Profiles & Interviews

Dahlia Katz’s name is one I’ve been recognizing for quite some time when I review professional productions from Toronto to London, Ontario. I’ve only seen her still photography of actors from various shows and they are stunning to behold.

During running dress rehearsals, Dahlia relayed to me her work is fast paced in following the action of the play. Often during the dress rehearsal she might only get one chance in capturing a natural and believable moment on film. In my opinion, each photo I’ve seen of her work is outstanding.

You’ll see from the answers below that Dahlia is also a professional director. She has had three Dora nominations (one this year and two last year). One nomination was for design and the other two for direction. The design nomination received was for puppet design as Dahlia is a thoroughly trained puppeteer.

She is one busy lady as she also teaches movement and gesture and was Artistic Director for five years.

I look forward to seeing her vision as director very soon when it is safe to return to the theatre.

It has been nearly four months since we’ve all been in isolation and now we’re slowly emerging. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I was overworking for years and needed a break but didn’t know how to take one. I have intermittently struggled with an autoimmune disease over the past 15 years, I’m very grateful to have my health right now. My family is also alright, thanks for asking.

As a photographer for many professional productions, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally?

Well, as a photographer mainly of people and events, there’s virtually no work if there’s no gatherings. I also do real estate and food photography, so there’s been a wee bit of that.

As a director, well, I’m dreaming of a future of making great moments in small rooms but finding inspiration in outdoor spaces and a summer of yearning for the simplest human connections that motivate everything we do as theatre artists. Asking the big questions about what liveness means, what it provides us on a social/psychological/spiritual level.

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

Having stepped down from the position of Artistic Director at Solar Stage about a year ago, I aimed to launch some independent projects with my husband M. John. We still talk often about those projects and how we might envision/re-envision them, but right now are enjoying our time together *not* working.

Running Solar Stage was enormously consuming for both of us for the last six years, we’re still recovering from it and redesigning our life together to provide more safety, comfort, and power.

I was also preparing to direct a fabulous production ‘Spring Awakening’ for We Are Here Productions to benefit Kids’ Help Phone. At the time of lockdown, we were just about to announce our cast and were supposed to have gone up in May. The plans to resurrect that project are on hold but very much intending to proceed as soon as possible.

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

I’ve been trying to learn how *not* to be busy, and mostly it’s been about cooking, baking, fermenting foods, watching movies, exercise, the outdoors, quality sleep, lots of time with my husband and cat. Lately I’ve had the chance to do a few gigs that have really lifted my spirits and now I’m missing my work and dying to get back into it. Slowly. I hope for a bit more balance this time.

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

Don’t waste time and energy despairing. Get creative. We don’t have to obsess over digital technologies to get out of the black box. There are thousands of years of theatre traditions all over the world that make great examples of the use of outdoor and unconventional spaces. Get busy making stuff and showing it to people. We need connection; take the holy responsibility to provide it.

Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19?

Hopefully some out-of-the-box thinking for producers and boards of directors. A recommitment of donors who appreciate the necessity of theatre for social and community healing.

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

Well, yes and no. We’re awfully good at falling back into old habits and patterns if we’re allowed. If we have a good and regular infusion of new leaders and thinkers, we can adapt and take advantage of impact and turn it into new beginnings. I hope the ongoing conversations can stay as honest and humane as they have been during the pandemic. Remembering both 9/11 and SARS, life always finds a way to balance out even after immense tragedy. It can be both a strength and a weakness. We should both embrace and interrogate that phenomenon.

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

It’s a great tool for sharing with wider audiences across time and space, it provides a fascinating amount of access. I’ve had the joy of tuning in to streamed archival videos of Sandglass Theater’s old productions, which has been enormously enriching for me because they’re from a time before I trained with them. Tapestry Opera has been seeing their audiences expand geographically through live streaming and smartly built their next season around capitalizing on that. It’s exciting.

But we need to keep liveness in mind. Our craft is the instant and constant ritualized exchange of energies with an audience; we are not filmmakers and we don’t need to be. We have always pledged our allegiance to the collective experience of a moment. I wish for us to not lose sight of that. We should adapt the given mediums to serve this necessary purpose.

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

What is your favourite word?

Liminal.

What is your least favourite word?

Diaper.

What turns you on?

Courage.

What turns you off?

Entitlement.

What sound or noise do you love?

A spontaneous shared breath/gasp/sigh in a group of people.

What sound or noise bothers you?

Dragging feet.

What is your favourite curse word?

Feck, or any other adorable reshaping of a conventional curse word (frig, frack, fork, fudge, sugar, shizz, butts, heck, dingus).

What is your least favourite curse word?

C-nt.

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

Cult leader! Or maybe personal chef.

What career choice could you not see yourself doing?

Mother.

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

“I’m so proud of you.”

One of Canada’s accomplished artists, Damien Atkins was raised in St. Albert, Alberta. He is a graduate of the musical theatre program at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta.

This month, he will appear as Oscar Wilde in the world premiere of Soulpepper’s ‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail.’

I held a telephone conversation with Atkins as he walked to the theatre as the show was now in preview. Adapted by the creative team of Gregory Prest as Director with Original Music and Lyrics by Sarah Wilson and Mike Ross, the production is billed on the Soulpepper website as a musical fantasy based on Oscar Wilde’s letter. At the same time, he was incarcerated for ‘gross indecency’ (homosexuality) with his love, Lord Alfred Douglas, for two years at Reading Gaol. Over three months, the letter was written a page a day, collected at the end of each day, and handed over to Wilde on his release from prison.

When I asked him what drew him into wanting to learn more about Wilde, Damien paused momentarily. He added that, as a queer person himself, he has a connection to the flamboyant writer and author; however, the spectre of Oscar Wilde was a familiar nightmare of what can happen to a gay person, and Atkins didn’t want to look too far. The troubling factor remains that Oscar fell in love, which destroyed him. He went to jail for being gay, a wrong reason for imprisonment.

Prest, Wilson, and Ross delved further throughout the rehearsal process to uncover the extra nuances of understanding Wilde. The creative team had always wanted to write a show for Damien when he received a call to see if he would be interested. Initially, he had no idea the story would be about the author.

Atkins quickly adds that he has great confidence in the creative team and calls them brilliant. Audiences must come to see the production because it’s fierce, it’s wild, and it’s unlike anything they have ever seen:

“[Gregory, Sarah and Mike] bring mischief and a sense of impishness. It’s a perfect blend of reverence and irreverence. A terrific blend of seriousness and frivolity has been balanced during this time. Their intuition, patience, and sensitivity to the culling of Oscar’s letter have been both fearless and kind…Prest has been unassuming and kind but also mischievous and fearless in his direction and staging.”

There’s sensuality, sexuality, pleasure, and wit for audiences to witness. Atkins states the production is a theatrical endeavour unlike anything ever seen. Philosophically, it will lead us to ask if we all really know what happened to Oscar Wilde. The man was a genius, a revolutionary and a hero, but he was also a terrible person at times and, in Atkins’ words, could also be an ‘asshole.’

Nevertheless, ‘De Profundis’ will allow audiences to see Wilde’s tremendous humility in taking responsibility. Wilde does not apologize for his sexuality and renounces it. Instead, he takes responsibility for a bad lot and vows to do better by holding those in charge accountable for the wrong reasons for his imprisonment.

When I asked him how he felt about rehearsals and previews, Atkins didn’t say too much except that things were going okay. During that time, his basic tenet was that everyone works as hard as possible. Damien keeps his head down and does not want to evaluate so much.

How does he feel about the Canadian theatre landscape and industry changes?

“Change is constant and necessary. It’s not always fun, but there has been some worthwhile movement forward that has been worth the hard work. The industry must continue to work on equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI). Yes, the pandemic made us aware, but we must continue to do more.”

Atkins spoke about the troubling audience reluctance to return to some theatres nationwide. Encouraging people to return remains challenging, which has been a tremendous loss to the industry.

Realistically, it’s all a question of money. That money (whether from the provincial, federal, or municipal governments) will also help other sectors. The help from the government is crucial moving forward as theatres continue to deal with changes and adaptations. Damien continues to hope audiences and governments will recognize that dollars are well spent promoting the arts.

Once ‘De Profundis’ concludes its run, what’s next for Damien Atkins?

At first, he jokingly stated: “A break,” and we laughed briefly.

He’s not one to sit around, though. Atkins returns to the Shaw Festival this summer to play Sherlock Holmes for the third time in a new play entitled ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart. He will also appear in Bernard Shaw’s ‘Candida’.

Damien would also like to continue to appear in his solo show “We Are Not Alone.’ I saw the production at Crow’s a couple of years ago. At first glance, the solo piece becomes a look at “mysterious sightings, videos of shapes moving in shadows and inexplicable crop circles. Are these occurrences a sign of otherworldly visitors, or are we being deceived?” Atkins stated the show becomes a comment on how we live together. Can we live peaceably with crazy ideas and notions?

Hmmm…’ If “We Are Not Alone’ returns, it might just be worth another look.

‘De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail’ is now in previews. It opens on February 8 and runs to February 18, 2024, in The Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane, in Toronto’s Distillery District. For tickets, youngcentre.ca or call 1-416-866-8666. To learn more about Soulpepper Theatre, visit soulpepper.ca.

A 2015 Toronto Metropolitan University theatre graduate, actor Dan Mousseau is preparing with a big-name cast for the premiere of The Howland Company’s ‘Prodigal’ written and directed by Paolo Santalucia, produced in association with Crow’s Theatre. The production opens on Friday, February 24 at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre.

I’ve also seen some of Dan’s other theatrical work this season. He appeared in ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Campbell House in December 2022 and in ‘Three Sisters’ at Hart House in November 2022. Some of his other work includes the upcoming ‘The Seagull’ for Soulpepper. Other productions at Soulpepper: It’s a Wonderful Life (2016), Innocence Lost (2018) Other Theatre: Perfect Wedding (Thousand Island’s) Film/TV: Frankie Drake Mysteries, Workin’ Moms (CBC), and Tempted By Danger (Lifetime).

About a year after completing his theatre degree, Dan attended the Soulpepper Academy to complete their two-year training program.

“The learning is ongoing”, he candidly stated. “It always is whether you’re in a workshop to help develop a play, develop your own work, or even attend an acting class. I don’t think it ever really stops. It’s a cool career because you’re always growing when it comes to the challenges an actor can do.”

Dan is thrilled to be back to performing in the live theatre even though Covid’s embrace still tightly enwraps the community. During the pandemic, he found it extremely hard to take a step away as he missed what he called the ‘ritualistic’ bonds of connecting with other cast members and ultimately an audience in front who have come to hear and watch a story unfold.

