Profiles & Interviews

Royal Academic of Dramatic Art (RADA) graduate Rachel Cairns and her solo show ‘Hypothetical Baby’ returns for another Toronto engagement to Factory Theatre from February 23 – March 8, 2025.

Cairns considers her RADA training as an incredible foundation for her work as a performer. That being said, she also believes that training as an artist never stops because it is a lifelong thing. Over the years, she has found that some of the most valuable lessons have come from working in the performing arts industry and navigating life itself.

I’m sure her one-woman show ‘Hypothetical Baby’ has provided ample opportunity to learn more about the industry and how it might respond to a controversial and sensitive topic today, given the repeal in the United States of Roe v. Wade.

In a recent interview with Cairns, I sent her questions to answer via email and inquired about the significance of the solo show’s title and what it represents. Yes, as a practicing Catholic, I have my thoughts on this sensitive issue, but I also firmly believe it is vital to hear from women regarding this topic. This profile is not an opportunity to use this platform to hypothesize my views.

It is meant for me and for others to listen first.

Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster will direct the show once again at Factory. Rachel says the production this time is essentially the same. Nightwood Theatre, one of the producers, was very specific about not changing anything for the upcoming production.

Cairns says ‘Hypothetical Baby’ is a play about the decision to become a parent—or not—so the title directly speaks to that theme. She actually lifted it from a line in the show because the phrase felt like it encapsulated a lot. There’s also a bit of a wink in it. She knows a show about abortion might come with certain connotations, but she hopes the title hints that it’s not all going to be painfully earnest.

Further specifics about ‘Baby’: “An unintended pregnancy, followed by an unhelpful doctor’s appointment, leads to a Christmas Eve abortion and one woman’s reckoning with the practical and existential considerations in deciding to become a parent…or not. The show also mixes date and drama to publicly talk about abortion the way we do privately – with neurotic vulnerability, unflinching honesty and frank irreverence. (taken from Rachel Cairns’ website)

When the production originally played in Toronto, I sent a female reviewer to review Hypothetical Baby, and she wrote that the show is “as intimate and emotional as it is politically relevant.”

I’m sending a male to review the show this time since I’m unavailable for media night as I will attend another opening.

I asked Rachel her thoughts about sending a male to cover the show.

While she understands the sensitivity around gender, especially with abortion, particularly as we’re seeing in the US where it’s mainly men making decisions about women’s and pregnant bodies, Cairns believes more men are also needed to join the conversation and, quite frankly, to care about this issue and how it impacts them and the people they love.

For Cairns: “abortion is not just a women’s issue since not all women can get pregnant and not all pregnant people are women.”

She elaborates pretty frankly:

“My abortion was also my partner’s abortion—he wasn’t ready to become a parent either. In the show, you’ll see that his hesitancy and inability to talk openly about abortion—shaped by societal conditioning that discourages men from expressing their feelings—made the experience harder for us as a couple. This silence, especially from men who may feel it’s not their place to discuss abortion, only puts more pressure and work on people who can get pregnant and perpetuates the stigma.”

Cairns emphasizes that normalizing and destigmatizing abortion means recognizing it as a human experience that affects us all. Decisions around pregnancy are fundamentally about human rights, self-determination, and bodily autonomy. When we approach it that way, as her play does, we see reproductive choice as one of the most fundamental freedoms—like choosing what we believe, the work we do, and who we love.

Any thoughts for Catholics and Christians about seeing the show?

Rachel hopes they can see it as an invitation to think about compassion, empathy, and the profound responsibility of creating a world where people can parent if they choose to—and not because it’s expected or imposed on them—as well as what it means to live in a society where everyone has what they need to survive and thrive. Parenting isn’t just a matter of individual will; it’s shaped by economic realities, gender expectations, social policies, and access to healthcare and childcare—not to mention the need for a planet we can trust will remain a safe and sustainable place for those children throughout their lives.

At its core, Hypothetical Baby’ is a story about love between partners, between parents and children, between a person and their own future, and also our collective responsibility to each other as a society.
Rachel thinks the message of love, dignity, and care resonates deeply with people regardless of their religious or cultural background.

As we began to close our email conversation, I asked: “If an audience member can come away from ‘Hypothetical Baby’ with one message, what would that be?”

Cairns hopes audiences leave the play reflecting on what it means to live in a society where everyone has what they need to survive because that’s the only way people can make genuine choices, especially when it comes to the profound decision to bring new life into the world.

She adds:

“More and more people are choosing not to have children—and yes, that’s partly because not everyone wants to be a parent. Right now, we’re facing crises in nearly every social sector of our lives: housing, healthcare, education, wages, climate, you name it. While I believe that pregnancy must always be a personal decision, the work of creating and sustaining life goes beyond individual choices. It’s a collective endeavour that connects and holds us together. The only way parenting becomes more possible is if we choose to invest in the work of caring for life, to make it worth living. I hope audiences leave ‘Hypothetical Baby’ reflecting on the essential and invaluable work of raising children and nurturing life—and how it’s worth supporting not just for parents but for everyone.

What’s next for Rachel Cairns once ‘Hypothetical Baby’ is finished?

She’s currently working on adapting the play and podcast into a narrative non-fiction memoir with ECW Press. She’s also returning to another favourite topic of hers that might be even more taboo than abortion: money. After being “the abortion girl” for a few years, I’ve found that people are often way more willing to share their opinions and experiences about abortion with me than they are talking openly and transparently about money.

We’re to stay tuned.

‘Hypothetical Baby’ produced by Nightwood Theatre in association with The Howland Company, runs at Toronto’s Factory Theatre from February 23 to March 8, 2025. For tickets, visit https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/hypothetical-baby/#about

To learn more about Rachel Cairns, the artist: https://www.rachelcairns.ca/#contact

The other day I was perusing some online pages about original Broadway companies and I saw the cast list for the first New York production of ‘Les Miserables’. I remember on my first trip to NYC that I tried to get tickets for the production and was told by the box office ‘What planet did I live on as I was to return in five years?’ I laugh about that now as that was the same response the Toronto box office used to give for the original Canadian company of ‘Les Miserables’ as well.

As I reviewed the New York cast list online, it was great fun to see Colm Wilkinson’s name (who later played the Phantom in the original Toronto production) and then I came across Randy Graff’s name. She had originated the role of Fantine. It suddenly dawned on me that I remember hearing Randy sing the titular ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ on the original Broadway LP album.

I thought, well, why not try to get in touch with Randy through her webpage to see if she would be interested and available for an interview. And I am grateful she responded in such a timely manner and welcomed the opportunity for the interview.

I encourage everyone to visit her website as she holds an extensive resume in the performing arts industry. Randy has been an instructor for the past four years at Manhattan School of Music. She also received the Tony award for her work in CITY OF ANGELS (another hell of a good show, by the way). Randy has appeared on the Broadway stage, off Broadway, regional theatres and concert halls. She has appeared in such productions as ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ and ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’.

Randy now appears in the Original Broadway cast of ‘Mr. Saturday Night’ opposite Billy Crystal.

We conducted our conversation via email as she is one busy lady right now in her work as an active arts educator. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions, Randy:

As an active arts educator and instructor for the past four years at Manhattan School of Music, what has been the most challenging moment of your teaching during this pandemic?

There have and continue to be a few challenges about teaching musical theater performance during the pandemic. The first was purely technical. How to use Zoom? I had never even heard of it. Fortunately, we have great tech support at MSM. They offered us workshops and tutorials, and really invested in getting the faculty ready. I’m less of a luddite now. A little pandemic perk.

But, what continues to be a challenge is how I keep my students engaged when we are not live in the classroom. How do I keep them excited about learning on a screen, when they’re taking class from their bedrooms, dorm rooms, bathrooms and parent’s cars? When we went into lockdown last March it was a little easier because I had already been working in the classroom with my students since September. I knew who they were as people and artists. The start of this school year, with a brand-new group of students. was one of the bigger challenges for all of us.

We’re six weeks in and now, I feel like I have more of a sense of who they are, and I think, they do of me.

As a professional educator, what words of wisdom and sage advice have you been sharing with future artists given the unknown and uncertainty of the live performance industry? Have these messages been positively received?

Ahhh, I want always to be honest with them. This sucks! It’s hard and depressing, so go ahead and allow yourself to feel all those things. Then remember, this is temporary. You are always going to have down time in your chosen profession. This happens to be an extraordinary pause, and we are still uncertain about when live theater will return and how it will return. I never say if, because I am certain it will, and my students need to hear that truth from me.

So, ask yourselves what you want to do with this time, and remember there is no wrong answer. You can stay connected to your art, or you can decide to get a real estate license or become an architect. What feels right to you? If you have chosen to be in school, then work hard at your craft. There is much to be learned about expressing yourself through the Zoom platform. More on that later.

I find that when I don’t lecture my students about what they should do, regarding Covid, they feel empowered to make their own decisions, and then my words are well received.

As an artist and educator, do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?
On a personal note, the pandemic has taught me to be more present. To take life one day at a time, and to be even more grateful for the wonderful friends, family, and colleagues in my life. It’s taught me to take better care of my health. It has reinforced what I already know about live theater. We need it. Desperately. To unite us, teach us empathy, and when the day comes where I can sit in a packed house and watch my favorite performers on stage, some of which may be my very own students, I will cry buckets of happy tears.

As an educator, I see my students finding imaginative ways to connect with each other and with students all around the country. Some are doing Zoom play readings, their own work included, and having group discussions after. Many are using the time to self-tape monologues and songs and get them up on their websites. They’ve started Youtube channels and some are Zoom directing as well. All motivated by the pandemic. They have acquired mad techno skills!

Honestly, some of these tapes are so impressive! They look like mini independent films, and their own acting/singing work has deepened. The multitudes of feelings they live with on a daily basis, because of life during the pandemic, has absolutely fueled them as actors.

As an artist and educator, what kind of impact will Covid 19 leave on the Broadway industry?

This is a tough question. I don’t know how it’s going to impact our industry. When it comes back, when audiences are willing to gather inside a Broadway theatre, I suppose there will have to be a new financial model so a show can sustain itself. I trust that our unions and the Broadway League will figure it out.

This much I do know; there will be an appreciation for the work by and for everyone who is responsible for it, onstage and off, that is so filled with love and joy. I might want to bottle and sell it. I need to think of a name. Any suggestions?

Share with us your honest opinions about online streaming and You Tubing dramatic/musical work for others to see. Will streaming and You Tubing be the new media for the future artist going forward into the unknown?

Honestly, I’m grateful for the live streaming right now. The opportunity for a young kid in the middle of nowhere to see “Hamilton” or the National Theatre’s “Frankenstein” is awesome. I’ve also participated in Seth Rudetsky’s “Stars In The House” with two cast reunions; the OBC of “Les Mis” and “City of Angels.”

It was so wonderful to see everyone in their little squares, and all donations go to the amazing, what would we do without them, Actor’s Fund. I watched the “Sondheim 90th Birthday” live stream celebration in tears and loved BD Wong’s “Songs from An Unmade Bed,” which I saw on YouTube.

As far as going into the unknown future, we, as educators, have a responsibility to prepare our students for it emotionally and practically. I do think it will continue to be a part of our art form. Streaming and YouTube are great platforms for artists to get their work out there to entertain, inspire and educate. Of course, it’s not the real thing no matter how well it’s filmed and watching them does have a twinge of “oh, I wish I was in the theatre.” I do feel that there needs to be some payment made for people’s work, and that’s complicated, maybe even prohibitive, considering all the people who should be compensated.

On another streaming note, I’m a Netflix addict. So there’s that. Have you seen “The Queen’s Gambit?’ Fabulous! (Joe agrees it is a wonderful series)

Despite all of the tension and drama surrounding the live entertainment industry, what specifically is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for artists now, the mid career artist and the upcoming and future artists?

I’m going to quote Arthur Miller on this, because his words are far, far better than mine.

“There is a certain immortality involved in theater, not created by monuments and books, but through the knowledge the actor keeps to his dying day that on a certain afternoon, in an empty and dusty theater, he cast a shadow of a being that was not himself, but the distillation of all he has ever observed; all the unsingable heart song the ordinary man may feel but never utter, he gave voice to. And by that he somehow joins the ages.”

To learn more about Randy, visit her website randygraff.com or her Official Fan Facebook page: Randy Graff

Here’s the link to my first conversation with Raoul Bhaneja: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2020/10/22/moving-forward-a-conversation-with-raoul-bhaneja

Raoul Bhaneja is one incredibly busy man at the moment.

He’s currently in Los Angeles, where he has spent much of his time over the last twenty years, almost none of it doing theatre. He’s played in more Los Angeles bars, nightclubs, and recording studios than in theatres.
Even though Bhaneja has had to step away from the theatre periodically, he states it will always be a vibrant, vital place to spend time both as an artist and an audience member. He has been lucky to have a few spiritual homes with the theatre in Toronto. He recognized Tarragon Theatre for new plays, particularly between 2003 and 2010, when he had the chance to work on several productions there.

Bhaneja also credits Theatre Passe Muraille, where he used to live almost next door to the building. He also credits one of his mentors, Paul Thompson, who shaped part of what theatre would become. It was at Passe Muraille, Bhaneja’s upcoming Soulpepper ‘Hamlet (solo)’ production was workshopped and first premiered.

What important lessons has he learned from the last four years as an artist and as a person, husband, father, sibling, and friend?

Raoul has become ever more appreciative of an audience that takes the time to spend their money and leave the comforts (and, in some cases, safety) of home to share in a live experience. Raoul has always felt the relationship between performer and audience is a (semi) sacred one, and he has felt that even more these last four years.

‘Hamlet (solo)’ will run for only three performances this month at Soulpepper. Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha is striving to write a new chapter and reshape the company but is holding on to core elements that Raoul thinks will be put in good stead for a long time in Toronto. He believes Soulpepper deserves support from those who once stood by it and new donors and advocates who can appreciate the challenging mission Weyni has undertaken to bring Soulpepper into this decade renewed and reclaimed.
After this informative conversation with Weyni, Raoul realized he wanted to help be a part of her vision at Soulpepper. The opportunity to present ‘Hamlet (solo)’ back in Toronto after over a decade felt like the right fit.

The late Daniel Brooks asked Raoul to step into Soulpepper’s recent ‘The Seagull’. When he returned to perform, Bhaneja returned to the company for the first time in 23 years, and he was reminded of just how special of a place Soulpepper truly is.

Given that feeling, he felt it was also the right time to bring ‘Hamlet (solo)’ to the Distillery District’s Young Centre.

Solo shows have been part of the theatre culture for a while: Diane Flacks and Rick Miller come to mind.
The Soulpepper website states that this Hamlet (with the collaboration of longtime show director Robert Ross Parker and original designer Deeter Schurig) is a two-hour bare-bones performance in which Bhaneja plays 17 parts using Shakespeare’s text. The decisions around the sparseness of this solo production were not arbitrary or due to budget constraints but rather very much on purpose.

Raoul stated:

“I have been very encouraged by a lot of the theatre I have seen in Toronto as of late, particularly in the acting which I think has become more visceral than it had been for most of my time watching theatre in the city. There was often solid, thoughtful acting onstage, but I find it has an emotional urgency now that both the actor and audience demand from the experience.”

I recall Rick Miller’s MACHOMER: THE SIMPSONS DO MACBETH, in which he voiced the characters in telling the story. Raoul is a huge admirer of Miller’s talent and calls him a prolific producer and person of the theatre.

According to Raoul: “Both productions share a certain audacity, one I think Eric Woolfe also engaged in earlier this season when he presented his solo ‘Macbeth’ at Red Sandcastle. You have to be a bit crazy to do this.”

When Bhaneja was in New York a few months ago watching Eddie (Suzy) Izzard perform her solo Hamlet, Raoul said, “It’s wild to see how different that ‘Hamlet’ is from our production even though the essential impulse is the very nature of it, similar.”

Raoul says Shakespeare is getting a bit of a bad rap at the moment for being so heavily used in education and so prolifically presented in the theatre when other voices have been ignored and underappreciated. Perhaps it might be our fault, not Shakespeare’s, how little writing from different cultures and parts of the world we have seen our stages, particularly in the ‘classical’ period. That speaks to our hyper-focus on Western drama and thought.

Bhaneja offers a critical thought to consider:

“Let’s expand our field of reference, not obsess about Shakespeare by turning him into some kind of Confederate statue that must be pulled down. Use him to inspire or transform or adapt stories and ideas NOW. That’s the whole point.

What about ‘Hamlet’ still speaks to the audience today for Bhaneja?

It is the concept of ‘isolation’.

Isolation is something everyone collectively understands at the moment in a way that we perhaps have not for a long time. It’s an unfortunate experience in the last few years everyone has had to deal with and come to terms.

When Raoul started working on this project, his friend and gifted filmmaker, Jeff Stephenson, followed him around with a camera and made a documentary, ‘Hamlet (solo),’ which he hopes to find a way to screen or include in the upcoming Soulpepper run. In that documentary, Raoul interviews many actors who had played Hamlet up to 2007.

When he was in his twenties, Raoul remembered something the late John Neville (who was in his seventies) told him about ‘Hamlet.’ It’s a play about the disillusionment of youth. Back then, Bhaneja found Neville’s comments interesting but didn’t really get it. Now that Raoul approaches his fifties (you’re still a young man, ya know), he looks at the world today, his children and the world they will inherit from us, and now understands Neville’s point of view:

“To me, that is the essence of any ‘classic’ work from any period – its longevity comes from the ability to continue to reflect and refract life back to the audience, like the mirror Hamlet speaks of in the play.”

Bhaneja leaves it to the audience to come away with any specific messages. He can only present what he and the creative team have envisioned with their interpretation and leave the rest to the audience. What he hopes to achieve with this ‘Hamlet (solo)’ is a unique and provocative experience combined with the viewers’ imaginations within an intimate setting.

The life of an actor and performance artist is always in constant flux and motion. What’s next for Raoul once the three-date performance run of ‘Hamlet (solo)’ concludes:

With two of his cast members from Soulpepper’s production of ‘The Seagull’ Frank Cox-O’Connell and Hailey Gillis, they are developing a project that they hope one day to present to Soulpepper. They are also working on producing a solo show for Raoul’s wife, Birgitte Solem (Hope and Hell co-founder) who will act in the piece.

Outside of that, Raoul continues the roulette wheel of film and television.

He hopes to make another season of ‘The Trades’ for Crave TV. Bhaneja called it a crazy TV show that was so much fun, but the cast and crew have to receive formal word. It has been a difficult year in the on-camera world with multiple labour disruptions, tech company contractions and the introduction of A.I.

‘Hamlet (solo)’ runs May 23-25 in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery District, 50 Tank House Lane.

For tickets: https://www.soulpepper.ca/performances/hamletsolo

There are some artists with whom I’ve wanted to converse during the pandemic and events did not allow us to chat.

Ravi Jain is one of them.

We’ve been playing email tag throughout the pandemic. He and his wife are parents of an adorable little guy, so I understood completely family responsibilities must come first.

Ravi is the Co-artistic Director and founder of Toronto’s Why Not Theatre. From his bio on Why Not’s website: “Ravi is a multi-award-winning artist known for making politically bold and accessible theatrical experiences in both small indie productions and large theatres. As the founding artistic director of Why Not Theatre, Ravi has established himself as an artistic leader for his inventive productions, international producing/collaborations and innovative producing models which are aimed to better support emerging artists to make money from their art.”

Ravi was twice shortlisted for the 2016 and 2019 Siminovitch Prize and won the 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director and the 2016 Canada Council John Hirsch Prize for direction.

He is a graduate of the two-year program at École Jacques Lecoq. He was selected to be on the roster of clowns for Cirque du Soleil. Currently, Sea Sick which he co-directed will be on at the National Theatre in London, his adaptation of The Indian epic Mahabarata will premier at the Shaw Festival, and What You Won’t Do For Love, starring David Suzuki will premier in Vancouver in 2021.

