Profiles & Interviews

I’ve wanted to interview Linda Kash, another Canadian performing arts/theatre scene darling.

Yes, she will be eternally known as the iconic Philadelphia (Philly) Cream Cheese Angel from television commercials for years to me. However, she has now gracefully passed the wings on to another individual.

There’s more to this delightful lady. I could feel a big smile on my face when I found out where I’d seen her work.

For example, she was the lip reader in the Seinfeld episode where George and Jerry want someone to read a person’s lips at a party. Kash has also appeared on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ ‘Third Rock from the Sun’ and ‘Cybill.’ She has also appeared in the films ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Waiting for Guffman.’

In the summer of 2023, I saw Linda’s remarkable work at the Stratford Festival in the ‘Casey and Diana’ premiere.’ It was one of the theatrical highlights of last summer for me. This past January, the production transferred to Soulpepper for a Toronto engagement, and I had the chance to see this incredible cast at work again.

She is not one to sit around, however.

On Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 12, at 2 p.m., Linda will be directing a staged reading of Nora and Delia Ephron’s ‘LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE’ for Peterborough’s New Stages Theatre Company at The Market Hall. This special New Stages event is not just a performance, but a fundraiser for Lumara/Camp Kerry, a bereavement retreat program for families coping with grief and loss.

I was thankful she could take a few moments to answer questions via email.

When I asked Kash where she completed her artist training, she found the word ‘complete’ interesting. She attended the American Academy of Performing Arts for one year, where she had every intention of completing the three-year program but added: “I became distracted by a Second City workshop as well as a handsome improviser the first summer I came home.”

And that was it. Linda was hooked on performance. She considers Second City her formal training and foundation as an actor. Eventually, she returned there and got a chance to direct a Firehall show.

Linda also runs an acting studio – The Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts – which has been running for seventeen years. She and her staff teach kids and teens throughout the year. She also runs Drama Day camps for two weeks in the summer.

She also teaches adults through a school and production company she co-founded in 2019 called klusterfork. Coaching and teaching in the Peterborough community is fundamental to Kash. She says it’s hugely satisfying and rewarding to watch young talent develop.

Kash is also very proud of her work playing Marjorie in ‘Casey and Diana’ at Stratford and Soulpepper. She calls it a privilege in her professional career. She will never forget the rehearsal and performances of ‘Casey’ because: “it was so collaborative and so personal to all of us, including the crew. Everyone was equally and tremendously invested in this story…I think that’s why it resonated so profoundly with the audience.”

She also loves directing and seeing the big picture. She calls that process detective work in trying to figure out the playwright’s intentions. Working with a collaborative team to bring a story to life is endless fun.

What drew Kash to direct ‘Love, Loss and What I Wore’?

“I performed the play when it came to the Panasonic in Toronto. I worked with Cynthia Dale, Wendy Crewson, Jeanne Becker, Lauren Collins and the late great Margot Kidder. It was a special experience…It was like sharing a giant cup of coffee with the audience, chatting about clothing and memory with dynamic women who felt like close friends. I wanted to re-create that feeling. And I think I have with the talent I’ve chosen for Peterborough. Dynamo’s all “

What a cast that has been assembled for the upcoming Market Hall production: Jenni Burke, Maria del Mar, Jane Luk, Kinley Mochrie and Megan Murphy.

Will men also find ‘Love, Loss and What I Wore’ interesting:

“Men can relate to stories about their mothers and what they wore, to school crushes, wedding days, Messy divorces, and the loss of people we love. I think those themes go well beyond gender.”

The fact the play will be performed over Mother’s Day weekend was another deciding factor in staging the production at this time. Linda guarantees that everyone who sees this show will think about their lives and about pieces of clothing that have meaning. And because it’s Mother’s Day weekend, Linda hopes we will take a moment to think about ‘her.’

What’s next for Linda after the staged reading?

She boldly states she’s back on the hamster wheel these days happily auditioning for film and TV. She and her brother Daniel will be doing a play together next year, which is thrilling.

She’s also running a couple of camps in the summer through her school.

Linda also created a pilot for a pre-school children’s show produced in Peterborough. She’s looking for interest to develop it further and considers it all a great adventure.

Best of all…

Linda’s counting the days before she meets her first grandchild. She has been invited to the delivery room for the arrival.

That’s wonderful news.

Kash’s sense of humour was still present when she wrote: “I sure hope I don’t forget my lines.”

New Stages Peterborough presents Nora and Delia Ephron’s ‘Love, Loss and What I Wore’ on May 11 at 7 pm and May 12 at 2 pm at Peterborough’s Market Hall, 140 Charlotte Street. For tickets to the show and to learn more about New Stages, visit newstages.ca. To purchase tickets over the phone, call the Market Hall Box Office at (705) 775-1503.

Lisa Horner’s professional life as a performing artist is quite extensive when I had the chance to peruse her resume. Along with her famous IKEA The Winter Sale commercial of “Start the car, start the car, start the car.”, I also had the opportunity to see Lisa perform the role of Beulah in the Toronto company of ‘Come from Away’. Lisa’s onstage appearances don’t stop here.

I also saw her as Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Elgin several years ago and in ‘Guys and Dolls’ at The Stratford Festival. Lisa has also appeared on CBC’s ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ and has worked at the Shaw Festival, Gryphon, Neptune and Grand Theatre (London, Ontario), and at Drayton Entertainment over the years.

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

It has been an exceptionally long five months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears we are slowly emerging to some new way of living. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time?

I don’t know how to describe it really. At first, I took the opportunity to really slow down and check in with myself and my life. My husband is an actor as well, so we took the time, we cleaned and cooked, it was a novelty and relaxing. Honestly, I thought we would be back to work by the fall, which seems crazy now. My family is doing well, I have a family member who is quite compromised because he is diabetic so that’s nervous making. My nephews are heading back to school this week and I am thinking a lot about them right now too. As it goes on, I have good days and bad days. I’ve decided to just let whatever day it’s going to be and I don’t put pressure on myself. The bad days are good reminders of my privilege, I am so lucky. It helps me when I remember that.

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

I think the biggest challenge was always to balance personal and professional life. Being an actor is an all encompassing 24/7 job and a passion. I’m sure any actor will say they’ve missed weddings, funerals, anniversaries, etc. Ironically, that is not the case now. it’s a different set of huge challenges we all face.

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

I was playing Beulah in ‘Come from Away’ for Mirvish Productions, so in fact we had been going for two years. I have (had) the best job in the world. The producers have been very reassuring that the story will have a life after our industry comes back. I believe them. I hope it won’t be a long time, but I suspect we have a ways to go.

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

I made the decision to go back to school when it became clear what state our country and the world is in. I kept reading about the situation in the Long-Term Care Homes, the isolation people were facing and the danger that the staff were under and how short staffed they were. I couldn’t sit still; I was starting to feel helpless and depressed…so I am working on my Personal Support Worker accreditation. Exam in January! And again, my privilege of having a good job (which gave me good credit!) meant I could do that. I’ve been thinking about doing it for a few years now. It feels like we are in a war and I wanted to get on the lines, I couldn’t watch anymore.

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

I am a teacher as well and I said to some of my students, “This is an intermission. A long one.” I don’t envy young actors trying to keep their mental health intact with all of this. A lot of promise, excitement and then this. But nothing, nothing ever takes away from what you are.

We are artists. We are suffering as an industry, but we know what we are worth and what our purpose is in the global community, we’ll get through. Invest in yourself, be kind to yourself and be kind to others.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Yes, I do actually. The pressure was clearly building and most of the world woke up to the injustices our BIPOC brothers and sisters have been facing. We should have seen it many, many years ago but here we are.

Our theatre community is going through huge changes and I am very grateful to be here for that and help anyway I can. We have the time to gain clarity (if we want it) about how we got to this place. Social media is a lot of things, but personally I am grateful for the education and information that the internet can provide (good and bad). It is a powerful thing that internet. Critical thinking is a very necessary tool these days.

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

Oh, I’m sure. I don’t know what it is yet. But if we don’t let ourselves be affected and grow how can we be better? Certainly, the BLM movement is going to be a huge force of change in our community.

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

I think that actors can put a box on a sidewalk and make magic. I am loving the ingenuity and imagination that is going into live online entertainment. There is such a technical aspect of it that eludes me and makes me frustrated sometimes. We have an expression in our house which is ‘don’t smash it Lisa’…we certainly can’t afford new computers, so I try to stay out of the entertaining and just be the entertained for now.

I’m not sure what may come out of all of this, but it certainly is lovely to reach people with live performances who would never have watched before.

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

Nothing in this world will ever destroy performing for me. Covid has made me fearful and sad that we aren’t doing as well as we could as a global community. We haven’t taken care of each other and our planet as well as we could have. But in terms of my art and what I do, that is my mental health and my church (for lack of a better description). I am on an intermission, but I’ll see you back in the theatre when everyone takes their seats.

My recent Zoom call with Montreal’s Artistic/Executive Director of the Segal Centre, Lisa Rubin, led me to discover that she has had an interesting mix of training. Lisa’s major was in Drama at Montreal’s McGill University, but it was more academic based and not a conservatory program. During her McGill years, she spent three consecutive years at the Charlottetown Festival. For Lisa, that was training for her and what an opportunity to be trained with this prestigious company.