Mousseau calls the theatre ‘a soul-filling act’ (and he doesn’t consider himself religious). He’s feeling hopeful in watching the theatre community return with such renewed energy and a real hunger for people wanting to come back to what it was before. He acknowledges it is a tenuous time for the theatre as there is the business end of it. Audience numbers are starting to climb back up cautiously.

However, there’s a cathartic feeling about being back for Dan. He likens it to a mental health practice as he feels everyone who attends and participates in the theatre needs some kind of release from the strongly felt pandemic restraints. Although there are still cautions in most of the houses where audience members are strongly encouraged to wear masks (and some companies stating masks will be worn), PRODIGAL will have Mask Mandated performances on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Our conversation then swung around to the rehearsal process and preparation for ‘Prodigal’.

“Rehearsals are going so, so very well. I don’t know why I’m so very superstitious (and Dan knocks on the table). It has been such a trip.”

This is the first new play Dan has ever worked on, especially with Paolo as writer and director who Mousseau firmly stated: “has been amazing.” Mousseau has been in awe of Paolo’s endurance for rehearsals, re-writes, and cuts as he has established clear guideposts regarding the story of ‘Prodigal’:

“We’re in really good shape at this point. Paolo has made things feel so tremendously collaborative. I’m very proud of my friend. He’s a creative rocket ship. I’m in the most talented cast. I’m so honoured to be working among these actors. And it’s their bravery and work that has made this collaborative spirit of rehearsals so fruitful.”

With a cheeky grin and laugh, Mousseau said Paolo better keep hiring him for future gigs:

“I’ll hitch my wagon to his cart if he’ll have me.”

‘Prodigal ‘follows the return home of Edmund Clark (Mousseau), the open-wound eldest son who has been estranged from his family for the last five years. Edmund makes a surprise homecoming with a new acquaintance and everything gets turned upside down. Without giving away too much of the plot, Mousseau added the story centres around this very wealthy, privileged Canadian family with many pivotal turning points in their trajectory. An engagement party night for one of their sons takes place quickly gets thrown off the rails.

Another family is also involved. Mousseau says there’s a microcosm of the interplay of privilege, forgiveness, and (mis)communication that plays into the broader context of the Clark family that just can’t connect, can’t talk as they are so distant. Dan says there’s a great deal of yearning and pain in this distance between the family members in their inability to see each other for the cost of privilege and also those who don’t have that sort of privilege.

“It’s funny as tragedy is,” Dan said with a smile. “Audiences will be laughing one moment and possibly wiping away a tear in the next.”

For Dan, ‘Prodigal’ is such an important play for audiences to see. What’s really important about this play is twofold for him. There’s an important and meaningful conversation for him about the intersectionality between the experience of a queer person in privilege and the reckoning of how society has been built:

“The more we talk about it, the more we see these experiences on stage, the less mystery, the less ignorance, and the less fear there will be. There is also the reality that people have very different experiences. Even two people who identify as queer are going to have two different experiences depending on the context of their lives and their families.”

As an actor, what are some of the messages Dan hopes audiences will take away with them at the end of ‘Prodigal’?

He first jokingly said: “Go to therapy” and we shared a good laugh over that comment.

For Mousseau, ‘Prodigal’ is the story of a family but also the cost of parenting and the ways unchecked trauma can move through a family and affect the community. He would love audiences to think about their relationships with each other in their families and themselves in light of some very difficult questions demanded of us in these last few years as a result of the pandemic.

Dan’s final comment – he hoped audiences would walk away from the theatre and consider there’s more to life than the next paycheque. There are more important things in life than just having a beautiful home. When one lets these things fall to the wayside, there is a cost. ‘Prodigal’ is a story of meeting each other and seeing each other as a community and in community in order to heal.

Performances of ‘Prodigal’ begin February 21 and run until March 12 in the Guloien Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. For tickets: crowstheatre.com or call the Box Office at (647) 341-7390 ex. 1010.

Oh, my goodness, what an honour it has been to communicate with Canadian playwright and actor Daniel MacIvor for ‘The Self-Isolated Artist’ series.

I’ve seen several of his works performed at local community theatres over the years. I also reviewed his production ‘New Magic Valley Fun Town’ at Tarragon in which he also appeared. Daniel began following me on Instagram recently. Because I hold tremendous respect for him and his work, I wasn’t certain if I should get in touch with him about a possible interview. Again I thought, as I had written in the profile interview with Mark Crawford, “Why the hell not?”

I took a chance, got in touch with Daniel through Instagram, and was most pleased when he responded and said he was interested in participating via email.

Daniel has written a short play for Tarragon Theatre’s UnGala coming up in late May. The UnGala is a series of three online events featuring scripts about possibility and hope from the bold voices of 16 of our resident playwrights: three video segments of 5-minute original plays presented over two days and read by the playwrights themselves!

1. It has been just over two months right now that we have been under this lockdown. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine

As a writer I’m a pretty isolated person anyway. My interior life remains very active. Other than lining up for groceries I find this familiar and emotionally comfortable.

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

I was in the middle of rehearsals for “Here’s What It Takes” at Stratford, the Steven Page musical that I wrote the book for. That was shut down, maybe next year. Also this fall I was supposed to embark on a tour of my Tarragon play “New Magic Valley Fun Town” and the solo show I created with Daniel Brooks “Let’s Run Away”. All of that is up in the air.

3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation for you?
Two things. One, not having a choice. Though I live in a Spartan and isolated way for the most part, I have chosen to do that. Now I have no choice. But really that’s just a game of the mind. And maybe part of the malady of the modern world is too much choice.

The second thing is no longer a problem, but it caused me a good deal of anxiety initially. I had to cut off all connection to American media. The horror show of American politics was too much for me – in fact, it felt like too much before the pandemic. I find the media generally unhelpful at this time, they can’t resist trying to stir up a sense of urgency when that is the very last thing that this time is about.

I suppose there is an urgency for epidemiologists and ER workers but for the rest of us, we need step back and breathe, day by day. If that is not the message, then the message is simply opinion. I have enough opinions of my own.

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

I am working on a couple of screenplays and editing a documentary called “Everything Is Real Nothing Is True” that I shot with cinematographer John Price over the last couple of years about my work with Daniel Brooks on the solo play “Who Killed Spalding Gray?”

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

I think this is a wonderful opportunity to look at our desires, our dreams, our hopes for the future. What are they? Why are they? What is the purpose of theatre? What is our place in that world? We get very caught up in careerism and gigging and jobbing and the like and we forget that we are a service industry. This is a chance to ask ourselves what is the service we do? In service of what? In service to whom?

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

The very nature of the protocols – keeping distance, considering our actions, knowing where we’ve been, what we’re touching, who we’re talking to – are at the heart of mindfulness. If we can learn to move more mindfully through every day – pandemic or no – we will be better people and make a better world.

7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19?

Yes. I think it will be difficult at first but ultimately the big questions that will come up as a result of this event will make us more focused and more compassionate.

8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts about this format presentation? Any advantages to doing this? Disadvantages? Are you participating or will you be participating in this presentation format soon?

I have participated a little. I’ve done a rewrite of my solo show “House” so that it could be performed to camera. It was performed by Kevin Hanchard and directed by Nina Lee Aquino under the auspices of Factory Theatre in Toronto. It was fun, 1400 people tuned in. I’ve also written a short play for Tarragon Theatre’s UnGala coming up in late May.

My interest is how this work lives in an online reality. I’m not so interested in work read or performed as plays in this format. It’s too flat. Theatre needs space.

9. I’ve seen your work on stage throughout Toronto. I saw you perform at Tarragon in ‘New Magic Valley Fun Town’. I also saw a memorable production of HOUSE that was streamed online through Factory with magnificent work from Kevin Hanchard and director Nina Lee Aquino. I listened carefully to the after-show discussion. What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding our world now?

Aha, you saw it. Yes, it was memorable wasn’t it. Kevin was sublime. I loved working with Nina. For me performing is a metaphysical journey into being and presence and connection. That’s essential, more now than ever.

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

a. What is your favourite word?

Onomatopoeia.

b. What is your least favourite word?

Partisan.

c. What turns you on?

Silence.

d. What turns you off?

Bloviating politicians.

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Wind in the trees.

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Chewing.

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck still works a charm, in moderation.

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

Architecture.

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Politician.

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

“Finally!”

Find that balance between confidence and humility and surround yourself with people who inspire you.

The art and theatricality of dance continue into the 25-26 Toronto season.

Recently, I received a press release detailing the 5^th anniversary celebration of the Common Ground Dance Festival presented by TOES FOR DANCE at Lee Lifeson Park, 223 Gladys Allison Place in North York, from September 18-20, 2025.

This celebration of dance is a free outdoor festival. It will feature a diverse line-up of mainstage and site-specific performances.  Patrons will also have the opportunity to attend artist talks and interactive workshops for all dance levels, presented by both established and emerging artists with roots in Toronto, beyond, and across Turtle Island.

According to the release, five years is an important milestone for the festival.  To mark the occasion, the opening night, September 18, will feature a program that brings together past and present festival artists to explore the evolution of the Common Ground Dance Festival.  This opening night celebration will inspire reflection on the significance of intercultural dance dialogues in public spaces.  To continue developing the program in welcoming diverse audiences, the mainstage program will be co-hosted in Farsi on September 19 and Mandarin on September 20.

I’m grateful David Norsworthy, Co-founder and Director of The Common Ground Dance Festival, took some time to discuss dance, its theatrical elements, and the themes of this fifth annual event via email.

A Juilliard School graduate, Norsworthy started in 2009 and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Performance.  He considers himself grateful for living in New York City, where he was exposed to rigorous and deep knowledge in his studies, while experiencing performances at The Joyce, Judson, and Fall for Dance, among other venues. Learning from the Juilliard faculty was a true transformative experience for him as a wide-eyed young dance artist. In retrospect, David says he was not really a ‘Juilliard dancer’ in terms of his physical capabilities or creative aspirations. He says he was far more skilled at grounded, fluid, expressive modern and contemporary forms than ballet. Back then, he couldn’t, and today he still can’t lift his legs above 90 degrees to save his life. As an artist, he has always wanted to defy the rules of what dance could be.

David speaks fondly of some mentors he had while living in New York City. Alexandra Wells’ and Andra Corvino’s ballet classes both had a strong influence of his perception of his body and notions of ballet technique. JoAnna Mendl-Shaw was his composition teacher in the second year, and her work, which focused on physical listening, interspecies dialogues, and choreographic necessity, also had a significant impact on Norsworthy’s artistic voice as a choreographer.

As someone without formal dance training or study, I always like to begin a conversation by asking how the artist sees this specific art form.

Norsworthy offers an interesting analogy about dance that prompted further personal thought.

In simple terms, David says dance is also movement with intention. It’s an art form of change and transformation. On one level, moving the body is about getting from A to B, a journey. Then the mover can continue from B to C, or back to A (perhaps involving repetition).