I saw his production of ‘R &J’ this summer at Ontario’s Stratford Festival, and as a retired teacher of English Language and Literature I hope teachers will take advantage of showing the production to their classes when teaching ‘Romeo & Juliet’.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom this morning. Ravi was on a walk with his little guy while we chatted so I got a chance to see his beautiful little boy.

Thank you so much for your time, Ravi:

Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me about one teacher and one mentor in your life for whom you are thankful and who brought you to this point in your life as an artist.

Oh, well, a teacher for sure is Jim Calder who was a Graduate Movement professor at NYU. I took his course in Italy and we became quite close. He actually went to Lecoq School with Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith.

Jim was an amazing teacher – brilliant philosophically, brilliant practically – and just inspired me to go that one step further; that for my imagination there was always that one step further to go a little bit further, a little bit farther. I always think of Jim when I’m in a problem trying to go a little bit further. He always inspired me to do that.

A mentor, for sure, is Franco Boni, who was the Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre. He always empowered me to follow my voice and to be fearless and to not be afraid of saying ‘the thing’ or doing ‘the thing’ and taking the risk.

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

You know, I don’t think I have.

Well, first of all, I’ve had a baby with my wife so that has been a life changing event to have this new person to take care of, to laugh with, and not to sleep with. (and we share a quick laugh)

That, I feel, very different, older, more mature, and more responsible, for sure.

But in terms of coming out of Covid? I don’t feel we’re out of it. I feel like some people want desperately to be out of it and other people are still feeling the impact of it, especially with all of these conversations we’ve had about inequities. Those didn’t go away.

On a personal level, I still feel like we’re in Covid still and there are still a lot of unresolved things that I don’t yet know how to reconcile.

As an artist, how have these last eighteen months changed or transformed you as a professional artist?
It’s been great to be quiet for a little bit, and to just be reflective and to think about what role art can play to help people, especially in a time when so much help is needed.

It’s given me a time to think about what it is I really want to do and why.

It’s been a time of reflection which is good as an artist for me. It’s a time to go deeper and ask WHY. Why am I doing this?

In your professional opinion, do you see the global landscape of the Canadian professional live theatre scene changing as a result of these last eighteen months?

In some ways, Yes, but in a lot of ways, No.

In some ways yes because I think people are talking about inequities and there are some changes, but on the whole there’s not a lot of change. I don’t see a lot of change.

One has to always stay hopeful, but I don’t see it so I’m not sure about it. It’s a tricky one because I want to stay hopeful because I’ve been in some pretty dark places these last 18 months.

What excites/intrigues/fascinates/interests Ravi Jain post Covid?

I’m really excited about what is this all going to be (and Ravi and I share another quick laugh)

What is travel in a world of a climate emergency? What is gathering in a world of Covid?

I’m still very curious to see how this is all going to play out, and all these conversations about inequities and racial injustice. What is it all going to be? I still have yet to see it manifest, and it could be really exciting or it could not change.

I’m staying on the exciting side in hopefully seeing what the other side will be.

What disappoints/unnerves/upsets Ravi Jain post Covid?

Mean shit.

This idea that we’re back, the desperate desire to be back. And I suffer from it as well. I equally have it inside me, and I have to check myself because we’re not.

I know we all want to do this but we gotta do it right. That was the real challenge I had this summer (in directing R&J at the Stratford Festival). We were in rehearsal and making a show.

It was a strange experience because on one hand we were making a show, and it was great to be working with the artists and making change, and to take the opportunity to do something, AND at the same time know that two thirds of the industry wasn’t working. It’s hard.

What’s unnerving to me is that some people will be back and some won’t. What are we going to be doing about that?

Where does Ravi Jain, the artist, see himself going next?

Oh, man.

I’m still searching for exciting stories and exciting ways to tell them. I don’t know if I’ve ever chosen the direction I’ve ever gone. It always appeared and chose me, so I’m really waiting.

I’ve been playing with larger scale work. It’s been really exciting as it brings with it a whole bunch of challenges.

Maybe I’m itching to do something small? I don’t know.

I’m very open and maybe, for the first time in my life, I’m really patient.

Where does Ravi Jain, the person, see himself going next?

Obviously, with a baby, our lives have changed which has been great.

I’m someone who’s always been somewhere else whether I’m travelling or responsible to a rehearsal hall at night, and it’s been really great to have this time with my family and to make time for my family.

I’ve lost so much of my family time to the arts just with late nights and weekends, and all the demands the arts takes from you. I’ve really lost a good amount of family time over my lifetime.

To have this time is an important place for me to continue to grow.

RAPID ROUND

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

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

Thank you for believing in me.

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

I told you so.

What is your favourite swear word?

It has to be Fuck.

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

Ah…. Again.

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

Disappointed.

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

Work isn’t everything.

With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming Ravi Jain from years ago when he was just in the throes of beginning his career as a performing artist?

It’s a total contradiction to the other one. Work is everything. Just don’t stop moving and don’t let anyone say no.

Just keep going.

What is the one thing you still want to accomplish professionally and personally?

Personally and professionally, I think I would love to run a larger civic organization. It’s about a responsibility and a larger impacting conversation with the city.

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

Oh, man, my 30s. (and Ravi has a good laugh over that)

What will Ravi Jain never take for granted again post Covid?

The impact of blind decisions on other people.

Would Ravi Jain do it all again if given the same opportunities?

Oh, yeah, 100%.

Joe, did anyone ever say No to that question?

As an avid theatre-goer and attendee, I can recall how the excitement of the Toronto professional theatre scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s matched and marveled that in New York City. At this time, there were the mega-musicals: ‘Les Miserables’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Miss Saigon’, and ‘Rent’ just to name a few. The first two productions listed have one person in common: Rebecca Caine.

It was the Canadian sit-down company of ‘Phantom’ at The Pantages Theatre (now the Ed Mirvish Theatre) where I saw and heard the lovely Toronto born Rebecca Caine perform the iconic role of Christine Daae, which she had also performed in London’s West End. I remember hearing and/or seeing how fans of the Toronto production flocked to the stage door after performances to catch a glimpse or to chat briefly with this beautiful lady. And yes, I was one of them.

Again, during the first few weeks of the ‘Phantom’ Canadian run, I also learned that Rebecca had originated the role of Cosette in the London/West End production of another theatrical titan: ‘Les Miserables’. Rebecca’s dulcet sounds were not only and simply relegated to the musical theatre community.

While in Toronto, she also joined the Canadian Opera Company and made her debut there in the title role of ‘Lulu’. Rebecca also received a Dora Mavor Moore award for her performance in ‘The Little Vixen’ with the Canadian Opera Company.

I encourage you to visit her website and to see Rebecca’s extensive work across Canada, the US, England, and overseas with incredibly diverse roles in music and storytelling. It was also nice to read in her biography on her website that Rebecca made her straight acting debut.

And when she returns to Toronto for a concert, I would most certainly like to attend to hear her sing once more in the theatre when it’s safe for all of us to be there.

Rebecca and I conducted our interview via email:

1. It has been the almost three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

London calling! I’ve been incredibly up and down.

Initially, it almost felt freeing. No self-tapes! Air punch! I heard Helena Bonham Carter say she didn’t have to feel stressed about being cast because no one else was. Well, quite.

Then the fear crept in. Thanks to the ineptitude of the mouldering pile of chickpeas that is Boris Johnson, we have an incredibly high infection rate in the U.K. Friends got sick, some nearly dying. We hunkered down. We’ve had a lot of illness in my family in the last year. My mother has been hospitalised twice and a sibling was released from six months of cancer treatment in hospital into the whirlwind of a global pandemic. A brother in law tested positive for antibodies, my sister did not.

I started to have some strange symptoms, rashes, an eye infection that could be seen from space, so my husband and I were tested. He came out positive much to our shock as we’d been so careful, and he was asymptomatic. My GP told me to assume that despite two negative tests I had had it. I’ve had days of real fatigue, headaches, and depression. We quarantined, him for one and me for two, which made me feel even more barking mad.

Today I’m feeling better so let’s hope we’ve come out of it really lightly and stand a chance of not getting it again although of course, we will still be super safe in our behaviour. Meanwhile, I’m convinced the steady diet of Pringles and chocolate will keep us healthy.

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

I’ve really struggled a lot with loss of confidence in the last few years. I’m really hard to cast, being a full-on legitimate soprano of a certain age in a world of belters. There are no roles for me in traditional opera now as I am a light lyric soprano and they are the first to walk the plank, and the projects that I do want to do are few and far between.

It’s harder to keep one’s confidence in the long gaps between gigs.

I have COVID nightmares. Standard actor dreams.

‘Phantom’ has been my go-to stress dream for thirty-two years.

I keep dreaming I’m back in the London production where I had a horrid time. The dream has changed over the years. Initially, I was hiding on the top floor of the theatre hearing the show over the show relay but, over time, the dream has progressed to finally being on the stage. Inexplicably a trapeze act has been added to the opening number, ‘Hannibal’ and I am pantless.

I constantly dream I’m onstage in something I’ve never rehearsed and don’t know, and all this plays on my mind. I wonder, when we ever come back if I’ll be able to still do it which, of course, I will because it’s in my bones. It’s hard not to have the fear at four am.

The other thing that was really tough was that in the first few months of the pandemic I could not bring myself to sing. When I tried, I cried.

For many weeks here every Thursday night, we clapped the NHS. My street asked me to lead them in a group sing and it felt exposing and like showing off. I wanted to be quiet and private.

All over my socials, Turns, as we refer to ourselves here, were “giving their gift” and I was incapable of singing. I needed to because I go crazy if I don’t feel that vibration in my body and I needed to stay in good vocal shape.

Eventually, I turned to the Bel Canto Vaccai method of Practical Singing (God knows what the impractical method is) which is over 200 hundred years old. I found that singing through the exercises daily kept me in good shape technically and mentally.

3. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon?
Straight off, I had to cancel some concerts in Canada, which made me sad as I hadn’t been back for three years and I miss everyone.

Last year I did an extraordinary new piece, ‘Abomination’, an opera about a Northern Irish politician Iris Robinson and the DUP party’s appalling homophobia by the brilliant composer, Conor Mitchell. We had had plans to take it all over the place and now that’s on ice which is distressing. It’s an incredible age-appropriate role that was written for my voice and an important piece of political theatre. I was so excited for the wider world to see it.

Bebe Neuwirth, whom I went to high school with, and I were plotting a cool thing we’d hoped to workshop this summer as well. I could tell you about it, but then I’d have to kill you.

It’s hard to say what will become of any of these projects. Certainly here, nothing is happening until 2021…

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

Well… lots of gardening, weeping, needlepoint, weeping, eating, weeping, and silent screaming.
I don’t seem to have the concentration to read. I have been watching a lot of ballet, which I adore. I can lose myself in it and the older I get the more I am lost in wonder at what they can do. My heart breaks for all the dancers trying to keep in shape in their living rooms; it’s such a short career, full of sacrifice.

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

My heart bleeds for them. I wish I had a magic wand to make it go away. I message the younger colleagues to tell them I’m thinking of them and support them. The next generation had things stacked against them before this bloody virus arrived, but I am utterly convinced that they will find a way of making theatre that will amaze us all. I’m so incredibly inspired and excited by their politicization, creativity, and passion.

They will find ways to express themselves that we never dreamt of.

Don’t succumb to the divisiveness that’s out there. That’s what they want you to do. Listen and avoid dogma. Don’t cancel, debate. Be kind and strong and you will rise.

The theatre has survived plagues before. It will survive this.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

I hope that there is a realisation that we can no longer see the planet as something to be plundered, but as something we must respect or it will strike back and that people must see each other as equals. I’ve been profoundly impacted by the stories raised by the Black Lives Matter, Climate change and also the Me-Too movement.

I think somehow the pandemic has brought all these matters to ahead. The next generation get it and soon, they’ll be in charge.

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

I can’t speak for the North American/Canadian scene as although I work over there, I am based and mainly work in the U.K. but surely the problems are the same?

Unless there’s a vaccine, some sort of herd immunity develops or the virus mutates into a less fatal form or indeed vanishes, we are going to be dealing with this for some time.

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

Even before the pandemic, one of my favourite things to do was to take my mother to see relays of operas and ballets at the cinema. Although many of them were playing in London it was an easier thing for my mother to handle at 87.

What I did miss was feeling the music in my body. No sound system can replace being in the hall.

However, in the present circumstances, I think it’s a brilliant way of getting things out there. The Belfast Ensemble streamed ‘Abomination’ to over 5000 people in 32 countries. For a contemporary opera that’s an incredible achievement.

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

That feeling of the flow, of being in the zone, when each thought just comes unbidden and I am fully in the moment. Pretty wanky, eh? True, though.

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:

Oh lordie…ugh… right.

1. What is your favourite word?

Cat

2. What is your least favourite word?

Ginormous.

3. What turns you on?

Serious art

4. What turns you off?

Donald J. Trump

5. What sound or noise do you love?

An orchestra tuning up.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Straight tone screlting. Vibrato is a fingerprint that gives individuality unless you want to sound like the factory klaxon that opens ‘Sweeney Todd’.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Twazzock

What is your least favourite curse word? Unprintable.

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

Well, Pope obviously, but costume designer or medieval manuscript scholar would be lovely.

9. What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

Wife of Trump.

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

“It’s ok Darling, we don’t need an up tempo.” Seriously, it’s “All your pets are waiting for you.”

To learn more about Rebecca, visit her website: www.rebeccacaine.com
Twitter: @RebeccaCaine Instagram: RebeccaCaine Facebook: Rebecca Caine

At the height of the pandemic three years ago, I had the opportunity to Zoom with actor and improvisation artist Rebecca Northan. You can find our conversation link here:

https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2021/1/31/theatre-conversation-in-a-covid-world-with-rebecca-northan.

Fast forward three years and our conversation continued.

She’s a busy lady but enjoying every second of it. Rebecca has just closed ‘The Applecart’ and ‘The Game of Love and Chance’ at the Shaw Festival.

What else is coming up for her?

Not in performance since the pandemic, ‘Blind Date’ returns to Regina’s Globe Theatre on October 18. ‘GOBLIN: MACBETH’ opens October 14 in the Studio Theatre at the Stratford Festival. She will write and direct JACK: A BEANSTALK PANTO this holiday season, which opens November 24 and runs to December
23 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.

Northan calls GOBLIN: MACBETH a very new show. It has never been performed in Ontario. It was developed in 2022 for The Shakespeare Company in Calgary and described on its website as: “[a] theatrical experience not soon to be forgotten. It is a three-hander, mash-up [whereby] audiences are brought to the edge of the seat for a ‘spontaneous theatre’ experience.” At Stratford, the show features musician Ellis Lalonde, Northan, and Bruce Horak, her creative partner, who have all performed the show out in western Canada. Northan and Horak have been making shows for over thirty years.

What’s the ‘mini story’ behind ‘GOBLIN: MACBETH? These creatures have found a copy of ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ and have read it cover to cover. They wonder who this Shakespeare guy is as he knows a lot about witches, fairies, goblins, and monsters.

If the Goblins try to do theatre (and they’re unconvinced it’s a good idea, but they’ll try), they may understand more about humans. They chose ‘Macbeth’ because it’s the shortest.

Rebecca and I agreed the Scottish play is terrific for high school students as they seem to love the witches, blood, gore, and murder. She even goes as far as to call it one of our perfect plays:

“It’s got everything. It’s dark, scary, sensational. There’s something watching the train wreck of blind ambition.”

As a retired teacher, I know the importance of getting kids to like Shakespeare. What better way to do that than to take them to a live production?

Rebecca stated that she, Horak and Lalonde have performed ‘GOBLIN’ for student matinees in Calgary and at Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach. She compares performing for students to a rock concert. Rebecca and Bruce adore Shakespeare and remain respectfully faithful to Macbeth’s text. However, the two come from an improvisation background.

Along with Lalonde, according to Rebecca, the three of them have ‘an internal permission’ to break out of the text at any time if something occurs to them. They can do this if that improv moment highlights something in the play, is directly related to it, or what’s happening in the audience at any given time. As actors, they are responsive to what’s happening in the room.

Young people at student matinees don’t know what to expect; however, combined with the appearance of the Goblins and all the ensuing hijinks that follow, the students all wonder what this play is they’re watching.
“That’s how we won them over,” Rebecca stated with an accomplished tone.

I’m sure what the three of them accomplish for the student shows also applies to the other performances.
Three words came to mind when I saw the Bard on the Beach trailer for ‘GOBLIN’ – creepy, eerie, but fascinating.

Northan loved these three descriptors and said they’re apt for the production.

What caught my eye immediately in the trailer was the Goblin mask she, Lalonde and Horak wear. These single silicone headpieces, which fit snugly to the face, are made by ‘Composite Effects’ in the States. The picture above next to Northan’s headshot shows the three actors in costume.

There is some articulation for the three actors, and the masks move slightly. For Rebecca, these headpieces are: ‘wearable works of art. There are veins in the headpiece and depth to them. They’re quite remarkable.”

What is it about improvisation in GOBLIN and in the upcoming holiday panto for Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre that makes for great theatre?

“It’s completely alive, completely responsive. There’s honesty, a sense of permission and relief. Improv lets the audience know they’re seen. I think, especially after two years of the pandemic (which we say is over, but it’s not), of being disconnected to having an experience where the performers see you and connect with you is so essential. It is the thing that live theatre can offer that nothing on your laptop or streaming device can…this modern notion of improv being a separate practice has never made any sense to me because there’s been improvisation in the theatre as long as there has been theatre.”

With a wink and a twinkle in her eye, Northan says misbehaviour and it being in the best way is the hallmark of the work she does constantly. Misbehaviour is something our world needs right now.

Once ‘Goblin’ concludes its run at Stratford, Northan is off to Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre to write and direct the Christmas/holiday fairy tale panto. She’s always loved fairy tale storytelling and listening to many accounts. She mentioned she heard a CBC broadcast that the ‘Disneyfication’ of fairytales has done a disservice as they serve to warn listeners of the dangers out there in the world but not to shut ourselves from it.

Rebecca is looking forward to the experience. Although she’s never performed at the Capitol, she has known the Artistic Director, Rob Kempson, for over 15 years and says he’s terrific. (Side note: I agree, too). She’s excited that Rob trusts her and gives her free reign to prepare. Kempson is also a wonderful dramaturg and has given her excellent notes on the script so far. She’s written the Naughty version already. The Family version will simply have the mature references removed.

Kempson told Rebecca that tickets to the Naughty Panto outsell the family version. She is utterly fascinated by the fact there is this hunger for naughty fairy tales. She says it’s not dissimilar to GOBLIN in that audiences want something familiar with a twist on it. It does something for us as audiences.

The first panto I saw at the Capitol was rather adult in nature. A cast member carried out a particular adult toy without going into specific details.

Rebecca’s version will not be that ‘adult-naughty.’

She and Rob have had some conversations already. Rebecca proudly states she is a storyteller first and foremost. She has to make a good play that will tell the story of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK – a pretty thin narrative – so what can she do to augment it? Then the jokes can come. Northan is more interested in naughty, cheeky double-entendres than overt dirtiness for the sake of dirtiness. The latter is of no interest to her at all.

She describes the adult text as ‘flirting with the line’ while still telling a story. There’s nothing more satisfying than great double entendres. The line can be very innocent, and what the audience brings to it makes the double entendres. That’s an extraordinary meeting between the playwright, performer, and audience.

‘Blind Date’s’ performance runs at the same time as at the Stratford Festival. Although Rebecca is delighted it’s back, the play is still dangerous. A stranger will be brought up on stage each night and made the star of the show with the hope this person does not have Covid since the setting is a small space. Because ‘Blind Date’ exists in the present moment, it’s growing and changing, and Rebecca is thrilled the script continues evolving.

“As it should be,” she quickly adds. The play is always for sale anytime, and anyone can book it.

What’s next for the artist after the panto concludes at the end of December?

She and Bruce Horak have been commissioned to create GOBLIN: OEDIPUS for the High Performance Rodeo put on by One Yellow Rabbit in Calgary. That’s happening in January/February 2024. Northan and Horak are also waiting to hear about some grants if GOBLIN: MACBETH goes to Edmonton. She’s also directing Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ at Bard on the Beach in the summer of 2024.

