Back Dion Johnstone Theatre Conversation in a Covid World Corey Berry Joe Szekeres ’ve seen Dion Johnstone’s work on stage in several Shakespearean productions at Ontario’s Stratford Festival. I was particularly taken with the very bloody ‘Julius Caesar’ presented by Groundling Theatre at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre just before the pandemic hit. When I checked his biography from his website (included at the end Dion’s profile), I also discovered he has also been a part of some very fine productions in the US under some extraordinary directors. Dion made his Broadway debut as the Duke of Albany in ‘King Lear’ with Glenda Jackson as the titular character. That is a performance I would have loved to see Ms. Jackson tackle. Dion plays the recurring role of Erik Whitley for ‘Sweet Magnolias’ now streaming through Netflix. Another one to watch during this time of provincial stay at home orders. Dion has also played in other Canadian shows including ‘Frankie Drake Mysteries’ and ‘Flashpoint’. In December 2019, Dion made his Hallmark Movies and Mysteries debut starring in ‘A Family Christmas Gift’ opposite Holly Robinson Peete and Patti Labelle. Dion’s training included The University of Alberta and The Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre. We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thank you again so much for taking the time on a Sunday morning, Dion: The doors to Toronto live theatre have been shut for over a year now with no possible date of re-opening soon. How have you and your immediate family been faring during this time? You know, when the focus of the pandemic hit and we went into lockdown and isolation, the focus really changed for me because my wife and I knew we would be having a child. On July 28, 2020, my wife gave birth to a baby boy who’s now on his way to nine months. That’s been an amazing experience for us. He’s really changed our outlook because we really wanted, especially during the time of great anxiety, for him to meet the best version of ourselves, and I think when you look at him and the level of joy, freedom, comfort and confidence that he already possesses and exudes is a testament to the work that we’ve been doing. We had to get control of our mind space and internal space through all of this. One of the things we focused on right away - there was a meditation group that was going around hosted by Deepak Chopra right at the beginning of the lockdown called ‘Twenty-One Days of Abundance’. And that was the first things we did and thought this is great. With the fear of there being no work and when everything was going to open up again, to just take time and focus on inner work and thinking no matter what the external appearances may be you can always tap into a source of abundance, that’s an energy that you put forth into the world and that returns to you in some form or other. We started by doing that, and that really set the template for our frame of mind through all of this. Despite what we see out there, what’s more important is how you feel internally. If you feel yourself going off the rails, do the work to bring yourself back to your centre. And we want to do that because those are the lessons we want to pass on to our son, especially in a world prior to the pandemic that was moving at a blazing rate and continues. We wanted to help provide a space for our son where in the future he could step away where he can be a part of this world but doesn’t have to be consumed by it. I think we’ve doing quite well, all things considered. How have you been spending your time since the theatre industry has been locked up tight as a drum? I just arrived in Atlanta and can’t talk too much about it for all the non-disclosure agreements I signed. I can say in brief we’re shooting Season 2 of ‘Sweet Magnolias’ (now on Netflix Canada). I just arrived and just about to begin. I’ve done the period of quarantine with the multiple testing and once cleared all set to go. The film industry has been quite progressive in finding the template necessary in order to continue filming. Modifications have been made along with heavy safety protocols, and the film industry has been largely successful. It puts a lot of pressure on the actor/artist to ensure that they are in top health to continue and honour the contract signed and to ensure the shooting schedule is kept on task. Outside of being a new father and career responsibilities, during the early part of the pandemic there was a lot of binge-watching Netflix. Certainly, when our son came into the world, that changed a lot of the binge-watching as he doesn’t allow us to watch tv unless he’s out cold for a nap. But the moment he wakes up we gotta unplug our devices. Our son doesn’t even like us being on our cell phones. Our son calls us to being present. I do try to find time on my own for meditational time through daily training, not necessarily weights since everything is closed. I do yoga, I use resistance bands training. I’ve been doing a lot of yin yoga, very relaxing with deep, deep, tissue work and that’s been good. I don’t get out a lot but now that I’m filming in Atlanta, there’s a park across the street from where I’m staying. It’s similar to New York’s Central Park, and there’s lot of open space and opportunities for social distancing so I can spend some time there. In Toronto, we live across the street from the Harbour on Queen’s Quay, so my wife and I were able to take our son out for walks on pathways. The late Hal Prince described the theatre as an escape for him. Would you say that Covid has been an escape for you, or would you describe this year long plus absence from the theatre as something else? You know, in some ways I would say, yes, it has been an escape, and it’s been an escape from the world in the way that we knew it which has really caused me to examine it and question it. So much of my life is influenced by being a new parent and considering what things might have been were the pandemic not happening. I remember many seasons at Stratford watching other actors become parents. They would get the performance off to go and be there for the birth and would be back on stage the next day in both performances and rehearsals. In Stratford, the week is divided in slots. So, there could be 12 slots in a week, and you could work 11 of those and then they have to give you an extra slot off periodically. That’s a lot of work and you get one day off a week. This period of time I’ve been able to share the load of parenting with my wife; obviously there’s only stuff she can do as the mother but there’s a lot of stuff I can do on the peripheral and allowed me the opportunity to create a very deep bond with my son. I’m adopted. My beginnings were quite rocky. I don’t know my birth father, and my birth mother lost custody of me when I was quite young. So, it’s been really important for me to create a stability and foundation to end that cycle so that doesn’t pass on to my son, and that’s not a reality that he has to know. I think about if I weren’t there, if after the birth I had to go straight into rehearsals, and I only came home at night and wholly focused on preparing for the next day, I would be there physically, but I wouldn’t be accessible to my partner, Lisa, as a parent as all that load would be put on her and I realize how big a load that is. It gets a little bit easier now that he’s a little bit older so me being out of town is a little bit easier. We do have a very good network support and he’s not quite as dependent as he was in the beginning. Those early couple of months, you realize how our world is not geared up for that, not geared up to usher new life into this world. You’re ripped away from your children too quickly, that’s the way of the world. But the pandemic stopped that. It stopped the world and we’ve got a chance to look at what’s important and what do we value. For me, it’s an escape for what it could have been in that sense. On another level, it’s an opportunity to question when it all comes back, what’s the kind of life I want to have, and how can I create a life that gives me more of a balance so that it’s not wholly work heavy. If that means I do condensed periods of time so we can take a couple of months off and go take a family vacation together, I don’t know what that form will be, but making sure I can be there for my family in a big way is very important. I’ve interviewed a few artists several months ago who said that the theatre industry will probably be shut down and not go full head on until at least 2022. There may be pockets of outdoor theatre where safety protocols are in place. What are your comments about this? Do you think you and your colleagues/fellow artists will not return until 2022? Given that we’re dealing with a virus, going in and out of lockdown, and you just told me today the numbers in the province are up over 4400, it’s impossible in my mind to predict when we will be back. I would say 2022 is a safe bet. It could be longer. I think the reality is that theatre as we knew it has changed. And we may never quite see it in that same way again. But I do have hope for what theatre will evolve into. Right now, seeing Stratford and Shaw come back in interesting and careful and limited fashions is a good thing. Both my wife and I worked with Obsidian Theatre and they did a co-production at the beginning of the year with CBC Art called ’21 Black Futures’ which brought theatrical work to the screen. I think that’s another avenue that’s been successfully explored. Theatre isn’t dead. It’s under the ground and working it out and figuring it out what can it do. How can it manage in this period and how can it re-invent itself for what’s to come. My life has changed. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk into my house again without ensuring I wash my hands down. Our experience of the flu may be radically changed in the time to come. Our world is going to be radically different, and we will always be under the reality this happened once, and we reached a threshold where it could happen, and it shut down the world. That’s now a possibility. We don’t know what else is coming, what further things are coming down. We have to be prepared and safe. The excess that we knew may not happen in the same way, but I do think theatre will evolve nevertheless to meet the capacity of the time, whatever that form is going to be. I had a discussion recently with a Toronto Equity actor who said that theatre should not only entertain but, more importantly, it should transform both the actor and the audience. How has Covid transformed you as an artist? That’s so interesting. It’s hard to know as an artist how Covid has transformed me. It’s certainly made me look at different avenues and explore what else I have inside to offer. I sit down and go, well, if I’m not performing on a stage, what’s my purpose? Why do I act? If I can’t do it in that form, what’s another form I can do it in? That led me to explore teaching opportunities. I love to see people empowered and transformed by different thoughts and different ideas. I like being the vessel that can contain those ideas so that people can reflect and see it. I can achieve that same feeling through teaching what I know. Ghostlight Theatre came out of the cage really strong when we went into the lockdown initially and offered an opportunity to teach a class of whatever I wanted. And I decided to put a class together on rhetoric using Shakespeare as a platform to really explore the ideas of ethos, the logos and pathos and the pillars of argument. My intent was whether you were an actor looking to sharpen their skills or an audience member who wants to know more about what the craft is, it didn’t matter what walk of like you came from. In the end we are being affected by messaging all the time and we are being played on intellectually, emotionally, and ethically all the time. You open your Twitter feed and think about what triggers you. Some of the images we see there are pathos, and some are facts and figures that make your brain spin whether they are true or not but present themselves as true. To have the ability to have more discernment about what’s coming at you and more choice as to how you want to play something as an artist, and how you want to play upon your audience, I thought was a very fun thing to explore and share and had been really introduced to me when I was at Stratford doing The Conservatory Program. I give full credit to the knowledge and training I received there, and also from the late Ian Watson who was one of our instructors and was a master of argument. And so, really sharing the way those principles that affected me and how I now use them in my work is how I put together this course and I found that a satisfying discovery, and I probably wouldn’t have done. Covid has created an online opportunity where you can work with people from around the world. I’ve been able to do play readings with a company in New York. People can now be pulled from anywhere say to do the reading of a Jacobean play, and audiences now have access to be able to log in anytime to those writings and artists. It’s really brought the opportunities to use your craft in different ways globally. The late Zoe Caldwell spoke about how actors should feel danger in the work. It’s a solid and swell thing to have if the actor/artist and the audience both feel it. Would you agree with Ms. Caldwell? Have you ever felt danger during this time of Covid and do you believe it will somehow influence your work when you return to the theatre? I definitely agree with Ms. Caldwell’s notion of danger. And certainly in performances, something has to be genuinely risked in order for the stakes to be real and in order for the audience experience to be transformative. If there’s nothing happening in the artist, and it’s just acted, then what happens is a separation between the audience and the performer where the audience is just watching you, and not breathing with you and experiencing with you. The more that the artist can access a true feeling of risk and danger, the danger. The best directors I’ve had are those who have really pushed me in my performances to risk more, to go further in order to draw and drop deeper in myself in challenging and frightening work because you don’t know how you’re going to get there. Now, in terms of Covid, it’s a strange thing because it affects everybody differently. Some people have had direct experiences with it, some people have had or have the virus. Others have had close family members or friends pass away from Covid, so they feel differently. Others have had no direct experience with it and haven’t been in an ICU so it’s a challenge for those who do not understand what it like or have the experience with it. Living with this invisible threat which has been very disorienting and weird and certainly frightful on those days when I have to have a Covid test, and I fear if I get a positive result that’s it for my ability to be on set, to provide financially for my family, and my contract is now gone. I really had to challenge myself to ensure that I don’t bring this negative and destructive energy into my reality, well that stop telling that story because it’s not serving me. Yes, fear has been triggered in me on account of this virus but I haven’t had a direct personal case or a family member so I can’t speak of it from that angle. In many ways, it’s been a bizarre thing that’s there, but I respect how many have been affected by it but it’s so strange because it feels like nothing is happening. In terms of how Covid will affect my work? I don’t know. Everything that happens in life is going to affect your work. It filters in ways that we’re not aware of. Sometimes, for an actor, the best problems are solved when you’re working on a role in your dreams when you start to dream about a part because that’s your sub conscious working it out in better ways than your intellect can. I’m sure subconsciously the way I have grown and changed over this period of Covid will bleed and is bleeding into my work, but I couldn’t intellectually say how. The late scenic designer Ming Cho Lee spoke about great art opening doors and making us feel more sensitive. Has this time of Covid made you sensitive to our world and has it made some impact on your life in such a way that you will bring this back with you to the theatre? Well, certainly in a beautiful way, having a child and we made a real commitment to validate his feelings to recognize, acknowledge and understand what his needs are. Even though he doesn’t have the language to communicate just yet, we wanted him to feel that he was being heard and responded to. In a way, he’s been very communicative from the very go. There is this thing called baby sign language and you can help them communicate early in life. We tried that and that didn’t really work for us, but we can feel his energy and been in communication from go. He doesn’t cry very often. He’s not a crier but when he does it’s because we’ve missed a lot of signals that he’s been given along the way. More often than not, we’re able to figure out those signals before the crying so that is something important to figure out. Just that level of sensitivity, that relationship we share with him is so profound, so unlike; I love in a deeper, fuller way than I have before. I’m fiercely protective in ways. I laugh. This kid makes us laugh. He’s brought so much to our world and that’s a beautiful thing. Looking at this world through the pandemic, I’ve become really sensitive to the messaging that comes our way. There’s so much confusion. I’ve never learned through anything where there have been so many mixed messages – lockdown versus lockdown and all that illogic that has been followed through, it’s no wonder there are anti maskers, anti-vaxxeers, hoax, an opportunity to decimate society and a re-set. We live in mass confusion. We are in great need of discernment, and it’s made me very sensitive to what I take in. I want to pay attention to how I’m feeling internally, and if I’m getting too worked up maybe it’s time to take a step back and look at something else OR to explore all sides of the argument. We’ve lost how to debate because everyone is so entrenched in their camp with no cross discussion. We’ve a lot of work to do to find shared common ideals as opposed to where we are different if we’re to get anywhere in this mess of confusion we’re living in. Again, the late Hal Prince spoke of the fact that theatre should trigger curiosity in the actor/artist and the audience. Has Covid sparked any curiosity in you about something during this time? Has this time away from the theatre sparked further curiosity for you when you return to this art form? Really, it's a furtherance of what I just broke into. There was a time on my social media feed where I wouldn’t follow anyone of different beliefs and ideals than mine. But then I realized I don’t know what other people are thinking and so when things happen, I don’t understand why it’s happened. In terms of curiosity as an actor, we’re very often playing individuals who don’t share that same ideology that we hold, how can we do this if we don’t allow ourselves to see things in another light or way, and allow ourselves to go through that ideology that we don’t understand? I started including in my feed people who hold opposing views to my own, just to keep tabs to the rhetoric they’re using and what others are thinking. There seems to be a fear that in doing this we lose our own identity or you are affirming other people’s beliefs that are right or wrong, and who’s to say what’s right or what’s wrong. But nonetheless, you can’t have a conversation if you can’t find common ground. Because we’re all human beings in the end, somehow in our world it makes sense to try to see the other side, to see the logic there. Where do we connect? Where is our common humanity? How can a bridge be made from one common ideal to the next without trying to see another point of view? Through me doing this, I can potentially have the same affect on someone else trying to see from where I cam coming. To learn more about Dion, visit his personal website: www.dionjohnstone.com , To follow Dion on his social media: Facebook: @DionJohnst ; Twitter: @DionJohnstone ; Instagram: @dion_johnstone Previous Next

Back 'The Cavan Blazers' by Robert Winslow Now onstage at 4th Line Theatre, 779 Zion Line, Millbrook. Credit: Wayne Eardley. Photo of the 2023 company including Colin A. Doyle and Robert Winslow Joe Szekeres "The Cavan Blazers" emphasizes the significance of and for religious tolerance, but it often comes at a costly price. Background: Playwright Robert Winslow’s ‘The Cavan Blazers’ is in its seventh remount at 4th Line Theatre. It was the flagship production of the theatre company back in 1992 and again re-staged in 1993, 1996, 2001, 2004 and 2011. This is the first time I’ve seen the production. 4th Line Theatre’s mandate promotes Canadian cultural heritage through regional and environmentally staged dramas, and the company is to be commended for it. This production of ‘The Cavan Blazers’ features more than 50 actors, including both local performers and those belonging to the Equity Union. Additionally, an advisory to dress appropriately for the elements. A play does not stop at the Winslow Farm if there is a brief rainstorm, so pack appropriate gear just in case. Opening night was halted briefly for a heavier rain twice in the second act. Lightning ultimately forced the show's postponement for safety reasons. I returned the next night. There was another brief rainfall, but it cleared. The Play: Set in 1854, ‘The Cavan Blazers’ dramatizes the conflict between the Protestant and Catholic Irish settlers in Cavan Township outside of Peterborough. Justice of the Peace Patrick Maguire (JD ‘Jack’ Nicholsen) wants to establish a Catholic parish in the township. Dane Swain (Colin A. Doyle) leads the vigilante group ‘The Blazers’ who do whatever they can to stop Catholicism's ‘threatening influence’ in the township. Commentary: As a practicing Catholic, I wondered how the story would unfold. After watching Winslow’s play, I couldn’t help but make a connection to Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Both works contain hurtful language towards Catholics and members of the BIPOC community, respectively. Yet, Miss Lee’s book has been removed from some school districts’ curricula. Should practicing Catholics be upset about treatment towards them in Winslow’s play? Yes, because it is horrible to hear and witness on stage. Should Catholics avoid Winslow’s play as some school districts have recommended for Miss Lee’s book? Absolutely not. Approaching the ‘Cavan Blazers’ requires an open mind. The same applies to reading "Mockingbird." These were horrible times in our collective history, but they cannot be erased or ignored. They must be confronted head-on. The Winslow Farm setting works well for this ‘Blazers’ remount. Although unintentional, the opening night impending thunderstorm and dark sky were a perfect example of the literary term ‘pathetic fallacy’ we learned in school, where the outside weather reflects the characters' internal feelings. The sound of periodic rolling thunder increased the dramatic intensity at various moments. But this is not going to happen at every performance. On the second night, chirping birds at sunset also added to the mystique of the outdoor setting. Productions I’ve seen at 4th Line always strive for realism and have been successful. For the most part, Korin Cormier’s costumes replicate 1854 nicely. One quibble. In the first act, Matt Gilbert (Father Phelan) enters wearing the sacred vestment of a priest after performing a wedding ceremony. He then proceeds to dance in it. I have taken courses in Roman Catholic church history. A priest would not wear the vestment outside of the celebration of the Mass and most certainly not dance in it either. This might be seen as disrespectful of what the vestment represents. I checked the program to see if a local parish priest was mentioned, and a thank you was extended to one. Did this thank you extend for the loan of the vestment, for clarification regarding the wearing of the robe, or both? The selection of pre-show and post-show music duly reflects the conflict between Irish Catholics and Protestants. A choice made in the set design puzzled me. There is a picture of Bobby Sands (1954-1981). I had to take a few moments to look up the significance of this individual to Ireland. I’ve included date of birth and death. Since ‘Cavan Blazers’ takes place in 1854, I couldn’t understand why Sands’ picture is there, and I missed the connection. Maintaining accent consistency always remains a challenge for actors—a nod of appreciation to Dialect Coach Melee Hutton for the work involved. For the most part, the actors are successful; however, there are some audibility issues. I can’t hear clearly what is said when there is overlapping dialogue. The same goes when groups of characters may be angry. I couldn’t hear the conversation. It’s admirable that the actors strive for believability—make sure you can always be heard in future performances. Project, but don’t holler. 4th Line Artistic Director Kim Blackwell directs the production with a sure hand. The 50-actor cast energizes Robert Winslow’s intense script of brewing troubles between the Catholics and the Protestants. J. D. Nicholsen remains a stubborn but determined Patrick Maguire throughout to ensure a Catholic presence in Cavan. Solid work from Katherine Cullen as Patrick’s wife, Ann, who is a Protestant and also dutifully stands by her husband even with the harassment and taunting she and her family receive from the Blazers. Ann can only take so much as anyone can. A poignantly touching scene between the two in the second act is heightened when the youngest daughter waves at her father. Colin A. Doyle’s Dane Swain is a passionate and fiery Protestant leader of the Blazers who makes it his duty to ensure no Catholic influence permeates Cavan. Like Nicholsen, Doyle also brings some very human character moments to the surface. In Act One, Swain allows Father Phelan to continue his journey into town after a taxing encounter with the Blazers and, in Act 2, when he confronts Patrick’s wife, Ann, in the tavern. Playwright Winslow assumes the role of Justice of the Peace, John Knowlson. In a drunken conversation he shares with Maguire in the second act, Winslow’s monologue of the reasons why he assists in helping to build the Catholic settlement is powerfully delivered. Complete silence in the audience around me when we learn about Knowlson’s backstory. Nicely done. Why audiences need to see ‘The Cavan Blazers’: It is a timely play which speaks to the 21st-century audience. There are countries still pitted against each other. Russia and Ukraine are only one example. The 2023 remount is handled with the utmost care not to hide the truth. No one emerges victorious as fault lies on both sides, and everyone involved dearly pays the cost. This production can lead to meaningful discussions about tolerance's true meaning and understanding. See it. Running Time: approximately two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. Production begins at 6 pm. ‘The Cavan Blazers’ runs until August 26 at 4th Line Theatre on the Winslow Farm, 779 Zion Line in Millbrook. For tickets, visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca or call the Box Office at (705) 932-4445. Previous Next

Back 'The Two Noble Kinsmen' by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare Presented by SHAKESPEARE BASH'd and now onstage at Theatre Centre Credit: Kyle Purcell Pictured l-r: Emilio Vieira and Michael Man Zoe Marin "By fleshing out the sexual repression of the original characters in Shakespeare and Fletcher’s ‘Two Noble Kinsmen’, SHAKESPEARE BASH’d makes a case for why this seldom-performed dramedy deserves a place in the popular Shakespeare canon." Unlike other Shakespeare productions that are begging for modernization, the plot of ‘Two Noble Kinsmen’ already feels straight out of an HBO young adult series. In short: Two sexually repressed bisexual men fight over a lesbian. To expand: In Athens, three widowed queens interrupt the wedding of Hippolyta and Duke Theseus to ask him to go to war against King Creon of Thebes for denying their husbands proper burials. Despite being against his cruel tyranny, the ‘two noble kinsmen,’ cousins Arcite and Palamon, fulfill their duty to protect the city of Thebes and fight on Creon’s side. However, after Theseus wins, the cousins are imprisoned. While imprisoned, the cousins catch sight of Hippolyta’s sister, Emilia, and immediately fall in love with her – inciting the rivalry that tears their relationship apart. Eventually, Arcite is released while Palamon escapes with help from the Jailer’s daughter who is in love with him. When the cousins meet again, they agree to fight to the death, with the winner marrying Emilia. Theseus catches them but ultimately revokes his death sentence. Instead, there is a tournament to decide which cousin marries Emilia and which gets executed. While there continues to be a series of complicated events in the second half of the play, in the end, one of them dies, and one of them marries Emilia. Mind you, at no point does Emilia express interest in either of them. And yet, she feels that it is her duty to marry one, just as Arcite and Palamon think it’s their duty to either marry Emilia or die. While the original text may have focused more on the ‘chivalric code’ of its source material (Chaucer’s ‘The Knight’s Tale’), this production really leans into its criticism of compulsory heterosexuality and toxic masculinity. Michael Man and Emilio Vieira’s portrayals of Arcite and Palamon, respectively, are as hilarious as they are heart-wrenching. Director James Wallis further showcases the different ways the two characters repress their feelings for each other through their physicality. Palamon is more prone to violence, moving in large gestures and speaking boldly, while Arcite is much more subdued. Arcite rarely initiates touch, but always leans into it when he can – whether that be when Palamon embraces him or when the two are dueling to the death. In these moments, we see how their chivalric sense of duty forces them to be violent or avoid intimacy when they very clearly want the opposite. At one point, we watch Arcite reach out to put his hand on Palamon’s shoulder but then decides against it at the last minute. These missed opportunities to be earnest remind us that we’re watching a Shakespearean tragedy, and these characters have no hope of happiness. As she explicitly states, the funniest and most tragic part about these two cousins fighting over Emilia (Kate Martin) is her absolute lack of interest in all men. She shows a clear indifference to both cousins throughout the play, and in the end, her marriage to Palamon is just as tragic as Arcite’s death. Throughout the play, the entire cast has great energy that never falters during the almost 3-hour running time. ‘Two Noble Kinsmen’ is performed on a thrust stage, which Wallis uses effectively, especially during the dances (Breanne Tice) and fight choreography (Jennifer Dzialoszynski). The show opens with a great movement sequence that serves as an overture, full of images alluding to moments the audience sees later. However, since the rest of the staging was more straightforward, I was left craving more movement. I also enjoyed the productions, metatheatricality with the actors entering as themselves and putting on costume pieces to become their characters. ‘Two Noble Kinsmen’ in itself portrays an unclear time period, historically taking place in Ancient Greece, with all the action and characters presenting medieval times. Therefore, rather than leaning into either, the costume design captures the inherent anachronism and metatheatricality through its mix of modern clothing and Elizabethan elements. I will admit that some costumes were much better than others. I particularly enjoyed the Jailer, the Jailer’s Daughter, and Pirithous because the elements mixed well together. On the other hand, I found myself distracted by anybody wearing a jogger or a long belt. I also think actor Kate Martin was not set up for success with that skirt so long she’d step on it anytime she had to change levels. Overall, I really enjoyed SHAKESPEARE BASH’s production of ‘Two Noble Kinsmen’ and felt that its portrayal of masculinity and sexuality makes the original text extremely relevant to a modern audience. The production runs until February 4 at the Theatre Centre Incubator (1115 Queen Street West). For tickets: https://theatrecentre.org/tickets/?eid=110137 or call 416-538-0988. ‘THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN’ by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare Presented by SHAKESPEARE BASH’d Directed by James Wallis Stage Manager: Milena Fera Sound Designer: Matt Nish-Lapidus Fight Director: Jennifer Dzialoszynski Choreographer: Breanne Tice Lighting: Sruthi Suresan Jailer’s Daughter Songs: Hilary Adams Performers: Daniel Briere, Joshua Browne, Tristan Claxton, Jennifer Dzialoszynski, 郝邦宇 Steven Hao, Madelaine Hodges (賀美倫), Melanie Leon, Michael Man, Kate Martin, Julia Nish-Lapidus, Breanne Tice, Le Truong, Emilio Vieira, Jeff Yung 容海峯 Previous Next

Back Jac Yarrow and Ben Mark Turner Looking Ahead L-R: Jac Yarrow and Ben Mark Turner. Photos provided by Mirvish Productions Joe Szekeres compiled Jac's and Ben's answers ‘Joseph’ fever has struck the city of Toronto once again. Word has it the show is on its pre-Broadway run. Thank you to Mirvish Productions for allowing me to e interview Jac Yarrow who will play Joseph and Ben Michael Turner, the Musical Director, of this newest production of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ One tidbit of information. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber gave his blessing to Yarrow to play the title character. How does Jac still feel about it: “When Having Lord Lloyd Webber see my audition and think I was capable of being up on the London Palladium stage, playing this iconic character is still unbelievable to me. I will be forever grateful to Andrew for taking a chance on a new kid like me. It’s an experience that has shaped my life.” Can you please share where you completed your training as an artist? Jac: I attended The Arts Educational Schools, London (ArtsEd). Ben: I read music at King’s College London; I received my performance training from voice tutors at the Royal Academy of Music, and I was a conducting scholar of Sing for Pleasure. In between rehearsals and performances here in Toronto, I am currently writing up my Master's thesis - which I am also completing at King’s, albeit from a distance… How are you feeling both personally and professionally about this gradual return to the live performing arts even though Covid is still present? Jac: Naturally I’m so happy to be back on stage after such a frightening, unpredictable time. To share a theatrical experience with live audiences after so long feels so special. It’s something I won’t take for granted, ever. Ben: Personally, and professionally, I am utterly thrilled about the safe return to live performance. The pandemic was a uniquely isolating time. Being able to come together once again, to create and share in the glorious experience of live performance, feels like a definitive, joyful step towards rekindling life as we used to know it. At the Princess of Wales, we are testing twice weekly, wearing masks backstage and adhering to the latest guidance; it feels like a very small price to pay for safely returning to work and be able to bring this gorgeous show to this wonderful city. How have rehearsals gone so far here in Toronto as you prepare for this Toronto engagement of JOSEPH? Jac: Rehearsals have been so exciting. We have Vanessa Fisher joining us here as the Narrator and Tosh Wonogho-Maud as Pharaoh. Along with a fresh batch of 16 Canadian kids (Two teams of 8.) It’s brilliant to see the new takes on these roles and to feel the buzz from these new cast members, who are raring to go. Ben: It has been so lovely to rehearse in Toronto. Collaborating with the musicians here as we workshopped the new 14-piece orchestration was a personal highlight. Combining Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s music with these magnificent players has made for a truly extraordinary musical experience. Our young acting company (also made up of Toronto’s finest) has taken the challenge of learning this mammoth show in their stride. It filled my soul with pure joy to see our first audience shower them with the love and praise they truly deserved. n.b. they also took mocking my British-isms and pointing out my lack of Canada-appropriate attire in their stride, but that’s beside the point… Is this your first visit to Toronto? What has it been like for you? Jac: Yes, it’s my first time in Toronto! I love it here. I’ve been to a Raptors game, explored the city, shopped am desperate to try Puppy Yoga! I’m so glad we’re here for multiple weeks (10 weeks) so I can fit in as much sightseeing as I can. The people are also some of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. We’ve been welcomed here with open arms and it’s so lovely. Ben: I have never been to Canada before and absolutely love it. It is frightfully chilly though, isn’t it? – and I’m promised it’s only going to get colder. Nevertheless, I’ve found that there are a few things here that can’t be fixed by a plate of poutine and a glass of ice wine. Our dark day is a Monday, so I begin my week living my best tourist life. I’ve started with the classics (the CN Tower, St. Lawrence’s Market, Niagara Falls etc.) – obviously – but we’re here until February and I’m a massive foodie so any niche ‘must-do’ suggestions would be hugely welcomed. These last 2-plus years have most certainly altered the face of the live performing arts scene worldwide. Tell me how you’re both personally and professionally feeling and experiencing this JOSEPH. What is it about this new London Palladium production that you believe will make it worthwhile for Toronto audiences to see this Christmas and holiday season, and well into 2023? Jac: Joseph is a timeless show. The music is so iconic and resonates with so many generations. That’s why I believe it has stood the test of time. This particular production of Joseph is not to be missed as the show has been completely reimagined for a more modern audience. The colourful story is presented on a huge, lavish set with beautiful, colourful costumes, athletic dancing, glorious voices, and real theatre magic. Direct from the stage of the London Palladium, our production of Joseph has all the excitement and surprises it did in London's West End. Ben: Joseph was Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice’s first collaboration in 1968. Back then it was only fifteen minutes long and it was performed as a one-off pop cantata in a school in south London. This year we took Laurence’s Palladium production around the UK to eighteen cities, and it was truly remarkable to see the show’s fifty-year history sewn into the fabric of British culture. From the first ‘Any Dream Will Do’, two thousand people in the Liverpool Empire Theatre were singing along with the “ahs”, reciting the colours of the coat, clapping the accelerando in ‘Potiphar’, and dancing in the aisles to the ‘Megamix’. Ben: At our first preview last Sunday, there was a wonderful exchange when the audience at the Princess of Wales let us in on their Joseph story: clapping, dancing, and singing along, just as they did with Donny Osmond in the nineties and with every Joseph since. To me, this new production, and its North American premiere, feel like the start of a glorious new chapter in Joseph’s history, as a new generation of theatregoers – led by lifelong fans of the show – take this iconic story and its music into their hearts. There is something irresistibly infectious about the joy that pours out of this show every night, we are so thrilled to have brought it to Toronto for the festive season, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a small cog in amongst it all. Once JOSEPH has concluded its run, Jac, what’s next for each of you? Jac: I can’t say as of yet. I’m trying to soak up my last few weeks playing the role after four years with the show. Joseph has been a huge part of my life and I will miss both the show and the role very dearly. ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ opens Friday, December 16 at The Princess of Wales and runs through the Christmas and holiday season to February 18, 2023. For tickets, visit mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333. Previous Next

Back James Grieve, Director of Fisherman's Friends, The Musical Looking Ahead ​ Joe Szekeres Last week, I had the opportunity to interview James Grieve, the director of ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’ after the opening night show at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre. According to his website j.grieve.com, James is a freelance theatre director and was formerly Joint Artistic Director and CEO of the UK’s national theatre of new plays Paines Plough from 2010-2019 alongside George Perrin. During their tenure the company produced 44 world premieres on tour to 291 places across the UK and internationally by playwrights ranging from debutants to Olivier, Tony and BAFTA winners staged in historic proscenium arch playhouses and student union bars, at music festivals and The National Theatre, in village halls, Off-Broadway, on BBC Radio and televised on HBO. James’s freelance directing credits include a new production of Kander & Ebb’s CABARET for Gothenburg Opera in Sweden in 2020 and the new musical THE ASSASSINATION OF KATIE HOPKINS for Theatr Clwyd which won Best Musical Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2018. James’ new production of LES MISERABLES for Wermland Opera in Karlstad, Sweden, was described as “world class” by DN and played for nearly two years in two theatres. His production of Brian Friel’s TRANSLATIONS for Sheffield Theatres, English Touring Theatre and The Rose Theatre Kingston won Best Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2014. In 2001, James founded the new writing company nabokov with George Perrin and Ric Mountjoy. The company forged an international reputation for presenting theatre events everywhere from pubs to warehouses to music festivals to Off-Broadway, including James’ production of Mike Bartlett’s ARTEFACTS in London, New York and on tour. James trained as assistant and associate to Josie Rourke, and as staff director to Howard Davies at The National Theatre, and on The National Theatre Directors Course. He was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2020 for services to theatre. This was my first opportunity to conduct a live interview after a performance so many thanks to Mirvish Productions for this opportunity to speak with James. From what I could tell looking around me on the opening night of ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical, the audience exited the theatre in tremendous high spirits because there was pure blissful joy emanating from the stage. What words of encouragement did James give to the cast before opening night: “I just told them to enjoy themselves. When you spoke about that joy earlier, Joe, that’s very real on that stage. Although they’re acting as characters, these are very real human beings who love deeply and passionately performing and acting, but most of all singing. The musicians love making music and they change instruments in the blink of an eye.” James then laughed and said he didn’t have to go and motivate them. They do it themselves before each performance. James is equally as thrilled to be invited to this ‘beautiful, beautiful, Royal Alexandra’ and to be warmly welcomed by the crew and everyone here. The creative team for ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ had been in Toronto for just over a week and a half and it has been a thrill and a privilege to bring the show over the Atlantic and to receive such a wonderful reception. Why does Toronto need a show like ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’ right now? James calls the production a universal story about ordinary people who don’t seek fame and fortune but have extraordinary spirit and talent. Fame and fortune find them instead. ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ is a story about friendship, community, and love: He further adds: “In a complicated and oppositional world and difficult a lot of the time, there’s space for a story that reminds us of the real importance of the core values of being a human being. Family, friendship, community, and a love of music all play a part in this. Through telling the story of these guys, we’ve come to understand more of what they stand for as a group. The world needs some sea shanties now and then.” As an artist for what he calls ‘twenty-something years’, James feels extremely fortunate to be part of the theatre industry which is not a straightforward profession. He feels tremendously fulfilled hugely and personally in doing something he loves and that is a rare and wonderful thing for him. For any aspiring artists, singers or dancers who might have seen this opening night show or who will see an upcoming performance, James tells them to work hard, delve into their passion and find out what makes them happy as an artist because the theatre industry is very competitive and a difficult profession. How has he felt about Covid’s ongoing presence worldwide and its effect on the theatre industry? As an artist, what James felt he missed the most was the sense of community that comes not only from working in theatre but going to the theatre. It’s extraordinary to be in a live audience that you can’t get from watching television at home. What James felt was missing was the ritual and the preparation of going to the theatre – getting dressed up, going to the city, getting a drink, sitting down, reading the programme, and waving to people whom you might know in the audience. James has returned to the theatre with a renewed sense of theatre's importance in a constantly shifting and changing world. Although we are still in the throes of Covid, this extraordinary special thing theatre does every night for audiences has almost a greater value than ever before at a time when people need human contact to experience something collectively. ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’ runs until January 15. After Toronto, the production returns to Nottingham, England, home of Robin Hood and continues its UK tour running through until June 2023. One of the most exciting parts for James is the show’s return to the Hall for Cornwall in May. ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ opened there a bit over a year ago in its home county among the people whose lives and culture they are representing on the stage. James fervently stated everyone is excited to take the show back home to Cornwall. What’s next for James Grieve once ‘Fisherman’s Friends, the Musical’ concludes its run? “I am doing a new musical about the life of Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian Prime Minister who has led an extremely colourful life. We are putting his story on stage in London and I’m really excited to do that.” To learn more about ‘Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical’, follow fishermanonstage.com Previous Next