When a dance artist goes back to the starting point of A, something new has emerged. That original and initial movement is changed with a bit of heat or sweat. There is a different relationship to the audience. There is a new sense of time and the memory of what came before and/or a slightly altered emotional state.

David explains further:

“Sometimes, when I teach, I describe dance as a ‘practice of changing’ that involves a dialogue between movement, thought, relation and sensation. [An artist or group] can start with any of them, and if you really commit, then one of the others will inevitably be produced or altered, giving [the artist and audience] a new sense of inspiration or a new direction to explore.”

Norsworthy’s favourite dance includes a poetic or philosophical element, along with a sprinkle of joy, and the energetic embrace of a thoughtful community.

In anticipation of the upcoming celebratory weekend for Common Ground in September, the artists will explore how dance emerges across different contexts and cultures, drawing from diverse values, traditions, and expressions of lived experience.

David hopes that the September weekend festival attendees will be able to experience the joy of community and that their participation in the festival will invigorate their curiosity. It’s an invitation to witness each other in fullness and to consider how a shared sense of belonging can be co-created. The Common Ground Dance Festival is about intercultural exchange – bridging the lines of difference to cultivate mutual understanding, appreciation, and respect. That doesn’t mean that we all need to agree to be together. It’s important not to forget that the weekend is an invitation to witness each other.

Does Nosworthy have inspirational words and mentorship to assist young dance artists eager to pursue and follow their dreams in the performing arts industry?

Without wanting to sound cliché, yet supposing it’s cliché for a reason because there’s truth, he says:

“Show up for yourself. Dare to do the uncomfortable, take care and take your time, commit and recommit to your artistic interests.”

David says it’s so easy in this profession to get sidetracked by what an artist thinks will get funding or what an artist thinks will please an audience. If the funding doesn’t exist, then the artist must make it happen:

“A healthy dose of do-it-yourself energy is very useful. Find that balance between confidence and humility and surround yourself with people who inspire you.”

Nosworthy supports that an artist’s finding his/her/their circle is more than half the battle. One doesn’t know what one doesn’t know after all.

Once the Festival concludes its September weekend celebration, what’s next for David Nosworthy?

Well, he’s going to follow the advice he gives to artists after intensive work: “Rest! Celebration! Gestures of gratitude!”

While there will always be administrative, financial management and grant reporting following the festival, TOES FOR DANCE will be preparing for the annual presentation of our Process+Practice Double Bill at Assembly Hall in Etobicoke on November 7-8, 2025. This year features Boys’ Club Tap Dance Collective and Kiera Breaugh. These works have been incubated through the residency program at TOES FOR DANCE and both deal with notions of femininity through sonic expression (tap dance and jazz music/spoken word) and embodied movement.  Nosworthy thinks it will be a really compelling event.

As a dance artist, David is currently in rehearsals for a repertoire piece with ĀNANDAM Dance Theatre and starting a new creative process with an emergent collective called In Good Company (Rakeem Hardy, Katherine Semchuk, and Judy Luo). In the autumn, I will be choreographing a new work for the students at Dance Arts Institute, a post-secondary professional training program here in Toronto. Being back in the studio comes with its challenges (sore muscles being one!), but he is reminded of the great privilege of being a professional dance artist.

David concludes our email conversation with:

“I am so grateful for the ways that dance calls me back into my body, and into presence.”

To learn more about Toes for Dance and the upcoming Common Ground Dance Festival, please visit: www.toesfordance.ca.

Headshot Credit: Colton Curtis

Recently I held a Zoom call with Dawn and Ramesh through ASL interpreters. This was my first experience speaking with Deaf artists. Their background in development as theatre artists is fascinating.

Both are here as part of the Summerworks Festival. Ramesh has directed the premiere of ‘Lady M (Margaret)’ now onstage at The Theatre Centre. Jani appears as Lady M.

Dawn has always loved theatre but didn’t have an opportunity to study it growing up in Canada. Coming from a third-generation Deaf family, she used to find herself the only Deaf person looking to pursue a career in the theatre. company. Fate took her to Scandinavia when she was aware and shocked to discover a professional sign language theatre with Deaf actors. Finally, she could go into a theatre for the first time and see a production in her unique language.

She was thrilled with this discovery, and it became a natural fit. Dawn established friends with theatre people, was entranced with the theatre and took courses from Deaf professionals. All this experience led her to take summer school. She took her professional training in Scandinavia. Dawn then pursued a Master’s in Physical Theatre in London, England, in 2016. Since then, she proudly asserts she has been working at her life’s calling.

Ramesh is from Singapore. He did not receive any formal training in the theatre. Growing up, he saw Deaf Theatre when he was young as there was a company in Singapore and was fascinated with their work. After school, Ramesh became involved in the semi-professional company He had the opportunity to work with Deaf and Hearing actors for eight years, where he learned a tremendous amount.

After this time, Ramesh knew he needed some new challenges and to find something different. He moved to England and studied at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts. He was the only Deaf student when he enrolled, as the others were all hearing. Luckily, these eight years under his belt in Singapore, this experience allowed him to connect in the program because the communication issues were very challenging.

After a couple of years, Ramesh began to build bonds with the other students. At the Liverpool Institute, he became involved with Hearing actors who were Physical Theatre actors. Ramesh also honed his craft here, not only school learned but through active involvement in theatre companies. He developed a taste for Asian and Western theatre, and he has been able to incorporate and mould these components in his performances as an actor and artist.

Now onstage at The Theatre Centre as part of SummerWorks, Lady M (Margaret) is a new, Deaf-led adaptation of Macbeth that explores Shakespeare’s famous power couple with an intersectional experience for both Deaf and hearing audiences. Adapted, created and directed by Ramesh Meyyappan, this world premiere performance work is the inaugural production by 1s1 Theatre featuring Dawn Jani Birley and Sturla Alvsvåg in the title roles of Lady Macbeth and her husband.

When I taught high school English for thirty years, ‘MacBeth’ was one of my favourites to share with the students because young people seemed to be into the elements of the witches, the murder and the gore.

The one difference here?

Influenced by Shakespeare’s ‘MacBeth’, ‘Lady M (Margaret)’ is a one-hour production that explores one of the key themes, guilt, and its impact on her and her husband, who are at war with each other in their marriage. They have been living with this tremendous sense of guilt and grief, and the audience will see this desperation play out in front of them.

Our Zoom call delved further into the text of ‘Lady M”. Dawn affirms that we all know the story from our high school days, but in his adaptation and direction, Ramesh focuses on the character of Lady M and for the audience to look closely at her. For Dawn, the play is really about looking at different perspectives.

She adds further:

“It’s always been easy to lay the blame at the feet of women. Historically, women haven’t had rights or assert their independence in history. In playing Lady M, I question why this woman does what she did and how she would cope with what she’s done. ‘Lady M’ is not a story told from one perspective. It’s a story told and perceived from multiple perspectives, making this play fascinating.”

In his role as Director, Ramesh agrees with Dawn’s understanding. He added that in 2004 he directed a production of ‘MacBeth’, which was done entirely through elements of visual language with no spoken or signed dialogue whatsoever. It followed Shakespeare’s text.

Now almost twenty years later, Ramesh looks at the play again. This time he focused on a quotation: “I have given suck/And know tender it is to love the babe that milks me”. With Dawn’s heavy involvement, Ramesh began to look further at the concept of Lady M and this child. The woman is noted for her ambition and scheming nature, but what Ramesh wanted to do was unpack what happened to her:

“Shakespeare obviously hinted in this quotation that Lady M was a mother. If she was, then what happened to that child? That got me started in thinking about different concepts and building the critical story of Lady M as the character. In her motherhood, was she looking to protect the family? Was the family not everything to her? If that’s the case, we might look at her differently. Are these new questions now the driving force behind Lady M’s ambition?

The SummerWorks website adds further insight into ‘Lady M’:

“Without a child, there seems little purpose. When a heart is broken and the heartache never fades, the dull ache becomes resentment, then anger. This is what drives Lady M (Margaret). Searching for a purpose, her hardened heart will lead her to do the unimaginable to get what she wants. Her desire for power to keep her family leads to haunting guilt and swelling paranoia.”

Performances of ‘Lady M’ run August 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 at 7 pm, with a 1:30 pm performance on August 12. For tickets and other information, visit http://summerworks.ca/show/lady-m-margaret/

A 1s 1 Production, co-produced by Why Not Theatre.

The four years pursuing my undergraduate Arts Degree at King’s College, University of Western Ontario (now known as Western University) solidly shaped my personal and professional interests in the Arts. One of those areas where I still believe the city holds its appeal is in the performing arts sector. When I attended Western, Purple Patches was one of the central student theatre groups on campus which provided a creative outlet for likeminded individuals.

I also remember the extraordinary Grand Theatre where I saw some wonderful productions nearly forty years ago. When I started reviewing for On Stage, I wanted to make sure the Grand was included. I have seen some terrific world class professional theatre there recently, and I am always grateful when the invitation has been extended to me to come to London to review their opening night performance

The Current Covid pandemic has thrown the professional performing arts sector into a tailspin that has many, who hold a vested interest in it, still reeling from the devastating impact. It’s going to take an extraordinarily calm and clear-headed individual to sift through with a firm grasp and clear vision to move forward into an unknown and uncertain future. I spoke about this quality trait in an earlier profile regarding the Stratford Festival’s Director, Antoni Cimolino.

I also place The Grand Theatre’s Artistic Director, Dennis Garnhum, in this same category with Mr. Cimolino.

Mr. Garnhum became Artistic Director of the Grand in the fall of 2016. His credentials have been profoundly notable within the theatre community. Since his arrival and return home to London, Dennis has created several new programs with the Grand. He has also launched a new partnership with Sheridan College’s Canadian Music Theatre Program that now positions The Grand’s High School for its next phase of development.

Across Canada, Dennis has directed many plays, musicals, and operas with a number of companies. At the Grand Theatre, he directed Timothy Findley’s ‘The Wars’, ‘Prom Queen’ and ‘Cabaret’. He was set to direct the premiere of ‘Grow’ before it was cancelled on account of the Covid pandemic.

Dennis and I held our interview via email:

1. How have you and your family been keeping during this two-month isolation?

We have found some creative ways to fill our days: I work for the Grand in the basement, my husband’s office and broadcast studio (he’s a journalist) is the bedroom, and our daughters bedroom doubles as her school room. We started tiny school: 4 kids, 5 parents all on zoom. One class a day taught by a different parent. I teach drama and art!

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

The most difficult thing is to not be able to reach out and touch and play. Our daughter, Abby, is most affected by it. We always have a minimum hour of outdoor time daily and I have organized and reorganized the house a few times.

3. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian performing arts scene and on the city of London itself?