To learn more about GOBLIN: MACBETH, visit stratfordfestival.com. To learn more about Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, visit capitoltheatre.com. To learn more about ‘Blind Date’ at Regina’s Globe Theatre, visit globletheatrelive.com.

My friend, Peter Mazzucco, recommended that I should get in touch with his friend, Rebecca Perry, for an interview as she has led a fascinating career so far. Rebecca’s name sounded familiar to me, and I’ve finally recalled that I saw an interesting solo show in summer 2020 as part of the Hamilton Digital Fringe Festival: Sarah/Frank by Steven Elliott Jackson which toured to the Toronto, Fundy and Halifax digital Fringe festivals.

Rebecca Perry is a Toronto‐based actor, singer and writer, best known for her solo work which she writes and performs around the English-speaking world.

Her two Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl shows have taken her from coast to coast in Canada and from top to bottom of the UK and Ireland, both receiving critical acclaim.

Perry’s most recent solo show, From Judy to Bette: The Stars of Old Hollywood has toured around Ontario, the East Coast, the Prairies and all over the UK. It had great critical and industry success at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and most recently toured around the GTA for three months with Toronto’s Smile Theatre and finished a full run in the Sudbury Theatre Centre’s 19/20 season garnering six Broadway World Award nominations. Perry performed a live-streamed, fireside version of the show in March 2020, which won the Broadway World Award for Top Streaming Production/Performance.

She can be seen on film in the multi-Canadian Comedy Award-winning web series A Gay Victorian Affair, and the feature films Forest Fairies, Best Friend From Heaven and Baby in a Manger, as well as on television programmes available on streaming services in the UK, Canada and North and South America (including Ponysitters Club, Haunted Hospitals and Killer Affair).

Perry’s theatre performances have continued digitally since lockdowns began, and she has toured several shows with Smile Theatre, including From Judy to Bette, and two works created for that exact purpose: Maps of Home: A Folk Cabaret and Christmas in Hollywood.

Perry’s most recent works include the role of Ethel LeNeve in Jackson’s The Kindness of Murder, which was filmed for the 2021 digital Next Stage Theatre Festival.

We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thanks again, Rebecca:

Next month, 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?

You know, it’s funny, obviously everybody has had their challenges and to take better care of their mental health, this time has created a space for me to learn more about myself, and also created space for me to get creative. If I didn’t have this space of this time [of Covid] right now, I wouldn’t have been able to follow through on a number of projects.

Before our interview, I made a list of about eight things I wouldn’t have done if the pandemic did not occur. I’m already a woman who wears many hats in this theatre industry. Along with being an actor, singer, I’m a playwright, producer, and I’ve had a chance to actively flex all those muscles at different points throughout this year in a way that I don’t think I would have allowed myself the time to do, nor without the time to do any of this without CERB.

Artists need funds to do their work so when you take that stress away from them, all of a sudden people can do their passion projects, not just projects that pay the bills.

My partner David and I have been extremely careful. After we did our online show, we made the executive decision that we didn’t feel safe where we were living in Toronto in Little Italy. We had the good fortune of having my parents stay with them for a few months and bubble with them.

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

I’m a yearly speaker at George Brown Theatre School about producing your own work. One of the things I’m known for is producing my own solo work and having it travel the world, not just Fringe Festivals but theatre seasons in Festival seasons.

I do say to the graduates if you have any idea for a production, write it now because you’re going to need it sooner than you think. It’s the most important thing I can say even to people three years younger than me.

My very last contract before the pandemic hit, one I’m very proud of that took a lot of time and hard work was a full length run in a theatre season of my most recent solo show called ‘From Judy to Bette: The Stars of Old Hollywood’ which chronicles the life and times of Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Betty Hutton and what they did for the television and film industry that paved the path for other women to do the same thing. This show was a passion project for me, and I’m sure you can tell from the tone of my voice just how passionate I am about it.

We had a 2 and a half week run at The Sudbury Centre. That ended, Covid hit, and I went from a 90-minute “bells and whistles” production in Sudbury to my very first pandemic gig being an online version of the same performance, in my living room, and it received tons of support. I’ve turned it into a fireside story telling moment and just found out a week ago it was awarded Top Streaming Production/Performance in the 2020 Broadway World Toronto awards (and nominated for five others for its run at the Sudbury Theatre Centre in Feb 2020).

After this, I felt so creatively fuelled that I had this online support. With my partner David Kingsmill, I wrote a folk cabaret called ‘Maps of Home’ that we’ve been meaning to do for awhile. David is from the the UK, I’m from Canada, but we’ve found out all these ways we could have met 10 years before we did. It’s about your roots, your home, what’s special about home, when you leave your home.

The biggest plus for me has been this writer/actor relationship and connection I’ve made with Steven Elliott Jackson who wrote ‘Sarah/Frank’ as well as ‘The Kindness of Murder’. And having this wonderful, wonderful relationship furthered when Ryan G. Hinds became part and directed both of these pieces. I was the producer of both these productions. I had such a good time with Ryan in producing ‘Sarah/Frank’ that I wanted to do it again ‘Kindness’.

I’ve become excited in moving forward as to how I’m going to adapt to the inevitable changes that will come out of this time of isolation. If we adapt, we will thrive. If we don’t adapt, we’re just going to break our hearts over and over again. I’m excited about digital ideas I want to put out there.

We also finished off the year with ‘Christmas in Hollywood’ which was a lot of fun and presented it to seniors’ home across Ontario. Our show was done from Zoom and projected onto screens in seniors’ homes.

The pandemic has been a horrible thing to occur, but there is also room to count your blessings.

It turns out I have a talent for refurbishing antique furniture, so I’ve been doing that and selling it on Facebook Marketplace. It totally brought me joy. I’m also into selling vintage clothing. For fun, I’ve been creating Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse ears.

My health is also better. I’m getting more sleep than ever before.

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?

That’s almost a tricky one because Covid has forced me out of my shell a little bit. I had been creative in ways that I didn’t think I’d have the time to be. I think I have made theatrical alliances that I’d hoped would have happened 5 or 6 years down the road such as two shows by Messrs. Jackson and Hinds. They have been both good friends of mine and an utter joy to work with both of them.

I also had a chance to align myself with a community that is adjacent to the musical theatre scene in Toronto which is the Cabaret Performance and Burlesque Community. I’ve always been meaning to make this connection. Cabaret style of performance always enters into what I’m doing so it was wonderful to make some connections in the Toronto community of it as I’m only connected to the communities in Edinburgh, Scotland and London, England (going to the Fringe next summer)

My next gig was to tour ‘From Judy to Betty’ for four months in the UK.

It was high time to make these connections in TO. I’ve also aligned myself with this wonderful woman, Stella Kulagowski, who goes by St. Stella in the burlesque community. She put out a call because she got a fully funded grant to put out a digital show. She wanted to do a web revue of Canada’s top talent, but in a whole bunch of different sections from Cabaret to Burlesque. I was doing the old-style Hollywood MGM cabaret style performance. It was a smorgasbord of wonderfully talented performers. Check out this link to learn more about Stella’s company: https://pointedcapcabaret.com/performer-bios/

I do come off as an extrovert, but I see myself more as an ‘extroverted introvert’. That’s why I like writing and creating my own solo shows because I can really focus on what I’m doing.

I’m a team player and want to work with as many different people as I possibly can.

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

I agree and will be honest and say it’s probably more likely the end of 2022 before we have a return to the traditional form of theatre as we have come to know it in a building with a proscenium arch. As a touring artist in the English-speaking world, I know personally I probably won’t get under a British or Scottish proscenium arch until the summer of 2022 unfortunately.

That being said, I think it was high time that a lot of things got shaken up a little bit. There were a few companies and people in power who were stagnant and lazy. Now, all of a sudden, every single company had to adapt at the same time, and it has actually created a larger sense of community again. Counting those little blessings, strangely enough we can’t see each other but we’ve never been more connected than ever.

I’m not going to say it was necessary as, my goodness, a pandemic is awful. But, it’s interesting the amazing things that have happened. Does it make me sad that I believe theatre won’t be back until the summer of 2022? Of course, it does.

The best thing anyone can do in this time is keep training. There are wonderful online classes and talks with speakers Canadians normally wouldn’t have any access to (David Connally and master classes). This has created a sense of unity.

The theatre that is going to occur up to the summer of 2022 are solo shows. Since I perform some solo shows, it’s forced me to research how are we going to pull things off safely? – The answer is outdoor theatre with a limited audience (50 people, 15 people). Theatres need to get a bit creative – more shows with less audience? I know that isn’t an answer theatre may want to hear, but it’s a matter of safety for all those who are involved and attend live shows.

As a solo show performer, I’m going to be on the front lines this summer and yes I want to make sure everyone is safe. I know it’s an answer people don’t want to hear, but there has to be plexiglass. As a solo performer, I’m going to be seeing so many people, so I have to ensure that I’m safe no matter what. It does make me sad. Actors are going to have to try their darndest to connect with an audience even through plexiglass if used. In a strange way with a limited audience, the performer will be forced to improve their craft even more to get the attention of that small audience.

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

I think there’s no room for something that doesn’t generally move an audience. I do a lot of stuff on the lighter side of musical theatre, I don’t it generally matters with the subject matter, it’s the connection with the audience that is so very important on multiple levels. There isn’t room for anything insincere that won’t shake the heart.

Many subjects can shake the heart, as some commercial theatre has given theatre a bad name but that’s all out the window now.

We have to feel the emotion right now. We’ve stopped drinking Diet Pepsi as we want to drink the real thing – Pepsi. As artists we have to be doing something now that matters, not something that is going to further your career. We have to be telling stories that need to be told right now, and that it’s relevant to our society right now.

I really hope artists will think about why they are creating what they are creating. Some of the most moving things I’ve seen recently are not what I had expected. And I love that. People have to give credit to all kinds of scales that theatres can be created. I have felt utter joy in all kinds of theatre out there.

I really hope for upcoming post pandemic theatre that both audiences and theatre companies are going to take chances. I truly believe that artists are going to create so much more with purposeful intention. It’ll take longer for larger casts to come back and that’s sad. But, when larger casts do return I hope they will think about what they are creating which will give them purposeful intentions.

There’s power in taking up smaller casts and exploring what can be offered with them.

There’s going to be exciting times ahead.

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?

Ooooo….. I like the three parts to this question.

I’m actually going to say I agree with the sentiment of it in the sense of it that if you aren’t present in the moment and feeling the thrill of what is happening in the story, the audience won’t feel it either. I think she’s referring to intention to effect and affect an audience.

In the last five years, we’ve had some wonderful breakthroughs in making actors feel safe while doing dangerous work. Not only fight choreography instructors, but there are also now intimacy coaches to help you safely navigate bumpy, turbulent relationships within the text.

What’s nice is you can be focused on the danger and thrill of the story because the entire band of actors are doing it in a safe way where they trust each other and where everyone feels like they’re not going to be in danger, they’re going to be so good at their job and focus on the text that the audience will feel like they’re in danger. I love the sentiment that you should feel that thrill, but in the past five years we’ve found the way to feel safe and secure no matter the text presented in the script.

When I heard that definition, I was harkened back to the 1990s when the Method acting was the way to go for an artist.

Now let’s take this from a different perspective on account of the pandemic since the quite is so relevant. I’m going to be so nervous in having someone work alongside me in that initial stage of returning. I’m not sure when doing my job isn’t going to feel like a risk if it’s just more than me on the stage. It’s petrifying but it’s also realistic. It’s going to take a long time for all to be vaccinated and hopefully people will not be skipping any of the safety steps before and after vaccination.

I think I’ll be sticking to all of these wonderful digital creations or to my solo shows probably until the summer of 2022 and then hop on stage with other people with the knowledge that all will be vaccinated and, hopefully, if there are any ramifications or not.

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?

For me, it’s been appreciating the little things and celebrating the little successes and trying to celebrate those of my family and friends as well. While our industry is in tatters, and many of my closest friends are in this industry, it’s both a blessing and curse to look outside the definition of yourself that includes your career, and more like who you are as a person.

It has made me more sensitive to celebrating more than what I just used to celebrate. Alongside another woman, we planned the Zoom baby shower to end all baby showers for a friend, what was nice was the fact she felt safe at home. Of course, it’s tricky to have a shower since we can’t get together.

Celebrating things that have nothing to do with the arts has brought me so much joy that I want to keep doing that once we’re out of Covid. I want to intentionally make time to celebrate all of life’s miracles. Before I was so laser focused on the career moments, I was missing some of the beautiful stuff around me, and I don’t want to do that again.

It’s not a theatrical answer, but it’s the truth.

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?

As I told you earlier, the three side businesses have also kept me going during this time. I want to take better care of my health especially when I’m touring.

I’ve actually had the time to figure what I need to sustain myself to thrive since I’m a vegetarian. I’m so excited to apply that the next time I go on tour as I’ll feel more strong, ready and awake. I can’t believe it took me until my thirties to realize this life changing source. I probably should have done it sooner.

I’ve realized the mind/body connection in my curiosity as you have to be at your fighting weight. Yes, we have to have good mental health but there are other elements we shouldn’t neglect.

To see a teaser of Rebecca in production of ‘From Judy to Bette’, click the YouTube link below:

Richard Lam has been one busy guy these last few weeks. I saw his work in a terrific production of Bad Hats’ Theatre production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ presented by Soulpepper. I really enjoyed the production because the use of the technology enhanced the visual presentation of this iconic story. Hopefully, Soulpepper still has the production on its website that you can access, especially if you are an educator.

Richard’s biography is also impressive. From Bad Hats’ Theatre website, “[Richard] is a Toronto-based Actor, Writer, Musician, and Sound Designer. Originally from Vancouver, Richard obtained his B.A. in Political Science at UBC before training in the BFA in Acting program at the University of Alberta. He was a company member at Soulpepper Theatre for four years, where he trained at the Soulpepper Academy in a split actor/musician stream under Director of Music Mike Ross. At Soulpepper, he appeared in 15 stage productions and concerts, and joined the company on tours to the Charlottetown Festival and Off-Broadway in New York City. He has also worked for many other theatres across Canada, including the Citadel Theatre, Canadian Stage, Coal Mine Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times, and Outside the March.

In 2019, Richard wrote, performed, and composed music for his first original play, ‘The Little Prince: Reimagined’, and received Dora Award nominations for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance.

He is the guitarist in the band James King and the Midnight Hours (@jk12hr), and recently released his own home-recorded pandemic EP Hard Rain: A Mixtape Cabaret.”

Richard is also an Ontario Councillor for Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

We conducted our interview through Zoom. Thanks again for your time, Richard:

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

It’s kind of like everything was thrown on its head completely. I feel like the world I know doesn’t exist anymore, or it’s covered in moss.

I’m sure many people you’ve talked to have said the same thing. I was really used to a pace and a rhythm of my years, my kind of world, my career, auditioning for stuff, doing stuff, thinking ahead to what’s coming next (in 18 months). And then all of a sudden to have that completely go to zero, everything seems like it’s up for discussion now in a way that’s really, really fascinating.

Some of that is really good. It’s been really refreshing to be able to spend some time with myself and to explore different stuff. I know a lot of people who have wondered about their relationship with theatre in this time because it can be a tough life and a tough career. There are aspects of it that definitely take their toll.

For me, it’s been really refreshing to say, “Oh, no. I miss it. I want to do it again really badly.”

I’m ready for it to come back when it does come back, and, in the meantime, I’ve pondering all the ways that I can plant seeds that will hopefully poke their way above the earth when the time is right.

It’s been a little bit of everything.

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

Well, if anything, I have a newfound appreciation, not that I didn’t have it before, but a newfound appreciation for how much we need people. We need people who aren’t us so badly who want to come and gather, sit together and have that experience together.

The health of our industry and the ability of our industry to be relevant and important to our country and our society really depends on people having the time and energy, and feeling safe to sit together, be together and to have those experiences in leaving home, the safe nest that’s acquired a different power in Covid than it did before.

But even before the industry was fighting against Netflix, getting takeout, and spending a night at home.

The industry is nothing without people. Film and tv have been rolling along just fine but the theatre industry is in a complete standstill because we really need everyone else to want to leave their houses and sit have an experience. It’s a very simple thing, that’s the heart of it at the end of the day.

Doing ‘Alice in Wonderland’ where we did get to have the creative aspect, the process, and that was so welcome, and I miss that so much.

Knowing that the audience was never coming was strange, and I really miss that because it really changes everything. You can spend all your time in the rehearsal hall putting the show together, but once the audience is in the room with you, you learn so much about the show so quickly that it takes on its real identity.

I felt like it was so close and yet so far. There was so much joy in making ‘Alice in Wonderland’ that we’re not back yet. The people are missing.

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

Along with the people I’m missing, I miss my community. I really did take it for granted how many people who were my friends and colleagues whom I adore and respect were in my life. We don’t make a coffee date and hang out as much as we should. But we see each other pretty regularly at a show, or we end up at the same bar after a show, and they’re talking about the show they saw, and I’m talking about the show I saw.

The number of little networks of connections made it feel like we were part of a real group of people, a real functional community. I miss that a lot. I miss running into people and hearing about what people are up to, their lives in the lobby or wherever we end up running into each other. That’s the thing that has been really lacking from my life.

My circle of humans used to be so big, and I loved that. And now it’s very small and it’s strange.

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?

You know what, I did say it was my community, but if I’m honestly going to be 100% real with you, it’s so simple, – it’s BREATHING.

When we were rehearsing ‘Alice in Wonderland’ we had masks on for three weeks. Finally, once everyone got a Covid test (the whole cast and production team), it was masks off and we could finally start performing. Yes, we still had the plexiglass.

Honestly, rehearsing the show with the mask on, learning choreography, singing, even just speaking with projection, Jacob Macinnis who was in the show defined it as “We’re training at altitude” like athletes on a mountain. It was so hard to breathe.

When I finally got to remove the mask, I was, “Oh, I’m not out of shape and I haven’t forgotten how to sing and speak without my mask.” (Richard laughs)

I’ll never take breathing for granted ever again. It seems like a mundane thing to say, but it was like night and day when we had the masks off during final rehearsals.

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

I hope that people really value what we have, and value how special this industry is and this work we get to do. I do feel there’s equal parts magic and reality sometimes in the theatre. And when you’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to get stuck on the reality; it’s easy to get detailed focus; it’s easy to get career focussed on the how much money you’re going to make and to spend and how the show’s going.

It’s hard to step back and just realize what a beautiful thing it is to gather everyone and have these experiences and make this work. I don’t think anyone will ever lose sight of that at least for a generation. I’ve been teaching at Sheridan College and a little bit at Randolph for the last year all on Zoom. It’s been really humbling and a great reminder for me to see these students who are about to graduate or part way through their programs who still want to do theatre so badly that they’re slugging it out online for dozens of hours a week.

Some of my students have 54 hours of class online a week; they’ve set up dance spaces in their home so they can dance on Zoom. They’re doing their singing and acting lessons all over Zoom, and they still want to make theatre and are still excited by it

It was hard on them, but when these young people finally get the chance to enter the profession, which will be a little delayed from when it should be, the appreciation and joy these students will take from being able to do it finally is going to change all of us. And I hope all of us are changed in that way too.

Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within this industry as an artist.
Ooooo…what a question!

I really do think that I am still searching to realize my potential as an artist. I’m a bit of a ‘jack of all trades’, or at least now, thankfully, that I’m getting a bit more experience that I’m a ‘jack of some trades’ and not ‘all of them’ anymore and trying to narrow them down to just a few. Instead of every possible door being opened, now there’s just several.

I am getting better at all of those things. I’m a musician, an actor, a writer. I have a lot of different hats I’ve worn at different times, and I really like all those things. For me, my happy place is balancing them all together and treating them all equally or making sure they all get to have their space.

For me, I feel like I’m learning slower than I would if I had one thing because there’s just more things to keep track of, but I am learning and I am getting better.

