Back 'Behind the Moon' by Anosh Irani Now onstage at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre Credit: Cylla von Tiedemann. L-R: Husein Makhavji, Ali Kazmi, Vik Sahay Dave Rabjohn Searing tension is the hallmark of Anosh Irani’s ‘Behind the Moon’ opening as a world premiere at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre (extra space.) The theme of immigration (loss, hunger, fear) is almost a genre unto itself. But Irani’s play moves it to another level with three characters each of whom has tragedy burning just under the surface. The force of this production comes from the three compelling performances of Ali Kazmi, Husein Madhavji, and Vik Sahay. In a stark, but neat, Mughlai restaurant in Toronto we meet Ayub (Kazmi) furiously polishing the counter and glass of the serving area. An agitated stranger named Jalal (Madhavji) enters, just after closing time, begging for some food. Ayub refuses, clearly worried about the integrity of the restaurant’s hours. Jalal wears him down and leaves with butter chicken. Their rapport is intriguing with Mr. Kazmi’s sparkling sarcasm and Mr. Madhavji’s dark intensity. Throughout the play, Jalal continues to visit Ayub at awkward moments trying to forge a friendship that is rejected (for the most part.) Jalal offers wisdom and encouragement, but it rarely pierces the mysterious gloom surrounding Ayub. Qadir (played by Vik Sahay) is the caustic owner of the establishment. His positive outward appearance is belied by a scheming undercurrent – he is the well-known “smiling damned villain” and Sahay’s smooth performance is punctuated with traces of ugliness and betrayal. He seems to treat his employee well, but the audience is disturbed by brief and subtle moments of subjugation – one example is a gift that quickly sours. The three characters meet and Ayub is in the difficult position of trying to act humane, while Qadir views it as disrespectful and impudence. Events swarm towards a crescendo as bully and victim physically brawl – the moment of crisis is a Kafka-like metamorphosis that ends violently. As mentioned, each character carries horrifying tragedy. Kazmi’s performance is brilliant in its rage and despair as he misses his family back in India and as we slowly learn that he is a victim of borderline human trafficking. Madhavji’s sweating performance is equally profound as we learn of his recent harrowing loss and subsequent guilt. Sahay’s smooth arrogance is abhorrent – a Freudian slip causes him to suggest he is both the owner of the restaurant and the owner of Ayub. The veteran Richard Rose returns to Tarragon to direct Irani’s sublime script. His direction was subtle, but his work was surely demanding conducting these three charging performances. Jason Hand’s lighting direction added extraordinary intensity. As the play works through a series of scenes, the blackouts were sharp and distinct and the brownouts supported the suspense. Harsh fluorescent lighting exposes all without compromise. Irani’s writing includes three striking soliloquies from each character. Migration is negatively portrayed as its cost is prohibitive. The jaded Qadir suggests that “to get something you have to lose something.” In ‘Behind the Moon’ the cost is too high. ‘Behind the Moon’ by Anosh Irani Performers: Ali Kazmi, Husein Madhavji, Vik Sahay Director: Richard Rose Set and Costume design: Michelle Tracey Lighting design: Jason Hand Performances run through: March 19, 2023. Tickets: tarragontheatre.com Previous Next

Back Carey Nicholson Self Isolated Artist --- Joe Szekeres I’ve known Carey Nicholson for over ten years. As an actor, director, adjudicator and teacher of the arts, she has been engaged in performing arts for over thirty-five years. Carey began her love affair of the arts with community theatre in St. Catharines, Ontario. She moved to Toronto to pursue professional dance studies with Lois Smith, O.C. at George Brown College and becoming a faculty member at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre for fifteen years before moving to Durham Region. Carey has been involved with community and professional theatre companies ranging from work as producer, director, choreographer, set and costume designer in Durham and York Regions. Carey is Artistic Director of ‘Theatre on the Ridge’, a not for profit, professional, collaborative company in which committed artists can produce high quality work in a broader scope of theatre and storytelling in Durham Region, just outside of Toronto. Theatre on the Ridge is unique to the Durham Region in that it uses theatre as a tool to engage, to shift complacency and to provide growth to its participants into the world and human nature whether they be from the professional or non-professional/amateur circle. This summer 2020’s season by Theatre on the Ridge includes Drew Hayden Taylor’s ‘Cottagers and Indians’, Edmond Rostand’s ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’, a remount of TOTR’s successful production of Yasmina Reza’s ‘God of Carnage’ and Beverley Cooper’s ‘Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott’ all staged in Port Perry, Ontario (50 kilometers east of Toronto). Recently, I had a chance to interview Carey via telephone: How are you and your family doing during this time of worldwide upheaval? Have your lives been changed or transformed on account of Covid? Our lives haven’t changed dramatically on the outside with no real shifts. Like everyone, we’re shifting inwardly. My husband, Andy, and I live in a rural area so social distancing has not been a problem. My family unit (which also includes my mother) has been involved in a regular routine. We’re doing more walks, eating healthier and we are more mindful of what we practice daily. We’re being reminded that we don’t need as much as we thought. I’m also baking more which, while being personally stress reducing, makes everyone happy. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this tumultuous time? I run the company (Theatre on the Ridge) from my home. I am an optimist and keep working at a moderated level. With too many unknowns during this tumultuous time, it is a perfect opportunity for me to complete ongoing and needed maintenance and planning for the company compared to the active stage of rehearsals and performances. I’ve also been doing a lot of ‘webinaring’ to stay connected to the cultural and tourism sectors. This current crisis will pass at some point, and I’m trying to keep myself ahead of that curve when it does. In your estimation/opinion, will the value and place of the performing arts in the professional and non-professional communities change as a result of COVID-19? I can only hope. As much as one doesn’t want this crisis to last long as it takes time to instill new habits, it will. It has been said that new habits can become installed in three weeks, so maybe performing arts will become a new habit for more people. Even though the performing arts is considered a ‘non-essential’ industry, it’s amazing how essential we have become to the communities. In our world, it appears that value is often measured quantitatively, not qualitatively, in tangible numbers and dollars. The success and value of the arts cannot be measured simply in finite dollars or numerical data. We do need to make some money along the way, but there’s also an intrinsic value of the arts in a community and other more experiential rewards for active participation within theatre. I’m hopeful that the sheer volume of arts activities during this crisis will weigh past any emergency response funding and influence future funding and support. Once life returns to its normalcy or a sense of a ‘new’ normal, explain how and why you think it’s important for audiences to venture out to see these four productions this summer in Port Perry. My first thought is that people should get out to see any theatre this summer. We’re going to need that after being shut inside for this length of time we are now experiencing. We’re going to need that live experience connection because, as humans, we need to share something together. Even the internet, Skype and Zoom are having trouble keeping up as we try to provide ourselves that human connection. We need to be in the same place, sharing the same experience and breathing the same air at the same time. Forward is the only direction we can go. Let’s just keep going forward as much as we can. Your upcoming 2020 summer season looks exciting. You have selected four plays that will offer opportunities for actors and audiences to learn more about the world and human nature. At this time, in your role as Artistic Director, are you planning to go ahead as scheduled? Have you been preparing in the event modifications may have to be made? We’re prepared for anything that could happen, but realistically some things are out of our control. I’ve had informal conversations with some of the artists involved this summer. We‘ve had structured brainstorming sessions regarding what a ‘reimagined’ summer season could look like, should that occur. There are a number of possible doors and it’s difficult to decide which unlocked door to open as we do have limitations. It’s not the performance dates that pose the challenge; instead, it’s the fact we don’t own and control our own space as the theatre is in a municipal building. As we also know, the current provincial law states that we are not allowed to get more than five people together to rehearse. Moving forward is the only way to go and, yes, we are holding our breath as we do so. We’re continually focusing on many ideas of how to deliver as much as we can regarding our performance and educational goals for the company while serving our emerging artists’ goals and our audience. As Dory, the fish, says, “Just keep swimming.” Many artists and some companies have been switching to online and/or live streaming their work in order to share it with audiences during this time of COVID-19. Given how our world is changing daily, has Theatre on the Ridge given any thought to live streaming any of its summer productions if necessary? We’ve looked at and considered live streaming if the need arises; however, there are technical logistics involved. For example, how would the performance rights be affected if the production was streamed. I’m also carefully watching how the other professional companies are handling this idea. Thankfully, the technology is there should the need arise. We wouldn’t have had this opportunity to stream our productions online twenty years ago. Theatre on the Ridge wants to keep connecting to our audiences and communities for growth and development, so online performance or live streaming is an important opportunity to discover how we can continue to serve and expand our audiences. Why do you and your artists love to perform? Tony Nappo says it well in his profile. I like his distinction between acting and performing. Our artists act and we love to create and communicate. It’s comparable to building a machine, piece by piece, where we plug it in at the end once it’s constructed and assembled for the live performance, and the light goes on for everyone. As a nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are ten questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews: What is your favourite word? Is it alright if I use a phrase instead? Under ‘normal’ circumstances I would have used the word ‘curiosity’. For the time being under this pandemic, I’m now using ‘tenacity with grace’ as I have to trust the universe ultimately knows what it’s doing. What is your least favourite word? Can’t (Note: Carey said this word with uproarious laughter) What turns you on? New ideas and possibilities from a theatrical sense and on a lot of levels. What turns you off? Working from pre-determined outcomes. I’m very processed driven. I like to stay open that I might arrive somewhere different from where I thought I would be. What sound or noise do you love? Words hanging in the air on stage which develop weight and shape. These hanging words are those wonderful rare moments that become a hologram in space. What sound or noise bothers you? Sound for sound’s sake. I dislike extraneous noise. Don’t clutter with sounds that aren’t needed. I compare this to skilled painters who don’t waste their brushstrokes on a canvas. What is your favourite curse word? Fuck – it is extremely effective when used appropriately and accordingly. I love the consonant sounds in the word. Other than your own at this time, what other profession would you have liked to have attempted? I’ve been a dancer and choreographer, basketry artist, B and B operator and gallery owner. I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do. With theatre, I am home. What profession would you not like to attempt? Anything where you rely on numbers or tangible outcomes to let you know you’ve succeeded. I like to measure value and success on how you’ve been of use to the community and to others. Helping others on their own journey through theatre is something that touches me. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear as you approach the Pearly Gates? “Well done. If you’re not too busy, we’ve a rehearsal down the hall if you care to join us.” To learn more about Theatre on the Ridge, visit www.theatreontheridge.ca . Previous Next

Back 'Cymbeline' by William Shakespeare. Now on stage at The Stratford Festival Now on stage at The Tom Patterson Theatre Credit: David Hou Pictured: Marcus Nance as Jupiter Joe Szekeres ‘Fine performance work with some interesting, staged pictures, but disappointing that I lost interest in the story’s plot and characters.” Once upon a time, a play from the Bard comes along that one might have heard of but had no context or opportunity to study in school. This is one of those times for me with ‘Cymbeline’. That doesn’t mean the Festival’s production isn’t worth seeing. I’m not saying that at all. There are moments when it’s visually spectacular and worthy of ‘Lord of the Rings’ (as director Esther Jun states in her Director’s Note). There are heated passions and emotions in performances that bubble with intensity. The cast of ‘Cymbeline’ includes Stratford stalwarts and young performers whom I’d like to watch for in the future. I understand that audiences in Elizabethan England would have had some background in understanding the context and the characters. Nevertheless, Cymbeline’s plot is highly complicated. A few subplots feed from the central, and the characters intertwine so much that I got lost a few times. By the end of the three hours, I lost my connection with the story. Instead, I appreciated the wonder and spectacle how Jun shaped the story to become ‘a magical play’ (as she called it in her Director’s Note). In a long-gone Britain that is slowly wasting away, everyone is trying to save the delicate ecosystem and the court of Queen Cymbeline (Lucy Peacock). Innogen (Allison Edwards-Crewe), the only daughter of Cymbeline, secretly marries Posthumus (Jordin Hall), a worthy enough but low-born ward of the court. Cymbeline is furious and banishes Posthumus. Cymbeline’s husband, The Duke (Rick Roberts), plots to wed Innogen to his only son and her stepbrother Cloten (Christopher Allen) and to rally Britain against Rome. Upon banishment and finding shelter in Rome, Posthumus meets the wealthy Iachimo (Tyrone Savage) who bets that Innogen is not what Posthumus believes her to be and that he could seduce her. Iachimo tries to seduce Innogen, but confusion erupts in the following madness. From this point on, there are characters in gender-swapping disguises, battles ensuing, familial strife and forbidden love as right will ultimately prevail. Echo Zhou’s set and lighting designs make this Britain from long ago a fantasy world. Green lighting gobo effects remind the audience that they are in another world. There is a tall tree with branches far upstage. The tree rarely (if ever) moves from the stage. I’m puzzled as to why the tree remains there for the entire performance. Does it have something to do with things rooted in the world that will always remain firm? That point was not made clear. Michelle Bohn’s costumes radiantly sparkle at times, especially in those hushed green lighting effects. As matriarch and queen of Britain, Lucy Peacock’s Cymbeline regally commands the Patterson stage each time she appears. Marcus Nance’s Jupiter and Rick Roberts’ Duke remain compelling throughout. In the second act, Nance’s appearance as Jupiter with the wings of a bird made me sit up immediately and pay close attention to him and how that moment is staged. Even though the play's title is named after the parental figure, the complete character arc of Allison Edwards-Crewe’s Innogen becomes the play’s focus. Edwards-Crewe propels through the various emotions with genuine believability at one moment and an intense ferocity the next. Irene Poole is a gentle Pisanio. Tyrone Savage’s villainous Iachimo is fascinating. Jonathan Goad and Wahsonti:io Kirby have a terrific, amusing moment near the end of the play that draws much-needed laughter from the audience. And Another Thought: Sometimes, when one attends the theatre, it’s okay to sit, experience and appreciate the marvel and staging of storytelling. Character development might just become secondary and that’s okay. I wish I could have connected to more characters and the story than I did. Running time: approximately three hours and five minutes with one interval/intermission. ‘Cymbeline’ runs until May 28 at The Tom Patterson Theatre, 111 Lakeside Drive. Stratford. For tickets: stratfordfestival.ca or call 1-800-567-1600. THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL presents ‘Cymbeline’ by William Shakespeare Directed by Esther Jun Set and Lighting: Echo Zhou Costumes: Michelle Bohn Composer: Njo Kong Kie Sound: Olivia Wheeler Performers: Marcus Nance, Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks, Rick Roberts, Jordin Hall, Allison Edwards-Crewe, Lucy Peacock, Irene Poole, Anthony Palermo, Christopher Allen, Evan Mercer, Caleigh Crow, Tyrone Savage, Josue Laboucane, Anthony Santiago, Wahsont:io Kirby, Julie Lumsden, Matthew Kabwe, Jonathan Goad, Michael Wamara, Noah Beemer, Chris Mejaki, Tara Sky, Jennifer Rider-Shaw Previous Next

Back Eponine Lee “There is constant positive energy, openness, and passion in theatre that many other industries don’t always seem to present.” Dahlia Katz Photography Joe Szekeres Actor, writer, and musician Eponine Lee's maturity as an artist within the theatre industry makes me proud to see our Canadian young people move forward. I saw her first onstage as one of the children in the annual Soulpepper production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL years ago (Nudge and wink to Soulpepper: please bring back the production). When the Stratford Festival held productions outside during Covid with audience members sitting six feet apart in their chairs, I saw a very mature Eponine play Juliet in WhyNot and the Festival’s production of ‘R & J.’ Suppose I feel this surge of artistic pride for our country’s young talent. In that case, I can only begin to fathom the overwhelming love, delight, and gratification that her parents, Nina Lee Aquino and Richard Lee, must be experiencing. Their daughter's accomplishments are a testament to their support and guidance. Eponine and I couldn’t converse via Zoom this time as I have some family issues to which I must still attend. However, she was very kind in responding via email. Born and raised in the theatre community, Lee feels incredibly familiar with this world and everything that is part of it. She uniquely understands how the industry functions and all the amazing possibilities that may arise when artists get together to make theatre. Through the creative, collaborative, and wonderful people she has enjoyed working with, Eponone adoringly spoke of the constant positive energy, openness, and passion in theatre that many other industries don’t seem to present. As for the changes in the industry during the last four years, she sees accessibility, awareness, and adaptivity are necessary for the industry development in the future: “As more people realize that the theatre industry is not perfect, these big and small alterations of how future generations can continue to produce shows in an environment that is less biased, less harmful and less devitalizing on one’s artistry will become more and more possible.” In a 2022 online interview with Canada’s National Observer, Eponine stated, “to just ask around for any opportunities you can get and to say yes…Say yes to even the smallest of roles with the smallest of theatre companies…You just have to do it, you just have to go through it and grit your teeth through all the nerve-wracking things that come and know and believe that you take up space in that room and you matter,” Two years later, she still feels the same way about the industry. It remains her core mindset and mantra for everything; there is no audition room, rehearsal hall, or main stage that she walks onto and still does not feel what she said in the above paragraph. She tries to remember that she is here because she matters and is part of this space. This month, Eponine will appear in THE FIXING GIRL by Kevin Dyer at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre, where she will share the stage with Zoé Doyle and Eric Peterson. Rehearsals have gone swimmingly. She has no complaints - Lee has been part of previous iterations of the play from workshops, and that knowledge helped tremendously in the rehearsal process. THE FIXING GIRL is a story about grief, loss, and navigating change as a family that certainly feels broken. A young girl named Meghan has lost her grandfather (Peterson). The play opens right after she has returned from his funeral. Meghan is determined to bring her grandfather back by locking herself in his old shed and fixing everything he left. Meghan’s mother (Doyle) needs her daughter to stay in the house while her grandfather has left his granddaughter with a task that may not seem as easy as it looks. Given the story deals with grief, loss and navigating changes because of death, why does Eponine believe THE FIXING GIRL is an essential story for audiences to see: “What’s so lovely about Kevin Dyer’s script…is that it will engage with the audience by planting the first couple of seeds about what it means when someone has passed away. I firmly believe that his play is the type of play that will generate meaningful conversations about topics that are rarely talked about—like death and mortality—long after it has been watched.” To work on this production with director Stephen Colella has been fantastic for Eponine. He’s the kind of director that is specific and precise, but also open to ideas that people may have. From an actor's perspective, Lee thinks Stephen really understands how to talk to her about almost anything (especially when doing “scene work,” which is just making certain sections of her dialogue clearer). She adds further: “[Stephen] treats me like an equal and an individual, which is quite important to me being the youngest person in the room — as all I ever truly want is to be respected in the same manner as everybody else. He has seamlessly created a space through his directorial and leadership practices where I feel safe, empowered, and able to show vulnerability without judgment.” What’s next for Eponine once THE FIXING GIRL concludes its run at YPT? She’s off to perform in the 2024 season of the Shaw Festival. She will appear in ‘Orphan of Chao’ (directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster), ‘Snow in Midsummer’ (directed by Nina Lee Aquino) and understudying one of the ensemble roles in ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Human Heart’ (directed by Craig Hall). For her music, she’s planning on releasing another album in the next couple of years while, in the meantime, making more covers of songs she loves (follow coco.penny_ on Instagram/TikTok and Coco Penny on YouTube for more). THE FIXING GIRL runs April 15 – May 2 on the Ada Slaight Stage at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front Street East. To learn more about the production, Young People’s Theatre or purchase tickets online, visit youngpeoplestheatre.org. Previous Next

Back 'The Glass Menagerie' by Tennessee Williams Now onstage at Atlantic Repertory Company Drew Murdock Aaron Kropf Atlantic Repertory Company’s second show of the season is Tennessee Williams's semi-autobiographical The Glass Menagerie. This production hits so many of the right notes but misses out on one key aspect that makes any show soar - the heart. With that said it should be noted that I did see a special performance the night before opening. Upon entering the BMO Studio Theatre the pre-show scene is set in an ally way filled with piles of garbage bags and a considerable dumpster. Key pieces of furniture are scattered throughout the stage: a Victrola, a kitchen table and chairs drawn to centre stage during the opening monologue, and a couch turned upright by Tom as he introduces the play. Brenda Chicas-Duran created a wonderful world for the Wingfields to reside for the two hours of the play’s run time. The stage is sometimes enhanced by some creative use of projection, while other times it distracts from the action on the stage. The projections center stage sometimes display key phrases, moments before they are spoken, and other times short clips of images that might be running through the minds of some of the characters. These too often pulled focus from beautiful work performed on stage. ‘The Glass Menagerie’ opens with Rachel Kidd strolling across the stage playing her violin. She’s just as present on the stage as the Wingfield family in enhancing the story with live music throughout the production. We meet Patrick Jeffrey as the ever-present Tom Wingfield. Jeffrey seamlessly moves from being the drunk narrator Tom to Tom who does what he can to keep his mother and sister happy and in a home. Martha Irving masterfully takes control of all situations in the Wingfield house as the dutiful matriarch Amanda Wingfield. The Wingfield family is rounded out with Kennedy McGeachy's stunning portrayal of Laura. I’ve seen some productions where Laura’s physical characteristics are dealt with heavy-handedly, but not with McGeachy who incorporates them with subtlety and care. Finally, this wonderful cast is rounded out with Tallas Munro as Jim O’Connor, the Gentleman Caller. Even though most of this production is wonderful and well worth seeing, this ‘Glass Menagerie’ is missing the heart needed to bring the whole show together. Unfortunately, the sum of the parts didn’t come together to provide the soul Williams gives us in the script. I hope this will come together before the end of the run on October 1. For further information, please visit atlanticrep.ca. Previous Next

Back John Jarvis Looking Ahead --- Joe Szekeres First time I met John Jarvis was many years ago on a Sunday afternoon during an ‘Open Doors Toronto’ where audiences got the chance to speak to several professional theatre artists who graced some of Toronto’s finest stages. The late Al Waxman (CBC’s King of Kensington) led a group of us around to the theatres. I remember sitting in the Bluma Appel listening to John speak about the history of The Bluma Appel and some of the actors who worked on that stage. I can also recall some of us were given an opportunity to get up on the stage and ‘perform’ a scene with John. He was gracious and kind when volunteers came up on the stage and allowed each of us to have our ‘moment’ there on the Bluma Appel stage which I can recall as huge. Since then, I’ve seen John’s work in several productions at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre including ‘Innocence Lost’, ‘Orlando’, ‘Spoon River’ and ‘Of Human Bondage’, both of which he had the good fortune to perform to great success in New York City. John has also taught acting at George Brown College. Television and film credits include Seasons 6 and 7 of ‘Suits’ and ‘Business Ethics’. At this moment of writing his profile, I recall with much fondness John’s work in Soulpepper’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ which has become a holiday and Christmas favourite of mine. John has been the narrator in this production since its inception and plays the three Ghosts Scrooge meets on Christmas Eve. I let John know that perhaps we need a little ‘Christmas Carol’ this year to help move us out of the pandemic; ergo, Weyni Mengesha and Luke Reece – please take note this writer would love to see ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the slate again this year (provincial health conditions obviously in place) John’s recent television and Film include ‘Stockholm’, ‘Suits’ (Season 6 and 7) and ‘Business Ethics’. He also has taught acting at one of Canada's premier theatre schools, George Brown College. He studied at Montreal’s National Theatre School of Canada. We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thanks again, John, for such a quick interview and turnaround in time: 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. Initially, I was quite taken aback by the global community recognizing the existential threat of what this was. For probably the first time in the world’s history, so many communities of people agreed to shut down, to cut off, to retreat to their homes. I was quite astounded by that global group activity. Then the fissures began, and people pushed back, and we’ve had such a very complex result. Friendships have been lost; family members have argued. While I was in Shopper’s Drug Mart today, there was a guy in front of me who was on his phone, and he was quite vehement in his call to someone saying, “No government is going to tell me what to do anytime!” And I thought, ‘C’mon, it’s the dilemma of Me, and what I want to do.” Or it’s my shared sense of protecting everybody in the group. I think the group is holding firm and, although we get attacked for being fearful coming to a power of government and this cultural war, I think people have found some strength in Covid that when it comes out the other end there will be a renaissance of ideas and activities. There will be a bursting forth of people wanting to come and see theatre and theatre artists in an expression of joy in wanting to get back on stage. 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. What I have delighted in is that so many companies, small and large, have put out product of some kind. Profile has been maintained that the artists are developing some kind of theatre to keep the profile of the company in the public view. But behind the scenes the money they will require to begin again to contract actors and designers and playwrights and the sheer enormity of producing a play, where is that dough going to come from? So far, we haven’t seen too much collapse of companies walking away. I know that some artistic directors have reached certain levels of exhaustion, and some have decided it was time to leave anyway. I’ll be curious because governments will come to the plate to a certain degree. And for the big companies, where will they get the money? There’s all the will in the world but when a large company says a million dollars is needed, what’s going to happen next? I haven’t heard the behind-the-scenes despair of the financial departments of theatre companies. A year ago, many actors, myself included, didn’t have a sound studio or filming studio in their basements. I do voice over work as well, so I had to get an expensive microphone and all the other accoutrements where I now have to do self tapes of lighting and sound and cameras. All actors are their own production company and their own editing suite now. It’s been active in television and film as there is a 37-page protocol that has allowed production companies to go ahead. It was always ironic that a theatre company was not able to rehearse and film a production of a play. But a film company could rent the theatre, come in and shoot a film or movie. It’s always been a head twister. As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? Well, it’s the flesh and blood. It’s the only card we have on the table that we’ve had for 2000 years. It’s a piece of human breathing, audio flesh in front of us. I’ve watched some Zoom plays and have tried to engage as much as I can, but it started to pull away because I just need to see the actors. I want to see the play and watch the spittle come out of their mouths. My voice teacher said the Greeks had brass urns on top of all the aisles so that the human voice would ring through those brass urns and send pillars into the cosmos to hold the thing together. So, the sound of the human actor is holding it all together. People will be hungry to hear that sound of a real, live voice. As a professional artist, what is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it? I remember reading some of the profiles in this series, Joe, and some had some very funny answers. I’ll never take for granted that the joy of being in front of an audience is a celebration rather than a paranoia of performance or the worry of how I’m doing. I think all of that worrying now appears to be of little use, and that the chance to just be in front of people is a new psychological entity that I never really thought of, and I’m sure that’s what a lot of actors are saying that they need to be in front of people who will laugh and cry in the way that a story is told. Because this commonality of Covid that the audience and actor have gone through together, we are equally as hungry to meet each other. Whatever the fourth wall, it will have been of little or no use to people because they know that I haven’t been performing in front of audience, and I know that the audience has been watching television, Netflix or listening to the radio, and that there’s a genuine humility to be with each other again. I think that will be quite exciting. Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. The discovery that theatre can happen anywhere; it can be on a bicycle zooming by, in a park, on your front lawn, in the driveway. Artists can go up to the balcony of your house; they can make an event happen anytime or anyplace and people will stop and be engaged. It is interesting through this societal change of Covid with the politics and the social justice issues spinning and boiling, I always thought that the theatre was moving towards this change. Before, many other arts industries were always trying to draw in the diversity of the cities we live in. As a veteran actor myself, the glory days are shifting and there’s new blood coming in, and new energy. If it takes telling the disparity and the dystopia, and the dilemma that the new culture is finding within the story, that’ll be the stories of the future. Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry. In the contemplation many of us have had to think about one’s career, one of the allowances of many hours of time that we’ve had during these last 16 months, you are as good as your last performance. There’s a new play coming up and you have to prepare for that audition and performance. When Ralph Richardson at 92 was asked about his career, he said, (in a British accent) “Good God, ol’ boy, I’m only halfway through the fucking thing.” (Uproarious laughter from me). I’ve much more to learn. With that contemplation, I’ve a new degree of expression that might reveal itself to people and I look forward to seeing what did that year do to one’s emotional world and the capacity to express the worries, the fears. During these last 16 months, I’ve read some of the great literature – ‘War and Peace’, ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, ‘Our Mutual Friend’ that had no electricity in it and no sense of what was going to happen in the 20th century. So now that I’ve read about these incredible people in these incredible novels, what’s next. 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 was sitting with my family the other night, and somebody said, “Oh, I bet you when we go back to the theatre that somebody will enter with a mask, and someone says to take the mask off. I don’t want to see a play about Covid.” I don’t want to see Covid used as a metaphor. I want this story of Covid to be over. I don’t want Covid to be a pivot point into a story. I want something different. I want a new story. I don’t want anything as a reminder because we’ve all quite had enough. I’m sure there will be a brilliant playwright who will find a brilliant way of incorporating the lonely person sitting in a basement trying to figure out what to do to tell a story or to engage. The cultural dilemma of Indigenous Canadians, Caribbean Canadians, Asian Canadians, it is their time to find their stories and to share it with us. Susan Coyne and Stewart Arnott delivered a beautiful two hander recently on Zoom about a virus. It was really quite beautiful, but we’ve seen enough about Covid. Susan and Stewart have already done it. As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you? Ah………. “John Jarvis did his best. He gave his all.” (He says with a gleeful grin) In the quiet solitude of the basement, there are great days of remembering performances you loved and cared and gave it your all. And there are days where you think and remember for whatever reason you stumbled through maybe because you weren’t focused, and you know you didn’t give it your all that you should have done. I would say that I poured my sense of life and my sense of humour, and my sense of joy in people, and I poured it into everything I did. That’s what I hope future audiences will remember. Previous Next

Back 'Misery' by William Goldman. Based on the novel by Stephen King Now onstage at the Imperial Theatre, Saint John, New Brunswick Credit: Andrew Finlay. Sarah Rankin as Annie Wilkes Aaron Kropf Most people are familiar with the film version of ‘Misery’ with James Caan as Paul Sheldon and Kathy Bates as “number one fan”, Annie Wilkes. Many came to the Imperial Theatre because they anticipated a particular scene in this production, and I’m sure they weren’t disappointed. It’s always tricky to be a part of something that so many people either already know or have an impression. Nobody wants to be compared to what has come before them; the exception might be if it has a poor reputation. Sarah Rankin (Annie Wilkes), Stephen Tobias (Paul Sheldon), Bob Doherty (Sheriff Buster) and director Dean Turner have nothing to worry about there! For anyone unfamiliar with the film or the novel by horror master novelist Stephen King Misery, playwright William Goldman compiles the story of famed writer Paul Sheldon and his “number one fan” Annie Wilkes. Through a raging snowstorm, Wilkes follows her favourite author of the Misery Chastain stories from the inn Paul goes to write all his novels (an author full of habits and superstition). Luckily, or perhaps not for Sheldon, Wilkes saves his life after an automobile accident. During his recovery, the latest ‘Misery’ novel is released. Annie isn’t happy with the way the novel ends, which quickly makes the saviour into a hostage taker. Brian Goodwin’s compact set design increases the tension and confinement felt by Paul and the audience, thanks to the small area of the stage that the set takes up. Thanks to the revolve that holds up the set, it moves quickly from the bedroom to the hallway, to the kitchen, and finally to the front of the house. Not only does it make the movement from one part of the house quick and seamless, but it also adds to the show's suspense. Saint John Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Stephen Tobias returns to the stage as writer Paul Sheldon. It was refreshing to find out he was back on stage the day before the show's opening (thanks to a social media post by the company); it came without the typical fanfare that comes with most artistic directors taking to the stage after a hiatus. The role of Sheldon is a difficult one. For much of the show, his movement is restricted to a bed. It’s a challenge to act like you’re in pain. At times, director Dean Turner seems to ignore this vital component to move the story along. That aside, Tobias’s Paul Sheldon genuinely drew the audience into the horrific predicament he finds himself in. ‘Misery’ hinges on the psychotic Annie Wilkes, aptly played by Sarah Rankin. Wilkes is a complex, sometimes challenging character, thanks to the film and Bates's performance. It foremost requires the audience to believe initially that she is full of good intentions, genuinely wanting to help Sheldon recover so that he can write. Rankin can ramp up the tensions at the turning point in the show as she feels she must do everything in her power to get Sheldon to bring back her beloved character. The moments Wilkes’ rage peaks are the times Rankin shines in this production. It is a delight to see Stephen Tobias tackle such a challenging role on stage. It’s equally delightful to see Sarah Rankin shine as she makes Sheldon’s world smaller and smaller. These two performers command the stage during the brief 1-hour and 40-minute production. If you think you know this story because of the novel or the film, you don’t know Misery until you’ve experienced it live on stage. See it. The production runs until March 23 at the Imperial Theatre, 12 King Square S. Saint John, New Brunswick. For tickets: 1-800-323-SHOW or imperialtheatre.ca Previous Next

