by NOW Magazine in 1995. He holds a Ph.D. from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies in the University of Toronto, where he was an SSHRC Doctoral Fellow (2015-2017). Martin was the senior editor of Theatre Passe Muraille: A Collective History, Playwrights Canada Press (2019), and his play ‘The Unanswered Question’ premiered at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre in Artistic Director Peter Hinton-Davis’s inaugural season (2007). Recent acting credits include ‘Under the Stairs’ by Reza Jacobs and Kevin Dyer, YPT (2019), and playing the titular role in ‘Sir John A: A Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion’ by Drew Hayden Taylor, NAC (2017).

Martin’s newest show ‘The Man that Got Away’ opens this week at the Buddies in Bad Times theatre. He took a few moments to answer questions via email.

Thank you so much for taking the time, Martin. I’m looking forward to seeing the show this week:

1. Where did you complete your artist training?

As an actor, at TMU in the mid-eighties. Before it was a university. When it was the Ryerson Theatre School. The director of my play, Peter Hinton-Davis, was in my class. As a performance scholar, I hold a PhD from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies in the University of Toronto.

2. The twenty-first-century world of the professional artist has changed on account of the worldwide pandemic. What advice would you give to a young person who is/will or might consider a future career as a performing artist?

As a veteran freelance player and deviser of theatre, I am far more interested in what advice such a young person might give to me! Those born since 2000 have the grand task of re-inventing a responsive ethics and practice for professional artists as we move on. We have two wonderful performers in their twenties – Ben Page and Tat Austrie – rounding out our cast of three, and they are my teachers.

3. Given the last three years of the worldwide pandemic, as a professional artist how are you feeling about the state of the live entertainment scene going forward? In your professional opinion, where do you see the world of live entertainment/live artist/theatre headed within the next proverbial five years?

We must dedicate ourselves to clarifying new active relationships between creative practice, economics, and fairness. There seems no longer the funding for producing companies to invest in necessary rehearsal time and fair wages, while simultaneously there are important issues regarding artists’ health and scheduling which are being recognized. Where do time, money, and justice come together? The days of ‘the show must go on’ no matter what are over.

4. Personally, how are you feeling at this moment regarding the effects of the worldwide pandemic?

I am also an educator of acting and theatre practice for young adults, and my personal feelings tilt towards both admiration and concern for this cohort of people. Crucial years of collaboration and collegiality have been lost, at a pivotal time of life for those just coming ‘into their own’. We must find ways to recover solidarity and trust in order to keep creating collective art.

5. Tell me more about ‘The Man That Got Away’ coming up at Buddies. What was its genesis?

The play is based in my own personal history of growing up through the 1960s to 1980s in a loving and complicated family of my lesbian mother, my gay father, and me. It is a multi-faceted play that celebrates and critiques underexamined notions of queer identity through a unique personal lens, from the days of pre-Stonewall repression to ‘Gay Liberation’ to the AIDS epidemic. I sense that much of the ramifications of this collective journey are in danger of being ‘lost’, or simplified, in politics, art, and memory. It also celebrates and subverts my deep love of showtunes!

a) Why do you believe it’s important for audiences to see ‘The Man That Got Away’ at this time?
As a person in present-day society, I am appalled that the popular discourse continually insinuates that Covid-19 is the first epidemic to sweep North America since the influenza of 1919. Over the years between 1987 and 1992, in Canada alone, nearly 6,000 deaths have been attributed to HIV/AIDS. The vast majority of these deaths were gay men – often cared for by lesbian volunteers – who were often unrecognized and condemned by politics, religion, media, and the medical establishment. I fear this history of struggle and advocacy is being lost.
At a time when trans and queer rights are both emerging and attacked in our civil dialogue, I feel it important to create public art that confirms and liberates the historical advocacy of LGBTQ2S+ rights and the beauty and breadth of queer culture.

b) I thought I recognized the title of your show from a song title. I’ll be honest that I had to do a quick YouTube search to realize that the song was sung by Judy Garland in her 1954 film ‘A Star is Born’ opposite actor James Mason. It has been years since I’ve seen this film so it’s on my list to watch again.
i) Am I reading too much into this or is the connection one that you are hoping audiences will make to your upcoming show?
ii) From what I know about the life of Judy Garland, she was a tortured soul who battled many demons. Will your show focus also on demons/struggles/challenges you have faced in your life personally and professionally?

Some audience members – Friends of Dorothy – will make the connection, and others will be learning something new about the depth and meaning of mid-twentieth century and mostly closeted and coded ‘gay culture’, and its relationship to Judy Garland. These ideas certainly have personal relevance to my family’s life growing up and are explored through the arts of theatre and performance in my show. I do not see Garland as a ‘tortured soul’ but perhaps, rather, a genius performer who was overused and abused by the ‘show biz’ industry. But also, her spirit was very good medicine for people such as my father Leo, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1988 at Casey House hospice.

6. What’s next for Martin Julien once ‘The Man That Got Away’ completes its run at Buddies?

A rest from the four years it has taken to create this play and production! That said, I am participating in a workshop for a new musical in early January, then returning to teaching music theatre performance at Sheridan College through the spring.

‘The Man that Got Away’ previews December 6 and 7. It opens on December 8 and runs until December 18. All performances will be held at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto. For tickets, call the Box Office (416) 975-8555 or visit buddiesinbadtimes.com for further information and/or to purchase tickets online.

I had heard about Montreal’s Tableau D’Hote Theatre, but I was never able to combine seeing a production while I was in the city. When I saw that a colleague had connections to Tableau D’Hote, I thought I’d take a chance to introduce myself electronically and see if they would be interested in being interviewed for this series.

When Co-founder, Artistic and Executive Director, Mathieu Murphy-Perron got in touch with me and said he was very interested in an interview, I jumped at the opportunity to get in touch with him. You’ll see from some of Mathieu’s responses that Tableau D’Hote takes on projects that are highly artistic indeed with some world premieres that have me intrigued.

Mathieu co-founded Tableau D’Hote Theatre with Mike Payette in 2005 and they managed the company together for eleven years prior to Payette’s appointment in 2016 at the head of Geordie Productions. Mathieu sits on the Board of the Conseil québécois du Theatre as the Quebec Drama Federation representative and chairs the Board of the Pointe-St-Charles Art School.

We conducted our interview via email:

1. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine? Is your family doing well?

I’ve been doing surprisingly well. I’m more on the introverted side of the spectrum, so the lack of social contact has not been too difficult, and the love and company of my partner and our feline companion has also helped tremendously. Family is holding up okay, though some are grappling with loneliness, which is hard to watch from afar.

2. I see the world premiere of Erin Shields’ ‘Thy Woman’s Weeds’ was postponed on account of Covid. How far along was the production before everything was shuttered? Will ‘Thy Woman’s Weeds’ become part of any future slate(s) for Tableau D’Hote Theatre?

We were a couple of weeks from the beginning of rehearsals when the crisis hit, but we thankfully had yet to begin our set build which was a relief. We remain committed very much to re-staging the world premiere of Erin Shields’ ‘Thy Woman’s Weeds’ with our production partners Repercussion Theatre. Repercussion commissioned the play years ago and have been developing it with Playwrights Workshop Montreal since.

This is too many years in the making. We won’t back down now. We would prefer to stage it once distancing measures have been lifted as it would not do justice to the story or the cast to arrange for an iteration of it where these seven powerful women all need to stay two metres apart.

3. What has been the most challenging part of the isolation and quarantine for you personally and professionally?

I miss my bike. I live a life that requires me needing to zip through town quickly several times a day. I average 150-200 km a week. That’s down to 20-30 km. now. Not because I can’t bike, but I just have a hard time finding the motivation when I have less practical reasons to do so. There is always work to be done from home, so leisurely jumping on my bike for a stroll doesn’t quite get me going.

Professionally, it has been imagining all the various scenarios and what they mean for our medium. The vast majority of creation models in North America are incompatible with the present crisis. Shows take years of planning and a certain level of certainty, and it seems we may not have that luxury for quite some time. I believe that this will call for more spontaneous creation although I remain unsure what that will mean globally for the craft of our art.

4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown?

Tableau D’Hote is one of few companies creating theatre in English in Quebec. As an official language minority company, there is a lot of work to be done to make sure that English-speaking artists are not forgotten in the Quebec government’s plans to support the sector, particularly seeing as how the contracts that govern our Equity productions are very different from those of our French colleagues under Union des artistes.

I’ve been involved in a fair bit of advocacy work to that end as well as mapping out our various scenarios and losing myself in grant writing.

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?

Follow your instincts, stay safe and don’t be too hard on yourself for not creating or not being happy with your creations. My go to mantra has always been a quote of Martha Graham’s. I think it still applies in Covid times:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable now how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”

6. Do you see anything positive coming out of this pandemic?

There seems to be a better sense of community where once there was little. Neighbours helping neighbours. People caring for one another, particularly those in more vulnerable situations. If that could continue, we’d all be stronger for it.

As a staunch cyclist, I also hope this forces us to examine our cities relationship with cars. So many streets have been transformed to make room for pedestrians and cyclists, and it really makes you realize how much of our landscape is dedicated to parked cars. It’s sad. Hopefully this will push us to imagine our cities as a place for neighbours to interact and gather freely, on a human level, and less as a place for us all to be driving around in metal cages never really seeing one another.

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’s hard to imagine how it wouldn’t be. Knowing the economic tendencies of bot the Federal Liberals and the Coalition Avenir Quebec, I predict that there will be some drastic austerity measures when all this is over. Will the arts be spared? Maybe, but a weakened social safety net and gutted social services will undoubtedly have an impact on artists. We will need to remain vigilant and demand that our representative place people over profit, even more so after the crisis.

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?

If streaming becomes part of the ‘new normal’ it will mean the emergence of a form of digital art. That’s fine. But it’s not theatre. I’m not here to say one is better than the other, but I am a theatre artist, and the very nature of our art calls for artists and audiences breathing the same air under the same roof. Our art will not be replaced by streaming. We won’t let that happen.

9. As co-founder, Artistic and Executive Director of Tableau d’Hote Theatre, where do you see its future headed as a result of this life changing event for all of us?

I have the luxury of little to no overhead. We are a project-based company. I have years of projects lined up that I very much hope we will be able to produce but, if we can’t, we’ll put them on the backburner and think of projects that are better suited to this reality. We can wait this out. We’ll find new ways to create (we may even have a very small experimental summer project in the works), and we’ll take whatever time is needed to listen and heal to do just that.

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?

Flabbergasted

2. What is your least favourite word?

Crazy

3. What turns you on?

Collective resistance

4. What turns you off?

Capitalism

5. What sound or noise do you love?

The rhythm and chants heard at protests.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

My Fridge was made by a Spanish Workers’ Co-op that closed down in 2015. It beeps incessantly as soon as it gets warm and I have yet to find a mechanic that services them given that the company shut down. I hate the sound of my beeping fridge especially at 2 am.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Ostidecalissedefuckshitdetabarnacle. (Personal note and aside: Gotta love the Quebeckers for their cursing)

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

I’m a big believer in parallel universes. They ease my anxiety. Whenever I like to tackle something in the world but that I have neither the time nor the skills to do so, I tell myself that an alternate me is taking care of it in an alternate world. That said – bike messenger.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Police officer

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

I’m agnostic, but I believe that in the off-chance God exists, they are more concerned with the life you live than whether or not you believed in them. So I’d like a knowing smirk that says it all.

To learn more about Montreal’s Tableau D’Hote Theatre, visit www.tableaudhote.ca.

Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus’s ‘The Script Tease Project’ opens September 16 and runs until September 22.

What’s more essential for me for this profile/interview? I got an initial look into their lives as husband and wife, and I had fun talking to both through Zoom. They jokingly teased each other. At one point, Naomi had to leave briefly and said Matt speaks for her.

Baram added: ‘And that makes me the better performer.”

I love it when couples can tease each other like this.

Their individual biographies reveal an extensive background in the medium of film, television, and theatre. Matt recently returned to the theatre and appeared in a co-production of Mirvish and Studio 180 of ‘Indecent.’ He loves the immediate connection with a live audience not present in film and is sometimes not there on television. Naomi likes the variety of involvement in the three mediums because different muscles are used. Matt added that the ongoing SAG strike in the U.S. has also been challenging here in Canada for artists involved in film and television. Out of necessity, this was an excellent time for the two of them to explore the theatre.

But even before we discussed their upcoming show, I wanted to learn more about them as individuals.

Matt obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts training from the Conservatory Acting Program at the University of Alberta under the instructor of the late Tom Peacocke, one of the creators of the Acting Program at U of A. Peacocke became a mentor to many individuals, including Baram. He holds beautiful memories of Tom as he touched the lives of many students. Baram then started his comedy career preparation in Edmonton at Rapid Fire Theatre, which was just starting at the time. Calling Edmonton a great theatre town, Baram called that experience fruitful and successful.

When he moved to Toronto, Baram was fortunate to get into Second City, where he performed in six mainstage shows. It was at Second City where he met Naomi, his future wife.

Their sly wit came through when I misunderstood and thought they received training from Second City. They cleverly said they had already been potty trained when they came to Second City and that I was dealing with ‘raw talent’ during our conversation.

And I also thought they are a delightful couple.

Naomi attended Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson). Before that time, she attended the University of Waterloo for two years. When she completed her training at TMU, she went to Vancouver. She jumped into the Second City touring company. Naomi still takes acting classes as she feels:

“It’s part of my craft to keep my muscles limber. It’s important to me personally to continue to train.”

Matt is always interested in trying new things and being innovative. He learns a lot from observing. When he and Naomi were in Los Angeles, he took a UCLA class on sitcom writing.

He continued taking a stand-up class as a gift from his wife for the holidays last year and jokingly said:

“I didn’t want to take it personally that I needed a comedy class. Standup is a completely different set of rules and ideas. It’s a tricky field because you’re on your own and collaborate with yourself and your demons with an audience that might not know whether to trust you.”

They agree that professional artists should continue training in their craft because it keeps them connected as social animals.

What about the art of comedy still intrigues the two of them as artists?

First, after a pause, Matt thanked me for calling ‘comedy’ an art because not many people do. For him, it’s rewarding that he and Naomi can make people laugh. It makes them feel good when that happens. Naomi and Matt love to make each other laugh and thrive on it. Baram complimented his wife, saying she has a fantastic laugh, which makes her an easy laugh. In his words: “I lucked out.”

For Naomi, performing with Matt is one of the most beautiful things she gets to do because she fell in love with him there. She considers herself blessed and fortunate she had the chance. It’s also challenging to work with her spouse. They’re both so passionate about what they do on stage as artists. They don’t always agree, but every single challenge is worth it to be on stage with Matt.

For Matt, he gently ribbed his wife and said: “For me, I can take it or leave it.” They’re not afraid to bring up their personal life onstage because that’s how art is created. It’s a place of reality, vulnerability, and relatability.

“And that’s not easy,” according to Matt.

“Comedy is something you have to work at…the response is so aggressive that you can’t help but feed off it. That makes it collaborative.”

As performers, the two of them are there to deal with the reality of the scene; hopefully, their unique perspective will mine the humour within the moment. Their listening and reacting to each other is of prime importance. It is this listening and reacting which makes for good actors.

The art of improvisation is central to their upcoming ‘Script Tease’ production, and Naomi concurs with Matt. One person can’t tell the story. It’s collaborative with the stage scene partner and the audience. Matt and Naomi can feed that bit into the scene even further if the audience likes what the two do onstage during the improv. It’s remarkable, it’s magical, but it only happens at that moment in that night. It will be something different the next night.

The two of them want upcoming audiences to come out and see ‘The Script Tease Project’ because they bring a theatrical form to their comedy. If people come to a comedy thinking theatre, they’re willing to experience it on a deeper level, and the laughs will be potentially richer.

With the possible return of a new variant of the ‘c-word, how are they both feeling currently:

“We’re very aware of all that and ready for it. Actors and artists are very resilient. We can pivot and find other ways of engaging people. We’ve also partnered with Stream Stage Live. They’re very adept at creating live performance videos, and we will stream the show. Stream Stage Live is very familiar with comedy streaming. They will have a multi-camera, High-definition film of what we will do. You can buy tickets in advance and watch in Real Time or ‘on demand’ up to thirty days post-performance – which will be $30 plus tax.”

What was the genesis of ‘The Script Tease Project’?

Matt and Naomi were doing ‘Impromptu Splendour’ for a long time. They were improvising plays in the style of famous playwrights like Tennessee Williams and Chekhov. The two of them were trying to find ways to get audiences excited about their shows, so they invited actors from the community to come and play with the two of them. As invited guests to watch, these actors had varying degrees of comfort in improvisation and with Matt and Naomi.

What they did next intrigued me:

“We decided to make the playwright the special guest. And so, we invited people like Judith Thompson, Brad Fraser, and Morris Panych. Any Canadian playwright we could think of, we invited them. All these Canadian playwrights said yes to attending.”

Matt said asking playwrights to pen the first two pages of something they do not intend to finish didn’t feel like a lot. Naomi and Matt don’t see these pages pre-performance until they open them cold and read them that night in front of an audience. The pressure is on them to finish the playwright’s work in collaboration.

It’s a way in, a silly way in of creating spontaneous theatre. But Matt and Naomi like it. The audience is in a workshop, but there are production values. Matt and Naomi ask the playwright to give a concept of a simple set and costume pieces for the two of them. So, this night is theatrical, and that’s exactly what Matt and Naomi are going for. They want a feeling of being current in the improvisation. The audience is also asked a couple of questions, but once the lights go down, the audience no longer interacts with the actors.

But sometimes, Matt and Naomi got themselves in some hot water over their improv after the two pages provided by the playwright.

And how have they dealt with that?

“It’s an interesting climate right now where you don’t have the same license as an actor/artist that you once did. Naomi and I are aware. We’re as woke as we’re able to be at this time in life. We are constantly learning and adapting. In this way, we’re there with the audience and will ride a line. That also becomes exciting.”

Naomi adds that she and Matt have the power to comment about the audience. There have been times when the two of them have said something where the audience gasped or groaned. They can say that if something is offensive, the other person can comment on it. In this manner, the audience feels heard because they’re part of this performance in their reactions.

Matt and Naomi are aware of the fourth wall in their performance format. But they both agree they are playing characters the playwright has created. As actors, they recognize that sometimes they have to cross a line to make a statement or comment. That’s why we go to the theatre and see life take place before us.

What’s next for Matt and Naomi once ‘The Script Tease Project’ concludes its run?

They’re off to Europe to teach some workshops and take some workshops.

Yes, they continue their training, but they’re going overseas to teach and learn.

How awesome is that?

‘The Script Tease Project’ presented by The National theatre of the World runs September 16-22 at Small World-Centre, Artscape Young Place, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto. For tickets, click The Script Tease Project Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite or visit www.baramandsnieckus.com for more information.

I first saw Matthew’s work on stage at the Stratford Festival in an extraordinarily moving ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ (directed by Nigel Shawn Williams). Matthew’s marvelously anguished performance as the wronged Tom Robinson earned him a Broadway World Award nomination for best performance by a male in a featured role. Matthew’s brief appearance and image as the eerie Soothsayer in ‘Julius Caesar’ that summer was haunting. Here is someone whom I hope to see on stage in the future when it’s safe to return to the theatre.

And holy moly, Matthew Brown is one busy guy after I read his biography. His diversified project work in television, theatre, and film are solid. Along with these projects, Matthew has also received excellent training at fine institutions across the country including the Canadian Film Centre.

Matthew and I conducted our interview via email:

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?

My immediate family and loved ones have been good and healthy which is lucky. I’ve been doing ok…for the first part of the pandemic I would swing from ‘completely unbothered’ by everything to ‘I want to pull all of my hair out! When will this be over?!’ It would all depend on the day that you caught me.
Since the topic of race has come into the global conversation, it has brought up a whole new set of challenges and mental health hurdles to navigate. That being said: I am hopeful that this wave of activism and the calls for change won’t just disappear when it’s no longer trendy and things open up again.

As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Not having access to any gyms or dance studios has been rough. I’ve invested in a tap dance board just so I can have somewhere to dance and stay fit. It’s also a challenge when it feels like there is no end in sight. We’re sort of programmed as performers to hustle and always be on, looking for the next thing. While I believe sitting still is a very good thing, it can cause anxiety when you don’t think there is any end in sight.

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?

Just before the lockdown, I had shot a series of commercials for a major company. They had asked me if I was available to shoot another one at the end of March, which was obviously canceled. The commercials that I’ve already shot are currently in limbo as the company is putting the ad campaign on hold.

I was in the planning stages of having a reading of a Web Series that I’ve been developing for the past two and a half years at the end of March (again, canceled) and I was about a month away from starting rehearsals for Musical Stage Company’s “Kelly V. Kelly” at the Canadian Stage’s Berkley St Theatre. Once’ Kelly V. Kelly’ was finished I was set to play Antipholus of Ephesus in ‘Comedy of Errors’ in Toronto’s High Park this summer.

COVID blew a lot of things up for me 😀

We’ll see if the commercials see the light of day…hopefully they will, I thought they were funny.

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

As I mentioned above, I tap dance to try to keep myself moving (apologies to my neighbours). I’ve also participated in some Zoom readings of film scripts and Shakespeare just for fun. I’m trying to move the read-through of my Web Series to Zoom so that I can finish developing the show and begin to work on pitching it.