Lisa has had years of dance training and singing and voice lessons. She grew up in theatre programs of acting, singing and dancing.

Lisa has been the Artistic and Executive Director of Montreal’s Segal Centre since 2014. A bit of my own online research revealed she has had an important part in the development of new musicals including ‘Prom Queen’ in 2016.

In the online blog ‘The Montrealer’ in 2019, Peter Kerr had written that “Lisa is understandably proud of the reputation that the Segal has garnered…while honouring the history of the Centre, their audiences and donors.” I couldn’t agree with him more as she is an articulate, passionate and very calm lady who clearly is ready to take the reins and move the Segal forward once we are all given the clearance to return to the theatre.

Thank you, Lisa, for taking the time from your schedule for our conversation:

It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again in Ontario and Quebec. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living?

Yes, I do, I do think that when there’s a vaccine the clouds will part. I do believe that. Unfortunately, it’s the only time the clouds will part. Over the last eight months, people’s hopes and expectations have been giving us all whiplash. There’s an acknowledgement at this point that a true return to normalcy, the crowds, and our ability to connect with family, friends and the community will be post vaccine. It will take time.

I’m sure there will be remnants of everything we’re doing now in terms of health and safety and protocols will stay with us for quite some time.

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

For me, personally, it’s been very good. And I think that’s one of the struggles that have is balancing the acceptance and enjoying the change in my life that this has brought on while my other love and work love and work life and the industry is suffering. Personally, it has been five, almost six years in my job that has completely devoted to it in terms of travel, in terms of weekends, in terms of evenings, in terms of long, long hours. I have been grateful for every minute of it and I love it so much. It’s such a privilege to do what I do.

It’s also taken me away from my family. It’s taken me away from finding the time to invest in myself. I’m not Oprah and not getting up at 5 am to exercise. I’ve exercised pretty early, but 5 am is just a tad too early for me.

Reconnecting and just being home with my kids and cooking again and exercising daily is something I didn’t realize how much I loved. As a dancer, it’s made me want to sing again and dance again. I have incredible healthy kids at a good age, they’re 12 and 13. They have their independence, and they need it as they’re beginning their teenage journey. They also still like to hang out with us at night a little bit too, and cuddle. We spend a lot of time together.

I remember very clearly what it was like to have little kids and I think this pandemic would have been very different for me and my family if my kids were younger. To me, parents and little kids are heroes right now, and the teachers, the doctors, the nurses. I’ve seen a lot of silver linings for myself. It hasn’t changed how hard I work or how many hours I sit in front of the screen. It’s just a different way of doing it because I’m home. I want to get back to seeing shows, to directing, to travelling, to being in the room and all that, but I don’t want to forget what this gift of time at home has meant.

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

I am seeing that show business is hard enough. To see people from back stage to technicians to the painters, the designer to the actors, to not have access to any work right now and leaving the business and going through mental health issues and financial crises, that’s where the guilt and trying to do the best that I can with the power that I have. I have a lot of power in my position and I have a job.

There’s are things we’ve been talking about at the Segal Centre right now. What can we give back right now? And how do we continue to support our audiences and how do we continue to raise money? But how do we really look at what we have and how lucky we are to have what we have and give back to the community.

At the Segal Centre, we’re giving away free space. We’re hiring and engaging with independent companies than we ever have before so we can put money in their hands and funnel it through. Although we don’t want to be doing online theatre, we’re doing online programming so we can just hire people. We can put money into companies and artists, and all of the things we want our audiences to enjoy and to help find some joy during this time.

Another difficult and challenging thing we want to overcome is not getting done on what we had before. Let’s focus on what we have right now and remembering that everyone is dealing with this so we can get back to do what we love and want to do. Prior to the pandemic, the Segal Centre was on an incredible trajectory. Our new musicals keep getting better and stronger. There is so much potential and collaboration out there.

To work now under this condition that we don’t have a season and only do some things, that’s okay. Even though I love musicals, we can’t do those right now and that’s okay. Instead let’s just focus on what we can do. I found it helpful to focus on the immediate future – such as looking at three months ahead – with the budgets we have and be motivated by what we have right now and the gratitude that comes with that.
I know and feel very lucky so when I see others suffering, I want to help. I just can’t help everybody. I don’t think everyone is expecting me to, but artists look to the institute and organization for support as well.

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

Yes, it was ‘Oslo’ which is a Tony award winning play with a cast of 15. We were a week and few days away from first rehearsals starting. The entire set was built. Actors had memorized their lines. ‘Oslo’ was a really hard one to cancel as it’s a phenomenal show. I’m absolutely going to do it again. But it’s one of those shows that may have to wait until we get back on our feet because it is so big.

We also cancelled a world premiere play, a world premiere comedy called ‘Siberian Summer’. This one I’m determined especially since it is a world premiere and the playwright can re-invent the piece so that it makes sense in a post-Covid world or an on-going Covid world that the story holds true and the relationships that we build the characters on all hold true.

Now what happens if they have to wear masks? What happens if they have to stay 6 feet apart? How does that affect their life in this context? There are some exciting things coming up for ‘Siberian Summer’.

We also cancelled the Yiddish Theatre. That was hard too because that’s community theatre. So community theatres around the city all had to cancel and that’s hard too. We also had to cancel our musical fundraiser for which we were rehearsing for 3-4 months. That was hard as we were ready to move into the theatre in March for Tech week.

Some other things may never happen that we were working on or they might.

Art is always changing. Art has to change so the shows we do will reflect the time and the artists we want to work with. We’ll see what makes sense for us to keep doing or what doesn’t.

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

I have to tell you that I work a lot of hours. (Lisa laughs as she shares this) I still work a lot of hours. Outside of the work hours, I exercise, I go to COSTCO. I take care of my kids. I run errands.

I’m also part of a volunteer group from The Federation. I’ve done quite a bit of deliveries. Volunteering is also something I personally enjoy because it makes me feel like I’m contributing. I’ve taken my kids with me when I volunteer, and we really enjoy bringing food and bringing gift bags to seniors’ residences.

Reading a lot. I think about how I did everything before when I travelled so much. I think a busy person can do everything, and yet I’m also making more time for disconnecting because the connections are so intense during the week that Sunday I’m going for walks or bike rides or just lying on the couch and watching Netflix like everybody else. This is a change from my life before and I’m enjoying it.

I’m never bored. I miss my friends, socializing, I miss my family. I haven’t seen my dad in a year.

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?

There are two messages. One is perhaps a tough love message and that is our industry will have shrunk a little bit. There will be less opportunities for a bit than there were before. There will be smaller productions maybe than there were before. In order to excel in this field, you have to train, you need your technique. You need to keep singing. You need to keep dancing. You need to do all these things.

I understand there may be this need of “I don’t want to” and permission to allow yourself to not also. But when the time comes, artists, you need to keep yourself and your SELF healthy. So, the training, the work, you can’t stop investing in yourself as an artist.

I believe it will come back. Theatre is one of the things that if you like it as an audience member OR if you’re in it as an artist, you can’t live without it. It doesn’t matter. Nothing is going to change that. It’s going to come back, so will Broadway. Theatres will open again. It’s not going away.

Hang in there. I know it’s hard, but you have to invest in yourself as an artist because if you want to work that’s what it’s going to take. As a result of what’s happened with Black Lives Matter and the major racial revolution and changes happening, the Segal Centre and others will be investing even more in mentorship opportunities and apprenticeships and training, and ensuring that we make that marginalized communities or voices that don’t belong in white American theatre WILL BELONG and will have opportunities for artists. That’s ongoing investments in artists.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

Oh, yeah. Access and having online programming, even if it’s not theatre, even if it’s our ‘talk show’ format presentations or educational opportunities gives people access to those who cannot attend the theatre. I feel as if I’ve become closer with my Board. I’ve become closer with leaders in the Montreal community. I’ve become closer with members of the French community. I’ve become closer with arts workers in the US because I do weekly Town Halls.

It’s actually strange in how well you start getting to know people because you spend so much time online with them. There have been so many wonderful connections made as a result of not being able to travel to establish connections. This is going to make us appreciate the in person work even more.

I also think many of us have been hustling, and I just hustle in a different way because it’s my job. The hustle of the working independent artist, whether he/she is or they are trying to work, investing in themselves and auditioning OR the working artist who goes from contract to contract to contract, they have not stopped. You can’t stop this.

This forced stopping from the pandemic in the beginning, I think, was a wake up call for so many. If you talk to many artists who were non stop in the beginning, these artists realize they were forced to concentrate on other things like baking, reading, relaxing where they don’t have to study the script, learn lines or audition. I know it’s too long of a break, but I think artists deserved that break, actually, big time. These artists deserved not to hustle for a little bit.

Now, we’re eight months later, so artists you are going to have to put the work back in for sure.

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

I think it’s going to be the same around the world. It’s going to take a lot for the vulnerable, regardless of age, who have been afraid these last eight months to find their way back and to have trust. There’s a whole group who would attend tomorrow if they know they could.

There’s an inevitable loss from Covid as well. We may not be able to be at full capacity for some time so I think by the time we’re at full capacity happen again truly, it will have been this gradual 100 more, then another 100 more, so it will be a slow re-instatement of people to have that trust. We’re going to have to see it reflected in the numbers.