We will refer to the time before and the time after COVID no doubt. Ultimately, I think the ultimate impact will be positive: streamlining, priorities and abundant passion. We will focus on doing less, better, and with more imagination and thrill. The City of London too will learn from these things, and I do believe prosper. People will discover London is a perfect city to live in: it has a lot more space than the larger cities, combined with great things to do: Population will rise.

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

First of all, I have great compassion for the loyal Grand team whose jobs and lives were interrupted with very little notice. People who work at the Grand live in London and make their lives mostly around being with us – so that is without doubt the most painful thing of this time – not being able to continue to make theatre.

My hope is that we return to work sooner than later, that we will return to a company and a city willing to enjoy live theatre. The last thing we did was to have a staff breakfast on that fateful day (March 13) and one of the first things we will do will be to sit together and share a meal again. I miss these beautiful people.

This past year the Grand Theatre’s production of GROW was workshopped at Sheridan College and at Goodspeed Opera House. Both events used incredibly talented graduating students. They are now out in the world – waiting. I can see their bright faces.

My advice is just to be clear with one thought: We’ll return. You’ve lived this dream this long – keep it in your heart – don’t focus on the dark thoughts – and think how glorious it will be when you are able to be on our stages. And you will.

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

Only positive things. Everything will be reconsidered. The best part, I think, is how we will appreciate what we had to a greater extent. I think it will make for extraordinary conversations.

6. I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming and You Tube presentations destroy the theatrical impact of those who have gathered with anticipation to watch a performance. What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for Canadian theatre as we move forward from COVID 19?

I think online streaming was a brilliant first effort and reaction to a need. What do we have? Computers – and go! I think it’s usefulness is nearly done – and won’t play an important part in live theatre in the future. It’s film. I think it will speed up meetings and allow for some very creative shoutouts etc. But, live theatre is live theatre: people sharing stories in a room.

7. What is it about the Grand Theatre that you still adore in your role as Artistic Director?

Well, I adore everything about this role. Everything.

What I appreciate the most right now, is that it is a complete honour to be working at the Grand Theatre during this point in history – and I know my role is to be part of team who sees it through to bright, bright, better days.

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

1. What is your favourite word?

Beautiful.

2. What is your least favourite word?

No.

3. What turns you on?

People.

4. What turns you off?

Long lines.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

My family laughing at the same time.

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Car horns.

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Dang.

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

Architect.

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

Giving out parking tickets – too stressful.

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

“I have a Muskoka chair by the lake waiting.”

To learn more about the Grand Theatre, visit www.grandtheatre.com.

Dianne Montgomery is a Toronto-based tap dancer, choreographer, and composer who will present the world premiere of her commissioned work ‘Softly Losing, Softly Gaining’ which she has choreographed and composed. Her work will be performed at Meridian Hall, on October 6-8 as part of Fall for Dance North Festival. The show was to have first premiered in 2020 and then in 2021.

She considers performing her work on these evenings an honour and joy to be supported amid such powerful offerings. Given so much change over the last two-plus pandemic years, Dianne is appreciative of feeling respected and included by the Fall for Dance North team as she senses they want the best for and from the performers.

What struck me the most about our conversation was Dianne’s frankness in sharing her vulnerability as an artist. She feels quite an emotional attachment to the premiere of ‘Softly Losing, Softly Gaining’ as she sensitively compares it to the intimate act of giving birth to her work. Finding that vulnerability requires and encourages her sense of self and soul, particularly in the experiences of the last two years. Montgomery feels a deeply renewed sense of responsibility to bring heightened senses and awareness of her work to audiences, especially to those who may have felt a sense of isolation during this time.

When I inquired where Dianne completed her studies in tap dance, I learned something that I hadn’t realized about the art form. It is not just a three-to-six-week lesson twice a week with a recital at the end. Tap isn’t structurally built in a way where there is a particular school where to study tap for three or four years.

For Dianne: “Tap takes years and years and years of concentrated study and training, and it never really stops. A tap dancer doesn’t have a start and end date as there is always exploring and finding. Becoming technically proficient is a forever job. The beginning students study intermediate steps; the intermediate students study advanced steps, advanced students work to be professional and professionals study beginning steps. It’s cyclical in nature.”

She has performed, taught, and presented her choreography across North America and Europe. She toured the world for two years with Canadian singer-songwriter FEIST as a tap dancer and shadow puppeteer, also performing on Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

As a professional artist, Dianne finds the world of dance intriguing. For her, there’s still so much to explore, learn and find in the expression and the connection to the history of the art. There’s a connection to each other in the world of dance, which is always exciting to discover. There’s a passion for dance, and there’s also the sheer joy of kinetic movement. Words sometimes cannot do justice to the art of dance like sauteed mushrooms and butter. (Writer’s note: I like that analogy)

One of the elements Dianne most appreciates is that of community with artists connecting with each other. There’s something profoundly healing in moving bodies together. In her case, there’s something profoundly healing about keeping time together as a tap dancer. Bonding and pro-social behaviour are captured in the world of tap dance, and Dianne considers it motivating to continue doing tap dance because it has a net positive effect socially:

“Tap dancing is profoundly powerful in its self-study ability to connect and heal. It requires a level of focus…discipline and commitment…it has lessons in it no matter what people may think…if you don’t tap dance or have had lessons then you don’t understand the richness of the form that you carry wherever. Tap teaches you how to fall and how to get back up. It teaches you perseverance and humility and boy does that lesson come back again and again.”

When it comes to the art of dance and performance, I think specifically of those husbands, boyfriends, and partners who might not hold any interest in dance and who may have been dragged to the theatre by their significant other. How can tap win over an audience when they walk into a theatre?

Dianne recognizes that dance will not be to everyone’s taste within an audience, but it is her genuine hope that as dancers, and people who place work on the stage in front of audiences, it is their job to be as authentic and to be as present in the moment. The artists are generous as they are trying to make a connection to the very generous folks who have shown up:

“We as artists don’t take that very lightly, not at all.” Montgomery firmly avows. “People who take their time, their money, their precious resources and come and spend an evening with us. As someone who creates for stage work, I take that responsibility super, super seriously.”

Dianne invites ALL audience members to see a dance show with open authenticity, which can be very disarming. Hopefully, if the dancers and artists are lifting the moment on the stage then the audience should be feeling that lift. If we’re on the stage feeling constricted, then the audience should be feeling constricted. This is the goal for all live shows, and yes, it can go astray if egos are involved as that builds barriers and creates a kind of different performative rather than experiential.

And how is Dianne feeling about this gradual return to live performance with Covid still hovering and hanging in the air?

Even before she began to address the question, Dianne acknowledges the incredible very real loss that so many have experienced whether it be loved ones, lost livelihoods, homes, partners, friends, family, or senses of self-regarding mental health. The picture has not been good for many.

Coming out of Covid, Montgomery likens it to a two-year hiatus, but within this hiatus there was a huge opportunity to deepen the practice of dance if you could or were able to spend time on it. Throughout the pandemic, a lot of artists had to move into other kinds of work to survive during this time. A lot of dance classes and work shifted to Zoom and other online platforms, and there were challenges regarding the time lagging in Zoom which was difficult to manage.

Dianne stated that dance artists got on the best they could with what they had. There were little silver linings, however. Virtual classes had the advantage of being global in connection, so Dianne was teaching classes that had folks from Germany, the UK, all parts of the US and all over Canada. These students began to know each other, and they may not have been able to make these connections had they not been in the Zoom room together.

For tap classes, yes, Dianne once again said the artists did the best they could given what they had, but the beautiful quality of the art of tap dance needs to be heard live through the ear and not through a computer or television screen. So much was learned about online classes and all the artists involved learned so much about humility.

And what’s next for Dianne once ‘Softly Losing, Softly Gaining’ is complete at Fall for Dance?
Dianne calls herself in process all the time. This is something she believes will be forever. She plans to continue working and to continue evolving as an artist and bring kindness into the equation of her work as she continues to learn while encouraging those around her to discover who they are and how they relate to what’s bigger than us.

A final statement she told me about artists made me laugh: “Every night I quit and every morning I get back up and put my shoes on again.” How often I’m sure all of us have felt about doing this and yet we get back up and go again?

To learn more about Fall for Dance North, visit www.ffdn.com.

’ve seen Dion Johnstone’s work on stage in several Shakespearean productions at Ontario’s Stratford Festival. I was particularly taken with the very bloody ‘Julius Caesar’ presented by Groundling Theatre at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre just before the pandemic hit.

When I checked his biography from his website (included at the end Dion’s profile), I also discovered he has also been a part of some very fine productions in the US under some extraordinary directors. Dion made his Broadway debut as the Duke of Albany in ‘King Lear’ with Glenda Jackson as the titular character. That is a performance I would have loved to see Ms. Jackson tackle.

Dion plays the recurring role of Erik Whitley for ‘Sweet Magnolias’ now streaming through Netflix. Another one to watch during this time of provincial stay at home orders. Dion has also played in other Canadian shows including ‘Frankie Drake Mysteries’ and ‘Flashpoint’.

In December 2019, Dion made his Hallmark Movies and Mysteries debut starring in ‘A Family Christmas Gift’ opposite Holly Robinson Peete and Patti Labelle.

Dion’s training included The University of Alberta and The Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre.

We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thank you again so much for taking the time on a Sunday morning, Dion:

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

You know, when the focus of the pandemic hit and we went into lockdown and isolation, the focus really changed for me because my wife and I knew we would be having a child. On July 28, 2020, my wife gave birth to a baby boy who’s now on his way to nine months.

That’s been an amazing experience for us. He’s really changed our outlook because we really wanted, especially during the time of great anxiety, for him to meet the best version of ourselves, and I think when you look at him and the level of joy, freedom, comfort and confidence that he already possesses and exudes is a testament to the work that we’ve been doing. We had to get control of our mind space and internal space through all of this.

One of the things we focused on right away – there was a meditation group that was going around hosted by Deepak Chopra right at the beginning of the lockdown called ‘Twenty-One Days of Abundance’. And that was the first things we did and thought this is great. With the fear of there being no work and when everything was going to open up again, to just take time and focus on inner work and thinking no matter what the external appearances may be you can always tap into a source of abundance, that’s an energy that you put forth into the world and that returns to you in some form or other.

We started by doing that, and that really set the template for our frame of mind through all of this. Despite what we see out there, what’s more important is how you feel internally. If you feel yourself going off the rails, do the work to bring yourself back to your centre. And we want to do that because those are the lessons we want to pass on to our son, especially in a world prior to the pandemic that was moving at a blazing rate and continues.

We wanted to help provide a space for our son where in the future he could step away where he can be a part of this world but doesn’t have to be consumed by it.

I think we’ve doing quite well, all things considered.