Back Raoul Bhaneja “Hard to know what lies ahead…but the best plan is what Hamlet himself says in Act 5: “the readiness is all.” ​ Joe Szekeres Here’s the link to my first conversation with Raoul Bhaneja: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2020/10/22/moving-forward-a-conversation-with-raoul-bhaneja Raoul Bhaneja is one incredibly busy man at the moment. He’s currently in Los Angeles, where he has spent much of his time over the last twenty years, almost none of it doing theatre. He’s played in more Los Angeles bars, nightclubs, and recording studios than in theatres. Even though Bhaneja has had to step away from the theatre periodically, he states it will always be a vibrant, vital place to spend time both as an artist and an audience member. He has been lucky to have a few spiritual homes with the theatre in Toronto. He recognized Tarragon Theatre for new plays, particularly between 2003 and 2010, when he had the chance to work on several productions there. Bhaneja also credits Theatre Passe Muraille, where he used to live almost next door to the building. He also credits one of his mentors, Paul Thompson, who shaped part of what theatre would become. It was at Passe Muraille, Bhaneja’s upcoming Soulpepper ‘Hamlet (solo)’ production was workshopped and first premiered. What important lessons has he learned from the last four years as an artist and as a person, husband, father, sibling, and friend? Raoul has become ever more appreciative of an audience that takes the time to spend their money and leave the comforts (and, in some cases, safety) of home to share in a live experience. Raoul has always felt the relationship between performer and audience is a (semi) sacred one, and he has felt that even more these last four years. ‘Hamlet (solo)’ will run for only three performances this month at Soulpepper. Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha is striving to write a new chapter and reshape the company but is holding on to core elements that Raoul thinks will be put in good stead for a long time in Toronto. He believes Soulpepper deserves support from those who once stood by it and new donors and advocates who can appreciate the challenging mission Weyni has undertaken to bring Soulpepper into this decade renewed and reclaimed. After this informative conversation with Weyni, Raoul realized he wanted to help be a part of her vision at Soulpepper. The opportunity to present ‘Hamlet (solo)’ back in Toronto after over a decade felt like the right fit. The late Daniel Brooks asked Raoul to step into Soulpepper’s recent ‘The Seagull’. When he returned to perform, Bhaneja returned to the company for the first time in 23 years, and he was reminded of just how special of a place Soulpepper truly is. Given that feeling, he felt it was also the right time to bring ‘Hamlet (solo)’ to the Distillery District’s Young Centre. Solo shows have been part of the theatre culture for a while: Diane Flacks and Rick Miller come to mind. The Soulpepper website states that this Hamlet (with the collaboration of longtime show director Robert Ross Parker and original designer Deeter Schurig) is a two-hour bare-bones performance in which Bhaneja plays 17 parts using Shakespeare’s text. The decisions around the sparseness of this solo production were not arbitrary or due to budget constraints but rather very much on purpose. Raoul stated: “I have been very encouraged by a lot of the theatre I have seen in Toronto as of late, particularly in the acting which I think has become more visceral than it had been for most of my time watching theatre in the city. There was often solid, thoughtful acting onstage, but I find it has an emotional urgency now that both the actor and audience demand from the experience.” I recall Rick Miller’s MACHOMER: THE SIMPSONS DO MACBETH, in which he voiced the characters in telling the story. Raoul is a huge admirer of Miller’s talent and calls him a prolific producer and person of the theatre. According to Raoul: “Both productions share a certain audacity, one I think Eric Woolfe also engaged in earlier this season when he presented his solo ‘Macbeth’ at Red Sandcastle. You have to be a bit crazy to do this.” When Bhaneja was in New York a few months ago watching Eddie (Suzy) Izzard perform her solo Hamlet, Raoul said, “It’s wild to see how different that ‘Hamlet’ is from our production even though the essential impulse is the very nature of it, similar.” Raoul says Shakespeare is getting a bit of a bad rap at the moment for being so heavily used in education and so prolifically presented in the theatre when other voices have been ignored and underappreciated. Perhaps it might be our fault, not Shakespeare’s, how little writing from different cultures and parts of the world we have seen our stages, particularly in the ‘classical’ period. That speaks to our hyper-focus on Western drama and thought. Bhaneja offers a critical thought to consider: “Let’s expand our field of reference, not obsess about Shakespeare by turning him into some kind of Confederate statue that must be pulled down. Use him to inspire or transform or adapt stories and ideas NOW. That’s the whole point. What about ‘Hamlet’ still speaks to the audience today for Bhaneja? It is the concept of ‘isolation’. Isolation is something everyone collectively understands at the moment in a way that we perhaps have not for a long time. It’s an unfortunate experience in the last few years everyone has had to deal with and come to terms. When Raoul started working on this project, his friend and gifted filmmaker, Jeff Stephenson, followed him around with a camera and made a documentary, ‘Hamlet (solo),’ which he hopes to find a way to screen or include in the upcoming Soulpepper run. In that documentary, Raoul interviews many actors who had played Hamlet up to 2007. When he was in his twenties, Raoul remembered something the late John Neville (who was in his seventies) told him about ‘Hamlet.’ It’s a play about the disillusionment of youth. Back then, Bhaneja found Neville’s comments interesting but didn’t really get it. Now that Raoul approaches his fifties (you’re still a young man, ya know), he looks at the world today, his children and the world they will inherit from us, and now understands Neville’s point of view: “To me, that is the essence of any ‘classic’ work from any period – its longevity comes from the ability to continue to reflect and refract life back to the audience, like the mirror Hamlet speaks of in the play.” Bhaneja leaves it to the audience to come away with any specific messages. He can only present what he and the creative team have envisioned with their interpretation and leave the rest to the audience. What he hopes to achieve with this ‘Hamlet (solo)’ is a unique and provocative experience combined with the viewers’ imaginations within an intimate setting. The life of an actor and performance artist is always in constant flux and motion. What’s next for Raoul once the three-date performance run of ‘Hamlet (solo)’ concludes: With two of his cast members from Soulpepper’s production of ‘The Seagull’ Frank Cox-O’Connell and Hailey Gillis, they are developing a project that they hope one day to present to Soulpepper. They are also working on producing a solo show for Raoul’s wife, Birgitte Solem (Hope and Hell co-founder) who will act in the piece. Outside of that, Raoul continues the roulette wheel of film and television. He hopes to make another season of ‘The Trades’ for Crave TV. Bhaneja called it a crazy TV show that was so much fun, but the cast and crew have to receive formal word. It has been a difficult year in the on-camera world with multiple labour disruptions, tech company contractions and the introduction of A.I. ‘Hamlet (solo)’ runs May 23-25 in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery District, 50 Tank House Lane. For tickets: https://www.soulpepper.ca/performances/hamletsolo Previous Next

Back Holiday Inn Shaw Festival David Cooper David Rabjohn The Shaw Festival’s winter program continues with the opening of a sparkling production of ‘Holiday Inn’ with music by Irving Berlin, one of the greatest song writers in history. One could toss a cast into a cornfield and a hit would somehow ensue with Berlin songs. However, the Shaw producers clearly knew how to respect the master’s material and built a stunning show around stunning songs. We often use the term ‘ensemble’ to describe a particularly tight cast, but we can consider this musical to be an ‘ensemble’ of leadership in that every department – music, acting, lighting, sets, choreography, costumes – was on full creative display. Beginning with a joyous welcome ‘Steppin’ Out’ resounds with dance and colour to forecast an ambitious production. Choreographer Allison Plamondon hits the high mark right away and then moves into a spectacular ‘Heat Wave’ – I didn’t say hot. There is not a weakness in the cast as the complex choreography is performed at breakneck speed with polish and ease. The story, as suggested by the title, revolves through one entire year highlighting all major holidays from Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving. Jim, tired of New York and performing, wants to settle on a Connecticut farm with Lila who rejects the idea. As he gets to know the small-town community, he meets Linda who is also a performer. After a number of disappointments, Jim considers using the farm as a performance space for productions run only for each major holiday. The iconic ‘White Christmas’ opens the Christmas season, and the others follow. Performance highlights are everywhere. Kyle Blair, as Jim, performs a top notch ‘Blue Skies’ and Gabrielle Jones, as Louise, turns in spectacular comic sequences highlighted by the rousing ‘Shaking the Blues Away.’ Kristi Frank, as Linda Mason, works some beautiful duets with ‘Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk’ and ‘Be Careful, It’s My Heart.’ Kyle Golemba, as Ted, joins the other two in a spirited ‘Cheek to Cheek’ – one of Berlin’s classics. Young Julia Thompson as Charlie Winslow is a delightful young schemer and is lovely in the reprise of ‘Plenty to be Thankful For.’ Costumes and sets designed by Judith Bowden were as impressive as the performers. Moving through all the principal holidays, Ms. Bowden had a lot of material to cover. From pastels for Thanksgiving to iconic red, white, and blue for Independence Day sewing must have been fast and furious. The greatest sizzle came from formal wear in many of the big numbers with crisp tuxedos and brilliant gowns that spiced up the entire night. For director Kate Hennig, it must have seemed an embarrassment of riches. Having said that, orchestrating so much talent takes a wealth of experience in her craft. Responsibility for a greatest hits list of Berlin songs might seem overwhelming, but Hennig’s result is both commanding and entertaining. ‘Holiday Inn’ by Irving Berlin Book by – Gorden Greenberg, Chad Hodge Director – Kate Hennig Music direction – Paul Sportelli Choreography – Allison Plamondon Set and Costumes – Judith Bowden Lighting – Kevin Lamotte Sound – John Lott Cast – Kyle Blair, Kyle Golemba, Vanessa Sears, Jay Turvey, Julia Thompson, Kristi Frank, Gabrielle Jones. Runs through – December 23, 2021 at The Festival Theatre. Tickets at shawfest.com Previous Next

Back Paolo Santalucia, Founding Member of The Howland Company Looking Ahead Courtesy of The Howland Company Joe Szekeres Actor, director, writer, and founding member of The Howland Company, Paolo Santalucia, was on his way to rehearsal where he is directing ‘Three Sisters’ which will open at Hart House this month. I’m grateful he was able to take a few moments before his upcoming rehearsal began to speak with me. I’ve admired and respected his work on stage at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre over the years. Recently he appeared in ‘Orphans for the Czar’ at Crow’s Theatre. Most recently, I saw Paolo’s work in Canadian Stage’s whimsically colourful production of William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ at High Park. Santalucia is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College’s joint Theatre and Drama Studies program. Upon his graduation, he was accepted into the Soulpepper Academy where he trained for about a year and a half before joining the acting ensemble at this prestigious company. As a professional artist, how’s he feeling about this gradual return to live performance even though Covid still surrounds all of us? Santalucia believes theatre must reflect our community, including our fears for the future and current moment. He elaborated further: “Art is an essential and beautiful aspect of community building in times of crisis. The Theatre has a real responsibility to engage with the issues of our time while also providing escapism from them and reminding us that there is a path forward.” For Paolo, it’s important this community-building happens at everyone’s own pace. He believes it’s vital that art continues to happen, that theatre continues to push through, and that we work within the complications that Covid is providing in order to ensure that we have art on our stages and don’t end up falling behind as a world-class theatre city. Even after these last two-plus years of changes within the theatre, what is it Paolo still finds fascinating about the craft and art of acting and directing? He laughed and said he still finds everything fascinating about the craft as this pause made him confront the fact that perhaps he might now know how to act, direct, write or even mount a play. Paolo clarified this point: “What I love is that it feels like we’ve come back to an industry asking questions of itself in a way that allows me to probe aspects of my own work that I’ve always felt self-conscious about.” What’s shifted for Paolo is the space he’s been given to question his pre-conceived notions about what a given piece is “supposed to be” – as opposed to undergoing an investigative process whereby one is able to ask what it is the play is trying to do in its own right. Having the confidence, space, and time to feel the industry is pushing past results-based art-making has been an exciting aspect of this pause. That’s something Santalucia feels much braver about now than he did two, three years ago. Before the pandemic, he was entering his work with what he knew what the story was about. That sometimes got in the way, so it’s exciting to engage in a process that trusts the work and trusts the people in the room in a different way. “I don’t have all the answers” he says “but I have a lot of questions.” Paolo adapted and will direct Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ at Hart House on the University of Toronto campus. His cast list is stellar actors who are so in tune with each other to tell the story. He jokingly stated he was waiting for the shoe to drop so that the cast will realize he was a big hack. We both shared a good laugh over that. But why this 13-member cast of ‘Three Sisters’ now as we return to the theatre? One of the things Paolo has always loved about this play is the fact it’s a young person’s play. To see many young people populating the stage will be thrilling. Part of Howland Company’s mandate is to investigate the stories of our time and also re-investigate stories that reflect our time. Over the course of the pandemic, Santalucia went back to ‘Three Sisters’ story because he was part of a production in the midst of a Chekhov play. Tech day for that show was the last day in 2020 before everything shut down. What struck him the most about all of this? ‘The fears that were permeating what was happening in the early moments of the pandemic were being reflected in the work we were doing. During one of those long weeks I thought I should just sit down and re-read Chekhov’s plays. I was languishing around at home not doing too much when things were shut down and it felt like the right time.” In reading ‘Three Sisters’, Santalucia was struck by the plight of this group of young people trying hard to reacclimate their understanding of how their world has changed and question whether returning to the world they knew from their childhood was possible. This is a story of the inheritors of the world asking big questions. These questions have never been more relevant for Paolo. He felt it was really fruitful ground to revisit post-Covid. He always found ‘Three Sisters’ to be one of Chekhov’s more elusive plays. This family who wants to return to their home felt too literal for Paolo but, over the course of the pandemic, he began to understand something more about his own circumstances which lends itself to the central metaphors in ‘Three Sisters’. As we concluded our conversation, I asked Paolo where he hopes to see The Howland Company move in the next five years. First, Howland is a collectively run organization. Covid was a real eye-opener for the fragility of all theatre companies moving forward, and Paolo takes nothing for granted. His dream is for Howland to continue its existence and to move through this time of transition and change – to learn from it, and apply what they’ve learned in meaningful ways to allow movement forward with ambition and understanding. I like his final comments: “I look forward to the learning process during these next five years.” So do I, Paolo, so do I. We all have so much still to learn. The Howland Company and Hart House Theatre presents Anton Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ (adapted and directed by Paolo Santalucia) which opens October 26 and runs to November 12 at Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto. For tickets and for more information, visit howlandcompanytheatre.com or call 416-978-2452. Previous Next

Back +(dix) by Danse Côté A film by Vikram Dasgupta, a live to stream premiere Harbourfront Center Site Joe Szekeres Please note I hold no formal educational background or training in the art of dance. Instead, I will comment on the staging of this streamed production filmed by Vikram Dasgupta. This article is a commentary rather than a review. There is much to appreciate about the art of dance when it is performed live. From the productions I’ve seen for a few years now, I’ve always admired the high energetic athleticism of the artists when there are solo moments. Within group choreographed moments, I’ve also felt a synchronous human and sometimes sexual synergy between the dancers, and I’ve respected how that same connection they establish with each other emanates strongly to the audience in front of them. This latter statement also applies to Vikram Dasgupta’s film +(dix) now streaming through the Fall For Dance North Festival. My recent conversation with filmmaker Vikram and our conversation has led me further to understand how film allows an audience to witness other elements of the art of dance that might not be seen by a live audience. Dasgupta does not want his films to appear like a reality show. It is imperative to him that his presence must not be felt or seen anywhere in any of his films. Some background first. The online Fall for Dance North programme speaks of +(dix) (think of your high school French class for the pronunciation) as a full-length new work by Guillaume Côté examining the notion of the “inner compass” and the idea that “home” may be a state of home. Throughout the film, five performers from the new collective group Danse Côté perform on a minimalist stage using the Odysseus myth, amplified by music of American experimental band Son Lux, to examine the journeying far but always returning home. The title +(dix) confused me when I spoke with Vikram. Our conversation went well as I learned a great deal more about dance, but I wasn’t sure if I truly understood what the title means. The online programme referred to the following short statement – “Begin again. Ten”. Okay, the number ‘ten’ appears to be that magical number to which we all count if we need perhaps a ‘time out’? To re-start again? To begin something new. Just this past week, I saw two solid productions from Soulpepper/The Howland Company/Native Earth Performing Arts and Theatre by the Bay which both dealt with the theme of home. Two entirely different perspectives on what ‘home’ means and I had to be aware that ‘home’ means different things to each of us. I had to begin again when I saw these two different productions last week. Yes, somewhat of a stretch, I get it, but for purposes of understanding the nuance of +(dix), this understanding was important for me as I had to begin again to understand the context for the film. As stated earlier, +(dix) utilizes the Odysseus myth to explore home. A count to ten because I had to review quickly that myth. (Again, a bit of a stretch, I know). Personally, a very brief understanding of the myth is fine, but I just wanted to admire and appreciate what Messrs. Dasgupta and Côté beautifully created by listening, hearing and watching what was presented before me. In watching Dasgupta’s film, what struck me the most was the capture of the sound of dance. Yes, there is a silence about dance as the artists hear, listen, and move to the music but there were moments where the film finely captures the sound of dance either in the music of Son Lux or hearing the breath of the artists as they move around the minimalist playing stage of the Harbourfront Dance Theatre. One of Mr. Dasgupta’s aspirations for the film was to be in the dance and in the moment where we see the human expressions on the faces of the artists. I loved this because it worked wonderfully for me. The film beautifully captured facial intensity in the dancers’ focal concentration. At times I saw intimate camera closeups of agony and ecstasy while at other moments a baseness and rawness of the flawed human condition was also candidly caught by the camera technique. Additionally, the opening and closing of the film reflected the focus on the dancers and away from Vikram. Guillaume Côté sat in front of his dressing table in preparation for the dance, and I loved hearing the voices of the dancers all at once at the conclusion. Effective for me. Final comments: Vikram hoped that +(dix) allows the art of dance to be in its truest form. For my uneducated background in dance and movement, he accomplished what he had set out to do. With that being said, I do hope there are more opportunities for all of us who have little or no background in this unique art form to continue watching whether it be through film or live performance. You can catch +(dix) through www.ffdnorth.com . Running time of film: approx. 60 Minutes PRODUCTION CREDITS: Choreography - Guillaume Côté Creative Assistant - Anisa Tejpar Music - Son Lux Costume Design - Yso South Lighting Design - Simon Rossiter Stage Manager - Jean-Hugues Rochette Producer - Etienne Lavigne Performers: Guillaume Côté, Rakeem Hardy, Martha Hart, Benjamin Landsberg, Kelly Shaw First premiered: August 4, 2021 at le Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur FFDN PRESENTATION: Livestream Director - Vikram Dasgupta Producer - Ariana Shaw Production Manager - Arun Srinivasan Lighting Designer - Simon Rossiter Venue Partner: Harbourfront Centre Previous Next

Back Daniel MacIvor Self Isolated Artist Jim Pryce Joe Szekeres Oh, my goodness, what an honour it has been to communicate with Canadian playwright and actor Daniel MacIvor for ‘The Self-Isolated Artist’ series. I’ve seen several of his works performed at local community theatres over the years. I also reviewed his production ‘New Magic Valley Fun Town’ at Tarragon in which he also appeared. Daniel began following me on Instagram recently. Because I hold tremendous respect for him and his work, I wasn’t certain if I should get in touch with him about a possible interview. Again I thought, as I had written in the profile interview with Mark Crawford, “Why the hell not?” I took a chance, got in touch with Daniel through Instagram, and was most pleased when he responded and said he was interested in participating via email. Daniel has written a short play for Tarragon Theatre’s UnGala coming up in late May. The UnGala is a series of three online events featuring scripts about possibility and hope from the bold voices of 16 of our resident playwrights: three video segments of 5-minute original plays presented over two days and read by the playwrights themselves! 1. It has been just over two months right now that we have been under this lockdown. How have you been doing during this period of isolation and quarantine As a writer I'm a pretty isolated person anyway. My interior life remains very active. Other than lining up for groceries I find this familiar and emotionally comfortable. 2. Were you involved or being considered for any projects before the pandemic was declared and everything was shut down? I was in the middle of rehearsals for "Here's What It Takes" at Stratford, the Steven Page musical that I wrote the book for. That was shut down, maybe next year. Also this fall I was supposed to embark on a tour of my Tarragon play "New Magic Valley Fun Town" and the solo show I created with Daniel Brooks "Let's Run Away". All of that is up in the air. 3. What has been the most difficult and/or challenging element of this period of isolation for you? Two things. One, not having a choice. Though I live in a Spartan and isolated way for the most part, I have chosen to do that. Now I have no choice. But really that's just a game of the mind. And maybe part of the malady of the modern world is too much choice. The second thing is no longer a problem, but it caused me a good deal of anxiety initially. I had to cut off all connection to American media. The horror show of American politics was too much for me – in fact, it felt like too much before the pandemic. I find the media generally unhelpful at this time, they can't resist trying to stir up a sense of urgency when that is the very last thing that this time is about. I suppose there is an urgency for epidemiologists and ER workers but for the rest of us, we need step back and breathe, day by day. If that is not the message, then the message is simply opinion. I have enough opinions of my own. 4. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time of lock down? I am working on a couple of screenplays and editing a documentary called "Everything Is Real Nothing Is True" that I shot with cinematographer John Price over the last couple of years about my work with Daniel Brooks on the solo play "Who Killed Spalding Gray?" 5. Any words of wisdom or sage advice you would give to other performing artists who are concerned about the impact of COVID-19? What about to the new theatre graduates who are just out of school and may have been hit hard? Why is it important for them not to lose sight of their dreams? I think this is a wonderful opportunity to look at our desires, our dreams, our hopes for the future. What are they? Why are they? What is the purpose of theatre? What is our place in that world? We get very caught up in careerism and gigging and jobbing and the like and we forget that we are a service industry. This is a chance to ask ourselves what is the service we do? In service of what? In service to whom? 6. Do you see anything positive stemming from this pandemic? The very nature of the protocols – keeping distance, considering our actions, knowing where we've been, what we're touching, who we're talking to – are at the heart of mindfulness. If we can learn to move more mindfully through every day – pandemic or no - we will be better people and make a better world. 7. In your estimation and informed opinion, will the Canadian performing arts scene somehow be changed or impacted as a result of COVID – 19? Yes. I think it will be difficult at first but ultimately the big questions that will come up as a result of this event will make us more focused and more compassionate. 8. Many artists are turning to streaming/online performances to showcase/highlight/share their work. What are your thoughts about this format presentation? Any advantages to doing this? Disadvantages? Are you participating or will you be participating in this presentation format soon? I have participated a little. I've done a rewrite of my solo show "House" so that it could be performed to camera. It was performed by Kevin Hanchard and directed by Nina Lee Aquino under the auspices of Factory Theatre in Toronto. It was fun, 1400 people tuned in. I've also written a short play for Tarragon Theatre's UnGala coming up in late May. My interest is how this work lives in an online reality. I'm not so interested in work read or performed as plays in this format. It's too flat. Theatre needs space. 9. I’ve seen your work on stage throughout Toronto. I saw you perform at Tarragon in ‘New Magic Valley Fun Town’. I also saw a memorable production of HOUSE that was streamed online through Factory with magnificent work from Kevin Hanchard and director Nina Lee Aquino. I listened carefully to the after-show discussion. What is it about performing you still love given all the change, the confusion and the drama surrounding our world now? Aha, you saw it. Yes, it was memorable wasn't it. Kevin was sublime. I loved working with Nina. For me performing is a metaphysical journey into being and presence and connection. That's essential, more now than ever. With a respectful nod to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the 10 questions he asked his guests at the conclusion of his interviews: a. What is your favourite word? Onomatopoeia. b. What is your least favourite word? Partisan. c. What turns you on? Silence. d. What turns you off? Bloviating politicians. e. What sound or noise do you love? Wind in the trees. f. What sound or noise bothers you? Chewing. g. What is your favourite curse word? Fuck still works a charm, in moderation. h. What profession, other than your own, would you have liked to attempt? Architecture. i. What profession would you not like to do? Politician. j. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates? “Finally!” Previous Next

Back 'Deciphers' co-presented by Harbourfront Centre and DanceWorks The Torque International Contemporary Dance Series Courtesy of the artists Zoe Marin The Harbourfront Centre and DanceWorks presents: Deciphers as part of the Torque International Contemporary Dance Series. This physical performance by Naishi Wang and Jean Abreu uses Chinese Folk, Brazilian dance styles, and spoken word to explore the ideas of “understanding” and “misunderstanding”. Deciphers centers on the theme of translation, primarily from an immigrant perspective. With Deciphers’s use of varying artistic and cultural elements, the piece embraces and encourages a healthy level of confusion. I personally have limited experience watching contemporary dance, a very limited understanding of Portuguese, and my own immigration experience that is different from Wang and Abreu’s. Through this, I felt myself imposing my own personal meaning at some parts while assuming different meanings from the parts I didn’t fully understand– both of which were enjoyable. Overall, every audience member will have their own unique interpretation of Deciphers that compels them to live in that world of “understanding” and “misunderstanding.” The performance “begins” the second you enter the theater, with Wang and Abreu scribbling on a long, thin piece of white paper that stretches across the stage. Although this type of pre-show performance sometimes feels artificial, its usage in Deciphers offers a glimpse into the performers’ real personalities that are later explored throughout the show. In addition to their scribbling, they occasionally greet people in the audience or move around to draw somewhere else on the paper. Then, the light slowly fades down, and the actual show begins. After this piece of paper covered with words and drawings is showcased to us, it is crumbled tightly and flattened. It then naturally unwinds to become the centerpiece that the movement revolves around. I was very curious about how movement could portray the theme of “translation”, but the motif reveals itself more and more as the piece evolves. The centerpiece acts as a divider between the dancers, allowing them to mirror, contrast, or travel around. Sometimes, the two of them are perfectly in sync, and the crumbled paper creates a very clear visual symmetry. Because of that clear divide, it is also evident when they’re not in sync - when one is leading, and the other is trying to emulate them. At one point, one would respond to a sound or movement or invisible world in front of them, and the other would take an opposite route. Their movement is clean, but feels organic and impulse-driven, making their synchronized movements even more impactful. I particularly liked a sequence of them travelling around space quadrupedally while bobbing their heads like animals. Personally, it was difficult for me to discern when they were using specific dance styles, but this enriched the experience. In a recent profile, I did on Wang and Abreu, they talked about their use of “fusion,” presenting contemporary dance that is not fully Western, and Chinese folk and Brazilian dance that is not fully either of those cultures– instead using that physical translation to showcase a mix of everything. The frequent lack of music also helps make the precise dance styles discernable, allowing the audience to focus solely on how movement is translated. An element I would have loved to see integrated more is the spoken word in Portuguese and Mandarin. Since I couldn’t understand the text, I got to focus on the dynamic soundscape created by the two very tonally and rhythmically different languages. The few English words used sometimes contextualized the little Portuguese I understood, while other times threw me for a loop. The authoritativeness of their voices gave me the impression that this scene represented a government office or airport, with the lines discussing immigration directly. However, there is no way for me to know for sure, which made it exciting. Although I think text should be limited in a physical performance, I’m not sure if I would’ve picked up on the themes of immigration without it. Therefore, I’m glad there weren't more full text-based scenes, but I’m curious to see how text could further contextualize or even complicate some of the fully-physical sequences. Overall, I think the performance perfectly encapsulates that central theme of “translation”, and it simultaneously embraces and alienates the audience through what Wang and Abreu allow us to understand. ‘Deciphers’ co-presented by Harbourfront Centre and DanceWorks. Choreographers, Performers Naishi Wang, Jean Abreu Sound Design Olesia Onykiienko Lighting Design Lucie Bazzo Dramaturg Guy Cools Outside Eyes Ginelle Chagnon Rehearsal Director Xing Bang Fu Voice Coach Fides Krucker Access Consultant Zed Lightheart Technical Director Emerson Kafarowski Management Jean Abreu Dance, Dance Umbrella of Ontario Previous Next