Back 'Innocence Lost: The Steven Truscott Story' by Beverly Cooper Presented by Theatre on the Ridge and now onstage at Scugog Shores Village and Museum, 16210 Island Road, Port Perry Credit: Barry McCluskey. Pictured: Karly Friesen as Sarah Joe Szekeres The strong Theatre on the Ridge ensemble cast handles the dramatic intensity with dignity, tact, and grace. There’s nary a weather of histrionics in the performance. Set in 1959 in Clinton, Ontario, Beverly Cooper’s ‘Innocence Lost’ dramatizes the unfortunate tragedy that erased the innocence of the lives of many young people in the town. Based on the true story of the Steven Truscott judicial case, the play describes the murder and rape of Lynne Harper (Sarah Kaufmann) through the eyes of the fictional character Sarah (Karly Friesen), the story’s narrator. At times, the production describes graphic narration that forever changes the town of Clinton when fourteen-year-old classmate Steven Truscott (Liam Ryan) is charged with Lynne Harper’s rape and murder. ‘Innocence Lost’ recounts how rumours, fearmongering, and lies turn people against an innocent man as the town of Clinton desperately want to close this part of its residents’ lives. The play spans from 1959 – 2007. It’s unfathomable to think it took forty-eight years to dismiss the rape and murder charges against Steven. Additionally, has Lynn Harper's family been able to find any closure? A possible clue is given in the second act I saw ‘Innocence Lost’ at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre several years ago. At the time, that edge-of-the-seat production begged to be discussed later because a lot happened underneath the characters’ lives, words, and actions. Theatre on the Ridge audiences are fortunate that playwright Beverly Cooper will attend the July 19 performance and be available for a Q and A following the show to discuss these issues. Please check Theatre on the Ridge’s website for further information on Cooper’s speaking engagement. Does the same edge of the seat feeling still hold for Theatre on the Ridge’s production? It most certainly does, save for a few minor technical issues that can be fixed immediately. The strong ensemble cast handles the dramatic intensity with dignity, tact, and grace under Carey Nicholson’s solid direction. Make sure you pay close attention to the pre-show activity that takes place outside the tent. Director Carey Nicholson shows life in this small southwestern Ontario town in 1959 before the awful events. She captures that feeling thanks to Sarah Jewell’s period costumes and props. A young boy and girl walk by, with the boy steering a bicycle. This is Steven Truscott and Lynne Harper. Two boys are playing catch. Two ladies are walking and talking to each other, perhaps gossiping. Lyle Corrigan’s opening musical soundscape aptly captures the era’s tunes. A slight quibble in Act 2 near the end can be fixed. The dialogue is difficult to hear because the song is too loud. Carey Nicholson has designed the set where the audience sits on both sides, and the action takes place on the raised stage in front. There are steps around to allow the actors to exit and enter. Plot action also takes place on the floor in front of the stage. Nicholson makes a wise choice to do this. Not only does it allow for the use of levels to maintain audience interest, but it also becomes a symbolic reminder that people will always see events from different perspectives since the audience sits on both sides. But another slight quibble regarding the set design. From where my guest and I sat, it is sometimes tricky to hear any upstage dialogue or if an actor’s back is turned to deliver dialogue to the audience on the other side. Hopefully, all the actors will take this note as a reminder about audibility issues in playing to both sides. Most of the eleven-member cast assume multiple roles. For the sake of space and time, I cannot comment on all. As the fictional narrator Sarah, Karly Friesen shares her perspective of the events as a believable 14-year-old classmate of Lynne and Steven’s. Sarah’s wavering between believing and not believing Steven and recognizing how the potential of darkness existing in all human souls becomes genuinely heartfelt. As the young Steven and Lynne, Liam Ryan and Sarah Kaufmann eerily capture a sweetness of youthful innocence where I can’t even begin to imagine the atrocities both endured. As the older Steven Truscott, Austin White exudes tremendous frustration in maintaining his hope of innocence. As Lynne’s parents and Steven’s mother, Adrian Marchesano, Emily Templeman, and Annette Stokes-Harris’s palpable fear and the eventual reality of what has happened to their respective children cuts right to the heart. Thankfully, these three performers do not revert to histrionics. Instead, they allow the meaning of their words to sink into the audience’s understanding in formulating an opinion as to what happened. Reid Martin and Briony Merritt are convincing as mother and daughter who view this volatile situation in the town from opposing views. Elyssia Giancola’s eye contact with the audience as she shares her perspective of the story is intently firm. Regarding Isabel LeBourdais’s book concerning the trial in the second act, Michael Serres’ moment as Reverend Bagnall in confrontation with Adrian Marchesano as Mr. Harper becomes riveting to watch for the few minutes it occurs. Serres and Marchesano remain intently strong, especially when the latter discovers how the former becomes involved with LeBourdais’s book. Again, another quibble in audibility issues comes with Emily Templeman as Isabel LeBourdais. The second act focuses on the book she writes. However, there were moments when Templeman is upstage and I had difficulty hearing what she said. I also found moments when some of her line delivery was rushed with garbled words. My guest and I couldn’t decipher what she said. I could also hear others around me saying, ‘What did she say?’ Final Comments: Watching ‘Innocence Lost’ grimly reminds me of the 1984 wrongful conviction and eventual overturning of the Guy Paul Morin case concerning the rape and murder of his neighbour, nine-year-old Christine Jessop, in Queensville, Ontario. Steven Truscott and Guy Paul Morin’s stories and accusations were horrible. Again, I can’t even begin to imagine what the two men endured in the judicial atrocities thrown at them. These stories need to be told and shared. We need to understand how these mistakes were made and avoid this happening again. I applaud Theatre on the Ridge for staging important Canadian theatre and social justice issues like this. ‘Innocence Lost’ is one important story you must see this summer. And, if you can, go to Beverly Cooper’s Q and A. I’m out of town that performance otherwise I would have attended. Running Time: approximately two hours with one intermission. ‘Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott’ runs until July 29 at Scugog Shores Museum, 16210 Island Road, Port Perry. For tickets to the production and to learn about Beverly Cooper’s question and answer following the July 19 performance, visit https://theatreontheridge.ca/ INNOCENCE LOST: A PLAY ABOUT STEVEN TRUSCOTT by Beverly Cooper Directed by Carey Nicholson Stage Manager: Emma Church Production Assistant/ASM/Lighting Technician: Parker Drebit Costumes/Props: Sarah Jewell Sound Design and Technician: Lyle Corrigan Technical Direction and Lighting Design: Colin Hughes Digital Production Coordinator: Jana Tolmie Performers: Karly Friesen, Elyssia Giancola, Sarah Kaufmann, Andrian Marchesano, Reid Martin, Briony Merritt, Liam Ryan, Michael Serres, Annette Stokes-Harris, Emily Templeman, Austin White Previous Next

Back 'Jack: A Beanstalk Panto' (The Naughty Version) Written and Directed by Rebecca Northan Now onstage at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street, until December 23. Credit: Sam Moffatt Joe Szekeres "Just plain ol’ good and naughty fun with the occasional eyebrow-raising double entendre mixed in. Allow this terrific cast to whisk you away with its slapstick and shenanigans and leave your troubles outside." Barista Jack (Zoë O’Connor), short for Jacqueline, gets the day underway for customers at ‘Beanie,’ the local Port Hope coffee shop, with a warm, inviting smile. She’s also known for helping the town's residents if they are down on their luck, sometimes by giving free coffee away. Gus (Steve Ross), a local and friendly guy, comes to the coffee shop daily. Although he is down on his luck, Gus likes to see and speak with Jack, talk to other customers, and spend time there, often reading. Milk is desperately needed for the café. For some reason, the café cow (Milky White) cannot produce enough milk for the business. Gus knows why cows might have this problem. He massages the cow’s udders and finds the animal dry. The owner of the café and villain Pearson (Paul Constable) orders the cow to be sold and the money brought to him. Instead of doing this, Jack trades Milky White for some beans from a mysterious stranger. When Pearson hears this, Jack is fired from the coffee shop. Jack scatters the beans, and a beanstalk grows skyward. Jack climbs the beanstalk and meets a not-so-nice Giant (Paul Constable), his frenzied housekeeper (Christy Bruce), and some disco line-dancing Hens where one of them lays a golden egg. There’s also an always-in-heat rabbit and a handsome coffee shop patron (Robbie Fenton). If you recall the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, a harp plays lovely music to put the giant to sleep. A deadpan, gorgeous, and buxom, Steve Ross appears as the harp. One of my personal highlights in getting ready for the Christmas season these last few years has been the travel to Port Hope to see the Capitol’s panto. Always the naughty version, especially this year. I needed to laugh after surviving my first-ever bout of Covid. ‘Jack: A Beanstalk Panto’ is just plain ol’ good fun with the occasional eyebrow-raising double entendre mixed in. Make it a night to watch some slapstick and shenanigans and “leave your troubles outside” (as the Emcee tells us in ‘Cabaret’). With an excellent creative team behind the scenes, writer/director Rebecca Northan and Music Director Chris Barillaro add a decent amount of rum to this delicious eggnog of a celebration of the panto. The resulting taste in performance work never overpowers. The script and song lyrics are cleverly and tautly delivered with a piquant punch of several double-entendre meanings that had my guest and me laughing hard. For example, at the top of the show, when the stage goes black, we hear Jack ‘moaning in pleasure’ (I don’t think I need to say more) before she bursts into song. It certainly sets the tone without needing to go into specific details, but my guest and I, at that point, were howling with laughter. But the naughty nature never ventures over into the dirty for dirty’s sake. That was an intelligent choice because such puerile thinking can and does grow tiresome. The script ventures into spot-on comments about gender fluidity and pronoun usage where it’s possible the show could turn woke. I also wondered how far the adult nature would go when Gus massaged the cow’s udders rather suggestively in a manner that could appear to be something else. I held my breath. That’s the beauty of the panto in the naughty version. It suggests without ever being dirty or vulgar. Bravo to a cast that knows when and for how long to revel in these delectable double-entendre moments. Adam Campbell’s terrific sound design remains a bonus. His selection of pre-show music took me back to my years at high school, where disco and platform shoes remained the style. I could hear every word of the song lyrics thanks to Campbell's meticulousness in design. Too often, I’ve attended several musical productions where the sound balance was out of sync, and that’s frustrating, especially when the plot and humour push forward through the songs. That did not occur at this performance. Some of Anna Treusch’s set and props designs gloriously remind the audience that a fairytale is being told to us. Many of the props appeared larger than life from my seat in the house which adds to the comedy. Hollywood Jade’s choreography succinctly keeps in time with the music. I was amazed at how Steve Ross could walk down those steps in high heels and wearing a dazzling gold evening gown. Joyce Padua’s costume designs are reminders of the story as a fairytale. For example, Milky White’s costume is a reminder of Julie Taymor's character designs from ‘The Lion King.’ Nick Andison’s lighting design nicely creates specific locales. The lighting in the Giant’s castle remains shadowy to underscore the ‘drama’ of wondering when he will appear to wreak havoc. The cheeky cast remains delightful throughout. They’re well-versed in improvisation in front of a live audience. They continuously break the fourth wall. We boo at Pearson and yay with Jack in the Giant’s castle. Yes, they’re corny sometimes, especially in the disco line-dancing of the Hens and then asking if the audience wants them to continue returning to the music of a given specific era. But who cares if it’s corny at times? That’s the appeal of the panto, and that’s what brings people back to the theatrical form. Zoë O’Connor is lovely as Jack. She initially introduces this concept of gender fluidity, but O’Connor wisely does not make her performance revolve solely around that. Steve Ross is excellent in his juxtaposing performance work as the goofball, slow and dimwitted Gus (who is sharp when understanding the workings of a cow) with the deadpan, drop-dead, ‘bosomy’ Giant’s Harp. What a treat to see Paul Constable live on stage for the first time. Yes, he was Gary from over 150 televised Canadian Tire commercials; however, his comic timing remains smartly in tune throughout, especially when he is bad guy Pearson and improvising with the audience. Clea McCaffrey played the Magic Hen with the perfect dash of sass and silliness at this performance. As the Giant’s Housekeeper, Christy Bruce never ventures out of her control in her frenzy and harried nature. Robbie Fenton and Hal Wesley Rogers round out the ensemble and keep the zaniness clipping along without ever making the play's pacing feel rushed. Final Thoughts: It has been a long time since I’ve heard ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. Thank you to this company for sharing your twist on the story with such abandoned glee. I’ll never look upon this fairy tale in the same way again. Great fun. We all need this kind of entertainment to get us into the Christmas/holiday spirit. Get tickets, dine, and spend a few moments in downtown shops. Running time: Approximately two hours with one intermission. ‘Jack: A Beanstalk Panto’ (The Naughty and Nice versions) runs until December 23 at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street. For tickets, capitoltheatre.com or call 905-885-1071. JACK: A BEANSTALK PANTO (The Naughty Version) Runs in repertory with the Nice Version Written and Directed by Rebecca Northan Music Director and Arranger Chris Barillaro Choreographer: Hollywood Jade Sound Designer: Adam Campbell Set and Props Designer: Anna Treusch Costume Designer: Joyce Padua / Associate Costume Designer: Arielle Voght Lighting Designer: Nick Andison Stage Manager: Alice Ferreyra Galliani / Assistant Stage Manager: Charlene Saroyan Musicians: Chris Barillaro (Pianist), Alex Panneton (Guitars, Drums & Synth) Performers: Christy Bruce, Paul Constable, Robbie Fenton, Clea McCaffrey (at this performance for Madison Hayes-Crook), Zoë O’Connor, Hal Wesley Rogers, Steve Ross. Previous Next

Back Maev Beaty “I’m excited to see where it goes and what’s next for our art form. I would love to see how I can be helpful in that. I’m curious about where that will lead.” Alejandro Santiago Joe Szekeres Maev wondered if this statement above sounded cheesy on the page. Not at all. She has attained a great deal of experience in the industry. I believe any upcoming artist would benefit tremendously from Maev’s sagacious wisdom about the peaks and valleys of the performing arts industry whether she teaches, coaches, interviews or watches emerging artists. I am one grateful guy Maev was available for a Zoom call last month. She had a few errands to complete before concluding her final performance at this year’s production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at the Stratford Festival. She’s now back in Toronto. I’ve admired her variety of stage work, from productions at Soulpepper Theatre to the Stratford Festival. Some productions that come to my mind in which she has appeared are ‘August: Osage County,’ ‘The Front Page,’ ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘The Last Wife.’ This month, she will appear with Jesse LaVercombe in the Canadian premiere of Sarah Ruhl's ‘Letters from Max, a ritual’. More about the upcoming production shortly. Her sharp, comical wit set me at ease during our conversation. When I asked her where she completed her training, she smiled and said: “At the dinner table.” Maev grew up in a family of storytellers. Her mother is a storyteller. When Maev was growing up, her mother was a children’s librarian. Her maternal grandmother was a teacher interested in teaching English and storytelling, and that love of language came through Maev’s mother. Her father has always been a visual artist. Her parents play instruments, but Maev poked fun at herself, saying she doesn’t. She calls her brother “an artist of all trades,” who, in her words, “is a beautiful actor, hilarious improviser, and an incredible musician.” Using art to think about what it means to be human was just part of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in her house while she was growing up. It was part of who they were. Maev’s father was also a farmer. Her brothers also had a few careers beyond that, so it wasn’t necessarily all ‘bohemian’ as she called it. When Maev attended school as a child, she grew up on a couple of different farms in the Thousand Islands area. She attended KCVI (Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute), and her drama teacher was Ian Malcolm, who worked with many celebrated Canadian artists who now appear in theatre – Jacob James, Chilina Kennedy, Brett Christopher – they were all Maev’s peers. Another interesting fact that I didn’t know. At KCVI, the fathers of two band members of ‘The Tragically Hip’ also taught there. Maev called KCVI a high school that prioritized the humanities to educate the students, which she calls a “huge, huge gift” to the student body. Beaty attended the University of Toronto in the University College drama program. Pia Kleber ran the program at that time. She proudly states that Ken Gass was her first-year drama teacher. She called her final year in the program life-changing when she appeared in her graduating show ‘Twelfth Night’ which toured several cities, including a few Globe theatres. She also visited the Globe Theatre in London, England, and Prague. Although she appreciated the chance to perform at Stratford in one of the most glorious versions of ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ Maev says she has been so jealous of the Toronto theatre-going public these last few weeks. There have been some incredible offerings in Toronto theatre since September. She calls the work thorough, passionate, and unified in voice. There are big artistic risks and choices being made. Yet, there is a general atmosphere of gratitude, humility, hope and a real presence of experience and mind in the theatre community. She added further: “I think the Toronto theatre-going public (and not just the traditional theatre-going public) are longing for, yearning for, desperate for live human connection and collective human experiences after this time of separation. More than ever, a chance to come together and experience something with strangers and yet still feel safe to do so that explores the primary questions of what it means to be alive.” Nothing does this better than live performance, even though she strongly admits she’s biased since she is involved in theatre. She would be remiss to say that the connection of feeling and being alive can also be felt in the other live performances of dance and opera that provide a human collective moment. Our conversation then veered towards her upcoming production of ‘Letters from Max, a ritual.’ The story focuses on the profound connection and friendship between playwright Sarah Ruhl and her student, poet Max Ritvo, who faces the return of Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer. Maev says ‘Letters from Max’ is so completely about exploring the questions of what it means to be alive on the human heart, human consciousness, and noticing that you are alive while you are alive. The privilege of working on ‘Max’ allows both she and Jesse to venture even deeper into that question. She has read the source material for the play - the book ‘Letters from Max: a poet, a teacher, a friendship’ by Ruhl and Ritvo. She spoke about the connection she and her husband, Alan Dilworth, have with Ruhl. Dilworth and Beaty have a ten-year-old daughter. The first Sarah Ruhl piece Maev worked on was ‘Passion Play,’ a substantial theatrical endeavour with ‘Outside the March,’ ‘Necessary Angel,’ ‘Convergence’ and ‘Sheep No Wool.’ The production was an epic promenade three-location, three-and-a-half-hour ensemble piece. Beaty was eight months pregnant at the time. She laughed at the memory of the madness used in the most respectful term as the ensemble walked outside down Danforth Avenue. Alan has gone on to direct Ruhl’s play ‘Eurydice.’ He and Ruhl have gone on to have a correspondence like what ‘Max’ is about. She’s reminded of the biographical confessional production ‘Secret Life of a Mother’ which she co-created with Marinda de Beer, Ann-Marie Kerr and Hannah Moscovitch. Risks were taken in the revealing of true selves in 'Mother'. Ruhl does the same thing in ‘Max,’. Maev further adds: “The generosity of the writer (in both plays) to share their actual private writings with the public is a special kind of vulnerability and generosity because you’re just so exposed. I feel privileged and vigilant about shepherding Ruhl’s words to this play.” What’s one thing that drew Maev to Ruhl’s script? She says it’s a play that deals with death head on, but it’s so much more about life. She paused for a moment to think before adding: “Because of the environment I grew up in, I really believe that words are sacred and hold sacredness. Words can be medicine, holy and transformative. Words work on the body, they work on the neuropathways, the nervous and skeletal systems... In ‘Max’, what has struck me the most is how words put down in a letter, email, or text to another person or loved one carry medicine, meaning, and profound connection through the airwaves (or postal system) to another soul and be reciprocated.” Maev marveled how can that be not purely an intellectual exercise but an existential one? In the pandemic that’s what everyone had – relying on words that carried to others that carried through Zoom, social media, and text. In the case of ‘Max’ where the two characters are distanced physically across the country from California to Connecticut, or the distance in illness, what can one do to let that person know they are not alone? That they are alive? Or trying to find the right words to reach that person far away in isolation (whether it was through the pandemic or physical distance). This last part of my conversation with Maev has touched my soul and I found myself welling up as I write this profile. As a cancer survivor and someone who lost a younger sibling to the disease, I can still vividly recall how words I used, and others used, influenced my life and my family’s life at that time. Rehearsals for ‘Max’ have been going wonderfully in the circular antechamber of a church in Stratford. Maev worked with Jesse before in ‘Bunny’ at Tarragon. It’s a pleasure to work with someone again as they continue to discover the voice of the play and take risks. Jesse and Maev have a shared sense of humour, and Alan has been very ‘patient’ with it. She laughed at the word ‘patient’ so I’ll allow my imagination to wonder about what has gone on during rehearsals. And what’s one message she hopes audiences will take away from ‘Letters from Max’? “Notice that you are alive.” True words spoken that mean so much. What’s next for Maev Beaty once ‘Max’ concludes its run? She coyly smiled and said: “Maev is just going to rest and try to take a wee break. Maev is very much longing for some time with the family. It’s been such a huge gift at this particular time of the year, and there are some adventures ahead in 2025.” She has something planned for next year in 2024 but she doesn’t want to talk about it yet. All she did say – she fulfilled one of her dreams in playing Beatrice in ‘Much Ado’ this past summer. Now that one dream has been fulfilled, the door has been opened for some other opportunities to fulfil in the next thirty years. I can wait, Maev, because what’s that adage? Patience is a virtue. ‘Letters from Max, a ritual’ presented by Necessary Angel Theatre and directed by company Artistic Director Alan Dilworth will run at The Theatre Centre from November 10 to December 3. For tickets: https://theatrecentre.org/tickets/?eid=106867 To learn more about Necessary Angel Theatre Company, visit https://www.necessaryangel.com/. Previous Next

Back Colton Curtis Looking Ahead Self-portrait Joe Szekeres When I saw Colton Curtis on stage a few years as the elder Billy Elliot at Ontario’s Stratford Festival, I knew the Canadian musical theatre world was in VERY GOOD HANDS. He is an extraordinary dancer and artist who stopped ‘Billy Elliot’ in an exciting solo dance piece that was captivating and mesmerizing to watch. Exquisitely performed. Colton also appeared in Stratford’s production of ‘A Chorus Line’ with a string of other artists who commanded the Festival Stage with unabated enthusiasm. Incredible work to watch. Additional work in which he appeared at Stratford: ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, ‘The Music Man’ and ‘HMS Pinafore.” I asked him off the cuff how he will be at his first curtain call after the pandemic was lifted. His words: “I’ll be all smiles and professional during the bows onstage, but I know backstage I will be a weeping, blubbering mess.” Thanks for your honesty, Colton, as I’m sure many audience members will experience the same emotions as you. On top of his work as an artist, Colton is also a photographer and launched his business in July 2020. I’ve seen his extraordinary work in some headshots of other artists whom I’ve interviewed for this series. From his website: “Colton began performing at an early age in his home province of New Brunswick. Upon graduation from high school, he moved to Ontario to attend his Bachelor of Musical Theatre in the Sheridan College program where he received the Brian Lineman triple threat award for each year he attended. Between his years at Sheridan, he spent summers working for the Charlottetown Festival, as well as training with Florence Ballet Company in Florence, Italy, and performing with the Finger Lakes Music Theatre Festival in New York State.” We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you, Colton, for your time and for sharing your thoughts and adding to the discussion: It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level. It goes without saying that it’s changed a lot. I’ve personally changed the province I live in. Currently, I’m now in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. I was in Stratford until October. I’ve done a re-shuffle of things to make the past year work. My understanding of the world maybe hasn’t changed but has become a lot clearer because I’ve actually had time to think about things. I’ve spent a lot of time this year learning, on learning, thinking about the world I want to create and the world I want to work in, and the art I want to create. Now that we’re into Year 2 of this pandemic, as a young adult I’ve just grown up a lot. With a lot of time that has passed, I do feel like a different person when I last stepped on stage in 2019. With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre business been altered and changed? My perception hasn’t changed a whole lot but the business itself has changed immensely which is incredible. This year has given the time for people to step back and look what we’ve been working in, the environment we’ve been working in, and for people to use their voice. Let me preface by saying that I love the theatre community. I think this is great opportunity for a lot of those voices that have never been heard in a long time to get the platform to speak out about things that drastically needed to change within the entertainment industry. I think we’re going to see theatre made differently which is exciting. I love big Broadway type and style of musicals that shine and sparkle. When we return after this pandemic, I think we’re going to see things pulled and pared back; smaller cast sizes at least for a bit until theatre companies get the means to create these big budget shows again. As an ensemble dancer that is terrifying for me when I first came to that conclusion. My career for the past five years at Stratford was as an ensemble dancer. I was at The Shaw Festival understudying and dancing. It’s something scary to think about as theatre companies no longer have the money to create these big shows. When Stratford announced their summer season with cast sizes of four or five people doing a cabaret in a tent, it was, “Oh yeah, right, this is what we’re going to do now.” In order to get back up and running. That side of the business has changed, but it’s exciting that we’re slowly seeing people get the opportunities to voice their concern to see new people step into power positions in theatre companies, and for more people be given the opportunities to create art that we didn’t see before. We see many theatre companies committing to anti-racist policies and turning around the people who are in these director positions, directors’ offices positions. I think this is all great, but we still have a long way to go. It’s the beginning. We’ve had the time for the call to action for the whole community to step things up. As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? I miss the people and the community, but I really miss working. I miss the first day when you crack open the score and start learning the music. I miss the discipline that it takes physically in order to get into shape to do a show, and the stamina required to do a two-hour musical. I don’t think a lot of people understand that to be a musical theatre performer is akin to being like an Olympian athlete. I’m not tooting my own horn. Just imagine what it’s like for those who want to be in the Olympics. That same discipline is necessary and required. I really miss that stamina of working so hard. And of course, we’re trying to keep that up in our own ways whether through dance classes, voice lessons. As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it? Hmmm…I mean I’ll never take for granted again the feeling of being on stage with thirty other cast mates in front of an audience of 2000 people. That is a feeling that I will hold on to dearly. That’s not to say that I never did take that feeling for granted, as there’s no feeling like it that can replace it. That is something I will hold on to dearly forever. It’s like a drug. Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. One thing specifically that I really want to see changed when we get back to the industry is young adults stepping into leadership roles of positions and power within theatre companies, whether it be as Associate Artistic Directors. I feel like that is something that is missing a lot of the time in places where I’ve worked at least. We constantly hear that theatre is a dying art all the time. Let me just say that I don’t think like that at all. Well, if people say this then get some young people who know what other young people are like and are attracted to do and put them in a leadership role to create something that will be irresistible to the next generation. This is something that I get so frustrated about a lot of the time. This is something I want to see happen. Take a look at Jayme Armstrong and Kimberely Rampersad. Jayme received a Woman of Distinction award in the arts community and Kimberly is the Shaw Festival’s Associate Artistic Director. That is exciting. That is so awesome. More of that, please. Oh, I don’t want to sound ageist, (and Colton and I share a good laugh) but on the record I think those with experience in the industry have done a wonderful job, but we need to stop hearing theatre is a dying art form. There are so many young people who aspire to do this so it can’t be dying as there’s still a need for it. Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry. I love this question. I feel like I have so much still to accomplish. I love what my career has been so far but a lot of it has been dancing in the ensemble of musicals which I love, but it is never what I thought my dream in theatre was going to be. It’s never what I saw for myself. I still have so much I want to accomplish. I want to create new things. I want to break the mould of what we think theatre can be a little bit and challenge audiences. I’m creating this inter multi-disciplinary show with James Kudelka, a former Artistic Director of the National Ballet. I’ve always wanted to do something where I have created a hybrid between a play and ballet because I really think they are similar art forms actually. I’ve been working on this, so it’s been keeping me going. It’s through ‘Talk is Free’ Theatre so I’ve been thankful for that opportunity with Artistic Director, Arkady Spivak. He is really shaking things up which is incredible in giving the permission to do exactly whatever they want so I feel really lucky that he has given me that opportunity. So, Stay Tuned for what’s in the works there. Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre. As an artist, there’s probably something interesting there in this possible tsunami of Covid themed plays. Artists have had a varied experience as to what this time has looked like. I don’t think anybody wants to talk about this time of Covid right now. I don’t think anyone wants necessarily to spend a couple of hours per night what we just lived through because it’s not been lovely, it’s not been the best time. I don’t think audiences want too either. Who knows, maybe in twenty years time or so, that’s something we can look back on and remember. There has been some really cool art that has been made during this time that we’ll be able to look back on and appreciate. Near future??? NO!!!!!, but in a few years, maybe. As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you? Hmmmmm…..you know what, my hope for when people watch me perform is that they are transcended into a different realm. I think about that a lot. As we move forward out of this pandemic, I also want people to be inspired by my creativity. I’ve thought about this a little bit. I want to change the way people think, and I want to inspire them by my creativity in the ways I do that. Theatre was made to entertain and to escape. When I perform, I want people to get sucked into whatever world I’m in, and for them to leave their seats even for a few seconds. Who knows? That could change, but it’s funny, you know? Will people even remember? I don’t know. To learn more about Colton, visit his personal web page: www.coltoncurtis.com . Instagram: @coltonccurtis. To see Colton’s photography: @coltoncurtis.jpeg. Previous Next

Back Louise Lecavalier "Dancing was never about telling stories for me. It was about finding and touching our essence as beings. This is a long journey." Massimo Chiaradia Joe Szekeres 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. Previous Next

Back 'Salesman in China' by by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy – WORLD PREMIERE The production runs until September October 26 at the Avon Theatre, 99 Downie St., Stratford, Credit: David Hou. Pictured L-R: Adrian Pang and Tom McCamus Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, adjudicator, arts educator. VOICE CHOICE “Stratford’s gamble with this Salesman scores big time! A magnificent, ground-breaking world premiere recounting inter-cultural human connection equates to a rare, near-perfect piece of theatre. You’ll want to experience it more than once.” My job as a theatre reviewer is to objectively assess and analyze all aspects of a production, including the direction, acting, set design, costuming, wigs, lighting, and sound design. I also reflect on choices made, what works for me and what I think might improve the audience’s theatre-going experience. I’m thrilled to report that the world premiere of “Salesman in China” at Stratford’s Avon Theatre is one of those rare theatrical experiences that took me completely off guard with its thrilling and engaging story, superb performances, compelling stagecraft, and passionate direction. I can’t remember attending a more perfect production! This is the apex of live theatre: an engaging and thought-provoking story of empathy, compassion, and humour and how the process of theatre-making can bridge the cultural divide and bring nations together. Next, production and performance elements that seamlessly compliment each another. Finally, an audience sitting in rapt silence for two hours, not just watching a play, but experiencing an event! Such is Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy’s, “Salesman in China”, their ambitious and daring adaptation of playwright Arthur Miller’s memoirs of his 1983 trip to Beijing to direct his play, “Death of a Salesman” at the Beijing People’s Art Theatre. This is a fascinating recounting of Miller’s paradoxes of directing a tragedy about American capitalism in a communist country. This historic collaboration symbolized the beginning of a new era of American-Chinese diplomatic relations shortly after China’s emergence from the decade-long chaos of the Cultural Revolution. China at this time was a land shut off from the far-reaching influences of the West. The story focuses on prominent American Miller and the equally prominent Chinese actor, director and translator, Ying Ruocheng, who will play Willy Loman in the play. The eyes of the world are fixed on the production, which signals a thawing of the two nations’ icy relations. Ying quickly discovers the many cultural bridges that surpass the language barrier. The Chinese are oblivious to the cultural underpinnings of Miller’s work. They don’t know about travelling salesmen, insurance policies or personal automobiles. How will he and Miller collaborate to bring the notion of the “American Dream” to audiences in communist China? How will Ying please the watchful eyes of the various government officials and attachés along with the artistic director of the People’s Art Theatre? The cultural divide between Miller, Ying and their collaborators is fundamental to the show’s premise. Not only did they need to reconcile vastly different languages, but they had to find a middle ground on its central themes of fatherhood, familial legacy, and worth. Something that resonates very differently in both cultures. This is where Brodie and Sy thoughtfully challenge audiences to reflect on present-day international affairs, societies, events and relationships. Director Sy and his entire company have achieved a first for Stratford – This production shifts seamlessly between Mandarin and English and is performed by an almost entirely Asian cast. Subtitles cleverly span the breadth of the elevated stage with English titles when Mandarin is spoken and vice versa. Sy’s passion for this monumental production is tenable from the first scene in the rehearsal hall of the People’s Art Theatre. Particularly moving was the collective breath taken by the actors before they started the first rehearsal. I instantly felt connection; connection of the cast to the material, the audience to the cast, all of us to each other. Goosebumps! Sy’s inspired staging and use of cinematic techniques for flashbacks and dream sequences is masterful, particularly in Ying’s garden home and while rehearsing his monumental scene. There isn’t a single line delivery, piece of staging or scene change that isn’t carefully considered. Speaking of scene changes, they are among the most beautifully choreographed I’ve ever seen. Cast members bring on and take off furniture and props with an almost balletic grace. Nothing in this show is random. Hats off to the leadership and vision of this fine artist. Stratford favourite Tom McCamus leads the top-notch cast as Miller. His performance as the great playwright is multi-layered and complex. His Miller is charming one moment, capricious the next. He embodies the intelligence, arrogance, and fierce commitment to his art, which was well known to those in Miller’s inner circle. Also well-known is that Miller may have been autistic and was known to “never keep still.” Kudos to McCamus for his attention to this subtle physicality. But the show really belongs to Adrian Pang in his Stratford debut as Ying Ruocheng. This man’s charged performance is a masterclass in fine acting! It’s hard to ascribe an adjective that adequately defines his work in this starring role, but I’ll start with genius! Ying is a charming, funny collaborator for Miller. He is affable at first but has a tormented past and personal demons that threaten to derail his art and relationships. Ying is so good, his characterization so compelling, and his monologues so breathtakingly poignant that you can’t take your eyes off him. His performance alone is worth the ticket price. The chemistry he shares with McCamus is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Joyous! As Miller’s wife Inge, Sarah Orenstein portrays a loyal and supportive partner (she even learned to speak some Chinese) with unswerving faith in him and his production. Her scene with McCamus at the top of Act 2 is delightfully tender. In stark contrast is Jo Chim’s portrayal of Ying’s wife, Wu Shiliang. Unlike Inge, she’s skeptical and questions Ying’s involvement with Miller and the play. She’s protective of Ying and fears for his career should the play fail. Chim and Orenstein are excellent in their strained portrayal of wives in turmoil. The balance of the wonderfully talented cast plays multiple parts, all invested in their roles and thoroughly engaging. It’s not only the actors that are epic! Stagecraft is off the charts! Joanna Yu’s stark set design with perfectly synced English and Mandarin subtitles is innovative and functional. However, there’s a second screen at the top of the stage that is used briefly to indicate location and time. This one is easy to miss as it’s set too far away from the main subtitles and is easy to miss. I would have liked all the subtitles in one place. Chairs, tables, desks, mirrors and other small props are brought on and off by actors with military precision. Special note to the illusory staging of Ying and Miller watching their play’s final scene from “backstage”. Abstract projections on the back walls, courtesy of co-designers Caroline McCaull and Sammy Chien (Chimerick), are effectively and often frighteningly used for flashbacks (especially Ying’s imprisonment and panic attack during rehearsal). Sophie Tang’s lighting design is muted overall. It provides lots of shadow and minimal colour, nicely evoking the harshness of the totalitarian state. Harsh shafts of white light keep key scenes cold and ethereal. Alessandro Juliani’s original compositions of traditional Chinese folk music, coupled with ambient drones and supplemental background effects, gracefully, sometimes horrifically, enhance but never overpower. “Salesman in China” is the season’s most exhilarating and conversation-inducing work. Its themes of family, values, familial relationships, cooperation, and collectively bridging the cultural divide conjure laughter and tears. This gem is inspired, full of heart, and not to be missed. The bad news? It has a painfully short eight-week run. The good news? It’ll move to Ottawa’s National Arts Centre in January 2025, so don’t let this masterpiece slip away! Running time: Approx. 2 hours, 25 minutes with one intermission The production runs until September October 26 at the Avon Theatre, 99 Downie St., Stratford, For tickets call the Box Office at 1-800-567-1600 or email www.stratfordfestival.ca The Stratford Festival Presents “Salesman in China” by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy WORLD PREMIERE Directed by Jovanni Sy Set designer – Joanna Yu Lighting designer – Sophie Tang Composer and Sound Designer – Alessandro Juliani Co-Projection Designers – Caroline McCaull and Sammy Chien (Chimerick) Fight and Intimacy Director – Anita Nittoly Movement Director – Harriet Chung Performers: Tom McCamus, Adrian Pang, Jo Chim, Phoebe Hu, Derek Kwan, Sarah Orenstein, Agnes Tong and other Canadian artists in the ensemble. Previous Next