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

I just arrived in Atlanta and can’t talk too much about it for all the non-disclosure agreements I signed. I can say in brief we’re shooting Season 2 of ‘Sweet Magnolias’ (now on Netflix Canada). I just arrived and just about to begin. I’ve done the period of quarantine with the multiple testing and once cleared all set to go.

The film industry has been quite progressive in finding the template necessary in order to continue filming. Modifications have been made along with heavy safety protocols, and the film industry has been largely successful. It puts a lot of pressure on the actor/artist to ensure that they are in top health to continue and honour the contract signed and to ensure the shooting schedule is kept on task.

Outside of being a new father and career responsibilities, during the early part of the pandemic there was a lot of binge-watching Netflix. Certainly, when our son came into the world, that changed a lot of the binge-watching as he doesn’t allow us to watch tv unless he’s out cold for a nap. But the moment he wakes up we gotta unplug our devices. Our son doesn’t even like us being on our cell phones. Our son calls us to being present.

I do try to find time on my own for meditational time through daily training, not necessarily weights since everything is closed. I do yoga, I use resistance bands training. I’ve been doing a lot of yin yoga, very relaxing with deep, deep, tissue work and that’s been good. I don’t get out a lot but now that I’m filming in Atlanta, there’s a park across the street from where I’m staying. It’s similar to New York’s Central Park, and there’s lot of open space and opportunities for social distancing so I can spend some time there.

In Toronto, we live across the street from the Harbour on Queen’s Quay, so my wife and I were able to take our son out for walks on pathways.

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

You know, in some ways I would say, yes, it has been an escape, and it’s been an escape from the world in the way that we knew it which has really caused me to examine it and question it.

So much of my life is influenced by being a new parent and considering what things might have been were the pandemic not happening. I remember many seasons at Stratford watching other actors become parents. They would get the performance off to go and be there for the birth and would be back on stage the next day in both performances and rehearsals.

In Stratford, the week is divided in slots. So, there could be 12 slots in a week, and you could work 11 of those and then they have to give you an extra slot off periodically. That’s a lot of work and you get one day off a week. This period of time I’ve been able to share the load of parenting with my wife; obviously there’s only stuff she can do as the mother but there’s a lot of stuff I can do on the peripheral and allowed me the opportunity to create a very deep bond with my son.

I’m adopted. My beginnings were quite rocky. I don’t know my birth father, and my birth mother lost custody of me when I was quite young. So, it’s been really important for me to create a stability and foundation to end that cycle so that doesn’t pass on to my son, and that’s not a reality that he has to know. I think about if I weren’t there, if after the birth I had to go straight into rehearsals, and I only came home at night and wholly focused on preparing for the next day, I would be there physically, but I wouldn’t be accessible to my partner, Lisa, as a parent as all that load would be put on her and I realize how big a load that is.

It gets a little bit easier now that he’s a little bit older so me being out of town is a little bit easier. We do have a very good network support and he’s not quite as dependent as he was in the beginning. Those early couple of months, you realize how our world is not geared up for that, not geared up to usher new life into this world. You’re ripped away from your children too quickly, that’s the way of the world.

But the pandemic stopped that. It stopped the world and we’ve got a chance to look at what’s important and what do we value.

For me, it’s an escape for what it could have been in that sense. On another level, it’s an opportunity to question when it all comes back, what’s the kind of life I want to have, and how can I create a life that gives me more of a balance so that it’s not wholly work heavy. If that means I do condensed periods of time so we can take a couple of months off and go take a family vacation together, I don’t know what that form will be, but making sure I can be there for my family in a big way is very important.

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

Given that we’re dealing with a virus, going in and out of lockdown, and you just told me today the numbers in the province are up over 4400, it’s impossible in my mind to predict when we will be back. I would say 2022 is a safe bet. It could be longer.

I think the reality is that theatre as we knew it has changed. And we may never quite see it in that same way again. But I do have hope for what theatre will evolve into. Right now, seeing Stratford and Shaw come back in interesting and careful and limited fashions is a good thing. Both my wife and I worked with Obsidian Theatre and they did a co-production at the beginning of the year with CBC Art called ’21 Black Futures’ which brought theatrical work to the screen. I think that’s another avenue that’s been successfully explored.

Theatre isn’t dead. It’s under the ground and working it out and figuring it out what can it do. How can it manage in this period and how can it re-invent itself for what’s to come.

My life has changed. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk into my house again without ensuring I wash my hands down. Our experience of the flu may be radically changed in the time to come. Our world is going to be radically different, and we will always be under the reality this happened once, and we reached a threshold where it could happen, and it shut down the world. That’s now a possibility. We don’t know what else is coming, what further things are coming down. We have to be prepared and safe.

The excess that we knew may not happen in the same way, but I do think theatre will evolve nevertheless to meet the capacity of the time, whatever that form is going to be.

I had a discussion recently with a Toronto Equity actor who said that theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you as an artist?

That’s so interesting. It’s hard to know as an artist how Covid has transformed me. It’s certainly made me look at different avenues and explore what else I have inside to offer. I sit down and go, well, if I’m not performing on a stage, what’s my purpose? Why do I act?

If I can’t do it in that form, what’s another form I can do it in? That led me to explore teaching opportunities. I love to see people empowered and transformed by different thoughts and different ideas. I like being the vessel that can contain those ideas so that people can reflect and see it. I can achieve that same feeling through teaching what I know.

Ghostlight Theatre came out of the cage really strong when we went into the lockdown initially and offered an opportunity to teach a class of whatever I wanted. And I decided to put a class together on rhetoric using Shakespeare as a platform to really explore the ideas of ethos, the logos and pathos and the pillars of argument.

My intent was whether you were an actor looking to sharpen their skills or an audience member who wants to know more about what the craft is, it didn’t matter what walk of like you came from. In the end we are being affected by messaging all the time and we are being played on intellectually, emotionally, and ethically all the time. You open your Twitter feed and think about what triggers you. Some of the images we see there are pathos, and some are facts and figures that make your brain spin whether they are true or not but present themselves as true.

To have the ability to have more discernment about what’s coming at you and more choice as to how you want to play something as an artist, and how you want to play upon your audience, I thought was a very fun thing to explore and share and had been really introduced to me when I was at Stratford doing The Conservatory Program. I give full credit to the knowledge and training I received there, and also from the late Ian Watson who was one of our instructors and was a master of argument.

And so, really sharing the way those principles that affected me and how I now use them in my work is how I put together this course and I found that a satisfying discovery, and I probably wouldn’t have done. Covid has created an online opportunity where you can work with people from around the world. I’ve been able to do play readings with a company in New York. People can now be pulled from anywhere say to do the reading of a Jacobean play, and audiences now have access to be able to log in anytime to those writings and artists.

It’s really brought the opportunities to use your craft in different ways globally.

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

I definitely agree with Ms. Caldwell’s notion of danger. And certainly in performances, something has to be genuinely risked in order for the stakes to be real and in order for the audience experience to be transformative. If there’s nothing happening in the artist, and it’s just acted, then what happens is a separation between the audience and the performer where the audience is just watching you, and not breathing with you and experiencing with you.

The more that the artist can access a true feeling of risk and danger, the danger. The best directors I’ve had are those who have really pushed me in my performances to risk more, to go further in order to draw and drop deeper in myself in challenging and frightening work because you don’t know how you’re going to get there.

Now, in terms of Covid, it’s a strange thing because it affects everybody differently. Some people have had direct experiences with it, some people have had or have the virus. Others have had close family members or friends pass away from Covid, so they feel differently. Others have had no direct experience with it and haven’t been in an ICU so it’s a challenge for those who do not understand what it like or have the experience with it.

Living with this invisible threat which has been very disorienting and weird and certainly frightful on those days when I have to have a Covid test, and I fear if I get a positive result that’s it for my ability to be on set, to provide financially for my family, and my contract is now gone. I really had to challenge myself to ensure that I don’t bring this negative and destructive energy into my reality, well that stop telling that story because it’s not serving me. Yes, fear has been triggered in me on account of this virus but I haven’t had a direct personal case or a family member so I can’t speak of it from that angle. In many ways, it’s been a bizarre thing that’s there, but I respect how many have been affected by it but it’s so strange because it feels like nothing is happening.

In terms of how Covid will affect my work? I don’t know. Everything that happens in life is going to affect your work. It filters in ways that we’re not aware of. Sometimes, for an actor, the best problems are solved when you’re working on a role in your dreams when you start to dream about a part because that’s your sub conscious working it out in better ways than your intellect can.

I’m sure subconsciously the way I have grown and changed over this period of Covid will bleed and is bleeding into my work, but I couldn’t intellectually say how.

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

Well, certainly in a beautiful way, having a child and we made a real commitment to validate his feelings to recognize, acknowledge and understand what his needs are. Even though he doesn’t have the language to communicate just yet, we wanted him to feel that he was being heard and responded to. In a way, he’s been very communicative from the very go.

There is this thing called baby sign language and you can help them communicate early in life. We tried that and that didn’t really work for us, but we can feel his energy and been in communication from go. He doesn’t cry very often. He’s not a crier but when he does it’s because we’ve missed a lot of signals that he’s been given along the way. More often than not, we’re able to figure out those signals before the crying so that is something important to figure out.

Just that level of sensitivity, that relationship we share with him is so profound, so unlike; I love in a deeper, fuller way than I have before. I’m fiercely protective in ways. I laugh. This kid makes us laugh. He’s brought so much to our world and that’s a beautiful thing.

Looking at this world through the pandemic, I’ve become really sensitive to the messaging that comes our way. There’s so much confusion. I’ve never learned through anything where there have been so many mixed messages – lockdown versus lockdown and all that illogic that has been followed through, it’s no wonder there are anti maskers, anti-vaxxeers, hoax, an opportunity to decimate society and a re-set. We live in mass confusion.

We are in great need of discernment, and it’s made me very sensitive to what I take in. I want to pay attention to how I’m feeling internally, and if I’m getting too worked up maybe it’s time to take a step back and look at something else OR to explore all sides of the argument. We’ve lost how to debate because everyone is so entrenched in their camp with no cross discussion. We’ve a lot of work to do to find shared common ideals as opposed to where we are different if we’re to get anywhere in this mess of confusion we’re living in.

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

Really, it’s a furtherance of what I just broke into. There was a time on my social media feed where I wouldn’t follow anyone of different beliefs and ideals than mine. But then I realized I don’t know what other people are thinking and so when things happen, I don’t understand why it’s happened.

In terms of curiosity as an actor, we’re very often playing individuals who don’t share that same ideology that we hold, how can we do this if we don’t allow ourselves to see things in another light or way, and allow ourselves to go through that ideology that we don’t understand? I started including in my feed people who hold opposing views to my own, just to keep tabs to the rhetoric they’re using and what others are thinking.