Back Glenn Sumi Looking Ahead --- Joe Szekeres I’ve read many of Glenn Sumi’s articles in Toronto’s NOW Magazine over the years. At the conclusion of his profile, he speaks about being balanced and fair in his commentaries on live theatre and film. Whether we are critics, reviewers, columnists or simply theatre and film goers, let us hope as we emerge from this Covid world in which we now find ourselves that we can also be ‘balanced and fair’ in how we view any work of art. Glenn is the Associate Entertainment Editor at NOW Magazine, where he’s written about film, theatre and comedy since the late 1990s. A member of the Toronto Film Critics Association and the Toronto Theatre Critics Association, he’s written about and discussed the arts for a variety of outlets, and for three years was a weekly pop culture commentator on CTV News Weekend. He misses live theatre and seeing movies in actual theatres. Being part of the recent Canadian Screen Awards feature jury – done on Zoom – was the most fun he’s had in 13 months. We conducted our conversation via email. Thank you so much for adding your voice to the discussion, Glenn: 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. Wow, what a place to begin. Bare minimum, this crisis has made me think about the enormous social and economic gaps in society. Most office workers have been able to work remotely from home, but that’s impossible if you’re a supermarket clerk or factory worker or security guard. It’s cracked open how badly run many of our institutions are. Did any of us know how long-term care homes were run until last year? Did we ever think that we’d get more useful and practical vaccine information from a pop-up Twitter account called Vaccine Hunters (@VaxHuntersCan) than from our government? Seeing anti-mask and “freedom” demonstrators has been utterly demoralizing and has made me think a lot about personal vs. collective freedom. Seeing how places like Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand have handled the virus – strict lockdowns (including limitation on how far you can travel), contact tracing, quarantining – has shown it’s possible to return to some normalcy if you follow the science and work together. On a personal level, I didn’t realize how important even casual day-to-day interactions were before this: working in an office, sitting in a café, sharing small talk. Your world is so much richer and more interesting when you’re exposed to other people and ideas on a regular basis. I live alone, and I haven’t hugged anyone in 14 months. I was never a big partygoer, but I miss being in small groups eating, drinking, and laughing, meeting friends of friends, that sort of thing. I miss big family gatherings, catching up with people in person and not via social media or email. 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 of the live theatre industry been altered and changed? I guess I instinctively knew it before, but only after the pandemic did I fully grasp how many people are actually involved in the theatre industry: everyone from the box office clerks and ushers to the photographer who does the season brochure to the restaurant workers near the theatre. I’ve also been thinking about the economic realities of theatres – things like the minimum audience capacity needed in a theatre to break even. And it’s made me think about something that’s been troubling me for the 20+ years I’ve been writing about theatre regularly and interviewing its artists: how so many people in the industry come from privileged backgrounds and have families to fall back on in tough times. On a more positive note, some of Toronto’s more creative companies have found ways to keep the theatrical spirit alive, via phone plays, audio dramas and other creative substitutes. What are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? Live theatre? I miss everything. The artistry, of course. The energy communicated between the performers onstage and the audience. The 3D-ness of it all – watching a filmed play on a screen doesn’t come close to being at the play. (I was wondering why, in the single time I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario last summer, I was so drawn to the sculptures, and I think it was because I was so tired of looking at flat surfaces.) I even miss annoying things, like the crush at the box office and intermission refreshment stands, the fidgeting and talking. The live theatre industry? Harder to say. The excitement around opening nights, I suppose. Seasons that don’t have the word “virtual” in them. What is the one thing you will never take for granted again in the live theatre industry when you return to it? The importance of a group of people sitting together in the dark experiencing something together. Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. I hope last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests and the recent anti-Asian racism incidents have made the industry seriously question who runs theatres, who sits on theatres’ boards of directors, and how that affects the art form. Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry. Encourage and support more talented BIPOC writers to consider arts journalism and criticism. 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 as an audience member observing the theatre? It’s inevitable. I’ve already seen lots of COVID-related material on social media and in comedy – both sketch and stand-up. You have to address the elephant in the room. And some TV shows that have taped seasons after the pandemic began decided to set their show during the pandemic, showing proper health protocols, etc. I’m very curious to see how theatre artists respond. Back in December, the satiric Beaverton already predicted how painful this trend might be, with the headline: “Health Canada Warns of Inevitable Spring Wave of Terrible COVID-inspired Fringe play.” As with all things, it takes time for the full effect of an event to inspire original and lasting art. I think at first, audiences may be so exhausted and fatigued by the real thing that they may want to experience escapism. Personally, I’m looking forward to plays that don’t rely on traditional narrative. Like millions of others, I’ve watched a lot of film and TV over the past 14 months, and I want to engage with theatre that’s less story-based and more abstract and metaphor-based, stuff that doesn’t necessarily work well on Netflix. What specifically is it about your work that you want future readers to remember about you? People don’t have to agree with what I write, but I hope they feel I’ve been balanced and fair. To connect with Glenn Sumi on social media: Twitter: @glennsumi Instagram: @goaheadsumi Previous Next

Back The Man That Got Away (A Special Appearance) by Martin Julien Buddies in Bad Times Theatre HAUI Joe Szekeres An absorbing performance of a gutsy, complex individual who has lived life the way he wants in all its glory, its warts, and its divineness. This is my first time seeing Martin Julien in a live performance. Why have I waited this long? According to a release I received, ‘The Man That Got Away’ was developed in the Buddies Residency Program. It’s a “genre-subverting piece deconstructing the cabaret and confessional forms, delving into Julien’s queer upbringing as the child of a lesbian and gay man in mid-twentieth century Toronto, as well as the loss of his father to HIV/AIDS in the late 1980s.” There’s a great deal going on just in this description alone. Suffice it to say Julien took me on a deeply personal journey with him through a Toronto I remember reading about it in the papers and seeing the various stories on the news. As a young teacher at that time, I remember the tremendous heartache, the fear of the unknown and the personal suspicions about those deemed different which irreparably destroyed lives. Martin ably and heartfully captured these emotional highs and lows with respectful class and dignity. ‘The Man that Got Away’ took on a completely different meaning for me in hearing it from an individual who was there, who lost loved ones, and who will forever be changed by what he saw, heard, and encountered during the AIDS crisis. And as a member of this opening night audience, I was richer for listening to Julien share and sing his fascinating story about his family supported by two fine artists, Tat Austrie and Ben Page. Austrie played a vocally astounding Judy Garland while Page ably accompanied on the keyboard (and provided the odd voices from Julien’s past). ‘The Man that Got Away’ is not simply a cabaret piece. In his Playwright’s Notes from 2020, Martin writes he wanted both “to use and subvert the tropes of cabaret/nightclub/concert hall performance.” For me, the show is more than just that. It becomes a call to action to truly hear and listen to not only this story but all stories that are not like our own. Director Peter Hinton-Davis subtly directs with intimacy and compassion as he moulds and shapes Julien at various stages of his life that are sometimes moving, sometimes heartbreaking but most often always credibly real. Stephen Woodjetts’ musical arrangements are soundly placed at crucial points in Julien’s life as the song lyrics led me further into going deeper in understanding this complex individual. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard Judy Garland sing ‘The Man That Got Away’ from the 1954 film ‘A Star is Born’. Here, I found this rendition mesmerizingly haunting and permeated the auditorium walls and remained with me long after I got home. Sean Mulcahy’s starkly simple set design gripped my attention immediately. A lone spotlight hazily reveals a chair centre stage. It reminded me of those tv talk shows from the mid–late 1950s where the host smoked a cigarette and interviewed his guests. Bonnie Beecher’s full-on cabaret style of lighting at one point sets the stage fiery ablaze as Julien sings in a style that reminded me of Liza Minnelli’s rendition of ‘Cabaret’ in the Fosse film. HAUI’s striking video designs referenced, when necessary, the time frame or Julien’s state of mind at various points in his life. The press release also states, “while the play is deeply personal, the production grapples with broader questions of queer identity, struggle and history exploring the liminal spaces between the unobserved and the public, the closet and the stage, escape and encounter.” Once again, a great deal to ponder from my audience’s perspective on how I am to look at the subject material with an open mind, eye, and heart. The odd bits of humour especially in how Martin and his father used Broadway show tunes in their personal lives did make me smile and utter a low chuckle behind my mask as it did, according to Hinton-Davis’s programme note “described a time, distant and unrecognizable to another generation…we challenge and teach each other in the exchange.” Final Comments: An engaging performance, ‘The Man That Got Away’s’ success remains incumbent on us to listen to other voices, to hear their stories, to digest and to think really about what is most important in life. For Martin Julien, he’s lived life the way he wants in all its glory, its warts and its divineness. I respect that truly. Running Time: approximately two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission. ‘The Man That Got Away’ (A Special Appearance) runs until December 18 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto. For tickets, visit buddiesinbadtimes.com or call the Box Office at (416) 975-8555. ‘The Man That Got Away’ (A Special Appearance) by Martin Julien A Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Production Director: Peter Hinton-Davies Musical Arrangements and consultation: Stephen Woodjetts Assistant Director and Dramaturge: Monice Peter Stage Manager: Fiona Jones Set and Costume Design: Sean Mulcahy Lighting Designer: Bonnie Beecher Video Design: HAUI Sound Design: Wayne Hawthorne Performers: Martin Julien, Tat Austrie and Ben Page Previous Next

Back Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Talk is Free Theatre (TIFT) at the Neighbourhood Food Hub at Glen Rhodes Campus Roman Boldyrev Joe Szekeres Clocking in at 3 hours and 30 minutes for opening night and told by an extraordinary cast, this ‘Sweeney Todd’ remains a monumental marathon of operatic song, dark satire, black humour, and ultimate revenge. Remember, it’s ‘Sweeney Todd’. The story can’t be told and unfold quickly. Keeping Covid protocols in place and ensuring safety for all audiences, TIFT ensures each performance is limited to 44 members. This was an extremely smart decision Director Mitchell Cushman made because I still got the sense a grand tale was being told to me although the setting in each of the rooms is minimalist. As we moved around the building, the audience becomes immersed fully in the action of the story. At one point, there is brief audience participation. A reminder to future audiences to make sure you wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking up and down staircases, and you may be asked or signalled to stand at the back of certain rooms of the Neighbourhood Food Hub at Glen Rhodes Campus. As the night settles and darkness envelops both inside and outside, stairwells are appropriately lit by ushers who ensure everyone is safe walking up and down stairs but remember to pay attention in doing so. What was reassuring was the fact the ushers and actors (while maintaining character) didn’t rush us from each room. The time is 1845. From TIFT’s website: “It is here we meet Sweeney Todd (Michael Torontow) whose real name is Benjamin Barker. Todd uses his new alias to resume work in his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett’s (Glynis Ranney) struggling pie shop after being wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment by the corrupt Judge Turpin (Cyrus Lane). After swearing vengeance against the judge that tore his family apart, Todd and Lovett plot a unique plan that helps them both and leads them down a dangerous, thrilling path with deadly consequences.” I saw the New York revival several years ago with Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone as the infamous duo. What worked so well in that minimalist production? The cast played their own musical instruments and director John Doyle maintained the musical’s sense of grandiosity throughout. The New York production worked fine for me, but I felt distant from the action of the story from my seat in the house. This didn’t happen in TIFT’s production. I was mere inches away from some of the actors which truly fascinated me to be up this close. As we enter the building, Joel Cumber (billed as Ensemble) sits outside begging for money or scrap morsels. He wears ripped jeans, a torn jean jacket, unwearable sneakers, and a ripped t-shirt with backpack at his side. Hmmm. Okay…isn’t this a period piece? Without spoiling the reason for Cumber’s costume, let’s just say it all cleverly comes full circle at the end of the production. Did it work for me? Yes!!!! I heard myself gasp when it became clear. Before we enter the Sanctuary, we are instructed to sit where we see a lace tablecloth draped over the pew. We enter the Sanctuary where the setting sun casts an eerie glow of red and orange throughout the room. Immediately, members of the company are standing and posing on the pews like wax figures from Madame Tussaud’s. They are clothed in period costumes. Their faces with just the right touches of makeup have that look as if they have seen something awful which I’ve never experienced. There is another worldliness in their eyes and other than faces different from mine. When the klaxon sounds at the top of the show… Wow! These ghostly figures then come to life and sing ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’ with such deep vibrancy of a sound from a long time ago that gave me goosebumps. My eyes darted around the room to see what each of the actors was doing. And here’s where it is fitting why TIFT (or Mitchell Cushman) decided to stage the production in this building. Sweeney appears at the front of the sanctuary with ‘Unto you is a born a Saviour-Christ the Lord’ right behind him. Torontow’s intense profundo vocals combined with a frightening gaze of terror in his eyes juxtaposed with the loving Gospel message behind becomes a key visual element of horror. Again, I say Wow! There is so much to admire about this production. Laura Delchiaro’s costume designs splendidly capture the era so well from filthy dresses to torn sweaters. Nick Blais’s lighting design hauntingly heightens the sense of dread and fear that hovers in the air. I was impressed with some of the period props Kathleen Black found, in particular the feather pen and ink Sweeney uses in the second act. Cameron Carver’s choreography remains sharp and purposeful, especially in staging some of the Greek chorus numbers commenting on the play’s action. ‘City on Fire’ comes to mind. Dan Rutzen’s sensational Music Direction remains one of the highlights of the production. Another wise decision was made to have four musicians as the focus then becomes the story and the song. It was truly gorgeous and marvellously enchanting to hear these vocals reverberate in the Sanctuary. Two of these numbers were Griffin Hewitt’s (Anthony Hope) singing of ‘Johanna’ and ‘God, That’s Good!’ at the top of Act 2. Because I know the show, I knew what each of the characters was singing; however, there were moments when I couldn’t hear some of the lyrics so someone who doesn’t know the show may not catch everything. Cushman’s successful vision of creating a human connection in this immersive ‘Sweeney’ remains consistently visible. Here’s where the immersive element fabulously works because eye contact between actor and audience member becomes that much stronger. Michael Torontow becomes a ferocious and voracious Todd, hellbent on revenge. His ‘My Friends’ in that intimate room holding with shaving blade so tenderly with audience members around still haunts me as I write this. There are moments where we do see Sweeney has been deeply hurt by what has happened in his previous life. Watch Torontow’s body language before Ranney sings ‘By the Sea’. Just watching Glynis Ranney as Mrs. Lovett, I finally realized the extent of her character arc. She must be everything to everyone – a mother figure, a confidant, a schemer, a ‘supposed’ lover, a caretaker, an accomplice to murder. Ranney powerfully packs believable, realistic emotions in each of these scenes. Her ‘Worst Pies in London’ is wonderful comic gold, especially in the way she beats the dough each time she punctuates a note. So good. Cyrus Lane believably and shockingly reveals the madness of Judge Turpin quite disturbingly (which is how it should be). During his self-flagellation scene, Lane’s controlled but highly accentuated work made me close my eyes quickly as he believably uses the whip on himself while the ensemble behind the plexiglass window realistically provides the whipping sound. A third wow factor. Andrew Prashad’s The Beadle becomes just as terrifying as Turpin. The look on Prashad’s face and in his eyes when he kills the bird in the cage caught my eye while someone standing next to me inhaled in shock. As the Beggar Woman, Gabi Epstein demonstrates her impressive vocal range when she sings ‘Alms, Alms for a miserable woman.’ She locked eyes with me at one point and the inherent sadness emanating from them proved just how focused Epstein was at that moment. Memorable. Lovebirds Johanna and Anthony Hope (Tess Benger and Griffin Hewitt) provide some relief from all the intensity and mayhem until she is captured and taken to an asylum. Benger’s ‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’ sung from the Sanctuary balcony lovingly soars to the rafters. Their comic duet ‘Kiss Me’ beautifully becomes delightful. Another wonderful bit of much-needed humour is Jeff Lillico’s playfully haughty shyster Adolfo Pirelli who confronts Sweeney Todd on who the better barber is (until we learn of Pirelli’s secret). Lillico punctuated those moments with precise intention in each word sang. As the sidekick to Pirelli at the beginning, Noah Beemer’s dutiful ragamuffin Tobias Ragg sweetly tugs at the heartstrings in the duet ‘Not While I’m Around’ with Ranney, but that all the changes while the course of events spirals quickly downward. Final Comments: I’ve read so much about Talk is Free Theatre over the last couple of years of the pandemic about the company’s ingenuity to tackle well-known theatrical works and present them in new ways. I never got the chance to see last summer’s ‘Into the Woods’ which took place in the woods in Barrie. I didn’t want to miss what the company had planned this summer. Talk is Free refreshingly presents ‘Sweeney Todd’ uniquely, resourcefully, and grandiosely. Worth a trip to see it. Running time: 3 hours and 30 minutes. Covid protocols in place. Only 44 audience members each performance. Show runs to July 3 at the Neighbourhood Food Hub at Glen Rhodes Campus, 1470 Gerrard Street East, Toronto. For tickets, visit tickets.tift.ca or call 1-705-792-1949. SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Book by Hugh Wheeler Presented by Talk is Free Theatre Director: Mitchell Cushman Music Director: Dan Rutzen Choreographer/Associate Director: Cameron Carver Set and Properties: Kathleen Black Lighting Designer: Nick Blais Costume Designer: Laura Delchiaro Musicians: Samuel Bisson, Gemma Donn, Stephan Ermel, Dan Rutzen Cast: Michael Torontow, Glynis Ranney, Noah Beemer, Tess Benger, Joel Cumber, Gabi Epstein, Griffin Hewitt, Jeff Lillico, Andrew Prashad Previous Next

Back Duff MacDonald Canadian Chat Grant Landry Joe Szekeres I’ve seen Duff MacDonald’s name over the last few years in theatre programmes and through some of the social media websites. His name sounded familiar to me, and I soon figured out where I recognized it. I saw him play in the first Canadian company of ‘Les Misérables’ at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra. Duff was also part of the first National Touring production of ‘Les Mis’ in 1989-1990. Duff also played "Eamon" in the recent Grand Theatre (London ON) and RMTC (Winnipeg) productions of ONCE. According to his bio, Duff proudly hails from the Saskatchewan prairie land. He has recorded albums and sang in many venues across Canada and the United States ranging from coffee houses to large auditorium venues. He is proud of the training he has received. He obtained a full scholarship to go to North Dakota State University to study opera. He also studied at Vancouver’s Gastown Actor’s Studio and private studies in Acting with June Whittaker, Linda Darlow and Uta Hagen. Duff has also completed voice-over work in commercials. He has been seen in film and television roles like the recent LOCKE AND KEY (Netflix), CARTER (CTV Drama Channel), GOOD WITCH, TITANS (Netflix), CLAWS OF THE RED DRAGON, Incorporated (SyFy), Tru Love (Winner of 35 Worldwide Film Fest Awards), Cinderella Man, Foolproof, The Music Man and most recently in the nation-wide spot for AMERICAN EXPRESS/AEROPLAN and BOSTON PIZZA as the gold Professional Sports Trophy Model. We conducted our conversation via Zoom as Duff lives in St. John’s Newfoundland, at this moment. Thank you so much for the great conversation and laughter, Duff: Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me about one teacher or mentor in your life for whom you are thankful and who brought you to this point in your life as a performing artist. I am very grateful for a number of people in my life who brought me to this point in my life as an artist. In the beginning, in my small town of Watson Saskatchewan, there was this lady named Jean, and she played the piano. She took me on. She was best friends with my mother and father for years. Both my mother and Jean were teachers. I just remember going over to Jean’s house and her teaching me a lot about music and singing and singing some old classic tunes. She was always the woman who was coaching me through all of that early stuff. Later on, I became part of ‘Saskatchewan Express’, a teen talent competition and I won and became part of this group of performers similar to “Up with People’. We toured all over Saskatchewan and I learned so much in the early 80s when I was 16 from all of those musicians. We had a 12-piece band behind us, and we had dancers; it was a big production sponsored by the lotteries. The woman who ran that, Carol Gay Belle, who worked for the CBC, she was also a huge influence on me as a kid in my teen years. I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level? Oh boy, that’s a big one. Initially, it was a shock as it was with everyone. I was just about to go away and do a show. Personally, I did a full pivot turn. We performers spend a lot of time on our own, and as a writer and painter, I have a lot of different creative outlets. So, right away, the first thing I did was turn to my creative side and that really saved me during most of Covid until I ran out of projects. I produced a web series with a friend (check it out on Duff’s personal web page), two of them actually, a comedy series and another web series where I was interviewing people from all over the world. That brought me a lot of joy and peace in checking in with people around the globe and gaining a global perspective on what was exactly happening in our country and other countries. This really helped me to check in because the media was going crazy, but when you talk with other people in other countries, one on one, it really changed my whole view of everything and cut out all the crap the media was feeding us. I became grateful personally. I had my own apartment; I was in seclusion. I didn’t have a family; I wasn’t attending school. Everything just stopped for me, and I turned into a creative monster (and Duff says this with a good laugh). How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally? Well, they’re synonymous for me as an artist because I’m self-employed so everything is melded together. As an artist, it encompassed so many things for a lot of us. The rug was pulled out from all of us, but as artists, we’re very dependent on the community, the audience. That’s our living. When that disappeared, it really affected me but I used that artistic talent as a way of survival and it changed everything and started to focus on that. Also, my technical skills and my game went up about ten notches because artists were all forced to audition in our own homes, with our own lighting and our own camera. Luckily, I had done my comedy web series called ‘The Duff Show’ and learned so much about filming myself with green screen. So when auditions were coming up where they were doing live one on one Zoom calls, it didn’t shock me as much as some. My technical and voice-over side that all went up. My agent didn’t worry about me technically because he knew that I had seemed to have everything in order. Tell me further about ‘No Change in the Weather’ opening in St. John’s shortly. Are you hoping to bring it to Toronto after St. John’s? ‘No Change in the Weather’ …(and then Duff stopped for a moment to catch his breath and continued). I’m almost going to cry because it has been such a gift. The past couple of months were really, really hard even with the creative projects I had. After a while for me I kept wondering when I was going to get a job. I’d be so close to getting national commercials. I was starting to really doubt myself. I was away camping and got a call to audition for ‘No Change in the Weather’. I started looking into it and reading the script and doing some research as the play had been done previously. I saw there were some Ron Hynes music in the production. Ron is a Canadian institution on the East Coast, especially in Newfoundland. ‘No Change’ just came along out of nowhere and I got the job. Again, I put together a self tape, had all my equipment together. I had clips that I professionally recorded at the time. Everything just lined up and I had sung ‘Sonny’s Dream’ which is a Ron Hynes song in another show before, and I was auditioning for the character of Sonny. So it was a really sympatico moment where it all happened really fast as they were only looking for a few people. I’m part Irish, and Newfoundland has deep Irish roots here. ‘No Change in the Weather’ is the story of a family that comes home for their mother’s wake and to celebrate her loss and her life. They all come together on an island called God’s Pocket. The family doesn’t want the wake to be a downer so they’re trying to celebrate their mother. And then I show up as Sonny, and I haven’t seen anyone in 20 years as Sonny works for the government. There is a connection to the Churchill Falls political incident and blunder. I represent the political side of the show, and everyone has a lot of disdain for my character. It’s a beautiful story of this family coming together and finding a place of peace amongst all the craziness. It’s funny, it has some great Newfoundland tunes, some Alan Doyle and Ron Hynes music, some really classic Irish music. It’s full of heart and laughter. It really has been a gift for me and for the company. There are beautiful voices, and the talent in the production. The production is different from ‘Come from Away’ as this is Newfoundland people. It’s quite a bit different from ‘Come from Away’ as ‘No Change’ deals with the political slant, and it’s got some real Newfoundland heart. Bob Hallett, one of the members of Great Big Sea is Executive Producer of the show. Our director is Brad Hodder who is going to be in the Mirvish production of Harry Potter when it opens next year in Toronto. Steve Ross, who has completed 18 seasons at Stratford, is in the show with me. (Note: a profile of Steve Ross can be found through OnStage). These are only a few heavy hitter artists in the show as there’s more in the cast and it’s going to be a good show. It runs at the CAA Theatre in Toronto on Yonge Street and blow everyone away. We’re just performing ‘No Change in the Weather’ in St. John’s Newfoundland from November 12-14 as a tester and we come to Toronto November 19-27, 2021. In your opinion, do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last 18 months? I really do. There were some theatres that took the proverbial ‘bull by the horns’ and embraced this challenge and clicked in right away to continue connection to audiences. Some went virtual right away. I have a friend who lives in Texas who filmed a whole play virtually. The actors were not all in the same place. They were filmed separately and edited together to look like they were all in the same room. $20 was charged for the link to see the show, and they made some cash. That theatre wasn’t waiting around waiting for things to start up. The theatre scene has changed and I hope it doesn’t stay this way at half capacity. Ontario just went full capacity so fingers crossed, but what has happened is that theatres realized they can make money virtually: ‘Diana: The Musical’, ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Come from Away’ are the first three examples that come to mind. I think theatres are realizing that some want theatres to be live for them and as you and I know, Joe, there is nothing like that in the world. Nothing beats live. But, there’s also that clientele who can’t attend live theatre and can afford $200.00 tickets. Filmed productions of live musicals are getting pretty good, and there are those who would like to see it as well but can’t afford to go live. I hope it doesn’t go back to zero capacity but theatres are thinking things through. Look at Stratford with the outdoor tents. I think theatres will be a little more prepared for things now that we are slowly emerging from Covid. What excites/intrigues/fascinates/interests Duff MacDonald post Covid? Oh, wow! (and Duff and I have a good laugh at his initial response) Well, I’m fascinated by the human condition and how people operate under the conditions we’ve been under and how we’ve adjusted and not adjusted. I’m also fascinated by the strength of the human spirit. So many things happened during the pandemic – Black Lives Matter, Juneteenth, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but we persevered through it all and learned some important lessons. Things won’t be the same ever again, but I’m fascinated by how things have to be taken to the extreme in order for humans to learn. It’s incredible how hard we have to fight to get what we want and get to where we want – and we’re still doing this, really Saskatchewan? really, Alberta (Duff is making reference to the Covid numbers in both provinces) What excites me are the possibilities of what we can do. What disappoints/unnerves/upsets Duff MacDonald post Covid? Stupidity (and Duff and I share a good laugh again) and no lack of logic. Where does Duff MacDonald, the artist, see himself going next? Like I said, I’ve been really trying to up my game. I see myself being better. I want to be as good as I can possibly be. As every audition come through, I want to do my best. If I don’t get the job, at least I know I did my best. Everything else is out of my control. I believe that’s the mantra of my industry. Where does Duff MacDonald, the person, see himself going next? Uh….(and Duff starts to laugh again) it’s so hard to separate the Duff artist and the Duff person. It’s so hard…as a person I’d love to care less MORE. (and Duff laughs again.) I’m in my 50s (almost 55), so when you hit your 50s, it’s I don’t give a shit, I don’t give a fuck. I wanna care less about what people think MORE. RAPID ROUND Try to answer these in a single sentence. If you need more than one sentence, that’s not a problem. I give credit to the late James Lipton and The Actors’ Studio for this idea: If you could say one thing to one of your mentors or favourite teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be? Well, that’s kinda obvious. “Thank you.” If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be? (Duff laughs) “Fuck you.” It’s part of my performing artist mantra in not giving a shit. What’s your favourite swear word? (And another good laugh from Duff) Actually, I like, and it’s a bad one…by the way, Joe, are you able to print these words? Okay, here it is. It’s a strange thing, but I always say, “Cock!” I ended up on a tv show and that was a line we had to say. The other character had to say, “Cock and balls!” But for me, for some reason, it’s “Cock!” What is a word you love to hear yourself say? It’s actually an Italian word, and when Italians pick up the phone and say (And Duff, in his best Italian on the spot, says): “Pronto!” I don’t know why, I just love saying the word: “Pronto”. What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say? Well, it’s two words: “I can’t” What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you? “Hang on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride” (and Duff says it again this time in an on-the-spot Bette Davis with an imaginary cigarette between his fingers). And then make sure your readers know they can watch my comedy show live, “The Duff Show” and see me do it live. With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years as an artist, what would you now tell the upcoming Duff MacDonald from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career? Oh… take more dance classes and study more. Study music more extensively. What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally? Professionally, I’m also a writer and would love to have one of my scripts produced. Personally, I would like to be independently wealthy. (and another laugh from Duff) Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while. Hmmm…one moment…I would have probably stayed in ‘Les Misérables’ another year. The show was on its way back to Toronto after touring. I was offered another year and I said, “No”. Because I was a cocky 22-year-old. Can you imagine I said that? Who says “No” to another year of full-time work in “Les Mis”? Little idiot, me. What will Duff MacDonald not take for granted ever again? Oh, boy, it just hit me (and I could tell Duff was tearing up). My parents. Yep. Would Duff MacDonald do it all again if given the same opportunities? No. Completely, I call it divine order. Everything that happened, happened for a reason and put me where I am. I totally believe good and bad it all brought me to this place, and I’m talking to you, Joe. To follow Duff at Facebook: @duffmacdonaldmusic, Twitter: @DuffMacDonald and Instagram: @duffmacdonald To learn more about Duff, visit his webpage: duffmacdonald.com Previous Next