Speaking of pitching, a friend of mine (John Virtue) has written a great feature film that I hope to be in. Funny enough, the movie is about being trapped in a room, so you know…topical! During quarantine, he and I have chatted about how we can possibly make this movie/get funding…so I’ve been trying to remain positive and keep myself busy.

I’ve also invested in a home studio with a microphone so I can try to do some voice work from my home.

I’ve also been playing a TON of video games as that’s my favourite form of escape. Currently, I’m playing ‘Persona 5: The Royal’, ‘Samurai Shodown’ and building up a sweet island in ‘Animal Crossing’.

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 can’t imagine just coming out of theatre school and into this climate, so that’s a bit of a tough one. I would say take this time to do the work and research you can from home. Read plays, research roles that you would like to one day play, dabble in some writing if you can.

Finding ways to stay artistically motivated during times like this are hard, but they will be helpful. That being said, be kind to yourself on days where you don’t have it in you. Take the time for self-reflection, don’t feel guilty if you didn’t do any work today. There’s no “machine” running right now, so just do what you can so you’re prepared for when things start again.

Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

I think that, whether we like it or not, COVID-19 has forced the world to collectively pause and examine itself. I genuinely think that’s why so many white people are finally hearing us about police brutality right now. There are no other distractions, no theatre to see, no sports to watch, no room for blissful ignorance, and that may end up being a good thing.

I hate that it took a global pandemic that equals thousands sick and dead, and the death of more black people, for society to take racism seriously; but I definitely hope that it will make people really examine the systems that we have in place and how they negatively affect our society. If not now, then when?

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

Yes, both negatively and positively. As I said, it has forced us to examine our industries and their practices. I think this can lead to a positive change. We’re already seeing that begin with the proposed changes to “as Cast” contracts. Hopefully, more action will be taken to make performing arts across all platforms more inclusive.

I also think that there will be a negative impact on house sizes and getting people to return to the theatre because there will be the worry of feeling safe from COVID. Not to mention the financial hit the industry is taking by closing all of its sets, theatres, and sound stages.

However, if we bring new and exciting voices to our big stages and give BIPOC an opportunity to tell their stories as well, the positive impact could fix the negative impact as people will want to rush back to the theatre to hear their voices represented…if that makes sense.

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’ve thought hard about this one since Quarantober began (that’s what I’ve been calling this since March…it’s just one long month…right?). Nothing will replace live theatre. The experience of sharing the same oxygen as the performers you’re watching cannot be duplicated.

However, I do think it may not be a bad idea to examine other ways to make theatre more accessible to more people.

Take sports for instance: for better or worse, sports are going to find a way back. They will play with no fans in the crowd and rely on their TV deals and merchandise to make money. If you watch a sporting event on TV, it’s fun, you enjoy it. However, I think most sporting fans will agree that there is nothing like being there. Sports have been televised for years, and yet they still are able to sell their live experience as well as sell their product on television.

Why can’t theatre do the same?

Maybe if we had the infrastructure in place to shoot our shows, there would be a path to get back to work sooner? Perhaps a pay-per-view service of some kind where a season subscriber could have access to shows online, but everyone would know that to get the best experience you have to be there live. Of course right now, we’d be doing theatre with no audience, but we could still do something and be able to (hopefully) keep performers safe at work, while providing theatre to our audiences in the safety of their own home.

Also, I’m fully aware that this kind of thing could only apply to really big-budget theatres like Broadway, Stratford, Shaw, Mirvish, and the like. If something like COVID-19 has the ability to shut down our entire industry for a year, it might not be a bad idea to revisit how we get our medium out there for people to experience.

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

Family and friends. We’re blessed to live in a time where a loved one is just a phone call or video chat or text away. We’re also blessed to have the outdoors, books to read, internet to stream with, hours upon hours of television to consume and tons of video games to experience.

Although this pandemic really does suck, we have a lot to be grateful for if we just slow down and appreciate all of the small ways that we are privileged. COVID can’t take away the little things.

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?

Excellence

2. What is your least favourite word?

Necessarily

3. What turns you on?

Ambition

4. What turns you off?

Bigotry

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Singing

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Sliding a full metal water bottle across a table. You know the sound…

7. What is your favourite curse word?

It’s a Jamaican curse word and my mom would kill me if I dropped it in this interview, so I’m a chill. (laughs)

What is your least favourite curse word?

See you next Tuesday

8. Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing?

For a while I really wanted to be a massage therapist.

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?

“Welcome home!”

You can reach Matthew at his social media handles of Twitter and Instagram: @ItsMrMGB.

What an interesting name for a theatre – ‘Punctuate! Theatre’. This name caught my eye immediately and I wanted to find out more.

And there is more.

Recently I received a notice about Punctuate Theatre’s touring production of the world premiere of ‘First Métis Man of Odesa’ that will run in the Franco Boni Theatre at Toronto’s Theatre Centre. Punctuate bills the production as a ‘romantic comedy for an unpredictable world.”

‘First Métis Man of Odesa’ is now playing in Kamloops BC until March 25. The production then travels to Toronto at The Theatre Centre from March 30 – April 8. It will then travel to Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre from April 22 – May 13 with its final stop in Vancouver from May 25 – June 4, 2023.

Written by Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova and directed by Lianna Makuch, this world premiere according to Punctuate’s website is “based on actual events. This captivating real-life love story is set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Award-winning playwright Matthew MacKenzie joins forces with his wife, award-winning Ukrainian actress Mariya Khomutova, to tell the story of their COVID courtship and share an intimate perspective on the personal impacts of the war in Ukraine.”

I had the opportunity to conduct an interview via email with Matthew MacKenzie. He trained at Montréal’s National Theatre School in their Playwriting Program led by Brian Drader:

The name ‘Punctuate! Theatre’ immediately captured my attention. Could you tell me about its genesis?

“I was not with the company when it was founded, but my Managing Director Sheiny Satanove says “The name Punctuate! Theatre was a collaborative effort between the five founding members. In their initial meetings, they determined what type of theatre they were interested in making – subversive, relevant, and thought-provoking. It was important to them (and still is to the company today) to use our productions to give audiences something to think about, to ‘punctuate’ their thoughts. From there the name was born!”

In your professional opinion, how have the changes from the worldwide pandemic affected where you see Punctuate! Theatre headed in future.

“The changes forced us to stop touring our work for a couple of years, but we are happy to be touring the country again in ‘23 with ‘First Métis Man of Odesa’. One of the exciting things to come out of the pandemic is a virtual Indigenous playwriting unit we have formed with our partners: the Pemmican Collective. It went so well during the height of the pandemic that we decided we wanted to continue with it into the future. We are currently supporting the development of fifteen Indigenous projects through the unit.”

Tell me about the plot of ‘First Métis Man of Odesa’ to whet future audience appetite.

“The play follows my partner Mariya Khomutova and my love story from a meeting during a theatre workshop in Ukraine, to Mariya visiting me in Toronto, to me returning to Ukraine, where I met Mariya’s parents in the magical city of Odesa. Two days after I flew back to Canada after that trip, Covid really hit, and countries closed their borders–so we suddenly didn’t know when we would be able to see one another again. A month after that trip, we learned that Mariya was pregnant. So I had to figure out how to fly across the world in the midst of the pandemic and sort of sneak into Ukraine.

I was able to do this after we had been apart for four months and we married on a perfect summer morning in Odesa. Back in Canada, we had to jump through many bureaucratic hoops, with Mariya finally accessing healthcare shortly before the birth of our son, Ivan. We were just about to return to Odesa for our son to meet his grandparents there when the Russians launched their full-scale invasion. Since that time, when pretty much everyone my wife has ever known has had their lives turned upside down, we have welcomed my mother-in-law Olga and contended from afar with the horror Putin is unleashing on Ukraine.”

From the release I received, the play was presented as a radio play at Factory Theatre during the height of the lockdown in 2021. It was written by you and directed by Nina Lee Aquino. This March, ‘First Métis Man of Odesa’ makes its on-stage debut and offers a continuation of the initial story told in the radio play.
Have you made any major changes from the radio play script to the one that will be presented this month?

“The big difference is that Russia had not invaded Ukraine when we did the radio play, so the effects the invasion had on Mariya and I provided the inspiration, both dark and hopeful, for the second half of the play.”

It has been wonderful to return to the theatre even though we are still in Covid’s embrace. Again, in your professional opinion, why is it important for audiences to see ‘First Métis Man of Odesa’?

“This was a Covid romance, where Mariya and I were able to get married and welcome our son into this world, against all odds. I think people will respond really positively to a good news story coming out of this terrible time. And much like Covid, the invasion has had a profound impact on our lives but has been something out of our control. I think seeing the human side of how the invasion has affected people will really resonate with folks.”

Once the run of the play has concluded at the Theatre Centre, what’s next for Matthew MacKenzie?

“I’ll be travelling to South Africa to participate in a residency in Johannesburg at The Centre For The Less Good Idea, where I will be developing a new play titled Genital Posturing Of The Vervet Monkeys Of South Africa.”

To learn more about Punctuate Theatre, visit www.punctuatetheatre.com. To purchase tickets for the Toronto production at The Theatre Centre, call 416-538-0988 or visit www.theatrecentre.org.

A Canadian performing artist icon returns to the Toronto stage.

I am pleased for two reasons.

First, I’ll get a chance to see her perform live for the second time. The first time was at Stratford years ago, where she played tragic heroine Juliet to her Romeo, the Now Stratford Festival Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino.

Second, I appreciate that I had the opportunity to speak with her via Zoom for a few moments last week when she was smack dab in rehearsals.

Megan Follows opens tonight in Studio 180’s North American premiere of ‘Four Minutes Twelve Seconds’ by James Fritz, a taut, darkly comic, and profoundly provocative Olivier Award-nominated drama. The play delves into the complex issues of consent, privilege, and the insidious opportunities new technology presents, offering a unique and thought-provoking experience.

She’s joined on stage this time by Sergio Di Zio (Tarragon, Coal Mine, various films, ‘Flashpoint’), Tavaree Daniel-Simms and Jadyn Nasato.

Studio 180 bills ‘Four Minutes’: Di (Follows) and David (Di Zio) have devoted their lives to giving their son, Jack, every opportunity they never had. But a startling incident outside the school grounds threatens to ruin everything they strive for. As events accelerate, Di and David question whether they can trust Jack, his closest friends, or themselves.

That’s all I want to know about the plot. Megan told me that if I haven’t read the play, it’s good to come on this journey with fresh eyes.

To quote Follows, rehearsals have been a hell of a journey, but she felt confident that they were right where they needed to be at that point. Pieces of an intricate puzzle were slowly being put together at that time. ‘Four Minutes’ had been in preview for the last few days. I’m certain tonight’s opening will be sold out, and an excited crowd will be ready to see one of Canada’s own back on a Toronto stage.

There are surprises in the script Megan does not want to spoil about the show. I don’t want to question her further about them as I want to be carried away by the story.

Fritz’s writing and the story drew Follows to consider performing the play. She was keen to work with Studio 180 and director Mark McGrinder.:

“Obviously, I appreciate Studio 180’s willingness to take on this piece of theatre. It’s a challenge, so I guess I’m drawn to challenges.”

Follows calls McGrinder passionate and funny. Mark has a wonderful, dry sense of humour. He’s deeply interested in investigating something. He’s not afraid to get in there and help the actors to excavate as he sees it. Mark’s also a parent, so he gets the story from that angle and wants everyone to roll up their sleeves and explore the ongoing dynamics.

I’ve interviewed Sergio Di Zio twice and remember how keen he was to work with Follows on this production. She feels extremely fortunate and grateful to work with Tavaree Daniel-Simms and Jadyn Nasato. She calls it wonderful to be around young, emerging artists, not only because of their energy but also because, regarding Four Minutes, it’s vital to recognize there is a generational aspect to the play regarding the navigational change:

“There’s a good vibe. We’re a team. We gotta be there for each other. Tavaree and Jadyn are incredibly beautiful in spirit and also extremely talented young actors.”

What are some messages Megan hopes audiences will take away with them about ‘Four Minutes Twelve Seconds’?

She believes the play will raise more questions than there are answers, with a willingness for people to have a dialogue.

A couple of talkbacks have been scheduled for the production. If audiences want to attend one of those nights, check the schedule through the Studio 180 website.

Follows finds audience talkbacks post-performance beneficial. With a devil-may-care laugh, she honestly states she never knows how those who remain behind will respond when she participates in them. She senses that the talkback for ‘Four Minutes’ will probably delve into some good points.

As we began to wind down the conversation, I asked her what was some specific advice about the business that either her parents, Ted Follows and Dawn Greenhalgh, passed on to her or someone else did:

“It’s a marathon; it’s not a sprint…keep going…as a journey, there are many peaks and valleys.”

She has learned from her parents that they were in the industry for the long haul. You have to roll up your sleeves and get right into it. Her parents were in it for the love of it and truly for the love of theatre and storytelling:

“It feels like a privilege to be able to navigate complicated stories, issues and words and have a tangible, physical platform still to do that which is the theatre. There is a closeness of human interaction.”

Follows says the theatre and the industry may feel like a luxury, but she believes it is a necessity of exploration that is important. One has to be able to see himself/herself/themself(ves) in many things. There is no quick answer to something. The theatre, at its best, is that process of discovery:

“The theatre is a messy process in the best sense, meaning you have to have permission to be wrong and be brave. Being brave isn’t about posturing. It’s about going into the dark corners of things and examining them, recognizing a human ability that we all have.”

Megan says we live in a black-and-white, right-or-wrong world right now, a very polarized world. For her, the truth is never in the polar opposites. Often, it’s in the greys and intersections of things that are sometimes uncomfortable or the willingness not to be right.

The topic then returned to the study of Shakespeare and whether young people should still be introduced to it. There’s always the question of whether Shakespeare should be removed from use in schools.

Follows believes the Bard’s works must absolutely be taught. For her, why is it an either / or? Why isn’t it an ‘and, and’?

She added further:

“The muscle of using language in my limited understanding of Shakespeare (it truly is) is not a lot of subtext. An actor is always thinking about the words. Shakespeare has given language expression, and it is incredibly dynamic. What is there to be lost from an exploration of that? It doesn’t have to be the be-all and the end-all. There’s power in the more we have.”

What is upsetting for her is the limiting and cutting of the arts in high schools and schools. That is a lack of true understanding and recognition. Storytelling in all of its iterations is critical to making us complex and rich human beings. Why on earth we would deny our young people access to the arts, music, dance, to anything, for her, is the bigger conundrum.

Follows believes studying the arts can be life-saving for some people. It can show a world of hope and beauty, a road map, a common ground, and the feeling of being seen in someone else’s story. That is critical to the power of storytelling.

Megan concluded our conversation by saying her performance in ‘Four Minutes Twelve Seconds’ is the first time she has been on the stage in a long time. It’s nerve-wracking. She has been behind the camera, producing and directing and also acting. She’s never quite sure what tomorrow brings.

She has been working on an entertaining Crave digital web series called ‘My Dead Mom,’ a comedy written by Wendy Litner. Megan has been acting with Lauren Collins. The web series explores the grief of a young woman haunted by her dead mother. Follows plays the mother.

Megan is also developing a project with writer and actress Susan Coyne. It’s a limited series. Follows can’t say more than that because they’re in the process of something.

What she says:

“I’m in the process of spreading my wings. My production company (Caspian Film Productions) co-produced an independent feature called ‘Stealing the Sky’ with Penny Noble and Marie Dame.’ I’ve been out there wanting to develop more and be proactive in the stories I want to see and tell.”

‘Four Minutes Twelve Seconds’ runs until May 12, 2024, at Tarragon Theatre in the Extraspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue. For tickets, visit: https://tarragontheatre.com/plays/2023-2024/four-minutes-twelve-seconds/ or call the Box Office at (416) 531-1827.

Another lovely conversation with an influential artist.

Canadian soprano Meghan Lindsay completed her undergraduate training at the Glenn Gould School. She then went to Amsterdam to complete a training residency Young Artist Program, which is frequent in opera.
She is also a busy lady outside of her work as an artist. She is completing her PhD in Cultural Studies at Queen’s University, where she’s done a lot of work on audience research, particularly looking at the social impact of the arts and the performing arts. Meghan teaches at Queen’s and at Carleton University in the Master’s Non-Profit Leadership and Philanthropy.

Her Master’s program is through the school’s public policy in Philanthropy and non-profit leadership, which examines how NGOs and non-profit organizations function within society’s broader context.

This month, Meghan appears as Galatea at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre in Handel’s ‘Acis and Galatea’ staged by Opera Atelier.

From the Atelier website: “The story of the water nymph Galatea and her love for the Arcadian shepherd Acis comes from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses.’ It is full of all of the sensuality and humour we associate with 18th-century storytelling at its very best. The production is sung in English and features some of Handel’s most ravishing music for singing and dancing; Acis and Galatea is the perfect introduction to opera and ballet for the entire family.” Meghan added that Acis is warned not to fall in love with the water nymph, as it will not end well, but he ignores that edict. Evil characters want to steal Galatea away.

Experiencing operatic art continues to fascinate me, particularly the Baroque era, which Opera Atelier focuses on. Meghan says it’s a gestural language. The artists perform many stage gestures that take a long time to learn and internalize, and Marshall and Jeannette work hard to ensure the artists feel comfortable with these gestures. While I don’t consider myself an expert, engaging in conversations with its artists helps me learn more. Meghan’s insights have certainly contributed to that understanding.

When I asked why opera still intrigues her and keeps her focused on the discipline, Meghan said it’s a question she asks herself daily. Working in the live performing arts (opera or musical theatre) is a lifestyle:

“I absolutely love that you come into a room, and you get together with people you haven’t seen in a while, some whom you don’t even know, and you create a world. You do that with trust and care. From the experience as a woman, I love that embodied perspective of being so fully in my body, so fully in the power and privilege that comes with making these sounds and delivering these characters with our own being.”

The artistic lifestyle can be challenging, especially with a child at home. Meghan and her partner have a young daughter, but she loves this lifestyle nonetheless. As a woman and an artist, she emphasizes how grateful she feels for the privilege of bringing characters to life and sharing that experience with an audience, even if only for a short time:

“It’s magic. We get to create magic.”

She speaks glowingly of Atelier’s Co-Artistic Directors, Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg. Lindsay compares the company to a troupe. Atelier typically invites artists who have worked with them. Meghan has worked with Atelier for as long as she has worked professionally. She paused momentarily to think about it and finally said she’s worked with the company for twelve years. When she finished school in her early twenties, she moved to Holland with full anticipation that she would permanently move to Europe. Marshall and Jeannette gave Lindsay her first professional contract with ‘Don Giovanni.’ She laughed when she recalled the moment that she was a green, excited, and hungry singer.

Lindsay believes that Opera Atelier is a tremendous gift to the artistic community. She hopes that young people will be encouraged to pursue careers in the arts and actively contribute to the community instead of shying away from it. Students from across Toronto come to Atelier during the day to learn about various aspects of operatic stagecraft. For example, there are demonstrations of stage combat. Some singers also perform in the classes to show young people that the operatic art form is not something to fear.

Meghan wants to invest time in engaging with youth to discuss the benefits of specific performing disciplines, such as theatre, dance, and opera. She believes that artists may never fully understand the impact their work will have, especially on young people. Each artistic expression—whether in dance, opera, or theatre—is highly subjective and depends on the individual experiences, perspectives, and emotional states of the young person engaging with the art.

It’s also important to look at the space and venue where the artistic discipline occurs. How will the space receive that individual? How will that piece of art reach the young audience individually? Meghan doesn’t know if she can speak to this importance at large.

What she can and does say:

“From my perspective, when I was a young person attending pieces of art and witnessing rehearsals and other people creating, there is a reminder of the magic in storytelling. The stage is sometimes that space where one can say and do things that wouldn’t fit into the tapestry of day-to-day colloquial life.”

It’s important to remind all audience members, including the young members, that there is still space for creation, play, and release and that everyone can be in their bodies.

Meghan then spoke about her four-year-old daughter, who comes to her performances and sits backstage. It must be a treat for the crew backstage to watch this little girl listen to her mother sing and then move to the music.

Lindsay believes that attending opera can have an instrumental function. She acknowledges that, yes, there is an educational component.

She believes there’s more.

There’s something remarkable that occurs when young people feel welcome to bear witness to the celebration of the artistic forms of opera, dance, and theatre. Youth experience pleasure and satisfaction by taking a moment out of the wildness or chaos of their lives to be in a ‘prescribed’ moment, even to practice what it feels like in the moment.

As we began to wind down our conversation, I asked her what advice she would give to young people who may want to pursue a career in the arts. Meghan paused momentarily to consider her response:

“First, the myth that you are just one thing is a myth. You can be a myriad of different versions of self and also of artist over the course of your career.”

Meghan is performing all the time. She also co-runs an arts organization. She’s finishing her PhD and teaches on faculty at two universities. She believes that artists can have a myriad of outputs because they are not focused on one or the other. It’s because the landscape is such that the young person entering an artistic career will have to figure out how to piece together your work between contracts. The young person will also have to figure how he/she will navigate a career.

Lindsay’s most significant tip to young people considering a career in the arts?

You don’t have to follow a linear path in your career; you can explore various roles. While many assume there’s a time constraint in advancing your career, that’s not necessarily true. It’s important to find mentors and champions who can support you. Although an arts career can be competitive, it doesn’t have to be. Connecting with others in the industry who can introduce you to artistic directors, teachers, and coaches is incredibly valuable.

Meghan, who champions artists and considers herself a leader in this regard, believes that experienced artists are eager to support the next generation. While leaders must prioritize their well-being and that of their families, she emphasizes that helping other artists reach their potential is a significant commitment and an incredibly rewarding experience.