There seems to be a fear that in doing this we lose our own identity or you are affirming other people’s beliefs that are right or wrong, and who’s to say what’s right or what’s wrong. But nonetheless, you can’t have a conversation if you can’t find common ground.

Because we’re all human beings in the end, somehow in our world it makes sense to try to see the other side, to see the logic there. Where do we connect? Where is our common humanity? How can a bridge be made from one common ideal to the next without trying to see another point of view?

Through me doing this, I can potentially have the same affect on someone else trying to see from where I cam coming.

To learn more about Dion, visit his personal website: www.dionjohnstone.com, To follow Dion on his social media: Facebook: @DionJohnst ; Twitter: @DionJohnstone ; Instagram: @dion_johnstone

I had heard of playwright Drew Hayden Taylor as his play ‘Cottagers and Indians’ was to have been presented this summer by Port Perry Ontario’s Theatre on the Ridge. Unfortunately, the production was canceled so I am hoping it will take place next summer. When Drew sent me his CV, I was sorely mistaken when I thought he was a playwright.

Self-described as a contemporary storyteller, Drew’s exploration of the storytelling tradition has crossed many boundaries. He has written more than twenty plays (resulting in almost a hundred productions). As a playwright, Drew has proudly been a part of what he refers to as the contemporary Native Literary Renascence. In the world of prose, he enjoys spreading the boundaries of what is considered Indigenous literature.

Drew and I conducted our interview via email:

1. It has been nearly three months right now that we have been under this lockdown. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine? How is your immediate family doing?

Life in the age of Covid is annoying and somewhat difficult but overall, things are fine. I go back and forth to my reserve north of Peterborough, Ontario, and Toronto for a change of scenery but overall, life as a writer I am used to long periods of isolation. One of my best memories was spending a month in the Leighton Studios in Banff…but three months is getting kind of ridiculous. I am so sick of my own cooking. Also, I am jonesing for a play/movie/restaurant or something like that.

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

Oh God, I think I’ve had four, maybe five productions of my work shut down this spring and fall, and about a good six to eight speaking engagements canceled. One of the projects I’m working on is a documentary series for APTN and we are several segments short of finishing the 13 episodes. Add to that I was to have a talk how on APTN too that was postponed. As a result, it has been a pretty quiet spring.

3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation for you?

I used to travel a lot. I love crossing this country and this world spreading the Gospel of Indigenous Literature. Some writers hate that, but I actually quite enjoy it. Ah, for the smell of jet fuel engine.

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

Well, I’ve written a novel. Started work on another anthology in my ‘Me’ series of non-fiction. Developed two plays that I will be starting work on in about a week or two. Planted a garden and put on some weight.

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

I know many performing artists have been hit hard. All I can say is this too shall pass. Soon they’ll be back on stage being underpaid just like it never happened. As a writer, I just tell other writers to put it to good use. As I said, I don’t think I’ve been more productive.

This time next year, there is going to be an explosion of babies, divorces, and novels/plays. Turn something negative into something positive.

6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic?

I do not know if it’s positive but, up until six weeks ago, I had no idea what ZOOM was. Now I get ZOOMED regularly. And I’ve almost caught up on my reading. And again, I don’t know if it’s positive, but I binged all of the ‘Tiger King’ series.

7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19? Will streaming/online performances become part of the scene?

Good question. I don’t know. I am not a performing artist…other than lecturing and I have a feeling so much more of that will be done via ZOOM. It’s a lot cheaper and a lot less fuss for the hosts.

8. What is about the arts that COVID will never destroy?

The ability to dream, to imagine.

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

a. What is your favourite word?

In which language!?!?!? For the sake of argument, let’s say ‘coobmen’. I am not sure about the spelling but in my community’s dialect of Anishnawbemowin, it means ‘I’ll be seeing you.” There is no word for goodbye where I come from.

b. What is your least favourite word?

Primitive

c. What turns you on?

Intelligent humour

d. What turns you off?

Stupidity

e. What sound or noise do you love?

Cricket

f. What sound or noise bothers you?

Sirens

g. What is your favourite curse word?

Crap!

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

A chef

i. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything involving a cubicle

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

“Tell me a story.”

To learn more about Drew, visit his website: www.drewhaydentaylor.com.
Twitter: @TheDHTaylor

I’ve seen Duff MacDonald’s name over the last few years in theatre programmes and through some of the social media websites. His name sounded familiar to me, and I soon figured out where I recognized it. I saw him play in the first Canadian company of ‘Les Misérables’ at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra. Duff was also part of the first National Touring production of ‘Les Mis’ in 1989-1990. Duff also played “Eamon” in the recent Grand Theatre (London ON) and RMTC (Winnipeg) productions of ONCE.

According to his bio, Duff proudly hails from the Saskatchewan prairie land. He has recorded albums and sang in many venues across Canada and the United States ranging from coffee houses to large auditorium venues. He is proud of the training he has received. He obtained a full scholarship to go to North Dakota State University to study opera. He also studied at Vancouver’s Gastown Actor’s Studio and private studies in Acting with June Whittaker, Linda Darlow and Uta Hagen.

Duff has also completed voice-over work in commercials. He has been seen in film and television roles like the recent LOCKE AND KEY (Netflix), CARTER (CTV Drama Channel), GOOD WITCH, TITANS (Netflix), CLAWS OF THE RED DRAGON, Incorporated (SyFy), Tru Love (Winner of 35 Worldwide Film Fest Awards), Cinderella Man, Foolproof, The Music Man and most recently in the nation-wide spot for AMERICAN EXPRESS/AEROPLAN and BOSTON PIZZA as the gold Professional Sports Trophy Model.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom as Duff lives in St. John’s Newfoundland, at this moment. Thank you so much for the great conversation and laughter, Duff:

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

I am very grateful for a number of people in my life who brought me to this point in my life as an artist.
In the beginning, in my small town of Watson Saskatchewan, there was this lady named Jean, and she played the piano. She took me on. She was best friends with my mother and father for years. Both my mother and Jean were teachers.

I just remember going over to Jean’s house and her teaching me a lot about music and singing and singing some old classic tunes. She was always the woman who was coaching me through all of that early stuff.

Later on, I became part of ‘Saskatchewan Express’, a teen talent competition and I won and became part of this group of performers similar to “Up with People’. We toured all over Saskatchewan and I learned so much in the early 80s when I was 16 from all of those musicians. We had a 12-piece band behind us, and we had dancers; it was a big production sponsored by the lotteries. The woman who ran that, Carol Gay Belle, who worked for the CBC, she was also a huge influence on me as a kid in my teen years.

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

Oh boy, that’s a big one. Initially, it was a shock as it was with everyone. I was just about to go away and do a show.

Personally, I did a full pivot turn. We performers spend a lot of time on our own, and as a writer and painter, I have a lot of different creative outlets. So, right away, the first thing I did was turn to my creative side and that really saved me during most of Covid until I ran out of projects. I produced a web series with a friend (check it out on Duff’s personal web page), two of them actually, a comedy series and another web series where I was interviewing people from all over the world. That brought me a lot of joy and peace in checking in with people around the globe and gaining a global perspective on what was exactly happening in our country and other countries.

This really helped me to check in because the media was going crazy, but when you talk with other people in other countries, one on one, it really changed my whole view of everything and cut out all the crap the media was feeding us.

I became grateful personally. I had my own apartment; I was in seclusion. I didn’t have a family; I wasn’t attending school. Everything just stopped for me, and I turned into a creative monster (and Duff says this with a good laugh).

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

Well, they’re synonymous for me as an artist because I’m self-employed so everything is melded together.
As an artist, it encompassed so many things for a lot of us. The rug was pulled out from all of us, but as artists, we’re very dependent on the community, the audience. That’s our living. When that disappeared, it really affected me but I used that artistic talent as a way of survival and it changed everything and started to focus on that.

Also, my technical skills and my game went up about ten notches because artists were all forced to audition in our own homes, with our own lighting and our own camera. Luckily, I had done my comedy web series called ‘The Duff Show’ and learned so much about filming myself with green screen.

So when auditions were coming up where they were doing live one on one Zoom calls, it didn’t shock me as much as some. My technical and voice-over side that all went up. My agent didn’t worry about me technically because he knew that I had seemed to have everything in order.

Tell me further about ‘No Change in the Weather’ opening in St. John’s shortly. Are you hoping to bring it to Toronto after St. John’s?
‘No Change in the Weather’ …(and then Duff stopped for a moment to catch his breath and continued). I’m almost going to cry because it has been such a gift.

The past couple of months were really, really hard even with the creative projects I had. After a while for me I kept wondering when I was going to get a job. I’d be so close to getting national commercials. I was starting to really doubt myself.

I was away camping and got a call to audition for ‘No Change in the Weather’. I started looking into it and reading the script and doing some research as the play had been done previously. I saw there were some Ron Hynes music in the production. Ron is a Canadian institution on the East Coast, especially in Newfoundland.

‘No Change’ just came along out of nowhere and I got the job. Again, I put together a self tape, had all my equipment together. I had clips that I professionally recorded at the time. Everything just lined up and I had sung ‘Sonny’s Dream’ which is a Ron Hynes song in another show before, and I was auditioning for the character of Sonny. So it was a really sympatico moment where it all happened really fast as they were only looking for a few people. I’m part Irish, and Newfoundland has deep Irish roots here.

‘No Change in the Weather’ is the story of a family that comes home for their mother’s wake and to celebrate her loss and her life. They all come together on an island called God’s Pocket. The family doesn’t want the wake to be a downer so they’re trying to celebrate their mother.

And then I show up as Sonny, and I haven’t seen anyone in 20 years as Sonny works for the government. There is a connection to the Churchill Falls political incident and blunder. I represent the political side of the show, and everyone has a lot of disdain for my character.

It’s a beautiful story of this family coming together and finding a place of peace amongst all the craziness. It’s funny, it has some great Newfoundland tunes, some Alan Doyle and Ron Hynes music, some really classic Irish music. It’s full of heart and laughter.

It really has been a gift for me and for the company. There are beautiful voices, and the talent in the production. The production is different from ‘Come from Away’ as this is Newfoundland people. It’s quite a bit different from ‘Come from Away’ as ‘No Change’ deals with the political slant, and it’s got some real Newfoundland heart.

Bob Hallett, one of the members of Great Big Sea is Executive Producer of the show. Our director is Brad Hodder who is going to be in the Mirvish production of Harry Potter when it opens next year in Toronto. Steve Ross, who has completed 18 seasons at Stratford, is in the show with me. (Note: a profile of Steve Ross can be found through OnStage).

These are only a few heavy hitter artists in the show as there’s more in the cast and it’s going to be a good show. It runs at the CAA Theatre in Toronto on Yonge Street and blow everyone away.

We’re just performing ‘No Change in the Weather’ in St. John’s Newfoundland from November 12-14 as a tester and we come to Toronto November 19-27, 2021.