Back Irene Sankoff and David Hein Self-Isolated Artist --- Joe Szekeres When it is safe to return to the theatre, and we will (sorry to disagree, Dame Judi Dench), if you have not gone to see the extraordinary ‘Come from Away’, make it one of the shows you definitely must attend. I know I would like to see it again. Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s apres 9/11 story of hope, of kindness, and of generosity is one that resonates with me in an emerging post COVID world now more than ever. Amid the statistics and the confusion of this coronavirus time, I know there are stories out there of front-line workers who have instilled hope, shown kindness, and born generosity of spirit. I had the good fortune to see the show three times: twice in Toronto (and once with the Canadian cast) and the New York/ Broadway company. Many thanks to Irene and David who were extremely kind and generous to participate in this interview when they have so much going on in their lives right now. How have you and your family been keeping at this over three-month isolation, and now with a slow re-emergence? IRENE: We’ve remained healthy. Not sure how with so many people we know having been hit by this wretched virus, but so far, we’re okay. We’re grateful for what we have and try to stay aware of our privilege. And wear our masks when we’re out near others but mostly stay home. I really miss my life from The Before Time. It was all gone so quickly, y’know? DAVID: We had been living in New York but have driven back with our daughter and two cats and renting a place – and we’re only now sorting out where we’ll be going forward. We’ve been trying to keep an eye on our five CFA companies who are all out of work – not just the onstage team, but the box office, front of house, crew, etc. And we’ve been trying to do some good, donating, buying a 3D printer for makers to make face shields and delivering them. What has been the most challenging and difficult for you and your family during this time? What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy? IRENE: In the early days it was fear over the outbreak at my Mom’s Long-Term Care Home. We spent a lot of time sourcing and delivering PPE as well as coming up with ways to keep the staff and residents’ spirits up, whether it was having food delivered or doing impromptu performance art outside the building. Now that the outbreak has resolved (knock on wood) I’m missing the community I had in NYC, as they drift away from that city and all over the map. I spend a lot of time texting or video chatting with them. So - keeping busy has not been a problem. Work has not slowed down (I know, I’m surprised too – and grateful). And then there’s the education and entertaining of our six-year-old. She is used to a lot of programming and stimulation, having lived the last three years in Manhattan. But she is LOVING being here – and running in and out of the house and hopping on and off her bike and making friends with kids across the street or over a fence while yelling “6 feet back!” DAVID: We’re surprisingly really busy. Between homeschooling our daughter and figuring out where we’ll live next, we’re doing interviews and as many benefits as we can, trying to raise some money or cheer on front line workers – many of whom are our friends. But we’re also doing work in film and television – and everyone in those fields seems to see us as writers at home with nothing to do – so there’s suddenly a lot to do! We’ve been working on the ‘Come From Away’ movie, a TV project, and a couple of other irons in the fire. In your estimation and opinion, do you foresee COVID 19 and its results leaving a lasting impact on the Canadian and North American performing arts scene? DAVID: I don’t think there’s a way that it won’t – it’s been so challenging for every theatre company, performers, all our crew members – not being able to work. And at the same time, I hope that some writers out there – the ones without six-years-old to homeschool – are writing the next great Canadian musical. Or just recharging and being good to themselves, so that when it makes sense, they can write the next great Canadian musical! Zero pressure to be productive during this. But long term, I know that theatre will come back – our producers are determined that “Come From Away” will return – and its message of resiliency and coming together in response to a tragedy feels even more relevant now. IRENE: Yes. I definitely think COVID will have a lasting impact. You can’t come out of a moment like this unchanged, both metaphorically and practically speaking. I’m mercifully (for all involved) not on the business side of things - but when I speak to those who are, they are cautiously optimistic about the long term. They are constantly running through options and worst-case scenarios and running task forces, and I try not to bother them too much because I don’t know how they do it. Do you have any words of wisdom to build hope and faith in those performing artists who have been hit hard as a result of COVID 19? Any sage and wise words of parental advice to the new graduates from the theatre schools regarding this fraught time of confusion? IRENE: I’ve always been a big fan of having a Plan B. I always had more than one and lived them for a long time. It gave me income, insight into humanity, and knowledge that I then used in my artistic pursuits, as well as confidence that there were many things I could do to earn a living. So, I was never desperate and always had the ability to walk away if I wasn’t happy in a situation. It also gave me friends who weren’t in the arts who could advise on life matters and who could frankly afford to come and support our shows. So, this seems like a great time to go to your Plan B. What else can you do? I’m not saying to give up, not one bit, but you’re going to have to be creative about HOW you are going to keep going while there’s nothing to go to. What else can you do right now to keep yourself fed, and to keep yourself learning so you’re not burnt out by the time this is all over? (Also, I don’t think it will ever really be ‘over’. But I’d love to be wrong about that). Before COVID, it was predicted that people would have 7 different careers in their lifetimes. Not jobs, careers. As people in the arts, we shouldn’t think we’re exempt from that. David and I are each on our third, maybe fourth careers? And that’s before COVID. DAVID: I obviously, often think about Newfoundland and what a hard place it can be to live – the winters are awful – it’s literally a rock in the ocean, the fisheries failing – all of that. But the people there have responded by becoming some of the best people in the world – kind, generous to both neighbors and strangers, and brilliant musicians and storytellers. Each winter, they get stuck inside, and they’ve learned to overcome them by coming over to each other’s kitchen parties and telling stories and singing songs – and making sure their community survives together. So, I think there’s hope that we can learn from this moment and become better. And to the graduates – many of whom were born during 9/11 and are now graduating during this – you have an incredible, unique story to tell – and that story and this time will bond you together as a group. Find the people you love who you’ve studied with and make art that you love. That’s what we did. Worst case scenario: you’ll have enjoyed the process. Do you foresee anything positive stemming from COVID 19 and its influence on the Canadian and North American performing arts scene? DAVID: I think the pressure it’s putting on the system is exposing so many inequalities, which is painful, but acknowledging those issues and working together to find solutions is positive. We’re already seeing new theatre companies being founded to share unheard voices and we’re excited about the art that this moment in the Black Lives Matter movement will create – which as allies, we are trying to educate ourselves on and work to support. IRENE: COVID has shown so many cracks in the way things were all along it’s dizzying. But the positive side of that is we can look to ways to change during this pause. Inequalities in healthcare and education and access to technology are painfully more pronounced. That’s why performing arts schools all have students who look the way they do – not a ton of racial and/or socioeconomic diversity. And women are being squeezed out of professions again not just in theatre, but elsewhere as well, as men usually make more money so their jobs take priority, and child-rearing and domestic management still tend to fall to women somehow. I’ve had so many friends, in arts, science, business and even healthcare say something along the lines of “how did I become a 1950s housewife?!” Wait…I was supposed to stay positive. Oops. I’ve spoken with some individuals who believe that online streaming and YouTube presentations destroy the theatrical impact of those who have gathered with anticipation to watch a performance. What are your thoughts and comments about the advantages and/or values of online streaming? Do you foresee this as part of the ‘new normal’ for theatre as we move forward from COVID 19? IRENE: I have no idea. If it is all going to be about streaming, I better learn how to use the TV. Although, I do have a kid. Isn’t that why people have kids? So, they can change the TV channel? They don’t even have to get off the couch anymore. Back in my day, you had to walk all the way over to the TV. DAVID: I don’t think anything will replace live theatre – that feeling of your heartbeat synchronizing with the audience members around you. But if theatergoers want to watch theatre right now on their computers, how can you blame them? And why would you discourage it? If you don’t want to watch it, don’t –there’s already theatres working out how to do live theatre with socially distanced seating, or in front of your house, or by phone or zoom – but I don’t have an issue with streamed theatre – the more theatre the merrier! What is it about the performing arts you still adore that will never be destroyed by COVID? DAVID: We stand at the back of the house at Come From Away and we watch the show, but we also watch the audience. I love hearing a thousand people laughing at once or hearing them all sigh together – or cry together and then pass Kleenexes down the row. There was that article about how everyone’s hearts start to sync in rhythm within a theatre. It’s such a gift to get to witness people coming together in a shared experience – which is really what our show is about – and I can’t wait till we can return. IRENE: I’m not sure I adore this, but somehow, from the very beginning and no matter where in the world we’ve been, David and I have always ended up writing cramped in the middle of the night on a closed toilet seat in a bathroom, one of us seated on the edge of the tub if there was one. There was no tub at the Broadway theatre, but everyone knew the bathroom in the stage manager’s office was where we worked. And lo and behold, we’re working in a cramped bathroom again right this minute. Apparently COVID can’t destroy that. But seriously, a line from ‘Carousel’ comes to mind that gives me hope. This isn’t quite it, but the sentiment is right: “As long as there is one person on Earth who remembers, it isn’t over yet.” With a respectful acknowledgment to ‘Inside the Actors’ Studio’ and the late James Lipton, here are the ten questions he used to ask his guests: What is your favourite word? DAVID: When I was a kid it was “Hawaii” – I’d say it over and over again even though I’d grown up in Saskatchewan and had never been there. With ‘Come From Away’, when we had to travel to meet our Australian company, we stopped there and it became our daughter’s favorite place – primarily because of the stray cats, so it’s as good a word as any. I also love the word “kindness” both for its practice and that it implies a “kinship” or “similar kind” with another person – recognizing our similarities rather than our differences. IRENE: Roller Coaster. What is your least favourite word? DAVID: This is such an only child word to pick – and I hate saying it to our only child too, but “No.” IRENE: Sprain. What turns you on? DAVID: A good Canadian self-deprecating sense of humour. IRENE: Surprising people. What turns you off? DAVID: People not listening, or not learning. I’m guilty of it too, plenty of times, but it drives me crazy. Also, when computers don’t work. It makes me crazy. IRENE: Ableism. ‘Isms’ in general. What sound or noise do you love? DAVID: Irene and my daughter’s laughter when they literally can’t keep it inside and it just burbles out. It’s my favourite sound ever. I spend a lot of time being goofy mostly so I can hear them laugh. IRENE: Rain. What sound or noise bothers you? DAVID: Chalkboard fingernails and my daughter crying. Or our cat, Gambo, “wowing” for breakfast at 5am. IRENE: Ignorant people talking. What is your favourite curse word? DAVID: Fuck. I also love the Newfoundlander’s “lard tunderin’ jaysus” though I never feel like it’s mine to use. IRENE: Fuck. Other than your current profession now, what other professions would you have liked to do? DAVID: I always wanted to be an animator or draw comics. Through Come From Away, I got to draw a backup Spider-Man story and I can’t wait to do another one. IRENE: Teacher. Being surrounded by small children. Is. The. Best. What profession could you not see yourself doing? DAVID: Oh man, there’s so many. Prime Minister since I’m terrible at decision making. Deep sea diver because I’m claustrophobic. Is scorpion zookeeper a thing? I might rather die. I have a lot of respect for all of those, but I couldn’t do them. IRENE: Teacher. There is no profession more underrated, underpaid and under-respected. Post-COVID I’d add ‘essential worker’. If Heaven exists, what do you hope God will say to you as you approach the Pearly Gates? DAVID: “Excellent, you and Irene came together. Glad you took your time.” IRENE: “You can dance the way you used to, and it won’t hurt a bit.” To learn more about any of the worldwide extraordinary companies of ‘Come from Away’, please visit www.comefromaway.com . Previous Next

Back 'among men' World Premiere by David Yee Factory Theatre Dahlia Katz Joe Szekeres Masterful storytelling and performance in Factory Theatre’s opening night world premiere of David Yee’s ‘among men’. To see mastery of the above-mentioned crafts intelligently adapted into a soulful production that left me wordless for a few minutes at the conclusion was exhilarating. It took me over an hour on the train ride home just thinking, remembering, and pondering how truly moved an audience member can be when a play is handled with such minute and detailed finesse in many technical components. The world premiere of David Yee’s ‘among men’ at Factory Theatre did just that. His richly charged script of striking poetic images and real human emotions remains with me as I write this article today. Directed with a consummate vision of grace, humour, and compassion by outgoing Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino coupled with passionate performances by Ryan Hollyman as poet Al Purdy and Carlos Gonzalez-Vio as Milton Acorn made the world of Canadian poetry become a personal living and breathing entity for me. I think it’s obvious I’m going to tell you to get to see this. It is 1959, Ameliasburgh, Prince Edward County, Ontario. Al Purdy and Milton Acorn are finishing an A-frame cabin on Roblin Lake. Many superficial scripted elements at times hinder the progress in completion of the A-frame which provides for some of the wonderful humour of the piece. Pay careful attention as Hollyman at one point tries to fix the cabin flooring. It’s a comical tour de force to watch. While trying to finish the cabin and through their discussion on the state of Canadian poetry in the coming modern era, we see Al and Milt speak about many of the issues related to writing in general and to poetry. Early in the play, Al anxiously waits for a letter regarding his sending a play to the CBC while later Milt has received an invitation to attend a conference in Kingston. An initial thought to begin. Playwright David Yee succinctly captured the humanity behind Purdy and Acorn. During my undergraduate years many moons ago, for some reason (possibly my naivete), I used to place poets and authors in the same category as performers. For me, these individuals were to be highly regarded because there was something extraordinary about these artists and the lives they lead. Thankfully, playwright Yee rightly nixes that idea. Pay attention all undergraduates who may place artists on a pedestal of high regard and adulation because we’re all flesh and blood flawed human individuals underneath. Director Aquino smartly never allowed the men’s imperfections to venture over the top. Respectively, Ryan Hollyman and Carlos Gonzalez-Vio viscerally reveal Al Purdy and Milton Acorn as two uniquely distinct true to life men who sometimes get rather graphic in their talk with each other as Gonzalez-Vio so aptly demonstrates at the top of the show. As Purdy, Hollyman superbly listens intently to this sexual rambling before flinging a nasty zinger back to Gonzalez-Vio which resulted in uproarious laughter from the audience. Rest assured though this production is not just mere flinging one-line insults back and forth a la Neil Simon’s Oscar and Felix and thank goodness for that. What made this opening night production so memorable for me is the fact both Hollyman and Gonzalez-Vio demonstrated a master class in focused listening to each other, hearing each other, and then responding in a genuine believability. These two gentlemen are naturally, fully, and completely grounded in their characters and made me believe every single uttered word in what was said and what was not said in those blissful moments of silence between them. Another touching element of this production was the definitive care taken by Aquino and Messrs. Hollyman and Gonzalez-Vio to show that, yes, grown men are humans who can and do experience traumatically emotional life impacts just as much as women. There is quite a heartfelt moment of male friendship in true master class performance downstage centre between the two that, for me, tugged at my heart strings as a hush filled silence of respect enveloped the auditorium. I truly did feel that synchronistic chemistry between the two performers at that moment. Joanna Yu’s stunning two level Set Design of the A-frame cabin is a marvel to behold. It is a work in progress resplendent in the odour of sweat, cigar stench that Gonzalez-Vio smokes and the drinks after drinks of whiskey and badly brewed coffee the two men consume. When I sat down in my seat, I didn’t open my notebook right away to write notes as I just wanted simply to revel in looking at this mammoth creation which Aquino noted in her audience address before the show began. The set is angled which provided perfect sightlines from my seat. There is a wood burning stove which amply is utilized throughout the play. Just slightly off-centre stage right is a table with bottles and other props of newspapers and stuff haphazardly thrown around. Up stage left balled up papers can be found in a corner haphazardly thrown there. A well-worn easy chair which probably should have been thrown out years ago is angled and placed right behind the table. There is a well-worn rug placed underneath the easy chair which probably should have been thrown out as well but adds character to the fact the cabin is that proverbial work in continuation. On stages right and left, props are hanging from strings which become part of the action. Yu’s costumes appropriately reflect the differing characters. Gonzalez-Vio’s Acorn wears a red lumber jack looking shirt with work dirty work pants. Hollyman’s Purdy wears what appears to be grey looking dress slacks, dress shoes and a white pinned striped show from what I could see. Michelle Ramsay’s Lighting Design warmly enclosed the playing space of the cabin akin to a natural light setting. I liked Christopher Stanton’s selection of aural newscasts that I heard during the preshow sounds as the audience entered. At one point I thought I heard elder Trudeau Pierre speak. From what I can recall, these newscasts of the sixties began to focus on Canada’s emergence on the world stage in key areas of culture. The song ‘Lonely Boy’ took on a new meaning for me as I left the auditorium. Final Comments: Nina-Lee Aquino concludes his tenure as Factory’s Artistic Director. There’s a line from the play I scribbled down in my book in the dark hoping I would be able to read it later: “A poem feels unfinished even when it is.” ‘among men’ doesn’t feel unfinished when it concludes. Yee’s script says what needs to be said. Instead, I’ll remember the line: “I remember it. I remember the good ones. ” Aquino, Hollyman, Gonzalez-Vio and the entire creative team conclusively and unquestionably reflect what needs to be said while performing a good one. Get to see this. Running time: approximately 100 minutes with no intermission. Production runs to May 15 at the Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, Toronto. For tickets, visit www.factorytheatre.ca or call the Box Office (416) 504-9971. ‘among men’ by David Yee Directed by Nina Lee Aquino Set and costumes designed by Joanna Yu Lighting by Michelle Ramsay Sound design and composer, Christopher Stanton Cast: Gonzalez-Vio, Ryan Hollyman Previous Next

Back Brad Hodder Canadian Chat Liz Beddall Joe Szekeres Augh!!!!!! I nearly ran out of time on the Zoom clock in chatting with artist Brad Hodder as there was so much I still wanted to ask him. Brad proudly talked about how his parents supported him and didn’t mind when he chose to pursue theatre professionally. He also had teachers in junior high and high school who encouraged him to pursue a path in the arts. He called himself really lucky and is very fortunate in his life that he met people along the way who helped him to this point in his career. Just looking at his resumé, I’ve seen several his performances at Stratford: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘An Ideal Husband’ were just three. Brad also was Assistant Director on two productions that were quite good: Groundling Theatre’s production of ‘King Lear’ and the Stratford Festival’s production of ‘The Crucible’. Brad has two upcoming productions at Mirvish this season that I am keen to see. In November, he is directing the musical ‘No Change in the Weather’ which opens at the CAA Theatre on Yonge Street November 19, 2021. And he will play Draco Malfoy in the all Canadian production of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ when it opens at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre on May 31, 2022. Brad and I conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you so much for your time: Since we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, tell me one teacher and one mentor in your life for whom you are thankful that brought you to this point in your life as a performing artist. Well, two of the same. I had a teacher in theatre school at the University of Alberta, my first year Acting Teacher, was a guy named Charlie Tomlinson. Big connections. Charlie’s family is originally from England, but he’s also lived in Newfoundland. Charlie’s father was at the Med School. Charlie was involved in the early days of CODCO here in the province in the 70s and 80s. I’d never met him before here in Newfoundland until I got to the University of Alberta. He had a profound influence on me, and we started a theatre company together here in Newfoundland that ran for ten years before I moved up to Ontario when I got into the Stratford Festival where I spent eight seasons. The other is Martha Henry who brought me to Stratford as part of the Birmingham Conservatory. I auditioned for Martha here in St. John’s when they were doing a national tour from the festival, and Charlie’s name was all over my resumé. When Martha was the Artistic Director of the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, Charlie ran the Second Space there. They had quite a strong friendship and he definitely put in a good word for me. So, Charlie was a strong teacher and Martha became a real champion for me and a real mentor. I learned a lot from her. I ran the Langham Program at Stratford under her as well. She cast me in the lead in ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ and gave me opportunities. I got to assist Robin Philips simply because of Martha before he passed away. I was his assistant on ‘Twelfth Night’ that he was directing. I spent six intense theatre weeks with Robin, but he too had a profound influence on me. I’m trying to think positively that we have, fingers crossed, moved forward in dealing with Covid. How have you been able to move forward from these last 18 eighteen months on a personal level? How have you been changed or transformed on a personal level? Well, we moved home to Newfoundland. I have a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old. We were living in Stratford and getting ready to move to Toronto for ‘Harry Potter’. When everything started happening, we made at the time a complicated decision to move back home to Newfoundland not knowing what’s going to happen. In hindsight it’s the best thing we ever did. That changed me that I’ve been home for nearly two years now with my family, my parents, my kids’ cousins, that kind of family time and recognizing (I know it sounds so clichéd, but everyone is so busy and things were happening so fast). Then when we didn’t have to be so busy and so fast, there was the reality that for all those opportunities I had in Stratford, I became Dad too. I was working six days a week in Stratford. I missed getting to go home in the summertime because I was at the Festival working. The kids and my partner would go home every summer for a month or six weeks but I couldn’t. Even at Christmas time, they could go home but I couldn’t because I started working at Groundling Theatre and we’d rehearse over the Christmas break. My time home at Christmas in Newfoundland was short, and my time home in the summer was non-existent. The silver lining during this time for me is being with my family, my kids, and my time to re-connect with Newfoundland which, I’m sure, Joe, you’ve heard from anybody that a connection with Newfoundland is a special place. It’s where work takes me away, but if it wasn’t for that I’m very happy in Newfoundland and it’s a great place to be. I have been transformed these last eighteen months. We were all on hamster wheels, and then all of a sudden, the hamster wheel stopped, and I started baking. I became one of those pandemic bakers and seeing what else I can do with sour dough discard, and how to laminate pastry. I’ve been running a lot. It’s been a good time. How have these last eighteen months of the pandemic changed or transformed you as an artist professionally? The art that comes out of Newfoundland, and the history of our art here is very different from anywhere else in Canada. The idea of a national theatre in Canada I’ve always found to be a little silly because each region is so large, and each region has such a different relationship with theatre history. The cultural icons from each region of Canada are different. The idea of a national theatre in Canada is a topic for another conversation. I’ve been very lucky. Very few people move to Newfoundland for work. There’s a company here called Terra Bruce that’s producing ‘No Change in the Weather’ that I’ll talk about shortly. Terra Bruce was doing a web series so I did a web series with them for a few months in the winter. Terra Bruce has a resident company so they’ve kept about 30 to 40 artists employed during the pandemic and paying them a weekly wage. We’ve got a building here where we’ve been rehearsing ‘No Change’. I also started a Chekhov reading group online with actors at the beginning of the pandemic and we’d meet once a week to reach each of the Chekhov plays, one act at a time. I led that until I ran away from all things online because it was feeding me the same way as live theatre and shows do. There’s been lots of work in Newfoundland, so I’ve come home. I’m working on this production of ‘No Change’ with people I went to high school with; we started out together in going to the theatre and making theatre together. Even though I lost touch with them, I’ve been reunited with them. My sister is doing the costume design for ‘No Change’. I did a movie here. I did a short horror film with my 12-year-old kid where I got to play the killer. I’ve never had the opportunity before. Professionally, I’ve been able to keep food on the table and the family supported. The dog (a rescue dog) gets really expensive dog food to help in digestion (and Brad and I share a laugh over this). I’m aware that so many of my friends have had to pivot and that has been big for them. For me, the biggest change was to leave Ontario with my family, but work wise I’ve been very, very fortunate and it’s not lost on me how lucky I am. It’s been nice to reconnect professionally with so many people here who I cut my teeth with. Getting to work with these people again has been a real, wonderful gift. In your opinion, do you see the global landscape of the professional Canadian live theatre scene changing at all as a result of these last 18 months? I think so. I think it has to. We’re already seeing it in the way we’ve been working here. For ‘No Change’, we’re rehearsing in mask; we’re singing in mask, and that in of itself has been a bit of a game changer. The way we build our rehearsal days, especially working on a musical, we’re building in there has to be time in the day for the room to air out. We can sing for 15 minutes out of the hour without masks on. Practical things have changed. Our rehearsal week has changed. We’re doing five days now instead of six days for this contract. We’re seeing what’s possible and how much time we have together. The rehearsal hall, to me, has to be a place where you can try lots of stuff. It’s safe and respectful. I love parameters and that’s a good thing, but some of these parameters that Covid has put us into can dull the creative impulse. So finding a way to create in these parameters is a challenge. I like the challenge of putting on a musical during this time. I’m really curious to the many social things that have been happening around us. What are the plays that will be here when we are fully back? Are we going to see a bunch of pandemic theatre? What’s going on with equality, and diversity and racialization in so many ways and how that informs our theatre. With theatre do we want to reflect back to audiences the way the world is OR the way the world could be? I don’t know where we go now because the world the way it now is might not be the way the world is going to be. But the world that it could be? It could be so many different things when coming out of pandemic and how difficult it is to get a positive message going globally. Theatre should be responding to the way the world is going around it. It should be for the people. I’m always weary of truth onstage, but LIFE, we want to see LIFE on stage. I still think I’m two years away of realizing how my life has changed right now. It’s emotional during rehearsals right now. In this long-winded answer, Joe, I hope the theatre is very different in a lot of ways in that it reflects all the things we want it to reflect. I was drawn to the theatre; it made a lot of sense to me so I hope we don’t lose that sense of safe space. Maybe we’re trying to open it up a lot more? How are rehearsals going for NO CHANGE IN THE WEATHER? What drew you to want to direct the story? Tell me about the characters and the artists playing them? How has this experience enriched you as an artist? What do you hope audiences will take away from NO CHANGE IN THE WEATHER? As director it’s a challenge. This is a show that they’ve had for a few years. It’s gone through a couple of incarnations and had a lot of work done on it. I was part of very little of it. I was going to be in the cast because I was a member of the resident company of this show. One day out of the blue I got a phone call asking if I would be interested in directing ‘No Change’. Before I moved to Stratford, I was doing a lot of directing than acting here in Newfoundland. When I was at Stratford, I was an actor and did the acting thing. But I have an interest in directing so I did the Langham thing towards the end of my time at Stratford. I started a small theatre company with Steve Ross. We would do late night one acts in the Art Gallery at Stratford, a midnight showing of a one act play for just a small, invited audience every night. I love directing. My insecurities as an actor leave me when I’m directing. When I think of a play, I never think of the part I want to play but the play I want to do. I often think I get hired as an actor, I love acting, but if someone told me tomorrow that I’m not going to be acting anymore, I’d be okay. I’m really curious and hungry about directing. I’m good at it and I want to do it. I enjoy it and I feel comfortable with it. It’s all positive stuff in directing. For me, this was an opportunity. I’m used to directing a couple of actors and no technical support, just to get a good play with a couple of good actors and tour it around. I love rehearsing. One of my goals as a director is how can we bring rehearsal on to the stage? How can we keep this living, breathing, thing of a play alive? Different directors approach that in different ways, and I’m still trying to figure that out. ‘No Change in the Weather’ has been a playground for me with this company that has such wonderful resources and support for its artists. The bells and whistles are here, and I was able to get the company of actors that I was really excited about. In its earlier form, ‘No Change’ was more sentimental and dramatic of a Newfoundland story. One of the things I wanted to do with Steve Cochrane’s adaptation of the story was turn it more towards a comedy and make it more of a farce. I just thought there was more strength in the story the adaptation wanted to tell. I thought the play is a lot funnier that people initially thought it was. Terra Bruce agreed to me wanting to work with the adaptor of the play and to be in control of the cast I wanted, and they were agreeable to that. I’ve a design team that complements the production extremely well. I feel like we’ve got really good people involved. One of the best things I’ve learned as a director is not working alone, but they have their people, they have a team. There was a sense years ago of the director as tyrant, the boss, the all knowing. I don’t run into that – the directors who excite me the most are very collaborative. The director needs the actor to help tell the story as opposed to the director who tells the actor how to tell the story. This process is almost like working on a new play. Getting these actors together and getting them to help me figure out the story – I love that process. I could stay in the rehearsal hall forever. For better or for worse, I’ve never directed a musical so this was just one of those things that is scary, but I should do it. There are lot of people involved whom I respect and I love, and I want to spend time with. It was something I got excited about – the challenge of it. There’s an ensemble resident company of actors here that I did this web series with This group of actors has been together for a year. Outside of theatre school, sometimes at the Festival, you get to work with one group of actors for 8 months to a year. It’s so rare when that happens. When you’ve got that group of people that I had here for a year, and now I get to create a play with them and complement them but filling out the company with other artists, but at the core there is this group of artists here that is of such value to me. ‘No Change’ is a real ensemble piece and it makes it hard to rehearse. Pretty much everyone is on deck the whole time so I can’t rehearse a small group if a dance rehearsal has been called. It’s not always easy, but this is a strong company and they’ve got a leg up since they’ve been together for a year, and I’m just fortunate they’ve accepted me as a director. The collaboration is there, the history is there. It makes the challenge easier but a lot more attractive. I hope audiences will leave ‘No Change in the Weather’ with having a laugh. It’s a comedy in the tradition of CODCO, even ‘Kids in the Hall’. Steve Cochrane who has done the adaptation has had a long history with sketch comedy. There’s a lot of Newfoundland music. There’s a political story at the heart of ‘No Change’ and the high drama surrounding The Churchill Falls blunder. Walter Schroeder, Executive Producer of Terra Bruce, fell in love with Newfoundland music and is passionate about the province and its artists. He is involved with the music he wants in the show, plus the story and politics he wants. There’s been a pretty collaborative and effective way of working with him. I hope the audience will see ‘No Change’ as a Newfoundland comedy but not the plaid shirt and rubber boots. A lot of Newfoundland jokes are old and have been told a lot. Like so many cultural stereotypes these jokes become stereotypes of themselves. We play with this and flirt with it but we’re trying to be aware this production is a Newfoundland comedy; a Newfoundland musical being created in 2021 and not relying on the Newfoundland tropes from 40 years ago. What intrigues Brad Hodder post Covid? Chekhov really intrigues me, and I want to direct. Obviously ‘Harry Potter’ is intriguing me at Mirvish and I’m looking forward to getting going on it. I’m really intrigued about what the next ten years will be like for my kids. I know that sounds cheesy, but I’m really curious about coming out of this pandemic and everything and what the next ten years will be like. 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 or favourite teachers who encouraged you to get to this point as an artist, what would it be? Thank you. If you could say something to any of the naysayers in your career who didn’t think you would make it as an artist, what would that be? Thank you (Brad says with a quick laugh and smile) What’s your favourite swear word? Fuck, but I’m told what I usually say is ‘Shitballs’. What is a word you love to hear yourself say? Satiated What is a word you don’t like to hear yourself say? Patronize because I never know which way to say it. What would you tell your younger personal self with the knowledge and wisdom life experience has now given you? You are enough. With the professional life experience you’ve gained over the years, what would you now tell the upcoming Brad Hodder from years ago who was just in the throes of beginning a career as a performing artist? Be patient and take your time. What is one thing you still wish to accomplish both personally and professionally? Professionally, I want to direct all of the Chekhov plays. It used to be the Shakespeare history plays but after so much Shakespeare, I now want to hang out with Chekhov. Personally, I want to have really good, good adult children. That’s something I keep coming back to. I just want to make sure they’re okay, and they’re making other people okay, and that they’re a force of good in the world. I aspire to give them love and hope each day, and I hope they will do the same to others around them. Name one moment in your professional career as an artist that you wish you could re-visit again for a short while. Playing Edmund in ‘King Lear’ at Stratford because I never feel like I got it. What is one thing Brad Hodder will never take for granted again post Covid? My family or my work and TIME. Would Brad Hodder do it all again if given the same opportunities? Yah, unfortunately (and Brad has a good laugh) I wish, Joe, I wanted to be an action movie star and I honestly think if I wanted something like that I could be rich and famous. I’ve always to do theatre in a small black box. To learn more about ‘No Change in the Weather’ in November, please visit www.nochangeintheweather.com . Brad will appear next year in ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ at Mirvish in May 2022. To learn more visit www.mirvish.com . Previous Next

Back 'Withrow Park' by Morris Panych Now onstage at Tarragon Theatre Now onstage at Tarragon Theatre Joe Szekeres “Quirky and mysterious, ‘Withrow Park’s’ surrealism asks of its audience if we are to settle for the ordinary routine, or is there more with the remaining time left in our lives? At times, the script is hilariously funny. Other times, it prods deep into an important understanding of our temporal existence in the here and now.” The lives of three 60-year-olds are forever changed when a handsome young individual in a wrinkled suit enters their lives. Arthur (Benedict Campbell) and Janet (Nancy Palk) have been divorced for a few years. They still live together for convenience’s sake in the same house Arthur’s late mother owned. A retired Social Studies teacher, Arthur announced he was gay. He is trying to find himself again amid all this upheaval in his personal life. Janet is ‘civil’ to her ex-husband, but her voice has an underlying tension. She has her own health issues to monitor. Janet’s sister, Marion (Corrine Koslo), also lives with them. She has her own emotional and personal issues and uses sarcasm to cope. She also doesn’t like leaving the house. She likes to read and is seen at her first entrance hugging a novel. Does she prefer not to confront reality and embrace make-believe? Before Janet and Arthur were married, he dated Marion for a bit before ending it with her and then dating her sister. Arthur, Janet, and Marion seem to pass the days by looking outside their living room window across the street at Toronto’s Withrow Park. They’re indifferent about things at this point in their lives. For example, Janet shops at the local market because they will have the same thing they’ve always had for dinner. There’s little menu variety. The three also pay attention to meaningless activities of ordinary park activities – children playing, dog walkers passing by, and people chatting. At the top of the show, an unknown voice knocks at the door to introduce himself as he’s new to the neighbourhood. We learn later this is Simon (Johnathan Sousa) who alters the course of events. Janet and Marion become smitten with his appearance and notice his wrinkled suit. During dinner, there are snippets where Arthur hints at his attraction to the young man. But there’s something mysteriously surreal about Simon that the ladies just can’t decipher when he’s invited to dinner. A clue without spoiling the revelation – a clever onstage visual dramatic technique catches the audience’s attention just before he can be seen through the window. Ken MacDonald’s set design catches the eye. The living/sitting room is comfortably detailed. There are three wing-tipped chairs just slightly off-centre stage. Two chairs face forward, and one is angled slightly. The living/sitting room windows are another focal point. The panes appear distorted. When one looks out the window, does he/she see what is occurring at any given moment? Offstage and up centre left, there is a dividing wall where the front door is not seen, but we can hear voices at the door. There appears to be a swinging door to indicate the kitchen. Another door indicates another room of the house. There appears to be a fallen tree hanging over the action in the beautifully decorated set, creating a sense of figurative and literal hopelessness, uselessness, and sadness. Kimberly Purtell’s, at times, shadowy lighting designs enhance the mystery of this captured moment in time. Jacob Lin’s 林鴻恩 sound designs and set change musical compositions fluidly maintain the unfolding plot. Playwright Morris Panych’s quirky, unconventional script of quick-witted banter and one-line zingers provides an appropriate juxtaposition to wondering if there’s more to life than just the ordinary, daily routine. Arthur, Janet, and Marion appear to be looking out through a distorted windowpane and seeing the world in a certain way. But Director Jackie Maxwell, in her Programme Note, writes something that caught my attention about this play. During the pandemic, she would take walks through Withrow Park and admire the ‘tall, imposing [houses] with rows of large windows. These windows fascinated me as both a person on the outside looking in, but also imagining what it would be like to be on the inside looking out.” Is ‘Withrow Park’ a pandemic play that people thought would be written about that time? Well, not really. Instead, Maxwell calls the play a revelation of a world behind windows she stared at while walking her circuit through the park—ergo, significant changes in the world that we thought we knew produced revelations. The revelations within ‘Withrow Park’ might just defy logical reasoning. They certainly make for good theatre. Maxwell's direction is imbued with an inquisitive and playful spirit that engages the audience. We want to learn more about Janet, Arthur, and Marion - three individuals who have grown tired of being mere observers and long to break free from their self-imposed isolation and engage with the world around them. They invite Simon to dinner, an inexplicable and metaphysical individual who makes them question and test what they think they know. The fine cast drives the story forward with gusto. As wisecracking Marion, Corinne Koslo’s spitfire one-line zingers are often hilarious. But there’s more to Marion than her ornery approach to spying on the neighbours, and Koslo beautifully underscores this about the character. The audience learns something about Marion that cuts deeply into the heart. Marion longs to connect meaningfully with another individual, and Koslo underscores this in her performance without reverting to emotionally saccharine tactics. Benedict Campbell and Nancy Palk are credible as the marital exes. The traditional gender roles were not observed in their arrangement and were reversed. Palk’s Janet is upfront and direct, perhaps something she has learned due to the marriage breakdown. For example, she bluntly comments on his inappropriate clothing attire before Simon arrives for dinner. And she’s right. He is dressed rather slovenly in a shirt that is far too large on him. Arthur has sheepishly returned home because he does not want to be alone when his lover, a pediatrician, leaves and heads to California for another man, a dog walker. Campbell thankfully does not portray the character as weak and submissive. Arthur learns to decide what he wants in life through Janet’s direct and forthright manner in dealing with issues head-on. By the end of the play, Arthur might now have grown fully as an active member of the relationship. Campbell appropriately sets the character on a journey to discover what he wants out of his life and where he wants to go in the remaining time he has left. Johnathan Sousa invests a soupçon dash of the absurd in his work as the mysterious Simon. When invited to dinner at the house, he appears a tad underdressed (thanks to Joyce Padua’s selection of the worn looking black Nirvana t-shirt design underneath his ‘wrinkled suit’). As the conversation over dinner and dessert continues, something about Simon’s conversation starter remains peculiarly offbeat. Sousa quietly goes along with that for the time being. There’s an impish grin on his face with a cock of his head to show that he is about to take a commanding presence over the events that follow. It is in the second act where the audience sees another side of Simon as the character breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience. It becomes an eye-opener, to say the least. And when Sousa does this, it does defy a sensible explanation. But it certainly makes for good theatre. Final Comments: As a 60 + year old who often wonders where things are headed both inwardly and outwardly, ‘Withrow Park’ at least lets me know that life still offers things to do that are out of the ordinary routine. Sometimes we must visit the odd and the peculiar in that uncertainty of life to have those AHA moments about who we are as we continue to grow in this short life we live. That doesn’t stop at any given age. 'Withrow Park' is most definitely worth a look. Running time: approximately one hour and 45 minutes. ‘Withrow Park’ runs until December 10 on the Mainstage at Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Avenue. For tickets, visit www.tarragontheatre.com . WITHROW PARK by Morris Panych Directed by Jackie Maxwell Assistant Director: Bryn Kennedy Set Designer: Ken MacDonald Costume Designer: Joyce Padua Lighting Designer: Kimberly Purtell Sound Designer and Composer: Jacob Lin 林鴻恩 Stage Manager: Sandy Plunkett Apprentice Stage Manager: Emily Cornelius The Cast: Benedict Campbell, Corinne Koslo, Nancy Palk, Johnathan Sousa Previous Next