We’re in for a slow re-awakening in the theatre industry but it will happen. I think this is the same for everywhere around the world and not just in Canada. It is what it is. I have hope but we will have to look at the audiences who will come to the theatre and program accordingly and just think differently. Everyone recognizes that old models may change and may shift. I’d like to be one of the innovators. We’re all a little burnt out just dealing with the whiplash, the HR, the granting, the cancelling. If it’s not me, someone else will and I’ll be grateful to them. We’ll help each other.

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

I think it’s so wonderful that artists who have done their own thing on streaming. I’ve seen some awesome work. Good for them.

If actors are going to be hired and used for online streaming for our audiences, then yes, they should be compensated appropriately.

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

Covid will never destroy the energy I feel even connecting during an online dance class. It doesn’t change. Being in person makes it better but it doesn’t change. It’s like an addiction. Once you’ve tasted it, you just know. Your love of food, your love of music that does not go away.

Again, Covid will never destroy that energy.

To learn more about Montreal’s Segal Centre, visit www.segalcentre.org.

Actress, singer and recording artist Liz Callaway put me at ease so quickly during our conversation today that I even said to her, halfway through, I felt like I was having a cup of tea with her while we chatted about so many things.

And you will see from her answers Liz has been through a great deal over the last seven months.

I had the good fortune to have seen Liz perform in the original Broadway company of ‘Miss Saigon’ many years ago. She also appeared for five years in the Broadway run of ‘Cats’ as Grizabella and sang the iconic ‘Memory’. Liz sang the Academy Award nominated song “Journey to the Past” in the animated feature Anastasia and is also the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin and the King of Thieves and The Return of Jafar. Other film work includes the singing voice of the title character in The Swan Princess, Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, Beauty and the Beast, The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars and The Rewrite with Hugh Grant.

I did not know that Liz sang back up vocals to the theme song of television’s ‘The Nanny’ (Fran Drescher). The theme song was written and lead vocals by Liz’s sister, Ann Hampton Callaway.

She is a strong advocate for people to vote, especially for this upcoming US election.

Liz and I conversed through Zoom. Thank you so much, kind lady, for taking the time:

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

During this crazy time, I enjoy hearing what people are doing and how they’re feeling during the pandemic. It’s very comforting to me to read that. It helps. I was on a Zoom with Lucie (Arnaz) recently and I let her know how much I enjoyed reading her profile.

And yet, this is so scary that the numbers are going up. I live about an hour north of New York City and where I live right now, it’s okay. But you can just see the numbers are creeping up everywhere. I have a big anniversary coming up on Monday. My husband (Dan Foster) and I for the last year were saying we were going to go somewhere and do something really special. I blocked off time, and now you can’t go anywhere. There’s a spike happening everywhere.

I don’t know how soon we will emerge to a new way of living. For the longest time, it felt like, “Ok, this is just a pause.” I finally came to grips with “No, this is life. This is the new normal.” And we have to accept it.

Every day I read something new about a show might be opening, or this is going to happen and keeping tabs on what’s happening not just in the States, but in London, England as well for theatre and concerts.
I think it’s going to be quite some time, and I don’t know if it will ever totally be the same. But I think it will start in baby steps. I’m possibly looking ahead to next summer. I hope I’m wrong, and even then, who’s to say as that’s what is so hard about all of this as there is such uncertainty.

We all like to feel in control and we can’t control this. But I don’t know when people and audience members are going to feel comfortable being close together. Financially, it’s incredibly difficult for theatres, for club owners to operate and restaurants at a diminished capacity.

It also makes me feel so bad to think that singing is one of the most dangerous things to do. We have to keep people safe. I was supposed to go into Manhattan yesterday as we were to perform a socially distant Broadway style song in Times Square. Over the weekend I came down with a dry cough and I didn’t want to take any chances. I got a Covid test and it was negative, but I still didn’t want to sing even with a mask and the whole plastic shield. I don’t want to take the chance that I could infect anyone.
I’m sure we will re-emerge, and boy can you imagine what it’s going to be like to be able to go hear music and go to a show? I can’t wait to be able to sing for people. But will we ever be the same? I don’t know. Theatre will come back eventually, but there will be a lot of changes.

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

As a performer, I haven’t been on an airplane since March. I’ve travelled into Manhattan for a couple of recordings but I’m still nervous about all of this. There are going to be some amazingly creative things as we come out of all this.

My husband, Dan, was in a serious car accident on his way home in May from picking up Mother’s Day flowers for me. He was in the hospital for a week. He broke 12 ribs and his ankle. It was very, very scary. He came home and is doing really well. That just changed us. It was incredibly stressful but a miracle that he is okay. For the first month or two after the accident I was taking care of him.

Our son, Nicholas, was home for the first three months of the pandemic. He’s in graduate school and lives in Brooklyn Heights. That was a gift to have time with our son, and he was home when Dan had his car accident. Every day I thank my lucky stars that Dan is okay and that we have this time together because we begin to realize that you just don’t know if or when things could change. That has been really hard, but at the same time I felt so blessed and relieved Dan was okay.

I miss my sister (singer Ann Hampton Callaway) terribly. She moved to Tucson a few years ago. We used to be 5 minutes from each other. We talk almost everyday, but I keep thinking that I have to get out to Arizona. I’ll put on a hazmat suit, fly out to Arizona and see her, but if the numbers keep going up that won’t be happening.

I find Zoom and FaceTime emotionally exhausting even though they are wonderful technological advancements. I sometimes think old fashioned phone calls have been nice during all of this.

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

Personally, not being able to see my sister. We had a lot of gigs planned together for the summer. I miss my friends. Many of my closest friends don’t live in New York. Dan’s car accident has also been really challenging this last while.

Professionally, one of the things that is tricky is we’ve all had to become technicians. When this first started, everyone wanted to create things, live streaming, and I’ve done a lot of things for The Actors’ Fund, The Stars in the House. These organizations are amazing and people are opening their hearts and their wallets and contributing to all of these charities that need help. I’ve had so many requests for chatting, podcasts, discussions that I’ve found it overwhelming at times just because the act of setting everything up and the lighting and trying to upload things which at my house takes a bit longer than usual. It’s not a big deal as I’ve learned to be creative about it, but there’s something so sad about it.

I find that I’ve said No to a majority of the things. I mean, I want to help and when I can to do something for charity, but I find the physical act of doing these little things which can be and as they get slicker is a lot. A lot goes into it when you’re recording something as I did this week of two recordings in my closet. The whole technical process behind all of this is challenging. I have my own projects I’ve been working on – before all this started I wanted to learn more about video editing and I’m trying to set up a home studio for recording and I think it would be the safest way to do more and more of this from home.

I’m going to come out of this with more skills, but we all have to remain prolific and creative. It’s hard and I feel bad that I can’t say yes to more things. I feel fragile during this time right now and I need to protect. Sometimes doing too many things isn’t the answer either. I miss the travel to different gigs, going to places and seeing people.

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?

All my gigs were cancelled. I have a few in December, but I don’t know if they’re still going to happen. I have quite a few things next year and I hope they do happen.

I was supposed to do two concerts in San Francisco in March. My March, April and May were packed with concerts and appearances. The morning before I left for San Francisco, I kept thinking to myself, ‘Are you sure this is going to happen?’. I was a little nervous about travelling but so excited to sing for people. It was a show I had done in New York, my tribute to women who have inspired me. It was called ‘A Hymn to Her’. I re-learned the show and was so excited to do it in San Francisco. When I fly, I don’t do internet, but I thought I’ll get internet for about an hour. So, about an hour into the flight to San Francisco, I received a text the concert was cancelled. My husband was with me and all these years I’ve been singing in San Francisco, he was never able to go with me.

We landed and I thought, ‘Well, we can go into the city, it’s a really nice hotel, have a nice dinner and come home the next day.” And then I thought that it wasn’t a good idea, so we immediately flew home and took the red eye home. That was the last time we had flown. Our son had joined us at home about four days later and it was very, very strange. It felt like we were preparing for a storm when this pandemic was declared.

I had some trips planned. I was working on album that’s going to take longer. I recorded a single, I’m going to record a Christmas single or two. I’m in the midst of having Christmas music all over the place.

At the beginning of the year, I started working on my You Tube channel. I shoot a lot of videos and shoot music with my car videos. I wasn’t driving a lot during the pandemic but when I started driving Dan to his physical therapy after his car accident, well I’m back in the car. I’ve always sung in my car and thought it would be a hoot to film it since I’ve a new phone with a holder on the dash. The reaction was tremendous, and it was fun. I’ve about 12 songs called ‘Autotunes’. I’m really trying to make my You Tube channel a home for interesting content to shoot songs at home for fun, my car songs. It makes me happy, gives me a forum and creating content. It’s something I can do safely. Little goals like this are helpful.
What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time?

I’ve been caring for Dan since his accident and creating a lot of videos. I would love your viewers to check out my You Tube videos. I’ve been doing some question and answers. I haven’t really done teaching as of yet except one day things. I try to take a long walk everyday. I love to cook and have been really cooking a lot. With the days being so similar, it helps to have a new recipe and something new to eat. I’ve also been doing a bit of song writing, playing around and experimenting with writing and then probably drinking too much vodka.

I was really happy when we had baseball for a short period of time. My husband and I are finding the shows we’re watching on tv are foreign: some French. There’s a Swedish one called ‘The Restaurant’. Watching things with subtitles, I feel like I go to another place.