Back Marshall Pynkoski Canadian Chat Opera Atelier website Joe Szekeres Marshall Pynkoski and I shared a good laugh later when we were able to communicate via Zoom. I had logged on earlier to be ready for our meeting. Because I had forgotten to re-start my computer after loading updates, we spent a few minutes trying to ensure our microphones were working. Completely my error on all accounts, but Marshall was so gracious and kind that he put me at ease immediately and we continued forward. From Opera Atelier’s website: “Mr. Pynkoski has collaborated with many of the finest artists in the world of early music and his productions of opera and ballet have toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1985, he founded Opera Atelier with his partner and co-Artistic Director Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg and he has since directed a wide range of period productions of Baroque and early Classical opera and ballet in close collaboration with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. He is a recipient of numerous awards including the Toronto Arts Award, the Ruby Award for outstanding contribution to opera in Canada, and the TIME Magazine award for Classical music. He has been named Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France.” Thank you so much for your time, Marshall: As we now approach Year 3 of this worldwide pandemic, as Artistic Director of Opera Atelier, how has the company been able to weather the winds of this tumultuous time and move forward? We did something called ‘Together Apart’ to begin with and had a tremendous response. And then we did ‘Together Apart Part 2’. Again, a wonderful response. It then occurred to us there was a new Canadian composition we had begun in, I think it was, 2018 at Versailles, and this was with Edwin Huizinga who was writing new music for period instruments as part of a staged concert that we gave in the Royal Chapel. It had been so successful that we were asked to return the next year and expand it. We had continued expanding it and we suddenly thought well maybe this is the answer – maybe we look at expanding what was first called ‘The Eye and Eye’s Delight’ with what we finished calling ‘Angel’. Maybe we continue expanding this and create something made for film rather than an apology taking something that was meant to be for the stage and filming it. Do you know that It turned into the most wonderful experience for all of us, for all of the artists involved. It was all of our dancers, many of our favourite singers, Tafelmusik Baroque orchestra. We were working with the poetry of Milton but also poetry by Rilke. We had commissioned a wonderful English translation of that poetry. We put together a piece that was about 70 minutes long. It has already won a number of awards at film festivals. I just heard it was just accepted into the Austrian Film Circle as the Critics’ Select. I’m very proud to say that money that came to us through the government. The government has been very generous to arts companies. They did everything they can to maintain our funding and to help us. It was made very clear that if we felt we couldn’t produce it wouldn’t be held against any company. Everyone decided to wait until this pandemic is over. I’m very proud to say we spent every penny on producing, on composition. We spent it on singers, on dancers, on filmmakers. Consequently, we’ve learned a great deal, we’ve grown a great deal and we’ve maintained a sort of different contact with our audience in what we would ever have imagined possible. That being said we’re thrilled to be going back into the theatre and even then, we’ve never hedged our bets. We’ve never been a company like that. I was very proud of the fact we were one of the last companies standing and saying, “We are opening in February!” The moment you say that, all the contracts kick in. If we had been shut down again, we would have still been paying the full contract to all the singers, all the dancers, a cancellation fee to Koerner Hall, all of those things. Our Board of Directors were very fortunately behind us. We took a deep breath and said, “We’re in. We’re opening.” And here we are, and God help us I don’t think there’s going to be another shutdown. We’ll be in Koerner Hall and it will be our much belated debut fully staged. This is something we would never have dreamed of producing otherwise. We’re calling it our valentine to Toronto entitled ‘All is Love’ and just hoping that people will feel comfortable enough that they will fill up the 50% capacity allowed to us and to celebrate together. The global pandemic has certainly changed our view of the world we once knew. How have you been able to move forward personally during these tumultuous times? Personally, I’ve been doing extremely well. I don’t want to sound flippant, but I don’t like fear. I don’t like people trying to control me with fear. I do feel the media has done a wonderful job of terrifying everyone. Again, that doesn’t mean I don’t take this seriously because I do take it seriously. But I don’t need the media to frighten me. I’ve lot lots of things to be afraid and I can provide that for myself. My concern is that we have been surrounded by a media and by individuals who cultivate fear and that I object to. Why would we cultivate that fear? We should be cultivating courage. We should be cultivating tenacity. We should be cultivating our imaginations and finding how we can make this into something that is positive and be able to look at in in a realistic way. Again, I am being realistic. I have all of my vaccinations. Jeannette has all of her vaccinations. We spent $125K on tests for our artists in order to be able to film ‘Angel’. For our company our size, $125K is gigantic. So, we’re taking it all seriously. But I also insist that we must recognize life has to go on. We have to create. Artists need to create. Meashha (Brueggergosman, Opera Atelier Artist in Residence) says, “We are the first responders.” We’re the people who are out there giving people hope and solace. This is the moment we can really shine and show who we are. It would be good for us and good for everyone. Other than the fact we’ve had to plow and push through a certain degree of negativity and fear on occasion, I would say it’s been a very positive experience that has forced us to re-examine our values and the things we think are important. It’s created a degree of solidarity in the theatre community that I know, and it can only end up being something that we have all benefitted from. When we’re dealing with singers, dancers, musicians, we’re dealing with young people who don’t remember other serious threats that the world has faced. I’m dealing with singers and dancers who never lived through AIDS. You want to talk about a pandemic at that time? I would need four hands to count the people whom I loved were lost. There have been huge issues. We get back. We bounce back just like people did after AIDS, after the First and Second World Wars, after the Spanish Flu, after SARS, after diphtheria. C’mon, this is unfair and counterproductive. Although I personally have no background or training in the study of opera and ballet, I’ve quite enjoyed watching Opera Atelier productions live before the shutdown. I’ve also enjoyed watching productions online. I’m receiving the impression you believe it’s important to ensure this exquisite art form gets to be seen by as many as possible. Why do you believe this is an important goal to achieve? I think it’s important because exposure to the arts that are built on such a groundwork of positivity. It benefits people emotionally, it benefits people spiritually and eventually has an impact physically as well. The arts should have an important place in our lives to make us completely full, well-rounded human beings. We are dying of a surfeit of a specialization in this world, in North America and Europe in particular. If you’re not specializing, then you’re considered a dilettante. The moment you’re considered a dilettante, you are discarded. It is and consequently we have people who are fiercely intelligent about one small area of knowledge and yet will know nothing about opera, nothing about ballet, nothing about music, nothing about literature. We have to broaden our life experience. We all have to so we can be more well-rounded human beings and then maybe, when something like this pandemic comes up, we will be better equipped to deal with it spiritually and intellectually in every way. I’m tired of hearing people trying to justify the arts by saying, “Oh, if you take music your Math marks may improve.” Well, that may be true, but that’s not what I’m interested in. I don’t need to justify music because that’s going to help you have better marks in the Math class. The Arts do not require that justification anymore than eating the best food and exercise require justification. We know these things are good for us, and the responsibility to bring them into our lives or with artists to make sure to make them accessible so we bring them to people’s lives. If people have not had the opportunity to be exposed to them because of this specialization that I speak of, then we try to rectify that by making the Arts more accessible. I don’t mean by dumbing them down. I mean by not costing as much, finding ways to get them to people for free, finding ways to meet as broad a demographic as possible. There are many people who don’t attend the theatre because they are intimidated by it. There’s this idea of a certain exclusivity and won’t be able to understand. I think that film allows us to jump past that and just say, “In the comfort of your own home, put up your feet. Pour yourself a drink, have a cigarette, whatever you need to make yourself comfortable, sit back and watch an artistic presentation.” If it bores you, put it on Pause. There’s something wonderful about the Arts and I’d like to think it becomes a catalyst to walk into the theatre, sit down and see what this is like live. If it can have a powerful impact on screen, what’s the impact it can have on a real-life situation? Something even more powerful. I thought how appropriate Atelier is returning live to the stage (hopefully with fingers crossed) with ‘All is Love’ on the Valentine’s Day weekend. In the press release there is reference to the character of Love, so obviously this emotion permeates the production. Along with ‘love’ what other messages do you hope audiences will take away after seeing the production? I want audiences to leave the theatre feeling they have had a cathartic experience. I take for granted that people will be nervous stepping into the theatre, why wouldn’t they be after all this time that we haven’t been in a large crowd? Even though there is only a 50% capacity with space between everyone, I still think it requires an act of courage for people for the first time to step out and go and do that. I hope people come away feeling more alive. I hope people come away remembering what they felt before so much was taken away from us. It’s amazing how complacent we’ve become and convinced to live differently or in ways that are not good for us where we start to feel comfortable in ways that should make us feel uncomfortable. We start to become uncomfortable with real life contact, a real physical contact, a face-to-face meeting. All of the inconveniences that are an integral part of being human - This is too easy. You could be wearing your pajama bottoms for all I know, Joseph, during our conversation. We have to get back to living and all the grit of living and making our way to the theatre and sitting down and put on reading glasses to read the program. We have to get back to something that takes us off the screen. I’m glad it does exist for some things, but we have to get off the screen and get in each other’s faces again. Tell me about the genesis of ‘All is Love’ and its progress to the stage. ‘All is Love’ includes much of the repertoire that we explored on film, but again we’re accepting the fact that in a real-life situation it becomes a completely different repertoire, and it would be experienced differently. But we have also added additional pieces as part of that, pieces dealing specifically with Love. We’ve moved into 19th century French art song for the first time that will be completely staged. So, you will hear Debussy and Reynaldo Hahn on period instruments, the instruments that it was written for. Act 1 Peleas, something I’ve always dreamed of for thirty years, we are actually going to be doing. It’s so, so exciting. We’re also moving into some brand-new repertoire that still has a very, very close link to 17th century French music. When I hear Debussy’s music, I hear Rameau, I hear Lully. When I listen to Reynaldo Hahn, I hear Charpentier. That’s what these giants were steeped in, and we forget that. We always look to where they were going, and we forget what was their grounding. To have an orchestra that is immersed in French baroque music interpret Reynaldo Hahn and Debussy, I think we’re going to hear something absolutely a unique and legitimate perspective rather than trying simply to create something to amuse people or keep them coming to the theatre for whatever reason. We want to tell these stories succinctly and clearly; we want to be coherent not incoherent. A coherent storytelling that people can follow because God knows Peleas is a difficult story anyway. It’s such a pleasure to work on this repertoire and to have Meashha with us. The opening song she sings which was something created for her, that’s where the title of this show comes from and it’s perfect for the Valentine Season and to share with someone whom you love. RAPID ROUND Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea: Who would you say was the biggest influence on your life in your pursuit of your vocation as a professional artist? What would you say to this influence right now? The biggest influence was George Balanchine, the greatest choreographer in history and the founder of New York City Ballet. Jeanette and I make a trip, a pilgrimage to New York City on a yearly basis, to see those dancers dance that repertoire. If I saw Balanchine I would drop to my knees and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’ve changed how we listen to music. You changed how we experience music. Dancers literally changing how I hear Stravinsky. Thank you.” If you could say something to the entire company of ‘All is Love’ what would it be? “Remember all the reasons you chose your career. Bring all those things back together for this moment and let them crystallize in this performance for our audience.” If you could say something to the audiences of ‘All is Love’, what would it be? “Let yourself be carried away. Try to let any barriers or concerns that you have down. I want you to feel as those you are being in a dream. You’re in a safe place, and we’re giving you something that is like a wonderful, safe drug. I want you to wake up at the end and feel more human.” What is a word you love to hear yourself say? (Marshall had a good laugh) “Yes”. What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say? Impossible With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live Canadian performing arts scene? (Another good laugh from Marshall) The current state of the Canadian arts scene…Ah, that’s a loaded question. There are so many possibilities. I would still go to the creator I admire most. I would go to George Balanchine. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Canadian arts scene, it’s the ARTS SCENE that is happening universally and George never lost sight of the big picture. When he introduced Stravinsky to New York and was choreographing Stravinsky, there was a wonderful anecdote where someone said, “George, look at the people who are leaving.” And it was Balanchine who said: “Look at the people who are staying.” This says everything. What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you? I’d say, “Maintain your focus. Try not to allow yourself to be distracted by anxiety about where your career is taking you. Provided you are absolutely doing your very best, and you know you’re doing your best, it will take you in the direction you need to go.” This advice would have saved me enormous anxiety if I would have just believed that I had direction. But direction doesn’t mean a straight line, and this is what young people don’t understand. You can be following direction and be taking the most circuitous route. I look now and it makes total sense that I am where I am. At 18 or 19, this would have made no sense at all. With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell the upcoming Marshall Pynkoski from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist? Well, I’d probably say what I say to all artists: “The most important thing you can do is to create. You have to be able to follow your discipline. It doesn’t matter who the audience is or how much of an audience you have. You have to follow your discipline whether you’re doing it for yourself, in a studio, working with other artists or only for a few invited friends - you have to keep pursuing that goal so that it takes on a life of its own and can grow organically, not to force it and not be frightened of it. Simply devote yourself to excellence and let it take you where it’s going.” What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally? I don’t make a big distinction between my personal and professional life. As Co-Artistic Directors, I would say Jeanette and I both hope that we’ll have the opportunity to explore more French baroque repertoire in the future – 17th and 18th century repertoire both with some of the major operas of Charpentier, Rameau and Lully plus we want to come back to those enormous productions that we were producing ten years ago and have been unable to visit. We’d like to come back to these operas of ten years ago with many of the same artists who will have grown as artists and re-examine it and re-examine it as well as move into new repertoire. And of course, the early 19th century repertoire like Debussy. There’s no question of retiring; there’s no question of what will I do when I’m no longer doing this. If I’m no longer doing this, I will be dead. This is what I do because this is who I am. It’s not something I’m doing to fill up my time until something else happens. Name one moment in your professional career that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while. I would say our performance immediately after the terrorist attack in Paris. That was an extraordinary event. Most theatres shut down entirely after that attack in, I think, 2016/17. We had just arrived in Versailles with all of our Tafelmusik, all of our singers and dancers, about 80 people. We had enormous pressure to come home and not perform and that it was too dangerous. We decided that we were going to stay, and it was absolutely unanimous. The Royal Opera House re-opened, and we re-opened the Royal Opera House just days after the terrorist attack. They insisted they would not be terrorized by terror, and we opened with Lully’s ‘Armide’, a story of the Muslim warrior princess and the Christian knight and their affair and attempt to find some way to live with each other and live out their destinies. It was the most extraordinary event when the curtain went up and there was that gigantic Persian writing on stage. There was a gasp from the audience as they couldn’t believe it. It was as if we had planned this particular event. For all of us, it was one of the most moving experiences of our lives. The army was backstage in the hallways with submachine guns. All of Versailles was an armed camp, and there we were packed house of Parisians and people from Versailles. To learn more about Opera Atelier, visit their web page: www.operaatelier.com . You can also visit their Facebook page: @OperaAtelier; Twitter: @OperaAtelier. Previous Next

Back Bahia Watson Looking Ahead Courtesy of Crow's Theatre Joe Szekeres First time I saw Bahia Watson’s stage work was in two extraordinary productions of ‘The Last Wife’ and ‘The Virgin Trial’ at Soulpepper which had transferred to the Stratford Festival. There was a sharpness and clarity in her performance delivery in these two productions which made me pay attention to each word she said. Our recent Zoom conversation led me to learn more about her background and training as a performing artist. Watson proudly shared her theatre practice and learning of the craft came through d’bi.young anitafrika and their storytelling practices and the traditions from which they pull. d’bi.young broke it down to Bahia that it’s the storyteller and the village, and this ancient relationship has always been a part of the human experience and always will be. Bahia avers no one can take d’bi.young’s practice of storytelling away from us. When she breaks it down as d’bi.young has done, Bahia says we will always have the storyteller and we will always have the village. That relationship and understanding will endure. Watson has also written monologues and started performing them and learning about the storytelling relationship from d’bi.young. This relationship has empowered her. There is a story to tell, and people want to hear it and they just become. People want a story to be told and appreciate it being told. With this understanding of storytelling, Bahia built her craft as a theatre/performing artist. In September, she appears in Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ at Crow’s Theatre. As always, I like to ask the artist how rehearsals have progressed to this point. Bahia confidently assures me they’re going well. She also adds: “It’s a really beautiful group of people and I feel very lucky to be in this process with them. It’s a journey, every day is a full, big, long journey to go on in the play. Today we did our second stumble through so it’s starting to be woven together and how it feels as one piece rather than separate, broken-up scenes during rehearsals. I’m very grateful to be working on this play right now.” Bahia loves the rehearsal process and the rehearsal room. For her, the rehearsal time has been such a gift as an actor to spend these weeks of playing through exploring, taking risks, failing, working on the story, talking about it and deepening it bit by bit. What is it about ‘Uncle Vanya’ that Bahia believes speaks to her as an artist? “Well, this production is an adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell, and she’s done an amazing job. The way she has adapted the script feels very contemporary – easy to relate to. There are some timeless human themes in the story. No matter the era, there are people who are longing for love, longing for the dreams they had that they didn’t achieve, and longing for their youth. That longing doesn’t go away no matter how vast our lives become. The human experience in ‘Uncle Vanya’ remains true then as it does now.” Bahia smiled and said at one point there’s talk in ‘Uncle Vanya’ about deforestation and its relationship to the earth. She’s amazed there was talk about deforestation hundreds of years ago and a similar conversation still goes on today in the twenty-first century. How appropriate and timeless indeed because Bahia stated things don’t change as fast as we sometimes think they do. How true. Watson goes on to speak on how the play feels very present for her. Repo-Martell’s adaptation does not feel old at all because it honours Chekhov’s original story and intent, but it has been worked to feel very alive and present. Additionally, Watson favourably speaks about the work surrounding Chekhov’s details about being human. As humans, we reach for the stars and sometimes we are disappointed and have to accept things the way they are. On top of the rehearsal process and the upcoming ‘Uncle Vanya’ performances, a thing called Covid still remains omnipresent all around. The live theatres are still maneuvering on how to move forward, especially as the weather begins to change slowly and we all move indoors. Where does Bahia Watson see herself in the trajectory of this change in the theatre industry going forward? She paused briefly and said she found that an interesting question. She explained further: “I still love the live medium and I feel that audiences still want to come and experience something live. Now, how do we go about it? There are a lot of reasons why things might change. Yes, there were opportunities to see productions outdoors throughout the pandemic when things appeared to be slowly under control. I did an outdoor show recently that could be taken to different communities. Live experiences are more important than ever.” Bahia further reiterated how theatre will be a part of our lives and that we need to be in a place where audiences can’t be on their phones. Our minds need to be able to focus on one thing. It’s special to be able to gather once again, especially since we haven’t been able to gather over the last two-plus years. Watson also commented on how her cast members in the green room were speaking about the state of theatre coverage. She wonders about the financial cost of live entertainment going forward and whether it will be able to sustain itself or will it be priced out because it can be seen as expensive. True, funding does come from the federal and provincial governments along with sponsorships and individual donors which is always appreciated. Artists want to make live theatre and Watson believes audiences are ready after two plus years to come back and be in a room together, but it still plays in the back of her mind about the long-term effects going forward. Will live theatres and their business have to move out of bigger cities for a while to regional areas where the torch will be carried? During the pandemic, Bahia developed an interest in radio to continue storytelling. It felt as if theatre communities were in their own little group and Watson wanted to connect storytellers across the country during the pandemic and beyond. She developed a digital radio station for storytelling called ‘Program Sound FM’ (https://www.programsound.fm/). This project took overall eight months. The radio station connected with storytellers across the country. There was a full 12-hour all-day broadcast. She shared she just found out the station received its next phase of funding so the station will now be able to be developed further. As we concluded our interview, I asked Bahia if she felt theatre was all sunshine and autographs. She had a good laugh hearing that analogy because theatre and the performing arts are a lot of hard, humbling work. An artist must dig deep and become extremely vulnerable and be very open. This process of learning and accumulating enough information to create this world that other people can see and then letting it go at the end of the day, coming back and rebuilding it again in a new day takes stamina. Bahia says theatre is a working-class art form. It’s not the big bucks. An artist has to do theatre because he/she/they LOVE it (and Watson emphasized ‘love’). There’s something about the journey. There’s nothing else like it at this point in rehearsals for ‘Uncle Vanya’ and developing the bonds with the other artists who will make this story come alive. Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ in a new adaptation by Liisa Repo-Martell and directed by Crow’s Artistic Director, Chris Abraham, runs from September 6 to October 2 in the Guloien Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. For tickets and other information about the production or the new season, visit crowstheatre.com. To purchase tickets, please call (647) 341-7390 ex. 1010 or by email: boxoffice@crowstheatre.com . Previous Next

Back Liz Callaway Moving Forward --- Joe Szekeres 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. Previous Next

Back Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart L-E-V (Israel) Fleck Dance Theatre Harbourfront Center Site Joe Szekeres A sultry and sexy pulsating entity of dance and music Please note I hold no background or education in the study of dance and movement. I will comment on the theatricality of the piece. When dance and movement synchronously gel harmoniously in time with and to the music, hot damn. This is exactly what I felt after watching and pondering what had just played out before me in ‘Chapter 3: Journey of the Heart’. L-E-V (Israel) I allowed myself to be carried away with the music, the sound, and the dance movement. I believe there are Chapters 1 and 2 which I have not seen, but that didn’t matter to me at all as I still respected and admired the sinewy motions of contemporary dance. The following program quotation from Hanya Yanagihara, author of Little Life, offered me some insight into what my guest and I were about to see: “Things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.” An interesting thought when ‘the heart’ is connected to this quotation. Our hearts are broken and can be repaired through life’s re-arrangements. The six dancers’ costumes designed by Christian Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri resembled full body tattoos emblazoned with one bright red bleeding heart. Later my young guest, who wanted to learn more about review writing, remarked how she was reminded for her that the continued repetitive and pulsating movement of the dancers became the nervous system surrounding the heart. What an interesting introspection. We sat in the balcony, and I was thankful for that opportunity as I knew this vantage would allow me to pay close attention to the precisely sinewed and fascinating geometric choreographed movements and images by Sharon Eyal. Usually when I attend dance pieces, I often wonder how said production will arrest my attention. Most that I have attended over the last several years have had minimal to no set pieces as the focus must be placed on the art of dance. ‘Chapter 3’ was no exception as it was a closed curtain upon entering the Fleck Dance Theatre auditorium. Whether it was intentional or not, I noticed a smoky haze that hung around the ceiling that I thought was a nice touch as there was no pre-show musical soundscape. This slightly smoky atmosphere did make me buy into the fact that I would enter another reality. And for 55 minutes, I was indeed transported to another reality, sometimes hypnotic, sometimes fascinating, sometimes erotic but always engaging. Final Comments: Three curtain calls for this fine company of dancers made the welcome back to Harbourfront Centre’s Fleck Dance Theatre even more special. “A hypnotically fascinating journey of dance and music.” Running time: approximately 55 minutes with no intermission. Performance continues March 5 at 7:30 pm at Harbourfront Centre’s Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West. For tickets, visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com . CHAPTER 3: THE BRUTAL JOURNEY OF THE HEART L-E-V (Israel) Part of Torque 21/22 International Contemporary Dance Dancers: Clyde Emmanuel Archer, Darren Devaney, Edit Domoszlai, Guido Dutlih, Dana Pararillaga, Keren Luire Pardes Creator: Sharon Eyal Co-Creator: Gai Behar Music: Ori Lichtik Costumes: Maria Grazi Chiuri – Christian Dior Couture Lighting Design/Technical Director: Yair Salman Photo: Stefan Dotter Previous Next

Back 'Rosmersholm' by Henrik Ibsen. Adaptation by Duncan Macmillan Now on stage at Crow's Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto Credit: Dahlia Katz. Dave Rabjohn “A searing portrait with a who’s who of resume-sparkling actors with bold direction by Chris Abraham.” An all-star cast (a sometime cliché, but it certainly fits here) from Crow’s Theatre Toronto opens a Canadian Premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s classic ‘Rosmersholm’. A new adaptation by Duncan Macmillan, it is a searing portrait of political upheaval, crushing personal pain, and failed alliances. Director Chris Abraham has banded together a who’s who of resume-sparkling actors. Ben Carlson (Shaw Festival and Stratford) plays the harsh governor Kroll; Beau Dixon (Stratford, Tarragon) plays Peter Mortensgaard the progressive journalist; Virgilia Griffith (Soulpepper) plays the mysterious whirlwind of change Rebecca West; Kate Hennig (Stratford and Shaw Festival) plays head housekeeper Mrs. Helseth; Diego Matamoros (Soulpepper) plays the fiery Ulrik Brendel; Jonathon Young (Soulpepper and Canadian Stage) plays the tortured lead - Pastor John Rosmer. The strength of this production comes from the above-mentioned veteran talent, a minimalist stage and bold direction from Chris Abraham. Rosmer is ambiguity itself – a retired pastor, he is also the heir to a family dynasty of grave conservatives memorialized by the dark, stern portraits ringing the walls of the mansion. His political views have become more progressive and are at odds with his family background as Governor Kroll passionately reminds him. Rosmer is haunted by the suicide of his wife and the emergence of the enigmatic Rebecca who was a friend of his wife. A consequential election is the background for classic left and right mobility – a fight for equality and class struggle. Various reports of inappropriate relationships muddy political stripes. New details of the suicide deepen Rosmer’s guilt, and, along with Rebecca, he falls into a dark void of despondency. Carlson, as the reactionary voice of conservatism, is both angry and regal. “Politics is a bloodsport.” His volatility builds slowly to an explosive climax. Rebecca is his target and Griffith’s portrayal is slowly seething until she is emotionally crushed with wild eyes and physical paroxysms. Young’s portrait of pain is horrifyingly tangible. In act one, he calmly dismisses his aristocracy – the mansion is “just a house.” As rancour and dread unfold in act two, Young’s descent is subtly agonizing. Kate Hennig’s brilliant depiction of progressively nervous calm acts almost as a Greek chorus - observing with active eyes and hands wringing. Her gentle disposition belies her fear of responsibility. Abraham manages the herculean role of wrangling the roaring emotions. The minimalist set is almost a chess board where his direction can move pieces with a variety of angles and clever blocking that evokes each scene. With a theatre in the round structure, each audience member gets their own unique view supporting the themes of varying political and emotional nuances. Abraham also creates clever comic relief giving the play some moments of life’s rare joy. Ming Wong establishes Ibsen-like realism with detailed 19th-century costumes. Colours and patterns are stern and severe. This details the formality of servants rushing about with coats and boots, highlighting social distinction. A chaotic outside world invades the dull house with bright red as Brendel enters besmirched with blood and paint. Considered one of Ibsen’s finest classics, it is rarely produced. Crow’s must be applauded for taking on such a rich and complex project. Seismic political and personal change often leads to tragedy – tragedy not just violent, but also sometimes subtle. We leave with a haunting expression of life’s timid pain: “the children never cry and the adults never laugh.” ‘Rosmersholm’ by Henrik Ibsen. Adapted by Duncan Macmillan. Performers: Ben Carlson, Beau Dixon, Virgilia Griffith, Kate Hennig, Diego Matamoros, Jonathon Young, Sturla Alvsvag, Alicia Richardson, Norman Yeung Director: Chris Abraham Costume design: Ming Wong Lighting design: Kimberly Purtell Sound design: Thomas Ryder Payne Production runs through: October 6, 2024. Tickets: crowstheatre.com. Previous Next

Back Monique Lund Moving Forward Colton Curtis Joe Szekeres Toronto, Ontario, in the late 80s and early 90s saw a slew of first run, first-rate productions with some featuring an all Canadian cast. I liked to get to the theatre early so I could read the artist biographies in the programme to learn more about these talented individuals. One of those names I remember is Monique Lund. She appeared in an amazing production of ‘The Who’s Tommy’ and ‘Cats’ during these years. Again, since I began reviewing, I’ve seen her name in many Stratford Festival productions. She is indeed a talented lady. Monique received her early training on Prince Edward Island and started as a dancer there and moved to Montreal after high school to train with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal on a full scholarship. She also studied voice at McGill University and acting in Montreal and Toronto before getting hired as a company member in ‘Cats’. The rest is history as they say! She has performed in eleven seasons at Stratford and hit the 90s jackpot doing musicals in Toronto during these golden years while appearing in ‘Cats’, ‘Crazy For You’, ‘Tommy’, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (with Donny Osmond), ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. Monique has played the role of Donna Sheridan in ‘Mamma Mia’ in the US for two years as well as having played many leads from Vancouver to Halifax. Thank you, Monique, for participating: It appears that after five exceptionally long months, we are slowly, very slowly, emerging to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. Has your daily life and routine along with your immediate family’s life and routine been changed in any manner? Yes, I suppose EVERYTHING has changed in terms of our daily lives. My daughter is 15 and when March Break came and it was announced that the kids would be off for three weeks, that seemed implausible... impossible. And then when someone speculated that the kids wouldn’t be going back at all I couldn’t fathom it. But that’s what happened. And we adapted. I think we actually are a very adaptable species. I try to remember that. In terms of our lives now, I actually feel very lucky to be living in a small town. There aren’t reems of people around and it’s easy to see friends in the park or on a walk around the river. It’s easy to social distance when you have vast space around you. Sometimes I forget that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and then I go to the grocery store and see everyone in masks and it’s sort of sci fi- esque. But like I said earlier, we adapt. People seem accustomed to it now. I know that masks will continue to be a part of our lives for a very long time and that’s as it should be. Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down? I did have several contracts that I was supposed to do in 2020 that were cancelled. It really is very sobering to watch your entire year go up in smoke. I feel there was a real tsunami effect..... spring contracts were cancelled which we all expected, then the summer ones evaporated, and the final blow was Christmas contracts being cancelled. I think our community went into mourning. It was shocking. Our employment is precarious at the best of times so to have this happen was incredibly difficult. And I do musicals, so the two things that are banned (and will be for the foreseeable future) are mass indoor gatherings and singing. PERFECT!!! Describe the most challenging element or moment of the isolation period for you. Did this element or moment significantly impact how you and your immediate family are living your lives today? I would say the most difficult moment was not being able to see my family. We’re quite spread out across the country and we always get together on PEI every summer for a reunion. Just knowing that was off the table really made me sad. I miss my parents and my sisters But having said that I feel so lucky that I live with people. My husband and daughter have literally saved my bacon throughout this. I have thought repeatedly of my single friends who have had to socially isolate AND lose their livelihood at the same time. Devastating. We really tried to make the best of it and look at the positives. Being home together, cooking, watching movies and living simply. What were you doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lockdown and isolation from the world of theatre? Since theatres will most likely be shuttered until the spring of 2021, where do you see your interests moving at this time? I have been extremely busy during lockdown. The first month or so I would say I was a bit aimless. I tried not to judge myself for it. Everyone reacted in their own way. But then I had a bit of a reckoning with myself. I had always had these other ventures that were of interest to me. But I’d never had the time to explore them. The upside of being employed pretty regularly in the theatre is that I never really had to do anything else. But suddenly I was faced with a blank page. So I started working toward launching my own jewelry line. I launched about six weeks ago and it’s been successful beyond my wildest dreams. It’s a creative outlet just like theatre is and I realized that that’s a vital and essential component to my innate happiness. I am also studying to become a personal trainer and nutrition coach. My dream is to have my own fitness company in Stratford, Ontario, that caters to women in the prime of their lives (45 +) It’s an incredibly detailed course of study and I’m finding it challenging and wonderful. I want to inspire women to feel great about themselves. At a certain age, haven’t we earned that?? I’m also involved with an incredible theatre company in town called Here for Now Theatre. The artistic producer, Fiona Mongillo, really has made an incredible thing happen. As the situation was unfolding with the pandemic and it became apparent that all contracts would be cancelled, she set to work to find a creative solution in taking advantage of what we COULD do. And that was to do outdoor theatre. She wanted a troubadour experience in which we’re light on our feet and can adapt to the ever-changing situation. So, we’re in the middle of an outdoor theatre festival at the Bruce Hotel in Stratford. We’re doing live theatre! It’s been an incredible experience. My husband Mark Weatherley wrote two of the plays (“Whack! “and “Infinite Possibilities”) and I came on board as a director. It’s been an incredible experience. The audiences are so appreciative. They’re starving for that live experience. We’re doing everything by the book including physically distancing the chairs, sterilizing them between seatings and limiting the numbers. Again, we adapt! The Festival has been so successful that we’ve been extended. So, for me, the pandemic has given me a bit of a kick in the pants to venture into new territory. I think it’s interesting how things have unfolded for me. I guess without the safety net of relying on doing musicals (and I use the term “safety net” very loosely!!) I sort of allowed myself to dream a little and act upon those dreams. I feel extraordinarily lucky. Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams? In terms of advice for other performing artists right now, I would say be bold and just leap into that unknown. I mean we’re already living in an incredibly uncertain time so maybe now is the time to develop that new skill, to take that course, to try something new. I think as artists we all need that side hustle more than ever. As my husband wrote in his play “When nothing is certain, anything is possible!” I actually really believe that. And for the young’ uns coming up, I would say try to be as well rounded as possible. Develop those skills and passions and hobbies outside of theatre. Hopefully, it will translate into some income so you’re not solely reliant on theatre to pay the bills. I think it can only help you as an artist too! But also we now have the gift of time! So read those books, learn those new songs, have play readings in the park with your friends, phone up an older artist that you’ve always admired, and ask if you can pick their brain. Get creative! There are opportunities to be had if you so choose. But I also feel that to be too focused on our careers can limit and inhibit the scope and breadth we’re capable of as humans. I really feel that it’s important to look at this as an opportunity for growth. The alternative is to view it solely as a negative phenomenon which I think is not terribly helpful. But let’s face it, it’s HARD. I think it’s absolutely ok to go under the covers and cry it out. Just don’t stay there too long! Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic? The positives I see are families connecting more, people having more time to just be, people getting back to baking and cooking, people helping each other. If only the financial repercussions for artists were not so dire, I think we’d be happier. It’s really hard to be blissed out when you’re worried about money. It’s a very real quandary. But as I said before, it’s really interesting to see the creative ways people are forging new paths for themselves. But also a lot of brilliant artists are working jobs that they’re not particularly enjoying. It’s tough. But we’re a tough bunch! In your informed opinion, will the Canadian, Broadway, and Californian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted on account of the coronavirus? Man, if only I had a crystal ball! I have no idea. I try not to speculate too much because the information keeps changing and none of us have a clue what’s going to happen. All I know is that when I think about assembling together with a big cast for the first day of rehearsal it literally brings tears to my eyes. The joy I have felt over the years working with people in the theatre will stay with me forever. And I am by nature an optimist, so I have to believe we’ll get back there. What are your thoughts about streaming live productions? As we continue to emerge and find our way back to a new perspective of daily life, will live streaming become part of the performing arts scene in your estimation? Have you been participating, or will you participate in any online streaming productions soon? In terms of live streaming, I think it absolutely will be a huge part of our industry moving forward. For me personally, I haven’t done anything, but I’ve certainly watched some content. But you know, I have come to a personal conclusion with it. I would rather watch the opening number of Ragtime at the Tony Awards for example with that huge cast brilliantly staged than something on Zoom. I find I’m looking to the past to get that fix. Watching throngs of performers interacting with each other with joy and abandon and physical proximity thrills me more than anything right now. But I certainly don’t judge those who are pursuing the online avenue!! It actually drives me crazy when we become divisive as artists. We must support each other right now more than ever! To each his own! Live and let live! And of course, if anyone did ask me to do a Zoom performance thing I’d be all over it. What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion, and the drama surrounding our world now? Wow. So, this question has brought me to my knees. I have been a professional stage artist for over 35 years. I have had so many incredible opportunities and have met the most brilliant, funny, kind, compassionate, and exceptional people. I have sung exquisite songs, I have tap-danced on pianos, worn exquisite costumes, witnessed the most vulnerable moments, laughed, cried, bled, despaired, rejoiced, and felt everything in between. My life has been incredibly rich and varied and interesting for having done it. I can’t fathom myself ever giving it up and so, I never will. It’s given me too much joy and happiness and laughter. With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews: a. What is your favourite word? Tolerance b. What is your least favourite word? Closed c. What turns you on? Creativity d. What turns you off? Materialism e. What sound or noise do you love? Cardinals f. What sound or noise bothers you? Dentist drill g. What is your favourite curse word? Zounds h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt? Pilot i. What profession would you not like to do? Mortician j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates? “Red or white? Thanks.” To learn more about Monique's jewelry line, visit https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/minniebymoniquelund Previous Next