Back ‘Room’ London Ontario’s Grand Theatre Dahlia Katz Joe Szekeres This ROOM bravely tackles traumatic issues with sensitivity and sincerity. Be aware this North American premiere of Emma Donoghue’s ‘Room’, which transfers to Toronto’s Mirvish Theatres in April, might trigger some individuals who have suffered psychological trauma. Placards found throughout the Grand Lobby and website guide those who may experience any significant reaction to call for assistance. With this warning, however, please, please don’t allow this to stop anyone from seeing such emotionally moving performances. Theatre lovers want to get back to experience these feelings. At least I know I do. On my bookshelf, I’ve got a copy of ‘Room’, and still, it sits there. I remember watching the film several years ago and wanting to read the book. Seeing this unique adaptation has now made me want to pull it from the shelf and start when I get home. Kidnapped as a teenage girl, Ma (Alexis Gordon) has been locked inside a purpose-built room in her captor’s garden for seven years. Her five-year-old son, Jack (played at this performance by Lucien Duncan-Reid) has no concept of the world outside what he calls ‘Room’ and happily exists being there with the help of Ma, her games, and his vivid imagination where Rug, TV, and Wardrobe are his only friends. Ma makes an intense decision for her and her son to escape and face their biggest challenge to date: to learn to exist and be outside Room. Entering the Spriet auditorium to take a good look at the stage was eerie, but it works soundly in this case. There was an unsettling buzzing and humming noise (it sounded like fluorescent ceiling lighting tubing). Lily Arnold’s set design effectively captured a claustrophobic visual look in the first act. The circular turning floor perfectly allows for excellent vantage points in Act One and functions extremely well with the prodigious turn of events in Act Two. Projection Designer Andrzej Goulding black silhouetted scrim with child drawings on stage right and stage left remind me what we are about to see comes from a child’s perspective. A large rectangular box visually looks down on the room where we can see the movement of the actors. Above the rectangular box is a drawing of what I thought was a child’s drawing of a window. We learn later it represents the skylight. When the story opens, that sickening claustrophobic tone of this purpose-built becomes intensely magnified. There is a toilet downstage left. A bathtub is located behind the toilet with the sink behind it. The wardrobe closet in which the young Jack sometimes sleeps or hides out is upstage far left. Downstage right is Ma’s bed (and sometimes Jack will climb in with her). A large rug is found down centre stage with the kitchen table just behind. There are cupboards behind and a bolted door with keypad up right serving as the entrance to the Room. Bonnie Beecher and John Gzowski’s Lighting and Sound Design fittingly and efficiently capture their respective tasks. Beecher’s stylized silhouettes continuously assist in building tension within the moment. Gzowski’s smart sound selections work extremely well, especially at pivotal dramatic highlights. A marvelous choice was made to incorporate music and song, so a huge credit of acknowledgment extended to Kathryn Joseph, Songwriter and Lyricist. I gleaned so much from listening to the lyrics and hearing the music surrounding the plot action on stage. Ms. Gordon’s vocal range soars in height in her song at the end of Act One and what has just occurred plot-wise made me gasp. It’s made clear in the program that ‘Room’ is not a musical by any means. The only slight quibble I did have was Gavin Whitworth’s music direction sometimes overpowered the singers and I couldn’t clearly hear some of the lyrics from where I sat in the balcony. I remember seeing the film ‘Room’ several years ago and was quite taken with the young Jacob Tremblay as Jack. In filmmaking, the action can be stopped for whatever reason. The same does not apply to live theatre so when I heard a stage production was in the works, I wondered what child actor could even attempt to maintain the stamina necessary for the role. And in an excellent decision creatively made, there is the young Jack and SuperJack, the elder, who can comment and deliver lengthy monologues. At this performance, an up-and-coming Lucien Duncan-Reid as Jack precociously took control of my heartstrings at key moments. As SuperJack, Brandon Michael Arrington suitably and bravely complements the youthful energy and physicality of the young Duncan-Reid in juxtaposition. In Act Two Arrington breaks the fourth wall twice momentarily and comes downstage to speak to the audience, and the visual effect is remarkable. The final tableau in Act Two with him, Duncan-Reid, and Alexis Gordon remains embedded in my mind even as I write this article the next day. Alexis Gordon is triumphant as Ma. Her range and display of emotional intensity remain consistently believable and naturalistic throughout. Never once did she venture over the top, not once, and all the while remaining in complete control of her being present in the moment. Wonderful. Supporting characters mirror optimally the highly charged fervency. Ashley Wright’s Old Nick is a greasy, sleazy slimeball. Tracey Ferencz and Stewart Arnott as Grandma and Grandpa poignantly reveal how their lives have also been terrifying changed on account of these horrific events of the last seven years. Shannon Taylor as the Interviewer and Popcorn Server strongly yet garishly shows the insensitivity of people who have never fully understood the devastating effects of trauma. Final Comments: Director Cora Bissett wrote in her Director’s Note of the Programme how she has returned to looking at the story through a whole new lens. She has changed as we all have over the last two years. Bissett writes about surviving through enormous uncertainty, holding onto the tiniest hope in the darkest of places, and finding strength in love even when one feels there is nothing left to give. Her enlightening vision for this ‘Room’ honourably does justice to Donoghue’s unforgettable story. ROOM is unforgettable. It is a stirring tale of the immeasurable resiliency of those who have suffered psychological trauma. See it. Running time: approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. ‘Room’ runs to March 19 at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre to March 19 on the Spriet Stage, 471 Richmond Street. To purchase tickets, visit www.grandtheatre.com or call the Box Office (519) 672-8800. It then opens at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre from April 5 – May 8, 2022. GRAND THEATRE, COVENT GARDEN PRODUCTIONS AND MIRVISH PRODUCTIONS present ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue Adapted for the Stage by Emma Donoghue Songs by Cora Bissett and Kathryn Joseph Directed by Cora Bissett Associate Director: Megan Watson Movement Coach: Linda Garneau Set and Costume Designer: Lily Arnold Projection Designer: Andrzej Goulding Lighting Designer: Bonnie Beecher Sound Designer: John Gzowski Music Director: Gavin Whitworth Stage Manager: Suzanne McArthur Fight and Intimacy Director: Siobhan Richardson Actors: Stewart Arnott, Brandon Michael Arrington, Lucien Duncan-Reid, Isaac Chan, Tracey Ferencz, Alexis Gordon, Shannon Taylor, Ashely Wright Previous Next

Back 'Uncle Vanya' by Anton Chekhov. Adapted by Liisa Repo-Martell Now onstage at Toronto's CAA Theatre Credit: Dahlia Katz. Tom Rooney as Uncle Vanya Joe Szekeres “A theatre dream has come back. I’m elated that this cast returns. This ‘Uncle Vanya’ piques majesty in its ordinariness.” I had seen this astounding production of ‘Uncle Vanya’ at Crow’s when it premiered over a year ago. When I heard it was returning a year later (after recent performances at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius), I wanted to revisit it to see if its emotional impact still hits as hard as it did. It still does, especially at the end. (except for that annoying cell phone alarm. Grrrr!!!) As I left the auditorium, an audience member remarked how ‘Uncle Vanya’ sometimes seems like a comedy. That thought had never crossed my mind. I sat with it, wondering if there was truth behind it. And there is. Liisa Repo-Martell’s solid adaptation of this Chekhovian classic with the original Crow’s cast finely highlights those comic moments because there is so much sadness within the lives of these characters. This Mirvish presentation deserves its singular review. The time is the waning days of Czarist Russia. Ivan “Vanya” Voynitskiy (Tom Rooney) and his niece, Sonya (bahia watson), are doing their best to run their family estate, which appears to be in its initial decaying stage. Ivan is the son-in-law of Alexandre (Eric Peterson), a celebrated professor. We learn Ivan is a widower. Alexandre returns to the estate with his young, rather beautiful wife, Yelena (Shannon Taylor), and this visit causes the lives of everyone in the house to be changed forever. We also meet the denizens of the family estate. There is the wise housekeeper Marina (Carolyn Fe), known as Nana. Dr. Astrov (Ali Kazmi), a local country doctor, has been called to the estate by Sonya on account of her father’s supposed gout. Sonya’s obvious growing affection for Astrov becomes noticeable as the story progresses. Does he feel the same way? It also appears Astrov carries his secret intentions at the house. Ivan’s mother, Maria (dtaborah johnson), a widow continues to voice her opinions even when she is not asked about how life is run on the estate. Ilya Ilyich (Anand Rajaram), also known as ‘Waffles’ on account of his pock-marked face, becomes the guest who shows up, stays for days, leaves, and then returns. He is a local impoverished landowner. The plot heats up when Alexandre announces his intention to sell the estate and evict everyone. What originally made this production at Crow’s Theatre astounding was its immersive experience. The audience walked right into the sitting/dining area of the estate. Most of the audience floor seating made me feel like an unseen guest watching the story unfold mere feet away. I could see facial expressions clearly in each character, which kept me keenly focused. This time, I felt removed from the immediate action at the CAA Theatre. It’s comparable to a fishbowl where I watched the action from afar. I couldn’t see faces as clearly as I would have hoped since I was about half to three-quarters of the way back in the auditorium. That doesn’t negate how powerful this ‘Uncle Vanya’ continues to be in the hands of this remarkable company of artists who know something about the art of performance. Director Chris Abraham’s gorgeous visual staging remains a theatre lover’s dream. Julie Fox and Joshua Quinlan’s co-set design is a marvel to behold. At one point, Alexandre speaks about the estate being a mausoleum. Fox and Quinlan have readily captured that ‘cemetery’ look with a stone wall back wall that rises high and towers. Astrov maneuvers a bucket into place at one point to contain water dripping from the roof. Another amusing moment happens upon Vanya’s first entrance, showing the place is falling apart. The combination of Kimberly Purtell’s lighting and Thomas Ryder Payne’s sound designs richly underscore several dramatic moments to emphasize the claustrophobia of the estate. Purtell’s selection of natural light beaming through the windows of the second act immediately catches the eye. That brief interlude of a warm glow remains welcome in a world that appears to suffocate as Yelena reminds the others. Ryder Payne’s selection of realistic sounds of approaching horse and carriage and an approaching thunderstorm acutely make us aware there is a world outside the one the characters know. Ming Wong’s costumes are apt reminders of the class system. Abraham’s direction is seamless from one scene to the next. He creates fascinating characters in their ordinariness who pique interest in what they do on stage, what they say to each other, and the underlying meaning of their discussions. I’m elated that this cast returns. Their performances are amply deepened. A noted weariness emanates in their characters, stances, and walking, making the sadness of the play pierce even deeper into the heart. As housekeeper Marina, Carolyn Fe is lovely in those moments where she hurls a one-line zinger at someone and then becomes that matriarchal figure of comfort and solace. Anand Rajaram injects a heavy-hearted gloominess into his ‘Waffles,’ who wants to feel a connection with Vanya’s family. dtaborah johnson’s Maria also provides much-needed moments of humour, but dutifully reveals the inherent sadness the others feel as the story unfolds. As the young but dutiful wife to Alexandre, Shannon Taylor’s Yelena at first elicits compassion when she feels as if she cannot breathe within the confining restraints of the estate. However, Taylor utilizes grace and elegance to hide Yelena’s true intentions. Like Taylor's Yelena, Ali Kazmi’s Dr. Astrov has much to lose. Kazmi’s Astrov effectively uses his handsome charm around Sonya, Marina, and Yelena, and there are terrific moments to watch when this occurs. Kazmi’s final moment with Sonya is heartrending. Eric Peterson’s Alexandre is devilishly narcissistic and cutthroat. His Alexandre never ventures over the top. As the ever-toiling Sonya, who yearns for love, bahia watson delivers a riveting performance of emotional layers in her conversation with Yelena before the end of the first act and Astrov before the play concludes. Tom Rooney continues to amaze as the central character. His Vanya subtly and carefully commands the stage one moment with heightened moments of grandeur the next. When Vanya finally lashes out at Alexandre as the truth comes out about the estate sale, Rooney delivers a masterful performance in listening, responding, and reacting with tremendous and attentive care. Final Comments: This ‘Uncle Vanya’ most certainly deserves a second look if audience members had the chance to see it the first time at Crow’s Theatre. If this is your first time, prepare for an epic artistic feast of performers who tell a hell of a good story. Please go and see it. Running time: approximately two hours and 45 minutes with one interval/intermission. ‘Uncle Vanya’ runs until February 25 at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge Street, Toronto. For tickets, visit mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333. David Mirvish presents the Crow’s Theatre Production of ‘Uncle Vanya’ by Anton Chekhov Adapted by Liisa Repo-Martell Directed by Chris Abraham Set and Props Co-Designers: Julie Fox and Joshua Quinlan Costume Designer: Ming Wong Lighting Designer: Kimberly Purtell Sound Designer: Thomas Ryder Payne Stage Manager: Jennifer Parr Performers: Carolyn Fe, dtaborah johnson, Ali Kazmi, Eric Peterson, Anand Rajaram, Tom Rooney, Shannon Taylor, bahia watson. Previous Next

Back Keith Barker, Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts Looking Ahead getting captured Joe Szekeres The engagement comes in recognizing that it’s not about the queerness at all – it’s about the artistry in the work. When I went through a press release and saw that Native Earth Performing Arts would be one of the ten members of a newly established coalition launching our country’s first ever National Queer and Trans Playwrighting Unit, I was pleased to be invited and interview Keith Barker, Native Earth’s Artistic Director. I wanted to profile Barker earlier in the Professional Artist Pandemic Profile Series I’ve compiled for the last two years so I’m grateful for this opportunity. More about this coalition shortly and Native Earth’s involvement. Throughout this series I do like to have a quick check in with the artist to see how he has fared during the pandemic. Barker is thankful no one in his immediate family had Covid and that everyone was safe. His family felt no differently in addressing how the disease affected their lives and mental health, concerns we’ve all felt at one point. Does Barker believe Covid has altered the trajectory of the Canadian performing arts scene? Absolutely he does as it has led to modifications and re-examinations of so many items and issues within the professional theatre community, especially First Nations. For one, contingency plans have had to be put in place moving forward if the Indigenous performing arts community wants to ensure its voices continue to be heard even if its artists become ill with Covid. We talked about the use of understudies in Indigenous productions. Additionally, Barker also spoke of the fact that Native Earth will continue to offer a hybrid model in offering productions to be seen live and virtually. He recognizes that people are at limits in watching online theatre as its resources are limited compared to those of film and television who have fared stronger during these last two years. However, digital presentations have allowed Native Earth to share their stories in rural and remote communities so future budgeting will have to ensure this opportunity can continue along with live performances. The focus of Barker’s profile was this newly established consortium for the National Queer and Trans Playwrighting Unit and his professional involvement. The following theatre groups are liaised: Zee Zee Theatre (Vancouver), the frank Theatre (Vancouver), Gwaandak Theatre (Whitehorse), Theatre Outré (Lethbridge), Persephone Theatre (Saskatoon), Theatre Projects Manitoba (Winnipeg), Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (Toronto), Native Earth Performing Arts (Toronto), Imago Theatre (Montréal), and Neptune Theatre (Halifax). For those who are interested in applying: “2SLGBTQ+ emerging and mid-career theatre makers from across Canada are invited to submit applications by July 5, 2022. The selection process will see five artists announced in September 2022 to participate in a 10-month process, during which they will receive living wage compensation and one-on-one mentorship as they write a new work. The developed plays will be performed live and streamed online in September of 2023.” This massively important undertaking holds gigantic implications for the Queer and Trans voice in the country. First Nations artists have also experienced similar implications in solidifying their voices to be heard as well and, as a First Nations artist himself, Barker foresees similar positive and challenging elements moving forward in the Queer and Trans community: “It’s an opportunity to humanize all our experiences as Canadian citizens. There has been a noticeable lack both with Indigenous work and with the Queer and Trans artist voices across Canada that needed to be heard. Thanks to the work of Canada Council and federal grant money, artistic groups were asked how they are going to reflect their individual communities with a specific focus on the Indigenous and the Queer/Trans voice.” One challenging element regarding this consortium for Keith: “Post Covid, theatres have struggled financially. Additionally, audiences have also struggled as they have been locked up for a long time and may have become entrenched and only want to see comedies or something that make them laugh. I get that, we all want to laugh since we’ve all experienced one of the most awful times in our lives… But I’m confident in that as artists and theatre companies slate both fun and new and really good stories we’ve never heard before out there along with new voices, we will begin to cultivate audiences with challenging work and that is sure to start some great conversation. Artists are doing good work out there. If audiences are hesitant to respond, that’s the start of a conversation too.” I’ve seen some really good stories from the Indigenous perspective since I’ve been reviewing so I fully concur with Barker as there is good stuff out there. I’ve been fully engaged when I’ve seen these productions, have asked questions and have learned in the process. As artists and audiences emerge from Covid, are they simply at a survival stage for this next while in listening and hearing the Queer and Trans voices? Keith believes we (including himself) are now at a crossroads where we have to begin that important conversation with the community. Look at what has transpired regarding our grappling with Residential Schools. We’ve moved beyond the recognition of Residential Schools and are now at the beginning of engagement with the issue. The same exists in that we’ve moved simply beyond just appreciating that the queer and trans voices exist. We are now at the beginning of engagement with their voices. Changes begin in small acts. Keith then shared one personal element from his youth. When he was growing up, he was afraid of gay people until his best friend came out to him. He learned long ago that it didn’t matter to him if his best friend was gay. Keith ignored that label and saw the person of his best friend from years ago. He then shared something from former Senator the Honourable Murray Sinclair regarding the Residential Schools issue. It took one hundred and fifty years to get into this mess and it’s going to take one hundred and fifty years to get out of it. The same exists in engaging Queer and Trans voices and their stories. It’s not merely just a matter of survival for these individuals. They have every right to have their voices heard and their stories told. Barker stated that queer and trans stories are as good and worthy as other stories being told in theatres across this country. It’s going to take time to engage with queer and trans artists as we live with them in this country. There are Queer and Trans Canadian artists whom audiences may know and not know. Native Earth was started by two spirited artists. The engagement comes in recognizing that it’s not about the queerness at all – it’s about the artistry in the work. Keith concluded our conversation by saying it takes time to change. It’s a matter of playing the long game as instant gratification does not and cannot occur. Thank you so much, Keith, for the conversation. To learn more information and/or apply to the National Queer and Trans Playwright Unit, visit: zeezeetheatre.ca Previous Next

Back 'THREE SISTERS' by Inua Ellams. After Chekhov A Co-production with Obsidian Theatre in association with Soulpepper Credit: Dahlia Katz. Pictured: AKOSUA AMO-ADEM PLAYING THE ELDEST SISTER LOLO, VIRGILIA GRIFFITH PLAYING THE MIDDLE SISTER NNE CHUKWU AND MAKAMBE K. SIMAMBA PLAYING THE LITTLE SISTER UDO Geoffrey Coulter, Contributing Writer, Actor, Director, Adjudicator, Arts Educator " A superb not to be missed re-imagining." “The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming!” With the plethora of Russian theatre currently playing in Toronto, it looks like they’ve arrived. “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” is currently breaking box-office records at Crow’s Theatre while Mirvish’s production of “Uncle Vanya” closed a successful run at the CAA Theatre just weeks ago. Now Soulpepper, in collaboration with Obisdian Theatre, presents a superb, not-to-be-missed reimagining of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” by Nigerian-born playwright Inua Ellams. He has masterfully taken part of Chekhov’s original plot and transformed the rest into a relevant, thought-provoking piece of social commentary about the delicate fabric of family and hardships. Ellams has transported the action of the original from nineteenth century Russia to late 1960s Africa and the cataclysmic Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, one of the bloodiest conflicts in that continent’s history. This fluid adaptation, a clear testament to the ravages of colonialism and disencumbered liberty, is thoughtfully directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu. It’s also boasts and impeccably fine cast featuring some of the finest, most compelling acting and ensemble work this reviewer has seen in quite some time. A year has passed since their father, a respected military commander, died but the three sisters are still grappling with his passing. Eldest Lolo (Akosua Amo-Adem), is a wise, hard-working teacher in the local school, Nne Chukwu (Virgilia Griffith), is married to the schoolmaster Onyinyechukwu (Tawiah M’Carthy), and youngest Udo (Makambe K. Simamba) – having just turned 20, is being courted by two soldiers, idealistic serviceman Nmeri Ora (Ngabo Nabea) and lovelorn Igwe (Amaka Umeh). The sisters live with their lackadaisical Cambridge-educated brother, Dimgba (Tony Ofori) in a small village in Owerri, Nigeria, longing to return to the cosmopolitan city of their birth, Lagos. Their father built the house from scratch with the intent of immersing his family in the Igbo traditions, set apart from the “colonial cultural erosion” that he believed infested the capital. What the siblings don’t know is that the Biafran Civil War is about to erupt and change their lives, their relationships, and their country forever. I strongly recommend a quick read of the program to get some much-needed historical context that serves as backdrop to this riveting drama. I wasn’t aware of the Biafran conflict and the resulting deaths of 30,000 Igbos people and the displacement of 300,000 more. You need this history going in to understand and appreciate the political dynamics and what’s driving the underlying conflicts – the unhappy, arranged marriage of Nne with Onyinyechukwu, the family’s uncle (Matthew G. Brown) who has turned to gambling and drink because, under British rule, he’s not allowed to practice as a doctor and housemaid Oyiridiya (JD Leslie), a northern refugee who witnessed her husband’s murder at the hands of the Hausa people and wants her revenge. Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu expertly directs this tremendous production with verve and sensitivity. The play is long, well over three hours. But Otu keeps the dialogue and the actors moving smartly. Her vision to explore the narratives of tragedy, humour, social class, dreams, reality, inaction, and despair is fully realized. She makes good use of the small stage by playing scenes to the edges to accommodate the 12-member cast but doesn’t shy away from intimate moments centre stage. Joanna Yu’s storybook set design is functional and practical, with fine African details such as the thatched straw roof of the home’s exterior and trees subtly flanking the property. Lighting designer Andre du Toit effortlessly evokes the African heat with a barrage of amber lights while providing darker hues and spotlights as the war marches to the very doorstep of the sisters’ lives. John Gzowski’s subtle and supportive soundscape of placid chirping crickets and festive radio broadcasts contrasts eerily with the sounds of rumbling storms, explosions and warplanes roaring above. Kudos to the inspired fusion of spot-on costumes of the late 1960s with traditional African prints and headwear by designer Ming Wong. Her bright colours, bold prints, extreme hemlines, loose-fitting shirts, flared trousers, and low heels gave a definite “swinging sixties” vibe while honouring the rich textures of the African working class. But it’s the extraordinarily talented cast that makes this play an event to remember. There isn’t a weak link. Characters are so well-defined that we know what makes everyone tick within minutes. Amo-Adem is thoroughly convincing as the wise, frustrated, and exhausted schoolteacher. Griffiths plays the married, bored middle sister with aplomb, while Simamba is the epitome of optimism and youthful exuberance. They enter and exit the stage with purpose and clarity. More impressively, each one has a life-changing experience that transforms and informs who they become by the play’s end. Perhaps this is most evident in the stunning metamorphosis of Oladejo’s Abosede, who goes from an insecure outsider with a detestable fashion sense to a glamorous but shrewdly scheming head of the household. These actors take us on their own personal journey. That’s storytelling. That’s acting. Umeh adds some much-needed humour as the socially awkward soldier Igwe, while Brown, Stephens-Thompson, Leslie, Herbert, M’Carthy, Nabea and Ofori bring tangible life to their supporting roles. Politics, greed, love, betrayal, envy, power, corruption, redemption, and the complexities of family. Chekhov knew 123 years ago the universality of these themes. They’ve been characters on the human stage forever. But add the irreversible and indelible effects of colonialism, racialization, and a country at war with itself, and you have in this production a reimagined classic that is perhaps more relevant today than it’s ever been. Running time: approximately three hours and 20 minutes with one interval. The production runs until March 24 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House, in the Distillery District. For tickets, visit Soulpepper.ca or call 416-866-8666. THREE SISTERS by Inua Ellams After Chekhov A co-production with Obsidian Theatre. Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu Set Design: Joanna Yu Costumes: Ming Wong Lighting: Andre du Toit Sound design and composition: John Gzowski Vocal music coach and arrangement, additional composition: Adekunle Olorundare (Kunle) Movement director: Esie Mensah Performers: Akosua Amo-Adem, Virgilia Griffith, Daren A. Herbert, Sterling Jarvis, JD Leslie, Tawiah M’Carthy, Ngabo Nabea, Oyin Oladejo, Makambe K Simamba, Odena Stephens-Thompson, Amaka Umeh, Matthew G. Brown. Previous Next