I also did one big live stream concert with Seth Rudetsky. I really want to do more recording, learning to do more recording at home, a Christmas single or two.

On top of the pandemic and our lives being uprooted, we have the upcoming election, and I’m encouraging everyone, and I mean everyone, to get out there and vote. It is unspeakable what is happening in the United States. We don’t have any leadership, and we have a crazy person as our President now running our country and this is all so stressful and horrible as many people enable him.

People know how I feel about things. I don’t usually tell people how to vote but, in this case, (and she sings from the song ‘Once Upon a December’…) “I’m urging you please vote blue on the 3rd of November.” I can’t be quiet on this issue. This is too important. Literally, our country and lives are at stake. What we do and what happens in the US affects everyone.

This is a time when we should all be working together for the pandemic and climate change, everything. I can understand if people voted for Trump the first time. He fooled them, they wanted change. Maybe people didn’t like Hilary, whatever. He was very persuasive. But to re-elect him? Nope. That’s unacceptable. After what he’s done and all the things he said, I don’t understand.

My hope is people will vote. To quote from ‘Singing in the Rain’ – “I can’t stand him”.

My father was a well known, renowned television journalist in Chicago. He worked for PBS and had his own show. Our father never told us who he voted for. We knew who he voted for, but he didn’t tell us. My father had an amazing way about him. I do believe have the right to vote for who they want to, but in this case it’s just unspeakable about what has happened. I feel like I have to speak out.

If through any of my songs or encouragement, if I’ve encouraged at least one person to vote who may have been uncertain whether to do it or not, then I will feel as if I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

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?

(Liz sighed before she answered) Oh, gosh, I feel for you guys [new grads]. In many ways, it has to be harder for them than for those of us who have been around. We’re all struggling to make a living. I do collect unemployment when I’ve not been hired to do something.

I guess I would say this is a time to be entrepreneurial. That’s something I discovered in myself six years ago that I had this real entrepreneurial side. I’ve produced two albums, three singles and am really enjoying that side of me. You have to create your own work and find ways of being creative. Also, this is a good time to learn different skills. I do believe we are put on this earth to do many things not just theatre, not just music. We are to have many different careers, chapters, jobs.

Ultimately all of these different chapters will make you a better actor and performer. Know you’re not alone. Even the successful people right now are wondering what are we going to do? Is this ever going to come back?

I don’t have any real wisdom. I just send hugs to you and keep working. Keep acting, singing, dancing. I’m so impressed with dancers in their tiny apartments and they’re still doing their barre exercises. It helps to have goals and try to learn new things. Keep a journal. Sometimes writing your feelings down sometimes gets it out of your body.

We just have to make the best of it.

Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19?

I will say that with all the protests, starting with the horrific and outrageous murder of George Floyd and the dialogue we have now, I don’t know if the pandemic had happened if there would have been such outrage and if people would have necessarily spoken up the way they have.

Something positive coming out of this? The whole discussion of race and police brutality. If the pandemic hadn’t happened would people have taken to the streets and the occurring dialogue theatres have had with many groups? Would that have happened? I don’t know, it might have to a lesser degree, but I think we will make changes. It’s going to be hard, but I feel confident that this is our best shot.

Part of what this pandemic has taught me is we only have this day. My husband’s accident has also taught me this as well. I’m savouring the little things and live each day for each day. Every day is a gift.

Throughout all of this I’ve realized how much I love to sing. When I’ve been anxious, singing calms me down particularly if I’m in my car. It feels good. That’s a way of self care.

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

It’s going to take quite a long time for Broadway to bounce back, but I do think it will. We almost need to have a vaccine that we know works. People have to take it. You can’t do Broadway financially with people 6 feet apart. It’s eye opening to look at the condition of the theatres running.

My fear is it’s either all or nothing. It’ll really come back when it’s safe to have 1000 people in a theatre. That is heartbreaking because it’s not just the actors, but everyone from behind the scenes, the musicians, the ushers, the technical crew to the restaurants and businesses surrounding the theatres.
I think regional theatres will have a better chance of bouncing back sooner. Maybe still having to do a combination. I feel for all the theatres and businesses as to how to make it work financially. God bless the people who contribute and help.

Maybe there’s a way to do certain things in a smaller way. Unions and everyone will have to come together to figure out how to make it work financially. Something else that will come out of this is great art. The things that have come out of terrible times in history were some great art, great music, tremendous theatre.

A lot will depend on this election looking at jobs now and in the future. For the future, and not just the arts, people are giving of their talents to people who need it. We need diversion right now. A lot of audience members really appreciate it and some who don’t realize the incredibly important role the arts play during the pandemic.

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?

That’s been a real challenge in all of this. The concert I did with Seth was the only thing I’ve done where basically there was a price of $25.00 for it.

So much of what we’ve been doing and what I’ve been doing is to raise money for The Actors’ Fund and Broadway Cares. You want to give and yet you still have to make a living. I think that is a challenge and dance we’re all dealing with.

My sister does a wonderful concert series once a month from her home. It’s called ‘The Callaway Hideaway’. She can play the piano herself, so she has an advantage.

But watching too much streaming? There is something emotional about it. Seeing something live is good but it also makes me sad. But streaming is something that we have right now. I miss the applause, the audience there. I put some of my stuffed animals around for an audience, but my cat, Lenny, is not terribly interested in my performances.

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

It can’t destroy the feeling of knowing in singing or acting that you’re giving or, as an audience member, receiving the love and the heart of everyone who performs. It’s a two-way street. It makes me appreciate singing even more.

Covid can’t take away how you feel when you sing or when you’re in a play, and we are going to appreciate it even more the next time we gather together again. The audience and the performers are one. That’s the reason why we do what we do.

My mantra: “Nothing to prove, only to share.” In the meantime when I did my live stream concert, I could feel the audience even though I couldn’t see them. We are all going through this, and I’m really lucky that I can sing. Singing makes me happy and makes other people happy to hear me sing. It’s a gift to give our music and a gift to receive other people’s music.

No one can ever take away that gift.

You can learn more about Liz Callaway by visiting her personal web page: www.lizcallaway.com.
Visit Liz’s You Tube Channel and her social media handles Twitter/Instagram: @LizGoesOn.

Artist Louise Lecavalier has been described as a rebel on stage. She has created her own category of contemporary dance. Her frenetic, athletic and technical moves are daring and riveting. She is deliberate in the selection of music for her productions for their escalation in musical intensity.

Since founding her own company, ‘Fou Glorieux’, in 2006, her movement research has been symbolic of her entire career, emphasizing the surpassing of limits and risk-taking, a search for the absolute in which she seeks to bring out the “more-than-human in the human.

Lecavalier will perform her solo show ‘Stations’ November 23-25 on the Harbourfront Centre stage. Harbourfront calls the production her most personal work to date.

‘Solos’ marks the first time the Order of Canada recipient has performed a solo show of her own choreography.

She is one busy lady right now and I was thankful she had the chance to answer some questions via email before the production opens.

OTV: You have had quite an illustrious career as an artist. What is it about the art of dance that still connects you to tell stories to an audience?

LL: Adolescent.

Dance caught me in the flight. When I discovered dance, on top the pleasure of improvising freely and learning steps from others, I saw a beauty in it that came from those incredible possibilities to expand the body in unexpectable ways. i I thought also that dance was capapabe to express something that went beyond what was measurable in sports, or the simple valoriation of specific aspects of one’s morphology.

Strangely or not strangely with time, I think I am even closer if possible to my most inner impulse to dance. I might have been at the beginning too caught up by my admiration for the technical aspect of it and the dancers I saw dancing. They were to me like the most beautiful animals. And I wanted to be in their world

Over time, dance has become wider and more personal. My appreciation of the human boday for its natural sense of dance has expanded. While still dancing I do not think of myself so much as a dancer now but as a someone who dances. I see dance everywhere and I want to dance atom like.

Dancing was never about telling stories for me, it was about finding and touching our essence as beings. That is a long journey.

OTV: In your professional opinion, does one need to have a specific educational background or training to appreciate the art form of dance?

LL: I hope that is not necessary. You like a dance or you don’t. Same with music. Same with painting…it touches you or it doesn’t. In the end, happy or not with a live show that you saw, some trace is left. It can be questions, it can be awe, it can be that your recognize your whole life there, or your hopes, your ideas, or you simply had a good time and forgot your personal worries.
Education in art starts by seeing a first thing…then a second one..And art informs about the other art forms, and informs us of something without our knowledge.

OTV: The title ‘Stations’ intrigues me. What is it specifically about your upcoming Harbourfront performance that you want audiences to remember about the meaning of Stations and stations in life?

LL: I never think about what I want people to remember from my shows. Hum…Maybe I should ask myself this question. Or maybe not. I bring a dance on stage with no big hopes about others, but I do everything I can prior to coming on stage to arrive with the best possible version of the dance. Most clarity or most precision or most liberty or wildness. Lots of practice and re-thinking the piece over and over, this I can do, but expect something or impose an idea to the audience I cannot. I take the chance that dance talks a real language by itself and that it doesn’t need any explanations.

Being on stage with a work that is an opportunity to share some humanity. ‘Stations’ is a solo, and I have to my own surprise…already 45 years of dance behind me, so the piece speaks of a journey, a dance journey. It holds many stories but the sum of the stories for now is this dance named ‘Stations’.