Back Rebecca Caine Self Isolated Artist Jennie Scott Joe Szekeres As an avid theatre-goer and attendee, I can recall how the excitement of the Toronto professional theatre scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s matched and marveled that in New York City. At this time, there were the mega-musicals: ‘Les Miserables’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Miss Saigon’, and ‘Rent’ just to name a few. The first two productions listed have one person in common: Rebecca Caine. It was the Canadian sit-down company of ‘Phantom’ at The Pantages Theatre (now the Ed Mirvish Theatre) where I saw and heard the lovely Toronto born Rebecca Caine perform the iconic role of Christine Daae, which she had also performed in London’s West End. I remember hearing and/or seeing how fans of the Toronto production flocked to the stage door after performances to catch a glimpse or to chat briefly with this beautiful lady. And yes, I was one of them. Again, during the first few weeks of the ‘Phantom’ Canadian run, I also learned that Rebecca had originated the role of Cosette in the London/West End production of another theatrical titan: ‘Les Miserables’. Rebecca’s dulcet sounds were not only and simply relegated to the musical theatre community. While in Toronto, she also joined the Canadian Opera Company and made her debut there in the title role of ‘Lulu’. Rebecca also received a Dora Mavor Moore award for her performance in ‘The Little Vixen’ with the Canadian Opera Company. I encourage you to visit her website and to see Rebecca’s extensive work across Canada, the US, England, and overseas with incredibly diverse roles in music and storytelling. It was also nice to read in her biography on her website that Rebecca made her straight acting debut. And when she returns to Toronto for a concert, I would most certainly like to attend to hear her sing once more in the theatre when it’s safe for all of us to be there. Rebecca and I conducted our interview via email: 1. It has been the almost three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time? London calling! I’ve been incredibly up and down. Initially, it almost felt freeing. No self-tapes! Air punch! I heard Helena Bonham Carter say she didn’t have to feel stressed about being cast because no one else was. Well, quite. Then the fear crept in. Thanks to the ineptitude of the mouldering pile of chickpeas that is Boris Johnson, we have an incredibly high infection rate in the U.K. Friends got sick, some nearly dying. We hunkered down. We’ve had a lot of illness in my family in the last year. My mother has been hospitalised twice and a sibling was released from six months of cancer treatment in hospital into the whirlwind of a global pandemic. A brother in law tested positive for antibodies, my sister did not. I started to have some strange symptoms, rashes, an eye infection that could be seen from space, so my husband and I were tested. He came out positive much to our shock as we’d been so careful, and he was asymptomatic. My GP told me to assume that despite two negative tests I had had it. I’ve had days of real fatigue, headaches, and depression. We quarantined, him for one and me for two, which made me feel even more barking mad. Today I’m feeling better so let’s hope we’ve come out of it really lightly and stand a chance of not getting it again although of course, we will still be super safe in our behaviour. Meanwhile, I’m convinced the steady diet of Pringles and chocolate will keep us healthy. 2. As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally? I’ve really struggled a lot with loss of confidence in the last few years. I’m really hard to cast, being a full-on legitimate soprano of a certain age in a world of belters. There are no roles for me in traditional opera now as I am a light lyric soprano and they are the first to walk the plank, and the projects that I do want to do are few and far between. It’s harder to keep one’s confidence in the long gaps between gigs. I have COVID nightmares. Standard actor dreams. ‘Phantom’ has been my go-to stress dream for thirty-two years. I keep dreaming I’m back in the London production where I had a horrid time. The dream has changed over the years. Initially, I was hiding on the top floor of the theatre hearing the show over the show relay but, over time, the dream has progressed to finally being on the stage. Inexplicably a trapeze act has been added to the opening number, ‘Hannibal’ and I am pantless. I constantly dream I’m onstage in something I’ve never rehearsed and don’t know, and all this plays on my mind. I wonder, when we ever come back if I’ll be able to still do it which, of course, I will because it’s in my bones. It’s hard not to have the fear at four am. The other thing that was really tough was that in the first few months of the pandemic I could not bring myself to sing. When I tried, I cried. For many weeks here every Thursday night, we clapped the NHS. My street asked me to lead them in a group sing and it felt exposing and like showing off. I wanted to be quiet and private. All over my socials, Turns, as we refer to ourselves here, were “giving their gift” and I was incapable of singing. I needed to because I go crazy if I don’t feel that vibration in my body and I needed to stay in good vocal shape. Eventually, I turned to the Bel Canto Vaccai method of Practical Singing (God knows what the impractical method is) which is over 200 hundred years old. I found that singing through the exercises daily kept me in good shape technically and mentally. 3. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon? Straight off, I had to cancel some concerts in Canada, which made me sad as I hadn’t been back for three years and I miss everyone. Last year I did an extraordinary new piece, ‘Abomination’, an opera about a Northern Irish politician Iris Robinson and the DUP party’s appalling homophobia by the brilliant composer, Conor Mitchell. We had had plans to take it all over the place and now that’s on ice which is distressing. It’s an incredible age-appropriate role that was written for my voice and an important piece of political theatre. I was so excited for the wider world to see it. Bebe Neuwirth, whom I went to high school with, and I were plotting a cool thing we’d hoped to workshop this summer as well. I could tell you about it, but then I’d have to kill you. It’s hard to say what will become of any of these projects. Certainly here, nothing is happening until 2021… 4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time? Well… lots of gardening, weeping, needlepoint, weeping, eating, weeping, and silent screaming. I don’t seem to have the concentration to read. I have been watching a lot of ballet, which I adore. I can lose myself in it and the older I get the more I am lost in wonder at what they can do. My heart breaks for all the dancers trying to keep in shape in their living rooms; it’s such a short career, full of sacrifice. 5. Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ - 2 years? My heart bleeds for them. I wish I had a magic wand to make it go away. I message the younger colleagues to tell them I’m thinking of them and support them. The next generation had things stacked against them before this bloody virus arrived, but I am utterly convinced that they will find a way of making theatre that will amaze us all. I’m so incredibly inspired and excited by their politicization, creativity, and passion. They will find ways to express themselves that we never dreamt of. Don’t succumb to the divisiveness that’s out there. That’s what they want you to do. Listen and avoid dogma. Don’t cancel, debate. Be kind and strong and you will rise. The theatre has survived plagues before. It will survive this. 6. Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19? I hope that there is a realisation that we can no longer see the planet as something to be plundered, but as something we must respect or it will strike back and that people must see each other as equals. I’ve been profoundly impacted by the stories raised by the Black Lives Matter, Climate change and also the Me-Too movement. I think somehow the pandemic has brought all these matters to ahead. The next generation get it and soon, they’ll be in charge. 7. Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene? I can’t speak for the North American/Canadian scene as although I work over there, I am based and mainly work in the U.K. but surely the problems are the same? Unless there’s a vaccine, some sort of herd immunity develops or the virus mutates into a less fatal form or indeed vanishes, we are going to be dealing with this for some time. 8. Some artists have turned to YouTube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown? Even before the pandemic, one of my favourite things to do was to take my mother to see relays of operas and ballets at the cinema. Although many of them were playing in London it was an easier thing for my mother to handle at 87. What I did miss was feeling the music in my body. No sound system can replace being in the hall. However, in the present circumstances, I think it’s a brilliant way of getting things out there. The Belfast Ensemble streamed ‘Abomination’ to over 5000 people in 32 countries. For a contemporary opera that’s an incredible achievement. 9. Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that COVID will never destroy for you? That feeling of the flow, of being in the zone, when each thought just comes unbidden and I am fully in the moment. Pretty wanky, eh? True, though. As a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests: Oh lordie…ugh… right. 1. What is your favourite word? Cat 2. What is your least favourite word? Ginormous. 3. What turns you on? Serious art 4. What turns you off? Donald J. Trump 5. What sound or noise do you love? An orchestra tuning up. 6. What sound or noise bothers you? Straight tone screlting. Vibrato is a fingerprint that gives individuality unless you want to sound like the factory klaxon that opens ‘Sweeney Todd’. 7. What is your favourite curse word? Twazzock What is your least favourite curse word? Unprintable. 8. Other than your own, what other career profession could you see yourself doing? Well, Pope obviously, but costume designer or medieval manuscript scholar would be lovely. 9. What career choice could you not see yourself doing? Wife of Trump. 10. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates? “It’s ok Darling, we don’t need an up tempo.” Seriously, it’s “All your pets are waiting for you.” To learn more about Rebecca, visit her website: www.rebeccacaine.com Twitter: @RebeccaCaine Instagram: RebeccaCaine Facebook: Rebecca Caine Previous Next

Back 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' staged by Scarborough Music Theatre Now onstage at Scarborough Village Theatre Tinglesnaps Photography Joe Szekeres A polished and glistening opening night performance delivered by a gelled ensemble of players who get the humour and nostalgia of the piece. What a terrific choice Scarborough Music Theatre made in selecting ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ to open its 2022-2023 fall season. The COVID pandemic has wreaked so much havoc on our lives these last two years so hearing such heartwarming and nostalgic statements as “You have a little brother who loves you” and “Pleasant day, pretty sky…” certainly put a spring in my step as I exited the Village Theatre. For a musical that has no running narrative throughout and must rely on slice-of-life vignettes and song and dance numbers to carry through the two-hour-plus running time, this tightly knit ensemble of players delivered a polished and glistening opening night performance that left a smile on my face last night and this morning. I saw a few children in the audience, and I would most certainly recommend this production as a family outing. What makes this story work so well in the twenty-first century and worth a visit to the theatre (or perhaps a repeat if you’ve seen it before)? ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ explores our humanity through the eyes of kids. For me, the musical becomes nostalgic to watch adults playing these kids and the emotions we thought would destroy us back then. Sergio Calderon finely directs the production with subtle nuances of compassionate care because he states in his Programme Note: “Peanuts has had a global and universal impact on people of all ages and backgrounds. These characters have been a part of our lives and have made an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.” William Corcoran’s set design made me feel as if I had entered the world of Saturday or Sunday morning comic strips thanks to the muted brown squares on the stage floor, the bright red colours of Snoopy’s doghouse and the terrific two-dimensional cut-out designs of the six characters. What worked extremely well visually at the top of the show was having the characters stand by their cut-out designs as they spoke to the audience about Charlie Brown. A slight (and remember it’s only that) quibble - we don’t see these designs again. So much work has gone into the design of these cut-outs. It’s the two-dimensional characters that will remain permanently etched in our minds and I was hoping we might have seen these cut-outs once more near the end of the show. Music Director Miguel Malaco magically captured the humour, the heart, and the nostalgia within the lyrics. I’m a stickler if I can’t hear the lyrics to the songs and I believe it’s important to point it out if need be. That doesn’t happen here thankfully so kudos to Sound Designer Sidnei Auler. Sabrina Hooper’s choreography becomes a natural extension of the song lyrics, and it made sense to me the characters would move in that particular manner. Heather Hyslop’s costume designs are picture-perfect three-dimensional re-creations from the Peanuts series. Some of Maunique Jacklin’s oversized props are faultless – for example, Charlie Brown’s oversized lunch bag he places over his head when he thinks the little red-haired girl is looking at him from across the yard during lunchtime. David Buffham’s outstanding lighting designs impeccably highlight the comic strip’s three-dimensional world the audience has entered. The cast remains primo. Each of the six characters is given their own moment to shine alone on stage for their 11 o’clock number. There are also some priceless gems of choral ensembles worth noting - ‘The Book Report’ and ‘T-E-A-M (The Baseball Game). While the former offers some amusing comments about the state of education, the latter makes a sometimes-ironic commentary about what happens in community effort by children, and the grownups who play them. Community effort does not necessarily mean everyone will abide by it. Hayley Finewax is deliciously crabby and boisterously loud as perennial fussbudget Lucy Van Pelt. As her highly intelligent little brother, Linus, Aidan Ross becomes that necessary eternal optimist we all need in our lives when daily life struggles are a burden. But even optimists still need their familiar sense of comfort in knowing things are going to be all right. That’s why Ross hits the various levels of understanding this in ‘My Blanket and Me’. Yes, Linus knows he will grow out of his security object, but human nature tells us that sometimes we look for things to provide us comfort when life’s burdens become heavy. Jeremy Cook’s piano prodigy Schroeder comically reveals his commitment-phobic nature as he intently believes that music must always come first in his life. This is solidly revealed as Finewax serenades him in ‘Schroeder’ and the look he gives her as he finishes playing the piano says it all. Patricia Mongeon’s Sally intently and firmly becomes that sibling who wants to come out from under the shadow of the older brother and show how different she is from him. She knocks it right out of that proverbial ballpark with her second act number ‘My New Philosophy’. Chandler Coish is a serenely lovable Charlie Brown who does his best not to allow his emotions to get the better of him even though he is aware of his awkwardness among the others. I heard so many heartfelt ‘awwws’ from the opening night audience (yes, I’ll admit I didn’t say it aloud but I heard myself thinking it) that, if we could, we would have gone up on the stage to give Coish a hug. As an energetic and agile Snoopy, Charlie Davidson becomes riveting to watch at the top of Act 2 with his World War One Flying Ace in search of The Red Baron. Absolutely magical to watch Davidson on top of the doghouse roof that moves up and down and side to side while we imagine we are flying along with him in his Sopwith camel. Davidson’s eleven o’clock number ‘Suppertime’ becomes a viable Las Vegas revue solo act which then turns into a revival meeting at a Gospel church. Incredible fun to watch. Final Comments: An absolute treat of a welcome back gift of theatre to the community. This ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ is one you must try to see. Running Time: approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. ‘You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown’ plays until November 19 at Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Road, Scarborough. For tickets call the Box Office at (416) 267-9292 or visit theatrescarborough.com for more information. YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN presented by Scarborough Music Theatre Based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz Book, Music, and Lyrics by Clark Gesner Additional Dialogue by Michael Mayer Additional Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa Producers: Olivia Jon and Dot Routledge Director: Sergio Calderon Music Director: Miguel Malaco Choreographer: Sabrina Hooper Costume Designer: Heather Hyslop Properties Designer: Maunique Jacklin Lighting Designer: David Buffham Sound Designer: Sidnei Auler Stage Manager: Amanda Cook Orchestra: James Quigley/Adam Weinmann, Gemma Donn, Ezra Sherman, Matthew Wong, Tyler Reznick Performers: Chandler Coish, Hayley Finewax, Aidan Ross, Patricia Mongeon, Jeremy Cook, Charlie Davidson Previous Next

Back Mumbi Tindyebwa Self Isolated Artist --- Joe Szekeres Obsidian Theatre’s new Artistic Director, Mumbi Tindyebwa, has a great deal on her plate right now, but I am extremely grateful that she took a few minutes from her busy schedule both for Obsidian and her family life to be interviewed for this series. OnStage Blog has had the opportunity to review four of Mumbi’s outstanding productions: ‘Trout Stanley’, ‘The Brothers Size’, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and ‘Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape’. These were fascinating stories with outstanding performers. Congratulations and many blessings to you, Mumbi, from all at OnStage Blog in your new role as Artistic Director. We conducted our interview via email: It has been the almost three-month mark since we’ve all been in isolation. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during this time? It’s been a wild time. We have two little ones at home, so a large part of my focus has been on them and trying to keep them engaged plus homeschooling. My husband’s work was deemed essential from the beginning of the lockdown, so I have taken on most of the childcare and household work. On the bright side, it has been super sweet and special to have this uninterrupted time with my children. When Ahmaud Arbery was killed, then Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, the isolation changed from a somewhat reflective time into a time of deep re-traumatization. It’s been a triggering time for my family. My husband and I are raising a Black son and a Black daughter, so the layers of navigating the continued racism towards Black people at this particular time has been heavy. As a performer, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally? Throughout the last three months, I have been having meetings with the staff at Obsidian in preparation for starting my role as Artistic Director. I have missed being able to meet in person and getting to know each other in this new capacity face to face, but we have all adjusted and gotten used to the Zoom world. It’s also been extremely difficult to talk about the future when things are so uncertain, even more as an incoming Artistic Director trying to learn the workings of an organization. I am at a place now when I have begun to embrace the uncertainty and have a sense of acceptance of the moment we are in. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon? When everything shut down I had just opened a student production of We are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 by Jackie Sibbles Drury at University of Toronto Scarborugh Campus. We were super lucky that we managed to have three public performances before the run was cut short. I was also set to direct Sizwe Bansi is Dead by Athol Fugard at Soulpepper in the spring and had just started to dive deep into preparations for the show before we learned that it would be cancelled. I had another project that was scheduled to open in September that has also recently been cancelled. There is no guarantee of either of these two projects seeing the light of day at this point. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time? Children! I don’t think parents have an issue with being bored during this time. Besides being busy with the kids and all the household stuff — I feel like I am constantly cooking —I have also started paying attention to my health in a way that I hadn’t before the pandemic. It’s definitely been a real opportunity to zero in on some other areas of my life that needed some extra love. I have also been actively preparing for my role at Obsidian which has included reading plays thinking about programming future projects. I have also been in many meetings with my colleagues in the industry, especially fellow artistic directors to discuss the time we are in and the unique challenges our organizations are facing. 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? Go with the flow. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself. Read plays, read novels, listen to music. There are also a lot of masterclasses being offered online if you want to advance your skills. I also think it’s good to avoid too much time on social media. Connect with nature if you can. Do you see anything positive stemming from COVID 19? Dismantling of structures of white supremacy. That would be something. Do you think COVID 19 will have some lasting impact on the Canadian/North American performing arts scene? I keep longing to return to normal in terms of theatre as I know it. My husband works in tech and he said to me the other day when I was talking about us doing work for digital platforms that theatre is the antidote to technology, so basically, why should theatre artists rush to produce work for digital platforms? I thought about it and I have been thinking about it and I do believe in my core that the purity of the live theatre performance exchange and the human longing for that will not be changed because of COVID. What I hope for is that the stories that we tell will change; that our audiences will change; that the way we make theatre will change; and who is making theatre will also change. And maybe there will be some hybrid performance practices that emerge from the digital experimentation we do now that we will all benefit from as an industry. Previous Next

Back 'Freedom Cabaret' at Ontario's Stratford Festival Stratford Festival Stratford Festival Site David Rabjohn (By David Rabjohn, Associate writer for Our Theatre Voice) The “Cabaret” series continues at the Stratford outdoor festival with a rousing display of black music surrounding the theme of freedom. Program notes suggest that black music, from its beginnings of Negro spirituals through to contemporary rap music have always been closely associated with the need and longing for freedom. Curated, directed and music directed by the versatile Beau Dixon, the night’s agenda is remarkably far-ranging and thorough. The result is an entertaining evening of both introspection and joyful celebration. Joining Dixon’s vigorous performance are three outstanding voices that both contrast and compliment. Robert Ball’s beautiful voice is on full display with the haunting “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Alana Bridgewater’s strength and range is demonstrated with an animated “Hound Dog” that had some males in the front row fearfully hanging on to their seats. Her versatility is displayed in the powerful “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” by Thomas Dorsey. Camille Eanga-Selenge’s high soaring voice captivated the audience in a number of selections. The evening had a true “cabaret” style feel to it with some high barstool seating and a rustic circular stage with red drapery. Dixon’s opening wail on the harp produced the infectious beginning. The band was strong from the outset with a large dose of rhythm with both a full drum kit and a diversified percussion set managed deftly by the bandaged fingers of Joe Bowden. Dixon’s research must have been exhaustive. He found dozens of gems that did indeed reflect the constant yearning for freedom. Traditional songs such as “Hold On” represented the working slave who is holding on to the plow that is both killing him and keeping him alive. The evening moves through hits by black writers which are both acclaimed and less well known. You realize it will be an entertaining night when the program lists Lead Belly, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce and Sam Cooke numbers. Bob Marley was well represented and, as the singers warn us – he is not just a touchstone for stoned hippies. The tragedy of black music being appropriated into the mainstream was subtly but strongly observed. Some narrative about black musicians losing their political messages and the issues of racism in general gave some sobering support to the program. The genius in this support was that it was not consuming, and the big messages were left to the songs and the musicality to tell their own story. Returning to the singers (the heart of the program) solos were not the only fare. Gorgeous harmonies carved out some rich numbers. Back up voices were equally important, especially under the tutelage of Dixon’s entertaining conducting. A nod should go to the technical engineers as outdoor programming must create special challenges. The evening’s message is that the history of black music and musicians is deep, rich, and very closely connected to freedom in all its forms. And the entertainment was elevating! ‘Freedom Cabaret’ curated and directed by Beau Dixon closed September 5 but will stream virtual selections October 14 – December 3, 2021. For further information, please visit www.stratfordfestival.ca . Photo of Alana Bridgewater and members of company of ‘Freedom Cabaret’ by David Hou. Produced by The Stratford Festival Performers: Robert Ball, Alana Bridgewater, Beau Dixon, Camille Eangu-Selenge, Gavin Hope. Band: Beau Dixon, Rohan Staton, Roger Williams, Paul Antonio, Joe Bowden Lighting Design: Kaileigh Krysztofiak Sound Design: Peter McBoyle Previous Next

Back RUTAS Festival now on stage until October 6. In partnership with Aluna Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille and Factory Theatre Commentary on the final performance of 'Wilma' from Porta Teatro (Mexico) at Factory Theatre Courtesy of Aluna Theatre. Pictured is Writer, Director and Performer of WILMA: Itzhel Razo Joe Szekeres I had heard of The RUTAS Festival before but had never had the opportunity to attend. This year’s theme was Personal Cartographies. When the invitation was extended, I took it because I want to learn more about this artistic celebration. In her Factory Theatre Programme note, Aluna Theatre Artistic Director Beatriz Pizano writes about how this festival continues to change Toronto's cultural face by connecting new generations from Latinx diasporas to their roots and inspiring audiences and artists to experience life through a new lens. This sixth edition of RUTAS is in partnership with Toronto’s Factory Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille. This part of the above sentence caught my eye: “Inspiring audiences to experience life through a new lens.” The theatre does that and whose life would I experience through a new lens.? I settled in the chair for the final presentation of ‘Wilma,’ written, directed, and performed by Itzhel Razo. A compact set designed by Aurelio Palomino with props and pieces appropriate for space and use. A scrim was used to project individuals' faces, and a child’s chair was underneath a hanging light bulb with strands of what appeared to be coloured rope hanging down. There was what I thought looked like a giant water tank containing coral rocks and coral lilies. Writer, Director, and Performer Itzhel Razo appears from stage left and sits in the child’s chair. She’s sporting long, bright red hair and a colourful dress. She says nothing for a few minutes but eyes the audience. She then places her face in front of a fan, and her beautiful hair is caught up in the wind and blown in various shapes that encircle her perfectly coiffed face. When she begins speaking, it is in Spanish, and English surtitles are projected on the back wall. According to the press media kit, ‘Wilma’ is autobiographical and fictional. The story uses the analogy of two Wilmas: Razo’s grandmother, who imposed a classist education on her young granddaughter and wanted her to avoid a culture that appeared inferior to her ‘white’ grandmother, and Hurricane Wilma from 2005, which went through the Mayan area of Mexico. The message the audience can glean from ‘Wilma’ is that seeds of racism and classism are planted in childhood through an education we receive at home from our first teachers – our parents and grandparents. Comment: Today is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, so the final Toronto performance of ‘Wilma’ is most appropriate in our country. Some press materials mention Itzhel Razo as an emerging artist. I’d agree with that. She’s daring, brave, and bold in telling her story with tremendous personal dignity. (Spoiler alert) Even when she appears nude in the last few minutes of the one-hour production, one ignores that reality. Razo continues telling and sharing her story with an everlasting hope that all audiences will continue to think, ponder and reflect on atrocities committed against others who, as Grandma Wilma believed, want to avoid another culture deemed inferior. Heady message to consider on a beautiful Sunday afternoon outside, but an important one. I was moved by this final Toronto performance but left without remaining to hear the Artist's talkback. There’s still so much we must learn, revisit, evaluate, and consider before moving forward. At times, this reality seems insurmountable. Where do we start, how do we start, and who will be there to ensure we are heading in the right direction? So many questions and possibilities. Just today, an Indigenous artist responded to me on this National Truth and Reconciliation Day: “Continuing to ask the gentle and thoughtful questions that you ask is a good way forward.” Pizano is correct in her Programme Note: We need theatre like ‘Wilma’ to inspire us to experience life through a new lens. I’m all for that, as I want to learn more. But how do we know we are heading where we should be? More live theatre? Yes, please. I’m all for that, too. The RUTAS Festival continues until October 6 at various venues around Toronto, including Theatre Passe Muraille and Factory. To learn more and to see what’s playing, visit alunatheatre.ca. Previous Next

Back 'The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark' World Premiere, directed by Robert Lepage and choreographed by Guillaume Côté. Live and Onstage at Toronto's Elgin Theatre. The production has now closed. Presented by Show One Productions. Created by Côté Danse. Courtesy of Show One Productions Facebook page Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, adjudicator, arts educator "A new dance version of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy of friendship, madness, and revenge makes it world premiere. Although there’s much to enjoy in the production, this re-telling of the melancholy Dane is disappointingly conventional." This new version of “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” stripped of its text and performed as ballet is a co-creation of two Canadian theatre luminaries. Director Robert Lepage is a prolific and highly respected visionary, known worldwide for his unique theatrical fusion of arts and technology. His 2018 production of ‘Coriolanus’ at the Stratford Festival combined projected imagery and moving dioramas with live actors to create an impressive and critically acclaimed “live film”. Guillaume Côté is an award-winning, highly respected, and accomplished choreographer and dancer with a long list of collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious dance companies. Yet, despite their impressive individual artistic achievements, their collaboration doesn’t hit the intended heights. Departing from his customary high-tech approach to the work, Lepage instead stages the narrative on an almost bare stage, with basic lighting, costumes, hints of furniture and props and innovative use of black and red curtains to optimal effect. It boasts a wonderful original score which nicely supports the cast of nine dancers, clearly meant to be the showcase of the piece, and they most definitely are. This 100-minute rendering utilizes surtitles on a digital sign atop the stage, providing quotes from the play, setting up scenes and identifying who’s who. Côté’s choreography (he also plays Hamlet) is athletic enough – his solo work and pas-de deux is quite lovely but rather nothing to rave about. He doesn’t push the envelope or take risks in forwarding the narrative, opting for repeating standard ballet steps mixed with a few other styles. The opening banquet scene, celebrating the coronation of the new king, creates wonderful shapes and different, non-traditional moves. I was hoping for more of this edgy work throughout the show. Yes, the dancers are athletic and graceful. One would expect that. They’re all well-trained and accomplished. But there’s nothing inspiring or innovative here, no new ground chartered. As a narrative, you really need to know the plot going in. My companion, who wasn’t familiar with the details of the show, was lost in many scenes. This lack of connection to key characters made their motives dubious and unclear. Interestingly Lepage proclaims in a promotional video for the production that this is the first time most of the dancers have had to act as well as dance. Shouldn’t the two go hand-in-hand anyway? As characters most of the performers weren’t invested enough in their individual plights Let me be completely clear, the dancers are incredibly talented. They master the choreography with aplomb. As Hamlet, Côté leaps, and spins with strength and grace but its largely superficial. What I was missing was the levels of emotions and personal journey Hamlet experiences – from melancholy to fear, rage to madness. Every character should embark on a journey and be a changed person by play’s end. This Hamlet had no journey. As Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, National Ballet alum Greta Hodgkinson has beautiful lines and a lithe suppleness to her every move. As her husband King Claudius, Robert Glumbeck displays strength, agility, and a commanding physical presence. As Polonius, father to Ophelia and Laertes, Bernard Meney, plays more of an acting than dancing role, an appropriately comedic and stuffy busybody. Carleen Zouboules dances a sweet and fragile Ophelia while phenomenal energy radiates from Lukas Malkowski as Laertes. In one of the few departures from the balletic style, he showcases his breathtaking breakdance ability, creating dynamic levels of expression. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, played by Connor Mitton and Willem Sadler respectively, have a jolly, jaunty time playing the mischievous fun-loving compadres of the Danish prince. They leap and bound with supernatural synchronicity. As Hamlet’s best friend, here cast as a woman, Natasha Poon Woo is a powerhouse of technique, the most expressive performer in the cast. Her whirling solo as the sole survivor at the end of the play, while superbly executed, is an inexplicably odd end to the narrative, however. At times there are moments of brilliant stagecraft and true theatricality. Lepage’s simple set is functional and clever. A large slow-moving red curtain transitions us like a film wipe as sets magically appear and disappear behind it as it slowly travels from one side of the stage to the other. The curtains move, swoop and tuck to denote a definitive change of time and location. The explanation of Hamlet’s father’s murder is told by the ghost himself, where the foul proceedings are acted out in silhouette behind his unravelled grave sheets. Ophelia’s drowning scene was another use of simplistic imagery with maximum impact. She dances in front of a large rippling blue sheet and is lifted into the air by unseen hands that move and cover her as if being enveloped by water. Equally clever is the play within the play scene. Lacking enough cast members to play the troupe of actors, Hamlet and Horatio depict the murder of Hamlet’s father using oversized masks placed over the backs of their heads, their backward facing bodies appearing to dance face forward. Three simple chandeliers and red velvet chairs add regal elegance to the castle scenes while tables with removeable legs are innovatively transformed into, closets, beds, coffins, and desks. Composer John Gzowski’s brilliant and original score is both evocative and eclectic. He fuses neo-classical strings with techno and even mixes in some funky baroque. Drums and percussion accentuate each scene, from the bellicose fight scenes to the tender pas de deux. I’d love to find that score soon on Spotify! Costume designer Michael Gianfrancesco gives us a mixed bag. I wasn’t always sure what era or style he was aiming for. Gertrude is often wearing unmistakeably Elizabethan dresses, complete with frilly collar, while King Claudius is adorned with a sparkly purple T shirt and tight-fitting doublet that gave him an almost Tudor rock star persona. Hamlet’s simple ensemble of black doublet, black T-shirt, black spandex pants, and knee-high black boots made me think of him as the Biker of Denmark. Rosencranz and Guildenstern and Horatio were adorned in grey hoodies, baggy pants and caps that reminded me of a modern take on Russian Cossack peasants of the revolution. Lighting designer Simon Rossiter provides understated moody lighting, warm flickering lights in the castle and harsh and shadowy lights during the solos and small group numbers. Light spilled out from the wings or directly above the stage. No fixtures from the auditorium were used. Overall, this worked well, but there were times on stage right when harsh light created contrasting shadows cloaking nuanced expressions and important reactions. This show looks good overall and was enthusiastically received by the audience the night I attended. But I wanted to be taken in more. I wanted clearer storytelling through movement rather than steps for steps sake. I wanted to be more than just an observer on the sidelines. I wanted to be moved. What I got was routine. Previous Next

Back Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka Onstage at the Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford Festival Akosua Amo-Adem. Photo credit: David Hou Joe Szekeres 'Death and the King's Horseman' hits deep to the emotional core I had the opportunity to hear this play as part of Soulpepper’s ‘Around the World in 80 Plays’ series in June 2021 when the theatres were shut down for the pandemic. At that time, the audio version was also directed by Tawiah M’Carthy. Seeing it live for the first time, I noticed just how incredible of an epic spectacle it became for me but the play’s conclusion hits deep to my emotional core. I had forgotten ‘Horseman’ was based on actual events from Nigeria during World 2. Under colonial British rule, the village was trying to uphold its culture amid the struggle of the British who considered Elesin’s action horrific and awful. District Officer Simon Pilkings and his wife, Jane, epitomize the lack of cultural understanding. Given the fact that our country remains in mourning over the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, this play hit even harder for me. In the first act, we meet the King’s Horseman, Elesin Oba (Anthony Santiago). His Yoruba King has already passed away. Tradition states that the Horseman is to follow his King to death, and yes this means Elesin must kill himself. Elesin considers this act of suicide an honour to fulfil, and he plans to follow through. But before he does this, Elesin plans to marry the most beautiful girl in the village, have the wedding night and the consummation, then fulfil his promise to follow his King into the afterlife. Elesin knows he is most handsome and doesn’t hide this fact, but some of the women in the village take him to task for his actions. There is the Praise Singer, Olohun-iyo (Amaka Umeh) and Mother of the Market, Iyaloja (Akosua Amo-Adem). These women stand up to Elesin for his bravado. But to complicate things even further, Elesin selects as his bride a woman who was promised in marriage to the young son of Iyaloja. We then meet Simon and Jane Pilkings (Graham Abbey and Maev Beaty) who are preparing for a costume party and are quite disrespectful as they are wearing costumes which take on a completely different meaning for the Yoruba culture. Rather than removing the costumes out of respect, the Pilkings flagrantly disregard and continue to wear them. To me, this seems as if the British at this time were forcefully (perhaps violently?) robbing the people of their traditions and enforcing Christianity on them. Rachel Forbes’ set design works extremely well on the new Patterson stage. There is so much to take in at the marketplace setting at the top of the show I just sat for a few moments and looked. Sarah Uwadiae’s colourful costume designs are outstanding. I really liked Debashis Sinha’s opening soundtrack of voices in the marketplace as I knew I wasn’t in Stratford anymore but overseas in another place and time. The off-stage sound of the distant drumming perfectly resonated just enough to create interest as to what might come next once it ceased. I also loved hearing the incorporation of the music and the dancing in the marketplace which, once again, made me aware I was not in my home country. I was in another country and living vicariously through the times. What struck me about the audio story when I first heard it as part of Soulpepper’s series? It was poetic language and visually appealing imagery. I remember just closing my eyes as I wanted to hear the words being spoken last year. I didn’t have to do this today as the actors solidly captured the sounds for me. Tawiah M’Carthy’s direction remains unhesitating throughout the entire production. Not only do the actors continue to capture the poetic language and rhythmic free verse style (most noteworthy in the opening scene in the market, but also the cultural representation issues strongly remain at the forefront throughout the nearly three-hour running time. Anthony Santiago and Amaka Umeh are extraordinarily impressive in their respective performances as they both regally command the stage with passionate ardour. Graham Abbey and Maev Beaty mightily capture that distinct colonial aloofness in their scoffing of native belief as they mock how Sergeant Amusa (Ngabo Nabea) reacts to their wearing of the sacred clothing connected to death. Nabea resoundingly revealed his escalating frustration and anger over the times he was called back by the Pilkings. As Olunde (Elesin’s eldest son), Kwaku Adu-Poku sharply handles how he feels about the cultural issues between Nigeria and Britain. Olunde has dutifully returned home when he hears the King has died. Olunde has been studying medicine in England for four years, but is not happy about the state of England. I love the line when Jane Pilkings asks Olunde if he is upset by what they wear. No. Olunde is not upset but he tells her: “You have no respect for that which you do not understand.” A perfect comeback to this cultural representation of the era. Final Comments: ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ is a long one clocking in at nearly three hours; nevertheless, the strength of this production lies in the detailed script to the eventual build to the tragic outcome in the second act that I had completely forgotten and was completely shocked when it does occur. Running time: approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes with one intermission. ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ runs to October 29 at the Tom Patterson Theatre. For tickets, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1-800-567-1600. ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ by Wole Soyinka Directed by Tawiah M’Carthy Set Designer: Rachel Forbes Costume Designer: Sarah Uwadiae Lighting Designer: Christopher Dennis Sound Designer: Debashis Sinha Cast: Amaka Umeh, Anthony Santiago, Akosua Amo-Adem, Graham Abbey, Maev Beaty, Ngabo Nabea, Pulga Muchochoma, Kwaku Adu-Poku, Josue Laboucane, Kevin Kruchkywich, Tyrone Savage, isi bhakhomen, Dejah Dixon-Green, Espoir Segbeaya, Celia Aloma Ijeoma Emesowum Bola Aiyeola, Norman Yeung, Matthew Kabwe, Andrea Rankin, Rachel Jones Onstage Musicians/Drummers: Amade Dedeu Garcia, Adekunle Olorundare (Kunle), Erik Samuel, Oluwakayode Sodunke Previous Next

Back Ravi Jain Canadian Chat David Leclerc Joe Szekeres There are some artists with whom I’ve wanted to converse during the pandemic and events did not allow us to chat. Ravi Jain is one of them. We’ve been playing email tag throughout the pandemic. He and his wife are parents of an adorable little guy, so I understood completely family responsibilities must come first. Ravi is the Co-artistic Director and founder of Toronto’s Why Not Theatre. From his bio on Why Not’s website: “Ravi is a multi-award-winning artist known for making politically bold and accessible theatrical experiences in both small indie productions and large theatres. As the founding artistic director of Why Not Theatre, Ravi has established himself as an artistic leader for his inventive productions, international producing/collaborations and innovative producing models which are aimed to better support emerging artists to make money from their art.” Ravi was twice shortlisted for the 2016 and 2019 Siminovitch Prize and won the 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director and the 2016 Canada Council John Hirsch Prize for direction. He is a graduate of the two-year program at École Jacques Lecoq. He was selected to be on the roster of clowns for Cirque du Soleil. Currently, Sea Sick which he co-directed will be on at the National Theatre in London, his adaptation of The Indian epic Mahabarata will premier at the Shaw Festival, and What You Won’t Do For Love, starring David Suzuki will premier in Vancouver in 2021. I saw his production of ‘R &J’ this summer at Ontario’s Stratford Festival, and as a retired teacher of English Language and Literature I hope teachers will take advantage of showing the production to their classes when teaching ‘Romeo & Juliet’. We conducted our conversation via Zoom this morning. Ravi was on a walk with his little guy while we chatted so I got a chance to see his beautiful little boy. Thank you so much for your time, Ravi: Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me about one teacher and one mentor in your life for whom you are thankful and who brought you to this point in your life as an artist. Oh, well, a teacher for sure is Jim Calder who was a Graduate Movement professor at NYU. I took his course in Italy and we became quite close. He actually went to Lecoq School with Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith. Jim was an amazing teacher – brilliant philosophically, brilliant practically – and just inspired me to go that one step further; that for my imagination there was always that one step further to go a little bit further, a little bit farther. I always think of Jim when I’m in a problem trying to go a little bit further. He always inspired me to do that. A mentor, for sure, is Franco Boni, who was the Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre. He always empowered me to follow my voice and to be fearless and to not be afraid of saying ‘the thing’ or doing ‘the thing’ and taking the risk. I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in our dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last eighteen months on a personal level? You know, I don’t think I have. Well, first of all, I’ve had a baby with my wife so that has been a life changing event to have this new person to take care of, to laugh with, and not to sleep with. (and we share a quick laugh) That, I feel, very different, older, more mature, and more responsible, for sure. But in terms of coming out of Covid? I don’t feel we’re out of it. I feel like some people want desperately to be out of it and other people are still feeling the impact of it, especially with all of these conversations we’ve had about inequities. Those didn’t go away. On a personal level, I still feel like we’re in Covid still and there are still a lot of unresolved things that I don’t yet know how to reconcile. As an artist, how have these last eighteen months changed or transformed you as a professional artist? It’s been great to be quiet for a little bit, and to just be reflective and to think about what role art can play to help people, especially in a time when so much help is needed. It’s given me a time to think about what it is I really want to do and why. It’s been a time of reflection which is good as an artist for me. It’s a time to go deeper and ask WHY. Why am I doing this? In your professional opinion, do you see the global landscape of the Canadian professional live theatre scene changing as a result of these last eighteen months? In some ways, Yes, but in a lot of ways, No. In some ways yes because I think people are talking about inequities and there are some changes, but on the whole there’s not a lot of change. I don’t see a lot of change. One has to always stay hopeful, but I don’t see it so I’m not sure about it. It’s a tricky one because I want to stay hopeful because I’ve been in some pretty dark places these last 18 months. What excites/intrigues/fascinates/interests Ravi Jain post Covid? I’m really excited about what is this all going to be (and Ravi and I share another quick laugh) What is travel in a world of a climate emergency? What is gathering in a world of Covid? I’m still very curious to see how this is all going to play out, and all these conversations about inequities and racial injustice. What is it all going to be? I still have yet to see it manifest, and it could be really exciting or it could not change. I’m staying on the exciting side in hopefully seeing what the other side will be. What disappoints/unnerves/upsets Ravi Jain post Covid? Mean shit. This idea that we’re back, the desperate desire to be back. And I suffer from it as well. I equally have it inside me, and I have to check myself because we’re not. I know we all want to do this but we gotta do it right. That was the real challenge I had this summer (in directing R&J at the Stratford Festival). We were in rehearsal and making a show. It was a strange experience because on one hand we were making a show, and it was great to be working with the artists and making change, and to take the opportunity to do something, AND at the same time know that two thirds of the industry wasn’t working. It’s hard. What’s unnerving to me is that some people will be back and some won’t. What are we going to be doing about that? Where does Ravi Jain, the artist, see himself going next? Oh, man. I’m still searching for exciting stories and exciting ways to tell them. I don’t know if I’ve ever chosen the direction I’ve ever gone. It always appeared and chose me, so I’m really waiting. I’ve been playing with larger scale work. It’s been really exciting as it brings with it a whole bunch of challenges. Maybe I’m itching to do something small? I don’t know. I’m very open and maybe, for the first time in my life, I’m really patient. Where does Ravi Jain, the person, see himself going next? Obviously, with a baby, our lives have changed which has been great. I’m someone who’s always been somewhere else whether I’m travelling or responsible to a rehearsal hall at night, and it’s been really great to have this time with my family and to make time for my family. I’ve lost so much of my family time to the arts just with late nights and weekends, and all the demands the arts takes from you. I’ve really lost a good amount of family time over my lifetime. To have this time is an important place for me to continue to grow. RAPID ROUND Try to answer these questions in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I give credit to the late James Lipton and The Actors’ Studio for this idea: If you could say one thing to one of your teachers and/or mentors who encouraged you to get to this point in your life as an artist, what would it be? Thank you for believing in me. If you could say something to any of the naysayers who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would it be? I told you so. What is your favourite swear word? It has to be Fuck. What is a word you love to hear yourself say? Ah…. Again. What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say? Disappointed. What would you tell your younger PERSONAL self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has given you now? Work isn’t everything. With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming Ravi Jain from years ago when he was just in the throes of beginning his career as a performing artist? It’s a total contradiction to the other one. Work is everything. Just don’t stop moving and don’t let anyone say no. Just keep going. What is the one thing you still want to accomplish professionally and personally? Personally and professionally, I think I would love to run a larger civic organization. It’s about a responsibility and a larger impacting conversation with the city. Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit for a short while. Oh, man, my 30s. (and Ravi has a good laugh over that) What will Ravi Jain never take for granted again post Covid? The impact of blind decisions on other people. Would Ravi Jain do it all again if given the same opportunities? Oh, yeah, 100%. Joe, did anyone ever say No to that question? Previous Next