In your opinion, do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last 18 months?

I really do.

There were some theatres that took the proverbial ‘bull by the horns’ and embraced this challenge and clicked in right away to continue connection to audiences. Some went virtual right away.

I have a friend who lives in Texas who filmed a whole play virtually. The actors were not all in the same place. They were filmed separately and edited together to look like they were all in the same room. $20 was charged for the link to see the show, and they made some cash. That theatre wasn’t waiting around waiting for things to start up.

The theatre scene has changed and I hope it doesn’t stay this way at half capacity.

Ontario just went full capacity so fingers crossed, but what has happened is that theatres realized they can make money virtually: ‘Diana: The Musical’, ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Come from Away’ are the first three examples that come to mind. I think theatres are realizing that some want theatres to be live for them and as you and I know, Joe, there is nothing like that in the world. Nothing beats live.

But, there’s also that clientele who can’t attend live theatre and can afford $200.00 tickets. Filmed productions of live musicals are getting pretty good, and there are those who would like to see it as well but can’t afford to go live.

I hope it doesn’t go back to zero capacity but theatres are thinking things through. Look at Stratford with the outdoor tents.

I think theatres will be a little more prepared for things now that we are slowly emerging from Covid.

What excites/intrigues/fascinates/interests Duff MacDonald post Covid?

Oh, wow! (and Duff and I have a good laugh at his initial response) Well, I’m fascinated by the human condition and how people operate under the conditions we’ve been under and how we’ve adjusted and not adjusted. I’m also fascinated by the strength of the human spirit. So many things happened during the pandemic – Black Lives Matter, Juneteenth, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but we persevered through it all and learned some important lessons.

Things won’t be the same ever again, but I’m fascinated by how things have to be taken to the extreme in order for humans to learn. It’s incredible how hard we have to fight to get what we want and get to where we want – and we’re still doing this, really Saskatchewan? really, Alberta (Duff is making reference to the Covid numbers in both provinces)

What excites me are the possibilities of what we can do.

What disappoints/unnerves/upsets Duff MacDonald post Covid?

Stupidity (and Duff and I share a good laugh again) and no lack of logic.

Where does Duff MacDonald, the artist, see himself going next?

Like I said, I’ve been really trying to up my game. I see myself being better. I want to be as good as I can possibly be.

As every audition come through, I want to do my best. If I don’t get the job, at least I know I did my best. Everything else is out of my control. I believe that’s the mantra of my industry.

Where does Duff MacDonald, the person, see himself going next?

Uh….(and Duff starts to laugh again) it’s so hard to separate the Duff artist and the Duff person.
It’s so hard…as a person I’d love to care less MORE. (and Duff laughs again.)

I’m in my 50s (almost 55), so when you hit your 50s, it’s I don’t give a shit, I don’t give a fuck.

I wanna care less about what people think MORE.

RAPID ROUND

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

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

Well, that’s kinda obvious. “Thank you.”

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

(Duff laughs) “Fuck you.” It’s part of my performing artist mantra in not giving a shit.

What’s your favourite swear word?

(And another good laugh from Duff) Actually, I like, and it’s a bad one…by the way, Joe, are you able to print these words? Okay, here it is. It’s a strange thing, but I always say, “Cock!”

I ended up on a tv show and that was a line we had to say. The other character had to say, “Cock and balls!”

But for me, for some reason, it’s “Cock!”

What is a word you love to hear yourself say?

It’s actually an Italian word, and when Italians pick up the phone and say (And Duff, in his best Italian on the spot, says): “Pronto!”

I don’t know why, I just love saying the word: “Pronto”.

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

Well, it’s two words: “I can’t”

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

“Hang on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride” (and Duff says it again this time in an on-the-spot Bette Davis with an imaginary cigarette between his fingers). And then make sure your readers know they can watch my comedy show live, “The Duff Show” and see me do it live.

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

Oh… take more dance classes and study more. Study music more extensively.

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

Professionally, I’m also a writer and would love to have one of my scripts produced. Personally, I would like to be independently wealthy. (and another laugh from Duff)

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

Hmmm…one moment…I would have probably stayed in ‘Les Misérables’ another year. The show was on its way back to Toronto after touring. I was offered another year and I said, “No”. Because I was a cocky 22-year-old. Can you imagine I said that? Who says “No” to another year of full-time work in “Les Mis”?

Little idiot, me.

What will Duff MacDonald not take for granted ever again?

Oh, boy, it just hit me (and I could tell Duff was tearing up). My parents. Yep.

Would Duff MacDonald do it all again if given the same opportunities?

No. Completely, I call it divine order. Everything that happened, happened for a reason and put me where I am.

I totally believe good and bad it all brought me to this place, and I’m talking to you, Joe.

To follow Duff at Facebook: @duffmacdonaldmusic, Twitter: @DuffMacDonald and Instagram: @duffmacdonald

To learn more about Duff, visit his webpage: duffmacdonald.com

A year ago, I had reviewed an outstanding production of what many in Toronto were calling ‘not to be missed’.

Toronto’s Crows Theatre had staged Annie Baker’s ‘The Flick’ terrifically directed by Mitchell Cushman. I had never seen this production, but word on the street and from what I had researched online indicated this play was something that would be remembered for a long time.

And to this day, I can still recall that specific production, that awesome set design, and the three powerhouse performers who literally took my breath away as I watched with keen fascination. One of those dynamos on stage for his debut professional performance was Durae McFarlane, and he is one we should all keep an eye on when it is safe to return to the theatre. Mr. McFarlane’s performance was stellar.

Durae is an actor and writer originally from Mississauga, Ontario. He is a recent graduate of the University of Windsor’s BFA Program and also trained with Canada’s National Voice Intensive.

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

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

To be honest it is what I expected. There were always talks about a second wave and so the numbers raising is not surprising. What is a bit surprising is the way it is being handled by the government (at least in Ontario where I am). It is less than ideal. There was also a part of me that was holding on for some sort of miracle that things would continue to get better and that life would somehow resemble what it used to be in some ways, but that is more idealistic than anything.

I think this is going to be our new way of living for a long time. Wearing masks, always washing our hands (which should have always been a thing), and social distancing. Now if we will ever not have to do these things, I’m not sure.

I think at the beginning of the pandemic, I just thought that we just need a vaccine and then things will resume how they use to be. But, I don’t believe that anymore. I’m not super informed about what the release of the vaccine would look like, but after witnessing how many people are against even wearing a mask, I’m sure there will be a group of people who will be against getting a vaccine altogether. And I’m sure that will make things complicated.

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

I’m been doing okay all things considering. I really spend a lot of the first couple of weeks watching tv shows and movies and distracting myself from what was happening because it was just too much information and stimulus all the time. I also stopped going on social media and listening to the news for a bit, which was new for me (not constantly going on my phone to go on Facebook or Instagram). And now I limit the amount of time I spend on social media.

My family is doing good. I was staying with my grandmother when the pandemic first started, and she is doing good. She wasn’t really stressed or anything but was cautious and was always updated with what was going on, which was the complete opposite of what I was doing. So, if I wanted to know something, I would just talk to her about it. My mom works in a nursing home, so it was stressful for a bit, but she has thankfully been safe and everyone else has been working from home.

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

The most challenging thing for me at the start of the pandemic, was that I was feeling really great after coming out of The Flick and, as that was my debut, I was really looking forward to capitalizing on that. But then I couldn’t audition for any theatre things. But I think people will remember things and roles that had an impact on them, and I think I will be okay.

Personally, I really hated not having something to do, or something to work on. I’m someone who is always looking for a way to continue to grow and get better both as a person and as an artist. So, having so much time and not knowing what to do with it was challenging. There was the possibility of doing online things, but I also couldn’t afford to do a lot of the things I wanted to do. But then I found myself writing a lot which was something that I have been interested in but wasn’t necessarily my focus.

But that’s kind of all I’ve been doing is writing and every couple of weeks it’s like there’s a new idea for a play or screenplay that comes to me. Way more ideas than I’m capable of writing.

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

I wasn’t in preparations or rehearsal for anything, I was just working a part time job in the food industry, so I was kind of grateful at the time for things to close because I was staying with my grandmother and I was very concerned about continuing to work while it started to seem more and more unsafe to do so.

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

A couple of friends and I started this sort of web series back in the middle of March just as a way to stay creative, have some fun, and just have something to do. But that took a pause in June. And as we all started to go back to work, we haven’t continued it and don’t know if it will continue, but it was a good thing for me to do at the time.

I also started meditating which has been such a great practice for me to start. It has really helped me feel less anxious in my day to day life and helped to bring awareness to my habitual thinking patterns and allowed me to tune in to what isn’t helpful to me. I’ve also been reading a lot and writing.

I’m part of the Cahoots Theatre’s Hot House Lift Off Unit where I’m with a bunch of incredible artists as we all are writing our own plays. We’ve been meeting on Zoom pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s been wonderful to have that space to chat with them all about all things theatre.

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

Being such a new artist to this industry myself, I don’t think I’m in any position to give any advice to anyone, but I would just say to find the joy in whatever it is you’re doing. I think the world can seem very dark, so it’s important to find purposeful moments of joy when you can.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Yes. I think because everyone was home and not doing much, it allowed certain people who maybe have not paid attention to issues of racial justice to really start listening once the murder of George Floyd was all over social media and the details of the murder of Breonna Taylor started to circulate the internet as well. It caused people to mobilize and fight the systems in place that are hurting BIPOC in a way that I haven’t seen happen before.

I think being stuck at home forced people to really have to reflect about who they think they are vs who they actually are and made some of those people go “oh maybe I’m not doing things I need to be doing to align my idea of myself with the actions I take.” And I hope that now that a lot more people are back to work, it doesn’t also mean they go back to their old habits of not really caring or doing anything about these issues.

It also allowed BIPOC people to feel more empowered to speak up and not let things slide by. I think we’ve been hearing people speak that haven’t simply been given the platform or space to speak about the issues they’re facing and what people can do to help change things. I think I’m seeing a lot more space be given to those voices and that’s been something long overdue, but great to see.

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

I hope with the sort of wake up with the racial inequities of the world, theatre will be more conscious of what it means to be an equitable space for all people. It really goes beyond just saying a bunch of nice things but implementing things in how they run their theatre companies and who makes up theatre companies.

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

I think if it works for the artist, do it! If it helps them stay enriched in some way, absolutely go for it. It’s something that I did for a little while and it definitely helped me feel more connected to other people and performing. I think at least for now, theatres have to utilize it in some ways. Some theatres have been. Sometimes I think it works great and sometimes I think it doesn’t, but it’s definitely new territory that places are learning to navigate and it’s not always going to be perfect and that’s okay.