‘Acis and Galatea’ staged by Opera Atelier, runs October 24-27, 2025, at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge Street.

To learn more about Opera Atelier: visit www.operaatelier.com.

For tickets to ‘Acis and Galatea’ and to learn more about the production, visit: https://www.operaatelier.com/shows/acis-and-galatea/

To learn more about Meghan Lindsay, visit her website: www.meghanlindsay.com.

The Zoom conversation I held with two-time Tony Award-winning actor/musician for ‘Assassins’ and ‘Fun Home’, Michael Cerveris, was compellingly informative, and I was taking in as much as I could. Michael put me at ease so quickly that I felt as if I was having a virtual cup of coffee with him and, at one point, I imagined he got up from the table, went to the imaginary urn, and poured me a second cup all the while just speaking calmly and comfortably how the worldwide pandemic has led him to take stock of where he is at this point in his life, and where he is headed next.

He was visiting his father in Pittsburgh when we had our conversation. I’m assuming Michael was speaking from the living room at his father’s home, and the scene was quite idyllic. There was a beautiful ray of sunshine through the glass pane where Evangeline, the puppy he rescued from the Louisiana/Mississippi border, lounged quietly on the sofa in the sun’s warmth.

The first time I saw Michael on stage was in 1993 in his Broadway debut of ‘The Who’s Tommy’ as the Pinball Wizard of this energizing rock opera. I went back later that year with a friend to see the show ‘cause it was so damn good. The next time I saw him on stage was in ‘Titanic’ and the third time was in the revival of ‘Sweeney Todd’ where he played the demon barber opposite one of the grand dames of the New York Theatre, Patti LuPone.

Yes, this interview is lengthy again, but I didn’t want to miss a word. Thank you again, Michael:

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 evolved as a result of this emergence?

It’s been up and down, I think, like it is for everybody. I’ve gone through different stages of dealing with things. I think we all expected this to be a shorter event early on, so there was the initial panic and anxiety but a certain amount of excitement (I suppose you could call it) because everything was new and urgent feeling.

It was quite frightening being in New York at the beginning stages because it was very dire there early on. Fortunately, New York is one of the safer places to be in America because people took it seriously early on. I wish the rest of the country could have recognized and learned from our example just what’s possible when you do take it seriously immediately.

Since those early distance days, like everybody, I started to settle into this new way of existing. There are benefits in some ways to stopping the forward motion of your life and taking stock and really asking yourself which things essential, and which things are not. I’ve been trying as much as possible to use the time well and prepare myself to be a better person in a better place, when this is over or when we’re at least on the other side of it.

I’ve never had so organized clean closets and dresser drawers and basement in my life. Right now, I’m going through boxes in my father’s basement that I’ve left there for years, and that he’s been asking me to go through for years. And that’s been great fun as I’ve been discovering all kinds of terrific things, posting photographs from my early performances as a boy growing up in West Virginia. That apparently is the most entertaining thing I’ve done in decades for people as they are seeming to enjoy it a lot. My Facebook and Instagram feeds are full of people enjoying my embarrassing younger photos. So at least I feel like I’m doing something good for the world right now.

I’ve also spent a little bit of time a little further upstate at one point during the pandemic, and I do recognize it’s easy when you aren’t living in a close urban environment, like New York, to feel that the threat isn’t quite as urgent. When you quarantine in an apartment and have to wear your mask even to walk down in your building to get your mail, it’s a different kind of thing.

When you see refrigerator trucks with bodies in them because there isn’t room in the morgue, it makes it clear how serious you need to take it. It’s difficult when you’re quarantining in a house with a yard, when you can walk along the street in a suburb without a mask, because you aren’t going to be encountering people close enough to necessarily have one. I do understand how difficult it is to impress upon people the seriousness and reality of the disease’s spread, and we’ve seen the consequences of that throughout the US, especially now in people not believing it or not taking it seriously. Of course, the numbers start increasing in those areas.

It’s the benefit and the curse of living in a close urban environment, but I’m really proud of how New York and New Yorkers have responded. It really has been a real blessing to have the kind of leadership and the science-based thinking in the state and local governments that we have. Hopefully, that will mean that we can continue the course we’re on and think about opening theatres in a safe, responsible way at some point.

It’s really difficult for all of my live performing friends, and hundreds of thousands of people who aren’t directly on stage but are affected with the closing of the theatres. A lot of the city’s economy is dependent on that business surviving, and it was one of the first to close in order to keep people safe, and it’s going to be one of the very last ones to re-open. There’s no discussion yet for serious plans for live entertainment venues to re-open anytime soon, even though some jobs are re-opening hopefully slowly and carefully.

In my business, people are sometimes hanging on by a thread in the good times, so it’s really a challenge. We’re trying to encourage our government to extend subsidies to venues and to our live performers and it’s been an uphill battle.

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

Not on stage, I had a film project and television project that were both supposed to happen in March and April. They tried re-scheduling the film about four times. One time I had my car packed and driving to where we were supposed to film, and I got a call saying, “Ohhh, we’re not going to be doing that now.” So, that’s indefinitely postponed but hopefully, it will happen at some point.

There is a television HBO production project that I’m going to be a part of that is planning to start work in late September if all goes well. And they have a well thought, organized set of plans to do it in a safe and manageable way. Hopefully, that will be happening and will be a long-term project. I can’t tell you what it is right now but it’s gonna be kind of terrific, and it involves a lot of New York stage actors. That will be a helpful thing.

What’s been the most challenging element of this isolation for you?

It would be really training myself to just exist in the present moment and not be making plans and feeling like I need to do things. It’s funny, I’ve been saying for the longest time that I’ve wanted to slow down and wanted things to stop. I guess, be careful what you ask for.

So many of my friends and colleagues immediately jumped in and got into busy mode with self-creating projects. They were doing lots of camera and Zoom meetings and projects. I found myself busier while not working than I was working. Everybody had a podcast or a benefit performance they wanted to contribute to. I wanted to feel engaged and wanted to contribute something.

The most challenging thing, to answer your question, is considering what my usefulness is in a time when our understanding of who an essential worker is has changed overnight. The immediate feeling was, well, maybe what I do isn’t really essential, and we like to think of ourselves as essential to society, and the arts are an essential part of society. An immediate crisis like that maybe those skills are the ones that aren’t most necessary. This can leave you feeling a little useless and superfluous.

I had a lot of friends who became teachers and they were struggling for ways to provide service to their students so they would ask me and lots of actors to come visit their classes virtually and talk to their students. I thought, “Well that’s something that I can contribute to and positively offer something.”

And then there were lots of other projects like the Sondheim Birthday streaming that went a long way to help reach people in isolation and make them feel a little connected still to things that brought them happiness and pleasure. I said yes to everything and found myself exhausted. I was busy doing things all the time and my friends who were saying they were bored in quarantine I kept wondering how is that possible? It’s different for everybody.

Do you believe theatres might be shuttered until at least the fall of 2021?

That seems a viable possibility. It’s difficult because there are so many layers to the question of when theatres can re-open. And this may be an opportunity for Broadway and large-scale commercial theatre to do some re-thinking and considering the economics of theatre. This is something I thought back in 2008 with the financial collapse and really threatened Broadway and you heard people wringing their hands and saying, “This is going to kill Broadway.”

My thought was maybe this would make producers think differently of how they produce things to make them more affordable to more people, but instead, the opposite happened. Broadway got more expensive and business was better than ever. With a Broadway production, it can’t function at a 50% capacity. Broadway shows that are doing well in the 75% capacity range close all the time because even that is insufficient to keep them going in the business model the way it is now.

My hope is the opportunity to re-think that and where the money is going. More money should be spent on people who are working for you than on things, on spectacle and re-think profit margins while thinking about the comfort and safety in the seating area for the audience. In some ways, downtown, regional, off-Broadway theatres that consistently find ways to operate with ticket sales at 50% with grants and sometimes don’t fill the houses are able to survive, and perhaps this something that the larger theatres may have to re-examine again. This might be the way things can re-open.

The arts in general have shown an ability to adapt and change when it’s necessary. They just tend to drag their feet for as possibly long as they can. The theatres need to be more pro-active and forward-thinking rather than reactionary and responding to events, especially with the social justice movements going on right now and the technological advancements.

The combined moments of social conscious awakening along with the pandemic crisis has been a real opportunity to shake the dust off these things and to get more people involved with new ideas about what is possible. Hopefully, that’s what’s going to happen.

Equity is dealing with a case by case decision on whether or not to open a show given what the theatre is doing to ensure safety for all involved. It’s a challenge in so many ways, but this piecemeal show by show thing that different producers will have different ideas on how to do things might delay re-opening even more.

The history of commercial theatre isn’t a well-organized machine.

Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists and recent theatre graduates who are concerned about Covid-19?

Well, that’s always been a difficult question to answer and now it’s really difficult. I’m encouraging people to take heart and to take advantage of this time to be reading a lot of plays, watching a lot of things, and educating yourself. You can be writing and developing projects for yourself, talking to friends, and just try to imagine the theatre that you want to see when it’s possible again.

My major words of encouragement: The fact that so many things we assumed to be true suddenly are not and things that could never be suddenly are (live performance could shut down for 6 months or longer). The positive side of all this? A lot of things that we thought could never change could now possibly change if there’s a will. That’s kind of exciting. I grew up with the idea that things are the way they are whether or not I liked it or not.

We’ve seen now how immediately and completely things can change. Drastic change can happen if people do things differently. I think in some ways it’s an exciting time to start a career in the theatre. If we’re making things over again, we should be making things that contribute more to our society and to our communities by giving more opportunity to do something new. That’s the place to look for hope and encouragement.

Do you see anything else positive coming out of the pandemic?

In my country, I see the potential for a positive regime change, although it’s anything but assured, I’m afraid.

I don’t think of myself as an optimist generally, and yet I think I fundamentally am. I fundamentally want to believe the best of people and the best of situations. I’m very conscious and very clear about the perils and dangers about the really dark and unpleasant things that have been revealed about the country I live in. It’s not isolated to my country, it’s a global phenomenon but it’s especially heightened here.

It’s been really heartbreaking to have to come to terms with the realities of life in this country for a lot of people. To have spent the last four years to have the mask lifted from who we as Americans like to believe we are. But the positive thing is now we know what we’re up against. We know what the real truth is. And again, that gives us the opportunity to change it. We can’t change anything if we don’t acknowledge it to be true and needs to be changed.

That goes for everything from economic inequity to racism, sexism. These things are all tied together and incredibly complicated, but just thinking your country is the best with the best democracy, that kind of thinking blinds you to the problems that are there and need to be solved. Well, it’s pretty clear what the problems are and needs to be solved. Whether we can do that or not, it’s up to us, but at least now we know where the work needs to be. Depending on your half full, half empty glass perspective, that can be a positive thing at least a first essential step.

Will Broadway and the North American performing arts scene be changed or impacted on account of the coronavirus?

People are starved now for coming together. For a long time now, there’s been a move for more isolated kinds of entertainment. We get a lot more through our screens now, and I think we’re getting a little tired of it at this point.

For example, I hated Zoom and Face Time before all the shutdowns necessitated them. I would always try to avoid doing them. I can’t say I love them anymore now than I did then, but I’m at least used to them now and see the benefits of them. I think a lot of things will be done through these formats even after things slowly open up.

There are good things to that. We’re starting to find the limits of the satisfaction we can get from our screens. Theatre, live performance, even for people who say, “Well, I can get all that on my screen, why bother going back?” Well, I think the first-time people return to the theatre, and that theory is all going to be blown out of the water. They’re going to remember as though for the first time what that thrill is. There’s nothing to make you appreciate something like the threat of losing it or not having it.

I like to think and hope there will be more value placed on live performance and interaction. Certainly, that will be true in the beginning and, as humans usually are, will take it for granted again. I look forward to a time when we can take going to the theatre for granted because that would be nice.

The arts and theatre have often thrived in times of great social unrest and difficulty. I’m hoping there’s a lot of seeds of great art being sown right now that will flourish when there’s a place for it to flourish again. And I think that is possible. There’s certainly a lot to write about now, not just the pandemic but our very mortality and humanness. It’s fair to hope there will be a re-surging, flowering and a Golden Age of theatre when we’re able to come together again.

What are your thoughts about live streaming?

The streaming of filmed live productions that has already happened, hmm…maybe it’s because I grew up in the bootlegging concert era, tape your favourite band era. I’ve never had the aversion to those things being available. I’ve never believed that’s made people less likely to go and see something. I’ve always felt that it will more likely make you want to go see something. If you hear a garbled cassette performance of The Grateful Dead, you’re going to be more likely to go.

I understand and appreciate the economic concerns and people having their work compensated, so if somebody is making a profit from the streaming of your work then, certainly, that needs to be compensated. There are so many things I’ve done over the years that are archived at the Lincoln Centre Performing Arts Library. It wasn’t the thing to record a show for broadcast back in the day. I do wish those kinds of archives could be accessible to people. It’s very difficult to access those things. You either had to be involved with the production or an academic pursuit to watch them.

I would prefer that live streaming not be sold or commercially done. If you do, then you really have to pay everybody which will make it prohibitive. I wouldn’t mind if that’s the way things happen.

As far as creating work to be Zoomed or streamed, it doesn’t excite me as an audience person or as an actor. I watched a few earlier on. For the most part, I was disappointed and frustrated, and ultimately not all that interested. There were some things like Richard Nelson has done a series of plays called The Apple Plays, the Gabriel Plays, that were recorded. I would encourage people to go find these plays because they’re really great, but he since has written a couple of Zoom plays and those work well because that’s the premise of the play. These characters are on a Zoom call to each other, so it makes sense that it’s happening as to how it’s happening.

I haven’t really seen other things online that I’ve found particularly satisfying. I’ve done a couple of readings and they were really just kind of pale and unsatisfying, the technological challenges are a big hurdle. It’s hard to get any sense of pace when there’s a delay between people’s microphones.
I would be more in the camp of “I’ll wait until we can actually do it.”

Despite all this confusion, drama, turmoil, and change surrounding our world now, what is it about performing you still love?

It’s pretty obvious the live human communal experience of it. Both as a part of an ensemble working together to make the performance and the event of having an audience, the stage crew, dozens of hundreds of people that make it magical, even if it might have occurred only once out of say 500 times.
We go to experience with other humans. It’s part of our DNA to gather. Our society has drifted away from that for a long time. It would be nice if this was a bit of a turning point of how much we missed that, and how much we need that.

That’s the fundamental thing about performing.

Follow Michael on his Facebook: Michael Cerveris Actor/Musician or his Instagram: michaelcerveris. You can also visit Michael’s website: www.cerverismusic.com.

The theatre company’s name – ‘Shakespeare BASH’d’ – made me do the proverbial double take. Does ‘Bash’ mean what I think it means?

After last year’s engrossing and pared-down ‘King Lear’ with Scott Wentworth in the title role, why was I thinking what I did? The Bash’d production of ‘Lear’ made for good theatre on a freezing night.

This month, it’s ‘The Two Noble Kinsmen,’ a collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

According to a release I received, ‘Kinsmen’ explores many of the same themes expected from Shakespeare’s plays, including love, friendship, honour, and duty. Those familiar thematic topics are shown to audiences from new and unfamiliar perspectives, challenging expected ideas of gender, sexuality, romance, and ceremony. Although written over four hundred years ago, much of ‘Kinsmen’ feels incredibly modern, exploring many relationships, including same-sex love and attraction, in some of the most overt ways of a play from this period.

Recently, I spoke with Michael Man, who plays Arcite, one of the title characters and asked him to tell me a bit about the plot without spoiling any intricate surprises since I’ve never seen the play before. Man was keen that I knew nothing about the show. His wish is for audiences to do the same to come and enjoy.

There are two love triangles in ‘Kinsmen.’ In the first, two kinsmen are deep, deep friends who go to war and get jailed. While in jail, they see a woman for whom they fall madly in love. As part of this first triangle, these friends learn how to cope with each other falling in love with and fighting for the same woman. The second triangle involves what occurs in jail. We meet the jailer and his daughter, who falls madly in love with one of the kinsmen. Meanwhile, the jailer’s daughter is also being pursued and chased by another lover.

For Michael, the theme and idea of friendship aren’t discussed much, and these are two reasons audiences should see ‘Kinsmen.’ Since our world is still changing due to the pandemic, Michael thinks a lot about friendship attrition and how difficult it is to maintain friends because they’re worth so much. How do we keep friends through difficulties? How does one describe friendship and love, and what happens when they blur, if they blur, or do they blur? ‘Kinsmen’ explores friendship, what it can and cannot be, and how we maintain it.

Rehearsals have been going fine so far. Man loves working with these folks. He loves this company because SHAKESPEARE BASH’d is text-centric and actor-focused. Audiences attend to hear the text spoken hopefully well by people who are passionate about what they do.

His biography on TAPA lists impressive credits. This summer will mark his fourth season with Shaw Festival.

A Queen’s University and George Brown Theatre School graduate, he is an actor, musician, and theatre maker. Man has performed across the country. Having previously served on the Dora Indie Jury 2018/2019 and the Ontario Arts Council Skills and Careers Development Jury in 2015, Michael has experience critically and objectively discussing the merit of the works of his peers.

He has fond memories of his undergraduate years at Queen’s along with a great support network from his undergraduate years and his training at George Brown. He met some incredible friends:

“My life is pretty exciting right now, and I hope it will continue.”

Man has also voiced the same frustrations and perhaps concerns about where the performing arts are headed due to so much change in the industry over the last nearly four years. Change will always remain a constant. There’s now an urgency to do what he wants to do. He chooses to stay with what he’s doing now and do it with all his might and heart. As an artist, there’s a certain level of faith and optimism in choosing to do something others might see as an unstable or unreliable career.

How important is it to continue honing his skills as an artist:

“I feel very lucky that I get to do what I really like, so why wouldn’t I take every opportunity to learn how to do it better?”

Outside of getting to see theatre, Man loves the arts and getting out to see what others are doing. It’s exciting to find out how people are communicating, what is interesting, and what is being received well or not received well. If he has the resources and the time, of course, he’ll take the time. But there’s learning to be done in other different ways from the people with whom he’s working, along with any personal reading he may undertake.

How important is it for Michael as an artist to hear what audiences, reviewers, critics, and bloggers say about his work?

There was a slightly uncomfortable laugh from him as he challenged me to continue asking other artists that same question. Again, we both shared a good laugh over it.

Man is in the art of communications. He is trying to communicate to the audience. The best communication is never one way. It’s always a dialogue both ways, so it’s essential to hear and understand what’s being received and what isn’t.

But Michael is an artist.

He’s sensitive, as he believes most artists are, so that side is protected. He knows he must defend that sensitivity even though he may not know how others will process the created work. Artists put themselves out there and wear their hearts on their sleeves. Just as a rave review cannot bring him to the heights and skies, negative or poor feedback must not bring him down to despair. He’s working on how he receives all kinds of feedback.

Our discussion then turned to the changes in the industry. Michael is grateful that honest and meaningful conversations are taking place and getting more to the forefront. That said, coming out of these four years, he feels that as much as change is happening, a lot remains the same. The landscape is now very different.

Yes, stories are still being told; people attend to hear stories told and want to be seen, heard, validated, and listened to. He appreciates there is an essence of what remains true among all of us.

But there is still work to be done, and there is an added sense of urgency to do it. Many places around the world do not allow freedom of expression. This means Michael must continue to work in the arts formed by reason and with a convicted heart.

He feels grateful for being able to do his work and knows many artists who have either stepped away from the business or are pausing to take stock of where they are. Change will remain a constant and will always happen. For example, there’s a lot of discussion in film, television, and voice work about the influence of AI (artificial intelligence). This item has been hotly debated and must remain a significant concern for the artist/actor. Technology is a reality, but the actor/artist must learn to react and safeguard themselves.

Money and funds are always an issue in the theatre, even now more pronounced. As theatres continue to consider budget, Man hopes financial oversight will not discourage artistic risk across the board. He hopes both can go hand in hand and that artists aren’t fearful this will happen.

After ‘The Two Noble Kinsmen’ completes its run, what’s next for Michael?

He returns to Shaw this summer and ecstatic that it and Stratford will perform East Asian-centric plays this year. He’s writing for Shaw which has commissioned an adaptation to produce ‘The Orphan of Chao’ based on a 13th-century Chinese drama, ‘The Great Revenge of the Zhao Orphan,’ by Ji Junxiang. Man is grateful for the opportunity to have his words presented in this adaptation. He will also appear in a new adaptation of ‘Sherlock (Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart)’ and will act in another adaptation of a 13th-century Chinese drama – ‘Snow in Midsummer.’

As we concluded our conversation, Man spoke of something he holds dear to his heart:

“Regardless of who’s performing in a show, what stories are being centred, or where the stories are coming from, I hope audiences come out to see that we are all the same underneath. That’s what’s important.”

And what’s next once Shaw concludes its summer/fall season:

“Who knows, Joe, who knows? …I try to trust my gut in what I do, so I will continue to seek out exciting and interesting work done by exciting and interesting people.”

‘The Two Noble Kinsmen’ directed by James Wallis, opens on January 25 and runs to February 4, 2024. All performances will occur at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street West. For tickets: www.shakespearebashd.com.

Michael Mori is the General and Artistic Director of Tapestry Opera. According to its website, Tapestry celebrates its 40th anniversary this year with some landmark projects. This is his tenth year in his leadership role as Artistic Director.