Back Colm and Donna Feore Moving Forward Ann Baggley Joe Szekeres To the 115 Canadian and American professional theatre artists whom I’ve profiled over the last six months: thank you so much for sharing your stories and your thoughts with all of us. On a personal note, it is the arts to which I have turned during these sometimes very trying six months of the pandemic to keep me focused and going in knowing the end will be in sight. I passionately believe with all my heart and being the end of this pandemic is in sight. When is anyone’s guess? Live theatre will be back, and it will be a pleasure to return and watch all professional artists grace the stage again with those roles, those ‘dream’ roles, you so very much want to play. Who knows what format theatre will take as we slowly emerge from all this? But that is the exciting part in anticipation of wondering how the theatres will tackle this new challenge. When the decision was made in October to conclude the ‘Moving Forward’ series November 30, I struggled trying to decide who to ask as there were so many other artists out there with whom I so very much wanted to contact but time restraints didn’t allow me – at least for now. But who? I came upon a trailer of ‘Bon Cop, Bad Cop’ a few weeks ago online, and I just knew right then that I wanted to ask Donna and Colm Feore for an interview. I just sensed they as well were the right choice to conclude this series. And so, I contacted the Stratford Festival to ask for a contact to get in touch with the Feores. And I was equally humbled and elated when Donna got in touch with me to say she and Colm would be delighted to participate and to conclude the series. Donna is an extraordinary director and choreographer of many shows at the Festival. I’ve seen Colm in many wonderful productions at the Festival as well along with many television and film roles. Thank you/Merci, Donna and Colm for the interview via email. Until we all see each other again: It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion? DONNA: It is very troubling to see the numbers climb so high again in November. It is a stark wake up call that Covid has gone nowhere and we are completely dependant on behaviours of our society to keep everyone safe. Hand washing, distancing and mask wearing continue to be the smartest action we can do at the moment. I am optimistic we will come out the other side of this pandemic. The recent news of vaccines is very encouraging! COLM: I am feeling optimistic and defeated by turns. On the one hand, I believe we will be back when circumstances allow and that we can stay ready for that moment; on the other, the sum of what we’ve lost is huge and I am trying to reconcile that loss with the need to keep moving forward. When we emerge from this pandemic period I think we will keep what we have learned about best practices and have a new, and I hope, appreciation of the value of what we do, both our audiences and ourselves. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months? DONNA: I think there are good days and there are fewer good days for me. I miss the social and physical contact with people. I have however been given a huge gift of time to see friends that I have lost contact with over these last years with busy schedules. My immediate family is doing well. We had our daughter home for almost 6 months as she is a professional volleyball player, and her sport was shut down. Our son just graduated law school, so he was home for an extended period of time before he started articling. Our oldest son and his wife work form home in TO but we found we had more time with them. I believe we would have never had this time with our adult children without this pandemic and I will be profoundly grateful for it forever. COLM: I began the shutdown committed to keep working on what I was doing when we stopped. When it became clear we were not coming back, I grieved for the work done but began to think about the new perspective the shutdown offered. Our business is precarious. If you are lucky enough to do it and keep doing it, you keep going, almost afraid to stop. When you are forced to stop you start to reflect. We had some of our family with us to share our time and even though it was weird we cherished it. These moments showed us what is really important. As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally? COLM: Well, professionally this has been catastrophic. And, like my wife and I, many of our colleagues and friend are two artists households. The threat is existential. We’ve relied on each other to reach out and encourage, philosophize, laugh and cry about the situation. And it helps. I’ve got a lot of balanced advice from other artists about how to cope with the stresses of these days. Some offer wisdom, some books, some recipes, some exercise ideas. All useful, all welcome. DONNA: I miss my creative teams most of all. I realize now that it has been taken away, just how much I love and cherish our time together. The laughter, the brilliant ideas, the collaboration. It is a loss both professionally and personally because we are a close group and have worked together for a long time. It just always was so great to be together. I miss them all so much. We have stayed in touch a fair amount these last months. It is an important bond that a pandemic can’t destroy. I worry for the artists, especially the artists that are alone. I feel terrible for the younger generation of artist that is just beginning, but I am especially sad for the actors and creative artists that are mid career and on the cusp of huge breakthroughs. It is painful to see them having to put everything on hold and rethink knowing how incredibly talented they all are. Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon? DONNA: At the Stratford Festival I was directing and choreographing a version of “Chicago’ that I had been given the permission to completely reimagine. There are 15 production numbers in the show, and we were one day away from the sitzprobe for ‘Chicago’. The sitzprobe is the first time the company gets to hear our orchestra play the score, and the singers get to sing the songs with the orchestra. It is a magical day ALWAYS, no matter the show but this one felt incredibly special. ‘Chicago’ has a magnificent score and to hear our brilliant musicians play it was going to be off the charts! It was heartbreaking to have to stop dead and, when we went in to collect our belongings, the rehearsal room was set up for the sitzprobe. I will never forget that feeling of sadness when I walked in the room and saw that. I feel extremely optimistic that it will be produced in the future, so we just have to be patient. I was also directing and choreographing a new musical of ‘Here’s What It Takes’ written by Steven Page and Daniel MacIvor. We had been developing the show for over 2 years and we were in production on week 3 when we stopped. It was another blow to not see the show produced and it was going to be in the beautiful new Tom Patterson Theatre. I am very hopeful that it too will have a life in the future. I also have two shows that are in pre-Broadway tryout phase. Both of those shows are new works, and both have dates set for fall of 2021 and early 2022. COLM: I was rehearsing ‘Richard III’ which was scheduled to open the new Tom Patterson Theatre as an echo of the production with Alec Guinness which opened the festival in 1953. We were well on our way and I had been preparing for many months before we started so when we stopped and then realized we weren’t coming back, it was a shock. I continue to work on the play, but I don’t see us returning to it until at least 2022. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time? DONNA: Lots of hiking!! I am the creative producer on a new project for the National Arts Centre Orchestra. It is a 4-part television show that features some of our most gifted artists both in the worlds of music and the visual arts in Canada. I am excited and look forward to an announcement of the project in the very near future. I have been working on both shows being produced in the USA with the writers throughout the pandemic. They are both brand new musicals, so we have taken this time to continue working on the score and the script. It has been wonderful to have the time in a more relaxed environment to really dig in. I have cleaned out my house and continue to do so. I cannot believe how much stuff we have accumulated and kept over the years! It feels good to purge and do the stuff around the house that I have said I would do for the last 10 years! I have connected with friends that I have not seen or talked to in far too long. That has been such a positive part of Covid for me. We have some close friends in Stratford that have been in our bubble this whole time, so we feel lucky here. We also are extremely fortunate to have an amazing family that we are so grateful for. COLM: Well, once the biggest question of our day became “what’s for dinner?”, I knew I’d have a purpose. I love cooking and having time to try stuff out has been great. I’ve had a chance to read more and more widely. We’ve also begun to just start fixing things up around the house that our work allowed us to ignore for so long. And perhaps the best thing is that we had a couple of our adult children isolated with us while they studied for various things. It was a great pleasure getting to know them better. Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty? DONNA: To be honest, everyday is a new day of discovery of what interests me and how I enjoy spending my time. Live theatre will be back. It will be different, but it will be back. I guess I would say to keep trying to work on your skills. Keep exploring new skills and get curious about other things. These are opportunities that you might otherwise not have had without this enforced pause in our industry. Colm has always been interested in so many other things other than acting and I admire his ability to allow curiosity to take him down some really exciting paths. I am trying to do that more and I highly recommend that a young actor and creative artist coming out of theatre school allow that curiosity into their being. It is a scary time for so many artists. Our industry was uncertain enough financially, so this added stress is a lot for many to bear. I hope and wish that people are finding a way through it. COLM: I am certain that public performance will return and that the lessons of the pandemic will change how it works. I think that the best way to ride out this crisis is to continue working on your craft. It’s about staying ready and being flexible. And no matter what you are doing to make a living, never stop the imaginative work of the actor. I was taught that every class was an acting class, that there was always something to be learned from living. Nothing is wasted. That said, I know that for the perennially unemployed this has gone from a dry spell to a desert, but we must trust that what we offer the world is desperately needed and, as soon as we possibly can, we’ll be back. Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19? DONNA: That’s hard because there has been so much suffering and continues to be for so many. I do however feel that Covid has given time for all us to reflect on our choices, our actions, and our evaluation of the future. I have talked a lot about family and friend time which has been such a positive. I have also seen so many artists create a new path for themselves that is so impressive! It is amazing to see the talent that has come out of these artists. Our community in Stratford has been hit hard both in the theatre, the retail, restaurant and hospitality industry. I have watched a community get behind each other and support each other so much. People who are hard hit themselves reaching out and helping others. It has made me love this city of Stratford even more. COLM: In the face of such global suffering I find it hard to see much positive though perhaps, the time for isolated reflection has been of use. We’ve had time to question our choices, and I know that moving forward our choices will reflect the experience of Covid. Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene? COLM: No question that Covid will transform the performing arts locally, nationally, and globally. We are going to have to learn to live with it, or something like it, forever. The lessons of science will allow us to come back together, but I think it will take some time to figure out how. The one ray of hope I have is a fundamental belief in the deep desire humans have for community. We need to share our stories, our songs, ourselves, it’s part of what makes us human. DONNA: Yes, it will. There is a hard reality for all the performing arts in North America. It will be a long climb for the arts to get back to a healthy financial position again. I do think we have all taken for granted that we will always be able to do what we love in our industry. Our worries were our next jobs. When the anchor was thrown overboard in our speedboat, and our industry literally stopped around the entire world, it proved that it can all be taken away instantly. I know I will never take it for granted ever again. Some artists have turned to You Tube and online streaming to showcase their work. What are your comments and thoughts about streaming? Is this something that the actor/theatre may have to utilize going forward into the unknown? DONNA: I think it has been particularly good for some artists to be able to continue showcasing their work and teaching on You Tube and other platforms. I am interested in content that is developed strictly for a digital platform. I think it is something that can live alongside the live event in the future. We live in a huge country geographically and being able to digitally reach communities that do not have the means to come to a live event whether it be theatre, dance, opera or symphony is crucial to the future of the arts and their relevance. COLM: I’m happy to see artists taking advantage of whatever medium is available to get their work out there. In a few short years there have been profound changes in how people get their entertainment. If an artist can connect with their audience via You Tube etc then why not? I will always love the live experience with both players and audience in the same space and if that space must be virtual, bring it on. Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you? DONNA: Our creativity remains in us all. That won’t go anywhere. It is where it needs to be right now, whatever that looks like. COLM: I have been incredibly lucky to have worked on a few projects while under Covid protocols and restrictions, and what it couldn’t kill was my gratitude for, and delight in, the work. Acting is a crazy business at the best of times but working under these peculiar conditions made me appreciate how much I enjoy it. Not retiring just yet!! (Editor’s Note: and I’m pleased you’re not just yet) Previous Next

Back 'The Fixing Girl' by Kevin Dyer Now onstage at Toronto's Young People's Theatre Credit: Dahlia Katz. Pictured: Eponine Lee as Meghan and Eric Peterson as Grandad. Dave Rabjohn 'Recovery from loss is magic in this production' Very short history lesson: Young People's Theatre has been dedicated to bringing theatre into the lives of children since 1966 creating thousands of life long theatre lovers. Golden. This week presents the world premiere of UK playwright’s ‘The Fixing Girl’ – a moving story of a young girl wrestling with loss and change. The centrepiece of the production is the “space” – a backyard shed once the domain of Meghan’s beloved Grandad. Anna Treusch’s set design is an extraordinary highlight – an eclectic variety of cupboards and drawers, old hand tools and, of course, an actual skeleton in the closet. This is Meghan’s environment where fixing things is paramount. Grandad has always resisted the ‘throw away’ world and championed reclamation. Meghan and her Mum’s world has been tragically turned with the loss of Grandad and they both react in different ways. Mum has turned inward and quiet – Meghan rebels by defiantly rushing into the shed and locking herself in with her many memories of Grandad. Meghan takes up Grandad’s cause as she repairs something as innocuous as an old lava lamp. Grandad appears with a brilliant entrance as he climbs out of an old trunk. Played with vigour by the irrepressible Eric Peterson, Grandad shares the joys and hardships of their lives. Peterson’s Grandad is sweet and calm – always full of life and bad “dad” jokes. What did the policeman say to the belly button? You’re under a vest. Sorry! Highlights also include a brilliant jig that energizes the cast and audience. Another fine moment is a video appearance as a saucy pirate complete with shoulder parrot. Meghan is played by Eponine Lee – energy and wonder abound. She does a fine job of running the course of fear, anger, curiosity and eventual reconciliation. Zoe Doyle, as Mum, begins the play with quiet sadness and fear for her distressed daughter. As she pulls herself together, her relationship with Meghan is reaffirmed certainly with the help of Grandad’s memory – he is always “fixing” things. Director Stephen Colella does a fine job of spinning this story and integrating both high and low tech – video designer Joshua Hind cleverly arranges on stage cameras to highlight Meghan’s repair work. The “pirate” video is displayed via a 70’s style 20 inch TV reminding us that Grandad reclaims everything. Some sound issues made for difficult hearing at the beginning of the play – adjustments were probably made through the course of the performance. As mentioned, the heart of this play is the warm and distinctive set. It literally exudes the love of a grandfather and all of his eccentricities. As a side note the audience is made to understand that every component used to make up the set is recovered materials – Grandad’s passion for sustainability is visually right in front of us. Recovery from loss is magic for mother and daughter. ‘The Fixing Girl’ by Kevin Dyer Performers: Zoe Doyle, Eponine Lee, Eric Peterson Director: Stephen Colella Set and costume design: Anna Treusch Video designer: Joshua Hind Performances run through May 2, 2024. Suggested ages for audience: 8 – 13. Tickets: youngpeoplestheatre.org Previous Next

Back Steffi DiDomenicantonio Moving Forward Jasper Savage Joe Szekeres What an enjoyable conversation I had today with the bubbly and effervescent Steffi D. who truly is thankful and grateful for the many opportunities where her career has led her. I did a bit of online research about this George Brown College student who was the fifth-place finalist in the 2006 Canadian Idol reality based show. After Canadian Idol, Steffi has performed on stage in musical theatre roles, including national tours of Spring Awakening and in 2013 she received a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination (similar to the Tonys) for best actress in a musical for her appearance in Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’. Steffi also has a recurring role in the forthcoming television series ‘Crawford’. Steffi currently appears in the Toronto production of ‘Come from Away’. We conducted our conversation via Zoom: It has been an exceptionally long six months since we’ve all been in isolation, and now it appears the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion? Uh, ok, I feel like this is tough because I feel as if we knew this moment was coming that the case numbers were going to spike again. I feel nervous, I feel a little bit anxious. When this all started I don’t think any of us thought we’d be sitting in our houses six months from now. When I got a text message from my Stage Manager on March 14 saying “Hey, don’t come into work today.” Who knew that it was literally to be six months from that moment? I don’t think anybody knew that was going to happen. I will say the one thing that makes feel a little bit more at peace when it comes to this is the entire world is going through the exact same thing. Everybody is in the same boat right now; everybody is going through the same thing. I guess, as far as this goes, yes, it’s unnerving the numbers are going up. But again, I feel as if more and more we need each other whether it’s over Zoom, either six feet away on a walk. A new way of living? Hmmmm…well I will say what seems unlikely right now. Giving someone either a hug or a handshake when you meet them sounds like it’s going to be a thing of the past. I think that’s really stressful and sad because we don’t get to connect in the same ways that we used to be able to connect for so so long. It’s going to be a little bit odd as we’re going to have to re-adjust the way we think of things. Who knew when cold and flu season rolled around, nobody thought to wear masks and not to get sick. Everyone was just rolling with the punches, get your flu shot. Honestly, I will never take my health for granted ever, ever again. How has your immediate family been doing during these last six months? My immediate family has been doing okay. My father is a radiologist so he’s still going to work at the hospital. My mom is technically retired now so she’s been spending a lot of time at home. My brother is a gastroenterologist and he’s working. As you can see I come from a family of a lot of doctors so all of them have still been going to work. I think everyone has been feeling okay. We had a bit of a scare. My grandmother is in a long-term care home. There was an outbreak there. Thankfully, she was totally fine so knock on wood that remains the case. I think everyone in my family has been really responsible so that’s good. As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally? Okay, I feel like they go hand in hand those two things, personally and professionally. Specifically, it’s a big lesson I’ve had to learn during this time is that I think Covid made me realize that I’m so intertwined with my job and my career, and performing is so much a part of my identity that I feel like it’s been really hard to be forcefully separated from that during this time. And understanding who I am without performance and who I am without my career being the biggest part of me. I think that’s been a really challenging thing for me to understand that I’m a person outside my job and what I do. It’s been an interesting and fascinating journey to go ‘Who am I underneath all of this?’ Were you in preparation, rehearsals, or any planning stages of productions before everything was shut down? What has become of those projects? Will they see the light of day anytime soon? I had booked a contract that didn’t end up happening because it was supposed to be on camera. Unfortunately, I can’t disclose what it was. Other than that, ‘Come from Away’ has been my bread and butter for the past three years. We had done 850 shows at that time we stopped. Honestly, who knew it was going to be such a hit? I’ve loved every moment of being a part of ‘Come from Away’ and telling that story. I realize how deep of a void it has left when we weren’t able to continue on with the show. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time? Well, that’s a great question. There has been a lot of things going on. At the beginning of all this, I actually was having a pretty nice time. I caught up on things I haven’t had time to do because being at the theatre eight times a week is grueling, demanding. You have to be responsible. When we had this big intermission and this big break, I thought to myself, ‘Hey, why not do some stuff that I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t had time to do.” So I actually learned how to cook a little bit which is something I’ve never learned how to do. I can make a mean coconut cream pie now. I’ve made a great pasta sauce and chili to name a few things. I also re-decorated my apartment. I decluttered my entire place from head to toe. I took all the time in the world to go through every cupboard, every drawer, every closet, everything. One of the biggest things I’ve done is start this online talk show with the stage manager of ‘Come from Away’. Her name is Lisa Humber. And we started this online talk show called ‘Check In from Away’ where every week, every Tuesday, a new episode comes out on the Mirvish You Tube Channel. We interview different artists, people who work backstage about what they’ve been doing during the pandemic, other shows they’ve worked on at Mirvish, their favourite memories, what they miss the most about theatre, stuff like that. I have to tell you it was a saving grace for me to remain creative in some kind of way and also to connect with people whom I’ve met and there are some whom I haven’t met which was really cool. This has been my biggest project. We’ve released 17 episodes so far, so it’s been keeping us busy, but I’ve been grateful for it. Any words of wisdom or advice you might /could give to fellow performers and colleagues? What message would you deliver to recent theatre school graduates who have now been set free into this unknown and uncertainty given the fact live theaters and studios might be closed for 1 ½ - 2 years? Ooooo, this is a tough one…I’ll start with the theatre grads… I feel so bad for the theatre grads because it must be so anti-climactic to graduate school and to literally walk out into a global pandemic and not be able to do what you love the most. I can’t even imagine. I’ve been so lucky to be able to do this for many years and the void that I’m feeling in all this is huge. Words of wisdom? Honestly, just try to stay sane, and try not to drink too much. I realize there’s not a lot to do some days, but we do have to keep our wits about us a little bit and whatever that means to you, keep connected to others around you, how difficult or annoying it might be over technology. And stay creative in some way. Find a little project, something to read, honestly anything to keep your mind exercised. It’s been difficult to keep the acting and singing chops alive if you’re not performing and can’t be on stage. Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19? Yes. I think a lot of things, actually. I think the world right now is literally and figuratively on fire. I feel this is an amazing opportunity with the social movements, the racial movements that really good things will come out of this. Since there has been so much time at home, we’ve had time to think and a lot of discoveries have been made that didn’t have the space to happen when everybody was in a ‘busy body’ kind of world, always hustling and moving. When you take away all that ‘busyness’, you realize what things are really important, and I know that’s happened to me. This pause in the world was also good for me for people to do a lot of self discovery of the world, other people. We’re learning to understand each other and I think things will be better at the end of the day when we come out of this and hopefully no more casualties. Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene? I feel optimistic that people will be creative and find ways. This is what I hope, my dream and hope is that people will want to connect with the performing arts even more than they did before. After sitting home and finishing Netflix, I’m sure everyone is going to want to see a live performance or a musician playing or a concert, or a musical or a play. I’m just going to leave it at that because there’s no point in focusing on the negative as I’m an optimist. There’s plenty of negativity going around. 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 a very interesting debate you just mentioned about some artists doing whatever it takes and those who say they will wait until they return to the theatre safely. Honestly, I’m all for whatever makes people feel happy, comfortable and creative. So if an artist wants to stream their work, that’s amazing to give people an opportunity who may not have that opportunity or the funds to go see a show, or a concert or a musical to access their stuff online. I think that’s incredible. I will say the only thing that sucks about Covid is theatre is all about live audiences and feeding off reactions and hearing laughter and tears. I find that’s the thing that suffers the most with streaming. Unfortunately, streaming doesn’t give you that instantaneous rapport and relationship with the audience. That’s a shame and that’s what I miss about theatre so much. Film and tv are fine but you don’t get the instant gratification that you get when you perform live. To be compensated properly for an artist’s work is an interesting debate I can see why this would divide people. If you’re volunteering your talents and feel comfortable and happy with that, I think you need to follow your gut and your intuition. If you want to share something and have a story to tell, by all means do it. Obviously, compensation is nice when it happens, but I think that’s a case by case decision basis. It depends on the project, the artist and what’s at stake. I can’t put a label on it either way because there are different outcomes of some of these projects. Despite all this fraught tension and confusion, what is it about performing that Covid will never destroy for you? Covid will never ever destroy my undying musical theatre nerd love for all things theatre. I’m a huge musical theatre nerd, I’m a theatre nerd. Nothing will ever replace the feelings that I have felt sitting in an audience with a programme in hand waiting for the production to begin, hearing the orchestra tune, seeing the performers enter the stage. It’s really un replicated. You can replicate that feeling anywhere else, just the feeling of the lights going down, a story beginning. For a couple of hours, you get to follow another story, forget any baggage you may have brought to the theatre, you can laugh, cry, whatever it makes you feel. It’s just solidified my undying love for theatre. Truly. I miss it so much every day. I will never ever take it for granted ever again. The moment I will have the chance to walk into the Royal Alexandra once again to tell the story of ‘Come from Away’, I will weep tears of joy and relief and sadness. I’m just going to be the happiest girl when that happens. You can follow Steffi on Twitter: SteffiD3 Myspace.com/SteffiDBowPower Previous Next

Back Moss Theatre Collective Announces Inaugural Production 'Fierce' written and directed by George F. Walker On stage at Toronto's Alumnae Theatre September 6-21 Courtesy of Moss Theatre Web page Press release The newly formed Moss Theatre Collective is thrilled to announce its inaugural production: ‘Fierce’, written and directed by renowned Canadian playwright George F. Walker. 'Fierce', one of Walker's unpublished works, delves into the complexities of human relationships and the unexpected paths to healing. A psychiatrist, a former inmate, and a surprising amount of contraband. Newly released from prison after another drug and drink-fuelled public disruption, Jayne lands in Maggie’s office for court-ordered treatment. As the two go head-to-head, both women reveal and confront hidden sides of themselves, struggle to cope with their sorrows, and bond through a need to escape the past. Told with George F. Walker’s signature dark humour and searing truths, this is a story about healing through strange and meaningful connection (and a combination of illicit substances and pizza). A co-production with Alumnae Theatre Company, 'Fierce' will be presented in Alumnae Theatre’s Studio space from September 6th - 21st, 2024. The production features Liz Best and Elizabeth Friesen, and is co-produced by Cassidy Sadler and Lori Delorme, with stage management by Shannon Farrell. The set design is by Douglas Tiller, lighting design by Daniel Shiels, sound design by Andrew Honor, and costume & props design by Fabiana Mercurio. Moss Theatre Collective was founded by Liz Best, Lori Delorme, Elizabeth Friesen, and Cassidy Sadler in the spring of 2024 to promote and produce the work of Canadian playwrights at all stages of their careers. Performance Details: Dates: September 6 - 21, 2024 Location: Alumnae Theatre’s Studio space, 70 Berkeley St, Toronto *Accessibility Information: Moss Theatre Collective is committed to creating an accessible environment for all our patrons. However, please note that our current third-floor performance space is only accessible by stairs, as there is no elevator on site. Tickets: Available at https://mosstheatrecollective.ca/ ‘Fierce’ Performance Dates: Friday, September 6th at 8pm Saturday, September 7th at 2pm and 8pm Sunday, September 8th at 2pm Wednesday, September 11th at 8pm Thursday, September 12th at 8pm Friday, September 13th at 8pm Saturday, September 14th at 2pm and 8pm Sunday, September 15th at 2pm Wednesday, September 18th at 8pm Thursday, September 19th at 8pm Friday, September 20th at 8pm Saturday, September 21st at 2pm and 8pm Previous Next

Back Fall for Dance North – Homecoming: 2024 Signature Program Various venues around Toronto with various artists and companies. Courtesy of Fall for Dance North Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, adjudicator, arts educator “Missing the dazzle this year” Fall For Dance North celebrates its 10th season as Toronto’s Premiere International Dance Festival showcasing unparalleled talent and artistry in the world of dance. You’d think this would be somewhat of a milestone for the festival’s incredible work over the last decade. Instead, it seemed there wasn’t much to celebrate, starting things off with a whisper instead of a bang - a smaller venue, less variety, fewer dance companies, and lack of awe-inspiring performances made this year’s showcase disappointingly underwhelming. Perhaps it’s because the company had to fast-track a replacement for outgoing Creator and Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof? Or perhaps it’s simple economics – venue affordability, higher ticket prices (single tickets are $25 a piece compared to last year’s $15) or fewer available international companies (in the previous year, there were four companies featured). Whatever the reason, this year’s 2-hour compilation of dynamic dance stylings was on a markedly smaller scale. “Homecoming” was performed this year in the 1200-seat Chrysalis Creative School Theatre on the Toronto Metropolitan University campus, a notable downsizing from the 3100 seats of their former venue, Meridian Hall. As he looks toward a new home in Portugal with the perspective of the world that has shaped him, Ibrahimof leaves the festival with one final signature curation. This Programme highlights the work of three female choreographers from Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company, The National Ballet of Canada, and Ballet Edmonton. Each of these women has grown her craft through FFDN. The offering is a tryptic of some of their most intriguing, if not thrilling, works. Act One offered the Canadian premiere of “La Última Canción (The Last Song)” by the Malpaso Dance Company, Havana, Cuba’s most well-known independent contemporary collective. Choreographed by Daile Carrazana, this work was developed last year in partnership with FFDN and TMU’s Creative School. The seven-member company includes several exchange students from The Creative School at TMU. Their emotional and melancholic contemporary ballet stylings were bookended with recordings in the style of both traditional Latin folk and love songs. But Katherine Dowling’s eclectic live accompaniment on a grand piano set the piece soaring musically. The company comprises accomplished technicians who boast precision and unity in their collective segments. They are outstanding artists! The choreography is fluid and sometimes hard-hitting. In her notes, Carrazana decries,''La Última Canción'…is an inquiry into the feeling of loss, an exploration of the uncertainty of existence." Despite the dancers’ impressive moves, the narrative was indeed uncertain, transcending any clear storytelling for this Canadian reviewer. Just as confusing was Rachel Forbes's costume design. Except for two females clad in yellow and red, everyone seemed to be in muted, loose-fitting street clothes. Why the pastel among the plaids? Manuel Da Silva’s lighting design was warm overall but became dim and moody. His wing lighting sometimes created harsh shadows on the dancers. Unfortunately, segments were often too dark, masking facial expressions. Act Two belonged to the The National Ballet of Canada which returned to the festival for the first time since 2019 and under the direction of Hope Muir. islands by choreographer Emma Portner is a sculptural duet for two women set to an eclectic playlist of contemporary artists. This gorgeous duet, performed with extraordinary precision and superhuman flexibility by Alexandra MacDonald and Hannah Galway, was the high point of the evening. These artists were in perpetual motion for 20-plus minutes, first in close proximity, then separating before coming together again in unity. In the moments where they were confined, limbs entwined in continuous intricate movement, it was often impossible to tell who was who. This piece demands more than a heightened physical connection. This duo was so in sync mentally that one misstep could topple the routine. As a side note, Emma Portner, at age 23, is the youngest woman in history to choreograph a musical on London’s West End: Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, based on the album by Meat Loaf. She has also choreographed Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour and music videos for Maggie Rogers. Her star is definitely on the rise! Martin Dauchez’s costumes the dancers in identical light grey body long-sleeved bodysuits and dark grey baggy pants – again the two as one. Paul Vidar Sævarang’s excellent lighting effectively accentuates the duo’s isolation, illuminating a dark stage with only tightly focussed, colourless, white spotlights for the duo to move in and out of. Distinctive and dynamite! The evening concluded with the World Premiere of “Feel no More” by Ballet Edmonton, choreographed by Anne Plamondon (former FFDN inaugural Artist-in-Residence). Once again, a fiercely talented ensemble demonstrated their astonishing physical abilities, creating beautiful shapes and lines with their bodies and, again, superb (if not frenetic) keyboard accompaniment, this time by Zach Frampton. But the narrative escaped me. They seemed to be dancing for the sake of dancing…but who cares? I stopped trying to analyze and just enjoyed the cast tackling their challenging choreography with aplomb, showcasing their individual raw emotions and indefatigable commitment. Again the stage was dimly lit courtesy of Dorrie Deutschendorf. Haze did nothing to change the flat and colourless space. I wanted to see faces, intent, and expression! This moody wasn’t moving! Final Thoughts: In my 2023 review, I called FFDN’s Signature Program “dazzling, ground-breaking, and thought-provoking theatre that resonates with a modern audience.” While this 10-year anniversary is still packed with talent, the program lacked the variety I so enjoyed in previous years. It felt oversaturated with contemporary ballet. I was missing the dazzle, saw no new ground broken, and felt mostly vagueness and ambiguity instead of resonance. Still, there are many more days left in the festival and more venues and dance companies participating in 2024, and at $25 a ticket, it’s still the best value for dance in the city. Here’s hoping the new leadership at FFDN will return next year’s festival to the highlight it’s always been for me as a reviewer of the transformative power of dance and the arts at large. Fall for Dance North – Homecoming: 2024 Signature Program September 26 – October 10, 2024 Various venues around Toronto with various artists and companies. Tickets at https://am.ticketmaster.com/tolive/ffdn2024-onlineboxoffice Previous Next

Back X Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Now onstage at London's Grand Theatre Credit: Dahlia Katz. Pictured: Mark Uhre as Willy Wonka Joe Szekeres "Even adults can learn life messages from stories that seemingly only appeal to children. That forgotten thought becomes abundantly clear watching this slick ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ now onstage at The Grand." I owe the memory of Roald Dahl the sincerest of apologies over these last years. I was never a fan of his children’s books and considered them odd growing up. I wasn’t interested in watching the 1971 film where Gene Wilder plays Willy Wonka, either. What an unimaginative choice to make on my part. Be imaginative, you colossal fool. This slick opening night production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ at London’s Grand Theatre allows audiences to return to the childhood wonder of imagination. Although the musical is not at the top of my must-see lists, ‘Charlie’ is worth doing, especially since I’ve never seen the show. There are tuneful songs like ‘The Candy Man’ and ‘Pure Imagination’. There are some glitzy dance numbers to see. Much work has gone into the Grand’s production, and it shows. But why the apology to Roald Dahl’s memory? ‘Charlie’ becomes a teachable reminder to all, youth and senior, never to lose sight of tapping into imagination at any age. I did. Sometimes, being imaginative can help cope with daily life’s complex, actual, and often harsh realities. The story focuses on a selfless and compassionate Charlie Bucket (a precocious and adorable Greyson Reign Armer at this performance) who dreams of acquiring one of the five golden tickets to tour Willy Wonka’s (Mark Uhre) Chocolate Factory. Charlie is among the last to find the ticket in a candy bar he purchases. He can’t believe his luck when it finally happens. Let’s look past this immediate gratification of childhood wants for the moment. What the young Charlie does not recognize to be his luck are the adult role models in his life who care about him. Yes, the father figure is absent. However, he has a mother (poignant moments by Melissa Mackenzie) who works hard because she knows she must do so. She loves her son very much. Although they may not be as sprightly as they once were, Charlie has his two sets of grandparents alive who love him very much: Grandma Georgina (Krystle Chance), Grandma Josephine (Barbara Fulton), Grandpa George (Salvatore Scozzari) and Grandpa Joe (a doting, adventurous David Talbot) who accompanies the young lad on the tour even though he doesn’t feel well. The other four winners to tour the factory represent deadly vices. There is the gluttonous Bavarian Augustus Gloop (Nathanael Judah), accompanied by his mother (Krystle Chance), and the petulant and greedy Veruca Salt (an over-the-top demanding Nicole Norsworthy) accompanied by her patsy of a father (Salvatore Scozzari) who gives his daughter anything she demands. We also meet the world champion gum-chewing dancing celebrity Violet Beauregarde (Mikela Marcellin), who is fascinated with fame and achievement no matter the cost. She is accompanied by her father (Aadin Church). There is Mike TeaVee (Elena ‘Elm’ Reyes), a hyper computer hacker who represents the vice of sloth. He is accompanied by his mother (Meg Buchanan-Lunn). Each of these supporting characters has their moment to shine in some terrific song and dance numbers backed by a lively ensemble of dancers. ‘Veruca’s Nutcracker Sweet’ and ‘Auf Wiedersehen Augustus’ are only two examples. When the five contest winners attend the tour, their parents must sign a dubious and unclear contract. Everyone has no idea what they’re getting themselves into. Couple this with the reality that Wonka does not appear to be what he seems to be on the outside – as the story goes on, we discover that he might be, in fact, a rather dangerous individual. Scott Penner’s set design remains visually impressive, especially in the second act when everyone finally enters Wonka’s factory. The colours, shapes, and sizes are extraordinary. Every inch of space on the Spriet stage is used to the full extent, and it works. Nothing ever appears cramped. Siobhán Sleath captures gorgeous lighting designs throughout the show with beautiful hues and tints. Sound is also vital in this production to ensure everything can be heard. For the most part, it is thanks to Brian Kenny’s work. The spoken dialogue is clear. There are moments in a few of the musical numbers where I couldn’t hear all the lyrics. I’m not concerned about this quibble; I’m sure it will be rectified now that the show is running. Cameron Fraser’s projection designs nicely transport us to another world. Skylar Fox’s magic designs are perfectly timed. Something happens in the first act that flies over the audience’s heads and just disappears. Truly outstanding to watch. Joseph Abetria’s vibrant costume designs are truly remarkable as they help delineate who the characters are. The Oompa Loompas’ costumes are only one example of Abetria’s fine choices he makes. Director Jan Alexandra Smith, Music Director Alexandra Kane, and Choreographer Robin Calvert joyfully transport the audience to another time with a knowing wink, a tuneful ditty, and a jig of a dance. I liked the introduction of The Candy Man (Mark Uhre in an effective disguise) at the top of Act One. He is an oddity who owns the local candy store. Everyone likes candy; however, Smith, Kane and Calvert cleverly use this opening scene as a teaching moment. Maintain your sense of humour when things get a bit odd in life, as they sometimes will. It’s okay to indulge in a bit of chocolate. Don’t sacrifice your health in the meantime as the contest winners do. Mark Uhre is a theatrical gem as Wonka. He dances and moves with tremendous fluidity and ease. But Uhre purposefully reveals a dark side to Wonka, as do all humans. This becomes another teaching moment. Uhre shows that some people may not appear the same on the inside when we see them from the outside. For example, when some contest winners get their just deserts for not following instructions or not listening carefully, Uhre simply gives a suggestive stare to the others of “I told you not to do that” and simply moves on as if the individual did not exist. Harsh, callous, and cold are only three adjectives that may come to mind, but they are reminders to all, as Republican Candace Owens recently told a group of entitled young college sophomores – “Life’s tough. Get a helmet.” Final Comments: Just because the Christmas/holiday season fast approaches does not mean people will not experience the challenges of daily life that we all face. They will. Yes, it’s a wonderful time of the year. It’s a filling to the belly time of year. It’s also a grim reminder that life may be harsh for some. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is that theatrical reminder of this fact. London’s Grand Theatre made a solid choice to stage this production as the holiday season approaches for its razzle-dazzle excitement of colour, song and dance. Don’t forget the critical messages lying underneath the text. Running time: approximately two hours and 30 minutes. The production runs until December 24 on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond Street, London, Ontario. Call the Box Office (519) 672-8800 or visit grandtheatre.com for tickets. GRAND THEATRE presents Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ Book by David Greig, Music by Marc Shaiman with Lyrics by Scott Wittman/Marc Shaiman Based on the novel by Roald Dahl Songs from the Motion Picture by Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley Orchestrations by Doug Besterman and arrangements by Marc Shaiman Directed by Jan Alexandra Smith Music Director: Alexandra Kane Choreographer: Robin Calvert Set Design: Scott Penner Costume Designer: Joseph Abetria Lighting Designer: Siobhán Sleath Sound Designer: Brian Kenny Projections Designer: Cameron Fraser Magic and Illusions Designer: Skylar Fox Stage Manager: Kelly Luft Performers: Greyson Reign Armer/Neela Noble, Matthew Armet, Kih Becke, Meg Buchanan-Lunn, Krystle Chance, Aadin Church, Barbara Fulton, Nathanael Judah, Christopher Lucas, Amanda Lundgren, Mikela Marcellin, Jamie Murray, Nicole Norsworthy, Melissa Mackenzie, Elena “Elm” Reyes, Salvatore Scozzari, Julius Sermonia, Michele Shuster, David Talbot, Mark Uhre. 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Back 'Earworm' by Mohammad Yaghoubi A Nowadays Theatre Production in association with Crows Theatre. Now onstage at Crow's Theatre Dahlia Katz Dave Rabjohn “An outstanding world premiere that is pensive and shocking” Years of Iranian civil strife as a result of violent revolutions in 1979 and 2022 are depicted in Mohammad Yaghoubi’s new play ‘Earworm.’ This outstanding world premiere is both pensive and shocking as it deals with how Iranian discord can echo across the world and specifically in Canada. From Yaghoubi’s notes, facing horrors one thought you had escaped and learning that heroes can be otherwise are prevalent themes in the story. Homa (Aida Keykhaii) is an immigrant from Iran who clearly has a dark past as a victim from her days in Iran. Living with her soft spoken son, Pendar (Amir Maghami), she clearly plays the role of social consciousness as she rails against the clerical regime of Iran. As a blogger in Toronto, she is open about her past and bitterly condemns events in Tehran. Conflicts arise as her son’s fiancé, Fatemeh, fiercely played by Parya Heravi, is perceived as a conservative Muslim with an extremely conservative father. A dinner invitation is fraught with possible conditions – must Homa wear a hijab, tone down her rhetoric, even avoid smoking? The conditions are not met, but the invitation stands. Fatemeh is less conservative as perceived with bare arms and amorous advances on Pendar – until her father appears played by Amir Zavosh. Homa’s Iranian nightmares are ignited as she comes face to face with horror and the story spirals into blackness. Keykhaii’s performance is strongly understated – her passions are keen but controlled. Anger at the regime is quietly forceful. Her frustrations with Pendar are open but loving. This subtlety gives strength to her second act where she finally blazes and careens through anger and horror. As the quietly frustrated son, Maghami also is subtly controlled. At times, though, he is too much arms and fingers as he points at his mother wildly. Heravi brilliantly plays the naïve girl friend. As the crisis mounts, her shock is alarming, but her reaction is more inward than explosive. We can’t imagine her horror as she grabs at the hems of her dress reeling and barely standing. Zavosh as the father is also staggeringly subtle. His arms are often folded with a wry grin. He does indeed become the “smiling damned villain.” Several moments gave way to very quiet dialogue. Perhaps this was part of the understated conflicts that are seething below the surface, but it was frustrating at times for the audience. Sina Shoaie’s sound design was forceful with music underscoring the abhorrent animus. The constant barking of the dog signified the intrusion of one family on another. Projections were artful and, at times, staggering. The double ending (not double switch) was inventive, frightening and added thoughtful dimension. Yaghoubi’s writing achieves his pronounced goals as the horrors of unrepresentative governing are displayed in the broken lives of family and lovers. A number of listed dates are performed in Persian (Farsi) with English subtitles. These diverse talents add to the exceptionality of this cast made up mostly of Iranian background. ‘Earworm’ by Mohammad Yaghoubi A Nowadays Theatre Production in association with Crows Theatre Performers: Aida Keykhaii, Amir Maghami, Parya Heravi, Amir Zavosh Director: Mohammad Yaghoubi Set design: Amin Shirazi Sound design: Sina Shoaie Stage manager: Sabrina Weinstein Production runs through March 3, 2024. Tickets: crowstheatre.com Previous Next