I just want to harmonize all those things together as well as I can and get as good as I can and treat them seriously. I know I’m not close to the tip of the iceberg yet; maybe I’m on the tip in using this confusing metaphor, but I know there’s a point that all the unique things I do can sit together and make me an artist that is different from anyone else.

I am really looking forward to feeling like I’ve mastered whatever that balance is. I’m not quite there yet but I’m working at it.

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.

A few months ago, The Musical Stage Company compiled a survey of audience members with a bunch of questions actually similar to this. One of them on a scale of one to ten was how much do you want to see work which addresses this time of Covid.

I was ZERO on the scale. Give me ‘Cats’ or ‘Phantom of the Opera’ instead. Give me ‘The Buddy Holly Story’, that’s where I’ll be.

I want to see the lightest thing possible for at least two years, and then maybe I’ll be able to handle something surrounding Covid. But right now, I just want to celebrate moving through this time of Covid.

Maybe I could handle something a little more indirect. Everyone has had such a life changing monumental experience in Covid. Every single person, on earth, Covid has become one of the life defining moments of this period of their lives and who they are, no matter how old you are or how much history you’ve lived through. This is one of the chapters of our lives.

And so, I feel as if all us had a wild, first hand experience with this. It would be nice not to have to be reminded of this at the theatre for awhile.

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

What a great question.

The thing that I always think of the most, no matter what I’m doing whether I’m writing music, writing a play or acting is surprises. That’s the thing I think about a lot when I’m crafting something .

Once I feel like I understand what the story is and zeroing in on the performance, I start thinking, okay, where am I going to surprise them. Where is the moment that I’m going to give something to the audience they don’t expect? And they’ll draw in a collective breath. That’s what I really enjoy doing.

And that’s what makes the theatre so awesome is those moments where you really surprise somebody. And they can be simple.

I remember being in ‘Of Human Bondage’ at Soulpepper several years ago. There was this great moment that was so small, but I lived for it watching it every night. All of the sound effects were created by the actors on the stage. There was a moment where an actor walked up and saw another actor through a window. The first actor knocked on thin air and the other actor knocked on a glass vase at the same time.

People gasped every night because it worked so well. Nobody expected it, and for that one second it was a real window. And I loved that moment so much because people didn’t see it coming.

I always think of little things like that. I hope I’ve showed some people little surprises and things like that they didn’t expect, and that it was delightful.

To follow Richard on Instagram: @rickyslams

Richard Lee is an Award-winning actor, fight director, sound designer and theatre educator, and theatre producer. Always grateful for challenges, Richard embraced his love of all things based in movement, sound and being bossy, which have led him on many interesting journeys. Richard graduated with a BFA from York University’s Theatre Program and has worked extensively in both film and theatre. In his career he’s had the joy of playing many interesting roles.

Some highlights include Bruce Lee (Little Dragon – K’now/Theatre Passe Muraille); Rick Wong (Banana Boys – fu-GEN Theatre Company); Sun WuKong (The Forbidden Phoenix – Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People/Citadel Theatre); Falkor (The Neverending Story – Roseneath Theatre) all for which he has received Dora nominations. He has received three Dora Mavor Moore Awards. One for his work in Sound Design in paper series (Cahoots Theatre Company), and the other for performance in Cinderella: A Radical Retelling and Sultans of the Street (Young People’s Theatre). In 2013 he received the infamous Harold Award (In the House of Sarah Stanley), a theatre award bestowed upon one individual to another in to recognize the outstanding and often under-recognized dedication on or off the stage.

Beyond the performing arts Richard has spent many years living and training as a Martial Artist. Over this time, he has trained in many varying styles.

Richard is a Professor at Humber College and teaches a course in Collective Creation using the Belshaw Method. This method teaches performing and production students to better understand the collective creation process and the skills it requires. He is also a founding member and former General Manager of fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Company. A company dedicated to the development of professional Asian Canadian theatre artists. He also serves on the boards of The Toronto Arts Council and princess productions, a small independent dance company. Richard is quite passionate about issues of Cultural Diversity as it relates to the Canadian Performing Arts Industry and seeks to actively address and raise awareness of this issue.

It was a pleasure to chat with him via Zoom today as he is personable, witty, and passionate. Thank you so much for adding your voice to the conversation, Richard:

Richard, next week we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of shuttered doors to live theatres. How have you, Nina and Eponine been faring during this time? I chatted with Nina in summer of 2020 and am curious to hear how things have gone for all three of you:

Thanks for asking. They’re doing very well since you last chatted with Nina. I’m sure Nina told you when you spoke with her that it was a big adjustment in a crazy household experience in terms of everyone all being under the same roof, and things all happening. I’m speaking to you from Eponine’s room right now. The living room becomes my studio, and our bedroom becomes Nina’s office. It’s pretty crazy, but good.

It’s been a very interesting year with a lot of different things happening. For the most part, I think for me personally, it’s been a really big time of reflection. But Nina’s busy. She’s still running the Factory Theatre. She’s still making art. I’ve primarily been the House-band as she likes to call it to hold down the fort ensuring meals are made for everybody because everybody is so differently busy.

I’m teaching at Humber College. I taught in the fall and teaching and an Introduction to Theatre Course. I was fortunate because this particular class is very easy to convey online in learning about the etiquette of theatre. The class I teach specifically I like to call it “All the things they never teach you in theatre school that you had to learn for yourself.”

Funny enough you say it’s coming up to a year. One year ago, I was teaching a separate course for the Production students. It’s a devised piece where they were to construct a piece of theatre and we were right in the middle of doing it when Covid hit, and all the restrictions hit. As tragic as that was, I embraced that challenge so wholeheartedly with all the students that it was a really good precursor how to work online and diving into a platform like Zoom to use breakout rooms, and how do we talk and doing research on ways to engage students to help them learn and make it fun and interesting.

Along with your teaching, how have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?

The short and long of it: I’ve been doing some different workshops in between with various companies and different projects that have been happening. I was assisting Humber College and running their program for a while as the Academic Program Manager. They had a bit of some transition happening and that was worthwhile and interesting in the long-term trajectory of wanting to run a program. Potentially it’s something I could actually do.

The first part of the pandemic was hard. As a person who works primarily in theatre, having no live theatre to do was beyond devastating I will honestly say. The first 3 or 4 months in I kept thinking, “Oh my God! Did I make the right life choice?” Not only is it a difficult profession to succeed in because of the excellence required and the hard work and rigour, I’m stuck in this pandemic where the very nature of what I do really limits what I’m able to actually accomplish.

On top of that, George Floyd’s death kicked in a very different conversation that, of course, we in the BIPOC community have been having but having everyone else be more aware and have it come to the forefront. I will confess that it really highlighted for me, as a theatre artist that really wants to see diversity and inclusion on our stages and in our theatres, how far we still need to go in some ways.

The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you, or would you describe this year long absence from the theatre as something else?
Oh, Joe, that’s a great question. I’ll answer it in three phases:

a) Early Covid, I would call it ‘The Curse of Doubt’. Up until the end of summertime when it was clear that this would be much longer than a few months, I really got down on myself and questioned the very nature of what I was doing, not only as a profession but as a person engaging in the world.

Fast forward to the end of December and having changed tack, seeing the broader picture and running a program and making challenges and changes, it was a realization that

b) ‘Covid has been a blessing.” It has allowed me to really deeply think about myself and what I engage in, the switch in opportunity made me really appreciate being an artist and how wholly, how fortunate I am in my life to follow my instincts and my impulses and have the option to make a choice in what I want to do. Covid gave me the time and space to pick apart the various aspects of my life.

I know this sounds like a philosophical discussion (and Richard and I share a good laugh). That was a blessing I didn’t expect. I’ve taken care of the family. That’s part of my job and who I am right now as Nina is building a community through Factory and her work at PACT. She’s trying to bridge people in the art of theatre making, not only administratively but through her work. It’s incredible the amount of work she does.

I’ve learned to really appreciate the work I do not only as an artist but also as the House-band and provide the support to Nina. I have the time to do that. My relationship with my daughter is so meaningful to me and I’m so grateful Covid has allowed me the time to do this because I have the flexibility and the space to do all this. And I have the ability – I can cook, drive etc.

c) The third phase is ‘Rebirth’. A year later I’m armed with new knowledge about where I sit in my own place and ‘nerv-xcited’ to try new things and challenge myself to be satisfied. I want to enjoy all the accomplishments I’ve made both large and small. Now what’s the next challenge that excites me. I’ve always wanted to do a video blog about things that I really love. What’s stopping me? I feel like I’m in an age of Renaissance myself.

I’ve interviewed a few artists who have said they can’t see theatre as we currently know it not running at full tilt until 2022 with the occasional pockets of it where safety protocols are in place. What are you comments about this?

That’s another good question. I’ll answer it very simply. Theatre as we know it/have known it in the live form that we have will not return in probably until 2022. That is a very true thing to say. Even if it comes back earlier, my question: will people (audiences and actors) feel comfortable actually being able to attend and perform?

The other side of that coin – yes, I think theatre has pushed through the next stage of its evolution. This is not based on any historical fact whatsoever. As I look at the different art forms that have evolved over the last 100 years: cinema, television, radio, even internet art forms, it has all evolved out of some sense of storytelling, some sense of creative drive and the need to communicate.

The next step: a virtual theatre? A virtual internet theatre? Whatever the name, it’s exciting to me.

I keep telling my students that I’m excited to see what you will make as theatre. I can teach you about theatre, I have made theatre, but I want to see what you’re going to do whether it’s a virtual form of theatre if that’s what you want to call it, some other word signaling a digital look at theatre. I want to see Zoom theatre; I want to see Twitter theatre. I want to see you take all these different ways we have to communicate and creative whatever form of theatre and twist it on its head and show me your stories and your entertainment in the way you want to tell them.

I’ve always struggled with what it means to perform live versus performing in movies. From my perspective, the preparation is still the same as a performer. The difference for me is recognizing the medium that you’re in. When I perform on stage, my conduit is to the audience and the people there and understanding the space and shape I’m in. When I’m performing for film, the conduit is literally this tube that is in front of me and all my performance needs to go there but I can still continue to be engaging elsewhere, but the frame is so different.

The same with virtual theatre exists – I’ve had to be selective of Zoom readings and Zoom theatre just because we are reading plays that have not been created for this medium. We’re not using the medium as part of the creation of that tool. When I see a piece of theatre that has been created for that media – ‘Acts of Faith’ or ‘House’ or ‘Ministry of Mundane Mysteries’ (via telephone), all of that has been created specifically with care using the tools of communication they have. It’s very purposeful, very recognizing made for those mediums, those tools, and that’s what makes them so exciting because the story telling is so much clearer there. It’s not pretending to be something substituting for something else.

What makes it great is the fact we are on the cusp of engaging something really new and exciting and the world is finally ready to hear it. That’s always exciting.

Am I looking forward to getting back to performing in front of people? Hell, yes!!! But I’m also excited to see new things pop up.

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

I feel like Covid has transformed my tolerance for people who don’t even bother trying to be inclusive. It has less to do with my art than what my personal outlook is.

It has made me appreciate my art much more deeply than before and has made me think about the totality of me as a theatre artist.

Covid has really me made me impatient for when I see people who I think are unwilling to make the effort to try to open the way they view the world. By that it can be gender issues, being inclusive of Indigenous, Black, Asian folk. It could be inclusive about the way we make theatre or the types of theatre or how we define it.

I get really impatient about these issues and go, “Why?” Opera was a new form over 400 years ago that was exciting for people. Television was a new form for people. Every golden age in the way we invent and tell new stories is an exciting innovation. Why would be so indifferent to embrace something that is different? That has the potential to be exciting in a different way. That doesn’t make sense to me.

The late Zoe Caldwell spoke how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and how will this influence your work when you return to the theatre?
I agree with the definition in principle. I really do. To me, the sense of danger Zoe Caldwell implies is the sense of risk, right? The sense of being able to put yourself out there or the sense of challenging a notion, or a thought. I absolutely agree with that on principle.

As a fight director, I’m like No! If it’s dangerous, the audience is going to be pulled out of it. I think therein lies the art we make. That’s the place I think where we feel most alive and most alert and most present is when there is a sense of danger when we are threatened or challenged in a really bold way.

We’re living in a pandemic and time where we had a president of the US who was very ignorant of the simplicity of his actions of his own words. The ignorance, to me, the historical significance of that kind of thinking and rhetoric and leadership was dangerous. As a child, I was very oblivious to the world around me. Although I know contentious things did happen (The Cold War, all kinds of internal strife), I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much unrest as I do now between Trumpism and China’s increased boldness at lying to the world. The whole thing all feels very dangerous. That’s the big macro.

On a micro level, yes, it’s been challenging to try and understand how we decide theatre and art in the most considerate way with all the things we want to accomplish – by that I mean we’ve made in a particular way up to now. 100% it’s been tried and true as it gets the job done; it’s been a way that we work. But the journey I’ve been on and what I’ve come to appreciate and have been verified on during Covid is that it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to be in a place where we can’t find ways to see how we can communicate with each other, or make art, or rehearsal practice.

Who made these rules on how and why we rehearse theatre? They work for someone but don’t work for all. Why is it so hard to consider a change? Let’s just try it. Working a five-hour day might be terrible, but it might be great as it’s equally productive for me as an eight-hour day. A five-hour day allows me a better chance to absorb things I’ve done that day and to live life. The danger I’ve often felt on a micro level – we’re living in a dangerous time where we’re rubbing up against so many ideals on how we engage each other, open to issues of transgenderism, BIPOC issues, to new ways to rehearse, engage, make art and be mindful of it. It’s not about being politically correct, it’s about story telling in the most considerate way because we’re being asked to make that change.

I think we can do it. I think we can make that change. New and exciting material that is capable of being broad as it can be and welcoming as it can be, and still be interesting as can be.

Great pieces of work do that. They just do and they challenge our sense of reality.

The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. You’ve made reference during our conversation to how this time of Covid has made you feel sensitive to our Covid world and post pandemic society. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Covid has given us the time and space to realize some of these important issues we’ve been discussing here. Just thinking back to the death of George Floyd – would this momentous time have got the traction it would have were it not for the facet we were sitting around in the midst of a pandemic? Maybe not?

I like to talk about things in this idea of a swinging pendulum from complete racism to now where we swing to a pendulum of amazing awareness. At some point, we will swing back to a middle ground where everyone will be aware without having to push into this idea of being ‘too much ignorant’ anymore.

Ultimately, it’s opened us all up to possibilities, even people who are resistant to these ideas cannot deny that it’s there now. They just can’t.

The sad part to me is for those people who are unable or not ready to embrace inclusion, that they are having to live in a place of fear, as I don’t think that helps. My hope is that people who are resistant or ignorant just take a moment to consider the possibility for themselves to be inclusive. What harm would it do you to say ‘they/them’ in conversation as opposed to ‘he/she’?

Simple actions like that, that’s my wish for the world, just to turn it a bit on its head. I just want people to take small steps. It makes us uncomfortable; I get it. It makes it difficult for us to re-learn the way we work and the language we use, and the way we like to deal with people in life but it’s so worth it.

I’m not a perfect human being as I’m not going to be as inclusive as I want to be.

We’ve come full circle in concluding with Hal Prince’s comment about curiosity and the fact theatre should trigger curiosity in the artist and the audience. Again, you’ve talked about your curiosity earlier but is there anything else you’d like to add?
I think I’ve spoken earlier about my curiosity and I don’t want to re-hash too much.

One of the biggest blessings has been the re-ignition of ‘what is it that I am actually curious about’? Why am I doing this if not for the insatiable drive to have something itched, to discover something, or to just get it out.

I tell this to my students all the time: “We are too poor, too over worked, too tired in this industry for you to be here for anything less than a love of theatre, and a love of making theatre.” Covid has really reminded me of that, and in a certain way it’s reminded me that it’s okay to take my theatre pocket and put it aside and go and play in the podcast world, go and play in the YouTube world and do something different.

Because I’m a theatre major, I’m not going to restrict myself to a box. You never have been, even in theatre, so why would you go and do that now? Go and do things you’re interested in.

You can connect with Richard at INSTA: @aranthor/ Twitter: @Aranthor/ or at Facebook: /Aranthor

It was reading the many reviews of now retired Toronto Star theatre critic Richard Ouzounian and theatre critic Lynn Slotkin (of The Slotkin Letter) which led me to enter the world of professional theatre reviewing, and I am gratefully taking this opportunity to thank both of them publicly. I had interviewed Lynn earlier this season. My friend, Kathy Knight, told me that Richard was out for a walk and happened upon the porch side concert in which she was performing. Kathy said to get in touch with Richard for an interview, and I was most thankful and pleased when he agreed to answer the questions via email.

I also had the opportunity to see Richard’s direction of ‘Four Chords and a Gun’ (Gabba Gabba Hey) and loved it for its bleeding rawness about the Ramones. Now that I know Richard will direct an upcoming concert production of ‘Follies’ since it has been postponed, I do not want to miss that one especially when you see the cast he names in one of his answers.

Thank you, Richard, for our email conversation:

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

I always knew this was going to be a long haul. Well, not always. Initially I thought it would be over for North America in a month or two. Then reality set in. I think we might be back to normal – whatever that means – in about a year from now. But I secretly feel that our world has changed forever. Anyone who thinks we’ll all bounce back like rubber balls is crazy. The world we left in March of 2020 is gone forever. There will be a new way of living. I hope it will be a better one: free from systemic racism, conspicuous consumption and a lifestyle that has come to confuse motion with movement.

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

Like everyone, we’ve had our ups and downs. My wife Pamela decided finally to quit her job as Board Secretary at the National Ballet of Canada and is enjoying that freedom tremendously. My son Michael lost his two part time jobs as well as his three-day-a-week involvement with the LINKS program at Variety Village. He’s having trouble coping without those anchors. And my daughter Kat, who worked in event planning, saw 10 months of work vanish overnight, which left her all at sea. But despite all of that we have stayed well and surprisingly happy.

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

I’ve been the most hurt by what’s happened to my colleagues, especially the younger ones. I’ve had a great 48 year career in the business, so I have nothing to complain about, but I think of the personal and professional losses of the casts of potentially thrilling shows like Soulpepper’s The Seagull, Talk Is Free Theatre’s Sweeney Todd, Stratford’s Hamlet, Shaw’s Mahabarata, the Crows/Musical Stage collaboration on Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and so many more that my heart is well and truly broken.

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

I was joking early in March that I had just turned 70 and was about to embark on the best 7 months of my career! I had four amazing projects at Stratford: a Kander and Ebb cabaret called Only Love that I had created for Vanessa Sears and Gabe Antonacci, a late night revival of the iconic comedy revue, Beyond the Fringe, a staged concert of the forgotten musical, High Spirits, which had an all-star cast and – best of all – a celebratory gala to mark the opening of the new Tom Patterson Theatre which would pay tribute to the productions and artists who had graced the original venue. And after all that, I was going to go to Koerner Hall, thanks to Mervon Mehta , and direct a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies In Concert, starring Eric McCormack, Chilina Kennedy, Cynthia Dale, Thom Allison, Jackie Richardson, Sheila McCarthy, Ben Heppner and many more….along with a 26 piece orchestra conducted by Paul Sportelli.

Deep sigh as I let all of those go. The Stratford projects, I’m assuming, are gone for good. But Mervon has postponed Follies one year and we will be doing it in 2021, God and the medical profession willing.

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

I have been so lucky. The one show that wasn’t cancelled was the world premiere of an amazing musical called Super School, written by Dan Abrahamson and Sarah Mucek. I thought it might be cancelled as well, but the visionary head of Bravo Academy, Melissa Bencic, decided we do the whole show on Zoom….and so we did! Auditions, workshops, rehearsals, performances….the works! And this was a musical with a cast of 13, all under the age of 18.

It was a a total blast, thanks to the authors, the cast and my astonishing Associate Director/Choreographer Kayla James, who taught me how to embrace the new art form.

Then, courtesy of Corey Ross, I was invited to write the Programme Book for the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Toronto and will be doing the same shortly for a Banksy Exhibition in Taiwan and Tokyo.