One of those projects is the return of ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’ based on D. H. Lawrence’s short story. Tapestry’s production runs to November 12 at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre. In 2016, it was a five-time Dora Award winner in five categories. When I asked him if Michael and the cast were still riding high on that accomplishment, he said:

“You know, it was really funny because we were not expecting it. We were up against some terrific work…We were just going for the free party. There’s no joy greater than an unexpected joy. I remember just being thrilled at the time…what I’ve always loved about Tapestry Opera is the original work the company does in the same way that Mozart and Puccini did…this brings out extraordinary performances because everyone is invested in the creation together.”

He laughed and said it had been seven years since the Dora win. Everyone had moved on to other projects, so the ‘riding high’ has abated. This coup for Tapestry was in the early years of Mori’s artistic direction. This acknowledgment has helped the company be better known as much as a contemporary opera company in Toronto can be known now. The future looks bright for Tapestry as there are collaborations, co-productions, and commissions.

But as Mori concluded this part of our conversation:

“It’s onward to the next original thing that we think has something to say.”

Mori trained in many places as an artist. He started as a boy soprano in New York and was privileged to sing in an excellent church choir. Through that opportunity, he auditioned as a boy soprano, where his professional career began in opera and off-Broadway musicals. He attended the University of British Columbia and received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in performance and spent a few summers in Vienna and Salzburg refining his work.

Our conversation then steered toward the art of opera and why it continues to be essential and relevant for twenty-first-century audiences. Mori began by discussing the addiction to or the increasing reliance on screens for engaging with ‘art.’ As one of the most sophisticated, complex, and layered art forms, opera is like the perfect counterpart to a screen-obsessed culture. It’s not the fact that people desire screens; they’re just in our lives so much, and we can’t avoid them. The default to screens has made us hungry for something bigger and more attractive.

He continues further:

“If there’s an antidote to mindless screen time, opera can be that when it’s wonderful. In the set and spectacle design, you can see so much artistry on display in many layers, from the music to the performances. When they work together, it can be overwhelming in the best way, especially when you feel moved and you can’t put a name on it. We don’t have this in the screen world. That’s what I love about opera, including Tapestry, Atelier, and the COC.”

Tapestry Opera continues to build its company and artists as a viable twenty-first-century art form inspired by the techniques created over the last 500 years of proto-opera to post-Romantic and contemporary. Toronto is in a beautiful nexus of cultures where we have access to rock and roll, hip hop, Persian, and all kinds of classical music from all over the world that should be incorporated into opera. Some audience members may hear some opera and say: “That’s me.” And that’s what opera should be.

How does Mori feel about all these changes in the performing arts industry, as opera falls into this category?

“The statistics are that formerly loyal attendees are returning in 50% – 75% numbers, which is catastrophic for legacy companies. But also, we are seeing the highest number of new audiences in recent history, across the board, in theatre, symphony, and opera. The problem in opera is that people don’t donate as those who have been coming to theatre usually do, so there are questions on how to manage that.”

Mori sees the considerable opportunity of tying into what opera can offer. After being cooped away for three years, he believes people are looking to be stimulated again and are open to things they haven’t considered before. That’s an excellent opportunity for companies and artists to think about how to really relate to how people consume art now or would like to consume. How can companies and artists make the live experience more thrilling, more compelling, and more friendly for people to engage with and leave appreciative.

Our conversation then veered to ‘Rocking Horse Winner.’ I remember reading D. H. Lawrence’s short story many years ago in high school. The production was supposed to have been performed in 2020, but we all know what happened then. The cast recording of ‘Rocking Horse Winner’ has been played on CBC radio several times.

From Michael’s vision as production director, what about the story still speaking to a contemporary audience today?

He provided some historical context first. Lawrence lived during the First World War and wrote in the decade immediately after, which was a tumultuous time for Great Britain. There was a disillusionment of the class system at that time. Power had shifted so much back then. What’s relevant about this historical context now? Within the last twenty years, the same thing appeared today: the power holders have shifted so much from the ‘technocrats,’ technology controllers, and the multinational conglomerations of mega-corporations.

Change is happening in our world with the pandemic and the incredible sense of inflation. What ties all this together is money and how that relates to power and agency.

The real thing about Tapestry’s production of ‘Rocking Horse’ is someone obsessed with money and feels like she needs love; this is Ava from the opera. She is essentially a single mother raising a child with some challenges. She’s not connected to her child (Paul). She’s obsessed with money, being told what we’re meant to be, and staying in the upper class while not necessarily having the wherewithal to change her fortune or make that decision. Obsession with money is nothing new at all. ‘Rocking Horse Winner’ is a universal story about people whose parents have made so much money over the last twenty years, but they don’t have any questions about how money is made.

The opera/story is dark. There might not be any lessons learned, but it’s a great reminder that any of us can change the destiny of many, many people, and many things by doing generous acts instead of selfish acts. Just by choosing selfish acts, we have no idea what we’re condemning to a great misfortune. The libretto is structured so that any of the three adults in the room could have stopped the terrible end from happening.

The first time Michael directed ‘Winner’ he wasn’t a parent. Now that he is a parent, he recognizes that adults/parents have such influence over the trajectory of their children’s lives, how they think and what their value system is.

I’ve already reviewed the production. Here’s the link to my review:

https://www.ourtheatrevoice.com/opera/’rocking-horse-winner’-based-on-d.-h.-lawrence’s-short-story.

Will the production tour to other Canadian cities once it finishes its run at Crow’s?

“There are people coming who would like to see what it’s all about, so it is our intention to do so, although nothing is confirmed yet. It’s in the cards, and it’s our hope that it will happen.”

Within this challenging economy of performing arts companies, ‘Rocking Horse Winner’ is not a bad show for opera companies to consider. It’s very lyrical. It’s neo-classical. For people who love opera and the theatre, ‘Winner’ is in that happy middle place for Mori. The production is an hour-packed dramatic piece without the challenges one might see at other companies. The pacing of the show is what one might see in theatres. The show has a good track record in the world.

What’s next for Michael once ‘Rocking Horse Winner’ has completed its run?

“Well, we’re in the midst of building a new venue just north of Yonge and Bloor. We’re building a two-venue rehearsal and performance space with an office facility. There’s been a massive venue crisis within the last ten years for the arts industry. Tapestry wants to be part of the solution. It wants to provide space for independent artists to come and use the facility so that it’s affordable for people who want to create new works eventually. I’ll be fundraising.”

Tapestry is also running a million-dollar fellowship for women conductors in partnership with the TSO and a partnership of about twenty-five orchestras and opera companies across Canada. Tapestry also has some fantastic shows planned for the spring. He will also direct some shows away from Tapestry down in the U.S.

‘Rocking Horse Winner’ continues at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, until November 12. Visit crowstheatre.com to purchase tickets.

Michael Ross Albert and I had recently connected through Instagram. I’m still having some issues with Instagram and how to use it. When I saw Michael’s name, I kept wondering where I had seen it before. And then it dawned on me.

Just this past summer, Theatre on the Ridge had staged a reading of Albert’s ‘The Huns’ about the corporate world which was a really interesting production given the restrictions of Covid. I remember speaking to Carey Nicholson, Artistic Director of Theatre on the Ridge, after the show and told her that I really hope she might consider staging a full production of ‘The Huns’ when it’s safe for all of us to return.

Michael Ross Albert is an award-winning Toronto-based playwright whose work has been performed across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He received an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School and has been honoured to teach new play development as an instructor of record at the University of Waterloo.

We conducted our interview via email. Thanks again, Michael:

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?

Thankfully, my immediate family and I have been keeping healthy, safe, and relatively sane. We’re all a little lonely, and a little bored, and some days are tougher than others. But that’s all. Considering the huge difficulties others are facing during this pandemic, I feel extremely fortunate.

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

During the first wave, I spent a lot of time doom-scrolling through the Internet and trying to find comfort in junk food, booze, and classic episodes of The Simpsons. But after a while, I realized those behaviours weren’t quite doing the trick, and I decided to completely change track.

With so much out of our hands, I’ve tried to focus on things that I actually can control, which these days, is mostly just my daily habits. So, I became a person that goes to sleep early and wakes up before sunrise. I deactivated my Facebook profile, which was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’ve turned off a lot of notifications. I’ve been limiting my comfort food and alcohol intake. I’ve been taking long (and I mean long) walks in nature. I’ve started meditating. I’m becoming that guy. And you know what? It’s been pretty helpful.

I’ve also had the very good fortune of working on writing assignments that had tangible deadlines. The uncertainty facing our industry has cast a big, looming shadow over my writing desk, and my focus has been even more scattered than it usually is. But once I really got going, the act of writing was very pleasurable. And I’ve been meeting with the collaborators involved in these projects periodically throughout the year, where we’ve had great, daydream-y conversations about the future. Those process-oriented conversations gave all of us a really welcome distraction from, you know, all of this.

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’m not sure “escape” is the word I’d use. To a degree, I’ve found myself retreating inward more, which could be a kind of escape. And when I’m writing, I do sort of feeling like I’m absconding to a different world, a different set of people’s circumstances. But, overall, I think the pandemic’s been a magnifying glass. Which is, like, a real gift, eh? How many generations have really gotten this gift of time to examine everything?

Over this past year, we’ve had the time to put our industry, our artistic practices, our creative habits, our personal relationships, our values, our priorities, our commitments to our communities under a magnifying glass, and I think that’s going to lead to a lot of positive change.

Obviously, the disease spreads like wildfire; we’re all at risk of being infected, we’re all grieving, the majority of us are facing financial insecurity and serious anxiety. COVID’s not a good thing. But the conditions of the moment have forced people in all sectors, not just the arts, to really scrutinize everything, so that hopefully, we can all make significant improvements to our very flawed systems.

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?

We should be focusing on our health and safety. If that means the industry can’t come back in full force for a while, it is what it is.

Artists have to be resilient because the industry has always been precarious at best. If anyone can deal with prolonged unemployment, it’s professional artists. We have to get creative; we have to make adjustments, we have to stay creatively nimble, and keep doing what we do, in whatever small ways we can.

I do not envy artistic directors, or leaders of big cultural institutions, or folks running indie theatre companies right now. No one cannot predict the future, and theatre requires a ton of planning. With vaccinations underway, it does feel like there are reasonable grounds for hope that public indoor gatherings will be able to return (someday…), but we can’t really predict how long it will be before audiences feel safe returning to a theatre.

Unfortunately, I think we have to wait and see. And in the meantime, artists have to find ways to stay sharp, stay connected to their community, and stay curious.

The financial toll this will take on organizations is really frightening. And I think that, no matter when in-person performances can resume at full capacity, the cultural landscape will look very different for a little while.

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?

Honestly, I don’t know if my understanding of theatre has changed all that much over the past year. If anything, the theatre that I’ve seen during COVID, either online or outdoors, has reinforced some of my core beliefs about it. The work I’ve seen has really hammered home the fact that communal storytelling is an essential component of the human experience. That, whether they’re watching on Zoom or sitting in a lawn chair, an audience may be more willing to suspend their disbelief and go on the journey of the play if the stakes are high and the story is personal. This work has reinforced the idea that theatre should reveal a deeper truth about humanity while being extremely entertaining. And it’s proven beyond all doubt that theatre-makers are some of the most adaptable people on the planet.

As to where theatre is going. For a while, I think plays may get even shorter than they currently are. We may only see small casts on stages for a while. Technical designs will probably become a lot simpler. Theatre companies may start regularly offering online ticketing options, which would be great. They might also prioritize accessibility, which would be even better. Ultimately, despite the difficulties of rebuilding, I think the theatre will come back stronger than it was before. And after a few more months of lockdown, I think we’ll all be craving live, in-person experiences.

I know I am.

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 don’t think artists should put themselves or others in the way of physical danger in order to do their work. Emotionally speaking, though, I think art is most relatable when it addresses deep, uncomfortable feelings that we all experience but have difficulty talking about. In order to create a piece of theatre that truly explores difficult emotions like guilt, shame, fear of death, an artist needs to find methods to safely access a “dangerous” part of themselves.

This past year has certainly felt dangerous. I worry about vulnerable family members and friends. I worry that a stranger’s carelessness could seriously impact the life of someone I love. And I think this sense of our interconnectedness, the fact that we rely on so many people, even people outside our sphere of personal relationships, in order to not get sick and die will definitely influence my future work in the theatre. I’m not exactly sure how. But the stakes are life or death for everyone right now. And that’s definitely the key to excellent drama.

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?

Oh yeah. Early on in the pandemic, we heard one piece of rhetoric over and over: “We’re all in the same boat.” But it’s clear that’s really not the case.

As a dramatist, what I’m most interested in is the various perspectives of different characters, especially in the face of moral crisis. COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on individual circumstances, big decisions, heroic acts of selflessness, and flagrant disregard for other people’s safety. I’m endlessly fascinated with why people behave the way they do when faced with the extraordinary, and that fascination has only grown during the pandemic.

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?

You know, I am curious about human behaviour and why people act the way they do under pressure, and COVID has given me plenty to ponder about in that regard. But I think what I’m most curious about right now is… What story will we need to hear, after all this is said and done?

What will we– artists and audiences– need from the theatre, in order to help the collective healing process? And how do we make sure we carry all these important reflections from the past year into our artistic practices, and into our regular routines when the pace of normal life resumes?

For further information and connection to Michael, please visit his website: www.michaelrossalbert.com or his Twitter handle: @michaelralbert.

Like many of the artists whom I’ve profiled this last year, producer Michael Rubinoff is one busy individual who continues to move forward as we all are outside of the pandemic.

Over the years, I have heard his name and knew he was a producer of musical theatre here in Canada, but I was not aware of the extent of his influence in the industry. I’ve learned a great deal about him and am most thankful he was able to take a few moments to add his voice to the conversation.

As you will see from his responses below, Michael helped to develop the 9/11 story in Gander, Newfoundland that continues to move audiences here in Toronto, on Broadway, in the West End and Australia. Outside of ‘Come from Away’, Michael continues his busy schedule.

He is a Toronto based producer and lawyer who conceived the idea to share the compelling events depicted in ‘Come from Away’ as a musical. In 2011, he established the Canadian Music Theatre Project, an incubator for th3e development of new musicals, where he produced and developed the first workshops of ‘Come from Away’ and developed 29 other musicals. He is a producer and consultant to ‘Come from Away’s’ five companies around the world and received an Olivier award and a Tony nomination for Best New Musical for the show.

He is producing the new musical ‘Grow’ which will have its world premiere at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario in April, 2022.

He continues the development of new work at home and abroad.

Michael was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross by the Governor General of Canada for his role in ‘Come from Away’.

A proud graduate of Western University Law. @mrubinoff.

We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you so much for adding your voice to the conversation, Michael:

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.

Despite the numerous challenges of this ongoing pandemic, it has reinforced that we are resilient. It is a rare global event in which everyone has been affected. That impact has been disproportionate, but even those most privileged have been at the mercy of a virus. It has exposed vulnerabilities we have not previously confronted effectively. It has widened awareness and increased support for necessary change on many levels. This time has also invited more meaningful conversations. I am hopeful this newfound resiliency can propel change at a faster pace.

Prior to the start of the pandemic, I was operating at a constant 100 miles an hour, working on multiple projects at home and abroad. The pandemic brought that pace to a screeching halt. That has allowed valuable time to reflect personally and professionally. It has provided an opportunity to re-examine what is most important to me and the work I want to do in my next personal act.

One of the most significant changes has been, after a decade of service, at the end of this academic year, I resigned from my position as Producing Artistic Director of the Canadian Music Theatre Project (“CMTP”) at Sheridan. This has afforded me the time to wholly devote myself to what I am most passionate about, developing new musicals.

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?

It has reinforced that what we do is necessary to foster social interaction and social innovation. We provide a valuable service and outlet for the public. We bring communities together. At the same time, this great intermission is a moment of reflection for the entire industry and has amplified the necessary need for a more equitable and inclusive industry. Time to take time has given the industry the opportunity to have very difficult and uncomfortable conversations. It has provided an opportunity to begin the concrete work on making change, in advance of the start of rehearsals and theatres re-opening to audiences.

This moment has reinforced accountability measures that must be adhered to going forward.

There is no going back to normal.

Many challenges and missteps will happen, but the work must be constant to ensure safe and healthy environments for all.

Further, if the theatre industry is to survive and remain relevant, it must be reflective of the communities it serves on stage, off stage and in the audience. In the musical theatre, where my work is focused, more inclusiveness in storytelling will only make the work that much richer, powerful and desirable to all audiences.

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

As people we crave social interaction and connection. In the digital age, theatre is one of the last mediums that brings people together, in person, to collectively share an experience.

Theatre is an event, that takes place in a moment in time in which an emotional bond is created between words, sometimes music, actors, and audience. This cannot be replicated online.

I am missing most, standing at the back of a theatre and watching an audience of strangers, untethered to their screens, come together as a community. It is always powerful to witness and feel and I can’t wait to be there 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?
I feel so privileged to be a part of the theatre industry, that I try not to take any if it for granted.
However, as a producer, I have never enjoyed being in tech. I have tremendous respect and admiration for all of the artists involved in that process. For good reason it takes focused time to implement and perfect the thousands of intricacies to create theatre magic.

As mentioned earlier, I was always trying to move through life at a rapid pace. So, tech is going to be the thing I am never going to take for granted again when we return. I do encourage you to check up on me on that journey!

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

As mentioned before, there is no going back to “normal”. Institutional change takes time, but it is being on the path towards eradicating systemic racism in our industry that I hope has changed.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry.
My commitment as a producer has primarily been to the Canadian musical and commercial theatre.
On our journey towards institutional change, we need to encourage and foster a generation of IBPOC commercial theatre producers in this country. This work for me, personally, is an accountability measure to ensure we are meeting the objective of a more inclusive industry.

I am working with a group of Canadian commercial theatre producers in consultation with members of underrepresented communities, to design a program that will educate, mentor and provide meaningful opportunities to emerging producers who want to work in this space.

Canada has lacked this kind of programming and, with urgency, I am determined to share what knowledge and support I can, to contribute to the necessary change.

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 the individual that conceived the idea and developed a musical about 38 planes landing in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador on 9/11, I get asked about my ideas for a Covid musical a lot. Live theatre can share historical events in very compelling ways.

I believe that musical theatre is one way to report and preserve history. Despite many doubters along the way, it was one of the reasons I felt strongly that the humanity exhibited on such a dark day should be shared in the musical form.

Ultimately, successful musicals connect with an audience. Due to the length of the pandemic my ideas for a Covid themed musical continue to build. I do have a concept that I believe is compelling. However, I have learned that time helps best frame how you want to tell stories about immediate events and post-pandemic reflection will be necessary.

I do believe this moment in history should be preserved in the musical form and I look forward to working on a project that will respectfully resonate with audiences.

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

Canada has and will always be home.

I believe in the brilliant Canadian writers, composers, creatives, talent and technicians.

I also believe that we have our own stories that are important to tell, both the good and shameful in our history.

The Canadian Music Theatre Project, which launched with the development of ‘Come From Away’, led a renaissance in Canadian musical theatre at home and around the world. Over a decade the CMTP developed thirty new musicals. Many of those shows have received professional premieres all over the world.

We see Canadian not for profit theatres, commercial producers, schools and community theatres developing, producing and presenting Canadian musicals. This risk taking, in large numbers, on our own talent, was not always the case. Most importantly, we see audiences embracing this work with pride and a sense of ownership.

So, if I am remembered for anything, I hope it is for the ignition of creation and the support of our Canadian storytellers to tell our stories.

First time I saw Michael Therriault on stage was in the Canadian production of ‘The Producers’ as Leopold Bloom. He won a Dora for this performance.

While he was performing in a production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in New York, Michael received word that he had been cast as Gollum in the Toronto premiere of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Musical’ and he won a second Dora for his performance. Therriault also reprised his role in the West End production.

Therriault also portrayed Tommy Douglas in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) TV Special: ‘Prairie Grant: The Tommy Douglas Story’ for which he was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series.

Michael attended Oakville’s Sheridan College and graduated with his degree in Music Theatre Performance. He was also a member of the inaugural Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre.

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

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.

I think I’ve learned that I am a bit more resilient than I had imagined. When Covid began, I was quite anxious about how life would be with this new virus. The idea of spending months this way, let alone a year, seemed terrifying. But we’ve all adapted to this strange way of living and I find that really surprising and strangely encouraging.

I also think, when things get back to normal, I will be even more aware of how precious time with friends and family is.

I think we all will be.

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 been inspired by theatre’s resourcefulness and ability to adapt.

The Factory Theatre here in Toronto did some amazing live-streamed shows that still had the thrill of a one-time event that I hadn’t imagined possible on Zoom. The Old Vic in London has been doing similar things as well.

Both The Shaw and Stratford Festivals are planning outdoor experiences that sound exciting.

Also, it’s been fun seeing colleagues’ creativity expressing itself in new and surprising ways: A lighting designer has turned to photography; a sound designer is renovating boats for example.

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

I miss the community aspect: meeting every day to create together and be inspired by each other. I miss the thrill of first days, celebrating openings and closings as a company and the late night “aha!” moments you have when you are rehearsing.

As I read about the passing of colleagues during this time, I particularly miss our tradition of getting together in a theatre for a celebration of life and collectively thanking our passed colleague with a standing ovation. It’s a very moving gesture that always reminds me how fortunate I am to be a part of this community.

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 many of us will be even more aware of how special it is to being in a room full of people to share an experience together.