Until the next work.

OTV: Who has mentored you along the way in your career?

LL: No one has officially mentored me. The person I have been the closest to and with whom I developed and expanded myself the most is Edouard Lock. All the 18 years that we worked together I had tremendous admiration for him as a choreographer, and as a thinker, not only for dance but in general. When you work so close to someone maybe you cannot see thisp person as a mentor. We were friends, colleagues and lovers. We shared. I feel like I learned so much from him.

I gave to our research everything I had. I was in a perfect mode of discovery and I didn’t hold back anything. All was given for free, all was taken freely and there was no game of power or superiority. There was already lots of laughs and sweat.

Having a mentor seems too serious when you are already deeply serious inside.

Others who have influenced me through rich connections are Tedd Robinson and Benoit Lachambre.

OTV: What words of professional advice would you give to young dance artists just beginning their careers and to their training grounds of dance?

LL: Advice I give only one to one, and even then I am never very sure of its importance. I asked no advice from teachers or performers in the dance world. I took my advice or inspiration in my readings and discussing with people from dance and from other disciplines, day to day life, observation and mostly in dancing out of my skin.

I took dance classes, and it sent me in one particular direction. I stopped taking dance classes and it sent in other directions. I moved on and on, but I always kept dancing. Injured or when pregnant, I dance in my head if I couldn’t dance so much with my feet

So what kind of advice to give?

Each dancer has to find his or her own liberty.

‘Stations’ runs November 23-25 in the Simon Fleck Dance Theatre at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, 207 Queens Quay West. For tickets, visit harbourfrontcentre.com.

What’s not to love about Louise? She is a University of Western Ontario graduate just like me. (Go Stangs!)
Even before she appeared in the iconic Toronto and Montreal productions of ‘Les Miserables’, I saw Louise first perform as Mrs. Johnstone at Toronto’s High Park in Willy Russell’s ‘Blood Brothers’. If you know the ending after the bodies of the brothers are lying on stage, and their mother stands between them, I remember wiping tears from my eyes watching and listening to a mother’s sorrowful lament over the deaths of her boys. That final song pierced the heart of everyone who sat around me on that warm summer night. What a glorious way to be introduced to one of Canada’s finest singers.

And then to see Louise just this past fall in ‘Piaf/Dietrich’ as part of the Mirvish series. Absolutely heaven once again to see one of Canada’s finest chanteuses grace the stage and offer one hell of a performance as the legendary tortured soul, Edith Piaf.

Louise was also nominated for a Tony award for her work in the Broadway production of ‘Mamma Mia!’ She is the recipient of the National Broadway Touring Award, a New York Theatre World Award, a San Francisco Theatre Critics’ Award, a Betty Mitchell Award and four Dora Mavor Moore awards, all for best performance by a leading actress in a musical.

We conducted our interview via email:

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

My husband and I are doing fine actually. We are feeling lucky to live where we live and to be able to be together, at home, with our dog. And we are deeply grateful to be good at spending a lot of time together.

2. What has been most challenging and difficult for you during this time personally? What have you been doing to keep yourself busy?

The most difficult thing about all this is the lack of in-person visits with friends. We see a couple of friends once in a while in their backyards where we can maintain a good distance and still talk. I miss my dinners out with girlfriends!!!!! We miss our gym!!!!!!!!!

As for keeping busy we are doing our workouts in our small condo with elastic bands and lots of floor exercises. We walk the dog 3 times a day. We try to add a powerwalk without the dog because we feel the cardio part of our workouts has gone out the window!!!!! And most of all, I am cooking up a storm. I cook a lot all the time but now I can devote more time to it and I admit I love that.

3. Were you involved in any professional projects when the pandemic was declared, and everything was shut down? How far were you into those projects? Will they come to fruition some time soon? Professionally, has Covid changed your life regarding all the work you have completed or may have had planned?

Joe and I were in the middle of the run of our show THE TIMES THEY ARE A’CHANGIN’ at the Segal Centre in Montreal. Can you think of a better title for this situation????? We thought so! We got a call from Lisa Rubin, the AD, on Thursday afternoon (March 12) that there would be no more performances. We went in to get our stuff from our dressing rooms and packed everything in our rental apartment to drive back to Toronto. A surreal feeling to say the least.

There was another production in final preparation to happen this summer but obviously that is gone, and I have no idea when it can happen now. I have some concerts booked in early 2021 but, as they are outside the country, I cannot assume that these will happen either. So basically, my work life has come to a grinding halt with no concrete end in sight.

4. Some actors whom I’ve interviewed have stated they can’t see anyon’e venturing back into a theatre or studio for a least 1 ½ to 2 years. Do you foresee this possible reality to be factual?

I’m afraid I do. It will be prohibitive to put on most productions with only a portion of the seats sold in order to maintain safe distancing for the audience members. There is also the very challenging aspect of the backstage area. How can you keep a safe distance from dressers and crew members running the show…….not to mention keeping safe distance between performers on the stage. I am bracing for 1 1/2 years but at this point we should not even try to put a date on this.

5. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact, either positive or negative, on the Canadian performing arts scene?

This strange time highlights the need for the arts. People are turning to music, theatre, dance, movies, television, documentaries, cooking, painting etc…….because they all realize it makes their life fuller. It feeds the heart and the soul. It brings solace. The arts always do this valuable work, not only in times of trouble and war. But that is when it is more evident.

Can you imagine how everyone would be spending this incredible amount of time in isolation if none of the arts was there to be consumed?? Then why is it that in “normal” times budget cuts hit the arts so cavalierly????? I am hoping that the public at large will come out of this with a new appreciation for the arts and the people who create it.

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

Oh boy…….right now I find it very difficult to feel hope and faith in the world in general. I am struggling to believe that most people are good and fair and tolerant as my usual positive attitude has been shaken to the core this last while…and I am not talking about COVID 19….

I would say though to the recent graduates that although this is an insanely difficult time to start in this business it is actually an intense preparation for a performer’s life: it is feast or famine so often in this business; there is no guarantee of work; you make a great salary on one job and a shitty one on the next, etc……

This time can make you aware that you must keep working on your craft all the time because you want to be better and better and better and most of all ready when you are called upon. It makes you keenly aware that putting money aside is extremely important so you can afford to be out of work. This is the time to dive into learning all those songs you have been wanting to learn and memorize for auditions, reading all those plays and musicals you are not familiar with, watching all those on-line movies/musicals/plays to see those accomplished actors/singers/dancers at work and LEARN FROM THEM.

I think this strange thing we are all living is making us all take a good look at our lives and what we want it to be. DO THAT. Think and visualize your wants and wishes. Make a plan for how you are going to get there. Look at what would have been done in theatres this coming season and pick the part you would like to play and learn it. And then believe that when things get back to normal you will be all ready to go to walk in and audition for that part and get it.

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

I truly hope this is not the new normal but hey, it’s better than nothing……just like ZOOM is not as good as being face to face in person but you at least get to see each other and talk. I don’t think we can compare the experience of watching from your home on your laptop and sitting in a theatre with hundreds of breathing humans sitting next to each other. I will assume (call me crazy) that online streaming will not be the way of the future for theatre but rather the reason for a heightened, renewed appreciation of sitting in a theatre to see something LIVE!!!!

8. What is it about the performing arts that still energizes you even through this tumultuous and confusing time?

Remembering the feeling of sitting in a theatre – that moment – the best moment of all – when the lights start to dim and you think “I have no idea what I am about to see, hear, feel” and then the show starts……..I convince myself that I will feel that again and that I will be on the stage again reminding myself that people sitting in the audience are feeling that very same sense of anticipation I feel when I am in a seat and not on stage.

The concrete thing that is energizing me is a project I am working on with Joe and our friend Diane. We have had an idea for a musical for a couple of years. I work well under pressure. I like deadlines. I have neither so we have promised ourselves that we will have something to show for all this down time. It is difficult to feel highly motivated to work I will admit. It is constantly shocking to me how the days fly by……how is it 4pm already??? Where does the time go? How did I do everything I did before????

And with so little to do how the hell is it that I am finding it difficult to sit down and work/write/think??
It is the challenge of this bizarre time so to help that we are managing weekly work sessions in person in a big space (thanks to Diane) and that is making all the difference. For a couple of hours, it feels almost like regular life and we all agree that it does re-charge the creative brain.

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?

Abandon

2. What is your least favourite word?

Intolerance

3. What turns you on?

Fantastic food/wine

4. What turns you off?

Apathy

5. What sound or noise do you love?

My dog’s tiny barks when he is dreaming

6. What sound or noise bothers you?

Angry screaming

7. What is your favourite curse word?

Fuck (Oh for fuck’s sake!!!!!)

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

Chef (or dog trainer)

9. What profession could you not see yourself doing?

Gynecologist

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

“Tasting Menu with your husband through Door 1, and when you are done the orchestra is waiting through Door 2 with the chart of THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY.”

To learn more about Louise, visit her website www.louisepitre.com.

Three years ago, I was appreciative Lucie took the time to chat with me. You can read her first profile here: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/lucie-arnaz-luckinbill.

It was a rather humorous experience attempting to connect via Zoom with each other this time. Our email correspondence was filled with comical attempts to schedule due to our different time zones on the West and East coasts. After much online effort, we finally managed to connect and had a good chuckle about the whole situation, agreeing that it was quite the “clusterf&%k.”