Back Chick Reid Moving Forward David Cooper Joe Szekeres Chalk one up for Durham Region. I had no idea performing artist Chick Reid lived and grew up in Ajax, Ontario, and knows many of the same spots that I do in Durham Region. Chick completed her theatre training at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Other selected theatre credits for her include Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Matchmaker, Cymbeline, Grapes of Wrath, Little Years, Comedy of Errors, Ideal Husband, Noises Off, No Exit, Troilus and Cressida, Much Ado About Nothing, High Gravel Blind, Eternal Hydra, Merry Wives of Windsor, Country Wife among others); Theatre Plus Toronto (Abundance, Holiday, Hamlet, Burn This, Scapino, Marriage of Figaro, Crimes of the Heart, Dora nominee); Shaw Festival (The Woman, Cavalcade, Peter Pan, Marathon 33, War and Peace); Neptune Theatre (The Goat); MTC (Steel Magnolias, The Sisters Rosenzweig); Grand Theatre (Helen’s Necklace); Actors’ Theater of Louisville (Heartbreak House, Anton in Show Business); Broadway (Much Ado About Nothing). She is a recipient of the Tyrone Guthrie award. What an extremely enjoyable and delightful chat I had with her via Zoom. Chick has been teaching at Queen’s University in the Drama Department for 16 years. She and her husband, Tom McCamus, live in Northumberland County where they raise Nova Scotia Duck tolling retrievers. Thank you so much for being a part of the conversation about theatre in a post Covid world, Chick: It has been an exceptionally long eight months since the pandemic began, and now the numbers are edging upward again. How are you feeling about this? Will we ever emerge to some new way of living in your opinion? I’m feeling, in spite of everything, I’m feeling hopeful. I’m not getting anxious about it like I’m not hoping it’s going to happen in two weeks or even two months. But I’m feeling hopeful that there will be a vaccine and it will be effective. I’m really hopeful that the long-term effects of this on people’s home lives, finances, work situations, doesn’t go on for ages and ages and ages. I don’t have an end date in my brain, but I hope the long-term effects of this aren’t too horrible for so many people that stand to lose jobs, who have lost jobs, stand to lose homes. If I think about all this too much, I get on the despair bus, but I’m hopeful it will get sorted. But I’m also really hopeful that people will do what they’re being asked to do to help. I don’t think the vaccine is the answer in the meantime. We have to look after ourselves and look after each other, right? Emerging to some new way of living is further ahead in the distance to tell you the truth. I’m not so disappointed in some of the changes that have come about, that have had to come about because of Covid. It pleases me to see people really looking out for people. Maybe I’m more aware of it now because of this pickle that we’re all in together. I like the enforced quiet time that I think we all, everybody, in every walk of society, creates and needs. We rarely can give ourselves that. When quiet time becomes a luxury, there’s something not very right. I would like that to continue for everybody. There are some people who don’t have quiet time right now because they’re scrambling at three jobs when they had one good one, and now they may have three part time jobs, especially in our profession and the ‘in between’ times. I like planning when I go into town as it makes us all a little more mindful. You mentioned about Lucie Arnaz and how she said that perhaps we may not be back until at least 2022. On many levels, I bet she’s right. There are a lot of things that won’t be back in the form that we know of them right now. It might be a new form but the way we knew them in our profession, I have hope for it, of course, because it’s so necessary for everybody that we can get back to listen and tell stories. How have you been faring? How has your immediate family been doing during these last eight months? I have to say that I think I’ve been faring pretty well, actually. I’m a lucky one that I share my life with Tom (McCamus) so I haven’t been alone. I feel so lucky to be at home. We have a little log cabin just north of here and we rarely get a chance to use it when we’re working so we’ve had a chance to have a good couple of meaningful lake time opportunities. That was great. Emotionally, it sometimes hits me. What makes me upset (and it’s not what we’re going through now) is the thought when we get back into the rehearsal hall and a room full of people that we love. That makes me a bit weepy. I don’t pine for it but it’s going to be so momentous for everybody, don’t you think? I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like when we make that first entrance on to the stage when it’s safe to return to the theatre. It makes me tear up. It’s going to be overwhelming. Will we even get through that first performance? That’s okay, at least we’ll all be in the same damn room. (Chick laughs and so do I) I miss my immediate family. That has been hard on me, I have to say. I have four siblings under me. They’re all married and have children and grand children and we’re a pretty tight family. So I miss that. This year, I was supposed to host Christmas, my whole family, and every other year is the in-law family celebration. Christmas was meant to be here this year and I was supposed to have a house full of 30 people from toddlers to older people. Obviously, that won’t be happening this year, and I’m going to miss that. My immediate family are all healthy and everyone is behaving. My siblings have children and grandchildren and that’s their bubble so they’re not losing contact with their family. We definitely miss each other as siblings but they’re all well. One sister moved back to Scotland a year ago and I was going to see her there after my semester, so that bothers me I can’t go and see her. Two of my other siblings are recently retired and they’re doing fine. We’re lucky. As an artist within the performing arts community, what has been the most difficult and challenging for you professionally and personally? I think they’re tied for me. I’m sorry that we didn’t get to do the plays we were supposed to do this summer. We were all looking forward to it. Personally, I miss my friends so much. I have dear friends at Stratford that I won’t be able to go see perform that I would have done had I been at Shaw. And I have dear friends at Shaw – these are people whom I love seeing every day and love spending time with them. We’ve had a couple of Zoom calls when them, cocktail Zoom calls which is lovely. Everybody gets so busy with nothing to do, isn’t that weird? I miss going to work and seeing my people. When I was asked to teach my acting courses online at Queen’s University, I thought, “Uhhhh, okay, I’ll bite and put my hand up and see what I can do.” I asked for permission to go and teach from my studio so that I can go to work every Monday. And they gave it to me. So, all the protocols are in place at the Isabel Bader Performing Arts Centre. I’m teaching live on Zoom from my studio. I drive to Kingston, so I really like that. It makes me feel as if I’m actually doing my job. 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? It was Monday March 16. Tom and I were in the same play, ‘The Devil’s Disciple’ at Shaw. It was our first day of rehearsal. We drove down to Niagara on Sunday, unpacked, left the dogs here for the week with our friend who looks after them. We just packed a week’s worth of clothing as we knew we would be back. We went to rehearsal March 16 at 10:00 am, walked out of the theatre at 11:15 am, and we haven’t been back. So, I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to do those plays, but I have every hope we will get a chance to do them. The plan is to go ahead with these productions next summer. That’s hopeful given everything else that people are still moving forward. I think that’s fantastic and that makes me happy. Although we were sent home that day and everything closed, we carried on because there was insurance through Shaw. We carried on rehearsing ‘Devil’s Disciple’ and Tom and I started rehearsals for the second show that we would have performed at Shaw just this past summer. Tom was to perform in ‘Desire Under the Elms’, and I was to perform in ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Raven’s Curse’. We continued in rehearsal for all four of these plays online until May 12. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during this time? Tom and I have been raising puppies. They’re due to go to their new homes in the next week or so. I’ve been teaching at Queen’s University in the Drama Department and this is my 16th year. My semester was over in a couple of weeks. But I go right into elf mode. As soon as those puppies are gone, and yes, I’ll shed a tear as I always do, but I’m right back and ripping open the boxes for those Christmas decorations. I love reading murder mysteries and having a cup of tea if I’m looking for lovely entertainment. But you know what, our deal when we get up here every morning. We deal with the dogs. Tom does his thing. I do my cryptic. And then both of us read for half an hour and then our day starts because we know we won’t be able to sit down again until the end of the day. I love reading. And that’s our routine around here. But when I’m on contract and start rehearsals, I don’t read a book for the whole season. It’s as if my brain tells me that I’ve got too much else to fit in there and there’s no room for a book right now. I think I read two books throughout the entire pandemic. Isn’t that weird? It’s like I’m in a work mode and I can’t pick up a book in the morning. 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? To my students I just keep telling them to go forward because there is somewhere for them to go. They can go forward. It may be a glitch, but everyone is in the same boat. No one is going to be left behind. My students are worried about graduating because they’re meant to graduate this year. And I tell them, “And what if you don’t? It’s okay as others are also in the same boat as you. Literally, you’ve got your whole life in front of you.” For younger actors, I tell them to just hang in. You’ve got it all in front of you. This isn’t going to disappear for you. The older actors, I find, they’re in a real pickle because such maturity comes to you at this age as an actor. You’re so ready and you’ve just got to hang on to it. Find something in the interim that makes you happy. I really do believe it will come back. You have to go forward as if there is somewhere to go. Do you see anything positive stemming from Covid 19? I think if people can hold on to those moments of quiet. Hold on to those moments of “I’m not going to look at the clock today.” I’m going to go through my day, hour by hour as it unfolds. I think there’s something positive about this notion if they are in a position to do this. It’s easy to become unaware of a bigger picture when you’re in a rabbit hole of whatever your job is. It’s hard to easy lose sight of this bigger picture and become unaware, and I think for a lot of people this has reminded us that we are part of something really, really big. And that’s a good thing. I hope we stay aware of the world that Covid has made us become. Do you think Covid 19 will have some lasting impact on the Toronto/Canadian/North American performing arts scene? It’s going to change the way we look at being in those big places with those numbers especially if you’re at the Festival in Stratford where it’s 18+, 11+ at the Avon, and 8+ at the Festival theatre in Shaw. I don’t think it’s going to be once everyone gets the vaccine, okay now it’s time to cram together again. I don’t know what they are yet, but Covid will bring a lot of artistic opportunities that are going to crop up because we have to do it a different way. That will be an encouraging way to look at things that we haven’t looked at in the same way in the past. It’s going to take a long time for it to be what it was, if it ever will be what it was. 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? You know what, I think those artists that want to stay creative in their chosen field and have the technical skills to tell a story online, I think it’s fabulous for them. It’s not a route I would take because I probably wouldn’t be very good at it frankly. I think these artists who are providing an opportunity for people who are hungry for a creative experience and be part of it are providing a great service. If they can find a way to be compensated for that service that’s even better. I don’t know how these online and YouTube projects and compensation work. I think it was great Stratford aired those projects at the beginning of the pandemic. We were compensated for them at the time and that’s what we signed on to and that’s what was meant to be done. In the early days of the pandemic, Shaw provided online cabarets for their patrons and that was lots of fun. There are questions that need to be addressed concerning compensation both from Equity and ACTRA standards. Tom and I were going to be a part of The Foster Festival in St. Catherines. I love Norm Foster’s work as it makes me howl. We were lucky enough to be chosen as part of 12 married couples and we were each going to be sent to different restaurants in parts of the city in the Niagara Region and read this play called ‘The Christmas Tree’. The play is hilariously funny and Tom and I can’t even get through it without losing it through laughter. It was going to be safe in each of the restaurants as per protocol standards. Tickets were being sold for a dinner and show. It was an Equity contract since Shaw is an Equity company. We were going to rehearse online, show up, do the safe social distance dinner and play thing and leave. Two weeks ago the decision was made to cancel it, and rightly so since the numbers are up. What they’re going to do now is we’re still going to rehearse online and it’s going to be recorded so people can buy tickets to see the recording. So now, it’s not really an Equity issue but an ACTRA issue since we’re being recorded. I’m just going to go do it since I’m a member of ACTRA. If I’m told it’s allowable, I’m just going to go ahead and do it. Despite all this drama, tension and confusion, what is it about the art of performance that Covid will never destroy for you? My love of it. (I can see tears welling in Chick’s eyes on the screen as I truly believe her). I never get tired of being in the same room with a bunch of people who are all there for the same reason. They’re there to tell the story and together in that big, beautiful room and my love of performing in telling a story will never go away for me. Previous Next

Back Scott Wentworth Looking Ahead Ann Baggley. Joe Szekeres When you know you’re in the company of a compelling raconteur, you don’t want the story to end because you’re on every single word this individual speaks. Thus was my conversation with artist Scott Wentworth where I was on every word he spoke. I’ve seen so many productions at the Stratford Festival in which Scott appeared. I can’t list all of his accolades here as both artist and director because there are so many, but I do recall vividly his performance as Gloucester in ‘King Lear’. I was still teaching high school at the time and had brought students to see the matinee. I remember the students asking how you think they will deal with the plucking out of Gloucester’s eyes, and I also remember telling the group that you’ll just have to wait and see how it’s done. It was a horrifyingly magnificent moment of stage craft that remains with me today. Scott Wentworth is an American actor and director who immigrated to Canada in 1986. His first production at the Stratford Festival was in 1985’s ‘The Glass Menagerie’. He has also gone on to play Iago in ‘Othello’, Shylock in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, the title role in ‘Macbeth’ and has directed at the Festival ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘The Adventures of Pericles’. Scott also appeared in Neil Simon’s ‘Lost in Yonkers’ at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. Other US appearances include ‘Red’ at the Hubbard Stage in Houston, Texas and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in Santa Cruz, California. We conducted our conversation via Zoom. Thank you for taking the time to add your voice to the conversation, Scott: 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. This is a difficult question (and Scott has a good chuckle) …I notice it’s the first one so get the really hard one out of the way (and we two have another chuckle). It’s a little intimidating, frankly, as an older white CIS male person belonging to a community that has traditionally held a microphone. I’ve spent most of my pandemic months keeping my mouth shut and listening and reading and ruminating, so to be asked to opine on some of these very important questions, at the moment, makes me feel a little uncomfortable, not reticent necessarily, but a little uncomfortable so forgive me if I stammer my way through this. (Note: Scott is extremely articulate in sharing his thoughts and ideas with me) To say that the pandemic is unprecedented is so obvious that one doesn’t need to say it. But I think it’s been important for me anyway to understand that essentially, we’ve just stopped, particularly those of us in the arts. But in many ways, the best way of dealing with this emergency has been to stop and to be still. (Scott emphasized clearly these words) I’m not sure how we’ve changed yet. I feel like I’m going to learn that about myself and my community and my world more completely once we’re moving again. It’s very difficult in the moment to have any kind of real understanding of how this has changed my perception of the world. As you know, Joe, one of the gifts of participating in the arts, whether as an activator, active participant, or an audience member, is that one is constantly in a state of re-evaluating oneself and one’s world, and one’s relationship and connection between the two. I’ve always strived throughout the pandemic to try to look on it as a little gift rather than as a trial so what are the benefits to me personally, and to the other humans that I know and don’t know. What are the benefits of standing still for a time? As our world becomes more and more connected and fast moving and quick changing, what are the benefits of standing still? What are the benefits of stopping? I’m not a young person anymore so at my age it’s a different experience than friends of mine who are in their 30s and 40s who are starting families, in their first release of energy into their careers or indeed in a very different experience from young people who are just beginning. So again, my perception of all this is quite biased but frankly I don’t know how my understanding of the world has changed yet. I’m hoping to get some insights into that soon. I really don’t know. With live indoor theatre shut for one year plus, with it appearing it may not re-open any time soon, how has your understanding and perception as a professional artist of the live theatre industry been altered and changed? It’s going to be a process because there’s been a near two-year gap in gatherings, and when will individual people feel comfortable to do that? I spent many years doing outdoor theatre in Santa Cruz, California, where in the summer it never rains so you go out and do it. We don’t have that luxury here in Southern Ontario. There’s not going to be one day where we’re all going to shout, “Okay, we can open the doors. C’mon back in.” I frankly don’t think anything will be back to normal. Again, we’ll see if my understanding and perception as an artist have changed. There’s a lot of conversation going on at the moment over Zooms, not unlike this, about how the theatre can change, be more humane, better serve communities that haven’t had access to it or have had limited access to it. Much conversation has also ensued on developing and looking for healthier relationships on account of crushing practices that have long been unquestioned within the community that makes theatre. Because it’s literally stopped and, at the moment, there really isn’t any theatre it’s hard to say what has actually changed yet. It is great that these conversations are taking place. I think these kinds of conversations have always taken place, but because we have been given the luxury of space where we don’t have to do a lot of the stuff we normally have to do, they can take more room and therefore can be more far reaching. But at the moment all this stuff is theoretical, and we have to see what happens when we try to put them in practice. Is it enough? Is this a cosmetic solution? Is there a systemic problem that is causing this one thing? Again, at the moment, it’s so easy to equate everything to science and doctors because we’ve been so inundated with that reality, but it’s very similar. Are we taking care of the patient holistically? Are we treating the symptom with a cast on the arm or asking questions about how the arm got broken in the first place? Those are all questions that will be answered and hopefully more questions asked once we’re in practice again. When it begins again, theatre will undoubtedly and, hopefully, be profoundly so. The very nature of theatre is that it constantly re-defines itself. This is a process that has always happened. I suspect there will be fundamental changes but I’m not sure what they will be yet. I can’t imagine anyone really does. As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? It’s a silly answer, but ‘everything’. I have worked in the theatre since I was 22 years of age. I’m 66 now. It has defined and affected every aspect of my life. Just on a personal, emotional level, I am missing what has heretofore been an enormous part of how I have self-defined. There are two ways of looking at how one defines one’s working life. There are jobs and careers that allow you to do the things you need to do – put a roof over your head, look after your loved ones, put food on the table, pay for bills and things you need - but those activities, even though they may be important to an individual, are not necessarily the defining core of an individual identity. Then there are other endeavours that are less a job than a kind of calling. For those individuals, those activities can become and usually do become very central to who you are, and how you see yourself and indeed present yourself. There are benefits and negatives to this kind of understanding of how one fits in and serves oneself and one’s community. I miss the rehearsal process, the collaborating with fellow artists. I also miss the other side of the equation of telling stories to audiences every night. There’s not one thing I miss. It’s the whole thing because I do feel that a large part of how I’ve always identified myself hasn’t been available to me for a long time. I never thought I’d retire as long as I was healthy, and as long as somebody was willing to ask me to do something with them. And so, being in a sense forced into a kind of retirement has brought up all sorts of questions about how one spends one’s time, what is the nature of time. Actors are used to unemployment, but then there was always the knowledge that theatre was going on and that someone was working. Both a possibility of future endeavours and just the notion if it’s not me, it’s somebody. But now that that’s gone, it’s a real adjustment because it’s not simply about me. It’s about the larger community and the endeavour that I’ve spent my life engaged in. There’s a profound sadness. I don’t know if I give myself to magical thinking, but there’s a part of me that feels (I don’t think this but I feel it) that there is some kind of correlation between the fact theatres stopped and the world went crazy. Theatre is not the primary form of how people hear stories these days. At times it can be thought of as elitist, but I wonder if there’s not a tipping point that enough people in the world were going to the theatre to keep the world in a kind of balance. And then when it stopped, that ballast was no longer available and so we’ve all gone a little crazy. A ridiculous theory, but nevertheless… (and Scott emits a quick laugh) 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? This is a great question. I will never take for granted that the theatre will always exist. Clearly, we’ve just seen how a medical emergency can put a stop to it. We alluded a few minutes ago to a fundamentalist religion gaining government power can stop it. There are climate emergencies that could or would essentially stop it. And I think in a larger sense if I have gained some kind of wisdom about the world is that one can’t take anything for granted there will always be a theatre, there will always be a seashore, there will always be a sunrise. We have to work to ensure that these activities, institutions and events that we cherish continue. They’re alive so they have to be nourished, and they can’t be taken for granted. We have to constantly re-invent them and question them. We have to constantly re-engage on a profound level. We perhaps ought to stop asking “What kind of theatre” that we have and perhaps we should now ask “Why should we have it?” My hope is that we will always answer that in the affirmative, but the why will always change and lead us to a deeper conversation of “Why do people feel the need to gather together and tell each other stories? What’s that about?” That to me is the real question we need to ask ourselves culturally why are we doing this? We need to ask this question before we go to rehearsal. We need to ask this each night before we go on stage. It has to be a deeper reason than simply how we spend our time or how we entertain ourselves. As our technology has increased, theatre is the least cost-effective entertainment platform that I can imagine, so there must be something beyond how the theatre functions commercially; there must be something beyond simply the surface entertainment value that humans respond to when they get into the same room each other, and breathe the same air, sit shoulder to shoulder both scary now and tell stories. Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. Again, I’ll get back to “We’ll see”. (Scott takes a long pause before he continues) Maybe my issue with this question is the word ‘hope’. I find the word ‘hope’ is kind of inactive. I think we have to work to make these changes happen. I suspect that what we may discover is that we actually haven’t gone far enough in re-imagining how theatre can function in a post-pandemic 21st century world. What I hope and plan to do if and when I plan to get involved again in this work is one of things I’ve been really thinking about and contemplating for most of my career in the theatre which is, like most institutions in the 20th and 21st century, the theatre has become more and more and more of a top down organization where decisions are made by a small select group of people that are then filtered down to a larger group of people. Because the theatre is the most collaborative of art forms, it’s difficult to make change if you’re not a position to make change. The effect that has on the collaboration at times might be impossible if people feel like they are in this kind of trickle-down dynamic. My hope and my continued work are to come up with practical strategies and work practices that will help to allow the real collaborative nature of theater to become more important than it is at the moment. We’re hearing a lot of conversations now where theatres are saying that we need to ensure that people are heard and seen. I want to counter that with maybe it’s better to think of it in terms of “I don’t want someone to feel heard. I want to listen to them.” “I don’t want someone to feel seen. I want to look at them, I want to see them.” Those kinds of changes, I think, are necessary particularly when so much of our theatre in North America is so much a product of colonialism. All of the contracts that we currently work under are very much a matrix of the commercial theatre. I hope we stop defining what is the majority of the theatre and continue to define it by what we want it to be, not what we don’t want it to be. We want a theatre that offers something to the artist and audience to collect together and share stories, and that’s why we need to reach out and collect more stories shared. We listen to the stories that we heretofore have not paid enough attention to, and we need to re-tell old stories that speak directly to the world we live in, and not to a world that no longer exists. I think the best way to do that is to ask why we’re doing theatre in the first place, and to try and set up a situation where we are more actively collaborative with the artists who are actually responsible for putting this together and have a real critical look at what is the role of the actor? director? designer? We’re at the beginning of pulling this apart. We’ve been given a gift of time to examine what it is. We have to keep working, and we have to be keep WORKING. Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry. Ah, well, on a technical level, there are still stories I want to tell and still stories I want to hear. There are still parts I want to play. It’s very interesting the word ‘accomplished’ that you’ve used. I’ve been doing some writing myself over the months of pandemic. I’m an occasional ‘journaler’ and have been re-reading stuff that I’ve written about how to act stuff, how to direct stuff, and why I think classical theatre is still a good thing, and how Shakespeare might continue to speak to us. The other day I was doing a bit of writing about a speech from ‘Henry V’. Shakespeare uses the word ‘accomplish’, and I found out the original meaning of the word ‘accomplish’ was to make something out of metal. So, we were talking about armours accomplishing the knights with hammering them into these suits of armour. Sometimes, I think that personal accomplishments in the theatre is not unlike a suit of armour. It is something that everyone can see, it is something that we wear, and it is something that protects you from the dangers of examining these plays and putting on these plays, and trying to tell the truth to each other, and eventually to an audience. I’m not looking to accomplish things so much as I am looking forward to continue questioning. I still have lots of questions I want to ask. Sometimes they’re about specific roles – what’s up with Willy Loman? Or as a director, what’s going on in ‘Measure for Measure’? What’s that line from ‘Chorus Line’ – Am I my resume? This list of accomplishments in an actor’s bio can so easily be something that actually functions like armour as it might stop somebody from touching you, or you from touching somebody, as you have to get through the armour of your accomplishments. You have to get through your accomplishments in order to make contact and let the play touch another person. Sometimes, as an audience member, they’re simply “I want to hear your story. I don’t know of anyone who has had your life experience.” I have questions about that as what’s it like to be you? What I want to accomplish is to continue to do what I’ve done in the theatre which is questioning new plays, old plays, myself, the people I’m talking to. 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 frankly don’t think there’s going to be any. I really don’t. I think there’s going to be a tsunami and onslaught of new plays. I think a lot of people are writing. I think a lot people who have always wanted to tell a story and haven’t for lack of time, lack of courage lack of access have suddenly gone, “Yah, why not?” I suspect there’s going to be a lot of new writing that has come out of this time. I expect there will be a lot of one person performance pieces that will come out of this time which is interesting. If anything, for most of us, this has been a period of stasis for some people that have suffered dire economic hardships, dire medical suffering, and death of loved ones, but that’s the stuff of life anyway. There will always be stories about that. My mother passed away in November. She lives in the States. I live up here. Very difficult to get there. She was in LTC that had an outbreak of Covid and even if I was there, I couldn’t see her. I have felt in the six months since she died a kind of disconnect with her death, for instance. I still find myself going. “Oh God, I haven’t called my mother in such a long time, or I should call her to share this with her as she’d appreciate this. The rituals of completement were unavailable to me. Now, if I wanted to tell that story, is that a Covid story? It’s only superficially a Covid story but it’s how our modern life sometimes doesn’t allow us to participate in these interpersonal rituals because of events that are outside of our control. I suspect a lot of the new writing that will appear post pandemic will probably be more political than it’s been for awhile. That also goes in phases and cycles, but obviously and culturally we are grappling with and dealing with. I wouldn’t be surprised if most plays had that political or cultural political aspect in their plays than perhaps the interpersonal relationships. I think certain sensibilities we’ve had to deal with during Covid, I find myself thinking about mindfulness. We’re talking about mindfulness in these cultural conversations we’re having, uncovering individual and unacknowledged biases and how we need to be more mindful of that and mindful of the language we use because we’re now aware of how dire the consequences could be if we are not mindful and aware. As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you? (With a good laugh, Scott says) I feel like I keep throwing spanners into these questions, so I’m going to continue my role as spanner thrower. I’m not sure I will be remembered and I’m not sure I ought to be remembered. (Scott then proceeds to tell me a fascinating story of one summer years ago when he was watching create Da Vinci life sized sand sculptures of The Last Supper. Scott remembered as he was walking home late one night around midnight where he saw the sculptures on the sand and noticed the wind on the beach had softened the features of these sculptures and, by morning, these sculptures were lumps of sand.) (Scott’s comparison of this moment of the sand sculptures to the theatre was intriguing). We who work in the theatre are sculpting out of sand; we’re inviting people to watch us create these characters and stories out of nothing, out of sand, and they come into incredibly sharp focus. So, as you watch the face of Jesus, of Judas appear out of the sand as this sculptor created was an extraordinary moment to watch and to participate in because we’re in the moment watching this sculptor do it. I found it really liberating to work in a medium (of theatre) that is all about time, and that only existed in the moment. I couldn’t go back and visit the creation of the face of Christ in the sand. It was an experience that I shared, and it lived with me, but I couldn’t go back and look at it again in the way I could go to Europe now and look at the actual painting of the Last Supper. Theatre doesn’t have the sociological impact of the mass media of film and television to immediately change peoples’ perceptions on a large scale – how we dress, how we behave. Theatre has a unique ability partially because it only exists in the moment and exists in the space between the artist and the audience. I think it has a unique ability to affect the human soul. The power of theatre is perhaps less apparent than some of the other platforms for creativity, but on an individual level, it really does have the possibility to get people to change the way they think just a little bit, just move that bias in a slightly different arc. And so, to answer the question you asked, the people who occasionally stop me who say, “I’ll always remember certain roles you’ll play” will carry that experience as these are wonderful plays. Hopefully my inhabiting of the character(s) at that moment had an affect on those people, and perhaps changed on a tiny little level, the bias of their lives. But those of us that work in the theatre know that once the people who have seen our work die, that’s kind of it. The giants of the theatre a century ago (Ellen Terry, Edwin Booth) are forgotten now, which is as it should be, because theatre is the now, it’s about the moment. I don’t want to be remembered. I want people to continue experiencing the now. Previous Next

Back 'Jim Watts: Girl Reporter' by Beverley Cooper Now on stage at the Winslow Farm, 779 Zion Line, Millbrook Ontario Wayne Eardley Dave Rabjohn “History ringing in the ears. Brilliance in the production’ At the pastoral setting of the Winslow farm near Millbrook, Ontario, 4thLine Theatre opens its second production of the 2024 season. “Jim Watts: Girl Reporter,” written by Beverley Cooper, is a big-scale production covering the chaotic and devastating Spanish Civil War – a time of historical complexity worthy of Tolstoy. Cooper and director Kim Blackwell manage to sift this complexity into two hours of riveting theatre. The plot line also dovetails the story of Canadian volunteers, especially the real-life Jim Watts, who travels to Spain to fight fascism. The brilliance of this production comes from two fronts: Blackwell’s adaptive use of the many facets of the rich outdoor theatre space and the commanding performance of Katie Ryerson as the linchpin of the cast. Jim Watts (she goes through a series of names) comes from a wealthy Toronto family—a family not pleased with her almost maniacal idealism and her political bent toward socialism. She seizes on the conflict in Spain—as did thousands of other Canadians—and manages, through sheer will of personality, to travel to the war-torn country as an employee of a Toronto newspaper. The other local connection comes from the story of Jim Higgins, who rides the rails across Canada looking for work. Eventually, he ends up fighting in Spain, where he meets Watts. He will settle in Peterborough. The fascist forces led by Franco are attacking a legitimately elected Popular Front. The complexity (and thus the overwhelming horrors) comes from the many-layered participants – German and Italian fascists supporting Franco while Russian communists and an international brigade support the Republicans. Every political stripe seemed to be involved, along with infighting among each group – everyone seemed to be fighting everyone else. Even Canada’s prime minister did not support Canadian volunteers. The war ends badly with Franco’s expected victory. Blackwell’s vision absorbs the unique theatre space offered by the farm. Five or six acting spaces serve the necessary needs of such a wide-ranging story. A period-style truck functions in various ways around the area. The large open fields serve as battlegrounds as the faraway voices echo the horrors. A clever revolving stage gave poignancy to several scenes—the various speeds of turning reflected the mood of the scene. The fact that it was mechanically turned by minor characters (as opposed to machinery) offered richer involvement from those characters. Katie Ryerson, as Jim Watts, carried the production. At the centre of almost every scene, her skill diversity is evident. Her enthusiasm as a teenager grew into a young woman of ideological strength. Her strong will is then tested as she sees the horrors for herself. Most moving was the grief in her eyes –compelling grief that shook the audience even more than the bombs and shock of the dead. Other fine performances emerged from Matt Gilbert as Dr. Norman Bethune and Thomas Fournier as Jim Higgins. Gilbert brought a roughness to Bethune that fit the chaos of the moment. His speech opening the second act was brilliant. Fournier expressed a calmness in contrast to that chaos. His reflection at the end of the play was riveting. 4th Line also integrated (as usual) many young people to act as villagers and soldiers, which gave a full measure of authenticity. Some of the minor characters had very flat voices, a problem that became more enhanced by the outdoor venue. Some ‘cameos’ depicting a young Ernest Hemingway and a bombastic Errol Flynn made the case for the number of colourful figures during that time, but it did not move the play forward. Another highlight is the splendid costume design by Korin Cormier, Samantha Adams and Avelyn Walman. Just the sheer volume of their work with almost thirty actors, many playing multiple roles, would be overwhelming. Despite that challenge, the period costumes of villagers, soldiers, politicians, dancers and children were strikingly authentic. The scale of this historical tragedy is immense, highlighted by a little girl announcing the horrors of Guernica. But the story is also often internal and personal as Jim Watts encounters both outward and inward grief. This audience left with history ringing in their ears. ‘Jim Watts: Girl Reporter’ by Beverley Cooper Director: Kim Blackwell Performers: Katie Ryerson, Thomas Fournier, Matt Gilbert, Mark Hiscox, Ian McGarret, Mikayla Stoodley, and many other local performers. Music director: Justin Hiscox Costume designer: Korin Cormier Choreography: Anita La Selva Stage management: Emily Brown Production runs through: August 24, 2024. Tickets: 4thlinetheatre.on.ca Previous Next

Back 'Singin' in the Rain' Onstage at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre Photo of Sam Lips by Johan Persson Joe Szekeres A nostalgic musical ‘rat a tat’ romp through Hollywood of yesteryear. A visual feast for the eyes with a full-bodied orchestra sound for the ears, this ‘Singin' in the Rain’ will put a smile on all of us who have been clambering to return to live theatre. Sure, at times, the plot might be a tad cheesy as it follows the ‘boy meets girl’ theme but it was exactly that premise that brought people to the silent movies so very long ago. It was a good choice by Mirvish to follow its hunches on this one and use ‘Singin' ’ to bring people back to the theatre. It appeared everyone around me was having a good time. Studio moguls from years ago used to say the audiences will tell you if something is good and if they are having a good time. This ‘Singin' in the Rain’ is good, and I had a good time. It is Hollywoodland, 1927, and we are in the era of the end of the silent film era and the advent of the talkies. An opening night of a world premiere silent film is in full swing at Grauman’s Theatre with stars Don Lockwood (a dashingly debonair Sam Lips) and his co-star Lina Lamont (a delectably squeaky Faye Tozer). Lockwood can barely stand Lina’s presence for her haughty attitude towards others. Lina has convinced herself the on-screen romance between her and Don is also present in their real lives, much to Don’s continued disagreement on this issue. With the advent of the first talking picture ‘The Jazz Singer’, studio mogul RF Simpson (a blustery Michael Brandon), believes that Don and Lina’s next picture ‘The Dueling Cavalier’ must be converted into a talking one. We then are on the set of the filming of ‘The Dueling Cavalier’ and witness so many problems with it most notably with Lina’s ingratiating voice that doesn’t transfer well to the screen. Since the test screening of ‘The Dueling Cavalier’ was a massive failure, Don’s friend, Cosmo Brown (delightfully comic Alastair Croswell) believes the ‘Dueling Cavalier’s should be converted into a musical comedy film with Lina’s vocal work and dialogue being dubbed by another actress. Meanwhile, Don has fallen in love with stage actress Kathy Selden (a charming Debbie Reynolds look-a-like and vocally pretty Charlotte Gooch) and who is secretly hired to dub Lina’s vocal and dialogue work on the film. Trouble on the set then ensues when Lina finds out what is going on. But rest assured, all’s right in the universe and true love is restored in the end. A gorgeous visual feast for the eyes in this production thanks to Simon Higlett’s extraordinary set and colourful costume designs. Jonathan Church’s at times ‘tongue-in-cheek’ direction appropriately reflects the 1950s era in which the story is set. Hollywood in the 1920s and the 1950s was the place where many hopefuls wanted to land in the business for their fame and fortune. Sadly, the reality is many did not make it. Many silent film actors lost their credibility when the talkies came to town. The McCarthy Era in Hollywood also destroyed the careers of so many hopefuls within the business. But underneath all of this sadness is the hopeful love story of Don and Kathy, and that’s all that matters. The songs are tunefully exceptional, and kudos to Sound Designer Gareth Owen for the appropriate balance so I could hear the lyrics and the score. The title song is delightful, and Sam Lips gracefully channelled his inner Gene Kelly fantastically. Another of my favourites is ‘Good Morning’, and here Charlotte Gooch and Messrs. Lips and Crosswell grandly made the song work so elegantly for the three of them. ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ wistfully reminded me of those bygone years of vaudeville that I wish I could have seen oh so many years ago. Andrew Wright’s choreography is eye-popping. The joyfully uplifting and iconic title dance number is glorious as is the rousing ‘Good Morning’. Audience members in the first five rows wore ponchos on account they were told they would get wet after the title number. I’m sure because it was opening night that Sam Lips in the first act finale gave it his all and gave a good soaking to those in these rows. But, be prepared for the second act finale when the entire company will sing and dance in the rain as there is a gusher of water in the audience. Great fun if you choose to sit there. Final Comments: A nostalgic musical ‘rat a tat’ romp through Hollywood of yesteryear. To be honest, I’ve only seen segments of the film (mostly the dance numbers), but never in its entirety. A trip through any of the online streaming services is next on my list to catch it in its entirety. A wonderful invitation to return to the theatre. Running time: approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission. 'Singin' ' in the Rain’ runs to October 23 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King Street West, Toronto. For tickets, visit mirvish.com or call 1-800-461-3333. Previous Next