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

This past year has had society investigate some big social issues that will no doubt have a positive impact on live theatre going forward.

I think our productions will become even more inclusive, diverse, and compassionate.

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

I really just hope to keep learning.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that some of the joy I had as a young actor can occasionally get shadowed by fear: fear of being bad, of getting it wrong, of being found out.

I’d like to continue to work to put joy and fearlessness in the forefront. I’ve always thought that the ‘it factor” that people talk about is really just people working joyfully.

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.

When we gather again, we may feel the need to explore this experience we’re having in the stories we present on stage. That makes a lot of sense.

But I also think we will be relieved to explore other stories as well. The collective need to “move on” will be just as great.

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

I’d like to be thought of as inventive, creative, fearless (I’m working on that) but most important joyful. The work I’ve done that I am most proud of was filled with joy. It felt like flying.

And I think finding more joy in life is always a good idea.

Talk is Free Theatre’s (TIFT) company name from Barrie, Ontario has always piqued my curiosity since I’ve embarked on this new journey into professional theatre commentary.

When I profiled Arkady Spivak a couple of years ago, I forgot to ask him about the name’s genesis. I was so thankful he assisted in helping me obtain an interview with TIFT’s Artistic Director, Michael Torontow. After I spoke with Michael, I got in touch with Arkady again to ask about the genesis of the name:

From Arkady:

“There are many inspirations for the name; three more widely used are 1) free speech and an opportunity for artists to engage in projects without interference from other pressures, 2) the satire on everyone thinking they are doing something by simply talking about it performatively, 3) acronym TIFT is a Restoration verb which means to get something ready, to prepare.”

And in that same email, Arkady coyly wrote: “There is an inside meaning, but to reveal it would be to lose magic” with two smiley emoticons following.

Thank you for this explanation, Arkady, as I would never want to destroy TIFT’s magic for me. I like what Christopher Hoile from Stage Door wrote about TIFT: “[It] is one of the most vibrant, innovative theatre companies in Ontario. TIFT provides one of the best reasons why Torontonians who love exciting theatre need now and then to look beyond the city’s borders.”

I am planning to do just that going forward.

I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Michael taking time to speak with me and to allow my Grade 12 Co-operative Education student to sit in on the interview and to hear a highly respected and articulate man speak about the company. Torontow will also appear in TIFT’s production of ‘Sweeney Todd’ in June. More about this upcoming musical shortly.

On a personal level throughout Covid’s continuation, he and his immediate family have been faring very well. Michael feels extremely grateful of course and privileged in many ways that, with many who have suffered loss over the course of the pandemic and endured so much hardship, he is very lucky. He and his partner live in a house with a yard and nature nearby in the Dundas, Ontario area. They got a dog over the course of the pandemic and have taken the advantage of being able to live their ‘little’ lives and be safe in venturing out to the grocery story when necessary.

Michael feels there is so much to say about the trajectory of Canadian live theatre regarding Covid’s influence. He is going into his first season as full-fledged Artistic Director with the company. He is excited just for a sense of normalcy within the industry once again when it comes to how everyone experiences live performance.

TIFT took some inspiration in learning from the pandemic last summer in venturing forward with the outdoor production of ‘Into the Woods’ and the ‘Plural of SHE Festival’, a series of shows performed by women and those identifying as women. TIFT continued to search for ways to keep the artist working, whether it was through first day readings (where they got people together on Zoom to read a play) and whether something would come from that. Some of these opportunities turned into development of full plays. For example, the recent ‘Judas Kiss’ came from one of these first day readings.

I could tell Michael was keen to share TIFT’s plans for its upcoming slate which will be announced soon as certain details are still being worked out on certain projects. Additionally, the pandemic has allowed the company to complete a great deal of reflection about moving forward with development of some service projects, to examine mental health in the rehearsal space, and to address some of the issues that have come up over the last couple of years. Through implementing these changes in future TIFT productions, Michael hopes the company can become a leading example of progress within the theatre industry that other theatre companies can look to for advice, guidance, and inspiration.

When I looked at the names of the company members on TIFT’s website, there are the crème de la crème of quality artists. I asked Michael if all these persons were gathered and sitting in front of him at this moment, what would he say to them?

He paused, and in a hushed voice said, “Oh my gosh!”

I know I put him on the spot, but he acknowledged he wouldn’t be able to keep it brief. But he did:

“Thank you for being a friend. There’s an element to which TIFT is what we are today because of all of you. We have an interesting symbiotic relationship with all of you where a strength of TIFT is that and what attracts great people to the company is that we do work that people want to do, whether it be original or anything artists want to create themselves. We will continue to do things differently and uniquely from how you might see things at other places. And you, dear artists, continue to inspire TIFT with the gifts you offer.”

What a beautiful tribute Michael paid to this company which proudly sees itself artist first and organization second.

Nevertheless, Michael also recognizes the company’s learning during this time how artists and audiences are aware Covid is still among us and not going away immediately. There may have to be a pivoting away from plans and goals depending on how Covid progresses.

He got to direct his first musical, ‘Into the Woods’ with TIFT as Arkady saw something within to venture into new territory as director as he had been thinking about that for some time.

In June, Michael will play the titular role in ‘Sweeney Todd’ directed by Mitchell Cushman. The production will take place at the Glen Rhodes Campus at the Neighbourhood Food Hub. (Link provided at the end of the article)

Without spoiling too much fun, Michael said audiences will be made to feel part of Sweeney’s story in an immersive and roaming production instead of just merely watching it. Nearly every inch of space in the church will be used. Guests will enter through the church, but they have no idea where they will be taken. There are certain scenes of the show where audiences will literally be among the action, perhaps even twelve inches away from the actors and artists. You may not know where to look, but that’s okay as that’s all part of the point as so much stuff will be going on all over the place.

Rest assured though Covid protocols and masks will be used since there are no understudies and TIFT does not want anyone in the cast, crew, or audience to get sick. Some staging of the scenes will be intention as the wearing of masks will also become intentional as part of the audience involvement and performance.

One of the things Torontow hopes to accomplish in playing Sweeney is seeing the human side of Benjamin Barker first before he became the murderous, demon barber of Fleet Street. The whole reason for Sweeney going through emotions and actions when he returns to London from Australia is the fact he is trying to get a sense of what he might have lost as Benjamin Barker. He wants his daughter back and he wants to find his wife.

Why do audiences need to see ‘Sweeney Todd’ now?

For Michael, one of the prevailing themes comes from one of the lines in the show: “Those above will serve those down below.” The play is all about a class issue and how Sweeney was easily whisked away to that penal colony in Australia by a Judge who, just because of his position in society, was able to take something from Sweeney and then shove him off wherever he wanted.

To a certain degree in our society for Torontow (even though he doesn’t consider himself an economist) the rich and the poor are diverging more and more, and the middle class is disappearing more and more. To be able to illustrate the difference between the above and below is a little bit of a nice reminder to people.

A month of rehearsals was already completed. The production was at the end of a two-month hiatus, and the company returns into a refresher and into technical rehearsals starting Tuesday May 31.

And once ‘Sweeney Todd’ has completed its run? What’s next for Michael Torontow?

Well, right away he is going to be part of the Porch Side Festival at Theatre Collingwood. Michael had performed the play ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ with TIFT a couple of years ago and will perform it once again in Collingwood. After Collingwood, Michael will then be developing new and exciting things coming up for late summer and early fall for TIFT.

He is one busy guy but the energy he exuded during our conversation was infectious.

Thank you so much for your time.

To learn more about Talk is Free Theatre, visit www.tift.ca.

To learn more about TIFT’s upcoming production of Sweeney Todd: https://tickets.tift.ca/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent328.html

Oshawa’s Durham Shoestring Performers (DSP) will perform Michaela Jeffery’s ‘WROL’ (without rule of law) on March 24, 25, 29, 30, 31 and April 1 at the Arts Resource Centre behind City Hall.

Recently I had the opportunity to share a Zoom chat with the Calgary-based playwright where she completed a more general drama undergraduate BFA degree. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS). Her father is a retired Drama teacher so Michaela proudly states she has been thriving in drama for a lot of years beyond her formal training.

When she finished her undergraduate program, she interned for a couple of years with New Play Development-based Calgary company called Alberta Theatre Projects before applying to the National specifically to do playwriting. The National Theatre School has a three-year intensive playwriting program of two students working on plays all day. It was a wonderful experience for Michaela, and she feels incredibly fortunate to have been a part of this opportunity.

What exactly does playwright training look like?

Jeffery describes the ‘lovely, decadent’ process as the most organic extension of human storytelling. Her studies at NTS involved working one-on-one with playwright artists, being in constant conversation with them, and getting to have a backseat view of their working on developing work. It felt like a lateral professional-to-professional conversation which felt wild as a young student because nobody had treated her like a professional up to that point. However, she was brought up very quickly to that professional level standard of NTS and learned about standing up for herself in her growth as a playwright.

How has Michaela been feeling about this gradual return to the live theatre as a playwright even though we are still in Covid’s embrace?

With Alberta known for its own complex ecology, Jeffery pointed out the province has been referred to as ‘America North’ as it was the first to “pitch a fit” about mask-wearing. The current provincial government (until May) is really pandering to some of the very specific pockets of the Alberta population that are not interested in doing things for the greater good.

Jeffery works for Arts Commons, a performing arts centre and art gallery in Calgary, which houses four theatres in the immediate complex of the building. Throughout the beginning of the pandemic, she was on teams setting rules about what to do with the bare base mandate level of the province. Do these teams go above and beyond what should be expected or just go with the bare base provincial recommendations?

Jeffery said many of Alberta’s vulnerable population come to the Commons to see touring artists. It’s peace of mind and why wouldn’t a business try to do what it can to protect people:

“I think of theatre as compassionate spaces of communal action. The space we are in while we make theatre is one where we take care of each other. What is appealing to me about writing for the theatre? There is something very important about a live experience. I’m not dismissive of some of the incredible online work that has been done. We’re all coming together to think about how we might make a better world or imagine a solution. So, let’s take care of each other while we do this.”

Our conversation then turned to WROL since it will be performed in Durham Region in March.

WROL was a recent finalist for the international Jane Chambers Excellence in Feminist Playwrighting Award (2021) and Alberta Playwrights Network Alberta Playwrighting Committee. The play has already been produced forty times most of that in the United States.

Michaela bills the play as a dark comedy. There are some amusing moments while there are some dramatic elements and issues these girls will have to end up facing for the rest of their lives. The plot involves a handful of Girl Guides who have essentially gone rogue. It’s a story of young women finding their voice and fighting for something they believe in while trying to make the world better. Whether the audience agrees with their tactics to accomplish this is the reason to come see DSP’s production.

Jeffery describes the literal layer of WROL’s plot:

“Technically the girls are trying to get to the bottom of something. They live in a rural area with a history of a kind of cult that existed and then vanished. The girls are playing Nancy Drew in trying to solve this survivalist cult and in the process find a hideout of a single guy who could come back at any moment. Is this guy part of this cult that vanished?”

Combine this understanding now with how these young women feel about themselves to be in a world that isn’t taking their concerns or their fears seriously. Things can’t stay as they are at this current moment. WROL becomes a look at how decisions are made. Are they made equitably and justly?

Although it is never expressly spelled out, there is an allusion to things that can’t stay the way they are in this current moment. Is it the apocalypse? The world is changing and as Jeffery says: “Shit could go sideways at any moment”.

Whatever these girls are struggling with, it’s all rooted in love, and a desire to care for each other and the planet. There is also an element of fear and anger the girls have to deal with too. Michela knows there have been some gentle and combative versions of WROL produced, and she loves how her script has been brought to life in these two ways. The way it’s written in the text has led to some directors going the tender direction with WROL while others have gone the hard, revolution route. Michaela stated there is an argument for staging WROL either way.

It will be quite interesting to see which route the Durham Shoestring Performers take.

The genesis for WROL came from a few places for Jeffery. She was asked to take part in an Alberta Theatre Projects Playwrights Unit during her first year out of NTS. She chose the age of 12-13-year-old girls for her play instead of the ages of 16-18 because there is something really striking about that point in ourselves and the self-discovery where we’re not cynical at 12-14 yet as we are when we’re at 16-18.

Michaela gave further thought to danger and young children and an understanding of urban myths. She gave further thought to what the mythologies of 12-year-old girls are. WROL became the genesis of what were the earliest moments Jeffery felt angry as a young female person.

What messages does Michaela hope audiences in Durham will take away from WROL as they leave the theatre?

She said WROL has a very complex ending in the sense it’s really open-ended. Past audience members have been asked what the last image was or what was the last thing they remember. Each audience member will tell a different story about the action that occurs at the end of the play. Is it an action of defeat or is it an action of hope?

Her final words about WROL:

“I really hope that audience members are excited and engaged in thinking about fighting for things they believe in their own lives and relationships and the world they live in. Will audience members think about how they protect their own inner child? What do courage, bravery and risk all look like? And what would I want to do for the world I live in?”

To learn more about Calgary-based playwright Michaela Jeffery, please visit her website: www.michaelajeffery.com.

Before I interviewed Michaela Washburn this morning, I had to go back and see how many performances I’ve reviewed where she has appeared. I counted five and I think I might be missing a couple. Personally, I have never forgotten how powerfully visceral her performances have been on stage, particularly in three productions: ‘This is How We Got Here’ at the Aki Studio, ‘Almighty Voice, and his Wife’ at Soulpepper, and ‘Guarded Girls’ at Tarragon.

Michaela hails from Alberta and is a proud Métis artist of English, Irish, French and Cree descent. She is now based in North Bay, Ontario. Michaela’s expertise spans theatre, film, television, hosting, writing, spoken word, clown, improvisation, workshop facilitation, and stand-up.

An award-winning actor, Washburn also has multiple nominations – most notably, for the Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Arts Award and the K. M. Hunter Artist Award for Theatre. She has performed internationally at festivals and theatres in Wales, Aruba, and across Canada and the United States.
She studied clown with John Turner in 2001 and graduated (on scholarship) from the Second City Training Center in Toronto, in 2003. Outside of that, and various workshops along the way, the learning of her craft has been primarily experiential.

Her post-secondary studies in the late ’80s were in nursing and, during the course of our telephone conversation, I discovered she had also been a high school guidance counselor.

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?

Like many folks, I too have had my ups and downs during these last five months.
There have been days where I feel confident and hopeful about the future, and there have been other days where it has been almost impossible to feel anything beyond grief and despair. As my chosen career and the whole industry of live performance has come to a screeching halt, I realize now, that for me, it is a matter of acceptance, and adjusting to the situation by focusing what I can do versus what is beyond my control.

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

I was booked from March – December 2020 from Banff to Victoria to Winnipeg. It was to have been my first time in Banff as part of the Indigenous Playwrights Circle followed immediately by the Banff Playwrights Lab. There would have been an intersection with many international artists and the incorporation of several languages within the work. It was to be a highlight of my year, and unfortunately, all of that work is now gone.

I have a Great Aunt who is turning 94 this year, and so I also had plans to visit her in Vancouver and record an interview with her. She is one of the last of her generation and holds so much knowledge of our family’s history which I was hoping to capture on film.

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

I was living in a basement apartment in Toronto and was finding it incredibly isolating and increasingly difficult to get outside. I was often anxious, as when I was out for walks during the day, I began to notice less and less physical distancing and few people in the area were wearing masks. There was a small backyard but a family with a toddler lived upstairs. I understood completely that the backyard was the only space where the child could safely play, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that.

Since then, I’ve moved out of the city, which has helped a great deal.

What were you doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre?

I am one of the Ontario Councillors for the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, and I serve on several committees as well. There is a great deal of advocacy work being done which has been keeping me busy during these last five months.

I was also one of the folks who recently stepped forward to help coordinate the online panel discussion and subsequent take-over of the Stratford Festival’s social media platforms for the Indigenous community in June. I felt proud to offer messaging reminding us all to be kind and patient with ourselves and one another as we navigate this extraordinary time.

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?

For all performing artists who have been affected by COVID – 19 – remember that storytelling is intrinsic to our well being. It is a practice that has seen humankind through many a disaster before and we will find a new way to experience live performance once again.

To the new theatre graduates: Trust. Have faith in your dreams and in the gifts you carry within you. They are your medicine. Art is love, and love heals. If you have a dream and are driven to do it, then you’re meant to do it. Trust that. Dreams may also shift and change, and to lean into that rather than fear it.
All things happen for a reason. I firmly believe that.

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

As I can only speak for myself, this giant pause has offered me the opportunity to re-evaluate what’s important and to examine closely the impact of my choices on my personal health and balance, that of my fellows, the earth, and all the creatures we share it with. It has revealed many areas that desperately require immediate attention, socially and environmentally, and has reinforced that we need to work together to practice more respectful, responsible, and sustainable ways of being. Identify the actions we can take, and then take them.

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

For sure. There is so much to consider for the safety of everyone when we return to our theatres from the actors and crew to the audience members. Safe social distancing will be paramount when we first return, and I believe that the inability to fill our houses will have a significant impact on revenue, and thus whether or not some theatre companies will even survive.

All artistic teams are going to have to get creative and innovative. In fact, several conversations have already begun across the country, to discuss how and what protocols and procedures will need to be in place, and who will be responsible for their implementation and maintenance.

But we’re creative folks! It’s what we do. dream and build and manifest..so I have total faith that we will find our way.

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?

I’m not personally interested in participating in live streaming, although I am happy for those who have found expression there helpful. I imagine that it may become part of the performing arts scene, and in fact, think that folks will continue to be creative in how they adapt their crafts. For me, I feel like what’s missing in live streaming is the conversation that is at the heart of live performance… sharing the same space and time together. I am happy for folks who are enjoying the online medium, but if I am to work digitally, my preference is to do so in film and television.

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

I love the transformation and resiliency which is the crux of being a good storyteller. We have the ability to adapt to whatever situation in which we may be placed, and we must hold fast to that and remember that these are transferable skills. As storytellers, I love that we are able to utilize life as a toolbox from which to build an imagined reality, and in this case, an entirely new one.

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 sounding word?

“Chum” – not what you throw in the water to attract sharks. ‘Chum’ is the word I use to refer to most of the people in my life. It’s a term of endearment that I love to use.

b. What is your least favourite word?

Hate. I try not to use that word at all to the best of my ability.

c. What turns you on?

Kindness

d. What turns you off?

Aggression.

e. What sound or noise do you love?

The laughter of children

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Crying children whom I can’t comfort or the suffering of others over which I am powerless to help ease.

g. What is your favourite curse word?

“Shitballs”

What is your least favourite curse word?

In the spirit of my mom, I’d love to eventually surrender vulgarity altogether. I remember reading somewhere “The absence of profanity will offend no one” and I really like that idea.

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

I often miss the work I did with the youth as a high school guidance counselor, and many times have considered becoming a therapist. I would also like to become a skilled tradesperson, as I believe things like carpentry, painting, drywalling, and home repair are important skills to have.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Taxidermy

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

“You rose to your name, Shining Light, and left the world a better place for it. Now come, your ancestors are eager to dance with you.”

To follow Michaela, visit her Twitter: @themichaelaw Facebook: Michaela Washburn

A conversation with Rob Kempson (Director) and Michelle Bouey (Patsy Cline) and ‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’

If you haven’t made the trip to Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre to see ‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’, I encourage you all to do so. It was a lovely evening at the theatre and a smart choice to stage this play and begin welcoming audiences back after two years.

But why ‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’ to re-open the Capitol summer season?

Artistic Producer and Director of the show Rob Kempson was happy to explain his reason why this show was apropos to begin. He wanted to start the season with this show because he has loved Patsy Cline’s music for a long time. As the first BIPOC artist to essay the role of the country music songstress, Michelle Bouey is such a talent that Rob couldn’t even imagine doing the show without her.

But in his new role at the Capitol, Rob had to also think of the larger picture – how to introduce himself artistically to the community plus how to bring people together through all ages and demographics. For Rob, very few musicals, artists and plays have that cross-generational appeal as Patsy Cline’s music does.

‘Closer Walk’ is cross-generational. There are many Patsy Cline fans in the audiences who have never seen a performance like the one Michelle Bouey delivers. That was intentional as Rob wanted to make sure that, as Artistic Producer, he was delivering the familiar alongside the unfamiliar. Yes, it’s important to ensure the Capitol’s legacy supporters are welcomed back plus it is also important to bring a whole new generation of audiences into the theatre.

Kempson shared two stories as proof of this crossover. He recalled an older gentleman who has been a long-time supporter of the Capitol who said: “You make sure you go back and tell Michelle that she’s even better than Patsy Cline herself, and I saw Patsy Cline perform when she was alive.”

The other?

One performance had many of the workers from the local brewery attend who had a great time and were loving the show and had no idea the Capitol existed.

These are signs changes have already begun as Rob continues to look for ways to invite audiences back to the theatre, but he is keenly aware they will have their own terms. As Artistic Producer, he’s looking for where he can find other crossovers in live entertainment and have people sit beside people who are totally different from each other and yet have a shared artistic experience. Thus the reason for selecting ‘Closer Walk’ and Dolly Parton’s musical ‘9 to 5’ to be staged later this summer.

When rehearsals and initial preparation on her own began for ‘Closer Walk’, Michelle Bouey says she didn’t know a lot about the singer when she first began working on the show but is “so glad she was introduced to Cline’s world because her catalogue of songs and her legacy is one that is so truly incredible in that it all happened before the age of thirty.”

What is it about Cline’s music that speaks to Michelle?