I’m also preparing a new and exciting musical video project for Stratford to stream this winter, but I can’t reveal the details just yet!

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?

To my colleagues, I’ve found that staying disciplined keeps the mind from going too crazy. I’ve continued to get up early every morning, shave, shower, dress and exercise. For me, it’s walking a minimum of 10K a day. I’ve tried to feed my family well and healthily and post a lot of my recipes on Facebook and Instagram. I’m proud of the fact that I actually have lost 5 pounds over the past six months.

You also need something philosophical to hold on to. I’ve come to embrace the Stoics over the past few years and they really saved my ass during this difficult time. Dip into https://dailystoic.com Ignore the commercials, sign up for the daily email blast and give it a try. Marcus Aurelius survived a plague far worse than this one.

To the younger generation, don’t let your tools get dull, don’t let your dreams sink into the dust, don’t let the negativity weigh you down. You WILL get a chance. Time is a pendulum. It always swings both ways.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

I hope it is the death of the dinosaurs. I hope it kills off the bloated, traditional, complacent ways we led our lives and – for some of us – produced our art. I hope it signals the end of my generation pulling most of the strings in all walks of life. I hope it makes it impossible for any racist, sexist or other forms of judgemental behavior to continue.

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

Closing down all the theatres for 18 months to two years will definitely have an impact. What is will be, I couldn’t begin to guess.

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 best streaming projects have been the ones that try to find a new way of doing things instead of just producing the same old work over Zoom. We have to learn how to write for the form, to direct and design for it, and most of all, to perform for it. In the future, I see it being a vital tool rather the only game in town. But, as Hamlet says, “the readiness is all.”

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

The joy of communicating something you believe in deeply with other human beings.

To connect with Richard, visit his Facebook page: Richard Ouzounian or Instagram: richardouz.

Rick Miller is one helluva busy guy. In 2020, he agreed to be one of the first few actors whom I profiled when all our lives had changed when the pandemic hit. We talked about his work when I first heard of his name in ‘MacHomer: The Simpsons do Macbeth’ at Toronto’s Massey Hall and, in a provocative turn, ‘Venus in Fur’ through Canadian Stage. I also saw him host the Dora Awards.

I last saw him onstage at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre in 2022 in ‘Boom’. I had seen the production at Montréal’s Segal Centre before then and enjoyed it so much. When the opportunity arose to see it again in 2022, I jumped at the chance.

Miller will have just returned from premiering ‘Boom X’ and ‘Boom YZ’ in Taiwan where he has performed both shows in repertory. In 2021, Rick travelled to Taiwan with ‘Boom’ where the production was adored, and the overseas audience response was for the show to continue.

A lot of work has gone into the preparation of the two shows for Taiwan. Miller learned some Mandarin over the last two years he can speak during the show which will also be subtitled.

Amid all the travel and craziness involved in moving the show overseas, ‘Boom X’ arrives at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre on May 10 and plays until May 28. An east-end Toronto guy, this will be his first time performing here and Miller is excited and proud to perform his work in his home and the neighbourhood which is so very important to him. He wants to give back to the community he knows and loves the opportunity to show those around him what he has been doing in travelling all over the world.

‘Boom X’ is billed on the Kidoons website as: “[Spanning] 1970-1995, this second in a trilogy of solo multimedia performances which collectively with ‘Boom’ spans 75 years of history, politics, culture, and technology on our planet. ‘Boom X’ picks up where ‘Boom’ left off, at Woodstock in August 1969 and takes the audience all the way to 1995 when the internet began to dominate our lives. Miller plays over 100 colourful characters from the days of disco, the oil crisis, Watergate, the Cold War, video games, punk rock, the (second) British invasion and more.”

The form of ‘Boom X’ has altered from ‘Boom’. There’s a lot going on. It’s a busier show, technically heavy, and it’s a reflection of the beginning of the polarizing of the cable news that we started to live in at that time. The show begins that complex reflection of the media of the 1970s-1995 era, and that’s the magic and wonder of the live production that is high performance.

Several weeks ago, I spoke with Rick in a coffee shop in the east end of Toronto and wanted to get caught up with him before he headed to Taiwan. He had just returned from performances in Regina with ‘Boom’ where he had never worked before. The show went extremely well in his words and there’s talk now of bringing ‘Boom X’ there, and Rick loves when that connection is made.

On a personal and poignant note, he shared it was the first series of shows he had done since his mother passed away several weeks ago. Rick plays his mother over the course of this trilogy so he was curious how he would pull it off and how it would feel:

“It felt less sad and more of a gift and honour to be able to tell [my mother’s story] and to share her voice and to play her in the show.”

Rick says it’s hard to describe both the tightrope performances of ‘Boom’ and ‘Boom X’. On the one hand, they’re part entertainment, part documentary and part jukebox musical. Music is key and the heartbeat to these shows. It’s hard to pin down, but what comes across is a celebration of joy, humanity, light and humour. What leads out there is someone genuinely smiling and really trying to please. Artists shouldn’t be shying away from wanting to please and to give to audiences. It doesn’t all have to be introspective.

While Miller doesn’t shy away from serious topics, audiences are looking for and want to be uplifted. ‘Boom’ and ‘Boom X’ are not only a history of the celebration of history, culture, and politics in all its complexity, but they’re performed with great spirit, joy, and humour and people love to see that. It’s a very high performance and Miller gives everything he’s got when he’s performing on stage. He literally lays it all out there in what he calls failure and sweat. The ‘Boom’ trilogy is a unique experience compared to what one can get online these days.

He also said something that I find important as we all return to the theatre. Why bother going anymore? After the last few years, Rick stated the best writing in the world is happening on television and streaming platforms, but acknowledges:

“It’s our responsibility as theatre performers to create something that is different from television and film. Don’t write or film-present a failed tv scenario on stage. That’s not serving the medium. If you want to bring people to the theatre, do something theatrical. You don’t have to spend a million dollars. Just be inventive and celebrate the fact people are in the room with you and create something special and unique.”

Rick is proud to say his shows feel like events that leave an impression. He’s very grateful for this high compliment and praise he receives. He’s not simply a Vegas performer who can do voices. Miller feels he has the kind of skills that can leave an impression on someone’s heart and head. If he can bring something to light or jostle an idea through connection to an audience that leaves them even slightly transformed, that is a magical thing for him. That’s why he keeps doing these shows repeatedly.

What keeps him grounded?

Miller is 53 now and at that age where family responsibilities pull him in one direction and his parents in the other. He’s at that tricky stage of his life as a professional artist in asking the question: “What is the next chapter? or What is the last chapter?”

To keep himself grounded, Rick practices mindfulness and meditation in this workout of his mind along with physical workouts. Essentially, he begins to understand how his brain works as everything is connected generally to well-being. By doing that, he puts all his thoughts, emotions, and craziness of our world into a little bit of perspective where he can breathe, set his feet on the ground, and set himself in the moment wherever he is.

Rick calls himself a theatre performer even though he has done work in film and television. He takes this responsibility very seriously. People have paid good money to see him perform. They don’t want to see Rick do ‘Boom’ for the 400th time. They want to see him perform for the first time and Miller says that’s a huge responsibility on his shoulders.

As we concluded our conversation, Rick mentioned how he is trying to ‘Fail better’, a Samuel Beckett quote. It means trying again, failing again, and doing better. Failure is part of any creative process whether you’re an actor, an athlete, a scientist, or an artist. You must try and fail, and only through that search and that failure do you find anything resembling success as it is fleeting.

Rick doesn’t like hearing someone say they’ve arrived because everything is always changing in that sense. It’s a mindfulness thing. Everything moves on including one’s successes so don’t sit in outrage or exult in your own glory because these will pass.

What’s next once ‘Boom X’ has completed its run?

Over this coming summer, Miller will continue developing work with his Kidoons partner Craig Francis and then be back on the road in the fall with a tour of ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Jungle Book’. Next year there will be five shows on the road including the three-part ‘Boom’ trilogy.

Boom opens May 10 and runs until May 28 at Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. To book tickets, call the Box Office at (647) 341-7390 or visit crowstheatre.com.

To learn more about Rick Miller and Kidoons, visit kidoons.com.

To learn more about Rick Miller, the actor, visit rickmiller.ca.

Rick and I had a good laugh during our Zoom conversation when he said he’s always on the verge of quitting. He said since this pandemic has started that he has been threating to quit the whole time. But I was glad to hear that, as a creative person, he’s in it for the long haul. He loves being an actor and he loves writing. As actors, you have to wait until someone asks you to do it.

Both a stage and screen actor for over three decades, Rick Roberts is arguably one of Canada’s most versatile actors. He recently starred in the CBC series Fortunate Son for which he has been nominated for an ACTRA Award. Recent appearances include Nurses (Corus/Global), Coroner (CBC), Frankie Drake (CBC), and Sensitive Skin (TMN/Movie Central), Between (Netflix). He starred in the series This Life for the CBC.

Recent features include North of Albany (Slykid and Skykid), All My Puny Sorrows (Mulmur Feed Co.). He will appear in the upcoming video game Far Cry 6.

In 2013, Roberts starred in the CBC movie Jack where he played the role of the late Jack Layton. His performance garnered him the Canadian Screen Award and the ACTRA Award for Best Actor. Other work includes guest starring roles on Saving Hope (CTV/NBC), Copper (BBC America), Cracked (CBC), Republic of Doyle (CBC), Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), Crash & Burn (Showcase), Haven (SyFy), Zos (Whizbang Films), Three Days to Jonestown (Next Films), and was featured regularly in the hit CBC series, This is Wonderland. Rick has headlined the series An American in Canada (CBC), L.A. Doctors (CBS) and Traders (CBC).

A popular fixture on Canadian stages, Roberts recently toured with Why Not Theatre’s hit production of Prince Hamlet. Other recent favourites include Animal Farm, Waiting for Godot, The Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Soulpepper), Within the Glass, Enemy of the People, (Tarragon), Proud (Belfry), Julius Caesar (Citadel Theatre) and the title role of Zastrozzi (Stratford Festival). He was in the middle of rehearsing Copenhagen at the NAC when the pandemic hit.

As a writer, Rick’s work, Mimi (which he co-wrote with Allan Cole and Melody Johnson) premiered at The Tarragon Theatre and was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Musical. His play Kite premiered to critical acclaim earning numerous Dora Award nominations for writing and production. Other writing credits include Nod (Theatre Gargantua), Fish/Wife (Tarragon Theatre) The Entertainers (Offstage Theatre Company) and short film The Birthday Cake. His newest play will premiere at a major Toronto theatre in 2020.

Additionally, he has several television scripts in development. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.

Thanks for the informative conversation, Rick:

Many professional theatre artists I’ve profiled and interviewed have shared so much of themselves and how the pandemic has affected them from social implications from the Black Lives Matter and BIPOC movements to the staggering numbers of illnesses and deaths. Could you share and describe one element, either positive or negative, from this time that you believe will remain with you forever?

I was lucky just to have the experience of ‘Orestes’. To salvage an aspect of theatre from this…I was doing a play at the NAC which was interrupted and then cancelled on account of the pandemic.

It was kind of like a slap in the face and it took a while to come to terms with the reality of that.

Even though ‘Orestes’ was a gathering in a Zoom room, there are things I will carry forward from this experience. For example, what works theatrically that you can imagine in a live space. Some of it is the appreciation of gathering in rooms with people.

There are lots of similarities to having rehearsals in Zoom rooms and there is a real sense of community and connection around all these people, for the most part, never left their homes to do it. There was a real camaraderie and that mixture of having the experience made me long for the other experience [of being back in a theatre] again.

The other thing I will carry forward is a real ‘talking to myself’ in a kinder fashion around downtimes, around when you’re laid low. In this case, I think the constant stress of the pandemic eats away at you, and early on I felt certain I would not work at all this year and that whole community seemed to be exploded. I will go through manic periods of creation and then down periods of just not being able to get out of bed.

It was because I knew the cause, the constant tension of this pandemic and what it meant. I was able to go, “Today is okay to be down today.” And I’m hoping I can take that frame of mind to other things when there’s not a pandemic. It really has helped my creative process in terms of going “It’s not happening today” rather than muscling something through.

The good thing once again of the ‘Orestes’ experience – it was never a done deal. Even when the last lockdown came, we were in the middle of rehearsals and we had people isolated in two different theatre spaces but wildly separated for practical reasons.

In the middle of rehearsals, we had to move three mini theatres back into people’s homes. I was expecting a phone call saying, “It’s over. This is too much” from ‘Orestes’ being the season opener to not happening to happening in January and then changing it to a streamed play. Is that technologically possible? Do we have the time? So, at every point there was this feeling it could not possibly happen, and you would be heartbroken, but you knew why.

Have you learned anything about human nature from this time?

Oh, man. What I learned about myself and I guess it is about human nature too is the mask wearing and people not wearing masks. As the pandemic evolved and the realities of it, it’s such a stressful thing and it has to do with people’s relationship to authority a lot of times and what we are as a society.

If I see someone not wearing a mask or not wearing it properly, I’ll have a reaction, but I’ll also have to be generous and go that I don’t know that person’s story. I don’t know what brought them to this place. Are they going to barrel through and not respect social and physical distancing or wear a mask?

It’s a stressful time, and stress brings out different behaviours in people. I guess the human nature part is that everyone has a story which brings them to the place we are now in.

The other thing and it may have to do more with human nature is that we ‘ve been steered into this hyper individuality through the neo-liberal project from the 80s. That we accept that, as human nature, we are all in it for ourselves and it’s every person for themselves. It’s not a reasonable way to address a pandemic in that we are social beings.

And now we have to navigate that reality with this other reality that we also see ourselves as individuals. So, ourselves as social beings is being pushed into the fore, and we have to re-learn them. With neo-liberalism, it’s like we got hit by a car and now we have to learn to walk again.

How has your immediate family been faring during this time? As a family, can you share with us how your lives have been changed and impacted by this time?

My kids live in Toronto and I live in Hamilton. So, we’ve had great moments of togetherness and then the challenge of navigating the rules that are often not clear. So, my kids are also hyperconscious of social distancing and mask wearing are up to speed on that. We hang out in a park, we’re very conscious of all this, and yet we’re also aware if we’re allowed to sit on a bench or not. That becomes hard to manage and make a plan. We’ve managed to make plans.

My siblings and my parents, we’re more in contact than we’ve ever been through weekly Zoom meetings which is not how we operate. We are now way more aware of each other, for better or for worse, mostly for the better. All the nieces and nephews get on that call and many more family reunions than ever.

Generally speaking, the stressful part of employment and separation is there. The positive parts of recalibrating and reflecting which has been the opportunity for a lot of people is also there. We’re lucky we can do both.

I know none of us can even begin to guess when professional theatre artists will be back to work. I’ve spoken with some who have said it might not be until 2022. Would you agree on this account? Have you ever thought that you might have had to pivot and switch careers during this time?

That seems likely. There might be little pockets and forays but there may be the positive be such as the experiment with ‘Orestes’ and how does online participate in the comeback, and also smaller events. But in terms of theatres and large buildings with groups of people together? I feel right now 2022 seems pretty likely with even the logistics of opening a building and planning a season. I think a lot of artistic directors are going to have cold feet after this.

Just to even open a building instigates a big flow of cash when things are tight with the likelihood you could close down.

It’s not good for theatre if you’re not even able to predict for theatre how things are going to look in a few months. I think film and television can pivot a little more, even though it’s more expensive.

If you asked me a few weeks ago, I probably would have said, “Oh, we’ll be back in September”, but 2022 seems more responsible. I don’t like to think in terms of a trajectory because I don’t know what the rest of the year is going to look like. I’m going to assume it’s going to be sparse, but that’s what I thought about last year and a bunch of interesting things came up in the middle of the pandemic, so I don’t know but I’m ready to crash again.

The pandemic has put us all in the same basket. I’ve talked to people who’ve said, “I’ve been thinking about the future so I’m going to study this.” We see people whose side hustles are blossoming into something, whether or not we continue, it’s a bit of palate cleanser on the positive side. Negative side – it’s an opportunity cleanser.

If another theatre company said, “Okay, it’s safe now. Bring ‘Orestes’ here. Would you consider it? Do you feel confident that you can and will return safely?

Tarragon is staging ‘Orestes’ but if the NAC said, “You know what?” I don’t know what I would do.

There are so many elements of the story now, I guess it would have to be a conversation about that. The original conversation was a theatre production with online elements, and the online elements were too tricky to consider. And then it reversed, and now “Can there be any live elements?”

I added a lot of stuff to ‘Orestes’ that I really love right now that I’m not sure could live on stage. It would be like cutting out some things now. My knee jerk reaction right now is No. My knee jerk reaction is ‘This is what it is.”

There are lots of smart talented people who would go, ‘What about this?’ and I might go, “Ooooo…hmmmm” The experience of doing it online with the experience and the involvement of the creative team and how it’s shifted to the screen and online as its own space – even now, thinking about it, it’s a unique space because the actual performing happens remotely but the actual stage is the screen which is unlike theatre, film and television so it’s its own thing.

This has now been crafted over the last few months to be that.

At some point, yes, I do feel safely that we will be able to return. I remember reading early in the pandemic about the plagues that shut down the theatres in Shakespeare’s time. The Spanish flu had similar conversations around. It became clear with the waves of opening and re-opening that we may not feel that definitive moment of the end of this plague, and it might just be a gradual shift into another normal, and how much that will feel like the old normal?

It was the timing of the BLM movement in the plague that still has to be reckoned in live theatres, and that conversation is ongoing. Cleansing things are happening.

Taking time to come back in a new way? For example, what does theatre look like? Do we need official big buildings for it to occur now? What about crowds? I know Ravi Jain at Why Not is asking those same questions in a really serious way. These all have yet to be worked out.

The return to live anything is going to be gradual where we will just start to feel like, “Hey! We’re doing it again.”

I do feel that in local theatre history that this time is going to be a big historical marker for lots of reasons and Covid might just be the emblem of that Tectonic shift that has been a long time coming in Toronto and Canadian theatre.

This time of the worldwide pandemic has shaken all of us to our very core and being. According to author Margaret Atwood, she believes that Canadians are survivors no matter what is thrown in their path. Could you share what has helped you survive this time of uncertainty?

What has helped me survive? I feel like I’m talking about ‘Orestes’ since I was smack dab in the middle of it. (and Rick laughs)

I do think that theatre people do have that trait, not necessarily Canadians. Passionate people who are always inventing things and solving problems was really on display in putting ‘Orestes’ online as everyone was inventing new things as we were on the fly with the production concerning deadlines. Everybody was adapting their skills to something new that we didn’t know the rules of it.

The sad part is with theatre and any live performance, often when you hit a rough patch as an actor you can talk to your parents and it’s “Hey, that’s the life you chose” which is true. I know people who had work lined up for over a year and all of it was wiped out in a space of weeks, and there is no life decision you could have made differently.

Musicians and theatre people have been laid low by this pandemic but what I have seen the things we bring to any rehearsal or into our lives is resourcefulness, generosity, community mindedness and also you take the responsibility for the role you’ve taken on – whether as an actor, director, designer, and you carry that forward into a community.

I’ve made lots of connections with theatre people on porches. You see the sadness of the loss and we also see the resilience and the resourcefulness musicians and theatre people have in moving forward.

I attribute the term ‘theatrepeopleness’ to these individuals. It’s just spoken here for the first time. The good thing about Zoom is to mute yourself and to watch technical achievements and the conversations and people navigating. It’s like putting on a play while building a theatre in a landslide. You get to be a witness to all of this in an online environment that you might not get the opportunity to see if you’re in a physical building.

I know when I’m back in a rehearsal room, and I know I will be, I will be hugging people and crying a lot.

Imagine in a perfect world that the professional theatre artist has been called back as it has been deemed safe for actors and audience members to return. The first show is complete and now you’re waiting backstage for your curtain call:

a) Describe how you believe you’re probably going to react at that curtain call.

I’ll be weeping. Funny you should say, we were in the middle of rehearsing ‘Copenhagen’ at the NAC with Jillian when the pandemic hit and we had our first stumble through.