Back 'Christmastown' by Briana Brown WORLD PREMIERE Now on stage to September 1 at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street Now on stage to September 1 at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street Joe Szekeres "Am I the Grinch for stealing Christmastown?" The world premiere of Briana Brown’s ‘Christmastown’ (billed as a farce about making magic all year long) has script challenges. It needs another solid revision. Some of the implausible and unsettling plot unravelling has gaping holes. Am I the Grinch for stealing Christmastown because I’m not charmed by the story? I'll talk more about this shortly. ‘Christmastown’ takes place in fictional Kringle, Ontario, in a gas bar/convenience store, the centre of cultural activity. It’s run by widow Nora (Alison Deon). Her sassy daughter Adeline (Mirabella Sundar Singh) also assists in the daily running of the store. Nora is desperate for a much-needed vacation and wants to take her daughter away on holiday. Where she would like to go becomes part of the bits of humour throughout the show. According to the show description, Kringle, Ontario, is in a rut. Well-meaning town reeve, Mary (Deborah Drakeford), devises a tourism development plan to celebrate Christmas all year round, and the town thinks it’s a great idea. Several locals have second thoughts about this decision two weeks and a heat wave later. Jeff (Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski) and his partner are in the midst of adopting a child. Sam (Darrel Gamotin) is the local handyperson who is sometimes a bit slow in picking up on things but has a heart of gold and possibly an eye for Nora. Christy Bruce plays several people entering and exiting. There are some admirable dramatic elements of the show. Visually, Anna Treusch’s gorgeous set design amply fills the Capitol Theatre stage with many grocery items and holiday/Christmasy tchotchkes one might find in a convenience store. One can purchase lottery tickets and drop off dry cleaning in the store. There is an office on a raised floor with a see-through window where the audience can watch action play out silently. Treusch’s costume selections are colourful re-creations from the Christmas and holiday season. For example, Drakeford adorably resembles an elf in her ruby red costume. Shepherd-Gawinski’s gingerbread costume made me smile when I finally recognized how he was dressed. I laughed aloud at Alison Deon’s first costume where she wears socks and sandals. There’s always that proverbial question of whether to do that or not. Jareth Li’s lighting nicely envelops the mood in each scene. Jeff Newberry’s sound design is sharply executed for the odd-timed joke. I quietly laughed a couple of times at innuendo most evidently related to the season's commercialism. There were also amusing moments in the office when we could watch what was happening behind the window but not hear the dialogue. But that is just the bare bones of my enjoyment with the play. Mostly, I do not find the script of ‘Christmastown’ charming and making magic all year long as billed. That is unfortunate because I should. The opening night performances do not sound natural on stage. The actors appear to shout at each other periodically, occasionally making me lose interest in the plot. There are moments where actors crawl around on all fours, and I could not connect to why they were scripted? directed? to do that. It's frustrating and confusing, especially since I’ve seen some of these artists do solid work on other stages in Toronto and outside the GTA. Growing up a baby boomer, I remember with fond admiration how hokey Christmas films and stories were, and that hooked me. That occurs in ‘Christmastown.’ Kringle, Ontario, is an adorable name. Seeing all the holiday stuff on stage in August makes me smile. Watching Deborah Drakeford’s initial fastidiousness as Mary who ensures everyone complies with the town edict is initially amusing. Good theatre helps an audience to grow in understanding just like a young child grows to adulthood from strong, positive influences. Hopefully, as adults, we recognize in our hearts when it’s time to see things from a child’s perspective and when it’s time to see things as an adult. Even the heart of the Dr. Seuss Grinch grew three times larger from its normal size when he finally understood the true meaning of Christmas. My heart did not grow at the end of ‘Christmastown.’ Brianna Brown’s current text focuses solely on the superficial and, dare I say, even a woke ideological understanding of what Christmas means. The play’s current ending subtly mocks those who practice and believe in what Christmas truly means to the faithful. The implication arises in the dialogue that Christians are to be scolded and reminded not to forget there are other faith holidays besides Christmas. That becomes unsettling as someone who practices Catholicism because I haven’t forgotten about the other faith holidays. I don’t believe (at least I hope and pray) that playwright Brianna Brown intentionally sets out to be hurtful in the script. But we live in a world where implied concerns are addressed all the time by everyone for any given reason. I feel strongly about calling out the subtle and implied mocking of Christianity and why the script requires another revision. To return to the question asked earlier: Am I the Grinch for stealing ‘Christmastown’ because I’m not taken with the story? Absolutely not. As an educated Catholic and Christian in the faith, I’m going to stand up and call out something that needs to be addressed, if need be, for clarification. The need is there. One doesn’t have to remind educated Catholics and Christians of other faith holidays during December and January. We know. Canada was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Educated Catholics and Christians should call it out if the theatre mocks those who celebrate Hannukkah. The same goes for those mock celebrations of Ramadan or Diwali. Why is there a need to focus on the subtle (or intentional) mocking of Christianity through the theatre as ‘Christmastown’ implies? We don’t see many produced plays that mock celebrations like Ramadan or Diwali. Or, if there are, should the theatre also behoove to give equal time to subtle mocking of other religious faiths? Let’s be careful of this slippery slope. Running time: approximately two hours with one interval/intermission. “Christmastown” runs until September 1 at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, 20 Queen Street. For tickets, call the Box Office at (905) 885-1071 or visit capitoltheatre.com. THE CAPITOL THEATRE presents the World Premiere of ‘Christmastown’ by Briana Brown Directed by Rob Kempson Composer and Sound Designer: Jeff Newberry Set and Costume Designer: Anna Treusch Lighting Designer: Jareth Li Stage Manager: Kat Chin Assistant Stage Manager: Jeff Soucy Performers: Christy Bruce, Alison Deon, Deborah Drakeford, Darrel Gamotin, Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, Mirabella Sundar Singh (Photo Credit: Sam Moffatt. L-R: Mirabella Sundar Singh, Deborah Drakeford, Alison Deon, Darrel Gamotin, Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski) Previous Next

Back Rose Napoli "It behooves theatre makers to consider their audiences more deeply. Who are we making the work for? If it’s just for ourselves, then we can’t expect audiences outside of the theatre community to be there. " David Leyes Joe Szekeres There aren’t enough hours to speak to Canadian theatre artists and learn what they’re doing. That’s even more reason to get ourselves to the theatre as much as possible. Thank you, Rose Napoli, for reminding me why I want to continue profiling and highlighting Canadian theatre artists. All of you are worth it. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Windsor. She also had two stints of training with the Banff Citadel Professional Training Program. For Napoli: “Training is never complete…the most important lessons I’ve learned in the theatre…all happened while I was working.” I like hearing that. It’s reassuring that even actors always feel their training is never complete, and they continue to examine and discover new paths and avenues of exploration. Rose and I conducted our conversation via email. She is smack dab in rehearsals right now. I have some family responsibilities that have prevented me from attending shows this past week; however, I look forward to seeing ‘Mad Madge’ as press releases are whetting my interest. Even before I began compiling her profile, I knew I’d heard Rose’s name, but I couldn’t remember in what capacity as an actor or playwright. So, what does one do in that case? Do some quick online research using reputable sources and avoid Wikipedia. And I did just that. When Rose debuted at Soulpepper, her theatre bio stated she had performed in Canadian Stage’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ So that’s where I saw her work! Her Soulpepper bio also indicated she was nominated for a Dora for Outstanding Performance in “The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh.” Rose is a television writer who has recently worked on shows for CBC, Bell/Crave, and CityTV. She is currently developing her own shows with Cameron Pictures, CBC Gem, and Circle Blue Entertainment. A busy lady, especially with ‘Mad Madge’ opening soon. From releases I have read about Napoli’s play: “Margaret Cavendish, known as ‘Mad Madge,’ was a 17th-century philosopher, poet, and playwright—a scandalous Jill of all trades and mistress of none. In her unapologetic pursuit of fame, Madge ditched her dysfunctional family to join the court of an unruly Queen and leave her mark on history. The script pays homage to Jane Austen and Tina Fey in the same breath. It’s a laugh-out-loud contemporary-period mashup that suggests that a woman’s hunger for unbridled attention is not so shallow.” For those who are television watchers or paparazzi gazers, if audience members keep up with the Kardashians, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears, and for those who faithfully watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, Margaret Cavendish did it first. ‘Mad Madge plays fast and loose with history. The production team is interested in a show that is provocative, true, and hilarious but not historically accurate. These are some further good reasons for all of us to get up off our sofas in front of our television sets and go to the Theatre Centre. What drew Napoli to compile this tale? “I initially was interested in writing a wild comedy about female rage inspired by the woman who threw the chair onto the Gardiner. I was curious about women being driven to a kind of madness because of social media. At the same time, I was reading Danielle Dutton’s book, ‘Margaret the First.’ Margaret was the OG influencer, obsessed with being famous… I thought, wow, we’ve been doing this long before Britney Spears. We’ve been doing it since the 17th century.” From her email, I can sense Rose’s cheekiness. She wants the audience to see the show and laugh because she says ‘Mad Madge’ is funny as hell. For example, Nancy Palk’s Queen Henrietta is on the toilet for a good portion of the show. The toilet seat is made from fur, which is probably what could have occurred in the 17th century. The cast just did a run of the show, and Rose only corpsed three times! Rehearsing comedy can be tricky, but the cast makes each other laugh, which is a good sign. The show moves fast, and the cast has to manage changing characters at the drop of a hat. Napoli compliments director Andrea Donaldson: “Andrea and I have worked together many times in many capacities. She directed the premiere of another play of mine, Lo, or Dear Mr. Wells. I’ve been an assistant director to her. She’s directed me as an actor in Grace and The Taming of the Shrew. This is the first time she’s directed me in my work. Andrea has been with ‘Madge’ since its inception. We have a shorthand. We have trust. We can disagree. It’s so validating to work with someone who understands who you are and what you’re doing. She is so generous, completely without ego. Which balances my flaming one.” Rose also acknowledges the work going on behind the scenes. Astrid Janson and her team are working tirelessly in their magical costume quarters. Something like fifty costumes all have to be quick-changed, and it’s all done sustainably, which is amazing. The production team is producing a show about excess, and it’s all ecologically sound. Napoli says she’s chuffed to be onstage again and certainly doesn’t want to negate the challenges the live entertainment sector faced through the pandemic. Still, she doesn’t worry about the future of the theatre. Robots may make movies in the next few years, but nothing can replace live performance. Rose has become far more discerning about how she spends her time. She believes audiences have done the same in their gradual return to the theatre. She asks an important question that I think all theatre artists must consider going forward: ‘Let’s consider our audiences more deeply. Who are we making the work for? If it’s just for ourselves, then we can’t expect audiences outside the theatre community to be there. Once ‘Mad Madge’ concludes its run at The Theatre Centre, what’s next for Napoli? She jumps into workshops for a new musical she’s writing with composer Suzy Wilde, directed by Marie Farsi. Excerpts from the show are showing at Musical Stage’s New Works Festival in May. Then she’ll be in TV land for a while, but she'll never be far away from the theatre. ‘Mad Madge’ is a Nightwood Theatre production in association with VideoCabaret. It runs at Toronto’s The Theatre Centre April 9 -21, in the Franco Boni Theatre, 1115 Queen Street West. For tickets visit www.theatrecentre.org or call the Box Office (416) 538-0988. Previous Next

Back 'How To Survive In The Wild' by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard. Translated by Rebecca Gibian Presented by Persephone Productions in The Studio at the Segal Centre, 5170 Chemin de la Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal Presented by Persephone Productions in The Studio at the Segal Centre, 5170 Chemin de la Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal Joe Szekeres “A wickedly razor-sharp script. Smartly directed and performed with courageous bravado.” Performed in French in 2021 at Théâtre Duceppe to sold-out houses under the title ‘Manuel de la vie sauvage,’ Persephone Productions’ English-language premiere set in The Studio at Montreal’s Segal Centre begins like a Ted Talk. The story begins with Kevin Bérard (Jonathan Silver), Quebec’s millionaire tech founder of Huldu. Bérard wants to share how we can win in our own lives. He plans to pull back the curtain on his own success and offers simple steps to remember. Signs in the lobby proclaim, “You’re Here Because You Want to Win.” Audience members are given a lanyard to wear around their necks, with a Huldu logo on the front and the QR code on the back (the house programme.) The audience enters The Studio and sits in a three-quarter theatre in a round setting with a giant projection screen. On stage right and left are the logos for Huldu. ‘How to Survive in the Wild’ becomes a story of giant tech creations and cutthroat choices in developing an app for the Canadian market. The app raises eyebrows; at least, it did for me. Persephone bills this opening night performance as a social satire with an unexpected twist: we witness the creation of an app with existentially dangerous repercussions: an AI chatbot that allows us to communicate with those who have passed away through the digital trace they leave behind. Indeed, the play does become a social satire. But there’s more, oh so much more, that can be considered dangerous territory in this Montreal-based tale. Catholic Christian moral and ethical implications strongly permeate this wickedly razor-sharp script. For those of us of the Faith, that’s called playing God and entering an unheard realm. But it also makes for a terrific evening (or afternoon) of entertainment at the Segal Centre. ‘How to Survive’ remains a thinker of a play. That’s always good when audiences are encouraged to think through laughter or shock, whether uncomfortable or not. Audiences need to experience more of this instead of the traditional ‘feel good’ stories. Designer Stavri Papadopoulou creatively places the story in a sleek 21st-century setting sharply accentuated by Chris Wardell’s focused lighting. The visual look the two have created is inviting yet stark and harsh, and it works gloriously. Props and set pieces are moved on and off by the cast and some crew members efficiently. The desks and chairs are on roller casters, and there is no hint of a squeak. There’s a crispness behind Julian Smith’s sound design, and its impact is strong. I can forgive a couple of momentary lapses, however, because actor Jonathan Silver did not allow the sound miscue issue to distract from his performance. Papadopoulou’s suitable costume choices aptly fit the characters. The women are smartly dressed, groomed, and coiffed, which gives the impression that they are assertive. There’s no messing around with these women, which becomes real as the story continues. The men are dressed a tad more comfortably than the women, which gives the impression that they appear to be secure in who they are and what they can offer in the giant corporate tech world. Does that seem a tad unfair? Perhaps, but one of the hard facts ‘How to Survive’ addresses is how men appear to have an edge over women in business. Director and Translator Rebecca Gibian securely keeps the story’s pacing always grounded in credibility. The story never appears rushed. The audience experiences many emotions, from laughter, albeit uncomfortable, to potential concern and shock regarding the lack of the human element. The implications can become devastating for everyone involved. This remarkable cast maintains a strong sense of commitment to tell the story with a gritty determination. Business is cutthroat in the corporate world. At times, there are no holds barred and be damned with any personal/familial relationships that have already been established in this production. There’s a bold confidence in Jonathan Silver’s preppy looking from a wealthy family Kevin. Silver's performance also verges on the cocky, which ultimately comes back to bite him, big time. Nevertheless, his Kevin is likeable for the most part. He shares some valuable tips on how to survive and win in business, and who doesn't want that. Kevin also tells the audience that the success we might want in our lives might not be what we get. Take that piece of advice for what it’s worth. There’s both a positive and negative connotation. Kevin’s university roommate and friend, Laurent (Noah Labranche), develops more of a victim complex rather than be seen as a loser in life. This is a relevant sign of the times in our 21st century when many around us have adopted this victim mentality. Yet Labranche adopts a quirkiness that makes him engaging. One can’t help but root for the guy, especially when Kevin sees about trying to recommend him to his boss, Carl (Brian Dooley). But can Laurent hang on to this job amid his insecurities? That realization must be experienced in person at the theatre. Dooley’s Carl is determined, smarmy, and self-righteous. Yet he knows his stuff. He knows what he talks about. He’s seen stuff before and knows how to play the game. Dooley’s Carl plays hardcore in the first app Kevin develops for the company, which leads to an important lesson about relationships and money learned in the tech corporate world. Oumy Dembele’s performance as lawyer Claude remains reputably sharp and witty. Her Claude can smell insincerity quickly and will use that to her advantage. I find it interesting that the female-identifying character uses a male name here. Is this intentional by playwright Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard? As actress Camille, Lula Brouillette-Lucien's Camille (spokesperson for the Huldu company product) initially views her involvement with the app as another job and gig to fulfill. Her further involvement in the app's continued development leads to alarming discoveries. Juliette Diodati’s Eve has had dalliances with Laurent and Kevin. With the former, she left him a mess as she played mind games with his head. With the latter, there is a hint that a relationship is going on, but it’s only for purely physical purposes with no human strings attached. Diodati remains decidedly sharp as a tack regarding the app's further development. She’s not cut-throat (although teetering on it), but she’s probably learned the hard way how to cope in what is still classified as a man’s world. In a cameo appearance that has been taped, Pepita Capriolo is an adorable Italian Nonna who explains to the audience how business is conducted between Kevin, Laurent, Eve and Claude using an analogy of pasta sauce. It's hilarious. When one considers what Capriolo says in comparing the tech company to the pasta sauce, it surprisingly makes sense. Final Thoughts: Two bits of advice Kevin shares with the audience still strike a chord: a) I became who I am today because of my failure, and b) Every human relationship is a transaction. The first makes sense. The second intrigues me more regarding the word ‘transaction.’ Yes, there is the business sense of the word, but it also leads to further pondering of other connotations of the word. ‘How to Survive in the Wild’ is performed and directed with courageous bravado. As I left the theatre, I could hear others talking about what they had just seen. That’s a sign of good theatre, and this one is good theatre. Please go and see it. Running time: approximately one hour and 40 minutes with no interval/intermission. ‘How to Survive in the Wild’ runs until September 29 in the Studio at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, 5170 Chemin de la Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal. For tickets: (514) 739-7944 or visit segalcentre.org. PERSEPHONE PRODUCTIONS presents ‘How to Survive in the Wild,’ the English language premiere of ‘Manuel de la Vie Sauvage’ by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard Directed and translated by Rebecca Gibian Assistant direction by David Noël Assistant direction by Adam Capriolo Set and Costume Design: Stavri Papadopoulou Sound Design: Julian Smith Video and Lighting Design: Chris Wardell Video Associate and Technical Director: Zachary Weibel Performers: Oumy Dembele, Juliette Diodati, Jonathan Silver, Brian Dooley, Lula Brouillette-Lucien and Noah Labranche, Pepita Capriolo. (Photo Credit: Emelia Hellman. Pictured Front: Jonathan Silver. Back (L-R): Noah Labranche, Lula Brouillette-Lucien, Juliette Diodati, Brian Dooley.) Previous Next

Back 'My Fair Lady' Now on stage at the Queen's Parade Theatre, Niagara on the Lake. Courtesy of The Shaw Festival web page Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, adjudicator, arts educator “Pull out the stopper, Shaw has a whopper. Another dusty old classic in this season’s Festival offerings is given a grand and loverly treatment.” After a series of hit-or-miss ho-hum musicals over the past several seasons, Shaw Festival undoubtedly had high hopes for this season’s big show. I can attest that this “Lady” easily eclipses them all with this nuanced musical retelling of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, a thoroughly entertaining romp through class-conscious Edwardian England, complete with the sexist and abusive themes central to its plot. About those dated mores? Who cares? That was 1912. This is 2024. Forget about the hot-button social issues; you can enjoy this battle of the sexes by sitting back and being charmed by catchy and appealing songs like "With a Little Bit of Luck," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "Get Me to the Church on Time." Mix in stellar performances and some high-energy and elegant dance numbers, and you’ve got a not-to-be-missed summer hit. I'll remind you if you don’t know the plot (made into a movie in 1938 and later became 1964’s Academy Award-winning film). Pompous phonetics professor Henry Higgins (a brilliant Tom Rooney) is so sure of his abilities that he takes it upon himself to bet his friend, Colonel Pickering, (amiably played by André Morin), that he will transform a Cockney working-class girl and “shall make a duchess of this draggle-tailed guttersnipe” in “six months.” He dithers in his attitudes towards everyone, spewing vitriol about the women in his life and calling himself “an ordinary man” with “the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein.” He's a contradiction in terms. The subject of this bet turns out to be the feisty but captivating Eliza Doolittle (a wondrous Kristi Frank). She is unaware of the bet and takes Higgins up on the offer to better her job prospects; she dreams of owning a flower shop. Higgins and Eliza clash but then form an unlikely bond, one threatened by an unlikely suitor, Freddy (a fine Taurian Teelucksingh). The challenge of resurrecting any age-old production is figuring out how to make it relevant and/or engaging to a modern audience. Yes, there are many challenges to this production, namely Higgins’ treatment of Eliza. His contemptuous, demeaning remarks and haughty, overbearing comportment garnered more than a few audience giggles at the performance my companion and I attended. There isn't an awful lot to like or appreciate about Henry initially, as he urges his housekeeper to thrash Eliza if she doesn't conform. Henry's insistence on ridicule and humiliation as a form of improving a student seems more insulting and grating than enlightening. But that’s just it, they were giggles at all of this, squeals of delight, not gasps or whispers. Higgins’ rudeness only seems to empower Eliza. But despite the splendid songs, there’s a certain amount of sadness in watching Eliza, initially so defiant, start to conform to Henry, first by finally breaking through her accent and adopting the more sophisticated one that Henry prefers, then beginning to fall in love with the man who spent so much time denigrating her. Similarly, Higgins realizes he’s affected by her, not quite knowing how to process his newfound emotions. This is where co-directors Tim Carroll and Kimberley Rampersad (who also provides the spirited choreography) cleverly give us a relatable battle of wits “girl power” story involving two characters who are ultimately more alike than they know – fiery, blunt, opinionated, tenacious. In the program notes, Carroll admits to being a first-time director of a musical. His work with Rampersad is to be applauded. Scene transitions were magically immaculate, and blocking was natural, with clever use of every inch of stage space. Carroll and Rampersad wisely don’t forget that characters need dimension. They’ve taken the time to work scenes, build song rendering and intent, and understand what drives and motivates key players. They can be very proud of their partnership. Musical direction by Paul Sportelli is spot-on, his baton leading a dynamite pit band. Voices are strong and blend well. Lorenzo Savoini’s simple yet elegant set effortlessly shows us class mobility, from the grimy dregs of the London slums to Higgins’ opulent, two-story library. From the spartan Ascot races to an old wooden pub, we see life from both sides of privilege. Joyce Padua’s turn-of-the-twentieth-century costume design is stunning and captures both the extravagant and the drab. The highly stylized women’s hats at the Ascot races are a feast for the eyes, while the attire of the working class in Covent Garden is dirty, ripped and coated in coal dust. Kimberley Rampersad’s choreography was basic and in unison, serving the narrative well, but overall, some excitement was missing. There’s a very fine trio of male dancers in the opening street scene who kick and leap beautifully, but their sequences are all too short. They dance again throughout the show but for mere seconds only. I wanted more! Her couple’s waltz was elegant and refined, but her “I’m Getting Married in the Morning”, while lively, lacked full-out exuberance. Not sure about the motivation of the sudden appearance of those four can-can dancers. Mikael Kanga’s lighting does a fine job of establishing location and mood. His warm, amber side lighting in the Covent Garden scenes evokes fire and gas-lit streets while Higgin’s library is bright and airy. Lighting designers need to show me where to look in a scene. Kanga delivers with well-placed spots on key players while subtly dimming the rest of the scene when needed. Fine work. Using the rear wall for projections or simply silhouette performers wonderfully enhances the visuals. John Lott’s sound design is apt, although the Ascot horse races were strangely quiet, while the band sometimes overpowered vocals in the more significant numbers. One of the many marks of sound direction and performance is seeing the journey the main characters take throughout the show. They are affected by the events of the piece and should, resultantly, be transformed by the show’s end. Tom Rooney brilliantly embodies Higgins’ character arch, first seeing Eliza as a project to be discarded, then softening his disdain for her while uneasily processing his growing affection for her. He has lovely moments of subtlety and nuance, especially in the ball scene, where he shares some truly touching moments with Eliza. As one of the main characters, he sets a beautiful pace in all his scenes with clear, snappy dialogue and marvellous vocals. Unhappily, that pace was interrupted mere moments before intermission as a fire alarm forced a mass exodus. False alarm. All was back on track for the second act. Kristi Frank is a fine Eliza with a good handle on the motives and situations that drive her character. Her heavenly soprano in songs like “I Could Have Danced All Night” attests that her voice is meant for this score. But it’s her journey from an uneducated, rough-around-the-edges “guttersnipe” flower seller to rising, independent “duchess…in six months” which is a treat to watch. Her physical countenance transforms in sync with her “proper” (and authentic) British accent - straight, poised and endearing. She, too, has beautiful levels as her relationship with Higgins burgeons. She comes into her own and knows who she is by show’s end. André Morin plays a compassionate Colonel Pickering, taking pity on Eliza rather than dismissing her. At the same time, as housekeeper Mrs. Pearce, Patty Jamieson is a charming and compassionate mother figure to Eliza and tolerates Higgins’ idiosyncrasies. She also does double duty, playing the Queen of Transylvania, and has a royal air in both roles. As Mrs. Higgins, Sharry Flett is hilarious and delightful, sarcastically knocking her son down a few notches over his overbearing pomposity. David Adams is deliciously bombastic as Eliza’s insouciant drunkard of a father, Alfred P. Doolittle. Although Doolittle is egocentric with feigned fatherly affection only to line his pockets, Adams nonetheless brings an endearing, heartwarming and fun performance to his big numbers. We should hate this guy, but we don’t. As starstruck Loverboy, Freddy, Taurian Teelucksingh is a powerful crooner, all doe-eyed and giddy in his school-boy infatuation with Eliza, although seeing him notice her more at the beginning of the show may have given them a nice moment. The ending is left ambiguous—a wise choice by Carroll and Rampersad. This is one slick show, just the hit Shaw needs right now. As I perused the directors’ notes, Kimberley Rampersad sums it up nicely: "Sometimes even singing isn’t enough, and you need to dance.” You’ll want to dance all night after leaving this show. Running time: approx. 3 hours with two 15-minute intermissions. The production runs until December 22 at the Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 For tickets, call the Box Office at 1-800-511-7429 or visit shawfest.com The Shaw Festival Presents Lerner and Loewe’s “My Fair Lady” Co-directed by Tim Carroll and Kimberley Rampersad Choreographed by Kimberley Rampersad Music Direction by Paul Sportelli Set designed by Lorenzo Savoini Costumes designed by Joyce Padua Lighting designed by Mikael Kangas Sound designed by John Lott Starring: Tom Rooney, Kristi Frank, André Morin, David Adams plus many other Canadian artists in the ensemble. Previous Next

Back 'Three Men On A Bike' by Mark Brownell. Based on the writings of Jerome K. Jerome Now on stage at the Greek Theatre in the Park and Gardens, 201 Guildwood Parkway, Scarborough Now on stage at the Greek Theatre in the Park and Gardens, 201 Guildwood Parkway, Scarborough Joe Szekeres (Credit: Helen Juvonen. Pictured: on bike Suchiththa Wickremesooriya. Behind L-R: Jack Copland and Azeem Nathoo.) “Smart direction by Sue Miner and Mark Brownell’s witty and sometimes whimsical script make for a dandy outdoor summer production. THREE MEN ON A BIKE is worth paying a visit. Funny, sharp and satirical.” I’m a little late to the theatre on this one…like a year. But that’s okay. What’s that adage: “Good things come to those who wait.” I’m glad I did just that. Last summer, my OUR THEATRE VOICE colleague Dave Rabjohn reviewed the Guild Festival Theatre’s production of THREE MEN IN A BOAT, playwright Mark Brownell’s re-creation of the original 1889 farce by Jerome K. Jerome. Rabjohn called last summer’s production ‘unapologetic full-bore schadenfreude (an emotional experience of pleasure in response to another’s misfortune). He travelled down the Thames River and encountered various hijinks with Harris, George and Jay figuratively. This summer, it’s my turn to travel with these very same three lads: Harris (Jack Copland), George (Suchiththa Wickremesooriya), and Jay (Azeem Nathoo). And where did we go? Germany. Only this time, it wasn’t by boat. It’s navigating the open by biking. It’s THREE MEN ON A BIKE. It took a bit of time to get to the country, though. You wanna know why? The reason is another adage I’ve heard: ‘Half the fun is getting there’ in Mark Brownell’s witty and whimsical script. These three adorable buffoons and mismatched friends think they know more than they do about making plans for a holiday to Germany. That’s all part of this specific trip’s amusement and fun. We can all use a little of that humour right now. Was it necessary to have seen THREE MEN IN A BOAT last year to enjoy THREE MEN ON A BIKE? Not at all. If you did, you might be up a bit more on some of the characters’ eccentricities that provide much of the humour; however, I got most of the nods, the nudges, and the wink, winks that punched up the action and some of the commentaries. This time, Azeem Nathoo’s Jay steps forward at the top of the show. He tells the audience that things have changed and that this trip might not be as memorable as the other one. I find it interesting that a writer would say that. Later in the show, one of the characters keeps a secret, but somehow, another has discovered it. The ensuing bickering and arguing are never mean or malicious. When the secret is revealed, it’s silly why the other two would feel the way they do. Perhaps the other two might feel validated and jealous, but it’s guys teasing other guys. The relationship between guys is utterly different from the relationship women have with each other. Director Sue Miner smartly never lets the comic action veer off the rails. Doing so would turn the production silly, infantile, and puerile. She knows there’s more to this production for audiences to appreciate. For one, Copland, Nathoo, and Wickremesooriya adroitly handle the show’s physical demands. This is a testament to their staying power at peak performance level. The three of them also appear to be in remarkably good physical shape. That’s very important. The show's running time is approximately 80 minutes with no break, but my God. I marvelled at the speed with which the three of them motor across the vast length of the amphitheatre stage, with a heaping spoonful of generous dexterity in movement and nary a sound of being out of breath. The three will then run off the stage to the bushes stage right. One of them scales the back wall to speak to us momentarily. There’s no mention of who designed the costumes in the programme, but they are pretty colourful and have a look reminiscent of the Victorian era. Costumes are essential to appreciate in this production. Dave Rabjohn last year called the costumes: “gaudy primary colours of a Mary Poppins adventure through a chalk picture.” This description still holds true. Miner also allows the audience to use their imagination, which will always be a bonus to me. This occurs most notably when the guys are riding their bikes. The way Copland, Nathoo and Wickremesooriya beam with pride made me laugh. Copland especially has this cock of the walk grin as he looks at the audience that still makes me laugh as I write this article. I’m sure rehearsals must have been riotous as they practiced, ensuring they were in complete synchronicity, especially while riding the tandem and single bikes. Additionally, it takes a solid actor to mime and use specific movements to denote certain props rather than having them at hand. Concentrated work in miming ensures the audience and the actor believe the item is in front without seeing it. Copland, Nathoo and Wickremesooriya’s work has paid off. I bought those imaginary articles in the guys’ hands throughout the show. Recently, in an ‘Intermission’ article, Miner said that personally she’s got nothing to do with these guys, but she loves them. She also loves their journey: “They just touch people to come along for the ride. That’s part of the draw for me—they [screw up] for us so we don’t have to. We can just sit and enjoy and laugh at their foibles. Anything that brings us all back to humanity is my hero right now.” Jack Copland, Suchiththa Wickremesooriya, and Azeem Nathoo have that natural chemistry that makes them loveable. As the plot progressed, I sat back, enjoyed, and laughed at their foibles in speaking with many German people on their trip. The one quibble I did have was the men’s enunciation. I sat in the front row. For most of the show, I could hear the dialogue. However, and I’m sure it was probably opening night jitters, the enunciation wasn’t as clear as it could have been near the end, and I had difficulty hearing some of the dialogue. As the performances continue and the actors grow even more confident, their enunciation will significantly improve. And Another Thought: To return to the question asked in the introduction. Did I experience an unapologetic full-bore schadenfreude as Rabjohn? I most certainly did, especially when the three tried speaking German to native speakers—their German sounds like when I go to Montreal or Quebec City to speak French in either city. See THREE MEN ON A BIKE. We most definitely need this story in our world right now. Running time: approximately 80 minutes with no interval. The production runs until August 4 at the Greek Theatre in Guild Park and Gardens, 201 Guildwood Parkway, Scarborough. For tickets: guildfestivaltheatre.ca or call 647-576-7822. GUILD FESTIVAL THEATRE presents THREE MEN ON A BIKE by Mark Brownell. Based on the stories of Jerome K. Jerome Directed by Sue Miner Production Designer: Ina Kerklaan Assistant Director: Alecia Pagnotta Music Director/Arranger: J. Rigzin Tute Lighting Designer: Adam Walters Stage Manager: Jenna Borsato Performers: Jack Copland, Azeem Nathoo, Suchiththa Wickremesooriya. Previous Next