I felt highly comfortable picking up where we last left off three years ago. Lucie’s wry sense of humour and love of life remain keen and sharp as ever.

Everyone is well in her immediate family:

“Knock wood, babe. Everybody’s doing great. My brother and I are getting on. I’ll be 72 in July, and Desi’s 18 months younger. He and I are healthy. I have three beautiful grandchildren. My three children are working and happy, and my two stepsons are working and happy. Larry is of a certain age, and he has all of his wits about him. I’m a very, very grateful gal, very lucky.”

Lucie calls these last three Covid years a great exercise in the study of impermanence, the good and the ugly. Covid’s always going to be here, so we just had to get used to that going forward. Change is inevitable, and you have to live in the moment and live for tomorrow but be ready for the plans to change. A lot of stuff has happened to all of us in these last few years, and we’ve learned this the hard way.

She also had a knee replacement and had just returned from her physiotherapy before our conversation. Calling herself a late bloomer, a come-from-behind horse, as it has taken almost a year to recover, Lucie was up and around a few days after the surgery, but the knee still swells. She coyly stated she’s not tap dancing yet, but her knee is almost back to normal. It’s totally fine at the moment. She’s not in any hurry regarding the other knee, given what she experienced in this first recovery phase.

Lucie also travelled to Kenya in February of this year as part of Craft Tours group with Jim West and said it was ‘life-changing.’ It was a culture none of them on the tour could even imagine. In her words, the tour was a hell of a lot more than a safari.

She can’t wait to return:

“The combination of the magnificence of the wild animals that you see, the tenaciousness and the kindness of the Kenyan people. I was astounded. Every person I met was polite and gentle, and smiling. And they live in such abhorrent poverty most of the time. The children have to walk four miles to school by themselves. Some of them are 5 years old. They’re in the dust and dirt to sell whatever they can make on the streets”.

It was an entirely different world outside the walls of beautiful trees surrounding the hotel. The Kibera slum in Kenya was one of the worst seen anywhere. She also spoke of touring a school where it was exorbitantly costly (around $240 US for one year) to send a child. That’s not a lot of money, so Arnaz and a few of her friends took each of the six kids individually and paid for them to attend the school for the next three years. Arnaz rationalized this school fee payment in comparison to shopping weekly at the grocery store.

When the tour group returned, the hoops she and her friends had to jump through to send the money for the next three years in support of these six students seemed insurmountable. Finally, a bank account was established where the money would be deposited and then distributed to the students at the school. Arnaz and the group were assured that no money laundering or distributing would go elsewhere except to the students. But tracking down and ensuring the money was going through the proper channels was hard.

Arnaz is now back to touring her concert shows across the U.S., postponed during the pandemic. ‘I Got the Job: Songs from My Musical Past’ opens in New York’s 54 Below on July 19 and runs to July 22 inclusive. I’m attending the opening night to review and looking forward to returning to the city and finally seeing Lucie at her nightclub performance.

How does she feel about venturing back to the Big Apple?

“There’s nothing quite like it. There isn’t another city anywhere that’s like the hub of fashion, industry, finance, theatre, and music. It’s a town that embraced me and welcomed me, and that’s a wonderful feeling. Larry and I have many friends on the east coast, so it’s an opportunity to get caught up, see them, and have them come to see the show…when I’m working there, it’s just like I’m Cinderella at the Ball. There’s no place like it.”

Yes, Lucie is cognizant of the constant traffic, construction, and noise compared to the peaceful environs of Palm Springs, where she and Larry live. She balances that by comparing New York to a big campus where all the performers are in a concentrated area. At a particular hour of the night, everyone is walking to work from the nightclubs to the theatres and restaurants, and everyone is waving to each other. How cool is that?

As a proud Canadian, I asked when she was planning to cross the border and come to Toronto.

She smiled and wished she was in charge of wherever she went. She would love to call up a venue or theatre and say: “I’m ready, willing and able,” but concert bookings don’t work that way. Any interested persons are to go to Lucie’s website and follow the instructions.

Toronto producers and concert venue promoters – are you listening?

Yet a lot has changed in how Lucie approaches her concert work. Depending on scheduling and if an artist gets sick, it can change on a dime. Lucie isn’t naïve to think Covid is gone because it’s not. It’s still out there. She’s constantly on the alert:

“I wear a mask everywhere, not because of getting sick or feeling unwell; I’m afraid that I’m not going to be able to leave. I leave in ten days for New York for my show that has been postponed four times, and I don’t want to get sick. I have to be very cautious.”

The aftermath of Covid has also affected Lucie’s concert work. She used to love to come out to the audience to chat, pose for pictures and autographs and sell CDs. She can’t do that anymore.

Instead, she wears a mask when she does go out to greet people. She feels guilty if people want to take pictures, but she has to face the reality that she can’t get sick. Larry Luckinbill (Lucie’s husband) is of a certain age, so she also has to be cognizant and aware of him and his health.

Lucie doesn’t have any theatre work lined up at the present time except for the concerts. She loves live audiences and feels at home in her concerts. Regarding any upcoming plays in the future, she calls herself a woman of a certain age. She would have to be super passionate about the material to leave Larry or uproot him if she is cast in an 8 show per week schedule.

She couldn’t say no to the revival of ‘Pippin’ several years ago. Although she only had one scene where she played Berthe and got to sing that terrific song, ‘No Time at All,’ Lucie also was trained to do a trapeze routine high above the stage. That was an experience she was glad to fulfil.

Family is vital to Arnaz. She and Larry are in what she calls ‘the third act,’ and her husband remains rightly so her priority. They want to spend as much time together as they possibly can, so at this time, producing, directing and concert work suits Lucie just fine. But that doesn’t exclude any producers from contacting her if there is an upcoming project. She reads everything, and if it entices her, she, and Larry talk about the project. It all depends on what the project is, where it is and for how long.

Although artists cannot earn a decent living at the theatre, Lucie says it’s the place where her heart has always been. If she didn’t love it, she wouldn’t do it anymore. There’s much rejection in this business, and she still would tell up-and-coming artists not to be bothered by that. It’s an opportunity to be tenacious, to learn and practice. Rejection is never personal in the theatre.

Arnaz was fortunate to have had her start on her mother’s television show, which opened doors for her. She seized the opportunity and never looked back, knowing that having an advantage only gets you so far. Ultimately, success requires taking action and making choices, especially when bills need to be paid. Lucie faced a similar dilemma, as she had a passion for both family and live performing/theatre. Balancing these two aspects of her life was not always easy, and every choice required careful consideration.

Speaking of television shows, Lucie also appeared in the early 90s in the terrific comedy/drama ‘Sons and Daughters’ and loved working on it. Is there any talk of her appearing in another show anytime soon:

“There are about five and a half people who can plan their television future and 55,000 in the Screen Actors Guild. (and we both had a good laugh). No, I don’t have any plans. Sometimes things come my way, and I turn them down because I’m not passionate about them…I pick and choose my work carefully.”

As we wrapped our Zoom conversation, I threw some quickie questions to get an immediate response.

1. If your life was turned into a live performance play/musical, whom would you like to see play you? Larry? Your brother? Your parents?

I have the same answer for all these individuals – “The best damn actors of the time with a damn good script.” Who knows when that will happen? It would depend on what ages of Larry, my brother and me. I think enough has been done about my parents, so I can’t see that happening anytime soon. But I’m not in charge.

2. What book(s) are you reading right now?

Generally, I’m not a book reader since I don’t have the time. I do the shopping and the cooking and other things, so that’s my priority. When I have an opportunity, I read a lot of books by listening to them, and that has helped me to get through a number of them. I love biographies more than fiction. I’ve been reading everything from Mel Brooks’ autobiography to Michelle and Barack Obamas, Carl Reiner, and Randy Rainbow’s.

3. Is there a particular place you have not been to yet, but feel drawn to visit?

Ireland. We’re going next June with the Craft Tours, and I’ll do my show. Larry will come with me this time. He really wants to go. I’ve never been there so I really want to see it.

4. You and Larry have been married for 43 years. What’s one piece of advice you would give to newlyweds? To new grandparents?

To newlyweds and married people – ‘Never give up.’ Stuff happens; you get mad at some dumb stuff and can have some really bad fights. Go back into the room and say you’re sorry, even if it’s not your fault. Don’t give up. People don’t know how to talk about stuff today.

To new grandparents – “Enjoy every blessed minute because it goes by so fast. Don’t be judgmental. Let your children raise their children and be there for them.”

5. You’ve been elected President of the United States for one week. What would you focus on and try to change in that week?

Global warming, helping the planet survive and convincing the world this is a priority. It’s the one thing that scares me more than Donald Trump, more than gun control, more than women’s rights being taken away, more than Russia, more than China. It’s the planet, for God’s sake. If we don’t have the planet, none of this other stuff matters.

To learn more about Lucie and her concert work, visit her website, www.luciearnaz.com. You can also follow Lucie on Facebook: @LucieArnazOfficial.

‘I Got The Job: Songs from My Musical Past’ plays at 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street, Cellar, New York City, July 19 – 22, 2023, inclusive. For tickets and more information, visit 54below.org. I’ll post my review after opening night.