We said, let’s just do this stumble through. Some of the theatre people would be there and we thought let’s just do it even though it wasn’t going to be performed. We were working out stuff like it was a performance. Part of your brain is going why should we worry about this?

We were just on the verge of being off book. We would rehearse all day, grab a quick bite, meet in someone’s hotel room to run lines so we couldn’t do it anymore. Go to sleep and then all day next day. It was a real accomplishment.

‘Copenhagen’ messes with your mind. My dream is to go back and perform that play will Jillian, Jesse LaVercombe and Allegra Fulton and to complete that.

My emotional reaction to that run through is weeping and enormous sense of gratitude for the people who sat and who were involved knowing the play was going away, I would like to put a bookend on that and have an opening night for ‘Copenhagen’ and to stand in front of an audience with that, however that may manifest itself.

b) There is a crowd of people waiting to see you and your castmates at the stage door to greet all of you. Tell me what’s the first thing you will probably say to the first audience member:

The weird part for me is I love talkbacks and Talkback Theatre. I get really shy in lobbies after shows, and I always try to skirt around them. I don’t think I’ll do that anymore.

I’ll walk into lobbies.

It’s so hard now to even think about embracing somebody of meeting an audience again, but I don’t think I’ll ever take an audience for granted ever again. That people coming and showing up to see something, I’ll never take that for granted again.

I feel more a sense of camaraderie and sense of purpose with the broader theatre community which includes the audience.

Rob Corbett and I go a long way back.

It was back in the late 1980s, when I was fresh out of Queen’s Faculty of Education and starting my career, that I met Rob Corbett. He had directed a production of THE WIZARD OF OZ for The Whitby Little Theatre at that time.

I had the chance to attend the reading of his play Outside the Lines at Port Perry’s Theatre on the Ridge during the time of that dreaded ‘C’ work back in 2020/2021.  When I received a press release from Rob about his newest play for the Toronto Fringe this year, called ‘Jack’d,’ I wasn’t sure if he’d remember me from 2020 or 2021.

Rob said the same thing. He recognized my name when he saw the list of reviewers and bloggers, but he didn’t know if I would remember him.

We’ve come full circle, Rob.

For Toronto Fringe 2025, Rob’s play ‘Jack’d’ takes some well-known fairytale characters from ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and puts a spin on them. The spin: a thief, a murder, some sex and a beanstalk. This description alone will bring a few curious to the theatre.

In an email conversation, Corbett shared ‘Jack’d’ started at storytime with his daughters. He doesn’t want to spoil the plot but shares some tidbits to garner interest. Rob found himself wondering why this kid, Jack, was the hero. Jack breaks into the Giant’s house, steals his stuff and kills him. The more he looked and thought about this fairytale, the more Corbett had questions:

Why does the Giant’s wife keep letting this young man in to steal her husband’s stuff?
Why does a family who lives off the milk from a single cow get a bag of gold and then need more?
Why do none of the women in this story have names?

Rob’s a thinker. I would never have thought of these questions. Instead, I would take the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ at face value.

Now, when he added into the title: a thief, a murder, some sex and a beanstalk, hmmm… are we getting into some adult nature? Will there be a family version?  Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, for its annual panto, performs a naughty version along with the family. Will there be a naughty Jack?

Rob confesses:

“We’re not, but I LOVE that idea. Wished I thought of it. For the Fringe, we’re 16+ only. There’s definitely a very adult hit to this piece. I think I was working on touching base with my inner adolescent when I was writing the first draft, and a lot of that silly, naughty energy is still in the piece. It’s certainly a cheeky romp, but I’m hoping the audience will also walk away with a few things to think about.”

Rob says ‘Jack’d’ will question how we see and treat people who are “different” – both oversized puppets play the Giant and the Harp; they’re great fun, but also “other.” The actors also ask the audience to think about (possibly even question) the stories we know.

Corbett’s pleased with the cast he has gathered to tell the story. Rehearsals are well underway and progressing smoothly. The biggest problem the cast faces is they keep getting the giggles when someone does or thinks of something silly to do. Henry Oswald Pierson (whom some will know from Port Perry’s Theatre on the Ridge summer performances) is the shape-shifting Narrator who plays all the more minor roles. Rob has forgotten how many of them there are. Nabeel El Khafif is the Giant (the biggest role in the 2025 Fringe), Carmen Gillespie as his wife (bigger isn’t better, trust her on this), Ashley Hughson as Jack’s mom (she has a name, not that you ever asked) and Brandon Kulic as hero Jack (we might need better heroes).

Knitting strongly influences the design element of the play. The beanstalk, the goose, the cow and a few other props are all knit and crocheted. The beanstalk has been a fascinating evolution. When members of his church, the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation on the Danforth (where the show is mounted), found out that the beanstalk was going to be knitted, Rob suddenly had leaves, vines, and bean pods made by the congregation. To date, the beanstalk leaves have been made by 7 (and counting) members of the congregation. For that reason, Rob says he’s a big fan of the Leafs. (drum roll)

He’s also a punster, can you tell?

How’s he feeling about the performing arts/theatre industry currently after so much change and upheaval:

“Change is inevitable; we can embrace it or fight it, but we’re not going to stop it. We also can’t avoid being influenced by it. As the world seems increasingly intent on becoming uglier, it’s more important than ever to work to create something joyous and beautiful. As we lose the middle ground and people with different opinions seem to be less and less interested in listening, it becomes more and more important to show a different perspective; as the world gets more stressful, it becomes an act of survival and even protest to come together to share laughter, thought-provoking ideas and art.”

How does Rob envision the twenty-first-century actor and performing artist?  He believes he/she/they need to be able to establish character and relationships almost instantly. The actor in character needs to hit the ground running from their first moments on stage or screen.

As we concluded our email conversation, I asked Rob what his next steps were. He said he’s never quite sure. ‘Jack’d’ is his 12th script, and he’d love to see it have a life beyond Toronto Fringe (Hamilton Fringe, are you listening?)

Corbett’s also an appreciative fellow. He calls the preparation for writing and rehearsal a fantastic road that gets the show to the Toronto Fringe. Something tells him this isn’t the end of the road for Jack and the crew.

Beyond ‘Jack’d,’ Rob is excited for the surprises life is going to throw his way.

To learn more about ‘Jack’d: A Thief, A Murder, Some Sex and a Beanstalk,’ go to www.torontofringe.com to check out performance dates. I’ll be reviewing the show, and you can look for my review.

Port Hope Capitol Theatre’s Artistic Director, Rob Kempson, is one hell of a nice guy who puts you at ease very quickly. He exudes strength and confidence in his work with the professional live theatre industry. He knows how to plan, strategize, and deliver quality work within the theatre community.

I firmly believe that Kempson, a game-changer (and lover of Dolly Parton’s music, among other things), has altered the professional theatre scene in Port Hope. His innovative approach remains reason enough to be excited about the upcoming 2024 spring, summer, and fall seasons. There appears to be a freshness and excitement surrounding the forthcoming season.

He answered questions via email three years ago as Covid was in full swing. You can find that link here: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/rob-kempson?rq=rob%20kempson.

Recently, I drove to Port Hope on International Women’s Day, which was also a gorgeous spring day, to check in with ‘da man’ and get his take on how things have progressed when the world changed.

It was a glorious day outside, and I wished I had someone with me to record our conversation so that Rob and I could walk along Port Hope’s streets and talk about all good things theatrical—next time.

In his highly organized office, where everything has its proper place, I was also introduced to a significant individual who plays an integral part in Kempson’s life.

His dog, Delilah.

She’s a cutie and a keeper. The first thing you will notice is her beautiful eyes. If you see Rob walking Delilah on the Port Hope streets, stop, say hello, and give some skritches and pats on Delilah’s head, too.

Kempson and I also share a common respect for the public education system and our love of the theatre. We are both graduates of the Queen’s University Faculty of Education Program. Rob completed the Artist in Community Program at the Faculty. He was a supply teacher for 15 years and stopped in 2021 when he became the full-time Artistic Director of the Capitol. He knew he couldn’t maintain the minimum days required for supply teaching and running a theatre. Rob has always loved teaching and still does, although this time, it’s in a different capacity when he directs or leads workshops in preparation for theatrical works:

“Supply teaching taught me a lot about facilitation, direction and getting people on your side. It also taught me a lot about how to know when to take bullshit and when not to take bullshit.”

That last statement speaks volumes, especially the latter part.

Rob is doing well, given all these changes in our world over the last four years. He bought a house during the pandemic. When he looks back on things he called new, fresh and unsettled, he feels so lucky to be in a job that he loves, working with a team that he thought he could not have possibly imagined at the Capitol, and he gets to play pretend:

“I have the best job in the whole world.”

He recognizes the diversity within his work as Artistic Director. He spends way more time working on budgets, grants and application forms that may not be, at first glance, what people think of theatre artists in comparison to rehearsal hall work. Kempson finds it all engaging and equally creative in the ownership and autonomy that people really and genuinely care about the theatre is affirming:

“The fact that I am in a place where I get to use all of those creative muscles and to be able to use them in the [Port Hope] community that is so welcoming, so culturally alive, and so connected to the Capitol Theatre organization is the greatest gift. I am very, very lucky to be here.”

Rob, the artist, is a big advocate for getting out of the big city and seeing the theatre work happening across this country, in small places, big places, and places in between. When he sees a show in Toronto, Rob recognizes the diversity of audiences, which is excellent. But they are probably homogeneous in terms of their progressive policies. The way the audience votes is perhaps the same as that of Rob. Big city audiences probably come to the theatre to reinforce the ideas they already have or ask questions they haven’t heard before. Still, the big city audiences come to the theatre for that cultural connection a bit more so than to be changed. For Rob, the big city audiences have already been changed.

The great value of Port Hope is the heterogeneity of the community. When Rob sits next to someone at the Capitol, that person probably does not vote the same way as Rob, isn’t the same age, or doesn’t look like him. The person in Port Hope has different life experiences from Rob.

But in his role as Artistic Director, Rob gets something to put on stage where all get to share in the experience together, and that’s the power of theatre at work in Port Hope – to create a shared experience for people who are different and to let those people come to that shared experience with their backgrounds, expectations and questions and to be maybe even changed, poked and prodded by it:

“While [audiences] are laughing, they might be thinking about the message of the shared experience. While tapping their toes, they might also be questioning that casting choice. I think it’s not only a great privilege but a great responsibility to do that work in smaller communities… and wanting to make sure everyone has access points to arts and culture so that we can all be asking those questions together rather than amplifying those things we already know.”

What has artistically changed for Rob these past three years?

The most significant change is his ability to zoom out and think about the big picture of the work and its impact.

It’s always a director’s job to zoom out and look at the whole picture of what is created. Now, not only is he looking at that from the perspective of individual production, but he also looks at it from the overall vision for the company and the journey of the Capitol and the Port Hope community. In his role as Artistic Director, Rob must now zoom out within the context of how a production sits financially, how it’s being talked about in the public, and how it fits into the artists living in the Port Hope community. All these things are artistic choices and require logistical knowledge.

The focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion has tremendously influenced the theatre industry’s progress these last three years. As a queer person, Rob also recognizes that he is a white man. This recognition gives him tremendous privilege, and Rob sees that responsibility to use that privilege to uplift and uphold traditionally marginalized voices.

And that’s being done at the Capitol.

Queer stories are being put on stage; there are stories by BIPOC writers being put on stage and stories by women on stage. There are women in leadership positions at the Capitol. There are queer people in positions of leadership at the Capitol:

“I think having a mind to this is something that people think doesn’t happen in small communities, BUT IT DOES. [The Port Hope] community is concerned about that, and this organization is also concerned about it. We are constantly taking steps towards improving our relationship with equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. That was long needed in the theatre industry.”

The danger here, though, is that you are assuming one thing—casting someone whom you would never have thought about casting before. But that’s not what it means. What Rob gets really excited about is deepening the journey of this expectation. more.

This year, Rob was elated to report a 40% increase in audience at the Capitol, a considerable number he is proud of. Anecdotally, Rob also noted the audience is younger and more diverse, queer, and these people live in Northumberland County. It is the job of the Capitol to do its best to serve all kinds of people in Port Hope and the surrounding area. Rob is already proud of that through the constant challenge of audiences with the programming he has planned as Artistic Director.

When you get a chance, visit the Capitol Theatre’s Facebook page to see how active the organization has been within the community.

And what’s coming up at the Capitol in 2024?

Rob is slated to direct two shows for summer 2024: BED AND BREAKFAST, which opens on June 14 and runs until June 30 and CHRISTMASTOWN, which begins on August 16 and runs until September 1.

Here are the other upcoming live theatre productions:

A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, directed by Fiona Sauder and running May 17 – June 2

THE FULL MONTY, THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, directed by Julie Tomaino and running July 12 – 28.

RAPUNZEL (A Merry, Hairy Holiday Musical), directed by Cherissa Richards, runs from November 22 – December 23.

GABS SINGS BABS, conceived and performed by Gabi Epstein which runs July 31 – August 11.

To learn more about the 2024 Season Rollout from April 22-25 with a Gala on April 27, visit: https://capitoltheatre.com/season-rollout/

Finally, to learn more about the Cameco Capitol Arts Centre in Port Hope, visit www.capitoltheatre.com. You can also follow their X/Twitter account, @CapitolPortHope and their Facebook page, Capitol Theatre Port Hope.

The theatre is located at 20 Queen Street in Port Hope. Telephone: (905) 885-1071.

Just east of Oshawa and off Highway 35/115 is an excellent outdoor theatre space on Millbrook’s Zion Road that has operated since 1992. According to the theatre’s founder, Robert Winslow, the theatre is a relaxing natural space. As Canadians, warmth combined with nature equals summer, which is always beloved and too short a season.

I’ve had the chance to interview 4th Line’s Managing Artistic Director, Kim Blackwell, who has directed many productions there. Every year, I’ve kept saying I wanted to interview the Farm’s founder, Robert Winslow, but time has not allowed it.

Huzzah! Success! Robert agreed to answer questions via email.

From 4th Line’s website, Winslow’s 45-year involvement in Canadian Theatre remains remarkable. He acted in shows at Peterborough’s Trent University before heading west in 1982 to become a professional actor in Edmonton. In 1992, Winslow co-founded 4th Line Theatre on his family farm with Jerome Ackhurst. Since then, he has written or co-written over 18 plays for the company and acted and directed in several.

Like all up-and-coming young actors early in their careers, Robert has had a few mentors in his twenties. Eric Peterson’s performance of Canadian World War 1 flying ace Billy Bishop moved Winslow tremendously. Upon reading that Eric was from a small town in Saskatchewan, Winslow felt an immediate connection. Winslow grew up in Millbrook so that he could relate to Peterson. Like all enamoured young actors, Robert has always loved films and movies and attended screenings, seeing the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson.

In Winslow’s early acting days in Western Canada, he admired one of his directors, Stephen Heatley, at Theatre Network in Edmonton. Heatley taught Robert about what goes into directing for the stage. This moment was an obvious connection to Robert’s stage work and involvement at 4th Line
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From his professional 45-year stage experience, what is it about the theatre that keeps drawing Winslow back to this art form?

“Theatre has two things going for it: storytelling and working collaboratively with other artists. Being an only child, I am quite comfortable with the isolation of research and writing. Being an only child, I really enjoy the opportunity to work with others creatively.”

Winslow also notes that the theatre has changed in terms of what people write about. Today, many more diverse voices are heard.

What hasn’t changed for him is the basic experience of performing artists sharing a space with a live audience.

I’m always impressed with the audience turnout for the shows at 4th Line. While COVID did a number on all Canadian theatres, 4th Line appears to have rebounded quite nicely.

Winslow hopes and believes audiences keep returning to the farm environment because they are interested in the stories of the area’s history. Climate change indeed affects all outdoor environments. However, he notes:

Despite climate change, the old farm environment still appeals to our audiences. It perhaps triggers deep memories of home for many of our audience members, even if they have lived all or most of their lives in cities. Odds are these audience members had grandparents or great-grandparents with rural backgrounds.

He will direct ‘The Housekeeper’ this summer, a play co-written with Ian MacLachlan. There are surprises in plot development that Winslow does not want to give away. The gist of ‘The Housekeeper’ came from speaking with a local Millbrook resident and 4th Line acting volunteer, Ben Olan. Before he passed away, Ben told Robert how, back in the 1950s, women would come to work on farms as housekeepers for widowers. The local community considered some of these women suspicious – were they after the farmers’ money and land?

Robert said this story resonated with him regarding the danger of local prejudice against the outsider, the other. For him, the potential for a good theatrical story existed.

While ‘The Housekeeper’ is a serious tale (rated 16+), Winslow says in all of his and Ian’s work, humour abounds as it helps us get through the hard times. Since the rating technically might be considered a trigger warning, I asked Winslow what he thinks about trigger warnings in the theatre. Sometimes, theatre should trigger and disrupt audiences.

Winslow’s response to trigger warnings:

“I’m the wrong guy to ask about trigger warnings. Let’s say ‘The Housekeeper’ is a romance, a mystery and a colourful tale. But more than anything, the play is about love. When love enters a story, all hell breaks loose.”

‘The Housekeeper’ tells the story of the Barnardo children. Would audiences have to do some homework before they see the production?

Appreciatively, Robert shared some information regarding the Barnardo children.

Between the 1880s and 1930s, thousands of orphaned children (as young as 10 and 11) came from the United Kingdom to work on farms and in homes. It became the luck of the draw for many children who received excellent or poor treatment from the homeowners.

If audience members asked their friends or neighbours about Barnardo children, they would likely find out that some of them have relatives with that history. In Peterborough alone, over 10,000 girls came through the Hazelbrae Distributing Home.

Winslow began researching the Barnardo children in 2001 and had the privilege of speaking with some of these child immigrants by then, who were in their late 80s and early 90s. In ‘The Housekeeper, ‘ Walter White is a Barnardo boy who hasn’t spoken much about his past, but opens up to Eleanor.

Robert further added:

“Many Barnardo children guarded their pasts closely. Many did not feel welcomed in Canada, but the following fact remains: Barnardo children helped build this country, and now there is pride in that fact among their descendants.”

While Robert wishes he could name every resident who helped research historical information in ‘The Housekeeper’, he acknowledges Jerry Harding, a local son of a Barnardo girl, who helped greatly in research. Robert also owes an outstanding debt to Ivy Sucee, who, for many years, headed the Peterborough-based Hazelbrae Group, which promoted Barnardo children and their contributions to Canada. Ivy’s father was a Barnardo boy maltreated by the people with whom he first lived in Canada. Ivy’s father went on to have a successful and fulfilling life, raising many children.

As we concluded our email conversation, I asked what’s next for Robert after the 2025 summer season.

Hopefully, he will be back to teaching at Trent, which he enjoys, and he will have the energy and passion to keep researching and writing plays for the theatre. Robert has been writing a play about a prisoner uprising in Treblinka Death Camp in 1943. He’s also working on two other plays, one about his old high school and the other about his and Ian’s Barnardo series of plays called ‘The End’. Barnardo boys Billy and Walter are now in long-term care.

‘The Housekeeper’ runs July 1 – 19, and ‘Wild Irish Geese’ runs July 29- August 30. For further information about the season, visit 4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

I’ve known of Rod Carley’s work for over twenty-five years. In February 1987, I had seen his performance as Algernon in Whitby Courthouse Theatre’s production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Whitby had also obtained a grant to hire Rod as the director of their Youth Group production ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’. The Oshawa Little Theatre had also hired Rod to direct its production of a good production of ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’.

Rod is an award-winning director, playwright and actor from North Bay, Ontario, having directed and produced over 100 theatrical productions to date including fifteen adaptations of Shakespeare. Rod is the Artistic Director of the Acting for Stage and Screen Program for Canadore College and a part-time English professor with Nipissing University. He was the 2009 winner of TVO’s Big Ideas/Best Lecturer competition.

His first novel, A Matter of Will, was a finalist for the 2018 Northern Lit Awards for Fiction. His short story, ‘A Farewell to Stream’ was featured in the non-fiction anthology, 150 Years Up North and More. I’ve just finished his second novel Kinmount and will post a review at the conclusion of Rod’s profile.