Back 'Making It Up (One Playwright to Another) presented by One Playwright Productions ‘A literate and witty presentation that makes me pay close attention to the story. Norm Reynolds remains genuinely unselfish in wanting to make a difference artistically.” Courtesy of Norm Reynolds Joe Szekeres I respectfully admire the tenacity of playwright/actor Norm Reynolds. Here’s a guy who has taken a unique path, transitioning through several careers to finally pursue his true passion - to work in the theatre. Reynolds was a teacher who then quit to go and work in the theatre. He quit the theatre and then went to work in finance (a family business). He then quit finance and returned to teaching and, ultimately, the theatre. Recently, I saw his film, ‘Making It Up (One Playwright to Another) that was recorded at Toronto’s Red Sandcastle Theatre on Queen Street East, an intimate and charming black box theatre space home to up-and-coming productions deserving of being seen. The Sandcastle is also home to the uniquely distinct Eldritch Theatre, so here’s a plug to get to their shows this fall. ‘Making It Up’ is biographical and factual, but most of all, it is fascinating to watch. Why? Reynolds had the privilege of meeting the late playwright Edward Albee, a literary and theatrical icon and engaging in a profound discussion about the art of writing. It's obvious it took a lifetime to get his thoughts out about it. That alone is fascinating and a bucket list item as far as I’m concerned. What’s another reason to see ‘Making It Up’? Reynolds plays both himself and Albee during the 32-minute run of the film. At one point, Norm also delivers quite an impressive monologue about the role of teaching in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I’ll be honest and say that I smiled from ear to ear. Reynolds nails the current state of education and the lack of thinking since all of us are now accustomed to and expect instant gratification through our desktop or laptop computers or mobile devices. Film and theatre are two separate media forms. That’s why it was an exciting challenge during the pandemic to watch theatre productions filmed/videotaped/recorded and then sent out to interested audience members. During the pandemic, the difference between theatre and film became abundantly clear. There is a sense of immediacy in live theatre as it’s sometimes mere inches and feet away from the audience. Film places an immediate distance between the audience and the artists involved—nothing wrong with that, dependent on the subject material. Lesley Ballantyne directs ‘Making It Up’ with tremendous respect for Reynolds’ story. She captures that compassion quite well in her collaboration with John Bertram, whose work in filming remains sharply focused. Norm Reynolds delivers a consistently believable performance. He’s literate and witty, and his melodious voice makes me pay close attention to his story. He exudes genuine, unselfish pride in attaining something he has always wanted: to make a difference artistically. Reynolds is on his way. I’d like to see more of his work in the future. Running time: approximately 32 minutes on film. ‘MAKING IT UP (ONE PLAYWRIGHT AT A TIME) Presented by One Playwright Productions Written, Produced and Appearance by Norm Reynolds Directed by Lesley Ballantyne Filmmaker: John Bertram Stream online whenever you’d like throughout the duration of Anywhere Festival! Nominated for 4 2023 Broadway World Awards Philadelphia. Best Play; Best New Play; Best Performance; Best Direction of a play. Audience Choice Award- Digital Philadelphia Fringe ‘23 Best Director of the Year (Lesley Ballantyne)- Young-Howze Theatre Journal WINNER! BEST in series (Bring Your Own Virtual Venue) Award* *Hamilton Fringe Festival Digital Presentation 2022 A hit at The Greater Manchester, Vancouver, Watford, Wellington & Dunedin NZ Fringe Festivals To access the film, visit https://anywhere.is/event/making-it-up/ Previous Next

Back Indrit Kasapi and Marjorie Chan A Canadian Chat Dahlia Katz Joe Szekeres Before this great theatrical pause of 19 months, I had the opportunity to attend some productions at Theatre Passe Muraille which bills itself as one of Canada’s original alternative theatre companies currently developing and producing new Canadian plays. TPM is striving to articulate a distinct Canadian voice that reflects the complexity of our intercultural society. TPM believes there should be a more diverse representation of artists, audience members, and stories in its theatre. I was most appreciative of the time that two of its artists were able to take to speak with me. Marjorie Chan is the Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille. As an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, she primarily identifies as a writer with specific interest in contemporary opera and collective forms, while also maintaining an active practice as a dramaturge and director. Indrit Kasapi is the Interim Managing Director of Theatre Passe Muraille. A graduate of Montreal’s National Theatre School of Canada he is well-known to the Theatre Passe Muraille community, having been the Associate Artistic Director under Marjorie Chan for the last two years— collaborating on programming, budgeting, producing as well as coordinating special projects. Prior to beginning in that role, Indrit was also the Accessibility Lab Co-ordinator which explored experimentation in access initiatives which recently culminated in a series of short documentaries. Five years in the making, his play Toka (A Theatre Passe Muraille and lemonTree creations Digital Co-Production) for which he is the writer and choreographer, will finally be shared with audiences in the upcoming year. Indrit is also the Co-founder (along with Cole Alvis) of the prolific lemonTree creations, which was a TPM Company-in-residence for the past three years. We conducted our interview via Zoom. Thank you so much, Marjorie and Indrit, for your time: Could you share the names of one teacher and one mentor for whom you are thankful. MC: Ohh, that’s always really tricky. One teacher – his name was Mr. Kishibe. I knew his first name but I can’t think of it now. He taught English Literature. I took English 11, 12 and OAC (when the province had it). He was at St. Joseph’s/Morrow Park a Catholic girls’ high school. Mr. Kishibe loved Shakespeare and because it was an all-girls’ school, whenever we read Shakespeare he would read the lead – Hamlet, King Lear, he would read MacBeth. He was extraordinary. We were excited to go to his class because he made the lesson interesting because he would perform. I did read a few times aloud in his class and enjoyed it. I didn’t know I was going to be an actor or involved in the theatre at that time. He spoke to me one time and asked me if I ever considered going into the theatre since I really appeared to enjoy it. It never occurred to me that could be a career. Mr. Kishibe came to one of the first performances in Shakespeare in the Rough (the older collective, not the collective now) when I graduated theatre school. I really appreciated it that he saw I was performing and came to see it. I have so many mentors in many forms and roles. A lot of times when I mentor a young person, I often think the reverse is true as well as they have become my mentor because I’m learning about different approaches and perspectives. If I had to mention a particular mentor at this moment, it would be Michael Wheeler who is now a professor at Queen’s University. He certainly helped me think about digital work in a different way and structural organization at theatre companies in a different way. Julie Phan, a young artist who just graduated from the National Theatre School, is also someone who has influenced me. She’s a playwright. She would be ‘mentor/menteree’. IK: This is an easy one for me because I had an important Drama teacher in high school and his name is Teodoro Dragonieri. He’s become a friend of mine now as we’ve kept in touch. He has a brilliant mind. He’s a visual artist who learned mask work and fell in love with theatre and had an extensive wealth of knowledge. He was just one of those people who has a creative mind. He was teaching us in Grade 10 how to make masks out of recycled jugs. He was an inspiration and made me realize the potential of what theatre can be and what live performance can be. He embraced my training as a dancer and saw the world in a multidisciplinary way without even using that word. Now that I think about it, my work strongly centered around that sense of creativity in a multidisciplinary format. There’s an immediacy to the work he was doing in the stories he was telling. I’ve been very thankful that my mentor is now my colleague – Marjorie Chan. She has been a huge influence on me. It’s been a beautiful journey of learning from an incredible person dating back to Cahoots Theatre from years ago. She has so much to teach all of us even as she learns from us. I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 -19 months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level? MC: It’s a huge question. I’ve been quite public on my social media; as a matter of fact, Joe, in late October of 2020 I had a stroke. I feel great. I’ve had a lot of support through the various programs available, but it’s an ongoing, lifetime journey for me. Doctors will be looking at my brain for the rest of my life. This particular full calendar year since 2020 has been a huge re-examination of everything for me and that includes in my personal life as I’m dealing with my health. All the conversations that are happening around the culture of work in the theatre industry, in terms of our scheduling, and in the way we do things, these are things that I really take to heart in terms of these conversations. IK: These last 18-19 months have made me appreciate my alone time a lot more than I used to. Before I was always needing to be in community and with people, but the pandemic has made me think more about my alone time. How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally? MC: It’s been interesting to think about if you’re a practicing artist and you also have a full-time job running a theatre company, I’m already very specific about the other projects in which I involve myself. Definitely that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic – to be mindful to what I put my energy towards. For me, that’s about a selection of projects of what I do outside TPM (Theatre Passe Muraille). As an artist, I’ve limited energy so I have to be quite specific, careful and intentional whether to take a project or not. IK: Professionally, it has made me think a lot about the technology and technology within the context of the theatre medium, and how these two intertwine in various different ways, how they help and sometimes how they challenge each other. My perspective has been opened as I thought live performance was a different experience than something that’s digital. The digital world has a harder time creating community. But I think I was proven wrong in many ways because we found community in different forms, and technology was a huge support in that. I’m thinking a lot more about how technology and digital methods continue to do what live performance does in terms of bringing people together. In your professional opinion, how do you see the global landscape of Theatre Passe Muraille changing, adapting, and morphing as a result of these last 18 months? MC: When we were streaming work and doing OUTREACH where we were meeting new artists, that opportunity to connect with individuals not necessarily in Canada, even in North America, opened itself up. The artists were interested in it as well. It just shows what is possible. Certainly, on one end it was exciting to have equal access to work all across the country even if it meant that I had to wake up at 7 am in the morning to watch a show that was coming out of Hong Kong. I don’t usually watch a live theatre show at 7 am, but an exception will be made when you want to connect with live work across the globe. At the same time it’s made us all understand the need and the change in conversation that can happen when a global conversation happens. I think that’s very exciting and it’s something we’ve been pursuing in our upcoming year. We do have an international artist coming and who might bring a different perspective and enlighten our community here in Toronto. We’re also aware and want to learn more about our local neighbourhood here in the area of Queen and Bathurst and the area. IK: To add to what Marjorie is saying, I think we’ve also taken some big steps towards what is being updated through TPM. We are renovating our Back Space and we’re also launching a Digital Creators as well at the DC Lab. We are looking at how technology comes in theatre and also who from the community of artists gets access to those kinds of training, those kinds of tools. We want to make sure that our priorities in terms of the kinds of artists that we want on our stages and the stories to be represented on our stages that those artists are the first ones to have access to these trainings, the tools. The learnings from the other companies with whom we partnered, we will bring some of their expertise as part of that journey. What intrigues you post Covid? MC: Of course, I want our audiences to have positive experiences. That seems very general, but I think very deeply about this from what it means in trying to invite audiences back on their own terms (ie. a gentle entry to being back in the building and sharing the space with others). I’m intrigued by the art to come. I don’t think anyone can be unchanged by these 20 months from a social-political perspective, from a personal perspective, from not experiencing in person theatre. A lot of our work that is to come on our stages is work that was postponed from the pandemic. I’m definitely intrigued to see what’s to come. IK: For me, I’m intrigued by immersive experiences and the immediacy of us being together. How does technology and augmented reality all become a part of this. I’m curious to see how virtual reality will make its way into theatre, how audio dramas will fit into this equation. It feels to me we are in an exciting place of rejuvenation of sort as live performance art makers, and what does that mean, where is it going to go? The possibilities are endless and I’m intrigued. What unnerves/disappoints you post Covid? MC: What’s unnerving and disappointing is if the lessons of the pandemic are lost; if the lessons of the pandemic have been dismissed and there’s a return to “normal”. We can’t have the murder of George Floyd and then things return to the status quo. What is the conversation and how do we dig in? What is an organization’s responsibility? To me, that would be disappointing if the theatre industry did not take away lessons from the pandemic and things returned to the way they were. IK: I’d say the same thing. If we pretended the pandemic didn’t happen that would be unnerving and disappointing. So much has changed and how are we taking in what happened and moving forward rather than retreating and going back to what once was. I want for all of us to learn and not forget and to grow and to move forward. RAPID ROUND Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I credit the late James Lipton and “Inside the Actors’ Studio’ for this idea: If you could say one thing to one of your mentors and teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be? MC: Thank you for seeing more of me than I could see of myself. IK: Thank you for your passion and creativity because it’s inspirational. If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be? MC: In a short way, I would say “Welcome”. Some of these naysayers have not come around. IK: I would say “Thank You because it was you not believing in me that drove me to work even harder.” What’s your favourite swear word? MC: I swear a lot actually depending on the company I’m with. I use the “F bomb’. I don’t use the word ‘Shit’ very much, I don’t. I’ve said, “Damn”. Sometimes if I have nothing to say or I’m stuck in a situation where I don’t know how to proceed, my staff will tell you that sometimes I might meow when I don’t know what to do (And Indrit pipes in and agrees that is Marjorie’s favourite thing). IK: For sure, 100%, it’s the “F bomb” because it’s not as heavy for me. English is my third language actually. I don’t swear in Albanian as it feels very wrong for me to do. When I use the “F bomb’ in English, I get what I need to get out of it. What is a word you love to hear yourself say? MC: What I like to hear myself probably say is “Welcome”. IK: ‘Hence’. I don’t mind hearing myself say it. What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say? MC: Frankly, I don’t like to say “No”. IK: Wow!!!! I don’t know. I don’t enjoy hearing myself say “No”. I don’t say No often. With whom would you like to have dinner and discuss the current state of the live Canadian performing arts scene? MC: I would like to have dinner with a person who hates theatre and hates what it represents and has articulated they will never return to the theatre. IK: This has been on my mind lately. This is a person whom I didn’t have a chance to get to know and have been reading a lot of their tributes. I think I would have loved to have dinner with David Fox. It seems as if he has affected so much of Canadian theatre and the lives of artists in this country, and I would have loved to have heard from him what he thought about the Canadian theatre and the scene. What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you? MC; To my 3-year-old self: “Hang on to your sense of playing because it will help you as you continue.” To my 10-year-old self: “Hang on there because art will reveal itself soon and you will love it.” To my teenage self that did acting randomly: “Pay attention as this might be your career, and not in Museum Studies or Teaching as you thought.” To my theatre school self: “This is all great knowledge. Hang on to it but you may not end up as an actor as you think.” To the person that got an internship to become an artistic administrator: “Becoming a cultural leader is going to change your life.” IK: “Don’t be afraid to be all the things you want to be rather than just trying to be one thing. As long as it’s clear for you, be all the things you can be.” With the professional life experience you’ve gained, what would you now tell your upcoming artist careers from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career? MC: “Continue to be brave.” IK: Wow!!!!!! This is good. “You are a director. Period. Get over it.” What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally? MC: Personally, I would like to run a 5K race. I’d like to be in a place where I can do that. Professionally, I’m so open to whatever comes. I’d like to write a play that is popular (and both she and Indrit start to laugh) and just has a broader reach even in a story in some way. IK: Personally, I would love to live in different places in the world and learn a fourth language. Professionally, it has nothing to do with theatre, but I would love to publish a book of poetry. Name one moment in your professional artistic careers that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while. MC: As not quite 18 years of age, I was a production assistant at Mirvish Productions for the opening of the Princess of Wales from years ago and the Canadian premiere of ‘Miss Saigon’. I was learning so much; I was doing sponsorships, opening nights and all this producing work and not understanding that I was gaining such invaluable experience from that. This time was also a lot of fun and to be involved in such a large production with ‘Miss Saigon’ for a teenager was quite magical as an assistant to the Assistant Producer. IK: Performing at The Tokyo Metropolitan Arts Centre on a piece by Corpus Dance Projects. It was a good time. What is one thing you will never take for granted again post Covid? MC: For sure, my health. 100% IK: Proximity to my friends and family and the side conversations at the office. Would you do it all again if given the same professional opportunities? MC: I would do it exactly the same. IK: That’s exactly my answer too. I have zero regrets. I’d be happy to come back again and do it all the same. To learn more about Theatre Passe Muraille and its upcoming season, visit www.passemuraille.ca . You can also visit the Facebook page: @TheatrePasseMuraille and Twitter: @beyondwallsTPM. Previous Next

Back Shawn Wright Looking Ahead David Leyes Joe Szekeres Shawn and I conducted our conversation through email. When he sent me his headshot, I kept thinking I have seen his work onstage, but where? Forgive me, Shawn, but I had to do a bit of research to see where I’ve seen you before on stage. And then it came clear to me as I remembered his performance as Geppetto in Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre production of ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’. You brought a tear to my eye as the father who never gave up on his son no matter the odds. And I did see the original Toronto cast of ‘Jersey Boys’. I wasn’t reviewing at that time but loved every minute of that production. Nice work. Shawn holds an Honors B.A. in English Literature from the University of New Brunswick. Mid-career, he trained at Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts. Other credits include: London Road, The Arsonists (Canadian Stage); the title role in Pal Joey (Theatre Calgary), Les Miserables,; 7 seasons at Stratford Festival; 6 seasons at Shaw Festival; 2 seasons as Matthew in Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown Festival), Lord of the Rings (Mirvish); Mamma Mia! (Original USA cast); Jersey Boys (Original Toronto cast); Ragtime (original Broadway workshop cast), Oleanna (TNB); Mikado (Pacific Opera); Next to Normal (MTC); Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown Festival); Oliver! (NAC). Playwright: Ghost Light (published by Playwrights Canada Press); seven productions so far, including a nomination for the international LAMBDA award. Awards: Dora, Guthrie, Newton, MyEntertainment plus many Broadway World nominations. Thank you for taking the time, Shawn, and for adding to the discussion of where you see live theatre headed 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. Ok, that's a two-part question. The world I knew? What was the world I knew before March 13, 2020? On March 12, 2020, I was in the midst of a four-month Canadian tour of a play I'd written entitled ‘Ghost Light’. In May and June 2020, I was supposed to act in "On Golden Pond" with two of my childhood idols, Hal Linden and Michael Learned. In July 2020 I was supposed to start “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in Toronto. I was happy that after a few months on the road I could walk to work from my own condo in a show that was projected to run for a few years. I was single. I was happy with my lot in life. After March 13, 2020? Ghost Light closed on the road; my upcoming shows were postponed until God knows when. I flew back to Toronto, collected CERB while waiting for college zoom teaching jobs, joined a dating site and met someone great (still together one year later), followed all the important and necessary social and cultural movements with awe and hope, felt happy for the small strides that were starting to happen in that regard, started to reckon with how white privilege was a factor in keeping me working all these years, taught acting by zoom at a few colleges, did a few voice over jobs and commercials, wondered if there would be a place for me in the theatre again, and ...oh, yeah,...basically worried day and night about breathing the wrong air and dying. 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? How has my understanding of the theatre changed? Well, large productions (which have been most of my income) will take longer to get going than smaller productions (where i make some but not most of my income). There will be (hopefully) more of an equal distribution of casting in terms of an actor's race and gender and size (which is good) but probably not of an actor's age (which might be bad....for me). As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? I miss the laughs in the dressing room from the half hour call to the places call. I miss the satisfaction of a full day's work in my chosen field. I miss the boisterous rush of adrenaline-fuelled chat walking from the stage to the dressing room after a curtain call. i miss the fitting rooms with designers. i miss the glorious relaxation of being in a character I wear well in front of an audience. Well, ok, the industry and the art are two different things so....hmmm, what do i miss about the industry per se? The opening night parties, seeing my name on a poster alongside artists I admire, being part of a community that rallies at the drop of a hat to help a failing theatre company or an ailing colleague. I miss the memorials because we can't gather right now. In February 2020, we had a lovely send off for Mary Haney at a neighborhood pub. It was sweet and touching and raucous and full of love for Mary. There's a queue of dear others for whom we are waiting to do that. As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it? Having a job in theatre. Having audiences come to our plays. I never really took those things for granted anyway. Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. That everyone feels heard and represented. Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry. "Must" still accomplish? I don't think in terms of 'must' anymore. I've been proud of the career I've had pre-Covid because it's been exceptionally varied but I'm most proud of the fact that for over 30 years I've been able to make a full time living in the theatre. I WANT to keep accomplishing that. I guess I MUST accomplish that to pay my bills. Some artists are saying that audiences must be prepared for a tsunami of Covid themed stories in the return to live theatre. Would you elaborate on this statement both as an artist in the theatre, and as an audience member observing the theatre. I'd be grateful to be cast in a Covid themed play. I'd be happy to watch a Covid themed play. As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you? I'd like to be remembered as an artist whose work was heart-felt and detailed. To follow Shawn Wright at Instagram: mistershawnwright / Facebook: Shawn Wright Previous Next

Back Soheil Parsa “We have to create good art. It’s not diversity for the sake of diversity.” Credit: Aluna Theatre Joe Szekeres For the last three years, I have been trying to get in touch with Soheil Parsa for an interview, but I never knew where to turn. I wanted to learn more about this Iranian Canadian theatre artist and his vision. Thank Goodness for theatre publicity rep Suzanne Cheriton who made it easier and asked if I would like to speak with him about his upcoming direction of Aluna Theatre’s ‘On the Other Side of the Sea.’ I jumped at the opportunity. From his Factory Theatre bio: “Soheil is the co-founder and former artistic director of Modern Times Stage Company and has directed over forty productions for the company since its inception in 1989.” I’ve seen several plays he has directed, the most recent being Daniel McIvor’s ‘Monster’ and David Paquet’s ‘Wildfire’ (for which he won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for direction). Parsa started his theatre school training and received three and a half years at Tehran University, Iran, in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Theatre Department, prior to the Iranian/Islamic Revolution in 1979. After the Revolution, Soheil was in his fourth year. He was honest with me and said he was kicked out of the university because he did not support the Revolution. The other vital aspect also in play was his religious background. He and his family come from the Bahá’í minority under severe persecution. His journey from Iran to Canada was not an easy one. He fled Iran in 1982 amidst severe persecution due to his Bahá'í faith. He arrived in Canada with his family in 1984; he was twenty-nine then. Not knowing English, he faced the daunting task of learning a new language in a foreign land. Despite the challenges, he enrolled in an undergrad program and completed a second Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies at York University. His determination to learn English and continue his education in theatre reveals his resilience and passion for the arts. On a personal note, Soheil has never had a mentor. Directing has been self-taught, so he proudly states he never stops learning about the theatre. He’s always searching, seeking, and investigating different forms and traditions of theatre. He laughed (and so did I) that as we age, we slow down a bit in our learning. But Soheil doesn’t stagnate at all in the arts. One doesn’t stop learning, no matter what age. He believes artists must keep updating themselves. Although taking workshops is challenging since he continues to be busy directing, Soheil reads a lot about the arts and the theatre. He goes to see a lot of productions and watches the younger generation of theatregoers (whether on stage or in the audience): “New generations and different generations of people bring something different, and I think for [we] senior artists, it’s always important to stay updated. There’s no way an artist can stop and say, “I’m done. Now I’m perfect.” As an artist going forward, how does he feel about the state of Canadian theatre amid its changes in the last three to four years? Soheil agrees it has been a challenge in Toronto and across Canada. The industry hasn’t recovered entirely, but live performance art remains necessary in connection with others. It may take another couple of years to recover, hopefully without any more pandemics. He still believes that audiences will return to the theatre. Will there be further changes in the industry moving forward? “Definitely. When I started my theatre company (Modern Times) in 1989 with Peter Farbridge, the situation then wasn’t like what we are currently experiencing now. There’s no comparison. Yes, there was a bit of a struggle in the first ten years of Modern Times to produce and create shows because whatever I did was labelled as either Persian or multi-cultural, and I hated those words…Change is promising…There weren’t a lot of opportunities for artists like me back in 1989.” Change is also happening in the leadership within the theatre community, and that’s promising as there weren’t a lot of opportunities for artists of colour back in 89. Even though Soheil does see the changes for artists of colour, he also gets a bit worried because it’s not just about diversity for the sake of diversity. Art is the bottom line. Whatever artists promote or showcase must be exciting. Whatever is happening is fine, but as an artist of colour, Soheil believes he can speak the truth in saying we’ve gone to the far extreme on the other side now; however, he hopes in a few years that balance will be found in that artists will be supported for their work and for what they do. When he started Modern Times, he wanted to be recognized and supported for his work as an artist, not because he’s an Iranian-born theatre director. It’s not diversity for the sake of diversity. Theatre must keep growing and flourishing. We have to create good art. Theatre previews are always exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing Soheil’s next production as director for Aluna Theatre’s ‘On the Other Side of the Sea’ starting February 7 at the Theatre Centre. Written by Salvadorian playwright Jorgelina Cerritos and winner of the 2010 Casa de las Américas Prize for drama based in Havana, Cuba, the play is described on the Theatre Centre website as a powerful, minimalist drama celebrating courage, conviction, and life itself.” Aluna is thrilled to produce a play from El Salvador, representing the first time the company will produce a work by a Latin American artist not residing in Canada. The plot is not realistic, but the characters are real. There is a fisherman with no name and a civil servant at her office desk, oscillating between loneliness, memory, and reality on a journey toward human connection and renewal. Beatriz Pizano and Carlos Gonzales-Vio will appear in this Canadian premiere. Rehearsals have gone well. Soheil says he’s lucky to have them for this premiere. He has worked with Beatriz and Carlos before. He calls them generous. Although the process of exploring during rehearsal wasn’t easy at times, the actors kept exploring the text and what lies underneath it. They know how much Soheil values subtext and its importance, so that has been rewarding overall for everyone involved. Any play has to be challenging for everyone involved, not only for the actors but for everyone involved. If it’s not challenging, what’s the point of doing it? Parsa calls ‘On the Other Side of the Sea’ a remarkable, poetic, magical, and fascinating piece. The influence of the Theatre of the Absurd on the play is undeniable. He was introduced to the play before the pandemic by a friend who told him: “Soheil, I know your work. This is your play. You have to direct it.” When he first read the play, Parsa was confused about what was happening. When he read it the second time, he fell in love with the “lyrical beauty of the words and the evocative style. The play is deceptively simple. It’s about hope, and that’s what fascinates me about it.” In Parsa’s words: “Simplicity is simple. You have to achieve it.” As we began to wind down our conversation, I asked what kept Soheil still excited about the theatre: “The live connection between the audience and the actors. I think that’s the most irreplaceable art form. We don’t have any art form like theatre to have this direct, live human connection between the creators and the audience. That’s what fascinates me the most. The theatre will always survive no matter how far we advance in the digital or YouTube world.” What’s next for Soheil once ‘On the Other Side of the Sea’ finishes its run? There have been requests from theatre schools to direct their shows. Last year, he directed two shows, one for Humber and one at the University of Ottawa. This year, he is teaching part-time at Brock University. Next fall, he will direct a show at Brock University for fourth-year students. Nothing has been finalized yet, but there is a possibility he might be directing for Tarragon Theatre. ‘On the Other Side of the Sea’, presented by Aluna Theatre, runs February 7 – 25 at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street West. For tickets, call (416) 538-0988 or visit theatrecentre.org. To learn more about Aluna Theatre, visit their Facebook page or website: alunatheatre.ca. Previous Next

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Back Review: BOY FALLS FROM THE SKY David Mirvish and Past Future Productions Cylla Von Tiedemann Joe Szekeres A charismatically charming Jake Epstein makes this ‘Boy’ soar past the rafters of Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. I’m probably one of the very few who never watched the Degrassi series with Jake Epstein and a whole bunch of young talent. True, there were moments when I was teaching back in the 90s where I was aware of some youth issue the kids were talking about from the show and perhaps, I may have caught a mention of its message from that highly regarded bastion Entertainment Tonight (it’s okay to read sarcasm here). Or, I may have listened as the kids talked about the episode at school. So, I never knew of Jake. When I began reviewing, I did hear of his name and that of his older sister, Gabi, whom Jake affectionately and playfully mentions in this impressive solo show backed by three hardy musicians (Musical Director, David Atkinson, Lauren Falls and Justin Hall) who look as if they’re having a great deal of fun. Jake surely was having fun from what I could see. In the programme artist note, he calls ‘Boy Falls from the Sky’ a revealing solo show when it first made its appearance at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The title refers to a song from the controversially doomed for so many reasons Broadway show ‘Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark’ in which Jake appeared as central character Peter Parker. Once again in the programme, Jake stated the metamorphosis of ‘Boy’ started with a question: what do you do when life disappoints you? Well, Jake, it might be an over used and tired adage, but from hearing what happened to you in the lows of disappointments, you kept going. I respect that tremendously. And what of ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ and its opening night at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra? The youthful, boyish, lanky Epstein is one helluva classy artist, fine showman and arresting entertainer. His humble performance style radiates brightly as he shares some strong life lessons in the business he obviously carries forward to this day without any remorse or regret. Developed with attention and directed with insightful theatrical vision by Robert McQueen, Epstein’s engaging script beautifully comes full circle where I felt that everything that needed to be said about Jake’s journey was shared with us. For those who may not consider themselves theatre-oriented, ‘Boy’ still speaks universally. We’ve all had jobs in our lives where we kept wondering if we should quit or not. We’ve all faced disappointments in our jobs and careers. And we’ve all encountered those individuals and their quirky idiosyncrasies who make the job memorable. Brandon Kleiman’s split level set design fits the Alex stage perfectly. The floor is diamond shape where Epstein steps off periodically and walks along the apron to speak with us. It appears as if we are in a dressing room of a theatre somewhere. Centre stage is the dressing room door entrance. Epstein can climb a ladder to get to the top level of the set where there are music stands and theatre posters. The musicians are located on Stage Right. Far stage left is a table where I thought a saw a coffee maker as a prop. There looks as well to be a water container. Two guitars are found just in front of the small staircase leading down – one electric and one acoustic. Amber Hoods’ lighting design creates a warm, intimate environment as Jake makes full use of the playing space. Musical theatre lovers are sure to enjoy the pre-show music ranging from Ethel Merman to Barbara Streisand. As the lights came down and Babs’ ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’ quietly faded out, the lady next to me whispered quietly how she felt what a great song to introduce the show. Clad in bright white sneakers, blue jeans and what I thought was a claret reddish looking t shirt, Jake enters at the top of the show without any fanfare at all. From where I was sitting, I saw him enter from backstage through the door on the set, but it all appeared natural looking to me as if Jake was coming from somewhere. There was no spotlight when he entered. When Jake went over to the pianist to talk momentarily, the applause started. He gave that youthful beaming smile to the audience, picked up his guitar and started with the iconic ‘Razzle Dazzle’ from the blockbuster Fosse musical ‘Chicago’. And for the next 70 minutes, Jake did just that. He razzled dazzled in regaling us with moments from auditioning for the touring companies of ‘Spring Awakening’ and ‘Green Day: The Musical’ to his first production of 'Our Town' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and then 'Oliver' at the Princess of Wales. We learn about some of Jake's voice issues while on tour and what life was like on the road for an actor in a touring company where it’s not all sunshine and autographs. Epstein also refers to some big Broadway names in the business today and two hysterical situations which left this theatre lover and my guest in laughter. Absolutely fascinating to hear and to watch. It was Jake’s work in two Broadway sit down shoes that are personally compelling for me – his time in ‘Spiderman: Turn off the Dark’ (of which Jake says his mother was so pleased when he left the show) to his turn in the creation of Gerry Goffin, Carole King’s ex-husband in ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Story’ and the process of what ensued during rehearsals, discussion with Ms. King herself and what she asked of Epstein regarding Goffin's portrayal and the opening of a new musical on Broadway. I saw the first disastrous production of ‘Spiderman’ several years ago, and not the version in which Jake appeared so I could make a connection from what I remember. My sister and I saw Beautiful at the Princess of Wales a few years ago and were moved by so many moments. Epstein becomes “un raconteur extraordinaire/an excellent storyteller” as the plot progresses. All the while regaling us with these stories, one of Epstein’s artistic strengths as a performing artist is this inherent sense in just knowing when to use facial expressiveness with his eyes for emphasis or the campy jazz hands which evoked laughter after he shared one dramatic detailed moment where he learned that perhaps the business might not be for him. Final Comments: Musically charged with vivacity and performed with verve and élan, ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ becomes that show we all need to see and hear as we emerge from the last three years. An absolute treat. Get to see it. Running Time: approximately 70 minutes with no intermission. ‘Boy Falls From the Sky’ runs to May 29 at The Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West, Toronto. For tickets: www.mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333. BOY FALLS FROM THE SKY David Mirvish and Past Future Productions Written and performed by Jake Epstein Music Supervisor by Daniel Abrahamson Developed with and Directed by Robert McQueen Set and Prop Design by Brandon Kleiman Lighting Design by Amber Hood Sound Design by William Fallon. Stage Management by Collette Berg, Erika Morey Music Copyist by Jake Schindler Voice, Speech and Accent Coach by Julia Lenardon Production performed by Jake Epstein, David Atkinson, Lauren Falls, Justin Han. Previous Next BACK TO TOP

Back Annie The Musical Calgary Alberta's Theatre Storybook J. P Thibodeau Joe Szekeres Each holiday season, I’ve seen online discussion inevitably (and sometimes hilariously) ensue on whether a certain story, film or musical is a Christmas story, film or musical because the setting takes place during the holiday season. Take note ‘Die Hard’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’ fans: I’m now going to add ‘Annie, The Musical’ to this discussion. Film and musical theatre lovers are aware of this 1930’s Depression era story. The young Annie is determined to find her parents who abandoned her on the doorsteps of Miss Hannigan’s orphanage over ten years ago. With the help of the girls from the orphanage, Annie escapes and enters two opposite worlds in New York City from the shantytowns of the Hoovervilles to the palatial mansion of billionaire tycoon and industrialist Oliver Warbucks. Amid this basic story premise, we also have the typical good guys and cruel bad guys, adorable, orphaned children and Sandy, the beautiful golden retriever, who behaved so well on camera from what I could see. Over the years, I always had mixed thoughts about seeing live productions of ‘Annie’ as I’ve found them to overindulge in a saccharine coating of sugary sweetness. I’ve only seen the 1982 John Huston film (wasn’t a fan of it) once. So, when Calgary’s StoryBook Theatre got in touch with me to review ‘Annie’, I wondered what I was getting myself into when I agreed to do it. And am I ever thankful the company got in touch with me. This ‘Annie’ is delightfully charming family fare. StoryBook Theatre’s production in partnering with OCL Studio for the soundtrack poignantly reflects how this is a story of a feel-good musical about a little girl who dreams about the glories and surprises of tomorrow. And that positive message is something we all need to hear right now given the fact we are all patiently waiting for tomorrow to arrive when we can emerge from this global pandemic with a safe vaccine. We will be changed but as Annie sings “The sun will come out and clear away the cobwebs and the sorrow.” Meticulously and admiringly staged by Director Jayme Armstrong (whom I remember from years ago on CBC’S ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?) with adroit film direction by JP Thibodeau, the pacing of this streamed production mercifully flows naturally and smoothly from scene to scene. From what I also understand, the Alberta Health Services provided direct guidance and supervision to ensure the safety of everyone involved from the actors to the technical crew backstage. Hats off to the province for its assistance to support of the performing arts. There is so much to appreciate about this streamed production from behind the scenes to onstage. Rich Davis’ set design along with JJ Peneranda’s decoration filled the playing space appropriately where needed from the claustrophobic Miss Hannigan’s orphanage right to Oliver Warbucks’ palatial mansion. Co-Costume Designers Ralamy Kneeshaw, Catherine Handford and their team created impressive costumes reflective of the Depression era setting. Cat Bentley and Melody Kielek’s work respectively in hair and makeup designs complimented the performers and the development of their characters. Period piece plays are always a challenge to find the right props, but I must compliment the work of Mikee Ames and Brad Laberge. JP Thibodeau’s taut lighting design pleasingly fills the stage when necessary to create desired effects in mood and tone of the scene. One of the things I commend about this production was the important fact I could hear every single word in the song lyrics, so thank you so much to the sound recording from OCL Studio, the film team and the splendid work of Musical Director Joel Schaefer. Angela Benson’s choreography is knock down electric especially in the orphanage’s opening number ‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ and the sleazy and slinky ‘Easy Street’ performed by Miss Hannigan, Rooster and Lily St. Regis. Comedian W. C. Fields years ago made a comment about never working with children or animals because they are scene-stealing and unpredictable. Guess what, Mr. Fields - this production proved you wrong as these young performers never once upstaged anyone during the performance. And Sandy (Maggie), the dog, I want to bring that animal home with me because she behaved so beautifully. Alexa Andrews is convincing as the roguish Annie. The ensemble of girls in the orphanage are completely adorable ragamuffins right from the childlike Molly (Allysha Nolasco) to the rough and tough Pepper (Aisha Kueh). The adult ensemble chorus dramatically brought to focus the Depression era tension in ‘We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover’ and provided an uplifting juxtaposition in their work at the Warbucks’ mansion in ‘I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here’ and ‘NYC’. As gruff tycoon and billionaire Oliver (Daddy) Warbucks who wanted an orphan boy with whom to spend the Christmas holidays, Brent Gill is grandly imposing when he first appears, and this works to his advantage as the chemistry between he and Ms. Andrews is believably engaging when Warbucks allows the little girl to touch his hardened, business like heart. Janeen Derochie is a plausible Grace Farrell (personal secretary to Oliver Warbucks) who provides that strong female role model influence on Annie. For some reason, many actors love having fun playing the bad guys and I also saw it here. The drunkenly cruel Miss Hannigan is wonderfully played to the hilt by Amanda Rae Cross. I have never heard Miss Hannigan’s ‘Little Girls’ played with such hilarious seduction at one moment and, in a split second later, a woefully amusing elegy of her life passing by. Her shady criminal brother Rooster (David Grof) and his spicy gun moll Lily St. Regis (Jillian Bauer) enjoyably add to the comic mischievousness as the three try to rip off Warbucks’ millions and flee the city. Their rendition of ‘Easy Street’ fittingly and wittingly reflects their tacky and trashy outlook on life and how to make a quick buck. Final Comments: I watched this streamed production on my computer and kept wondering how it would have been better to have reviewed it on my 56-inch television screen as I would have been able to appreciate even more the look of the Hungry Thirties that was captured succinctly on this stage. Both Ms. Armstrong and Mr. Thibodeau spoke at the beginning of the production and delivered some behind the scenes info that I don’t want to spoil here. Make sure you stick around to the end of the credits as you will see some rehearsal footage of the performers as they are working at home through Zoom. To purchase online tickets and to learn more about the production and the cast, visit Annie the Musical | SBT2020 (storybooktheatre.org) The production runs online to January 17, 2021. To learn more about Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s StoryBook Theatre, please visit their Facebook page: Storybook Theatre or their website: www.storybooktheatre.org . Photo of Alexa Andrew as Annie and Brent Gill as Oliver Warbucks by JP Thibodeau. Annie, The Musical: Book by THOMAS MEEHAN with music by CHARLES STROUSE and lyrics by MARTIN CHARNIN Based on Little Orphan Annie by permission of THE MEDIA TRIBUNE SERVICES, INC Directed by Jayme Armstrong Theatrical Team Musical Director | JOEL SCHAEFER Choreographer | ANGELA BENSON Stage Manager | JOY HODGSON Assistant Stage Manager | JENNIFER YEUNG Assistant Stage Manager | MICHAEL LUONG Assistant Stage Manager | MICHELLE DRESSLER Co-Costume Designer | RALAMY KNEESHAW Co-Costume Designer | CATHERINE HANDFORD Hair Designer | CAT BENTLEY Make-Up Designer | MELODY KIELEK Costume Design Assistant | RYAN Musical MASCHKE Lighting Designer | JP THIBODEAU Set Designer & Master Carpenter | RICH DAVIS Set Decorator & Assistant | JJ PENERANDA Stage Painting | LORIE MASUR Co-Properties Designer | MIKEE AMES Co-Properties | BRAD LABERGE Lighting Crew | SKYLAR DESJARDINS Graphic Design | JENNIFER MERIO Public Relations | ALDON Film Team Film Direction | JP THIBODEAU Director of Photography | KRIS MISH Lighting Programmer | IAN McCLELLAN Script Supervisor | JENNIFER YEUNG Location Sound | BRENDA SEVILLA Production Assistant | ADAM FORWARD Production Assistant | LLOYD CADAY Production Assistant | ROBERT HERTZ Production Assistant | SKYLAR DESJARDINS Soundtrack Recording | OCL STUDIOS Music Editor & Supervisor | JOSH GWILLIAM Video Editor | JP THIBODEAU Assistant Editor | GRAHAM KINGSLEY Assistant Editor | KRIS MISH Executive Producer | STORYBOOK THEATRE Previous Next