It’s the vocals and passion that spoke first to her when she heard Cline’s music for the first time. Whether it was an up-tempo piece or a soaring ballad, Bouey felt transported and stated she felt exactly what Cline was feeling at that moment.

Bouey reiterated further that if you’ve never heard of Cline before, it is her music and the stories told through songs that are touching to hear, plus the bonus of being able to hear the songs live in a theatre instead of a recording. Michelle loves singing the songs for which Cline is known like ‘Always’ and ‘Crazy’, but there are some lesser-known musical numbers that pack an even greater punch.

As director of the show, did Rob wonder about the mammoth task at hand to mount the production or did everything fall into place for him?

He said it fell somewhere between these two parameters.

Rob has directed other historical productions and has always felt inspired by the history of real-life people rather than being bound by the history. This connection is interesting as he further reitrerated: “Patsy Cline didn’t dance around the stage. She stood at the microphone and sang because she wasn’t wirelessly microphoned.”

In other words, Cline lets the song tell the story.

Although we are watching this show in 2022, Kempson praises the work of the entire crew and the band in all of their fringes and tassels. He recognizes the fun in using history as the inspiration from which to jump off rather than mimic it or pretend to do something. Rob completes a lot of research even before rehearsals begin because he asks the question: “As artists, how can we interpret and imagine the world of Patsy Cline through a 2022 lens rather than impose it?”

The historical research for him becomes a launching pad rather than a definitive endpoint.

This historical launching pad for the production makes complete sense. For me, Bouey hit all the vocal emotional chords within me. The entire look of the production was constructed uniquely and solely for this production alone. If audiences see ‘A Closer Walk’ somewhere else, they will probably end up seeing a new vision.

Both Michelle and Rob speak glowingly about the incredible joy they experienced in working with seasoned actor Tyler Murree who plays DJ Little Big Man. Bouey is in awe of Tyler. She says he was so kind and supportive to her. She was intrigued in watching him develop all of the various characters he plays and how he switches characters in performance so effortlessly.

Rob has worked with Tyler before and knew he performed this role of the DJ. Kempson was not asking for a replica of Tyler’s previous performance but take on a new version of it. And he did just that.

Kempson echoed what Michelle said about Murree. He is a constant professional and such a joy to have in the room because he is a beautiful collaborator, open, and risk-taker who makes people smile at every single turn. Once again, I appreciated Rob’s candour very much. When he puts together a team he has a pretty strict ‘no asshole’ rule. For Kempson, it’s more than just if an actor can do the job; instead, it becomes ‘are you the right personality for this group of people’.

And how are Rob and Michelle feeling about the theatre, the trajectory of Canadian theatre going forward, and the health protocols?

Both agree the Canadian theatre scene has been forever altered moving forward. Kempson recognizes there are positive and negative changes Nevertheless, what really hit home for him was the sad reality many amazing artists in the industry have chosen not to return. These artists left to find other work and are staying in that other work because it is less precarious than the theatre industry.

The positive reality moving forward – Rob believes artists and arts organizations are far more attuned to taking care of people and those within the community, and this makes for a far more beautiful collaboration. Although Rob had never worked with Michelle before, he strongly felt the importance of creating a space for her during rehearsals and performances where she felt welcome, cared for and safe both at the theatre and where she is billeted.

Michelle remains grateful that Rob and the entire Capitol company have continued to ensure the safety of everyone involved in all the shows remains a top priority. She considers herself lucky because she chose to go back home to Prince Edward Island in 2020 to be with her family. The east coast provinces had strict entrance and quarantine requirements. Because of these strict requirements, the east coast provinces could continue performing and putting on shows, so Michelle could continue doing what she loved.

She continues to feel safe in her work at the Capitol.

As our time on Zoom wound down, I know I put Rob and Michelle on the spot to ask them the following question:

“If Patsy Cline were sitting in on this Zoom call with us, what would you say to her?”

There were a few seconds of awkward silence. Were they panicking? uncomfortable because they might not articulate what they wanted to say.

Rob was the first to break this pregnant pause. He said it might not be satisfying but:

“I’d want to jam with her. Can we get off Zoom and go hang out in a room somewhere and play some music together?”

Everything Rob read about Cline, he learned she was a collaborator and loved to work with people. She also had strong opinions of what she likes and doesn’t like and Kempson is fine with that in any person.

And Michelle Bouey:

“Wow! My first instinct because I’m an emotional, cheesy gal, I would probably cry my eyes out and she would be so weirded out. And in my emotional state and tears, I would thank her so much because she is such a gift to this world of music. Your talent touches me more than you’ll ever know.

And then I’d do what Rob said. I’d want to hang out with her and get to know her. She was a trailblazer, a feminist and ‘a badass bitch’. Patsy just seemed so cool and collected but still had this fire within her. I think it’s rare to have both things.”

‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’ continues to June 26 at the Capitol Theatre, Mainstage, 20 Queen Street, Port Hope. For tickets, call 905-885-1071 or visit capitoltheatre.com.

Covid protocols and masks remain in effect at the theatre as of the writing and publishing of this article.

One of Rob Kempson’s responsibilities is to ensure the safety of his artists, crews and audience members because as he told me in the interview: “At the end of the day, we just wanna keep doing plays.”

I am extremely thankful Mikaela Davies sent me a friend request several months ago as I admired her work in ‘The Last Wife’ at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre. Our Zoom call sometimes went off topic today as we found the questions below led to other questions and comments that I hadn’t even considered, and that was alright as Mikaela told me at one point during the interview to bring them on.

Mikaela Davies (she/her) is an actor, director and writer. She is a graduate of the 2020 CBC Canadian Film Centre’s Actors Conservatory. She spent two years performing at Soulpepper Theatre and four seasons at The Stratford Festival where she performed the leading role in The Changeling. She is a graduate of the Soulpepper Actor’s Academy, Stratford Festival’s Michael Langham Conservatory for Classical Direction and Canadian Stage’s RBC Director Development Residency.

Davies is the inaugural recipient of the Jon Kaplan Canadian Stage Performer Award; she holds a Sterling nomination for Outstanding Comedic Performance as the lead in Miss Bennet at The Citadel and a META nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance in The Last Wife at The Centaur. She has worked closely as a dramaturge with Robert Lepage and Jillian Keiley. She has directed and co-created a handful of award-winning plays with Polly Phokeev including How We Are, The Mess & Earth 2.0.

Thank you for the conversation, Mikaela:

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’ve been okay. I’ve been really lucky that my family and friends have been healthy and safe so that’s brought a lot of peace of mind. I’m also pretty lucky that my partner and I don’t have kids yet so I cannot understand how difficult it must be for parents with young kids at home trying to do their work and help them through school. My hat goes off to them. So challenging.

Given my health and everyone around me and not having this extra burden, it’s been okay. It’s hard, it’s a hard time for everybody. I do feel lucky.

It’s pretty scary to hear of the numbers going up and down and up daily.

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

Well, when Covid first started I was quite lucky that myself, Hailey Gillis and Polly Phokeev, we were commissioned through Crow’s Theatre to work on a musical. We’re working on this adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘The Master and Margarita’, workshopped at The Stratford Festival. We were able to spend a good chunk of time just throwing ourselves into that so that was a really nice project to have.

Polly Phokeev and I, we also work on our own writing projects together. We’ve had a history of making theatre together and now we’re exploring what it might be like to make a tv series so we’ve working on the draft of a pilot about a mission to colonize Mars.

The other thing I have a lot of time for, which I’ve never really been able to do, is to take a breath and look around and breathe. I’ve always been a go, go, go artist and so in many ways this has afforded me a great pause.

I’ve spent some time camping with my partner. We were van camping. We were sleeping in the back of his van. When the cases were low, we went out to British Columbia to see his family and we drove back across the country staying in national parks. I’ve never done that. I’ve never seen those parts and parks of Canada. That was the highlight of my year for sure. It was magical.

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?

This is a good question. Speaking personally, Covid has allowed me to take a bit of a breath and a pause and to spend some time living and thinking about things, and as an artist I think that’s a useful thing to do. Sometimes we’re so caught up in making art, making art, making art, making art that we forget to live. I’m speaking for myself here.

I’ve felt very grateful for that aspect of it. The kind of escapism that I imagine Hal Prince is referring to in theatre to me is a very different thing than the really dark, complicated time that Covid has brought on so many of us. To me, going to the theatre is an escape. I’m reading this incredible book right now by Tana French. She’s an Irish mystery writer and that feels like an escape.

I’m thinking about these characters when I’m not in the book, my mind is going to them, I’m trying to figure out the mystery, that’s escapism. Covid is the opposite of this. Instead, it has shined a fluorescent light on the inequities of society, the drastic differences of the qualities of life of someone who makes $200K+ a year versus someone who makes $20K a year.

Covid hasn’t been an escape. It might have been nice if it was, but no.

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?

(Mikaela chuckles) Okay with the caveat that I’m not a doctor so I really have no business making any predictions on this …

I cannot imagine the theatre on an institutional level will be back to anything close to its capacity until 2022 or later. There’re two things to consider: a) when the theatre can legally come back in a safe way and b) everybody’s personal safety level. When will audiences feel safe to return because everyone will be at different starting points.

I think we’ve got a long haul yet, but I’d love to be wrong.

The question every artistic director asks is how to get young people to attend the theatre and become subscribers. Yes, our seniors make up a good deal of our audiences, but this may not be the case when theatres are legally allowed to re-open again.

Well, one of the first things is to mount work that young people can relate to. Ya know, sometimes we think of theatre as medicine that can become inaccessible to younger people. I remember my parents taking me to museums when I was a kid, and I was thinking, “Oh, God, I don’t know if I like this. I don’t know if I’m engaging with this.” It doesn’t mean the work wasn’t incredible, it just means I didn’t understand it at the time. It didn’t speak to me and what I was going through at that time.

The question is how to get young people excited about theatre and the answer is to program productions that speak to them and exploring and navigating so we can push those boundaries in their minds.

I had a discussion recently with an 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 in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

I was speaking with a director and how we might be able to put on this play through a Covid lens. We tasked ourselves with re-reading this play and imagining it in a Covid world. One of the things that struck me as possibly so exciting is seeing two characters come together and embrace and kiss each other and how electric that might be in a world where that’s not allowed if you’re not in the bubble.

Like anything that happens in our world and the societies around us, it can’t help but inform the way we see things. I imagine there will be a renewed sense of chemistry and intimacy in our work to come once we are safely allowed to put these things on. I think seeing two people from different families come together and give each other a hug or any sort of physical touch will hit us in a different way than it ever would have before since we took it for granted.

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?

This touches on tricky territory as we’ve seen through the #metoo Movement and the Black Lives Matter movement. Somebody’s idea of danger might be another person’s experience of abuse. I think it’s really important to say that you have to have everyone’s permission and consent to create that kind of environment. If you do, then I think it’s a fantastic thing to thrill yourself as an actor and for the audience and to seek that kind of danger as that’s the aliveness of theatre we all want to experience.

I had that feeling of danger in reading Arthur Miller plays and when I performed in ‘The Changeling’ at the Stratford Festival. An artist can feel when an audience is in the palm of their hands and that’s exciting.

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 certainly feel more attuned to everything around me. Not being able to see family or friends starts to wear on you and you have a greater understanding of mental health and anxiety.

I’m a highly sensitive person so noise, feelings, it’s all mixed up for me and this time of Covid has turned it up. God, I hope I do bring this sensitivity when I return to the theatre.

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?

I love that. I love the fact he said theatre should spark curiosity. I think curiosity is the thing we need to build bridges in this time. When you can start to cultivate that in yourself with people who have radically different sets of beliefs than you do, you can be curious about them. You can begin to open doors and make those connections. I think that’s fantastic Hal Prince talked about the fact curiosity is one of the facets of what theatre should do.

I spent a lot of time being curious about the police to be honest and how those systems worked for some people and not for others. What does that mean about a society if we are to continue a system that is discriminating against any BIPOC person? That’s been a huge learning curve for me.

I watched this fantastic Zoom play reading by Ali Joy Richardson called ‘Dad’ through Studio 180. It was directed by Ann-Marie Kerr. It was so well done. One of the things I thought was so effective was it happened over Zoom but they utilized the platform of Zoom as part of the piece. In the actual play, Ali adapted it. This was a phone conversation just like you and I are right now, and we all got to be a fly on the wall during this conversation.

I love ‘fly on the wall’ moments so I’m curious to see how people have been able to adapt that even while theatre can’t happen in the live space they’ve been able to take this form and make it exciting, and present, and right now.

You can connect with Mikaela at Instagram: @mikaelalilydavies and Twitter: @MikaelaLily

Mike Nadajewski’s work has been extensive in the Canadian theatre cannon, and I’ve been pleased to have seen his work in the Stratford production of ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’ before it transferred to Broadway. Other memorable roles include ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ at the Ed Mirvish Theatre and ‘Harvest Moon Rising’ (Talk is Free Theatre, Barrie, Ontario). Recently, I saw Mike read the role of Nick in ‘The Great Gatsby’ for Talk Is Free’s Theatre Dinner A La Art. I’ve always liked the Gatsby story and hearing it read made me hopeful that a play may be in the works sometime in the future.

This summer, Mike will appear at the Shaw Festival. He speaks about his roles in one of his responses below.

You will see Mike’s wit clearly in some of his responses below. To me, it appears Mike is the kind of guy who would be willing to say, “Let’s go for a beer.” We conducted our conversation via email as Mike is in the midst of rehearsals right now for Shaw.

I do hope I get the chance to speak to him in person soon to say hello to him. Thank you for participating and for adding your voice to the series, Mike:

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. First, I love these softball questions, Joe – nice n’ easy (!!!) What ever happened to, “How do you learn all those lines?” But seriously folks…

Everything I say will be an understatement, no doubt, and my colleagues have spoken far more eloquently in your column than I can. (And now that I’ve hopefully lowered your expectations, buckle up for what can only be described as some primo insight.)

When we were in the first months of this pandemic, I remember thinking how acutely I felt the loss of being able to gather. (See? Understatement.)

I have the benefit of living with my family – a completely different experience from those who had to endure quarantine in isolation – and I still was completely blindsided by the realization of how deep this primal-gathering- need goes. The loss felt was grief, of course. We are hardwired to gather together and share … something! Whether it’s art, food, religion, sports – we want to do it together and experience it together.

What about those introverts, though?

Well, I know a few of those (I’m also married to one!), and a lot of them got pretty tired of people saying to them: “Well, you’re probably fine with this, aren’t you?” Yes, at first, they were fine, but it wasn’t long before they weren’t, because once the choice of ‘going to that opening-night party or not’, or ‘grabbing that drink with colleagues or not’ is taken away from you, the power of choosing not to be social, so you can claim regenerative time for yourself, evaporates.

I’m certainly not the first person to equate the gathering restrictions with feelings of grief. I often think, when it comes to any part of our quirky, uniquely contradictory and baffling array of human traits, “What’s the primal application here?” What purpose did grief serve our Cave-B&B ancestors when grief has the potential to shut you down completely? Of course, the other side of the grief-coin is love and attachment.
I had never given much thought about the love and attachment I had for, well, just people. My fellow humans! And certainly not in this ultra-specific way. I’m already an empathetic sort. I’m an actor and I people-watch, and of course (on the inside), I watch myself interacting with people while I people-watch, and I’m kind of always taking notes on behaviour.

And we all know what isolation does to people – it’s a form of torture and punishment in prisons, after all – so, within this context, I’ve been asking myself, “If contact is denied, is it an affront on our capacity for love?” Most of us have felt grief and heartache after a break-up with a partner, and when your heart is broken you grieve, and you’re generally not very interested in seeking out love again for a while.

The COVID crisis has had kind of a similar effect on me. A kind of erosion has taken place. I remember last year being quite keen to gather as soon as possible. But over time, that keenness has been chipped away. This paralyzing, surgically precise attack on our second nature of passing touches, handshakes, hugs, and proximity, has slowly and rather insidiously eroded my desire to want to interact with people. Again, I have my family at home, and we get a lot of what we need from one another. In many ways – and please know I say this knowing that this has not been everyone’s experience – we have been incredibly grateful for this time as a family.

But in other ways, it has turned me inward.

I know we’ve all experienced this fatigue to some degree. I shudder to think of how our kids will be affected in the long run. I’ve got one of those (kids, I mean), and I think/hope mine will be alright – but what about the little-ones who are in their formative social-skill-building years?

When it’s safe again to do so, it’s going to take time, along with some conscious effort, to find my way back to wanting interaction, even though I know I need it.

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?

My understanding and perception actually haven’t changed much, I’d say. Art finds a way. I’ve always known it could do this, but to actually witness and participate in this phenomenon has been pretty incredible. Artists will always find a way to make their art.

I still think being able to congregate with a live audience and share stories together is an essential human experience and it’s not going away anytime soon (theatre has been dying for 4,000 years, after all). It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say that our very humanity is centred around story-telling. Isn’t it funny that our TV’s are always desperately trying to evolve to become more and more “life like”? Higher definition, 4K, 8K, 12K, HDR, 3D, 50”, 75”, 85” screen sizes – this is technology jockeying to essentially replicate an immersive live experience.

That’s not to say I don’t love story-telling in all mediums – film, television, video games, etc., but ultimately, at least for me, these are all placeholders for the real thing. What’s better than hearing your favourite band on your speakers or headphones? Seeing them LIVE! What’s better than seeing your favourite actor on screen? Seeing them LIVE!

It feels as though LIVE shared experiences do something to us at the cellular level – or something. I don’t know! Dammit, Joe, I’m an actor not a …!

By the way, have you noticed that everyone is obsessed with the arts? I’m not sure the greater population truly understands (which means our leaders probably don’t understand) how artists touch everyday lives. All people want to do with their leisure time is read a book (written by an artist), listen to music (written by an artist), see a play (written and performed by artists), watch a film (created by artists), look at photographs (taken by artists), look at paintings (created by artists), read magazines (about artists) … this list is infinite. Art is how we survived lockdown!

If I may indulge in a sweepingly general “our society” rant: Our society discourages, mocks, and dismisses its artists – these aggressions are received directly, indirectly, and systemically as well (you need to look no further than how the provincial government has abandoned the LIVE sector with confusing and unspecific guidelines for reopening). We even doubt our own worth: artists frequently discourage the next generation, telling them to, “Do anything else if you can”.

I know this impulse comes from a good place, trying to give an honest reality check with statements like: “As an artist you will be underpaid, unappreciated, deemed expendable, a dime-a-dozen, seen as a free-loader, endure volatile income, it will be difficult to get a mortgage, better to have something to fall back on,” and so forth.

I’ve heard them all. I’ll never forget the actor that came to my high school on Career Day. She basically said, “Don’t do it,” and that she was leaving the business. It was … really super inspiring (Can you see my eyes rolling? No? Cool.).

But it’s not our fault that we feel devalued and feel the need to play the role of Dream Crusher to those hoping to make their way as artists. We need governments who understand the fundamental role artists play in our society. We need to seed long-term value in the arts. We need to foster the next generation of diverse artists from birth by funding access to the arts in all schools, including lower-income and diverse neighbourhoods.

How about government funding for our major arts institutions that is on par with the support other arts organizations enjoy all over the world? I’m tired of artists needing to constantly shout from the hilltops, “ARTISTS ARE ESSENTIAL!”

If you want a healthy, functioning, thriving society, ARTISTS ARE ESSENTIAL. Preaching to the choir here, I’m sure.

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

I miss the spontaneity of art popping up where you least expect it: a reading at someone’s house because they’ve just finished their play and need to hear it read out loud; a coffee concert, a grassroots project some folks are just throwing together, catching that show that’s only open for a weekend, an exhibit at that gallery. You know – Living Art.

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?
Well, I’m lucky. I have already returned to theatre with outdoor rehearsals for Charley’s Aunt and Sherlock Holmes and the Raven’s Curse c/o the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It is a well-known fact, but always bears repeating, that the Shaw Festival’s handling of the crisis last year under the leadership of Tim Carroll and Tim Jennings (and the remarkable team behind them) was absolutely LEGEND – they managed to keep all of their artists employed throughout the entire summer by creating the Education and Community Outreach Specialists (ECOS) program.

Many have also benefited from the mastermind running Talk Is Free Theatre (in Barrie, Ontario), Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak, who kept artists working throughout the winter months with a variety of innovative online projects.

But to answer your question, what will I never take for granted?

‘Leaders who value artists.’

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

I feel like just before the pandemic hit we were beginning to see a shift in the culture with regards to providing theatre artists with a better work/life balance. I first began to see the change with Talk Is Free Theatre’s shorter rehearsal days and two-day weekends (a weekend!? — *gasp* — just like a real person!), as well as supporting artists with families by supplementing child-care costs, among other ground-breaking initiatives.

I’ve noticed the Shaw Festival has endeavoured to give ensemble members a two-day weekend during rehearsals whenever possible, which is a terribly difficult thing to do, given how complex The Shaw’s repertory schedule is.

It’s also worth mentioning that The Shaw has occasionally made allowances for artists to “call out” of a show to attend a loved one’s wedding (this was unheard of in the non-profit theatre world not too long ago!), as well as being able to attend funerals for people not directly connected to the artist’s immediate family (all of this with the caveat of having a rehearsed understudy, of course).

I hope this trend continues – this holistic approach will only benefit the art in the long run.

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

What I must still accomplish?

Well, before I can answer that, I first need to acknowledge my position of privilege. Talking about this is tricky – I’m not looking to explain away my ‘benefitting from being a white dude in the arts’ by just saying I’m aware of it (this is one of the many, MANY reasons why I keep off social media, because saying anything like this can often be interpreted as virtue signaling and performative – but here I go.)