Thanks to Nora McLellan who encouraged me to read Rod’s book and to Rod for writing it and for taking a few moments to chat with me about the state of the arts going forward from a Covid to a post Covid world:

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?

Health wise, I’m okay. I had to cancel two directing projects and an acting project as well as my fall reading tour for my new novel KINMOUNT.

My immediate family is in good health.

Fortunately, I’m based in North Bay, ON. This region has a small number of active cases.

Teaching, Netflix, (not to be confused with teaching Netflix), family, the arts, books, the cats, Zoom chats with friends, doom scrolling, my writing, and connecting with the theatre and writing community on social media have been helping me get through COVID. Together although alone. When one of us is having a hard day, the rest jump in with words of encouragement and hope. “No one gets left behind,” is our unofficial motto.

After ten months in, everyone is weary from daily COVID battle fatigue and uncertainty of the future.

Each day feels like trying to herd a different cat.

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

As well as an author and free-lance director, I am the Artistic Director for the Acting for Stage and Screen Program at Canadore College – a training program I created in 2004 due to the lack of actor training north of Toronto. Because of the small number of COVID cases in this region, we have been able to keep 70% of our acting classes in the classroom, practising physical distancing and wearing masks. We are one of the few actor-training programs in the province that hasn’t had to switch entirely to on-line delivery.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing. My new novel KINMOUNT was published this past October. Launching a new book smack dab in the middle of a pandemic is not for the faint of literary heart. Using the new COVID lingo, I “pivoted” and did a virtual launch (one positive was the number of friends who were able to attend from across the country and internationally). My publisher and I have relied heavily on social media to market the book. I’m also in the final editing stage of a new collection of interconnected short stories entitled Grin Reaping.

I’ve done quite a few Zoom readings at online literary events.

Last April, I retaught myself to play the accordion and posted regularly on social media to put a little light and humour into people’s days…or drive them further over the edge.

The family tabby cat, Hilton, amuses me to no end. Our other older cat, Zoe, passed away in September. Last summer, I created a series of social media posts featuring Hilton and Zoe called “Respect for Mewing,” a purrfect parody on Uta Hagen’s “Respect for Acting.” Their antics might even lead to a book.

I’ve also watched some very resourceful theatre companies move their programming online. Tarragon Theatre’s staged reading of David Young’s Inexpressible Island at the start of the pandemic was particularly well done – the six actors speaking out of the darkness in their respective spaces captured the isolation of the piece. I’m looking forward to watching Rick Roberts’ online mythic adventure Orestes, directed by Richard Rose, this coming February.

Still, nothing can replace live theatre. There is a sanctity to what we do as theatre artists. People gather together to experience things that can’t otherwise be experienced – not unlike what happens in a church or synagogue. There’s an elevation, a nobility, and a feeling of sanctuary.

Arthur Miller said, “My feeling is that people in a group, en masse, watching something, react differently, and perhaps more profoundly than they do in their living rooms.”

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 is a restriction rather than an escape. In the theatre, flight-within-restriction is the director’s goal. A director has to know all the resources and limitations they are working with. Only then can they know in which direction freedom lies. Ironically, for me, it’s become a working metaphor for coping during COVID.

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?

Dr. Fauci was recently quoted in The New York Times as saying he believed that theatres could be safe to open some time in the fall of 2021 – as long as 70% to 85% of Americans were vaccinated by then. Will those percentages apply to Canadian theatres?

The quality of a theatre’s ventilation system and the use of proper air filters will play a vital role. Theatregoers may need to continue wearing masks. Strict hygiene protocols will need to be in place.

Reduced capacity of seating has been another roadblock in the financial viability of reopening. Fauci believes theatres will start getting back to almost full capacity of seating. Another possibility is to ask audience members to show proof of a negative virus test –as required by some airlines.

I am currently directing an online college production of David Ives’ All in the Timing, scheduled to go up in April 2021. I hope my colleagues and I will be able to direct live productions by the spring of 2022. Even with the vaccine, however, we will have to see if audiences feel comfortable returning to the theatre. Post-COVID, it may take awhile until they feel fully safe.

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?

A quote from my new novel KINMOUNT:

“For nearly four thousand years, theatre had survived religious persecution, war, plague, the rise of television, AIDS, CATS, funding cuts, and electronic media.”

(KINMOUNT – Part Two: Madness, Chapter 8, p. 173)

But can the theatre survive COVID?

My response is, “Yes.”

We’ve probably all heard somebody say that come the End of the World, the only survivors will be the cockroaches. Cockroaches have been around for over 300 million years – so they’ve outlasted the dinosaurs by about 150 million years…and they are tough little creatures. They can survive on cellulose and, in a pinch, each other, and they can even soldier on without a head for a week or two – and they’re fiendishly fast as well as many of us have discovered opening an apartment door and turning on a light. They have the reputation for being survivors – living through anything from steaming hot water to nuclear holocaust….and, when they do survive Armageddon, they will probably be performing theatre!

There is something of the scrappy cockroach in every actor. Theatre has survived a variety of “end of the world” scenarios since its earliest beginnings. From the stone ages, men and women have been telling stories by enacting them even when no language existed. Ancient Greek theatre still inspires us, and it continues to be staged in all the languages of the world. In Ancient Greece, we had an empire ensconced in domestic barbarism and military adventurism. Yet, it was the theatre that reformulated the debates of that era with humanity and intelligence and put those qualities back in the air we still breathe more than 2,000 years later – and theatre will do that again post-COVID.

Starting in the Dark Ages, actors were forbidden the sacraments of the church unless they foreswore their profession, a decree not rescinded in many places until the 18th century. Can you imagine the great French playwright Moliere collapsing on stage to his death and being denied the last rights? King Louis the 14th had to intervene to grant Moliere a Christian burial. Actors were treated as heretics for nearly 1,300 years! They know about tenacity and survival.

During the 1950’s the world lived under the threat of an atomic war capable of ending life on earth. It was an age of anxiety and stress. The theatre was heavily influenced by the horrors of World War II and the threats of impending disaster. Serious questions were raised about man’s capacity to act responsibly or even to survive. Anxiety and guilt became major themes. Probably more than any other writer, Samuel Beckett expressed the postwar doubts about man’s capacity to understand and control his world. Now, “the end of the world” really was around the corner but it didn’t stop theatre. The cockroach artists kept holding that cracked and broken mirror up to man’s doubtful nature.

We may see post-COVID theatre addressing similar issues – the fall of the American Empire, climate change, reconciliation, and so many other pressing societal ills – coupled with a need for humour and escape.

I think there might there be a backlash coming against digital technology. The human soul is screaming for meaning. How much spiritual hunger and alienation can we bear?

Theatre is genuine communication and not short form twitters and tweets. An audience is alive in the same space where the actors testify the truth of their characters. Any place where you are in that kind of public forum, breathing the same air, the truth will come out.

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?

We live in a dangerous era now where the arts are being seriously questioned. In an uncertain economy, the arts are often among the first things to be eliminated from discretionary spending.

The fall of the American Empire is rife with danger. The rise of right-wing fascism is beyond scary.

In many articles, the pandemic has been compared to Shakespeare and the plague.

In this excerpt from my novel, KINMOUNT, down-and-out-director Dave Middleton talks to his acting company at the First Reading of his production of Romeo and Juliet:

“Romeo and Juliet was the first play to be produced in London after the infamous Black Death of 1592 to 1594 wiped out close to a third of the population,” Dave explained. “All the theatres were shut down for three years. Images and references to the plague permeate the play such that the plague itself becomes a character—much the way Caesar’s ghost haunts and dominates Julius Caesar. The plague struck and killed people with terrible speed. Usually by the fourth day you were dead. The time frame of Romeo and Juliet moves with a similar deadly speed, from the lovers’ first meeting to their deaths.”

“I can’t imagine waking up on Saturday and being dead by Tuesday,” said Miranda.

“The plague underscores all that happens, mirroring the fear and desperation of the characters’ individual worlds,” said Dave, adopting a sombre tone. “I’m pretty sure most of us have lost someone to cancer.” The company nodded uncomfortably. “We can only imagine the dreadful immediacy of Romeo and Juliet when it was first performed for an audience who had each lost family and friends to the plague. Here was a play referencing that very loss and terror.” Dave circled his troops; his director’s passion, despite himself, as infectious as the plague he was referencing. “What a gutsy and attention-getting backdrop for the love story that unfolds in the wake of Ebola, the opioid epidemic, Lyme disease, HIV, not to mention the scourge of cancer, we know what this fear is like.” Dave had hit a nerve.

“By using the original setting and its plague components,” Dave explained, “our production will serve as an analogy for today. We will play the humour of the first three acts to its fullest until the “plague” of deaths begins. We will explore the passion and exuberance of youth, the need to live every day as if it was your last, because it very well could be. Your life expectancy is thirty.”

“Whoa,” said the taller stoner. “Like I’m already middle-aged. That sucks, dude.”

“It does,” said Dave. “You have no idea what will happen when you start your day. You could be killed in a duel, run over by horse-drawn cart, be accidentally hit on the head by a falling chamber pot, or drink water from an outdoor fountain, toxic with bacteria boiling in the summer heat, and catch the plague.”

(KINMOUNT- Part One: Meeting, Chapter 7, pp. 48-49)

Similar to the plague, COVID has reinforced the transience and fragility of our existence. We really do have to embrace the moment because the future is more uncertain than ever. Post-COVID, this reality will serve as a backdrop for much of the theatre that will be created, whether consciously or unconsciously.

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?

As a theatre artist, I’ve always been sensitive to the world – it’s in my DNA. Theatre has a responsibility to society – to educate, enlighten, and, hopefully, change. Theatre has been doing that for centuries. The theatre has always been, at least for me, about rekindling the soul and discovering what makes each of us human – it is the touchstone to our humanity. It is the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. It speaks to something within each of us that is fleeting and intangible. And we feel less alone. Given our present circumstances, we need this more than over.

The power of stage is enormous because it is real. We all live in what is, but we find a thousand ways not to face it. Great theatre strengthens our faculty to face it. Theatre provides for the psychic well-being and sanity of a society. We will need it more than ever post-COVID.

In Shakespeare’s day, great plays were thought of as mirrors. When you see a play, you are looking into a mirror – a pretty special mirror, one that reflects the world in a way that allows us to see its true nature. We also see that it not only reflects the world around us, but also ourselves. This two-way mirroring means that learning about great theatre and learning about life go hand in hand. And it means that finding beauty and meaning in great theatre is a sort of proving ground for finding beauty and meaning in life.

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?

The need to tell stories of what it is to be human remains crucial to me – stories about who we are, why we are, where we came from, and what we may become – with curiosity and hope. Stories that challenge the right-wing capitalist patriarchal hegemony.

I will continue to revisit relevant older works with a fresh lens, making them accessible to today’s audience. I am committed to developing new works by Northern Ontario voices.

For years, I have been working on an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar based on Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the FLQ and events surrounding the October Crisis of the 1970. In my interpretation, Caesar is, of course, based on Trudeau and, in the transported setting, he is assassinated in Ottawa by members of the FLQ as an act of revenge in the wake of his handling of “Black October.” The adaptation would involve both official languages and would employ colour conscious casting. It might never to see the light of day.

I am also looking into creating podcasts for my new short story collection.

I am in the early outlining stages of a new novel that will be a comic tale of writer’s block, the chopping block, ghosts, and ghostwriters.

Rod Carley’s headshot by Ed Regan. Follow Rod on Twitter: @carley_rod and/or visit his website: www.rodcarley.ca.

My review of Kinmount:

KINMOUNT REMINDS US OF THE IMPORTANCE OF AND FOR THE ARTS NOW MORE THAN EVER

While reading Rod Carley’s Kinmount, I couldn’t help but make a comparison of it to Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quixote for the literary term I remember from my second year undergraduate course at the University of Western Ontario – picaresque. I loved the sound of that word then and It still like the sound of it today.

Just to review this term – A picaresque hero is a charming fellow who battles sometimes humorous or satiric moments and episodes that often depict in real life the daily life of the common person. Much like Don Quixote’s fight with windmills, Carley’s protagonist (Dave Middleton) is a professional theatre director who has been hired by oddly eccentric producer Lola White to direct a community theatre production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in Kinmount, Ontario. Dave ends up battling with oddball characters, censorship issues, stifling summer weather and shortage of monetary funds in his quest to ensure the production is staged the way he believes Shakespeare had wanted it to be staged.

I reluctantly admit I had no clue where the town was as I’ve no reason to attend so I had to look it up on a map.

Okay, once I saw where it was located, I will also be honest and state I didn’t know if I even wanted to visit the town as Middleton describes it as “Canada’s capital of unwed mothers under the age of twenty…kids having kids. And the rest are grammatically challenged and wear spandex. And that’s just the men.” I do sincerely hope Middleton’s description of the real town is tongue in cheek.

Thankfully Carley tells us at the end of his book that he “chose the name simply because of the comic noun and verb combination. For no other reason” as “The real-life Kinmount is a lovely spot nestled in the beautiful Ontario Highlands and home to a population of five hundred friendly highlanders and summer cottagers.”

Since I am a theatre and Shakespearean lover of language Kinmount, for me, became a touchstone of the crucial importance the arts provide us especially now in this time of shutdown, lockdown, and a provincial stay at home order of the worldwide pandemic.

If we have been involved in community theatre productions, Kinmount becomes a hilarious remembrance of those moments when we all stoically wondered if the show would ever come together given the ‘behind the scenes’ world of egos, divas and divos, and oddballs just to name a few. Carley’s style never becomes pedantic but instead a playful reminder of those who select to participate in theatre, whether professional or community, just why we keep returning to this dramatic format. It is for the love of the spoken word.

Rod and I spoke briefly via FaceTime about the ending of Kinmount and how touched I was at the final actions of protagonist Dave Middleton. Given the veritable struggles Dave must endure throughout the story, sometimes comical, sometimes frightening, he reveals a compassionate, human side that we must all never forget that we too can be like Dave in stressful times.

It’s worth a visit to Kinmount.

Kinmount now available at Latitude 46 Publishing (www.latitude46publishing.com), Indigo, Amazon and your favourite bookseller. I picked mine up at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, Ontario.

Rodrigo (or Rod, as I found out later) Beilfuss told me in an email that he owes a great deal of appreciation to his high school English teacher, Mr. Gord McLeod, who opened the young exchange student’s world to the beauty of the language of William Shakespeare. Beginning with the study of ‘Hamlet’ in high school, Rod affectionately blames his teacher for everything since the young actor hasn’t stopped pursuing and bringing to life some of Shakespeare’s greatest stories.

Rod’s path in life has certainly fascinated me. Born and raised in Brazil, he moved to Winnipeg in 2001 as an exchange student. In Manitoba’s capital city, Rod is a founding member of Theatre by the River and has also acted and directed in several productions at local various theatres. He holds a BA (Honours) from the University of Winnipeg, an MA in Classical Acting in England’s London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Rodrigo is also a graduate of the Stratford Festival’s two prestigious flagship programs: The Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction. Some impressive high credentials here. Currently, Rod is Artistic Director for Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR) in Winnipeg.

This young actor was a member of the Stratford Festival Company for four years. Since I began reviewing for On Stage not that long ago, I can recall two productions in which he was involved that were personal favourites. Rod played young Siward in a very sexy production of ‘Macbeth’ that is now streaming until the end of the month. He also was the Assistant Director with Graham Abbey in a top-notch production of ‘The Front Page’:

1. How have you and your family been keeping during this two-and-a-half-month isolation? Are you in Winnipeg right now?

Yes, we are in Winnipeg; after 4 years in Stratford, Winnipeg has been our new home since last Fall. We are generally ok…but I’m not going to lie, parenting a 4-year-old while both of us work from home AND with a new baby coming out in early June…we feel a bit scattered. There are good days, and there are bad days – same as with everyone else out there. With the weather warming up, we feel less claustrophobic and a bit more hopeful. My wife is now entering her mat leave (baby comes out in a couple of weeks), and she’s busy nesting. My 4-year-old really, really misses his friends. Think about it, little kids out there haven’t played with other kids in about 10 weeks. Wouldn’t you feel a little crazy?!

2. Were you involved in any productions that were cancelled as a result of COVID? Were you in rehearsal or pre-production/planning stages that have been temporarily halted? If so, what will become of this work?

Yes, we were in pre-production for ‘The Winter’s Tale’, the mainstage offering from my company, Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR). The Cast and Creative team were set to go, and we were a month away from rehearsals starting. It was going to be an exciting bilingual production, done in both French and English, staged outdoors at a beautiful heritage park. As Artistic Director, it was my job to call everyone involved to tell them the show couldn’t happen this year – that was not a fun day on the job at all, as you can imagine. But everyone took the news with such grace and kindness. Theatre people are incredible. Right now, the plan is to stage this production next year instead, as part of our 2021 season.

3. What has been most challenging and difficult for you personally during this time? What has been difficult for your family during this time? What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy?

I think finding an emotional balance amidst such uncertainty has been a challenge. Every day is its own journey, there is no consistency. And living in an “eternal present” can be a bit maddening. My wife and I feel like we don’t have enough energy to devote to our boy properly – he’s a busy boy. We are trying our best; we’ve been reminding ourselves everyday that this is not “the new normal” – it’s just a moment in time.

Personally, I’m struggling with the predicament of ‘The Theatre’; we will be one of the very last sectors to recover, and I already miss being a room with great people creating something beautiful, together. I have to dig deeper into my well of patience. I have been devoting myself to little healthy obsessions to keep the mind busy, such as listening to a lot of classical music, and reading a biography of Chopin; and watching my favourite trashy show on TV right now: Billions. Trying my best to unplug the mind from the universe of Theatre sometimes, so I can re-charge.

4. You are one busy man, Rodrigo, with your work at Stratford plus your work as Artistic and General Directors of companies in Winnipeg. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian performing arts and theatre scene?

Ya know, funny thing is, I’m a bit of a workaholic, and I always feel guilty if I don’t “do something” – it’s terrible, I’m working on fixing that, and failing. Maybe it’s my Catholic background growing up in Brazil; there’s so much guilt around enjoying life’s idle pleasures.

Managing a theatre company right now, weathering this pandemic storm, is fascinating – and incredibly exhausting. It turns out ‘not making theatre’, or “unmaking” theatre, is more work than making the bloody thing. The game right now is all about strategizing and stabilizing, thinking long term so that our company has enough resources to come out of this intact. It’s logistical, careful work, and terrifying. But also thrilling; the possibilities for reinvention are endless. We are in the middle of the storm right now, and I cannot wait to see what we create out of this.

This is our chance to re-design how we work. We were overdue for a re-examination of our processes in the theatre; for instance: do we really need to rehearse 6 days a week? How about we start giving people a two-day weekend? And: what are the stories we want to tell once we can gather again? What are the stories we will need?

COVID-19 has changed everything. Theatres will never be the same, I do not think. We also live in an era of constant paranoia, about everything. The fear of a resurgence or another pandemic will always be present. I expect we won’t be as huggy anymore…which is a shame. I love hugs.

5. Do you have any words of wisdom to console or to build hope and faith in those performing artists who have been hit hard as a result of COVID 19? Any words of sage advice to the new graduates from Canada’s theatre schools regarding this fraught time of confusion?

Oh god. Where does one begin?

This is a moment in time. It is not a “normal” time, and we should not think in those “new normal” terms, ever. Instead, we should work toward learning, adapting, and supporting each other – constantly. Events will unfold incrementally into the next few months, and our sector will go through a lot of ups and downs within the next two years. It will take time for things to feel “right”.

It is ok to feel completely devastated by this. It is ok to feel like you need to let go of this “business” for a while. In fact, maybe that’s the best thing to do right now if you really feel like taking a break: letting go. It is ok if you must take on odd jobs to make ends meet – you’re not alone. It is ok to stop. You won’t be forgotten.

Everyone, from busy Oscar winners to amateur performers, everywhere, is out of work right now. Remember when Daniel Day-Lewis took FIVE years off and became a cobbler?