The last time I saw Lucy Peacock on stage at The Stratford Festival was in Noel Coward’s quintessentially delicious comedy of manners ‘Private Lives’ in 2019 alongside other notable company members Geraint Wyn Davies, Mike Shara, Sophia Walker, and Sarah Dodd.

Sigh! And it was just several months later before our world completely changed on account of Covid.

Could we ever use that humorous witty banter and repartee from this ‘Private Lives’ cast right now to help us slowly emerge and move forward into a new way of life.

You’ll see some of Lucy’s wit in her responses below that did make me smile. Her candour as well regarding governmental support both provincial and federal for the industry is spot on. I also appreciated how hopeful she remains about the industry and the future of the performing arts.

Lucy is a graduate of Montreal’s National Theatre School. She has appeared in so many wonderful productions at Stratford in so many diverse roles, and I know when I see her name in the playbill that my time will be well spent for the next two to three hours.

She and I conducted our conversation both by email and by telephone. Thank you, Lucy, for adding your voice and your thoughts as we all look ahead in a post-pandemic world:

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

I wonder if the planet has actually thrived to a certain extent with the decrease of human movement and consumption. Or perhaps we have had the time to focus our points of reflection. Whether it is on the smallest gift of a spring bud to the grander presence of the sky and the elements. And, of course, the Horizon.

I live on a farm which is located on Treaty 29 territory in Perth County, Ontario. This land has been cared for by the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabewaki, and the Attiwonderonk (or Neutral) nations.
My husband and I settled here 30 years ago. As a farmer, my husband’s day to day life didn’t change much except he was tripping over people while he was working…! As I have always worked in the summer and often between my seasons at the Stratford Festival, I realized I hadn’t spent much time here really. I have relished being here to fully witness and rediscover how the 4 seasons are manifested here.

I managed to find the poison ivy, the snakes, (“we have snakes…?!?”), the hundreds of species of birds and bugs (“we have bugs…?!?”), the trees, hundreds of which we planted and are now Huge, (running joke, “I can’t see anything for the darn trees…!!!”), the gorgeous skies, the snow, the thunder, sometimes at the same time,(“?!?”), and, of course, the Horizon.

These last 18 months have allowed my husband and I to really See what we have accomplished in our over 40 years together. And to reflect on the later season of our lives and how we might want to nurture it. This has been an unexpected and precious gift of time for us and for our family.

All of that said, I also often found myself lost these last 18 months. The waves of depression, ennui, numbness, listlessness, were coupled with deep anxiety and profound grief. We have lost friends and family; we have witnessed the brutality of our fellow humans to each other, again and again, and yet again. It is so devastating to reflect into ourselves and see who and what we are and the horrors we are capable of and are responsible for.

Our collective foundation, humanity, is forever changed, or actually, Revealed. And then we despair, as we should, the planet despairs of us, as it should, the sky is bleak, as it should be, and the Horizon is murky and lost to us, as it should be.

I am hoping I am changed, and that the latter season of my life is one of renewal and clarity….and that the Horizon will become clear again.

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

Frankly, I am appalled by the lack of support from our governments for our industry. It minimizes our value to the community and our contribution to society as a whole.

However, I am also elated and inspired by the resilience I have witnessed throughout this struggle by so many. The innovation and imagination of all the artists and technicians and curators and their navigation of this crucially difficult time has been absolutely extraordinary. Brilliant.

We have confirmed our value to each other at the very least.

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

I miss the integrity of the work. I miss the discipline. I miss the collaborative quest for excellence and the collective forward movement of a group of people foraging and forging. (Or milling and strewing if that’s where we are in the quest(ion)…!)

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

Other people’s worth. I hope to be mindful of not making any assumptions about anyone. That I will not take Anyone for granted. That if I don’t know someone, I will take more care and be sensitive to Their journey of which I might play a small part in.

I will not take for granted the value of Respect, Care, Humility, Love.

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

I hope we can all be more gentle with each other. That when the pressure is on….and it is inevitably ON…that we can always Stop and Take Care.

That there is no show or story or work of art that is worth hijacking someone’s mental or spiritual or physical well being at any time.

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

I do hope I can be of help. I hope to continue to do some teaching. I hope to give Hope back to the younger (or not so younger) artists who may have lost their way during this storm.

I hope to support those whose artistic journey has been prevented from gaining traction by the systemic oppression, exclusivity, and colonialism of our industry. I hope to help those who have been stopped in their artistic tracks by this pandemic.

Many hopes.

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

I honestly don’t see how we can avoid our stories being informed by Covid in the return. Both in the telling and the receiving.

As you mentioned in the first question…we are forever changed.

If we are craving lighter stories it might be a reaction to our state of being and our desire to be nurtured back to health. If we want to dig deeper into the pain and grief of the last few months It is because we aren’t ready to move forward. I think it will all be about healing.

We will Need to simply Be together….Both in the telling and the receiving….and take it from there.

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

Gosh. That is hard to say. Just to be remembered would be nice.

Associate Artistic Director at Soulpepper Theatre Company, Luke Reece, is one highly charming gentleman who holds no pretentious airs about him at all. He is a very down to earth, humble and appreciative guy who shared some extremely funny moments during our conversation that I wasn’t able to include here for space.

Luke is an award-winning spoken word poet, theatre producer and playwright. Through his work as an educator and artistic leader within the national arts community, he advocates for engaging and nuanced storytelling that challenges audiences. He is one of Toronto’s most decorated slam poets and has represented the country internationally.

Luke currently sits on the board for the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and the Toronto Poetry Project.

We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thanks again, Luke:

The doors to Toronto live theatre have been shut for over a year plus now with no possible date of re-opening soon and day one of the Ontario provincial stay at home order. How have you and your immediate family been faring during this time?

I’m happy to say that with my immediate family, they’re all doing well. Staying in touch virtually and trying to check in with everyone. It’s funny because we’re starting to hear now people getting vaccinated and my family doesn’t always communicate to me what’s going on so I’m hearing from my friends how their grandparents are vaccinated, and I’m thinking, “I don’t even know when mine are getting vaccinated. I don’t even know what’s going on.”

I talked to my mom and she said they were vaccinated weeks ago, and I had no idea. Yes, that’s great news but could someone tell me so I’m not worrying about it or thinking I should be doing something. My grandparents both have their first dose of the vaccine. My Nonna just turned 92 this past Saturday.
As we enter this new stay at home order today, my first thought honestly, Joe, when they announced it was that we were legitimately low on toilet paper here. And I thought if we go out and get toilet paper, we’re going to be those people who are hoarding and stocking up, and we’re not. We really do need toilet paper because we’re out. So, trying to navigate that.

I’ve been good health wise, going for walks and doing yoga. Still trying to figure out when it’s my turn for the vaccine. I’m hearing mixed messages. Some people are saying we can register for it. Anyway, I will take care of it soon. I have asthma so I’m hoping I’ll be able to find out when I can register.

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

I’ve been doing a lot of writing, and that really picked up a year ago. I’ve always been a writer; I’ve always done it in the time that I’ve been able to find. I’ve always called myself a playwright since high school but wasn’t really able to fully step into that identity, I think, until the last couple of years just because I was producing a lot.

You know, Joe, I started producing because I wanted to produce my own work when I was in early university. As soon as I figured out how to do it, I felt selfish and then I wanted to produce other people’s work, so I stepped away from mine for the longest time. When things slowed down a year ago, I was able to find the time to write some more and also to remind people in the community that I’m a writer; I’m a spoken word poet as well and that form can easily be consumed online through performances and videos, so people started to pick up that I’m both a spoken word poet and a playwright.

I’ve got a few commissions underway and a few projects in development and being Associate Artistic Director at Soulpepper and owning that side. So, the switch for me is realizing all the creative work I’ve been doing outside my full job, I can bring in and enfold into Soulpepper now in my artistry.

I’m a big Raptors Fan so following the NBA is something that takes up a lot of my time when I want to step outside of theatre. (Luke then turned his computer camera around to show me a lot of his Raptors and sports memorabilia. He is a true sports fan outside of his work at Soulpepper).

I also play soccer, but too short for basketball team, but I still shoot hoops when I can. It’s tough to find spots on a hoop right now; I’ve just moved into a new area of Toronto, I’m out in the east end and I’m trying to figure out what time the courts and fields are busy so that I know when I can schedule.

I’m craving that time too to shoot some hoops for a bit.

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

I think it’s been a partial escape. Covid has been around long enough that I have to segment it to answer.
For me, it was an escape from how I thought about my relationship to work in my life. I think people really started to appreciate family and loved ones. We’re seeing people lose loved ones; I lost an uncle early on, not Covid related, but it was right at the moment where we could not gather for funerals.

Early on for me was recognizing how interacting with our family is now different as they feel further away. So now it became a matter of how do I manage my time where I can speak with my family more, and call my grandparents more, organize picnics over Zoom.

I was at Obsidian Theatre at the time, ended up leaving Obsidian in August of 2020 and took some time off. I saved up some money and used that time to get things in my life sorted, so it was a bit of an escape in that sense.

I also went on a road trip to Whistler and back with my best friend. He had this mini van and we thought to have a mini van bubble, he and I, and we camped mostly along the way, save a few air bnbs. It was cold though as we went in September and October. Camping in Banff in September gets below freezing at night, so I had to buy some new sleeping bags. I was always first up in the morning to start a fire. We got to see some beautiful parts of the country. Driving across seeing the Prairies was also an escape too. I saw a lot of wildlife as well and that was cool because I love wildlife.