Back Justin Stadnyk Looking Ahead Courtesy of Talk is Free Theatre website Joe Szekeres ‘There are other voices in today’s world right now that are more important than mine for them to tell their stories, and for them to lead and be seen leading.” Justin Stadynyk’s final comment during our recent conversation resonated strongly with me. He is more than happy to allow these voices to take their course and proper place in society. He hopes to still be performing in the next five years but also hopes to take that creative bug he has to be on the writing team of a show or the re-creation of a show. I applaud artists who will do their best to make something like this happen and I believe Stadnyk will do just that. He and his wife (who owns a few Winnipeg dance studios) have one newborn and one toddler boy in the house. He stated that he prefers shorter work contracts for now as he doesn’t want to be too far away from home. After we ‘zoomed’ each other, I did a bit of research and discovered I had seen him perform in 2009 at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra in ‘The Boys in the Photograph’ (formerly titled ‘The Beautiful Game’ when I saw the show in London’s West End). I wished I had told him that during our conversation, but it’s here now in print and that’s the important thing. He will appear in September for three days in Barrie Ontario’s Talk is Free Theatre’s ‘Giants in the Sky’. Just what is ‘Giants in the Sky’ aside from a song title in ‘Into the Woods’? Over September 9-11, 2022, and September 16-18, 2022, culture, music, and theatrical performance are bringing rooftops, balconies, and fire escapes of the city of Barrie, Ontario to life, and it’s all free. Performing in some manner has always been a part of Justin’s life. He reminisced that he sang on the playground when he was a “young, young kid.” He attended a Winnipeg high school that had a good performing arts program. He jokingly stated he didn’t follow in the footsteps of his two older brothers and decided to go somewhere else. As soon as he graduated high school, Justin relocated to Oakville, attended the Musical Theatre Program at Sheridan College, and graduated in 2006. This thing called Covid still hovers around all of us, including the performing arts. For Justin, these last two-plus years of absence from live entertainment have placed a lot of things into perspective for him. Justin proudly states his path during the pandemic slightly veered as he and his wife had two boys born during this time. One was born days after the initial shutdown and the other was born five months ago. He calls these last two years a re-shuffling in a perspective shift: “it feels nice that things are slowly getting back in, and it seems as if people are okay with that. Before there was the hustle of the artist trying to get the work, and now, for me, the work seems more meaningful and has a weight to it. Talk is Free’s GIANTS IN THE SKY will allow me a three-day event of musical theatre songs that I love and love to showcase.” What was it that drew Justin to the upcoming ‘Giants in the Sky’ project? He found this a great welcome back for the artists to come together to share their voices in this festival. He recognizes artists are trying to find their comfort level returning to performance as it is nerve-wracking since one can’t just simply return and pick things back up again. Not only does he consider his 45-minute performance set ‘Corner of the Sky’ a nice welcome back to theatre, but also the vast array of programming that has been put together by Talk is Free for the two weekends is fascinating from drummers to poetry readings to opera singers, jazz singers, musical theatre artists, impersonators. Stadnyk calls ‘Giants in the Sky’ a great chance for the artists to ‘wet their whistle’ again with arts and not be forced to put an entire evening aside for one style. Stadnyk will perform outdoors in a back alley for the comfort of those who might not be ready yet to venture indoors into a packed theatre. He has selected an array of songs from the musical theatre canon from classic to pop. He doesn’t have to stick to one genre of the musical theatre category in case a specific song might not be someone’s cup of tea. Additionally, Justin is also a ten-year entrepreneur and works in Yoga and Meditation. He completed his teacher training for Yoga in Brazil in 2011/2012. According to his website, his primary business is: “just music™ . It has become the “go-to” music editing company for choreographers all over North America and the world. The mission of just music™ is to provide a resource for the creative arts and sport communities to create non-jarring, seamless music edits along with providing other music services in order to allow choreographers the time and head space to flourish as just that, the choreographer.” Justin started Yoga when he was playing Gilbert Blythe in the Charlottetown Festival’s production of ‘Anne of Green Gables’. It was called Moksha Yoga then and now it’s called Modo Yoga. He fell in love with yoga as he discovered it helps with his singing and dancing in his musical career. What he didn’t expect from yoga was how much it would help in his acting because of the ability to practice letting go of everything and being in yoga for however long the session: “It is the same with acting.” Justin explains: “One has to let go of the day and be in the moment for the length of the performance. This is hard as there is so much going on in our lives especially surrounding the pandemic now. It’s important not to be able to push down your feelings and stories but to shelve for that moment so you can pick them up later for performance if necessary.” He smiles and concurs how good of a question it is to ask someone where he/she/they see themselves in the next five years. His favourite part of the arts is creating. Some of Justin’s favourite shows have been world premieres and not re-creations of something. He would love to start working on the other side of the table as part of that creative process and perhaps become a writer, an assistant director or a director. If these opportunities presented themselves in the next five years, Justin would like to dabble in them more. And finally, what’s next for Justin Stadnyk once ‘Giants in the Sky’ is complete and he returns home to Winnipeg and his family: “I’m working on ‘Into the Woods’ with Winnipeg’s Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. The pandemic has made many companies realize they need a bigger insurance policy with standbys and understudies. This is a different role for me as I will be a standby for two of the roles: the Baker and the Narrator and the Mysterious Man. So, in true form to what I said about my five-year plan, I’m really looking forward to the creative process where I get to sit and watch all of these people create and then I get to learn the roles…It’s going to be a new experience for me to be sitting taking notes up in the back and rehearsing things, but I’m excited to be doing it in Winnipeg. I’m happy this is happening more and more in theatre companies.” To learn more about Talk is Free Theatre’s ‘Giants in the Sky’ festival, visit www.tift.com . Previous Next

Back RUTAS Festival with the theme of PERSONAL CARTOGRAPHIES this year Concluded its run September 29 at Factory Theatre. Courtesy of Aluna Theatre. Pictured is Writer, Performer and Director 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 Music Man' Springer Stage at Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque, Ontario Randy deKleine-Stimpson Joe Szekeres There’s no trouble here in River City. Thousand Island Playhouse’s ‘Music Man’ remains a lovely telling of this American musical classic punctuated with delightful choreography and full-bodied singing. What a lovely way to spend a few hours if you are in Gananoque. Better yet, consider making a trip and spending the night as I did. There is so much to appreciate about this production of Meredith Willson’s ‘The Music Man’. Presented by Thousand Islands Playhouse (my first visit here with hopefully more to come), the story is told with dignity and grace under director/choreographer Stephanie Graham’s capable hands and Rachel Cameron’s tremendously fine work as Music Director. I especially liked Brandon Kleiman’s suggestive set design of less is more with those moments that took place on the street. The dollhouse-looking appearance of various buildings on the Main Street allowed me to envision in my mind the breadth and depth of the setting. Co-costume designers Robin Fisher and Joshua Quinlan are to be congratulated for what I thought were highly impressive visual clothing creations from the turn of the twentieth century. I scanned my eyes as quickly as I could in both acts to see what the twenty-eight cast members wore, and what struck me was the formidable task Fisher and Quinlan set for themselves to be as accurate as possible to the era. They succeeded on all accounts for me. It’s a hot summer in River City, Iowa in 1912 and Renee Brode’s effective lighting design indicates that strongly. We meet conman Harold Hill (David Leyshon). Hill has gone from town to town defrauding others before his arrival in River City, He poses as a Professor of Music claiming, through gentle forms of flattery, that the boys have hidden artistic talent. Nearly everyone in town becomes swept up in Hill’s deceit save for a few including town librarian Marian Paroo (Kate Blackburn). After an initial impressing upon most of the townsfolk, there is talk of a need to give young people the sort of interests, such as forming a Town Band, to keep kids off the streets. Things are beginning to catch up with Hill. He finds himself falling in love with Marian and refuses to escape via train to avoid confrontation with the town officials who have been tipped off by a rival salesman. To prove what Hill said is true, a demonstration is given where the youth of the town are gathered to play Beethoven’s ‘Minuet in G’. It’s not what one might expect but all works out well in the end. Headed by a vocally strong David Leyshon and Kate Blackburn, there was so much to enjoy about the opening night production. Leyshon and Blackburn are confident performers who remained confirmed to the reality of the moment. The budding synergy of attraction becomes palpably true that I found myself rooting quietly for the two of them in the second act. Within these classic Americana tales, there is always that theme of the young independent woman who turns around the heart of a wayward man. Trite and sappy? Perhaps, but that did not come across in this production for me at all. There are some decent supporting performances that put a smile on my mask-concealed face. David Talbot’s blustery, windbag Mayor Shinn is terrific to watch. As his zany wife Eulalie, Seana-Lee Wood perfectly juxtaposes the correct amount of comedic humour to counterbalance her husband’s blowhard nature. As their daughter Zanetta, Meghan Caine’s blossoming youthful romance with Daniel Yeh’s rebellious Tommy Dijilas remains sweet. Rennie Wilkinson is delightful as Marian’s Irish Mother, Mrs. Paroo. Matthew Fournier is an adorable Winthrop Paroo. Other notable moments were Michael Cox’s Charlie Cowell, an anvil salesman determined to bring Harold down and expose the truth about his nature. Michael MacEachern’s frantic Marcellus Washburn (Hill’s pal who tries to get him out of River City before the jig is up) amplifies the emotional intensity of the moment between Marian and Harold. The gossipy ladies of the town are so much fun to watch. What a delightful treat to see so many young people on the stage as well. Before the show began and I was waiting outside, I heard someone talk about the fact a decision was made to cast young people instead of adults dressed as young people. A correct decision was made here as well. There are some fine vocal moments throughout the production that are never overpowered by the six-piece band so kudos to Deanna Choi’s solid execution of the sound design. At the top of the show, ‘Rock Island’ introduces a new level of the creation of musical sounds through the stomping of feet in time to the music. ‘(Ya Got) Trouble’ remains one of the staples of the show and it’s not disappointingly sung here at all. Another staple ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ sounded wonderful to my ears. The gossipy ladies in ‘Pickalittle (Talk-a-Little)’ made me laugh out loud, especially when I saw how their hats moved in time as hens move. The comic timing was so good. I must also mention the primo barbershop blend of Spencer Laing, Hal Wesley Rogers, Rob Torr and Robert Yeretch in ‘Sincere’, ‘Goodnight Ladies’ and ‘Lida Rose’. I haven’t heard this truly unique barbershop sound in such a long time, and it was heavenly to hear these four actors deftly handle the music so effortlessly. Can’t forget Stephanie Graham’s choreography either. The stage became electrically charged during ‘Shipoopi’ ‘(Ya Got) Trouble’ and ‘Rock Island’. Every inch of space was filled with movement so kudos to Graham for keeping her eyes peeled to ensure the moment came alive not only for the actors but also for the audience. Final Comments: In her Director’s Programme Note, Stephanie Graham spoke about how ‘The Music Man’ reminded her the story is one of transformation and change. My views on ‘The Music Man’ have also changed too. I used to think it was a tired story that some groups may pull out from time to time. However, when the story is treated with the utmost care and compassion as it has been here at 1000 Islands Playhouse, it’s worth a trip to see it. I encourage you all to do so. Running Time: approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. ‘The Music Man’ runs to August 20 at the Springer Theatre, 690 Charles Street, Gananoque. For tickets call 613-382-7020 or visit 1000islandsplayhouse.com. Masks are required in the theatre as of the publication of this article. ‘THE MUSIC MAN’ Presented by Thousand Islands Playhouse Book, Music & Lyrics by Meredith Willson Directed and choreographed by Stephanie Graham Music Director: Rachel Cameron Set Designer: Brandon Kleiman Co-Costume Designers: Robin Fisher and Joshua Quinn Lighting Designer: Renee Brode Sound Designer: Deanna Choi Stage Manager: Jordan Guetter Cast: Kate Blackburn, Meghan Caine, Naomi Costain, Michael Cox, Jasmine Huang, Spencer Laing, David Leyshon, Michael MacEachern, Alison J Palmer, Hal Wesley Rogers, David Talbot, Rob Torr, Rennie Wilkinson, Seana-Lee Wood, Daniel Yeh, Robert Yeretch Young Ensemble: Scarlett Belanger, Sophie Christopher, Ethan Davidson-Harden, Matthew Fournier, Micah Gavin, Malcolm (Gramps) Jager, Tristan Moore, Pandora Mulligan, Isla Oatway, Adyson Purdy, Charlotte Stroud, Makayla Vanderhost Band: Rachel Cameron, Joseph Dashney, Roger Finlay, Mike Verner, Anne Palmer, Greg Runions Previous Next

Back Frances Loiselle and Michael Williamson Emerging Artists Selfie Joe Szekeres As this Pandemic Profile series winds down, I thought it was important to check in with emerging theatre artists at the beginning of their careers and to see how they’ve been faring during these last sixteen months. Many of the seasoned artists to whom I’ve spoken are concerned and hopeful that the emerging artists have not been deterred or discouraged. Frances Loiselle and Michael Williamson have not been swayed at all as you will see from their responses below. If anything, both have faced the results of the pandemic head on with the knowledge that their careers may appear different looking ahead, but they will move forward and continue in a career which they still admire and appreciate. Loiselle and Williamson are both graduates of Toronto’s George Brown Theatre School. They have appeared in a variety of summer productions with Port Perry Ontario’s ‘Theatre on the Ridge’ with their most recent as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan in 2018. This summer, they will perform in a touring production of C. S. Lewis’s ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ around the Durham and Scugog Regions on your driveway, your front lawn or even on your street. I’ll include the link at the end of the profile. The three of us conducted our conversation via email: 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. FL: The pandemic was a good shattering of the illusion that anything about your life is remotely under your control. You can’t control anything; you can’t plan for anything. Things just happen to you, you accept, you change, and you continue. Covid, or more precisely folks responding to it, hit home with the reminder that we do not all experience this life, and this world, in the same way. There are some deep, deep injustices and inequalities constructed into the fabric of our society, by white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism, many of which by virtue of my privilege I could comfortably remain ignorant to. Many of them benefit me, as a white woman, and endanger and oppress others. They also steal a better, more just world away from all of us. The pandemic, as well as the enforced isolation and loss of employment, and most importantly the labour undertaken by many BIPOC activists, educators, authors, journalists, and peers in writing pieces, creating art and sharing knowledge, forced I think many of us to stop looking away and take some responsibility. The pandemic shook up the foundations of what I took as regular, every day, unchangeable life, and it made more possible the questioning of this state, these institutions, myself and my attitudes. I’m still very much learning. MW: I suppose for myself, the pandemic has shed a lot of light on my mental health. I think I have lived with a lot of things that I had been ignoring for most of my life, but the pandemic has aggravated those things enough that I think I am now starting to acknowledge them and work through them. So, the pandemic has definitely made parts of my life a lot more difficult but it is also giving me opportunities to face some of those things that I might have ignored for years to come. In regard to “the world I know” I think a lot of people are starting to become more aware of a world bigger than just themselves or the people they are in contact with. Through that, I think people are taking this opportunity to become much more active and really define themselves in what they stand for and what they can actually be doing to make the change they want to see in the world. 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? FL: I feel a little like a fraud, answering a question as a professional artist of the live theatre industry, because most of my time, and especially during this pandemic, I haven’t really gotten to be that. Just starting out, work as a professional artist can be few and far between. I think it has been an interesting time of all of us collectively getting to question, what is live theatre? My romantic notion of it is up on a stage, or at least in some in-person space, with an audience present. But I’ve seen some fantastic shows (and been a part of one!) that were definitely not film, not television, that were live, not exactly theatre, but this whole new entity. Initially, I wanted to entirely dismiss “zoom” theatre. I found it depressing, a pale imitation of reality, it didn’t offer to me anything I loved from in-person theatre. But I’ve changed my attitude on that because some great artists have made some cool stuff. MW: I think reinforced is a better word for me. I feel like through this shutdown of most live theatre it has only solidified my stance on the essentialness that is live theatre for society as a whole. Live theatre is a wonderful place to share and experience; be inside a room with many others as you all witness something going on in front of you. Whether that experience is funny, frightening, or riveting, you all are allowed to go through something in the same room while still being kept safe. As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? FL: I miss being live, in theatres. Being around other bodies. Strangers gathered to witness a performance. Seeing real human people in front of me speaking, feeling, listening, sweating, and breathing, and breathing with them. Feeling the collective audience response around me, and not merely my own. The sense of, for a brief span of time, forming a small community, together. Being alone, in my bedroom, watching a screen, sometimes just feels lonely. MW: Working in a room with your whole team. There is no substitute. And while zoom and other mediums people have been using to work through are nice and provide a variety of comforts for everyone involved, nothing compares to the joy, unity, and cohesive strength that can come from working with your team face to face. 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? FL: The little in-between moments. The camaraderie you build with your collaborators when you sit down to eat lunch together, or warming up before rehearsal, or getting dressed before a show. The new relationships you get to build, the cool and interesting new people you get to meet. When you have to sit alone on your living room to warm up before your zoom show or wear a mask and move six feet apart as soon as you break for lunch, it’s difficult to make and enjoy those connections. MW: Probably the rehearsal room/stage. It provides such a wonderful freedom and atmosphere for everyone to create; to leave behind whatever else is going on that day, whereas when you are rehearsing at home everything serves as a constant reminder about your “non acting life”. Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. FL: I’m hoping that there is a move away from the “you have to work yourself to the bone” attitude towards making theatre. To be honest, I was mostly trained and brought up in that attitude, and I was really devoted to it for a long time. You are taught that you have to work incredibly long hours, shirk all other responsibilities in your life, and experience incredible mental, physical, emotional strain to create good theatre. It was both an expectation and a behaviour that was rewarded. And I took pride in being tough enough to survive it, and it meant I had a very toxic attitude towards expecting others to do the same. But I’m coming across more conversations, now, and people speaking up, especially many artists who are often marginalized by these attitudes- Black and Indigenous artists, artists with disabilities, artists with young children- about how it doesn’t have to be this way. I’m trying to reconsider that assumption. First, it’s an extreme privilege to be remotely able to make theatre in that way. It assumes you don’t have loved ones to take care of, mental or physical health issues or differences of ability to accommodate, that you aren’t experiencing an additional, invisible burden of dealing with white supremacy inside and outside the rehearsal hall. “Working yourself to the bone” for theatre, for any art, really is just not an option for the majority of people, students, artists, arts workers. And it shuts them out. Second, it’s really not an option for anyone. It just burns you out and makes you want to quit. It makes you need to take time away to recover, if you’re lucky enough to be able to. Why am I having to recover from making art? I think the pandemic has been a part of it, of mine and other folk’s reconsideration around their devotion to “working to the bone.” There’s more conversations, now, about how people are doing, how long they can handle rehearsing on zoom. Maybe many institutions are doing it superficially? I hope not. It feels like a shift. I certainly hadn’t stopped to consider it until the pandemic. But I obviously want to acknowledge I didn’t suddenly come to realize this; a lot of artists have been speaking about this for a long time. I actually recently read Yolanda Bonnell speaking on this subject in another ‘Self-Isolated Artist’ interview for OnStage Blog. MW: Hopefully, demand for it! Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the industry. FL: Um… everything? Quite a bit? I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished very much, yet. I’m not sure yet what I want to accomplish, what path I might take. I think my next step, for me, is finding more of a voice as an artist. My training and experience have been more as a facilitator of others’ voices. That is your work, as an actor. You are a collaborator, you contribute, and you help shape the piece, but (for me anyway) I don’t really feel I am a creator. I assist in the creation process. But I would like to also be an artist, with a voice, with something to share, and I just don’t really know what it is yet. I struggle with feeling I have anything of importance to share, really. I feel comfortable as an interpreter, and I want to develop my own voice. To do some of my own work. MW: Well there’s a lot of things here. I’m still very much starting out, so I have a pretty hefty bucket list but if I had to pick something I would say getting the opportunity to act alongside some of the actors I grew up loving in some mainstage show. 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. FL: We make art in response to life, to our lived experiences, our perceptions of this world. We make art to comment on, explore, reflect, celebrate, criticize, question, transform what we observe. So of course, with COVID having affected so many of us, in such different ways, all around the world, artists will want to respond. I think, or at least I hope, this doesn’t mean a very homogenous, repetitive slew of theatre pieces talking about the exact same experience of the pandemic, from the same perspective, with the same ideas, over and over. The pandemic has been many things. The pandemic has been about isolation and loneliness, about maintaining connection, and accepting solitude. It has been about the staggering inequalities and injustices in our society being laid so bare, becoming such a matter of life and death. It has been about loss. It has been a dystopian sci fi weirdness of masks and social distancing and mass vaccination clinics. We could make a lot of varied, interesting theatre out of all this. Especially if a huge diversity of perspectives and voices are given the money and support to do so, and not just a handful of old white guys who spent the pandemic safe in their living room trying to figure out how to share their screen on Zoom. MW: I don’t think it’s that difficult to piece together really. The Covid Pandemic has universally affected the whole world for over a year. I think whenever something like that happens a ton of art is created around that experience (any large war, the aids crisis to name a few). So much of art is based around sharing an experience with one another and Covid might be one of the biggest shared experiences we have had recently. As an artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you? FL: No idea! I still deeply identify with the label of “emerging artist.” I feel sometimes like I look at fellow “emerging artists,” my peers, and they seem to already be developing a strong vision, a confident voice, good relationships, be blossoming into lovely and interesting butterflies of artists. And I am still contorted in a safe gooey cocoon, existing as a half-formed mush of vague ideas and self-doubt. So my work, my artistic voice, still feels a little unknown. I guess, if it’s about the work I’ve done so far. I’d like to be remembered for my honesty. I’m still working on being honest with myself, with others, in my life. In my work, I always want to be honest. MW: I think it would be an honour to just be remembered outside my own circle of friends and family for my work. I think though for me, it's less about being remembered for my work and more being remembered for being someone people wanted to work with. To learn more about Theatre on the Ridge’s productions this summer and the touring production of ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’, please visit www.theatreontheridge.ca.You can also visit their Facebook Page: Theatre on the Ridge; Twitter: @TheatreOTRidge; Instagram: @theatreontheridgeportperry Previous Next

Back Sandra Laronde Theatre Conversation in a Covid World Paula Wilson Joe Szekeres “I did training in Toronto, at the Banff Centre and with Native Theatre School as it was known in its time, and now it’s known as The Centre for Indigenous Theatre. That was transformational, really…it was really, really difficult, getting up at 5 am and really athletic and strenuous and exciting work. It opened up my eyes to so much.” So exclaimed the founding Executive and Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance, Sandra Laronde, as she opened our conversation with this description of where she had received some training as an artist. According to the press release: “Sandra is a highly accomplished arts leader, creator, and innovator who plays a pivotal role in the ongoing Indigenous cultural resurgence of Canada…She is the recipient of numerous awards for artistic excellence and leadership including the Celebration of Cultural Life Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, Victor Martyn Staunch-Lynch Award for Outstanding Artist in Dance from Canada Council, Expressive Arts Award from the Smithsonian Institute, Paul D. Fleck Fellowship in the Arts (Banff Centre).” Highly impressive awards and recognition, indeed. This word ‘transformational’ has been a key element in many of the artists whom I’ve interviewed since the Coronavirus pandemic ground all our lives to a screeching halt. Many live performers have spoken about their own transformation in ‘pivoting’ at this time in their lives whether it be for personal or professional reasons, or a combination of the two. Laronde also acknowledged one of the triumphs she encountered with Red Sky during this time of Covid is the fact they were able to pivot very quickly. When that all happened, Red Sky came up with other ideas to make something happen very quickly “right out of the gate”. And they did that. Red Sky has been able to attract other audiences with their digital offerings in the interim. The company also started ‘Red Talk’ which they’re calling their ‘Wisdom Keeper Series’ during the pandemic because what Sandra noticed was people were hungry for wisdom, hungry for wise words and people with lived experience. This series involved their elders coming on to speak about what was the means to this time during the pandemic. This was the first offering and 5000 people showed up who listened. That’s a sizable part of the audience from the province, across the country and parts of the United States. New people were being reached in different ways, and for Red Sky this was an important factor to recognize. Yes this time of Covid, according to Laronde, has been one of new learnings personally but for her it has been “more of a re-learning, a re-boot, and a …re-fresh in experiencing just how beautiful the natural world is…and how we are all interconnected and have been awakened.” I couldn’t agree more with her as this profile series has opened wide a window for me in my transformation to learn more about the arts and culture of the BIPOC community, especially the Indigenous community for this profile. Further, I also learned the narrative of Indigenous story has been predominantly driven by the mainstream, and not driven by Indigenous people. According to Sandra, “It’s been driven through a white lens media. In a way that has not been at all complimentary to Indigenous peoples.” Sandra adds further: “The mainstream has created a false narrative, and that false narrative has to do with the taking of land, and the taking, and the taking, and the taking of resources, land and water, and there’s a political reason why there is a false narrative about Indigenous people that is tied to land, a colonial narrative, of course.” Laronde sees Red Sky as "one of the companies that needs to work on “this narrative change through truth telling, inspiring, empowering, and lifting and elevating and centering story so that story can have a real impact in all of our futures, not just Indigenous, but people. If Indigenous stories can be told by the Indigenous peoples, that can also help us connect up to the natural world. “This centering the Indigenous story in the consciousness of Canada, and in the narrative of Canada”, for Laronde, is extremely important because: “[The Indigenous peoples] have been treated very much like a distant cousin to the family of Canada, and we should be right at the centre of that family. We do not want to be treated like a distant cousin when we have so much to contribute, so much to offer. This narrative out there right now created by the mainstream holds a lot of unconscious and conscious biases, and that perspective needs to change. And it can only change once we author and tell our own stories.” Sandra strongly concluded that “once Indigenous put their stories at the centre, that is how change is going to happen, and the Indigenous can come through in the stories, and Indigenous truth can be advanced. If Indigenous origin stories are shared and told to children, we would have a very different relationship to nature as a result. If Indigenous origin stories were told of how they originated, where the origin is of Indigenous people, we would have a very different idea of our connection to Canada, to our land, to who Canadians really are.” For Laronde, part of who Canadians really are rests with Indigenous peoples. I was looking forward to our conversation because I’ve recently learned of the Canadian premiere of the film ‘More Than Dance, We Are A Movement’ will be shown online in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Toronto’s award-winning Indigenous innovators, Red Sky Performance presented by the national initiative Digidance and Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. Another reason why I was looking forward to speaking with Sandra Laronde? I could finally ask a highly qualified arts leader how those of us in the audience watching, who may not have an extensive knowledge of understanding movement and dance, what specifically we should watch closely. There is something visually stunning and highly captivating how the performing artists use and weave their bodies corporeally to tell stories, but I could just sense there has to be something more. And I am grateful Sandra Laronde was available for a worthwhile conversation that opened my eyes to an awareness of the beauty and sound of the Indigenous people and culture. She was quick to acknowledge there is a lot to look at in any dance piece and ‘More Than Dance, We Are A Movement’ is no exception as there is a lot of athleticism involved. Laronde spoke of the fact there is something potent about movement, image and music together in one very powerful creation with no need for language to understand. For Red Sky performances and the upcoming ‘More Than Dance, We Are A Movement’ presentation, Laronde proudly states she is concerned far more about the audience and its experience in what they are doing in seeing the story land. Along with the dance, there is the expression transmitted through the human body in these beautiful ways. Lighting and original live music played in ‘More Than Dance’ mesh and gel to tell an Indigenous story. Both Sandra and I agreed that there is nothing like live performance and we both concurred that we do miss it because they are transformational. She is also quick to point out that digital is the way of the future too. Yes, nothing can replace a live performance where an intimate connection binds an audience to the artists. That being said, Laronde quickly adds that the digital screen offers elements that an audience often doesn’t get in live performance. For example, if there is a real close up shot, we can see the performer in a completely different way that a live audience may not capture at that particular moment. In this respect, film allows moments of transformation for the audience to see where they are supposed to be looking at certain moments. Image also plays a prominent feature in ‘More Than Dance’ as well. The image portrayed on the scrim/screen of the stage and some of that is interactive as it might trace the bodies of the dancers and you can see it being traced as they move along. There are also some beautiful, animated images somewhat (not necessarily animated) with motion graphics and projection mapping, but the dance, Laronde re-iterates, is the focus of the film. Sandra wants audiences to know that another important feature in Indigenous art forms is there is no tendency to silo so much, meaning the performance isn’t divided into dance over there and music over here. All of these art form disciplines are brought together and combined with cultural meaning in a story that is relevant and, hopefully, one the audiences are able to respond. As we concluded our conversation, I wanted to ask Sandra about the term ‘meaningful change’ which I saw mentioned quite a bit in the press release I had received. When I asked her how meaningful change can be applied to Red Sky in a post pandemic world, Sandra agreed that it was a good question, but a big question to ask, as the company looks towards its future when we can all gather together once again. In terms of artists through the unique creative process of working with Red Sky, Sandra recognized there is great learning in and of itself. Red Sky creates a work together but the way it creates shows might be a little bit more unusual. Red Sky is interested in accelerating the leadership capacity of Indigenous arts and culture in cultivating good people who are going to do things in society through learning and through seeking. Sandra states she is interested in people’s minds and hearts being transformed in celebrating Indigenous arts and culture since it is still relatively new in Canada. It hasn’t been that long since it has been on Canadian mainstages. I am really looking forward to the premiere of ‘More Than Dance, We Are A Movement’ which will stream April 14-20 in Canada. To purchase tickets, visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com . To learn more about Red Sky Performance, including their touring performances for children and youth and digital performances, visit the group’s website: www.redskyperformance.com Facebook: Red Sky Performance Twitter: @Redskyconnect Instagram: @redskyconnect Previous Next