He did win 2 more Oscars after that…maybe it was good for his craft?

Sure, Day-Lewis was always a bit eccentric – and already rich and famous. But maybe there’s method in his madness.

I’m managing a theatre company at the moment, but if theatre is no longer a thing we do for the next few years…hell, “maybe I’ll sell shoes”, as Martha Henry once said to me.

All joking aside: it will suck for a good while. And then it won’t.

Think of it this way: the possibilities are endless. For once, we can completely dream, openly, about what we want theatre to look like in the future. And you can be a part of that revolution.

6. Do you foresee anything positive stemming from COVID 19 and its influence on the Canadian performing arts scene?

As I mentioned above: yes. This is our chance to begin again. And it is also a chance to reveal, once and for all, to everyone out there, just how precarious our lives in this medium really are. This is the moment to advocate for better public funding, for more partnerships, for a better collective understanding of what it is that makes life worth living. Is it really status? Money? Competition?…I don’t know about you, but I don’t miss the Before World. I miss people, and being in togetherness when celebrating Art. But I do not miss that world at all. It was a vile place, moving at an obscenely, unnecessarily fast pace.
This is our chance to properly slow down, and to investigate our sense of community.

7. You Tube presentations, online streaming seems to be part of a ‘new normal’ at this time for artists to showcase their work. Nevertheless, I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming or You Tube presentations destroy the impact of the moment of a group of people who have gathered with anticipation in one sitting to watch a particular production. What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for Canadian theatre as we move forward from COVID 19?

I think Theatre is a lot of things, and it is constantly changing and evolving and challenging our pre-conceived notions and prejudices. I think all these Zoom readings and streamed productions are fascinating, and the whole online revolution only proves just how utterly resourceful and inventive theatre people are. But none of it is ‘live’ – ie. in the true presence of an audience. And that is a big thing to miss from the equation…

Ultimately, I find all those options unsatisfying by nature. In that regard, I suppose they do a good job in making us miss the real deal – and in that way, they make us value live performance even more; because nothing compares to it.

Again, I don’t think this is a “new normal”, and I refuse to believe there is such a thing anyway. It is simply the thing we do, for now. What I am really interested in is finding a ‘new art’ from this; what sort of theatre can we create that is inspired by these social restrictions, and not done despite them? What does that look like?

8. Given all this confusion, drama, tension, and upheaval about COVID, what is it about your career as a performer you still like?

We are trained to be very empathetic creatures; to have our senses open to all sorts of stimuli. I’m trying to use that training to investigate what’s beautiful about the world right now: the acts of kindness from strangers; the chance that Nature has to recover; the emotions I feel when I sit down and listen to a great piece of music or the immense pleasure I get from watching my son grow up. We call that “being in the moment” in theatre. “To be here, present, alive, in the moment”. We have used those words to describe the act and the experience of Theatre so often, they are almost clichés…well, now we have been forced to LIVE those concepts. I’m finding the experiment immensely fascinating.

With a respectful acknowledgement to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are ten questions he used to ask his guests:

1. What is your favourite word?

“Ridiculous”

2. What is your least favourite word?

“No” (my 4-year-old likes that word a lot…)

3. What turns you on?

Great theatre; there’s nothing like it. It’s like being awaken from the Matrix.

4. What turns you off?

People bragging about money.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

The sound a soccer ball makes when it hits the back of the net!

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Construction noises. Just big machines making a mess, that sort of thing.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Nothing beats a good “fuck” and its myriad variations; but when I lived in the UK, I did throw a few “bollocks” and “tosser” about.

8. Other than your current profession now, what other profession would you have liked to attempt?

Teaching, or writing.

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

Anything to do with tools, construction…I look absurd with a hammer in my hand.

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

“It’s not what it looks like, but we do have Campari!”

His Twitter handle: @RBeilfuss. If you wish to know more about Rod, visit his website: www.rodrigobeilfuss.com. To learn more about SIR (Shakespeare in the Ruins) of which Rod is the Artistic Director, please visit www.shakespeareintheruins.com.

Here’s the link to my first check-in with Rodrigo Beilfuss when you know what was skyrocketing three years ago: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2020/5/19/the-self-isolated-artist-series-winnipeg-manitoba-profile-of-rodrigo-beilfuss

I still haven’t had the opportunity to speak with him through Facebook, Zoom, or a phone call in these last three years. I saw his work on stage over seven years ago at the Stratford Festival and a couple of telefilms in which he appeared.

But that’s it.

That’s gonna change. It’s time to say hello in person to the six-year Shakespeare in the Ruins Artistic Director. And might there be a trip to the Peg to see what’s coming up on the SIR grounds?

I certainly hope so.

Rodrigo is a family man. He is a husband and father first and foremost, and that’s top in my books.

I’ve enjoyed his social media posts as he allows his followers to check in on his work running a theatre company and snippets of his daily life as a dad. Some of these snippets are hilarious, and others are touching, especially when Beilfuss quotes his children’s responses to daily life in and outside the house.

Since Rodrigo and I emailed three years ago during Covid, he and his wife had their daughter, who is now three. He says those circumstances from the pandemic and the birth of his daughter have made his life richer. Two very hands-on kids (he and his wife also have an eight-year-old son) have forced him and his wife to prioritize more efficiently. He calls his children wonderful, bright, and incredible. He praises his wife, who: “is so much better at everything about ‘real life’ than me.”

But he’s also realistic in his approach to daily life:

“Some days are great, some days are terrible…But there’s no ‘quiet time’. It’s all very loud and busy and germy. Mondays, I sit at my computer in my office, and I just go: “What the fuck was that all about?”

Beilfuss handles the challenges with a way that makes him comfortable:

“Bit by bit, I go through emails, drink my coffee, and try to make myself believe that this is all heading towards a wonderful, splendid, serene place of common understanding, peace, and pleasure. One day at a time.”

He believes he has less guilt now compared to three years ago, but he still totally abuses himself when it comes to his work.

Why would Rodrigo say this?

“What sort of intrigues me is that I’ve never, ever, heard of a “happy artistic director”. No one who takes on this position in theatre ends up nostalgic for it once they leave the job – it always leaves you burnt out in the end. It’s strange that way. It says a lot about our industry.”

He is the first to point out he loves his job, but he is weary over some things that have been normalized over the last few years. After six years, he can finally start shaping the responsibilities in a way that serves him well and protects his mental health. As Artistic Director, Rodrigo has achieved a place where the ground is still severely unstable but is now better at dealing with it. There is less apology and less flowery in the talk about how complicated and nebulous the theatre sector feels right now.

Recently, I’ve checked in with other artistic directors to see how they’re faring with changes in their various companies. In some cases, it is full steam ahead, but the funding must be in place. Rodrigo is also experiencing the same thing. Writing grants and securing as much funding as possible still appears to be the order of the day:

“My main concern now is all about securing as much funding as possible from the sources available to us, so that we can guarantee fair pay for all the freelancers that we hire.”

Two productions will play in repertory this year, alternating on selected dates between June 6 and July 7, 2024.

The first is Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ The second is Daniel Macdonald’s ‘Iago Speaks’, a new work in this second production billed as a comic sequel to Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Othello.’ According to the SIR website, this upcoming season embraces the theme of TRANSFORMATION … which celebrates our ability to adapt, surrender to magic and storytelling, and ultimately change—as individuals and communities.

Beilfuss has full confidence in the Art and what he calls the ‘thing’ offered. The pride for SIR emanates from his words:

“We are unique; we get to embody these old stories and speak some of the most gorgeous language ever created for the Theatre, and we do it at a very eerie and wonderful and dynamic open-air venue. I just want to make sure we can keep communicating how valuable and worthy of support our work is.”

When any theatre company is headed toward that wonderful release of Opening Night, an actor recognizes that clarity in meeting the audience. For any artist, there’s no feeling like it.

The SIR pictures of that open-air venue online are making me want to go to Winnipeg even more. You’re selling me more and more on the idea, Rodrigo.

He also spoke about one of the company’s improvements. Everyone has the weekend off, and no rehearsals are held on Saturdays or Sundays. But in Rodrigo’s opinion, SIR is still in the minority in not rehearsing on weekends.

Throughout the changes in the theatre industry on account of Covid, there has been talk about perhaps cutting back on the sometimes-long hours that can go into rehearsals and tech week before the show opens. Beilfuss doesn’t know what to say to those who are questioning the madness of committing oneself to this shifty trade of the theatre:

“Isn’t everything always unstable these days? Tell me one sector that’s like, “Yeah, man, we’ve got it all figured out, this is the best time ever!” As Hamlet says when holding Yorick, “To this favour we must come…” It’s all going to end, and AI is coming for us. Might as well go absolutely wild, follow your heart, and do something that turns you on in Life.”

As our email conversation concluded, I always asked artistic leaders where they see themselves in the next proverbial five-year time frame. I could almost hear a laugh coming from Rodrigo when he said: “Well, damn, I’ve honestly no idea.”

But his honest response to what he does know intrigued me as he continues to move forward in his career as an artist and a leader. It doesn’t work out whenever he tries to make plans and push for something he thought wholeheartedly that he wanted and needed. Instead:

“The best, most surprising, and most rewarding experiences I’ve had often came from things that just appeared in my Life. So, the trick is to remain open and curious. Stay curious, as Ted Lasso says. If you’re open and curious, things show up, and you go, “Hm…shall I give that a go?! Maybe I will.”

I want to sit down, have a beer with this guy, and talk even more about the connections between theatre and life.

I also think I will go to Winnipeg to see ‘Midsummer’ and ‘Iago Speaks’ because I’m also open to going anywhere, anytime, to learn more about the theatre industry.

To learn more about Rodrigo Beilfuss, visit his website: www.rodrigobeilfuss.com.

To learn more about Winnipeg’s Shakespeare in the Ruins, visit www.shakespeareintheruins.com and their Facebook page.

This summer, I wanted to catch a few more Toronto Fringe shows than I have over the last few years. When I hear how some Fringegoers can reach 20 or 25, I’m impressed and marvel at how they manage to do it.

It’s essential to support those artists who participate in the Fringe. Not all theatre and performing artists are complacent. They want to continue learning about their craft.

What better way than going to see other artists do their stuff?

Playwright Ronit Rubinstein recently got in touch with me via email. Her upcoming show isn’t her first time performing at the Toronto Fringe, but it has been a very long time since 2008. Ronit says it feels like a miracle she’s able to perform this summer.

The title of her upcoming Fringe show, “Things My Dad Kept’ intrigues me. For one, Ronit calls it more of a storytelling piece than a play.

In the piece, Rubinstein intersperses the story of discovering her father’s archive with hilarious anecdotes about their relationship and a gripping account of how her father and his family survived the Holocaust. The show is determined live at each performance, based on paper airplanes thrown by the audience.

I’m intrigued even more.

The audience gets to throw paper airplanes. What’s with this?  Or do we have to attend to find out the significance?

Ronit shared in the email:

“I’ve always believed that if an audience is going to go to a live performance, we need to provide them with some magic that could only happen at a live show, something they couldn’t get by just going to the movies or staying home and streaming.”

Engaging and involving an audience as a storyteller is crucial. However, a performer does not want to make an audience anxious or put on the spot.

Thus, the need for paper airplanes:

“The paper airplanes feel like a fun and safe way to help make this show we are ALL creating together.”

‘Things’ delves even further into grief, which is something we all carry in our lives.  For Ronit, grief is a universal human experience and through ‘Things,’ she will share her own story of grief. Rubinstein believes audience members will bring their understanding of grief with them. When they bring their experiences, Ronit believes audiences shape the show, too.

The show also explores memory and how it can resurface when we least expect it or slip away when we’re not thinking about it. Memories do not come in chronological order. There is no set order for the launching of paper airplanes. There is no set order for their landings. So, there is no set order to ‘Things.’

The show is also about Ronit’s father, who was an electrical engineer. He worked on telecommunication projects. For a while, he worked on a frigate, and Rubinstein said she was incapable of comprehending that part of him.

As an English major, making paper airplanes is as close to engineering as Ronit jokingly says she gets.

But where she completed her undergraduate degree is impressive. Ronit completed her bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre at Princeton University.

Wow!

Rubinstein also shared who some of her mentors and influences were at this time. She fondly recalls in her first year at Princeton, the teacher who had the most impact on her was playwright R.N. Sandberg. Ronit planned to major in Psychology and Music when she first went to Princeton. After taking a seminar with Sandberg, she set out on another path, majoring in the two new subject areas.

Janet Kish has also been an incredible mentor to Ronit. I concur with Ronit’s summation. I know Janet as a theatre adjudicator through the Association of Community Theatres – Central Ontario Division. Kish taught for many years in the Toronto District School Board. She and Rubinstein were paired for a one-year mentorship by the Canadian Senior Artists Resource Network back in 2017. Kish has also been a tremendous support system, assisting Ronit with dramaturgical support for several scripts.

Yet, the world of the artist and playwright does not necessarily mean gainful, regular, and steady employment.

Ronit has another side to her life to pay the bills.

She teaches and tutors for a test preparation company, helping students achieve better scores on standardized tests such as the SAT, GRE, and GMAT. She has been doing that for a long time and immensely enjoys the work:

“It’s rewarding to help people achieve their academic goals, and it keeps me sharp. It’s also work that uses a totally different part of my brain than writing and creating do.”

Regarding the theatre and performing arts industries in Toronto, Rubinstein believes that every art form that seeks to remain relevant must continually evolve. For her, there’s an innately human itch that gets scratched when someone sits in an audience with other people and laughs, cries, or feels feelings together. If artists want a healthy theatre community, with shows that are well-attended enough to sustain them, theatre companies and actors must appeal to all potential audience members in this diverse city of Toronto. Everyone needs to see themselves and their experiences reflected on stage as well.

As a Canadian playwright, Ronit’s following comment intrigued me further:

“I know that I am biased, but I have been extremely heartened to see how many Toronto theatre companies are proudly proclaiming they are producing NEW CANADIAN WORKS in their upcoming seasons. Although this is in response to Donald Trump, I am still grateful for the explicit focus on producing Canadian writers for Canadian audiences. It’s critical for writers to be nurtured.”

If things go well for ‘Things My Dad Kept’ this summer in Toronto, Ronit hopes to tour the show to other festivals. (Hamilton Fringe, are you listening?) Her dream of dreams would be to have a theatre company produce ‘Things’ someday with a more elaborate set and slightly longer run times.

As we concluded our online conversation, I asked what was next for Ronit Rubinstein.

She may try to go on her first proper vacation in years. When she’s in Toronto, she can often be seen performing on local storytelling shows, such as Replay. She has also been toying with the idea of starting her storytelling show to showcase her favourite tellers.  Perhaps the fall might be the right time for it.

Just keep us posted, Ronit.

Check the Toronto Fringe website: www.fringetoronto.com to check show dates and times for ‘Things My Dad Kept.’

There aren’t enough hours to speak to Canadian theatre artists and learn what they’re doing. That’s even more reason to get ourselves to the theatre as much as possible.

Thank you, Rose Napoli, for reminding me why I want to continue profiling and highlighting Canadian theatre artists. All of you are worth it.

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Windsor. She also had two stints of training with the Banff Citadel Professional Training Program.

For Napoli: “Training is never complete…the most important lessons I’ve learned in the theatre…all happened while I was working.”

I like hearing that. It’s reassuring that even actors always feel their training is never complete, and they continue to examine and discover new paths and avenues of exploration.

Rose and I conducted our conversation via email. She is smack dab in rehearsals right now. I have some family responsibilities that have prevented me from attending shows this past week; however, I look forward to seeing ‘Mad Madge’ as press releases are whetting my interest.

Even before I began compiling her profile, I knew I’d heard Rose’s name, but I couldn’t remember in what capacity as an actor or playwright. So, what does one do in that case?

Do some quick online research using reputable sources and avoid Wikipedia.

And I did just that.

When Rose debuted at Soulpepper, her theatre bio stated she had performed in Canadian Stage’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’

So that’s where I saw her work!

Her Soulpepper bio also indicated she was nominated for a Dora for Outstanding Performance in “The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh.” Rose is a television writer who has recently worked on shows for CBC, Bell/Crave, and CityTV. She is currently developing her own shows with Cameron Pictures, CBC Gem, and Circle Blue Entertainment.

A busy lady, especially with ‘Mad Madge’ opening soon.

From releases I have read about Napoli’s play: “Margaret Cavendish, known as ‘Mad Madge,’ was a 17th-century philosopher, poet, and playwright—a scandalous Jill of all trades and mistress of none. In her unapologetic pursuit of fame, Madge ditched her dysfunctional family to join the court of an unruly Queen and leave her mark on history. The script pays homage to Jane Austen and Tina Fey in the same breath. It’s a laugh-out-loud contemporary-period mashup that suggests that a woman’s hunger for unbridled attention is not so shallow.”

For those who are television watchers or paparazzi gazers, if audience members keep up with the Kardashians, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears, and for those who faithfully watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, Margaret Cavendish did it first. ‘Mad Madge plays fast and loose with history. The production team is interested in a show that is provocative, true, and hilarious but not historically accurate.

These are some further good reasons for all of us to get up off our sofas in front of our television sets and go to the Theatre Centre.

What drew Napoli to compile this tale?

“I initially was interested in writing a wild comedy about female rage inspired by the woman who threw the chair onto the Gardiner. I was curious about women being driven to a kind of madness because of social media. At the same time, I was reading Danielle Dutton’s book, ‘Margaret the First.’ Margaret was the OG influencer, obsessed with being famous… I thought, wow, we’ve been doing this long before Britney Spears. We’ve been doing it since the 17th century.”

From her email, I can sense Rose’s cheekiness. She wants the audience to see the show and laugh because she says ‘Mad Madge’ is funny as hell. For example, Nancy Palk’s Queen Henrietta is on the toilet for a good portion of the show. The toilet seat is made from fur, which is probably what could have occurred in the 17th century.

The cast just did a run of the show, and Rose only corpsed three times! Rehearsing comedy can be tricky, but the cast makes each other laugh, which is a good sign. The show moves fast, and the cast has to manage changing characters at the drop of a hat.

Napoli compliments director Andrea Donaldson:

“Andrea and I have worked together many times in many capacities. She directed the premiere of another play of mine, Lo, or Dear Mr. Wells. I’ve been an assistant director to her. She’s directed me as an actor in Grace and The Taming of the Shrew. This is the first time she’s directed me in my work. Andrea has been with ‘Madge’ since its inception. We have a shorthand. We have trust. We can disagree. It’s so validating to work with someone who understands who you are and what you’re doing. She is so generous, completely without ego. Which balances my flaming one.”

Rose also acknowledges the work going on behind the scenes. Astrid Janson and her team are working tirelessly in their magical costume quarters. Something like fifty costumes all have to be quick-changed, and it’s all done sustainably, which is amazing. The production team is producing a show about excess, and it’s all ecologically sound.

Napoli says she’s chuffed to be onstage again and certainly doesn’t want to negate the challenges the live entertainment sector faced through the pandemic. Still, she doesn’t worry about the future of the theatre. Robots may make movies in the next few years, but nothing can replace live performance.

Rose has become far more discerning about how she spends her time. She believes audiences have done the same in their gradual return to the theatre. She asks an important question that I think all theatre artists must consider going forward:

‘Let’s consider our audiences more deeply. Who are we making the work for? If it’s just for ourselves, then we can’t expect audiences outside the theatre community to be there.

Once ‘Mad Madge’ concludes its run at The Theatre Centre, what’s next for Napoli?

She jumps into workshops for a new musical she’s writing with composer Suzy Wilde, directed by Marie Farsi. Excerpts from the show are showing at Musical Stage’s New Works Festival in May. Then she’ll be in TV land for a while, but she’ll never be far away from the theatre.

‘Mad Madge’ is a Nightwood Theatre production in association with VideoCabaret. It runs at Toronto’s The Theatre Centre April 9 -21, in the Franco Boni Theatre, 1115 Queen Street West. For tickets visit www.theatrecentre.org or call the Box Office (416) 538-0988.