I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago (Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill was one) 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 as in Stratford. What are your comments about this?

It’s amazing she had the foresight then to predict 2022.

I remember at one point feeling so confident that we would be back in fall 2020. We weren’t cancelling shows in April because we thought it’ll pass by the fall. I think for the fact I could remember we were feeling so certain early on that we were coming back. Every time I felt certain we were coming back it’s been pushed further ahead.

I don’t feel certain about anything now (Luke says with a laugh).

I think, at the very earliest, 2022. Some companies are talking about doing stuff at the end of 2021 and I don’t see how you can. There are a couple of factors to it. Even as we progress and people are allowed back into theatres, the indoor capacity will be only 50 for awhile. So is this sustainable to do productions given this number, the size of the production.

Outdoor stuff we’ll see as at Stratford this summer. I was surprised at first and then thought what do they know that I don’t know. But that’s great the Festival is returning.

The next question is how comfortable will people be in returning. I don’t doubt people will be excited to return to the theatre, I also think people will take their time returning to the theatre especially now with the variants and the stay-at-home orders or lock down orders. We’re getting the first dose of the vaccine but now the second dose is being pushed back further and further so this is another factor to consider.

There are so many variables. I could say, “Yes, Spring 2022, we’ll be back full tilt”. Fast forward to then and it would be, “What was I thinking?”

It’s all up in the air as far as I’m concerned.

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

Personally, it’s made me a bit more aggressive in seeking what I want in my life. Life’s short. It’s taking the time.

When my friend said we would be gone for 5 weeks road trip out west, I quit my job and went. This thing I want to do. This was before the second wave, so it felt like it wasn’t a responsible thing to do since we weren’t in a bubble. Looking back now, I went across Canada during the pandemic…aggressive decision but …

My partner and I just moved in together for the first time. I bought a barbecue. The things that I want to do, I don’t hold back. I’ve always been somebody who wants to find the joy in life and I think it’s connected to my role at Soulpepper because there’s a lot of work to be done. I have to approach it with the same attitude of having fun, working within my capacity, allowing space for myself to enjoy life. That’s always been inside of me and I know I’m more open about it.

Just to shift to Soulpepper and work culture, the staff has been through a lot together. Unlike Obsidian from where I came with a smaller staff, Soulpepper had a larger staff and they’ve had to adapt to the programming we’re actually doing with some cuts. We’re not producing full seasons, so the staffing has to adapt to reflect that.

The company has been through a lot together and what I love here is they are doing these weekly full staff meetings where we talk, go into breakout rooms where we have these focus questions and talk about the programming plus we get to know each other more in these break out rooms since we can’t walk into the building right now and say hi to somebody.

That camaraderie that we all experienced together a few years ago, let’s find a space where we can all come together and talk, decompress and unite. When the theatre comes back, Soulpepper and this team will operate in a way that it never has before. You can feel the energy in these Zooms.

Zooming out into the community now, what I loved at the top of the pandemic was the fact theatres were talking to each other in a way they weren’t before. They had to be open about the planning of shows for when and where and how. It became what the theatre should have been all along: We’re all making art together and we should share resources and knowledge.

I think honestly some of this is fading now, and I want to hold on to it. I want theatres to continue to talk to each other because yes we’ve all figured out a way for our companies to operate now, but we’re going to need each other when we do come back again. We’re going to need to talk, to strategize, to come back united not just for the sustainability of the companies but for the audiences, for the artists because there is the fact we’re the ones welcoming the artists and audiences. We need to all be on the same page as to how we’re doing that so there aren’t variant experiences.

If we weren’t thinking of making sure we are caring for our artists given all that’s happened socially over the last year, there is no excuse now. We have do this.

As an artist myself, Covid has transformed me by making me aware of the context in which I’m writing. That was always a big thing for me, and I think that came from being a spoken word poet who’s performing mostly at poetry slams where it’s a competitive form, and anybody in the audience can be asked to be a judge that evening. Knowing that anybody with any lived experience can come in and would have a right to critique my work, I don’t know this person, but I have a sense of the context of the world right now. And maybe I can’t speak to that specific person with my heart, but I can speak in the context and there should be some where in there to be able to connect.

We’re going to see this line of work that was pre Covid and work post Covid. Subject matter will be taught differently. The language we use to engage each other, to care. We have to be aware of this as an artist. What are the audiences bringing to my work that I already know because the world has changed a lot. Audiences are seeing the changes the same time I’m seeing the changes.

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?

Yes, I agree danger is part of the work in the theatre. When I go to the theatre, I want to be challenged; I want to be pushed; I want to feel uncomfortable.

I would lean more to the word ‘uncomfortable’ rather than danger because I think you can be uncomfortable but still be safe. If you lean too much into danger, especially going back now, audiences might just tune out and start to wonder about their safety. There is a hyper-awareness around am I safe where I am. If I’m walking on a busy sidewalk or going to Shopper’s Drug Mart, there’s always that question of ‘am I safe where I am?”

In order to get audiences to suspend their disbelief, we have to let them know they’re safe so they’re not pocketing that in their mind and so they can they be challenged and uncomfortable by the work.
I have felt uncomfortable during this time 100%. The most uncomfortable I felt was on the trip to Whistler. We were camping and we were fine as we were outside and lots of fresh air. My friend’s friend wanted to meet us for a drink. I thought, okay, doing something outside that should be okay. My friend hadn’t seen his friend for awhile, okay. We get there, it wasn’t outside but downstairs in a building where no one was masked.

Covid has also been a time of where we have taught each other that we have different comfort levels. My friend I was camping with out west is one of my best friends, so it was a challenge. I had my mask on downstairs in a bar, but I did feel scared. So, if anything, that time taught me the importance of sharing with even closest friends that it’s important that we all state our comfort level at all times.

As we move forward on a personal level in relationship with others, it’s going to be how do we communicate the feeling of being uncomfortable that is tolerable and palatable with friends in our community. Ultimately, it’s about being vulnerable.

As Soulpepper emerges slowly from the pandemic, it’s about finding safe ways to present the work where it’s still part of the art. If we’re sitting 6 feet apart, it’s not a part of Covid but part of the world in which we now live. There have been conversations on how to do that, but every time we feel we’re close to understanding then there’s a shut down or stay at home order.

Joe, I think about the first show I want to come back to, it’s a risk. Theatre is a chore for some people to see – going for dinner, drive downtown or take public transit, find parking, affordable tickets etc…and now we put another barrier the fact there might be an element of danger and feeling uncomfortable? We better be putting out some good work for audiences to see to bring them back. I want to put out high quality work even in these times of danger and feeling uncomfortable.

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

I call artists more than I think I did before, just on the phone. I used to see people in the Obsidian office, and we’d chat about events. I like talking and connecting with artists to see how they’re doing. Some I went to school with, some we’ve just become friends over the years. I remember having to make the call of a play we were to have done at Canadian Stage, and there was a discussion on how to discuss with the cast over the decision that was made.

We had a group meeting over Zoom, and seeing the hurt, disappointment and pain. We had to contact them individually to sort out payments, and I volunteered to call many of them because I wanted them to be able to speak to me openly and me sharing with them, and for the artists to know they’re seen and they’re heard and that we’re thinking of them, especially when CERB payments began to roll out.
Off the top, a lot of the independent artists felt lost and forgotten. They were just left hanging.

For me, it was communicating with them openly as much as possible. Even now, that we’re seeing more opportunities comes, I’m on these journeys through the Academy and program with the city called ‘Awakenings’ and workshops people have to apply. People are applying because they want to talk to artists again and engage in theatre.

At Obsidian I also checked in with a lot of people to see how they were doing. It takes time to do that. Folks at Soulpepper are pretty busy but I’m taking the time to do that as part of this new role.

Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form?
I’m so curious as to how we take care of our audiences. I know I just spoke in the last question about taking care of our artists a lot, but I feel like I have a better handle because of what I just prioritized on how to take care of our artists. Taking care of our audience right now, that I’m curious about.

How are we at Soulpepper going to show our audiences they are safe with us? How are we going to show audiences they can escape with us in our productions? I think we’re going to see a lot of comedies as we slowly return, I hope, I hope a lot of comedies.

People need to come back and laugh, and I’m curious to see how we join in space together again. I’m curious to see how people handle consent after Covid, the ideas of boundaries and personal space.
Even though hopefully we will have both vaccinations when we return, as you know, Joe, there is this space in the theatre where we hug upon greeting each other. I think we’re going to see more of artists asking each other what they are comfortable with.

And I’m most curious about kids. Out of everything that has happened over the last year plus, I’m curious for 5, 10 years from now the results on kids. I know when I was a child, I loved hanging out with my friends, playing recreational sports and being at school, doing extra-curriculars. And I think about what that would be like if I didn’t have that in the same way, or if I was glued to a screen all day.

I worry about the kids who have gone through this and how it will manifest itself in the art they will create. I have no idea what the experience of the pandemic is like for them, and I can’t wait to learn it about it through them and their art.

You can follow Luke on his Instagram and Twitter: @lareece93
To learn more about Soulpepper Theatre Company, visit www.soulpepper.ca; Facebook: Soulpepper Theatre Company; Twitter and Instagram: @Soulpepper.