I’m a white dude in the arts. I’ve worked at Canada’s major theatre festivals for the majority of my career. And yes, work ethic, yes, talent, yes, handsome … (Anyone? Anyone? No? Cool.) … yes, drive, yes, yes, yes – but I still have to acknowledge the fact that I will never fully understand the degree to which white privilege has played a role in my success in this industry because it’s so deeply baked into the DNA of everything I touch!

Learning that I’ve been unknowingly complicit in upholding systemic biases by merely participating in this industry is mind blowing – another devastating realization afforded by this pandemic. But I own a home. I have a family. I live in a safe neighbourhood. I often have work to look forward to. I can even look back to my early beginnings in high school when I was first cast as the Emcee in Cabaret – I remember being told I looked like Joel Grey! I looked the part. There is no denying that I am a white artist who has benefited.

So, what do I need to accomplish?

Well, I am not an activist, and I am not an outspoken person in the room, it’s just not my nature (if anything, I am more peacemaker than instigator), but I want to be an ally. So, I need to do my part, however small, to help facilitate the deconstruction of systemic biases that are inherent in the system.

By doing what? Well, I’m not always sure.

As actors, we don’t have a lot of agency, but I need to actively look for opportunities to nudge things in the right direction, including (but not limited to) recommendation requests, seeing and supporting diverse artists with my ticket purchases, educating myself, educating my son, and a healthy dose of listening. I also hope that someday I get to be in plays that tackle this issue head on. I may not have the words to express it, but I know some brilliant artists who 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.

Isn’t it fascinating that there wasn’t a “tsunami” of stories after the last pandemic 100 years ago? I wonder if the feeling back then was, “No one wants to see or hear about that anymore!”

I suppose the one big difference between then and now is, well, we have therapy. We know the value of healing through talking about things that are hard to talk about (yes, oversimplified).

And truly, who could ask for a better backdrop to tell their story than this shared, visceral experience we’ve all endured together? A fascinating exploration for those on either side of the footlights! I cannot wait to hear all the unexpected stories about the times we’re living in.

As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences remember about you?
My curls. I don’t know. Who cares about me?

As my friend and colleague Mike Shara says, (an actor I’ve admired greatly ever since my early days at The Shaw), “No one knows who the hell we are!”

I love to make people laugh, I love to sing, and I love to act in compelling, potentially moving stories that hopefully resonate with people in profound and/or carefree ways. If I’m remembered for any those things: Aces! If not, then, sure the curls.

To learn more about The Shaw Festival, visit www.shawfest.com. Facebook: @shawfestival
Twitter: @ShawTheatre.

Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre welcomes its newest Artistic Director, Mike Payette.

And what an impressive resume he holds.

Mike is an award-winning actor, director and educator. Born and raised in the borough of Nôtre[1]Dame-de-Grace (aka NDG) in Montreal, Quebec, he was introduced to the arts from a young age and quickly dove in. He remarks this introduction as a significant moment that helped him see how theatre truly lifts and inspires potential. While completing his BFA in Specialization in Theatre and Development from Concordia University, he was the co-founding Artistic Director of award-winning Tableau D’Hôte Theatre (now celebrating 15 years). Later, he became a founding member of Metachroma Theatre, served as Artist[1]in-Residence for Neworld Theatre in Vancouver, and was Assistant Artistic Director for Black Theatre Workshop where he helped lead the creation of one of the country’s most acclaimed mentorship programs for BIPOC emerging artists.

He has served on the boards of the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) and the Quebec Drama Federation, and currently sits on the board of Maison Théâtre as well as serving as Vice President of PACT (Professional Association of Canadian Theatres).

For six seasons, Mike has been the Artistic and Executive Director of Geordie Theatre, Quebec’s largest English-language Theatre for Young Audiences company. As an actor, he has worked in some of Canada’s finest theatres including The Citadel, MTYP, The Grand, Factory Theatre, Neptune, and the National Arts Centre, as well as with great local companies Geordie, Black Theatre Workshop, Imago, Scapegoat Carnivale, Repercussion Theatre, Centaur Theatre and Segal Centre among others.

Directing credits include the Montreal premieres of ‘A Line in the Sand’ by Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef, ‘Elizabeth Rex’ by Timothy Findley, ‘Another Home Invasion’ by Joan MacLeod, and the Montreal English-language premiere of Michel Tremblay’s ‘Hosanna’ (Centaur/Tableau D’Hôte Theatre). Other credits include the Quebec premiere of ‘Harlem Duet’ by Djanet Sears (Black Theatre Workshop), ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (Geordie), the Canadian premiere of ‘Choir Boy’ by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Centaur), and the national tours of ‘Angelique’ by Lorena Gale (National Arts Centre/Factory Theatre/Black Theatre Workshop/Tableau D’Hôte Theatre) and the ‘Tashme Project: The Living Archives’ by Julie Tamiko Manning and Matt Miwa (Tashme Prods/Factory Theatre/Firehall/Prismatic).

Mike also directed the French-language premiere of Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Héritage’ (A Raisin in the Sun) with Théâtre Jean-Duceppe; marking a large Quebec institution’s first time producing a Black playwright helmed by a Black director and featuring a predominantly Black cast.

Mike has commissioned and developed many works by some of the country’s most vibrant emerging and established voices with Geordie and elsewhere, and he continues to be inspired by the evolving ways storytelling can take form; inviting new audiences and artists to be engaged in the many facets of theatre creation and practice. He is a two-time META (Montreal English Theatre Award) recipient and has been a guest artist and speaker for McGill University, Brock University, University of Calgary, as well as the National Theatre School of Canada, among others.

I find the following words by Mike extremely important given what we have witnessed during this pandemic:

“The work that I am attracted to leans into stories that dig deep into the complexities of the human condition. Embracing the visceral, challenging assumption, and empowering the silenced. Discovering stories that seemingly encompass one individual, or individual community, and emboldening the ways that story, through the shared experience of theatre, champions empathy and understanding of one another. I seek voices and stories that open doors for audiences and communities that have never felt welcome to the theatre and to share a space with those that have enjoyed its impact for years. I am motivated by the urgency of our current world; highlighting the value of theatre as a means for discourse between each other.”

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Mike, I look forward to speaking with you in person very soon:

Well, Mike, we are one year where the doors of live theatre have been shut. How have you been faring during this time? Your immediate family?

Not unlike so many of our colleagues in the rest of the sector, never mind the sector but the rest of the world just trying to cope with these new realities, I’ve been okay, thankfully. I’ve been in my little home office bubble for most of the year, really. My family is healthy and safe and that’s all I can ask.

Certainly, on the work end of it, it’s been really non-stop. It really does feel that since late February early March (of last year) that time and space have completely gone out the window. Thankfully, with the conversations we’re still having great mobilization of the theatre and arts sector, not just Canada but regionally and in Montreal, there’s a lot of advocacy that we’ve been doing, and I’m super proud of all that has been accomplished with my company Geordie.

We’ve been really active; we shifted our program fairly early. We had a touring show that went into livestream. We are still doing mainstage productions that are recorded so the work is still going, but it’s a different kind of work and different kind of headspace. The biggest checkpoint is just making sure we are okay in mental health.

Some days are better than others, but I’m generally okay, thanks for asking, Joe.

In preparation of your new role as Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre, how else have you been spending your time outside of theatre?

Oh, Joe, I wish there was a fancier answer beyond. I’ve been all about the work, but I’m going to search for some things that have been fun outside of theatre. Diving into cooking, building some recipes that I haven’t necessarily used before. Finding new music and listening to new artists, that’s been really cool. And reading a lot about the great things that the other companies across the country have been doing to keep connections with their own communities and their artists, and really looking at how art is shared and how to invite audiences into the development and the artistic process.

That is something I’ve been really inspired by, not just here at home but across the country. So much has been in balancing the reactionary versus being proactive, and so because Geordie and myself we are pro-active entities that’s why there seems to be a lot of work.

I’ve been teaching as well which is great at Montreal’s National Theatre School. I taught a class in December and am teaching a class right now so it’s good to get outside sometimes to see some fresh voices and fresh artists who thankfully get to practice and train, and I get to be a part of that so it gives me life, it gives me energy. It’s good.

Many artists I’ve profiled and interviewed have shared so much of themselves and how the pandemic has affected them from Black Lives Matter and the BIPOC communities to the staggering number of illnesses and deaths. Could you share one element, either positive or negative, from this time that you believe will remain with you forever.

I can give you a few things. I can tell you in terms of the resurgence of BLM or the mainstream acknowledgement of historical injustice, that’s what shifted. In terms of the actual stories and events, nothing has really changed, just the attention to these stories and to these realities has shifted to a more global conversation which has been a positive step forward.

In terms of my relationship to it, I’m still on the heels of generations of artists and BIPOC artists who have really tried to mobilize this conversation for decades before me. I’m just riding that wave along with them in terms of this generation. It’s a deeply personal conversation when it comes to the representation of the kinds of stories or the kinds of artists that we want there.

For me, there hasn’t really been a shift or change in terms of the work that I have been doing or the work I will do. I will continue fostering those new voices and ensure that everyone has room at the table.
I do think a positive thing from a societal or social level – it’s forced us all to take a great pause reflecting our relationship to what it is that we do, how we exist and communicate with each other, and to actually meaningfully and significantly value somebody else’s story. I think it’s given us a lot of time to do some deep soul searching about who we are as individuals and who we are as a greater community.

Artistically speaking, it has given us agency to re-connect or re-check ourselves in how we connect with our audiences. How to maintain those special relationships we’ve maintained over the years. If we can’t all be in the same room together and can’t go into theatres, how do we keep art alive, how do we keep theatre alive, and the conversation that theatre provokes alive for communities and audiences. So that’s why we’ve seen so many shifts in digital investigation OR virtual investigation of works and inviting people into our companies and our companies work.

Institutionally, the merging of the various crises during this time has put a huge, this might sound like a trite wind and I can’t think of another polite word or way to say it right now, it’s forced us to ‘SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT’ kind of thing. Okay, so we know what it is. We’ve got this thing happening, we’ve got this pandemic happening, what are we doing in terms of our art and our audience? We have the social and racial injustice, Indigenous lives are dying, black lives are dying, these are two facts, so what are we going to do about it, as opposed to resting historically on the laurels of what we have done before.

There is no more room for that. We’ve been given this opportunity for that deep, deep, deep reflection. After this is done, we will come back together, and we’ll see who makes it. We’ll see the artists and we’ll see the companies who have been able to ride wave and come out greater on the other side of it.

Because this is all a big test.

I see this as a huge test of ourselves mentally, emotionally, artistically, all of those things and it’s huge wait and a big burden for us all. We will find triumph at the end if we invest and deepen that reflection process.
I think that’s what this time has afforded us, and I think it will continue to go for awhile. When we come back together, we will be checked. We will check ourselves and force us to check why we do what we do during a time when we are seeking that valuable connection and understanding of each other on a social level.

The late Hal Prince spoke that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked further curiosity in you as an artist yourself and how you will move forward in your new designation as Artistic Director for Tarragon?

That’s a good question, and Joe you’ll discover that I can’t just give one answer, I have to give multiple answers (and Mike and I share a good laugh).

Fundamentally, the belief that the theatre has always been the vessel for that discourse. The theatre, the piece, the experience of the time in the theatre being in a room with others, experiencing a live story all together at once.

The second part of that is the conversation that comes from that story itself

And theatre has always been that agency for that discourse. I imagine that won’t change but the content may. The content – we have a responsibility to humanize ourselves in terms of what it is the audience needs when they come back. Does it mean what kind of content we are bringing forward? We will need to think about that more wholly.

On an artistic front, intimacy is a huge thing. Just seeing two characters hug, all the things we miss. With the National Theatre School, I directed the graduating students in ‘Indecent’ by Paula Vogel and this play is all about intimacy and connection. What we discovered even in that training ground what are the moments we can embrace in a heightened theatrical world that doesn’t necessary mean you have to physically connect, but you see an emotional connection that allows for tension that the audience feels even more so.

I’m curious about how to embrace that, to actually elevate those moments of suspended tension when you want something because you legitimately cannot make it so. What does that do in terms of storytelling itself and how moments are executed? Or how those stories that crave intimacy are actually executed? I think that’s a test for all of us creators at the end of the day.

It’s an awesome opportunity because it means that we’re actually giving more interest to the audience to fill in the gaps. And so, that’s a really exciting thing.

I think we’ll also learn in what the digital platform has afforded us. It’s communicating, working, developing and still creating works virtually that has cut geographical issues. Now we can expand that, have more collaboration or discussion with artists that are outside of our geography. That’s nothing but good because we want to include a multitude of creative voices.

What are the opportunities of connecting with a company in South Africa and seeing how that company works? Or seeing a company in Belgium? Or Australia? How are artists working and how can we exchange ideas so that we can learn from each other in a shared knowledge kind of way.

That is an exciting thing, and we’ll still be able to develop meaningful connections because geography is no longer an issue. We’ll see how far that lasts, but I’m excited by and to bridge that digital dramaturgy with the parts of live theatre we love so much that we create a really unique experience, a hybrid that encompasses both.

Margaret Atwood has spoken of Canadians as survivors who are able to withstand anything thrown in their path. Would you share what has helped you survive in this time of uncertainty.

Oh, wow! I suppose I could get a little emotional about this when I reflect on it for real.

What has allowed me to survive is to try to go outside myself a little bit to remind myself why I’m doing this in the first place. It’s not for me; it’s an acknowledgment of others that they don’t have the same platform or agency that I’ve been afforded; that are creating breath, levity, light, life, escape and that has been a driving force for me in recognising what folks have been missing during this time.

If I have the opportunity to give something because of my role in the community or my role with Geordie, then that’s all I want to do. That’s why I’m here is that I want someone to feel after seeing something that I’ve been a part of in some way, shape or perform that there was a moment of remembering their value and why they’re important.

We’ve lost a lot of people during this time. Yes, because of the pandemic but also artists, our technicians, our production people, that one shop that had that one special thing that no other store in the city had that a set designer would go to.

There has been a lot of loss and a lot of darkness and it’s not to say that I haven’t endured that darkness, but the thing that gets me up in the morning is recognizing the purpose is greater than myself. That I feel a greater responsibility to make someone feel okay through theatre, through my work.

Even though it’s taxing, hard work and exhausting, there’s great personal cost to it. I believe in empowering the other.

I hope this doesn’t sound cheesy.

I agree that we as human beings are, in essence, survivors and this has been a test for us all. We need to acknowledge those who have needed the support that they didn’t necessarily get, and to do everything that we can to be that supportive mechanism for others.

I have my partner, she’s amazing; I have my stepdaughter, so there’s also the everyday realities as well in making sure my mom is healthy. That’s super important to me as I want them to be okay.

I want them to survive.

I’ve recognized Mitchell Cushman’s name from several years ago even before I started writing reviews for On Stage. I had heard of the play ‘The Flick’ but had never seen it before. When I saw it at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre, I was gob smacked at such an outstanding production with nuanced direction by Mitchell combined with three solid performances. Mitchell and I spoke for a few brief seconds about the first time he saw the production in New York City off Broadway.

Mitchell is a director, playwright, and founding Artistic Director of Outside the March, one of Canada’s leading immersive theatre companies. His work has been seen on stages as large as the Royal Alexandra Theatre, in spaces as intimate as kindergarten classrooms and living rooms, and in locales as far flung as London, New York, Whitehorse, Edinburgh, Munich, Finland and Japan.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has been working to explore new possibilities for live performance, co-creating projects like internationally-acclaimed telephonic adventure The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries (OtM), and the “Grand Act of Theatre” Something Bubbled, Something Blue (NAC/TIFT/OtM). In 2015 he and Julie Tepperman co-created the award-winning Brantwood as part of Sheridan College’s CMTP – Canada’s largest exploration of immersive musical theatre.

In 2018, he co-created and directed the intercontinental three-day immersive experience, The Curious Voyage. Recent Directing Credits include: The Tape Escape, The Flick, Dr. Silver, Jerusalem, Lessons in Temperament; The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale; TomorrowLoveTM (Outside the March); Treasure Island, Breath of Kings, Possible Worlds (Stratford); Hand to God; The Aliens (Coal Mine); Merrily We Roll Along (YES Theatre); Hand to God (RMTC).

Mitchell has been the recipient of the Siminovitch protégé award, a Dora Award for Outstanding Direction, three Dora Awards for Outstanding Production, and his productions have received 14 Toronto Theatre Critics Awards. He holds an MFA degree in Directing from the University of Alberta, and a Combined Honours in Theatre and English from the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University.

What an honour to interview an incredibly talented and down to earth individual. Thank you so much for the Zoom conversation, Mitchell:

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 many different things. I’m navigating it first as a member of the community and second as an artist. As a member of the community, it just all feels surreal and there’s such a difference between when this felt new and now the fact it doesn’t feel new any more and feels familiar and more unnerving. One of the things I like about being connected to the theatre community is the extended web of hundreds of people who inspire me whom I’m used to brushing up against on a semi regular basis where we all find ourselves in the same dozen lobbies over the course of a normal year. Relationships take a lot more upkeep right now because there is a happenstance, and you have to plan every interaction.

As an independent artist I think people who have been bearing the most brunt of the slowdown of the industry are independent artists and actors, designers and stage managers whose careers are based on stringing together a number of opportunities in order to sustain a living. I feel lucky that my full time is running the theatre company ‘Outside the March’ so I have still have some stability and some structure
But the flipside to that is that I feel very, very grateful to be part of the more immediate circle of artists and collaborators many of whom are my closest friends. We’ve all kept each other as sane as possible during the pandemic by finding ways to create and collaborate during this time. The silver lining has been in the maintaining of these creative relationships.

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

My long-time partner of ten years, Amy Keating, and I have been able to spend a lot of time together. In more normal times we both end up travelling a lot for work. This pandemic has been the longest period of time that I’ve spent in Toronto in about ten years. Amy and I have both worked at Stratford but never during the same time, so it’s been great to spend this time with her.

Our immediate families are okay. Amy’s are in Edmonton and mine here. Our parents are in the age bracket where they all need to be really careful. I’ve spent a lot of time with my parents over the last eight months and it’s been almost all outdoors. As the weather starts to turn, I think we’re all getting nervous about that.

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

I would say that the loss of community that I talked about before and also the loss of direct connection with an audience. I’ve worked on a number of projects during this time and a lot was shared digitally or over Zoom live, but there’s no laughter, no applause or feedback mechanism with the audience so you can feel a little more disconnected for whom you’re creating work.

What’s also been challenging is the awareness of so much hurt travelling through our world and our community right now exacerbated by the pandemic but also powerful inequities which have further come into the spotlight. You can feel a helplessness in the face of that for sure. I think it’s easy to feel helpless during these times.

It’s all intertwined within all this. It’s easy not to feel like you’re in very much control in this industry even in the best of times.

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 six or seven productions that were delayed or fell away that may see the light of day sometime. It makes me grateful when a production like ‘The Flick’ clicked well and came to fruition. ‘The Flick’ was two years in pre-production. It’s an example of a play that has to be shared communally.

I was in tech for an immersive production of ‘Sweeney Todd’ that was supposed to go on at Davenport and Dupont in these two abandoned buildings produced by Talk is Free Theatre. It was really shaping up to be something very special. It’s actually a show we’ve done once before in the United Kingdom and were going to bring it here.

There was an exceptional cast of actors for ‘Todd’. I’ve done a lot of site-specific work but the kind of access to large, abandoned space that is often very hard to come by, and that was really tough not to share the show in that form. It was an intimate staging for thirty people inside the blood, gore and music of it all.

I’ll always remember March 13 when we knew it was going to be our last day when all of lights were hung. We did one stumble through, run through and filmed it because we kind of knew that’s what we were going to be able to get. In those last few days of rehearsal, it felt like a race against the clock.
I have faith the production of ‘Sweeney Todd’ will come back in some form, probably not in that same building because that building will be demolished.

Theatre is always so temporal so you really can’t recreate something a year or two after the fact. I had some projects in pre-production, a show called ‘The Ex Boyfriend Yard Sale’ that was supposed to be presented with Soulpepper. We had done it in the past and we were going to do it last May. That is a one woman show that is a little more complete as Hailey McGee will play it so I have a little more faith.

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

Amy and I have been streaming a lot of tv. I’ve never seen ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and she loves it. She’s never seen ‘The Wire’ and I love it, so we’ve embarked on binging these shows.

There was a period of time where we were playing games with some friends over Zoom. We’ve been trying to get together with some close friends outside. We went on a really nice hike over the Thanksgiving weekend. It takes a lot of creativity to figure out.

The main project I’ve been involved with over this pandemic is ‘The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries’, a telephone based theatre piece, and we’ve done over 800 performances entirely over the phone in over 200 cities over the world. There are also international collaborations of Mundane Mysteries all over the world.

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 daunting. One of the bright spots during the pandemic is I’ve been doing a lot of teaching. I directed a show on Zoom at Sheridan in their CMTP New Musicals called ‘Living the Dream’. That opened a couple of weeks ago.

Now I’m working with two groups of students at the University of Windsor directing a show called ‘The Stream You Step In’ which plays over the Zoom.

All of these opportunities working with students on the cusp of graduating into the unknown have been so valuable and inspiring as to what I’m getting from them rather than the other way around. I know that sounds cliched to say, but I’ve found these students to be so versatile and adaptable. Such a remarkable ability in these students to gravitate towards these new forms and pick up new skills. For example, in directing the show at Sheridan, all of the cast overnight had to become their own audio producers, recording their own tracks and learning all of that really quickly.