Back 'Wedding Band' by Alice Childress Now onstage at The Tom Patterson Theatre at the Stratford Festival David Hou. Featured: Members of the Company Guest writer Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, arts educator A thought-provoking, profound examination of racism, intolerance, violence and injustice in the American south of the early twentieth century and how love reigns victorious. Some familiar-sounding themes make a lot to love - and think about - in Stratford’s production of Alice Childress’s “Wedding Band”. “Wedding Band” is effectively staged on the thrust of the Tom Patterson theatre with actors making full use of every side and corner of the rectangular playing space. Some superb performances from Stratford stage veterans and newcomers alike make for powerful scenes of shocking intensity and, curiously, some that need more intensity. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, near the end of the First World War, the story follows the illegal interracial romance between Julia, an alienated black seamstress hoping for peace in an out-of-the-way rooming house and a white baker named Herman. Julia is desperately trying to avoid the prying eyes and ears of gossipy neighbours. On their 10th anniversary, Herman visits Julia with a celebratory cake, a wedding band on a chain and a plan for both to leave the south for New York City, where they can be legally married. But soon, Herman is stricken by the great influenza pandemic brought home by American soldiers returning from the trenches in France. Julia’s landlord is afraid to call for a (white) doctor, and soon Herman’s mother and sister arrive on the scene to care for their ailing kin. When they learn of Herman’s relationship with Julia, tensions boil over, and secrets are revealed! The American south of 1918 was a very dangerous place to be for an interracial couple. Racist social conventions and the threat of violence for such a union were omnipresent. The only option for many was to leave the south for the more “liberal” northern states where they could wed and be deemed a “legal” couple. Director Sam White beautifully crafts the old spiritual “Jacob’s Ladder” (beautifully sung throughout the production by the cast) as a metaphor for humans - black and white - for reaching our highest potential, our brightest future. According to her program notes, socioeconomic status, race, and gender, forces us to live on a rung by a system that oppresses the less powerful. Though she references 1918, you can’t help but connect the precarious race relations in America today. Kudos to her very deliberate placement of little girls, black Teeta and white Princess, who scamper on and off-stage holding hands, playing patty cake, blissfully unaware of race and prejudice. Their brief but essential appearances starkly contrast the hostilities of the adult world. White deftly sculpts her supporting characters and cultivates lovely performances from each. She avoids the potential pitfall of a thrust stage by positioning her actors to avoid extended periods with their backs to the audience, mostly. There were two disappointing exceptions in Act 2 with scenes between Julia and her friends Mattie and Lula. They were statically placed facing “downstage,” from my vantage point on the left side of the stage, I couldn’t always make out what seemed to be rather critical dialogue. Richard H. Morris Jr.’s set provides lovely hints that allow us to fill in the gaps - a few picket fences, a chair and table and a tree stump. Upstage boasted a detailed, era-appropriate boarding house façade with an ingenious bedroom suite that glides silently to centre stage and back, giving the audience the full effect of some shocking scenes. Lighting by Kathy A. Perkins provides subtle texture, reflecting the emotional intensity of the scenes with well-chosen amber and blue values. Sarah Uwadiae’s fabulously authentic and detailed period costumes, including a fully equipped soldier bound for the trenches, effortlessly demonstrate the class structure of the affluent and the oppressed. Shout out to the original music by Beau Dixon and Music Director Franklin Brasz. Dixon’s fusion of twangy blues with classic spiritual, and Brasz’s direction of the cast’s choral work on Jacob’s Ladder, set the tone brilliantly and maintain it through scene transitions and incidentals. A fine cast of actors takes on these disparate characters, all with their own unique storyline. The female characters are a joy to watch - whether faced with adversity or being the cause of it. These women are all well-defined and performed to perfection, mostly. As Fanny Johnson, the fiery landlady of the rooming house who pretends to belong to a better social class as a property owner while “representing her race in an approved manner”, Liza Huget is excellent, injecting humour, disgust, apathy, and judgement in equal measure. Ijeoma Emesowum as Mattie, a poor single mother with a husband away in the merchant marines, wonderfully portrays a woman beaten and struggling to make ends meet. Joella Chrichton’s portrayal of Lula Green, another poor woman who lost her first child in a tragic accident, is delicate and emotional. As Julia, the uneducated, outcast seamstress, Antonette Rudder gives a brave and heartfelt performance that doesn’t quite hit the mark. I wanted more risk-taking in her portrayal. Julia is a poor black woman, rejected by her own race showing the strain of social isolation. But I didn’t see it. Her scenes with Herman lacked similar depth and subtly. Sadly, by the end of the play, I wasn’t as invested in her character’s journey and outcome as I was in everyone else’s. Maev Beatty is compelling as Annabelle, sister of Herman, desperate to break free of her mother’s influence to marry the man she loves. Lucy Peacock is a marvel as Thelma (Freida), the racist mother of Annabelle and Herman, a social class pretender and supporter of the KKK. Her expert performance is authentic and compelling. Her shouting match with Julia over the theft of money from Herman’s wallet escalates into a verbal battle of racial insults so intense it leaves this reviewer breathless. Cyrus Lane as Herman embodies his role as the poor, hardworking baker who doesn’t see race, just people. He loves Julia, to be sure, but I wasn’t convinced she’s his soulmate. This was my biggest problem. Though White’s vision of colour-blind love is abundantly clear, the private bedroom scenes between Herman and Julia lacked subtle tenderness and natural passion. This couple has had a clandestine relationship for a decade, but my companion and I weren’t sold on their passion. However, an intimacy director is credited in the program. As Nelson Green, the adopted son of Lula on leave from the trenches, Micah Woods is a revelation. This young actor’s work is a joy to behold, injecting the right amount of bravado, fear, and intimidation as a young black soldier with a dubious future. An exceptional multi-layered performance. The rest of the cast - Aliya/Aria Anthony as Teeta, Jonathan Mason as Shrimp Man, Kevin Kruchkywich as Bell Man and Madison Taylor Mackenzie as Princess - handle their respective supporting roles with aplomb. “Wedding Band” is thoroughly enlightening, relevant, educational, and entertaining. Its themes of racial injustice and intolerance, miscegenation, segregation, single motherhood, alienation, and loneliness amid a virulent pandemic, make me think nothing much has changed in America in 105 years. But the beauty of this play is its simple message. It wasn’t written to victimize black people or make white people feel guilty. It was written to spotlight the history of black people, to remind us of the past so that we can (hopefully) enjoy a better future together. Running time: approximately two hours and twenty-four minutes. The production runs until October 1 at the Tom Patterson Theatre. For tickets, visit stratfordfestival.ca. Previous Next

Back 'The Wrong Bashir' by Zahida Rahemtulla Now onstage in the Guloien Theatre at Crow's Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. Now onstage in the Guloien Theatre at Crow's Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue. Joe Szekeres Photo credit: Dahlia Katz. Pictured: Sugith Varughese as Sultan and Bren Eastcott as Nafisa. “Thankfully, director Paolo Santalucia does not allow the nine-actor cast to become stock characters in playwright Zahida Rahemtulla’s sitcom-like script.” According to the Crow’s Theatre website, ‘The Wrong Bashir,’ a farce, is Zahida Rahemtulla's first play about the Ladha family within Toronto’s Ismaili community (commonly known as followers of the Aga Khan). ' The play premiered in Vancouver to a sold-out run and critical acclaim in spring 2023 with Touchstone Theatre. Knowing this, the play would seem ideal for a Toronto premiere. A farce is always welcome, especially in our world, which sometimes needs laughter. Indeed, raucous laughter sometimes rang throughout the Guloien Theatre within this opening night audience. I smiled for a few moments and felt the odd chuckle here and there. But raucous? Hmmm… I didn’t experience that at all. Bashir Ladha (Sharjil Rasool) is a bohemian philosophy podcaster hosting his show ‘The Smiling Nihilist.’ He is just about to graduate from university. He is thrust into the spotlight when chosen to assume a distinguished religious position that his parents, Sultan (Sugith Varughese) and Najima (Nimet Kanji), have eagerly accepted on his behalf. Before Bashir can object, two committee representatives, Al Nashir (Vijay Mehta) and Mansour (Parm Soor), are at his door to congratulate him. As the representatives suspect a mistake has been made, Bashir’s jubilant grandparents Dadabapa (Salim Rahemtulla) and Dadima (Zaittun Esmail), Gulzar (Pamela Mala Sinha) and sister Nafisa (Bren Eastcott) commemorate the honour. There is a sneaking suspicion that the wrong Bashir may have been selected for this honour within the prayer community. Theatregoers already know humour can be a powerful tool for addressing societal issues in theatre. There are prime moments where Zahida Rahemtulla’s script does just that, most notably when reps Al Nasjhir and Mansour realize their error about selecting the wrong Bashir. As Mansour, Parm Soor’s wide-eyed response when he realizes his part in the mistake is funny. Moreover, ‘Bashir’ also touches on the universal theme of intergenerational conflicts within families. The play also raises thought-provoking questions about the role of culture and religion in shaping family and community dynamics, making it relevant and engaging for audiences of all backgrounds. The Crow’s Theatre website states a charming farce ensues in ‘Bashir.’ Another hmmm… I don’t see it as a farce. Instead, this opening night performance became more broad situational comedy-type humour and not a farce. Yes, the dramatic technique of mistaken identities has been utilized in the theatre (most notably in Shakespeare) for comic effect. It’s nothing new. It’s up to the script to make this technique appear fresh and novel. Zahida Rahemtulla’s script didn’t do that for me. Why? She has written the ‘right’ Bashir to be caught in a situation in his family from which he believes he cannot escape. This appears to be the focus of the piece, which is more sitcom and not the ludicrously improbable situation that is a farce. Some farcical moments are worth noting, such as Parm Soor’s hunched Mansour and Vijay Mehta’s conversation in the kitchen when they realize they may have picked the wrong Bashir for this religious honour within the community. Sugith Varughese and Nimet Kanji’s comic banter back and forth as husband and wife contains terrific moments of farce as the two have their timing down pat. Ken Mackenzie’s set design of a split-level kitchen and sunken living room with a doorway entrance is an accomplishment and feast for the eyes resplendent with Lisa Nighswander’s props. Ming Wong’s costume selection finely delineates the differences between the nine characters. What did make me utter a low laugh was the reference to Sultan’s Costco pants. Mackenzie's lighting design focuses attention where it is needed. The strength of this opening night performance is learning more about the Ismaili community that I didn’t know. Thankfully, Director Paolo Santalucia wisely does not allow the nine-actor cast to become stock characters. Santalucia keeps the pacing moving briskly along to enable the audience never to forget the characters become real, ordinary people who reveal their genuine emotions with conviction. One moment occurs between Sultan and Bashir when the father finally opens his son’s eyes. Sharjil Rassol’s Bashir becomes that apt, cocksure, and full-of-himself young adult who thinks he knows it all when he doesn’t know Jack. Bren Eastcott is the wisecracking Nafisa, Bashir’s younger sister. Salim Rahemtulla and Zaittun Esmail are adorable as Bashir’s paternal grandparents Dadabapa and Dadima. There is a heartfelt moment in the second act between Dadabapa and Bashir. And Another Thought: From this opening night audience reaction, it was apparent people were out for a good time and to have a good laugh. Yes, ‘The Wrong Bashir’ does that, and I’m pleased the audience around me sincerely enjoyed it. I found this opening night performance more akin to the situational comedy of the '60s “Lucy Show” episode in which the beloved redhead is mistaken for a LOU C CARMICHAEL and drafted into the army. Running time: approximately two hours with one intermission. ‘The Wrong Bashir’ runs to June 9 in the Guloien Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. Call the Box Office at (647) 341-7390 or visit crowstheatre.com for tickets. Crow’s Theatre presents ‘The Wrong Bashir’ by Zahida Rahemtulla Directed by Paolo Santalucia Assistant Director: Zahida Rahemtulla Set and Lighting Design: Ken Mackenzie Costume Design: Ming Wong Sound Design: Jacob Lin Head of Props: Lisa Nighswander Head of Wardrobe: Ellie Koffman Stage Manager: Neha Ross Assistant Stage Manager: Victoria Wang Performers: Sharjil Rasool, Bren Eastcott, Sugith Varughese, Nimet Kanji, Vijay Mehta, Pamela Mala Sinha, Salim Rahemtulla, Zaittun Esmail, Parm Soor. Previous Next

Back 'Til Then', A Song Cycle of Our Time An Eclipse Theatre Production Andrew Seok Joe Szekeres A heartfelt ‘Til Then’ becomes a much-needed balm of comfort in Covid times Eclipse Theatre billed the opening night of ‘Til Then’ as “an original musical song cycle” of 17 songs, 3 stories and 1 defining era. Even after I recently profiled Andrew Seok, Artistic Director of Eclipse Theatre (and Director of this opening night performance of ‘Til Then), I had no idea what to expect from this evening but attended with an open mind, active heart, and attentive listening ears. Part of Eclipse’s mission is the focus on the incubation of musical theatre in Toronto. What a delightful surprise indeed to hear original Canadian songs and I will be grateful for the opportunity to have been on the ground floor in watching the gestation of this new Canadian showpiece. ‘Til Then’ becomes an intimate concert revue showcasing fourteen of Canada’s solid musical artists in sharing their stories of real-life people and how they coped during this one defining era of the ongoing worldwide pandemic. Three interwoven stories become memorably underscored by clever and unique-sounding lyrics and such charming musical arrangements and orchestrations that I closed my eyes for a few seconds to listen carefully to each word and note. There is audience participation too. Upon entering, each guest receives a card whereby we were asked to answer one of three questions and your answers might become part of that evening’s show. There were a few issues where I experienced some confusion in connecting which character sang what song. I really wished the name(s) of those who sang the song(s) was/were placed next to the title in the QR programme. I was paying close attention to the story and I didn’t want to break my focus away to write down who sang what. Hopefully, that information of who sings what could be listed as the production continues in its growth and development. As well, there were sound issues where I couldn’t clearly hear the lyrics in some of the songs and completely missed the message. Again, I hope Jeremy Mitchell can address this issue for the rest of the run. It's a very simple-looking set of two chairs just slightly angled centre stage. There are two trees with mini lights. The image of the trees figures prominently in two of the songs. We meet Richard (Jeff Madden) who pays his respects at the gravesite of a long-time childhood friend who has died suddenly. Madden delivers this monologue with controlled emotional precision. He never ventured at all over the top but allowed the words and their meaning to speak instead. Richard meets Alfreyda (Elena Juatco) who frantically enters because she has lost her keys and has backtracked to find them. Richard has found them and holds them up to much laughter from the audience because there are a lot of them. Where he found the keys remains a mystery but that is not the focus here. There is a budding romance blooming between Richard and Alfreyda and both Madden and Juatco believably respond, react, and listen to each other in such a way that does not become saccharinely sweet. Instead, I found myself rooting silently for them to take their relationship to the next level. For me, it was never fully defined if roommates Tamara (Jillian Cooper) and Nora (Nickeshia Garrick) are more than just friends sharing an apartment during the pandemic. There were scripted moments when it appeared Tamara and Nora are more than just friends, and there are moments when it appears they are just friends who have lived together for so long that they know each other so well and their idiosyncrasies. However, as I thought further about it, it didn’t really matter either way. Why? Because the pandemic forced people who were living together at the time to spend so much time together, inevitably fights, arguments, or disagreements ensue as there is no chance for the other person to have space and be alone for a while. Their vocal duet of Jewelle Blackman and Marcia Johnson’s ‘Slowing Down and Speeding Up’ believably revealed the emotional highs and lows between Tamara and Nora. The conclusion of the song subtly summarizes the two of them will get through this hurdle and be able to move forward. Kimberly-Ann Truong’s phone call message as Phuong where she is talking with her mother remained hauntingly powerful. I immediately connected this phone call conversation to the horrific Atlanta spa shooting in 2021 and couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going through the minds of all involved. I’m hoping this is the connection I was to have made because the previous dialogue and vocal number didn’t seem clear in transition. In any case, Truong poignantly handled this phone call with her mother with compassion, grace and humility. Her tender vocal number was a fitting conclusion when I heard it yet I had forgotten to write the title down because I was listening to each word. This is where I hope going forward the names of singers can be placed next to the songs in this early stage of development. The choral songs are truly lovely and resonate through the auditorium when the ensemble sings from the balcony surrounding the audience. What works quite well at the top of the show is the introduction of Narrators Zara Jestadt, Allister (Allie) Macdonald and Sera-Lys McArthur and their recounting of the news, the gossip, the everything that happened during the two years of the pandemic. A terrific way to open this production as it brought a smile and laughter to me and to my accompanied guest. I especially liked how the production opens with Andrew Seok’s ‘You Are Loved’ and we hear a reprise of it about halfway through. This song and Seok’s ‘Til Then’ become those feel-good numbers we all need to hear in our lives as we continue to move forward in Covid times. Again, Seok’s ‘Life Was So Simple’ becomes a stark reminder for all of us just how much things have changed possibly forever because of these last two years. Grant Tilly and Richard Ouzounian’s appropriately timed ‘It’s Gonna End by Christmas’ brought an ironic smile to my face. How often did we hear and still hear that this is gonna end very soon? A great deal of care has been taken by Andrew Seok as director of ‘Til Then’ to remain as truthful as possible to maintain the grounding of the truth of the situation whether it be in performance or song. Andrew Ascenzo’s music direction is solid for the most part, especially when I was able to hear the lyrics of the songs. Final Comments: This heartfelt ‘Til Them’ becomes spiritually moving and becomes a much-needed balm of comfort in Covid times. Worth a trip to see it during its short run. Running Time: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission. The production runs to July 20 at the Berkeley Event Church, 315 Queen Street East. Tickets are available at eclipsetheatre.ca. ‘Til Then’ Book and Story by Andrew Seok / Additional Book by Kyle Brown Director: Andrew Seok Music Director: Andrew Ascenzo Choreographer: Nickeshia Garrick Stage Manager: Dustyn Wales Arranger/Orchestrator: Andrew Seok Lighting Designer: Imogen Wilson with operation by Sooji Kim Sound Engineer: Jeremy Mitchell The Cast Actors/Singers: Jillian Cooper, Nickeshia Garrick, Elena Juatco, Jeff Madden, Kimberly-Ann Truong, Narrators: Zara Jestadt, Allister (Allie) Macdonald, Sera-Lys McArthur Ensemble: Ashaya Babiuk, Daniela Bauer, Tatyana Doran, Lily Librach, Annick Robledo, Tan Vu Previous Next

Back SKY DANCERS AT TORONTO'S HARBOURFRONT CENTRE - Fleck Dance Theatre A 'NÓ:WARA DANCE THEATRE | KAHNAWAKE Brian Medina Joe Szekeres A tragic element from our Canadian historical past about which I ashamedly admit I knew nothing. But within this tragic event and after math of the 1907 Québec Bridge Disaster, eight extraordinary dancers/artists of the A’nó:wara Dance Theatre tell the story with much grace, dignity, poignancy, sadness, and respect. Under Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo’s (this theatre’s Artistic Director and choreographer) riveting work and concept, I chose not to make any notes in my book about the production. Instead, I allowed an original theatrical dance to beckon me to the early 1900s and a time of which I was unfamiliar and needed a refresher. Part historical lesson with exciting choreography and striking dance movement, ‘Sky Dancers’ accomplishes two tasks majestically. Not only does it explore the devastating human impact of the disaster mentioned above which killed 33 Mohawk ironworkers from the Kahnawake community, but also choreographer Diabo will always hold a personal vested interest in this moment. She is a direct descendant as her great grandfather, Louis D’Ailleboust died in the tragedy. There is a closed curtain upon entering the Fleck Dance Theatre. About five minutes before the production begins, a guitarist enters and sits stage left on the floor. Once the curtain was opened, I was completely absorbed in this 65-minute production as there is a great deal to see, to experience and to appreciate with open eyes, open ears, and open hearts. At first, we are introduced to a brief but extremely important historical information about the bridge between Québec City and Lévis, and the eventual collapse. We see visual projections of the workers on the bridge with wrenches and other materials to ensure nails and screws are placed correctly. However, there were miscalculations about the bridge that were never rectified which ultimately resulted in the collapse. So many key individuals ‘behind the scenes’ who truly made this production remarkable. Andy Moro, Aurora Torok and Samuel Boucher’s respective video, lighting and video design and direction hooked and conquered my sense of sight and sound immediately. Moro and Torok’s eye-catching visual projections of the bridge being built and seeing the workers on the bridge became quite poignant to me in now knowing what occurred. It made me sad to think these workers had no idea what was about to happen to them. Boucher’s sound design resonated emphatically when required. And then to see and hear the remains of the collapsed bridge that I had never seen before – truly unbelievable and deeply moving. I really liked the suggestion of the bridge on the Fleck stage especially when the audience witnesses the eventual collapse. What remains in my mind as I write this review the next day is the one artist who positioned himself exactly as the projection of the worker with the wrench. MC Snow and Jeff Chief’s work in makeup and costume designs become beautifully highlighted in the array of bright and earth tone colours mixed. From my seat in the house, Snow’s make up delineated the facial features of the eight individual dancers. The historical events in ‘Sky Dancers’ are organized chronologically into four sections. We see what life was like in Kahnawake before the tragedy occurred; we see the pride within the community in their iron work creation of the bridge; we see the tragedy of the bridge collapse; and we see the aftermath of the community where the women must clean up the debris and learn to live their lives without members of their community. What struck even harder for me was the question in how the Catholic Church came to pressure the mothers to send the remaining children away to Residential schools as it was felt the women would be unable to provide what their children required. This moment in the visual representation hit a deep emotional nerve level within my very being as a practicing Catholic. Although I hold no specific training in the art of dance and movement of any kind, I believe theatre audiences inherently know when dance and movement work in story telling. These eight artists are a marvel to watch in their individual and synchronous movements with each other and in time to the music whether from the guitarist or the pre-recorded music with perfectly timed motions. Through some conversation and in emails with others who saw the show, Barbara Diabo performed the Hoop Dance at the beginning of the presentation. I wanted to make this correction immediately to acknowledge her work here as it is spectacular and marvelous to watch. I am ever appreciative and grateful that I had the opportunity simply to behold in reverence this important dance. And Diabo's work in using hoops to create orbs and spheres of shapes and sizes. Absolutely breathtaking. I am hoping to see more of Diabo’s work in the future. I had the chance to profile her several weeks ago and asked what she hoped audiences would take away upon seeing ‘Sky Dancers’. She hopes audiences do not see the Mohawk community as victims of tragedy, but rather as a community of resilience and strength who survive and who are still here. She succeeded in what she set out to do. Excellently, I will also add. Final Comments: I attended this opening night production with an actor friend who was deeply moved by what he had seen. He didn’t hesitate at all to give these skilled masters of Indigenous dance what they truly earned – the standing O. Many around me were also on their feet for this wonderful company who gave three curtain calls. Later, my friend and I on the way back to Union Station both agreed that stage and film actors can continue to learn A LOT about the way dance artists use their bodies to tell stories. My actor friend spoke of something he remembered from his training years ago – theatre students used to make fun of movement classes and the pretend world in which students had to envelop themselves. Upon seeing this production, my actor friend reluctantly admitted he wished he hadn’t partaken in that same ribbing years ago. Why? My actor friend just saw dance artists who, through their rigorous training, are comfortable in their bodies and what their bodies can do in telling stories. Dance artists are not afraid to get into that intimate connection of the spirit within themselves, and dancers are not afraid to connect intimately with other bodies in telling a story. Take note, stage and film actors. Yes, Intimacy Coaches are important in the industry, but watch what dancers can do with their training to tell a story. Approximate running time: 65 minutes with no intermission Masks worn in the theatre. ‘Sky Dancers’ runs to May 22 at the Fleck Dance Theatre at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. For tickets, please visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com . SKY DANCERS Concept and Choreography by Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo Creative Producer: Gregg Parks Set, Video, Lighting Design: Andy Moro Composer: Michael Tekaronhianeken Diabo Costume Design: Jeff Chief Make Up Design: MC Snow Hoop Coach: Arik Pipestem Parkour Coach: Téodor Tanase Outside Eye: Mary Francis Moore Performers: Olivier Arsenault, Daniela Carmona Sánchez, Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, Sebastian “Bash” Hirtenstein, Lauren Ashley Liles, Keenan Simik Komaksiutiksak, Oliver Koomsatira, Sabrina Pipestem Previous Next

Back 'Bobbie' by Trudee Romanek A Canadian premiere now onstage at Theatre by the Bay, Barrie, Ontario Credit: Khaleel Gandhi. Pictured: Olivia Daniels as Bobbie Joe Szekeres An original Canadian play about the audacious tenacity of the female human spirit. ‘Bobbie’ marks an essential recognition of one woman’s contribution and value to the world of sport in this country. A premiere production by local Barrie playwright Trudee Romanek, ‘Bobbie’ follows the story of Fanny ‘Bobbie’ Rosenfeld (Olivia Daniels), a Canadian sports icon. Her father, Max (Matthew Gorman) and mother, Sarah (Nadine Djoury), want only the best for their daughter, older brother, Maurice (Ori Black) and their younger siblings. The family flees from the violence and turmoil of Russian pogroms in 1904 to the safety of Barrie, Ontario. In Barrie, Bobbie develops her passion for sport and is thus nicknamed for her bobbed haircut. There are younger sisters in the Rosenfeld house, but they are unseen in this production. The family moves to Toronto, where Bobbie enrolls at Harbord Collegiate and trains further in sport. However, the Rosenfelds’ arrival in Toronto details some horrible issues of anti-Semitism. One incident involves the father of one of Bobbie’s friends, Mr. Stewart, a newspaper editor. Despite these awful challenges, Bobbie became a 1928 Olympic Champion, representing Canada at the Amsterdam Games and winning Gold in the 4x100 Relay and Silver in the 100-yard dash. From 1937-1958, Bobbie became a Globe and Mail sports columnist advocating for women in sports. In 1949, Bobbie was the first woman inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In 1985, she was inducted into the Barrie, Ontario, Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1996, Ontario’s Sports Hall of Fame. Romanek’s story becomes a memory play. Her protagonist speaks to the audience in the present before delving into the past to explore how specific moments and memories she recalls have shaped the family's lives. Performers Gorman, Djoury, and Black play other individuals with quick costume changes either off-stage or at the side in the shadows. The audience sits in a three-quarter round setting. Designer Logan Raju Cracknell, Props Master Lesley Coo and Projections Designer Khaleel Gandhi create striking visual images of onstage pictures. Cracknell’s functional and sturdy multi-level design of steps and crates allows each scene to transition smoothly from a Sabbath meal in the Rosenfeld kitchen to Max’s study. A large scrim at the back of the stage allows for Gandhi’s striking visual images to be projected – the Sabbath candles and the newspaper articles of Bobbie’s sports events are only two examples. Coo has been faithful in finding vintage props from the 1920s era. The typewriter used in Mr. Stewart’s office is only one example. On the stage, two running track lanes are painted in a semi-circle at the front. They're cleverly used in the performance when Bobbie races. It is also in front of the stage where Bobbie speaks to the audience in the present. Tim Rodrigues’ lighting design warmly lights each scene on the multi-level set design. For example, there are two moments when Bobbie speaks to the audience for a couple of moments, and her spotlight is perfectly set. Selina Jia’s costume choices duly reflect the 1920s era. There are moments in Romanek's script that sometimes brutally capture the struggles of the Rosenfelds as an immigrant/lower middle-class working family. One occurs when Maurice is beaten up by neighbourhood thugs slurring anti-Semitic comments against him. Yet, audibility and projection issues in both acts prevented me from hearing the dialogue consistently. The couple behind me also commented on it during the first act. A reminder to each of the four actors to be cognizant at all times of the audience sitting at far stage right and left. Since ‘Bobbie’ is a premiere, the audience wants to hear every word spoken. Lynn Weintraub directs the production with a clear vision of wanting to show these credible individuals are survivors no matter what life has thrown at them. She also makes a choice to have performers Gorman, Djoury, and Black play minor individuals who are opposite in character of their roles in the Rosenfeld house. Solid performance work from these three contributes to the play’s impact of diligence and perseverance. As Sarah, Nadine Djoury becomes that overprotective mother who doesn’t understand her daughter’s need to run and play sports. Instead, Sarah wants Bobbie to get married right out of school and start a family. There’s an inherent sense in Djoury’s performance why she is overprotective of her child. Sarah never wants her daughter (nor any of her children) to experience what she and her husband, Max, did overseas before they came to Canada. Djoury also plays Bobbie’s friend, Evelyn, whose father is the newspaper editor who wrote some disparaging comments about Max Rosenfeld in the paper. Unlike her father, Mr. Stewart, Djoury’s Evelyn becomes that strong familial female friend who encourages Bobbie to go out into the world and accomplish whatever she wants. Matthew Gorman’s Max may be as overprotective of his children as his wife, Sarah. However, he does not make Max a stereotypical father in this respect . Instead, Gorman’s Max is savvy and recognizes that his daughter must face the world head-on if she consciously decides to become part of the sport world. Gorman imbues Max with quiet stoicism while going placidly amid the hustle of the sometimes unfairness of Toronto's daily life in the 20s. In an effective contrast, Gorman infuses Mr. Stewart with the stone-cold, impervious typical newspaper editor who is out to get the story at any cost, with little compassion towards the family situation. As Bobbie's older brother, Maurice, Ori Black becomes that youthful voice of reason. He and his younger sister playfully react to why she wants to wear her older brother’s track shorts at the top of the show. The two performers build a believable sibling relationship. Maurice quietly becomes one of Bobbie’s supporters and understands her need to run and play sports. In contrast, Black’s Teddy does not want Bobbie to succeed and will go to whatever lengths to ensure she does not receive the proper newspaper coverage she deserves. Olivia Daniels delivers a likable and confident performance as the central protagonist in the play. Periodically, she breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience to fill in some plot gaps. Daniels’ Bobbie becomes a charming, gutsy, and intuitive woman, which was rare for the 1920s. She's willing to take risks and jumps at the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam for the Olympic Games. While women were supposed to remain demure and not speak out about social issues, Daniels' Bobbie emanates warmth while remaining focused on her goals no matter what others may think or say. Even though Sarah did not come down to the dock to see her daughter off safely, it didn't affect Bobbie's determination to travel to Europe and compete in the Olympic Games. Final Comments: Bobbie Rosenfeld’s unconquerable spirit in her need to play sport marks Romanek’s script one for the Canadian theatre canon. Considering the controversies surrounding women's sports today in Canada and North America, I can’t help but think how timely the play is right now. It’s one I hope theatres will pick up as part of their season slate. See it. Running time: approximately two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. ‘Bobbie’ runs until September 10 at Five Points Theatre, 1 Dunlop Street West, Barrie. For tickets, visit theatrebythebay.com. ‘Bobbie’ by Trudee Romanek Premiere staged by Theatre by the Bay, Barrie, Ontario. Directed by Lynn Weintraub Set Designer: Logan Raju Cracknell Lighting Designer: Tim Rodrigues Music Composition: Alondra Vega-Zaldivar Sound Designer: Mathew Magneson Costume Designer: Selina Jia Projections Designer: Khaleel Gandhi Props: Lesley Coo Stage Manager: Amanda Caliolo Production Manager: Santana Hamilton Performers: Olivia Daniels as Fanny ‘Bobbie’ Rosenfeld; Ori Black as Maurice Rosenfeld/Teddy; Nadine Djoury as Sarah Rosenfeld/Evelyn; Matthew Gorman as Max Rosen Previous Next

Back 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' Abridged (Revised) (Again) Now on stage at the Scugog Shores Village and Museum, 16210 Island Road, Port Perry. Presented by Theatre on the Ridge Now on stage at the Scugog Shores Village and Museum, 16210 Island Road, Port Perry. Presented by Theatre on the Ridge Joe Szekeres ‘A wacky, laugh-out-loud journey through the Bard’s 37 plays. Plenty of smiles upon exiting the Theatre on the Ridge tent.' ‘The Complete Works of Willam Shakespeare’ (Abridged) involves hilariously shortened versions of all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays. Originally created by the Reduced Shakespeare Company founding members Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, the play is meant to be performed by three actors. Director Andy Massingham loves to re-vision and re-imagine theatre. He chose proficiently not to follow the trio format with some slicing of the text here and there and has cast five agile performers whom he affectionately calls ‘The Marx Brothers’. Karly Friesen, Adrian Marchesano, Henry Oswald Peirson, Shannon Pitre, and Austin White perform this actor-driven play with joyful abandon and lightning speed. During my interview last week, Andy mentioned that the five-member cast is a pleasure to work with. Technically proficient, the actors are focused on not straying from the purpose of their performance—to recount Bard’s tales with merry humour. In his Director’s Note, Massingham also calls the cast ‘top-flight physically comic.’ They speak clearly and can be heard throughout the show, which is another bonus, thanks to Lyle Corrigan’s spot-on sound design. One of Massingham’s artistic foci is his understanding of the art form of clown. Watching these five youthful players emerge in this vein with a determined zest, they set out what they intended—to make us go to the theatre and have a good time. There are some adult language and situations, so this ‘Complete’ is not recommended for ages under 12. Less is more for this production, and Massingham made solid choices to keep the pace moving. The set is basic, and that’s all one needs. There are some movable crates and a chair. A specific entrance/exit with flaming red curtains is placed at the back of the stage. Because this is supposed to be a laugh-out-loud, feel-good show, Lyle Corrigan’s apt selection of pre-show entrance music (which has nothing to do with any of the plays) purposefully reflects this. Many props by Ari Leroux and Carey Nicholson and several well-timed, easy-to-slip-on-and-off costume changes are the order of the day and work well. It’s also essential to acknowledge Stage Manager Michael Williamson and assistant August Hofbauer, who have their work cut out to ensure the actors are where they should be when called. Why? Much of the humor comes from the timed entrances and exits of the actors. On the night I attended, Williamson was handling lighting duties, so Hofbauer would have been backstage, making sure everything was in its proper place. Reflecting on the years I taught some classic Shakespearean plays, I wish I had known about Long, Singer and Wingfield’s text. It’s intelligent, clever, naughty, bawdy, and playful fun. Massingham says in his Notes that the show is not for deep-dish intellectuals, even though there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a celebration of laughter. I’m sure the deep-dish intellectuals love a good belly laugh now and then. I did. My guest did too. To try and describe what occurs during the show would be a disservice and spoil. You have to experience the community, the gathering and the laughter that can sometimes ensue from the theatre. That’s one of the reasons why we attend. Go and see “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” Abridged (Revised) (Again). Running time: approximately one hour and 45 minutes with one interval/intermission. The production runs until August 24 at the Scugog Shores Village and Museum under the Theatre on the Ridge tent, 16210 Island Road, Port Perry. For tickets: theatreontheridge.ca, boxoffice@theatreontheridge.ca or call (905) 431-0977. THEATRE ON THE RIDGE presents THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED (REVISED) (AGAIN) By Daniel Singer, Adam Long and Jess Winfield Directed by Andy Massingham Stage Manager and Lighting Design: Michael Williamson Assistant Stage Manager: August Hofbauer Fight and Movement Choreographer: Karly Friesen Sound Design: Lyle Corrigan Set/Production Design: the Company Props/Costume Construction: Ari Leroux, Carey Nicholson Props/Costume Coordinator: Isobel Robinson Performers: Karly Friesen, Adrian Marchesano, Henry Oswald Peirson, Shannon Pitre, Austin White Previous Next