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

Covid could never destroy the need for stories. During this time a lot of people turned to their computers/TVs to watch shows or movies or listen to music or read books. The need for stories will always be present to either distract people from their current situation for a little while or to illuminate something about themselves or the world. I think the need for stories will always be present and thus the need for storytellers. The way in which we tell stories and the medium we use may change and adapt but there will always be a need to

Visit Durae’s Instagram: @duraemcfarlane

In the early stages of the pandemic in 2020, my discussions with most Canadian, American, and European artists led me to understand just how their professional lives have become forever changed and dramatically altered. In all honesty, I’m still wondering how this pivot back to the indoor live theatre will look for them and their colleagues as necessary worldwide social movements have spotlighted the need for change.

I first came across Dylan Trowbridge’s name in the early stages of GhostLight. All of the co-founders of GhostLight wanted to create a space to keep the theatre community active, inspired and connected while the industry was shut down. During the last few days, theatre news from Broadway indicates the theatres in Manhattan will be open this fall.

Still no word about the indoor Toronto and Ontario theatres. Yes, there are pockets of outdoor theatre and I for one am pleased to hear this news, yet still Canadians wait when we can all return indoors.

You’ll see from Dylan’s responses he has tried his best to remain positive and to keep moving forward.

From the University of Toronto website: “[he] is a Toronto-based actor, director and teacher who began his career at the Shaw Festival where he played the title role in Christopher Newton’s production of Peter Pan. Other Shaw Festival credits include leading roles in The Lord of the Flies, The Matchmaker, Widowers’ Houses, The Coronation Voyage and Rutherford and Son. Dylan made his West End debut in 2009, playing Neil Kellerman in Dirty Dancing at London’s Aldwych Theatre.

He also spent two seasons at the Stratford Festival, appearing in Mary Stuart, Measure for Measure, Titus Andronicus and The Grapes of Wrath.

Additional theatre credits include: Tribes, Julius Caesar (Canadian Stage), Taking Care of Baby (Critics Pick Award for Best Supporting Actor), the English language premier of Wajdi Mouawad’s Tideline (Factory Theatre) and Tiny Dynamite (Theatre Smash).

Dylan is a founding member of Theatrefront, with whom he co-wrote and performed in Return (The Sarajevo Project), earning a Dora nomination for best new play. Film and television credits include The Handmaid’s Tale, Anne with an E, V Wars, Impulse, American Hangman, Dark Matter, Private Eyes, Alias Grace, Orphan Black, Bomb Girls and Hemlock Grove.

As a director, Dylan’s productions of The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy and Space Opera Zero! for Toronto’s Eldritch Theatre have earned multiple Dora nominations, and one win. Other recent directing credits include Herringbone and The Yalta Game (Talk is Free Theatre) and Every Brilliant Thing starring Gavin Crawford (Festival Players).

Dylan is the Artistic Associate of Theatrefront, the Associate Artistic Director of The Festival Players of Prince Edward County and the Co-Founder/Co-Creative director of GhostLight, Canada’s online platform for mentorship in the theatre (ghostlight.ca).”

We conducted our conversation via email as Dylan is an extremely busy family man. Thank you for taking the time to add to the conversation, Dylan:

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

Thanks for asking this, Joe.

While this has been a profoundly challenging time, I have tried my best to seek silver linings where I can. I’ve got two amazing kids, and I have spent a lot more time with them over the last year than I would otherwise have been able.

When everything shut down last March, I took the opportunity to teach my youngest son how to read. We had a great time with it, and we never would have been able to do that under normal circumstances. We established some fun family traditions during the pandemic: Thursday night campouts in the living room (or on the balcony in the summer). Takeout and old episodes of ‘Survivor’ on Friday nights. Because there are four of us and a dog packed into a condo, I have been fortunate to avoid the massive challenges of isolation that so many people have had to deal with over the last year. We’ve tried to make it fun however we could.

About indoor live theatre shut for over a year, there is a void for sure. More than anything I have missed the social interactions, the ridiculous jokes and meeting new people. I miss the event of theatre. The anticipation when the lights go dark. The thrill of audience and artists sharing a space.

How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum?
I’ve tried to keep busy!

A few days before all the theatres shut down, Graham Abbey and I had opened a production of ‘The Winter’s Tale’ at U of T. We’d had such an inspiring experience working with these students, and we were discussing the possibility of creating more training and mentorship opportunities in the near future.

Then when March 13th hit, and, like everyone else, all our immediate theatre plans evaporated. Graham called me and we began a conversation about building an online platform for theatrical mentorship. We wanted to create a space that would keep the theatre community active, inspired, and connected while the industry was shut down.

Through that conversation we laid the groundwork for what would become GhostLight (www.ghostlight.ca) Alongside co-founders Stephen Barnard, E.B Smith and Adrianna Prosser, we spent the next several weeks developing this platform, recruiting mentors and creating our launch event Friday Night at the GhostLight (featuring Margaret Atwood, Adrienne Clarkson, Torquil Campbell, Colin Mochrie).

In May we launched our first series of free classes lead by some of the great theatre artists in this country, and we continued to do so throughout 2020—offering 19 classes to over 300 students.

Then, in September, Graham and I returned to U of T to teach Advanced Performance: Mainstage Drama. In that class we created two digital theatre pieces: an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Rosamund Small’s play ‘Tomorrow Love’. It was a great opportunity to explore the possibilities that exist when creating theatre online.

I also shot a couple of Film and TV projects: ‘Marry Me this Christmas’ for the Bounce Network and ‘Titans’ for HBO Max. In April I directed a new play workshop for Alberta Theatre Projects (a company I have long admired), and a “First Day Read” for Talk is Free Theatre.

I also work with Festival Players of Prince Edward County (https://www.festivalplayers.ca ) as associate AD. We are busy planning an exciting season of outdoor theatre, music, dance and comedy for July and August.

The late Hal Prince described theatre as an escape for him. Has covid been an escape for me or would you describe this year long absence from theatre as something else?

I think he must have meant that theatre is a great escape from ordinary life, and that I can understand and relate to. Theatre allows us to live in wonder and to transcend the ordinary

This year-long absence from theatre has not been an escape for me though. It definitely has caused me to reflect and re-evaluate my life and my work in a healthy way. As actors and theatre artists, so much of our identity is wrapped up in our creative lives.

This year forced me to cultivate an identity outside of those parameters. I have learned that while I love being an actor, I don’t need to base my sense of worth upon it. It’s also taught me to keep an open mind about what theatre is, and what it can be.

The popular opinion (and I totally understand it) is that theatre is defined by live assembly in a physical space shared by actors and audience. But this year has taught me to challenge that.

We are storytellers. When the traditional parameters of our story telling are taken away from us, how do we adapt? I have been profoundly moved by digital theatre. I have been wowed by digital visuals in online plays. I have laughed heartily. I have witnessed beautiful, genuine connection between actors over Zoom. I have witnessed student actors deepen their understanding of the craft in an online classroom.

So, while it hasn’t been an escape, it has been enlightening, transformative and satisfying.

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

My understanding of this virus and the various vaccines is limited, so anything I say here is complete speculation. My instinct is that it will be at least a year before people are attending theatre in a way that resembles to what we are used to and accustomed.

Once we get everyone vaccinated, it will take some time for audiences to gain the confidence to gather in large groups again. My hope is, in the meantime, theatre-makers will be inspired to get creative with their approach to alternative strategies.

I started my career doing outdoor theatre in Montreal. There is a magic to it when it’s done well. And it can attract non-traditional audiences.

I think we will also see companies getting innovative with hybrid models of theatre: a live performance in a real theatre with a tiny audience and live streamed to a greater audience in their homes. I’m curious about how this challenge can create new models of theatre. The advent of Zoom theatre has opened up performance possibilities that transcend geography.

While I don’t expect we will return to ‘normal’ in 2021, I am confident that this obstacle will lead to innovative approaches that could transform the way we create and attend theatre. I think theatre historians will look back on 2020-2021 and expound on on its vital transitional moment in the way we create theatre.

The most important thing in all this? All levels of government must prioritize supporting arts organizations. As things stand, there is no scenario that will allow us to generate the ticket revenue sufficient to meet our costs. If we want a thriving performing arts sector on the other side of this pandemic, it is vital that we keep companies afloat.

How has Covid transformed you in your understanding of the theatre and where it is headed in a post Covid world?

What our industry has endured over the last 14 months will forever change the way we create theatre, and the way audiences experience it.

The most important moment we have experienced as a result of Covid is the reckoning that took place, and continues to take place, at arts institutions across this country. The closure of theatres created an opportunity for theatre artists to shine a spotlight on the systemic inequity and racism that has been taking place in our theatres and cultural institutions.

I believe that a positive, permanent transformation has begun to take place. I anticipate that we will continue to see healthy, innovative leadership models evolve because of this, and that will affect everything from programming, to process, to casting and hiring practices.

With regards to how we will create theatre in a post-pandemic world, my hope is theatre artists will be inspired to devise work that celebrates what makes the medium unique: liveness, gathering, collaboration and imagination. Great theatre can be like a party or a concert. It should be an event.

Unpredictable. Dangerous. Exhilarating.

I expect that there will be a greater urgency to the work we do and a hunger in the audiences that experience it.

Have you felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will influence your work?
In 2006 I created a play with actors from Bosnia called ‘Return: The Sarajevo Project’. These artists grew up during the war in Bosnia and experienced legitimate, tangible threats to their lives every single day for several years; it affected everything. Their work was raw, spontaneous, and unpredictable and I learned a great deal from being on stage with them.

I have not experienced that kind of sustained and palpable danger.

Covid has been frustrating, stressful, and inconvenient. It has posed a threat to my livelihood and my ability to pursue my dreams. But it would be inauthentic to suggest that I have a deeper understanding of danger that I will bring to my work as a result of this.

The word I keep coming back to is “urgency.” I will create theatre with more urgency when this is over. I’ll make up for lost time. I’ll relish the opportunities to collaborate with great artists in a shared space in front of an audience.

I’ll enjoy it more. I’ll play more. And I won’t take one second of it for granted.

Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made an impact on your life in such a way that you will bring it back to the theatre?

In 2019 I suffered a serious concussion while rehearsing a play. I was unable to act on stage for the entire year.

Then I lost a very close friend to a tragic accident.

And then Covid hit.

These three events permanently altered the way I see the world. Life and health feel much more fragile now. Everything we experience is raw material for the work we do. I hope and expect that these challenging events will have a positive impact on my work as an actor and director.

Once again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?
Covid has intensified my desire to do three things that I have been unable to do: traveling, creating theatre and socializing.

I want to meet new people and see new places. I think that our work requires us to feed our imaginations by seeking out a multitude of perspectives and pursuing new experiences.

That’s what I plan to do as soon as I am able to do so.

Follow Dylan on Instagram: @dylantrowbridgeyyz