I guess the advice out of all this – if you forge a path for yourself in theatre, you really need to be adaptable and hungry to wear a whole bunch of different hats. Have a variety of tools in your toolset but also clarity around what it is you vitally want to bring to the table. Hopefully there will be space for this.
The pandemic is only further illuminating that. We’re seeing a real levelling and spinning of the wheel. Our industry is going to look very different a year from now than a year ago, there’s a lot of hardship within that but hopefully a lot of an opportunity for new voices.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

I think Covid is making us stop as an industry and community and do some deep reflection. All of the vital conversations we are having within our industry around equity, where resources are going, and who has what seat at the table and how to properly support and elevate previously marginalized voices in the community is vital.

The acceleration of these conversations following the murder of George Floyd were able to be amplified further because of the pause of the pandemic. Sometimes as an industry and community, I think we struggle with being so consumed by whatever fire we’re actively trying to immediately put out, it becomes harder to zoom out and look at the bigger picture and vital work that needs to be done.

I have more belief and more of a sense of personal accountability in relation to those important themes than prior to the pandemic. Connected to this, I’ve felt more a member of a community with other artistic leaders in the city. We’ve been doing these bi-weekly artistic director meetings, myself and 40 artistic directors within Toronto. Weyni Mengesha and Brendan Healy started these groups and we’re going to find a new form for it in the new year.

I’ve been more in touch with collaborators across the country and outside of Canada. Like minded collaboration with other collaborators outside the country was not on my radar prior to the pandemic. I’m hoping we can still maintain these outside of the country collaborations once we’re able to return to in person collaborations and interactions which I’m very much craving.

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

I think we’re very much in an adapt or die time not just in relation to Covid but also in relation to making sure as an industry we can hold ourselves to a much higher standard in relation to the voices we are elevating. Eyes have been opened to things that can’t or shouldn’t be closed.

We’re already setting ourselves up for some big shifts in Canadian theatre and to how much change there has been in artistic leadership not just in Toronto but across the country. I’m so excited about the newer and younger people who are in these positions of leadership in our institutions. We’re seeing more women in these leadership roles, people who come from an independent theatre background will be more in touch with independent artists. That gives me a lot of faith in that we have independent and dynamic thinkers.

The venued companies have been dealt the most challenging blow.

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?

The monetization piece of it is really hard and certainly a lot of industries have been dealing with that a lot before us – look at online journalism. This mental block we all seem to have to have about paying for something on our devices. We just think about commerce very differently in relation to digital content.

For ‘Outside the March’ in one form or another, we’ve charged for all the experiences we’ve done during the pandemic. Art is a value, and I think it’s important that people resource it as such or it will diminish in quality and ultimately disappear. I think the tradeoff – the work we done at ‘Outside the March’ is still live. Whether or not you are experiencing it on your phone or over your device, anything that is pre-taped breaks the implicit bargain of theatre.

We couldn’t give away ‘Mundane Mysteries’ for free because so much work and preparation had gone into the process as it was anchored between performer and audience.

Despite all of the drama and tension of this time, what is it about the art of performance that Covid will never destroy for you?

I think we’re all burning out on screen time. It’s definitely hard to imagine a crisis that is better designed to attack the things that theatre is. We’re seeing film rebound because it involves in person gatherings to make the work but not to share the work.

And the fact theatre implicitly gathers the moment of manufacturing with the sharing all at the same time all gathered together, and how do you go forward?

But I also like to think optimistically that is the very reason why there will be an increased and accelerated hunger for what theatre can offer going forward once we’re out of this pandemic.

Once we can have personalized theatre again, I think there’s going to be a hunger for it. We need to keep theatre sustained and vibrant in the meantime so we can ultimately meet that moment when we’re all out of this. There will be a necessity of theatre in the rebuilding process.

That’s what I’m holding on to. We’ll get there through incremental steps along the way. It might be 2022, but I don’t have a crystal ball so it’s hard to plan right now.

To learn more about ‘Outside the March’, visit www.outsidethemarch.ca.

Just hearing about all the accomplishments of Mitchell Marcus within the professional performing arts community makes him a mover, shaker and leader within the theatre industry.

Recently named to Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 (2019), he is the founder and Artistic & Managing Director of The Musical Stage Company – Canada’s leading and largest not-for-profit musical theatre company. Over sixteen years, The Musical Stage Company (previously Acting Up Stage Company) productions have been recognized with 105 Dora Award nominations, 23 Dora Awards and 19 Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards and programming partnerships have been built with Mirvish, the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre Centre, Canadian Stage, AGO, TIFF, Massey Hall, Obsidian Theatre Company, and the Regent Park School of Music amongst others.

Outside of The Musical Stage Company, Mitchell was the Associate Producer for the inaugural six years of Luminato, producing over 100 productions for one-million attendees annually.

Mitchell has twice been the Creative Producer for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize as well as the producer of the Dora Awards. He organized four years of It’s Always Something, working with a team that raised over $500,000 annually for Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto.

He is active on committees that service the arts community, serves as an advisor to the Metcalf Foundation for its Creative Strategies Incubator program, a member of Sheridan College’s Performing Arts Committee, a member of the Dora Eligibility Committee, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective. Mitchell has held positions in the arts management departments at UofT and Ryerson University.

Mitchell is the recipient of the 2017 The Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration, a Harold Award, and was a finalist for the 2018 Roy Thomson Hall Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation recognizing contributions to Toronto’s musical life.

I am grateful and thankful he took the time to participate in the conversation via email:

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?

Without discounting all the sadness of illness, destruction, injustice and loss, I have loved watching and participating in a global demonstration of resilience. There are, of course, so many things we are no longer able to do, but it’s been astonishing how quickly we can pivot as a species, adjusting to working-from-home, moving our lifestyles to the beauty of our outdoors, and adapting our thirst for global adventure into one more local.

More importantly than the resiliency and speed of adaptation, I’ve loved seeing how many of us have found silver linings in this new routine which has forced us to challenge our expectations of what we thought life would bring and return to a simpler, more true sense of self and aspiration.
In that regard, while I am certainly feeling scared about the increase in COVID-cases and frustrated by the barrage of human injustice that makes headlines every day, I am actually feeling quite optimistic and content. It’s fascinating to witness a historic moment of change like the one we are in. And I’m hopeful that what we are learning and reflecting upon during this time is going to lead to something very special on the other end.

Look at how much we are accomplishing and look how much change feels within reach. If we can do that during social distancing, imagine what we are capable of once we have the freedom of movement and connection once again.

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

I’m very proud of how my family has navigated this time so far. We’ve really stayed optimistic and made the most of each day: I absolutely loved being a part of my kids’ education during the Spring in a hands-on way; We used money from cancelled vacations to rent a farm near Orangeville for a month in July and organized family colour-war events and daily swim lessons; It’s the first time in my life that I have been home every night of the week for dinner and been able to tuck my kids into bed; And each weekend is now filled with lots of hiking and bike riding. I don’t mean to be painting an overly rosy picture – there have been many nights of deep worry and anxiety. But there has also been much joy in togetherness.

Personally, I’ve been digging more into mindfulness during this time. I’ve been practicing meditation for nearly four years, but it’s gone into overdrive over the last six months. My nightstand is stacked to the ceiling with books on anti-racism and books on mindfulness/spirituality. I’ve loved getting to learn new things and to dive deep into the philosophical exploration of imagining what the universe is telling us in this moment and how to apply it to my life.

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

The most difficult part of the last six months has been mourning the loss of live theatre and recognizing the immensely devastating impact it is having on independent artists. I feel enormously grateful and also enormously guilty for having a full-time job in the arts. I am deeply thankful for the existence of CERB and relieved that it will be extended in some form. Our team is doing everything we can think of to keep work flowing and money going out the door. But it’s very heavy to realize how many people in our industry, in our community, are struggling.

At the end of the day, I often have to shut off all technology and curl up with one of those mindfulness books and a glass of wine and retreat into my own Zen place. But I also recognize the luxury of being able to shut out the pandemic and the privilege I’ve been afforded when doing so.

The biggest challenge has been trying to stay in the present and not plan into the future. I am a planner by nature and my skill as a leader has been to keep our focus on multi-year strategic initiatives that make change. But it’s impossible to plan for a future we don’t yet understand. So I’ve had to work really, really hard to not get too far ahead and keep all of us at The Musical Stage Company focused on how we want to respond to the challenges and needs of today, abandoning past plans and paths that no longer feel relevant, and avoiding drawing too many conclusions for the future before we have a full understanding of what future we are planning for. But as someone who always likes to have the answer immediately, it’s been a real exercise in patience.

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?
When we shut down, we were a few weeks away from the world premiere of KELLY v. KELLY by Britta Johnson and Sara Farb. We’ve been working with Britta and Sara since 2014 and we’ve been deep in development for KELLY v. KELLY for a couple of years, so this was a particularly painful project to not see materialize. It was also going to be SO good. I’m rarely confident about a production – especially a new work – but this show was in such great shape with a team that was firing on all cylinders.

We also lost major milestones this season including UNCOVERED: DOLLY & ELVIS which was to play Koerner Hall in November, and the Canadian premiere of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 that was to open at the Winter Garden Theatre in January.

Without question, KELLY v. KELLY will see the light of day as soon as it is safe to do so. Thankfully we were able to postpone before we had spent too much of the money earmarked for the project. We put all the funding for it aside, not to be touched until it can be revived. So, it’s in the uniquely positive position of being ready for production with the funding to get it there.

We’ll have to see about everything else. More than ever it’s important to me that the stories we tell are relevant and resonant for the moment in which they are being shared. The projects that were the right “why-this-project-why-now” in the old world may not be the right projects in the one that awaits us. That’s the funny thing about programming – you are often responding to an indescribable energy in the zeitgeist. If we want theatre to matter when we return, we need to make sure not to cling to what was and be hyper aware of what people need on the other side.

Having said that, our commitment to new Canadian musicals is unwavering. We have run 17 workshops for new musicals since COVID hit and have no intention of slowing down. That is the joy of new material. The writers are naturally infusing today’s emotions and thoughts into the works. They are living, breathing stories being developed during a global pandemic. So even though none of them are about living during or after COVID-19, their ongoing evolution will ensure that they are necessary and healing in the world that awaits us.

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

Working and raising kids! Honestly, it fills my days completely. Work has not really gotten much quieter even though we aren’t in production (turns out navigating global pandemic is more work than producing theatre). We produced 80 concerts this summer, we are in production for an UNCOVERED film, we are running workshops, our youth programs are going national, etc. By the time I’ve completed a day of Zoom meetings, cleared an inbox of emails, and spent some time with my kids, I’m ready for bed.

But the weekends have been quieter than normal. There are no readings to attend or shows to see. And my kids’ programs have all shut down. So, I’ve loved the pace of my weekends. We’ve just been outdoors as much as possible, biking, hiking, and camping.

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?

Here’s two of my favourite quotes from Pema Chödrön:
“When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure.”

And

“Rather than realizing that it takes death for there to be birth, we just fight against the fear of death.”

I don’t mean to be cliché, answering your question with inspiring quotes, but I really believe this is the only way forward. Something has died. We have to take the time and space to grieve it. But we also have to open ourselves to the exciting possibility of reinvention and rebirth that comes after an ending.

In that regard, I guess my advice for recent grads is to recognize that this death has levelled the playing field. None of us know the way forward, and the most senior arts leader doesn’t have any better strategies for the future than a recent theatre grad (who may in fact have more objectivity on what could be possible). We are all now pioneers building a more equitable, more sustainable, more relevant theatre.

Seize this once in a lifetime chance to be a part of the rebirth by charting your own course and helping to mould the industry that awaits you.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

I think it has taught us to slow down. I think it has taught us not to take simple connection for granted. I think it has removed some of the allure of ruthless ambition and replaced it with a focus on empathy and equity. I hope these lessons stay with us.

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

It absolutely will. Hopefully COVID itself will succumb to a vaccine and we won’t have to have the distancing and health measures in our lives forever. But I hope we will forever be impacted by what this time has taught us about equity and treatment of people. And I hope that audiences are so hungry to gather together again that they race to the theatre in unprecedented numbers!

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?

For me, producing theatre has always been about serving and enriching an audience. It is about giving a willing group of people something that their souls needed that they didn’t realize was needed. Ultimately, the medium doesn’t matter as much as the power of the message and the unbridled attention of an audience. If this exchange is happening successfully on YouTube and via online streaming sites, may it live forever!

I am skeptical however about how well this is working. There is a sense of ceremony when we gather in person and devote our entire energy to a story. I fear that we haven’t yet figured out how to permeate the digital fourth wall in the same way to achieve the same outcome. But this is definitely the ‘trial and error’ phase. I have no doubt that artists will successfully navigate this new medium and make it into a powerful mode of soul nourishment.

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

My heart knows the power of hearing the exact right piece of music to capture a moment or emotion. It is like nothing else. And no pandemic can keep that magical experience from happening each time I witness it in a theatre, outdoors, or online. It will withstand the test of time.

You can follow Mitchell on his social media handles: @mitchellmarcus and at Musical Stage Company: @musicalstagecom.

Toronto, Ontario, in the late 80s and early 90s saw a slew of first run, first-rate productions with some featuring an all Canadian cast. I liked to get to the theatre early so I could read the artist biographies in the programme to learn more about these talented individuals.

One of those names I remember is Monique Lund. She appeared in an amazing production of ‘The Who’s Tommy’ and ‘Cats’ during these years. Again, since I began reviewing, I’ve seen her name in many Stratford Festival productions. She is indeed a talented lady.

Monique received her early training on Prince Edward Island and started as a dancer there and moved to Montreal after high school to train with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal on a full scholarship. She also studied voice at McGill University and acting in Montreal and Toronto before getting hired as a company member in ‘Cats’. The rest is history as they say!

She has performed in eleven seasons at Stratford and hit the 90s jackpot doing musicals in Toronto during these golden years while appearing in ‘Cats’, ‘Crazy For You’, ‘Tommy’, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (with Donny Osmond), ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. Monique has played the role of Donna Sheridan in ‘Mamma Mia’ in the US for two years as well as having played many leads from Vancouver to Halifax.

Thank you, Monique, 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?

Yes, I suppose EVERYTHING has changed in terms of our daily lives. My daughter is 15 and when March Break came and it was announced that the kids would be off for three weeks, that seemed implausible… impossible. And then when someone speculated that the kids wouldn’t be going back at all I couldn’t fathom it. But that’s what happened. And we adapted.

I think we actually are a very adaptable species. I try to remember that. In terms of our lives now, I actually feel very lucky to be living in a small town. There aren’t reems of people around and it’s easy to see friends in the park or on a walk around the river. It’s easy to social distance when you have vast space around you. Sometimes I forget that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and then I go to the grocery store and see everyone in masks and it’s sort of sci fi- esque.

But like I said earlier, we adapt. People seem accustomed to it now. I know that masks will continue to be a part of our lives for a very long time and that’s as it should be.

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

I did have several contracts that I was supposed to do in 2020 that were cancelled. It really is very sobering to watch your entire year go up in smoke. I feel there was a real tsunami effect….. spring contracts were cancelled which we all expected, then the summer ones evaporated, and the final blow was Christmas contracts being cancelled.

I think our community went into mourning. It was shocking. Our employment is precarious at the best of times so to have this happen was incredibly difficult. And I do musicals, so the two things that are banned (and will be for the foreseeable future) are mass indoor gatherings and singing. PERFECT!!!

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 would say the most difficult moment was not being able to see my family. We’re quite spread out across the country and we always get together on PEI every summer for a reunion. Just knowing that was off the table really made me sad. I miss my parents and my sisters

But having said that I feel so lucky that I live with people. My husband and daughter have literally saved my bacon throughout this. I have thought repeatedly of my single friends who have had to socially isolate AND lose their livelihood at the same time.

Devastating.

We really tried to make the best of it and look at the positives. Being home together, cooking, watching movies and living simply.

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 extremely busy during lockdown. The first month or so I would say I was a bit aimless. I tried not to judge myself for it. Everyone reacted in their own way. But then I had a bit of a reckoning with myself. I had always had these other ventures that were of interest to me. But I’d never had the time to explore them. The upside of being employed pretty regularly in the theatre is that I never really had to do anything else. But suddenly I was faced with a blank page.

So I started working toward launching my own jewelry line. I launched about six weeks ago and it’s been successful beyond my wildest dreams. It’s a creative outlet just like theatre is and I realized that that’s a vital and essential component to my innate happiness.

I am also studying to become a personal trainer and nutrition coach. My dream is to have my own fitness company in Stratford, Ontario, that caters to women in the prime of their lives (45 +) It’s an incredibly detailed course of study and I’m finding it challenging and wonderful. I want to inspire women to feel great about themselves. At a certain age, haven’t we earned that??

I’m also involved with an incredible theatre company in town called Here for Now Theatre. The artistic producer, Fiona Mongillo, really has made an incredible thing happen. As the situation was unfolding with the pandemic and it became apparent that all contracts would be cancelled, she set to work to find a creative solution in taking advantage of what we COULD do. And that was to do outdoor theatre.

She wanted a troubadour experience in which we’re light on our feet and can adapt to the ever-changing situation. So, we’re in the middle of an outdoor theatre festival at the Bruce Hotel in Stratford. We’re doing live theatre! It’s been an incredible experience.

My husband Mark Weatherley wrote two of the plays (“Whack! “and “Infinite Possibilities”) and I came on board as a director. It’s been an incredible experience. The audiences are so appreciative. They’re starving for that live experience. We’re doing everything by the book including physically distancing the chairs, sterilizing them between seatings and limiting the numbers. Again, we adapt!

The Festival has been so successful that we’ve been extended. So, for me, the pandemic has given me a bit of a kick in the pants to venture into new territory. I think it’s interesting how things have unfolded for me. I guess without the safety net of relying on doing musicals (and I use the term “safety net” very loosely!!) I sort of allowed myself to dream a little and act upon those dreams. I feel extraordinarily lucky.

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 terms of advice for other performing artists right now, I would say be bold and just leap into that unknown. I mean we’re already living in an incredibly uncertain time so maybe now is the time to develop that new skill, to take that course, to try something new.

I think as artists we all need that side hustle more than ever. As my husband wrote in his play “When nothing is certain, anything is possible!” I actually really believe that.

And for the young’ uns coming up, I would say try to be as well rounded as possible. Develop those skills and passions and hobbies outside of theatre. Hopefully, it will translate into some income so you’re not solely reliant on theatre to pay the bills. I think it can only help you as an artist too!

But also we now have the gift of time! So read those books, learn those new songs, have play readings in the park with your friends, phone up an older artist that you’ve always admired, and ask if you can pick their brain. Get creative! There are opportunities to be had if you so choose. But I also feel that to be too focused on our careers can limit and inhibit the scope and breadth we’re capable of as humans.

I really feel that it’s important to look at this as an opportunity for growth. The alternative is to view it solely as a negative phenomenon which I think is not terribly helpful. But let’s face it, it’s HARD. I think it’s absolutely ok to go under the covers and cry it out. Just don’t stay there too long!

Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

The positives I see are families connecting more, people having more time to just be, people getting back to baking and cooking, people helping each other. If only the financial repercussions for artists were not so dire, I think we’d be happier. It’s really hard to be blissed out when you’re worried about money. It’s a very real quandary.

But as I said before, it’s really interesting to see the creative ways people are forging new paths for themselves. But also a lot of brilliant artists are working jobs that they’re not particularly enjoying. It’s tough. But we’re a tough bunch!

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

Man, if only I had a crystal ball! I have no idea. I try not to speculate too much because the information keeps changing and none of us have a clue what’s going to happen. All I know is that when I think about assembling together with a big cast for the first day of rehearsal it literally brings tears to my eyes. The joy I have felt over the years working with people in the theatre will stay with me forever. And I am by nature an optimist, so I have to believe we’ll get back there.

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?

In terms of live streaming, I think it absolutely will be a huge part of our industry moving forward. For me personally, I haven’t done anything, but I’ve certainly watched some content. But you know, I have come to a personal conclusion with it. I would rather watch the opening number of Ragtime at the Tony Awards for example with that huge cast brilliantly staged than something on Zoom.

I find I’m looking to the past to get that fix. Watching throngs of performers interacting with each other with joy and abandon and physical proximity thrills me more than anything right now.

But I certainly don’t judge those who are pursuing the online avenue!! It actually drives me crazy when we become divisive as artists. We must support each other right now more than ever! To each his own! Live and let live! And of course, if anyone did ask me to do a Zoom performance thing I’d be all over it.

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

Wow. So, this question has brought me to my knees. I have been a professional stage artist for over 35 years. I have had so many incredible opportunities and have met the most brilliant, funny, kind, compassionate, and exceptional people. I have sung exquisite songs, I have tap-danced on pianos, worn exquisite costumes, witnessed the most vulnerable moments, laughed, cried, bled, despaired, rejoiced, and felt everything in between.

My life has been incredibly rich and varied and interesting for having done it. I can’t fathom myself ever giving it up and so, I never will. It’s given me too much joy and happiness and laughter.

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?

Tolerance

b. What is your least favourite word?

Closed

c. What turns you on?

Creativity

d. What turns you off?

Materialism

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Cardinals

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Dentist drill

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Zounds

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

Pilot

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Mortician

j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates?
“Red or white? Thanks.”

To learn more about Monique’s jewelry line, visit https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/minniebymoniquelund