Back 'One Step At A Time' by Andrew Prashad Now onstage at London, Ontario's Grand Theatre Stills from Video by Andrew Prashad with Ulla Laidlaw and Indrit Kasapi Joe Szekeres “A genuine and sincere story about family, inclusion, and commitment told with grace, class, and dignity. The show’s title becomes an important mantra for all of us when dark times permeate our lives.” Andrew Prashad's 'One Step at a Time' is a distinctive blend of original songs, tap dance, storytelling, and multimedia projection. It embraces a father’s journey with his young son, Ezra, born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The one-hour intermission-less performance is a heartfelt sharing of life's challenges and joys from Andrew and his wife, Beth, who are also parents of two older daughters. Throughout his daily parental responsibilities at home, Prashad continues to maintain his career as an active actor, singer and dancer. Prashad shares some funny bits along this journey about caring for his son. One occurs when he goes to the local Shopper’s Drug Mart looking for the lubrication tube needed for the young Ezra’s catheterization. Thanks to Prashad's intensely focused solo work, ‘One Step at a Time’ becomes deeply touching. Under the direction of Scott Hurst, Andrew skillfully navigates his emotional journey as a parent, never veering into maudlin emotional histrionics. That’s a smart move on both their parts. I read once that A. R. Gurney advised any actor voicing Andrew Makepeace Ladd in ‘Love Letters’ not to cry at the end of the play but to let the audience do that. Hurst accomplishes that same goal on this opening night for Prashad who allows his final connection with the audience to speak for itself. I could feel the tears welling and heard someone behind me sniffing. The production’s pacing on the intimate Auburn Stage of London’s Grand Theatre remains solidly tight, and the action never drags. I sat on the aisle at far-stage right—sightlines were good, and sound remained decent. I could hear every song’s lyrics and every word Prashad spoke. Since he also conceived the show, I will credit Andrew for the set design, which functions well and doesn’t appear cramped. At centre stage is an elongated rectangular floorboard upon which Prashad tap dances. In front is a child’s carpet of the alphabet and numbers—what you might find in a preschool setting. Ezra’s varied walkers and canes can also be found around the stage. There is an angled chair stage left Prashad uses. What’s the first thing to notice when entering the auditorium during the preshow? There is a projected photo of baby Ezra with his favourite stuffed animal, Ella the Elephant. Prashad took this picture of their backsides. However, a critical eye connection takes a few seconds to notice why the image is striking. When it does become apparent, it hits right at the heart. The malformation of Ezra’s spine is noticeable. Someone has sewn on a malformation of Ella’s spine on her back. (in the talkback, we learn Beth did that.) What message did I glean from this photo? Even though there might be cracks, the spiritual foundation of the person and individual remains strong and can never be quashed. How heartening it is to see a Christian family use the power of prayer and love, especially when dark moments envelop their lives. Andrew convincingly reveals this internal strength during a time he calls ‘The Dark Night.’ I don’t want to spoil its dramatic intensity. I was riveted to my seat as I watched him recount what happened calmly and bravely while doing what he could for his young son. Prashad is a triple threat in the industry. He sings, acts, and dances with gusto. Under Jeannie Wyse’s carefully executed music direction, Andrew understands the meaning of each word he sings. He inherently knows when to pause and when to breathe with purpose. I still hear, " And we’ll have little waltzes” the next day while I continue writing this article. I won’t call that an ‘earworm tune’ because it’s not. It becomes a moment between parent and child that is so touchingly beautiful that it’s difficult to describe. And Another Thought: In her Programme Note, the Grand’s Artistic Director Rachel Peake mentions Andrew’s perspective that many people don’t have about a career in the theatre: there has to be a way to have it all. Andrew does refer to those career heights he has hit – a contract with a touring Riverdance, a contract with London’s Grand and a dance teaching contract in Mexico are only three examples. Beth is her husband’s biggest supporter and tells him periodically: “This is what we’re hoping for. We’ll make it work with the family.” Yes, the Prashads have made it work and will continue to do so. However, I have no doubt Andrew values and places family first. He is foremost a husband and father, and that must always be a priority. Yes, achieving any set goals is one step at a time. But our lives are an ever-evolving journey, as Andrew writes in his Programme Note. The point of ‘One Step At A Time’ is to demonstrate what LOVE can do. And from a Christian perspective, LOVE can do wonders. Go and see “One Step At A Time.” Running time: approximately 60 minutes with no interval/intermission. ‘One Step At a Time’ runs until April 20 on the Auburn Stage at London, Ontario’s Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond Street. For tickets: grandtheatre.com or call the Box Office (519) 672-8800. ONE STEP AT A TIME by Andrew Prashad Written, Conceived, Composed and Performed by Andrew Prashad Director: Scott Hurst Music Director: Jeannie Wyse Previous Next BACK TO TOP

Back Rebecca Northan "Improvisation is completely alive, completely responsive. There's honesty, a sense of permission and relief." Both photos courtesy of Rebecca Northan Joe Szekeres At the height of the pandemic three years ago, I had the opportunity to Zoom with actor and improvisation artist Rebecca Northan. You can find our conversation link here: https://www.onstageblog.com/profiles/2021/1/31/theatre-conversation-in-a-covid-world-with-rebecca-northan. Fast forward three years and our conversation continued. She’s a busy lady but enjoying every second of it. Rebecca has just closed ‘The Applecart’ and ‘The Game of Love and Chance’ at the Shaw Festival. What else is coming up for her? Not in performance since the pandemic, ‘Blind Date’ returns to Regina’s Globe Theatre on October 18. ‘GOBLIN: MACBETH’ opens October 14 in the Studio Theatre at the Stratford Festival. She will write and direct JACK: A BEANSTALK PANTO this holiday season, which opens November 24 and runs to December 23 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope. Northan calls GOBLIN: MACBETH a very new show. It has never been performed in Ontario. It was developed in 2022 for The Shakespeare Company in Calgary and described on its website as: “[a] theatrical experience not soon to be forgotten. It is a three-hander, mash-up [whereby] audiences are brought to the edge of the seat for a ‘spontaneous theatre’ experience.” At Stratford, the show features musician Ellis Lalonde, Northan, and Bruce Horak, her creative partner, who have all performed the show out in western Canada. Northan and Horak have been making shows for over thirty years. What’s the ‘mini story’ behind ‘GOBLIN: MACBETH? These creatures have found a copy of ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’ and have read it cover to cover. They wonder who this Shakespeare guy is as he knows a lot about witches, fairies, goblins, and monsters. If the Goblins try to do theatre (and they’re unconvinced it’s a good idea, but they’ll try), they may understand more about humans. They chose ‘Macbeth’ because it’s the shortest. Rebecca and I agreed the Scottish play is terrific for high school students as they seem to love the witches, blood, gore, and murder. She even goes as far as to call it one of our perfect plays: “It’s got everything. It’s dark, scary, sensational. There’s something watching the train wreck of blind ambition.” As a retired teacher, I know the importance of getting kids to like Shakespeare. What better way to do that than to take them to a live production? Rebecca stated that she, Horak and Lalonde have performed ‘GOBLIN’ for student matinees in Calgary and at Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach. She compares performing for students to a rock concert. Rebecca and Bruce adore Shakespeare and remain respectfully faithful to Macbeth’s text. However, the two come from an improvisation background. Along with Lalonde, according to Rebecca, the three of them have ‘an internal permission’ to break out of the text at any time if something occurs to them. They can do this if that improv moment highlights something in the play, is directly related to it, or what’s happening in the audience at any given time. As actors, they are responsive to what’s happening in the room. Young people at student matinees don’t know what to expect; however, combined with the appearance of the Goblins and all the ensuing hijinks that follow, the students all wonder what this play is they’re watching. “That’s how we won them over,” Rebecca stated with an accomplished tone. I’m sure what the three of them accomplish for the student shows also applies to the other performances. Three words came to mind when I saw the Bard on the Beach trailer for ‘GOBLIN’ – creepy, eerie, but fascinating. Northan loved these three descriptors and said they’re apt for the production. What caught my eye immediately in the trailer was the Goblin mask she, Lalonde and Horak wear. These single silicone headpieces, which fit snugly to the face, are made by ‘Composite Effects’ in the States. The picture above next to Northan's headshot shows the three actors in costume. There is some articulation for the three actors, and the masks move slightly. For Rebecca, these headpieces are: ‘wearable works of art. There are veins in the headpiece and depth to them. They’re quite remarkable.” What is it about improvisation in GOBLIN and in the upcoming holiday panto for Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre that makes for great theatre? “It’s completely alive, completely responsive. There’s honesty, a sense of permission and relief. Improv lets the audience know they’re seen. I think, especially after two years of the pandemic (which we say is over, but it’s not), of being disconnected to having an experience where the performers see you and connect with you is so essential. It is the thing that live theatre can offer that nothing on your laptop or streaming device can…this modern notion of improv being a separate practice has never made any sense to me because there’s been improvisation in the theatre as long as there has been theatre.” With a wink and a twinkle in her eye, Northan says misbehaviour and it being in the best way is the hallmark of the work she does constantly. Misbehaviour is something our world needs right now. Once ‘Goblin’ concludes its run at Stratford, Northan is off to Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre to write and direct the Christmas/holiday fairy tale panto. She’s always loved fairy tale storytelling and listening to many accounts. She mentioned she heard a CBC broadcast that the ‘Disneyfication’ of fairytales has done a disservice as they serve to warn listeners of the dangers out there in the world but not to shut ourselves from it. Rebecca is looking forward to the experience. Although she’s never performed at the Capitol, she has known the Artistic Director, Rob Kempson, for over 15 years and says he’s terrific. (Side note: I agree, too). She’s excited that Rob trusts her and gives her free reign to prepare. Kempson is also a wonderful dramaturg and has given her excellent notes on the script so far. She’s written the Naughty version already. The Family version will simply have the mature references removed. Kempson told Rebecca that tickets to the Naughty Panto outsell the family version. She is utterly fascinated by the fact there is this hunger for naughty fairy tales. She says it’s not dissimilar to GOBLIN in that audiences want something familiar with a twist on it. It does something for us as audiences. The first panto I saw at the Capitol was rather adult in nature. A cast member carried out a particular adult toy without going into specific details. Rebecca’s version will not be that ‘adult-naughty.’ She and Rob have had some conversations already. Rebecca proudly states she is a storyteller first and foremost. She has to make a good play that will tell the story of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK – a pretty thin narrative – so what can she do to augment it? Then the jokes can come. Northan is more interested in naughty, cheeky double-entendres than overt dirtiness for the sake of dirtiness. The latter is of no interest to her at all. She describes the adult text as ‘flirting with the line’ while still telling a story. There’s nothing more satisfying than great double entendres. The line can be very innocent, and what the audience brings to it makes the double entendres. That’s an extraordinary meeting between the playwright, performer, and audience. ‘Blind Date’s’ performance runs at the same time as at the Stratford Festival. Although Rebecca is delighted it’s back, the play is still dangerous. A stranger will be brought up on stage each night and made the star of the show with the hope this person does not have Covid since the setting is a small space. Because ‘Blind Date’ exists in the present moment, it’s growing and changing, and Rebecca is thrilled the script continues evolving. “As it should be,” she quickly adds. The play is always for sale anytime, and anyone can book it. What’s next for the artist after the panto concludes at the end of December? She and Bruce Horak have been commissioned to create GOBLIN: OEDIPUS for the High Performance Rodeo put on by One Yellow Rabbit in Calgary. That’s happening in January/February 2024. Northan and Horak are also waiting to hear about some grants if GOBLIN: MACBETH goes to Edmonton. She’s also directing Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ at Bard on the Beach in the summer of 2024. To learn more about GOBLIN: MACBETH, visit stratfordfestival.com. To learn more about Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, visit capitoltheatre.com. To learn more about ‘Blind Date’ at Regina’s Globe Theatre, visit globletheatrelive.com. Previous Next

Back 'Vierge' by Rachel Mutombo Now onstage at Toronto's Factory Theatre Now onstage at Toronto's Factory Theatre David Rabjohn A new play, ‘Vierge’, written by first time playwright Rachel Mutombo opened this week at the Factory Theatre in Toronto. An interplay between the themes of the stresses of recent immigration and the confusing dynamics of teenage life, this lively production delves deeply into these sensitive issues. The strength of this play comes from four impressive performances that keeps the audience fully engaged. Although we would call this an ensemble, the driving force of the story and the acting comes from the character of Divine played by Shauna Thompson. Ms. Thompson’s performance was captivating in that every range of emotion was on full display. Divine, a strong young Christian, is given a large responsibility in running a small ‘group’ of teenage girls in bible study. Only three girls show up with various agendas and attitudes. Yvonne Addai plays a cheeky Grace Katende while JD Leslie plays her sister Sarah and their relationship seems sour from the beginning. Although Grace and Sarah have recently immigrated from the Congo, Divine and her new friend Bien-Aime (Kudakwashe Rutendo) also have roots in the Congo. Chaos is not far away as Divine is treading water trying to keep the program together while the others are irreverent and gossipy. Horrific stories and undercut relationships are mined through the lens of teenage enthusiasm and angst. A riotous teenage drinking party, set in the church itself, brings to conclusion a very sad story. Ms. Addai’s performance drips with saucy irreverence – sex is just a joke. Many “watch the hand” moments were her signature as well as some striking dance moves that would shock a priest. Her sister Sarah (JD Leslie) is more brooding and sarcastic – her crushing eyes belie much sadness and heartache. Ms. Rutendo’s portrayal of Bien-Aime is perhaps the most complicated. The daughter of a retired minister, she acts throughout the play as an intermediator taking on leadership roles and befriending Divine. But a subtle devilish undercurrent is palpable and Ms. Rutendo pins the audience to their seats with a late monologue describing a shocking past – sincerity is still up for grabs. There are many sides to Bien-Aime – even her beautiful name has the sound of enemy in it. As in any dramedy, Ms. Mutombo’s dark play sparkles at times with hilarious wordplay. Recently from the Congo, Grace and Sarah struggle with some English phrases. Highlights include sexual partners who “spin” instead of “swing” and the confusion of a “rifle” wedding instead of a “shotgun” wedding. The writing near the end seemed somewhat thin. It appears incongruous that Divine, a self-described virgin, a non-drinker and a committed Christian would within a period of 48 hours become a blacked-out drunk and wild party girl. Teenagers do arc wildly, but that seemed too much. The issue of hypocrisy was effectively raised with more subtlety earlier in the play. A creative piece of directing came from Natasha Mumba with the riotous party scene near the end. We feel the heat of the party but we see only one-half of the partygoers. Some imaginative blocking and wild choreography set the raucous tone. Ms. Mutombo’s notes suggest that this is an “exploration of identity.” She has achieved that goal and the phrase certainly is the very definition of being a teenager – especially in a difficult world. ‘Vierge’ by Rachel Mutombo Performers: Yvonne Addai, JD Leslie, Kudakwashe Rutendo, Shauna Thompson Director: Natasha Mumba Set Design: Rachel Forbes Lighting Design: Jareth Li Production runs through April 30, 2023. Tickets: factorytheatre.ca Previous Next

Back Jeff Ho Looking Ahead Dahlia Katz Joe Szekeres Over the years in attending Toronto productions, I’ve seen Jeff Ho’s name either as a writer or a performer. I had the chance to see his work in an extraordinary online production of ‘Orestes’ in 2020 through Tarragon Theatre. Earlier in the pandemic when I began compiling this series, I was encouraged by someone to get in touch with Jeff simply because his work as an actor and playwright speaks for itself. Before we began our Zoom interview, I asked Jeff how he had been faring during this time. He paused for a few seconds before he began to answer and I could just sense, like all of us have been feeling, that Jeff had a great deal on his plate during this year plus long absence from live theatre that he was unable early during the pandemic to be a part of the On-Stage Blog conversation. I so wanted him to be a part of this series and to add his voice to the discussion that I was determined not to give up in asking him. When he finally sent me a message saying he would love to chat and to add his voice, I was elated and immediately blocked Zoom time with him. Jeff is a Toronto-based theatre artist, originally from Hong Kong. Acting credits: Orestes (Tarragon Theatre), trace (Remount - NAC/Factory Theatre), Ophelia in Prince Hamlet (Why Not Theatre, national tour: Canadian Stage, PuSh Festival, and National Arts Centre), Hana's Suitcase (Young People's Theatre, tour: Toronto, Montreal and Seattle), Unknown Soldier (lemonTree creations/Architect Theatre), Murderers Confess at Christmastime (Outside the March), Kim's Convenience (CBC), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), and Orphan Black (BBC America). As a playwright, his works include the critically acclaimed Iphigenia and the Furies (On Taurian Land), produced by Saga Collectif; Antigone: 方, produced by Young People's Theatre; and trace, produced by Factory Theatre, b current, and the National Arts Centre. His work has been developed with the Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Young People's Theatre, Human Cargo, Factory Theatre, Cahoots, the Banff Playwrights Lab, Nightswimming Theatre, and he is the current OAC Playwright in Residence at the Tarragon Theatre. His plays are published by Playwrights Canada Press. Jeff is the Company Dramaturg with Outside The March. Jeff is grateful to have been honoured with a Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best New Canadian Play (Iphigenia); the Jon Kaplan Legacy Fund Award for a Young Canadian Playwright; the Bulmash Siegel Playwriting Award (Tarragon Theatre); nominated for four Dora Awards, and a Harold Award (House of Nadia Ross). He is a graduate of the National Theatre School. Thank you again for adding your voice to the discussion, Jeff: It’s a harsh reality that the worldwide pandemic of Covid 19 has changed all of us. Describe how your understanding of the world you know and how your perception and experience have changed on a personal level. It’s completely changed, different priorities personally and some of these are also tied in professionally. I just wanted to acknowledge, Joe, and thank you for reaching out earlier in the pandemic. That’s something that is really true and, at first, it was difficult to reach out and talk to anyone about the feeling, the isolation and just trying to navigate all the cancellations the artists had to go through. It was really quite difficult. Family was also important. I have a baby niece who I am lucky have been able to meet a lot and to see and re-connect with my family before the pandemic. During the pandemic it’s been really distant. My niece is talking, well, she’s babbling but she’s walking. It’s a huge joy to see her at this time. Thank God for technology that way. There are missing moments that I can think we can all identify with because of the pandemic, and it’s been more than a year now. We adapt quickly. Some things remain really difficult to parse through. With live indoor theatre shut now 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? (Jeff paused for a few seconds and I could tell from looking at his face on camera that this would be a challenging question for him) I’m both really optimistic for multiple reasons because of the creativity folks have been able to adapt with through the pandemic. There’s been some really great virtual showings. I felt really fortunate to have worked on ‘Orestes’ with Tarragon Theatre, that was a huge experiment. It was wild because everybody just went in together to collaborate. We made something happen, whether it was equivalent to live theatre or not, I’m not sure. But at the same time, I feel really optimistic that, in all of the adaptations and all the ways we’ll persevere, when we come back live, we’ll be really triumphant, beautiful and joyous. But, at the same time, I have a deep sadness for a lot of the shows that, who knows if they’ll be able to come back or if we’ll be able to see them. My biggest worry is sometimes with, I think of the newest generation of students who just graduated theatre school last May, and the ones graduating this May, and the ones who are in school right now, how it feels to be training over Zoom. It’s [The theatre industry] is a very hard industry to enter, and so I worry about a generation lost and the stories we might miss on. Ultimately, I’m hopeful and I’m trying my best to remain hopeful because it’s so important to do so. Theatre artists are really creative and adaptive. I certainly miss an audience, being in an audience. The [theatre] industry is not dead but Zoom theatre or You Tube theatre is not live theatre, by any means. What I’ve been grateful for with these platforms is at least the connection with the community that can chat with virtually or to see a performance live, even though it’s not live and in person. Through a small technical delay, it always fulfilled a few criteria of going to the theatre but never that full package of being sensationally with an audience, feeling the heat of the lighting design, and the actor really going at it full throttle. Zoom and You Tube can’t capture that heat of live experience, but it always held little bits of that experience that always made the missing part a little deeper each time, but at least I’ve been able to see other artists over Zoom. Or chat with other audience members I’ve seen over the years. The fun is having national audiences and national connections through the internet. That is something I hope we take forward where we can workshop a play with other artists around the country As a professional artist, what are you missing the most about the live theatre industry? So many things, but the first that comes to mind is the pre-show experience and immediate post show experience, and the actual show, of course. Those were the moments especially in the preshow you’d be like, oh, there are people I want to connect with, the ritual with the programme that is given to me in recognizing someone I’ve seen earlier or a new face on the stage whom I haven’t seen. Sitting and waiting for the lights to go dark and lose whatever was carried in from the outside world or sometimes you’ re carrying it fully on account of the show you are seeing. And the moment after, where there is always that ‘moment’ of celebration or that moment of judgment, or for better or worse, I have taken all those moments for granted. That moment of discussing what we just saw with friends. Ultimately, it’s the community in the preshow and post show experience that builds into an audience and then magically dissipates until the next time, whether it’s the next performance next day, next week. Every theatre does its preshow differently. I love the preshow experience at The Theatre Centre with its café or outdoors. What I also miss is the shared laughter and the shared tears. When we come back it’s probably going to be incredible laughter at any joke and any actor who tries to make a joke, and we’ll all be, “Yes, thank you very much for that.” And the actor just instinctively knows to stop for the laughter and everyone is going “Yes, we’re all in this together and we’re right there.” And the actor just picks it up on a dime. Oh, and also the shared complicity when we see something tender and felt and we feel that tear in the corner of our eye. 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? So much of it…(Jeff paused for several seconds and again I could just sense that he and me too are missing live theatre so much) I never want to take for granted the experience and privilege of having a platform on stage and telling a story. I never want to take a story for granted again. It’s wonderful that we’re chatting right now, you and I, but it’s been a heavy week of stories in the news cycle for real both nationally and internationally. It makes me think of the stories that while I was rehearsing or while I was writing, we get exhausted because we work really hard. The artists put in so much time out of passion over economics. At times, it felt like okay I’ll just put it up and just do the thing, I’m just going to rehearse it. And I never want to take for granted whatever the story will be, that chance to connect and share something in a laugh, or something really ridiculous, to celebrate the small joys. If I make a mistake on stage, I also don’t want to take that for granted. It felt like that in training as an artist for so many years that there is that pursuit of perfection, like there’s a perfect way to tell a story. This last year plus away from live theatre has shown us how we can embrace those imperfections and adjust to them, that’s all part of the story. Even in live theatre when an actor ‘corpses’ or a prop breaks in performance on stage, I don’t want to take that for granted again. That’s a moment to connect and think, “Look, we’re in a theatre. Things don’t always go as planned. Isn’t this beautiful?” Describe one element you hope has changed concerning the live theatre industry. Yeah, hmmm…. It’s really exciting and also sad, I’m not sure if sad is the right word, but there’s a monumental shift that’s going on with the theatre nationally too. Every week so far has felt like there’s been new news of departure of artistic director who have been leaders for twenty years. There’s a major shift around of who’s helming these theatre companies that are also in quite a vulnerable position, programming wise and resource wise. And so, with those shifts in leadership, I also see a shift in what artists are identifying quite simply, I’m just going to name them, reckoning equity and diversity inclusion that we’re seeing across many companies. Last summer it was pretty hot with Black Lives Matter, at times informative and at times really felt an active way of change. More recently just this past month with ‘Stop Asian Hate’. There’s been a different way to see how the companies are reacting politically and seeing sometimes the inaction of it. Empty words. And sometimes seeing individual artists rise up and speak and demand the change within theatre. I hope there’s a more embrace of those real-world politics and real amplification of artists who have those stories and the urgency to tell them, and the space for that to happen to really and honestly and safely and bravely engage with those conversations in the theatre in a way that we haven’t been able to achieve in the past. I feel it’s all connected to the new leadership we will see in the coming years. Explain what specifically you believe you must still accomplish within the theatre industry. (Jeff carefully pauses and thinks) Must accomplish…oooo… (several seconds to pause and to think) In a really selfish way, one of the cancellations last year that really broke my heart was I slated to perform in ‘M. Butterfly’ at Soulpepper directed by Nina Lee Aquino. I was to have played Song Liling. This role has been my dream role since theatre school, since I was 17. That cancellation really wrecked me in a real personal way. Since then, ‘Orestes’ at Tarragon was my one acting experience, but I’ve been very, very grateful to be able to maintain playwrighting commissions and begin new plays with different theatre companies I haven’t had a chance to work with. And so, my personal must accomplish, is in some capacity with whatever company, I still hope to tackle that dream role and play one day. ‘M. Butterfly’ is so beautiful, and I so wish to share that story and I’ve been yearning to play it. So that’s a real personal must accomplish and, in the scheme of being connected to the companies I’m in service with right now, yeah, I feel like I must accomplish my playwrighting duties. It’s my passion, playwrighting. Duties isn’t quite the right word. I both love serving and writing for my Chinese Canadian community and really specific ethnic stories to really broaden these representations on stage. But I also love adapting Greek classics, and I really love adapting classics from the Euro central canon, and that’s part of the interrogation of why I adapt them. My two Greek play adaptations are being published by Playwright’s Canada Press this fall, and already I’ve had conversations with universities or theatre school students who always have to go to theatre school auditions with a classical monologue. But now I can provide, even in some small way, a Chinese specific Antigone so that Chinese specific students can still find a classical monologue that somehow sees through this culturally specific lens just a little bit more. That’s something I feel I can accomplish is to continue adapting new stories that speak to a community that’s close to my heart, and then to also, with a lot of whimsy and mischief. adapt a canon that I want everyone and folks who have felt other from it, to feel safe in tackling them and grappling them, with a lot of fun and with a lot of play. That feels like a little passion that I have. 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 think it’s inevitable, and I think the theme will be more surprising than we may think. There will be ones that will go into the isolation of the experience, but I also think about the experience of the audience. I keep on thinking how we always have a cougher in the audience. That’s now going to have a different meaning when we go back. When the actor and the audience now hear the cougher, it’s now going to be “Ummmm….” In terms of stories, however subtle or however on the nose the Covid reality is, ideas around isolation, ideas around being hermit at home, ideas around hygiene in our going to the theatre, that’s going to shift. I think it’s inevitable that we’re going to have a series of plays that will capture this moment. Or through the lens of Covid, there might be some plays that examine some of the things we’ve talked about during this interview because it’s been a year of great strife and inequality, and it’s all been through the lens of us being often at home, unable to take to the streets or in limited ways to mobilize with communities. We’ll hear those stories with a touch of reality that Covid is. As a professional artist, what specifically is it about your work that you want future audiences to remember about you? That’s a tough question. I’m not sure. Okay (and Jeff pauses again for a few seconds) I want everyone to remember joy, mischief, and that trickster quality that’s both really sad - laughing until we cry until we laugh. That’s what I hope people will remember from some of my plays in a real, simple, human way. But I also don’t mind if I am forgotten quite honestly because that is the cycle of things and the cycle of life. But I hope the books will live on even if my name is lost, it’s okay. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @kjeffho. Previous Next

Back 'Touch' A World Premiere by Lighthouse Immersive Space Dahlia Katz Joe Szekeres Please note that I hold neither formal training nor education in dance, choreography, and movement. I will comment on the production’s theatricality. Even though I have no formal background in dance and movement doesn’t hold me back from saying if a production is good. ‘Touch’ is more than just good. ‘Touch’ becomes a sensual, intimate, and electric connection of relationship between two sinewy artists who transfer that same kinetic life force of breath and energy to me as I watched this production, riveted to my seat. The show information I received stated: “TOUCH explores our experience of human contact during this moment in time when human touch has taken on complicated, sometimes frightening implications.” This part of the statement is true, but I also wanted to point out those tender moments of internal passion these marvelous dancers exuded were exquisitely intensified, not only through their seamless entwining bodies but also through their finely tuned breath control. Director and Choreographer Guillaume Côté gorgeously stages and weaves the dancers in this live production through specifically stylized movement. What a wise decision and choice he and designer Thomas Payette made to utilize the possibilities of projecting mapping technology which makes all the images employed become movement generated and created by what the dancers did. It was fascinating to watch the shapes and the lighting cues of these immersive projections, absolutely fascinating. I did not want to take my eyes off the performers, not for one second. The programme stated there are two casts and I most certainly understand why as these marvelous theatrical choreographed moments of strength and stamina by Côté would require the artists to rest their bodies. I’ve never seen any productions before in Gallery 2 at 1 Yonge Street. We have entered what appears to be a warehouse industrial space with three massive pillars in the middle. There was sand around the middle pillar. On entering the room, we were told that during the performance we were not to enter any part of the playing area lit in red. It is 360 degrees/theatre in the round setting with comfortable plush seating. The chairs swivelled which would allow us to view the performance from any angle we wished. Antoine Bédard’s ethereal underscored preshow music set a tone of the unexpected for me. Simon Rossiter’s preshow lighting design fascinated me as certain corners and parts of the room caught my attention and I just wanted to look at the section and listen to Mr. Bedard’s music. At the performance I saw, artists Carleen Zouboules and Evan Webb expertly remain in complete control all the time. Their beautifully timed movement through the audience and their finely tuned synchronicity with Mr. Payette’s projection designs presented a haunting and metaphysical relationship of two people who will always appear to be pre-destined to be together. Final Thoughts: Coming out of a long eighteen-month theatrical pause, it is shows like ‘Touch’ that we need to see to re-charge our love and appreciation of the performing arts. This ‘Touch’ radiates with alluring appeal to all senses. Running Time: 45 minutes ‘Touch’ runs through to November 7, 2021, in the Lighthouse Artspace, 1 Yonge St (main entrance off Yonge just north of Queen’s Quay) For point of reference, it is the Toronto Star building. For further information and/or to purchase tickets online, visit www.artbylighthouse.com . TOUCH from Danse Côté in association with Lighthouse Immersive Artspace A new work by Guillaume Côté and Thomas Payette Cast 1: Evan Webb and Carleen Zouboules Cast 2: Larkin Miller and Natasha Poon Woo Producer: Etienne Lavigne, Anymotion Productions Choreography and direction: Guillaume Côté Original concept: Guillaume Côté and Thomas Payette/Mirari Projections and multimedia design: Thomas Payette/Mirari Original Score: Antoine Bédard Lighting Designer: Simon Rossiter Costume design: Krista Dowson Stage Manager: Kellie Foley Previous Next

Back 'Counter Offence' by Rahul Varma Onstage at Montreal's Segal Centre for the Performing Arts Courtesy of Teesri Duniya Theatre's Facebook page. L-R: Arash Ebrahimi, Oliver Price and Howard Rosenstein Joe Szekeres A highly complex drama of integrity and grit. It is the mid-nineties in Québec. ‘Counter Offence’ follows the story of Shazia (Amanda Silveira), an Indo-Québec woman caught in an abusive marriage with Shapoor (Arash Ebrahimi), an Iranian man who deals with parental problems and immigration concerns. Shazia’s mother, Shafiqa (Ambica Sharma) and father Murad (Andrew Joseph Richardson) are at their daughter’s side during her ordeal. Shapoor is arrested on domestic violence charges by Sgt. Galliard (Oliver Price), a Québec police officer. Galliard shows his true colours in how he feels about what Shapoor has done. Moolchand (Aladeen Tawfeek) a lawyer/activist comes to Shapoor’s defence by accusing Galliard of racism. Clarinda Keith (Sophie-Thérèse Stone-Richards), a social worker, defends Galliard even though the Québec police are noticeably racist against people of colour to support the voices of vulnerable women. Ultimately a dramatic turn of events occurs which changes the lives of these characters. There was a talkback after the show, and I stayed because I wanted to hear both what the playwright had to say and what the other audience members were thinking. The audience sits on opposite ends of the auditorium with the action taking place in the centre. The stage is divided into smaller playing spaces from Gilles Prougault’s office to Shapoor’s holding/prison cell to Clarinda Keith’s office. The play is set in the mid-nineties as there is a reference to then Québec premier Jacques Parizeau’s racist incendiary comment of the reason why the 1995 provincial referendum did not sway on account of the ethnic vote. As the play moves forward, the actors sometimes will sit on stage left in chairs. Playwright Rahul Varma’s script is part courtroom drama. At times, the transition seemed clearly obvious. At others, I wanted to see a bit more of the personal drama playing out first. Periodically, the characters break the fourth wall and speak to the audience as if they are in a courtroom. It appears as if the audience becomes the jury trying to make sense of and get to the truth of what happened. The audience sits on opposite sides of the auditorium with the story’s action taking place in the centre. Marie-Ève Fortier has nicely designed the front of where the audience sits as the jury box. Aurora Torok’s lighting design effectively spotlights those individual scenes with a clear focus. Since the play takes place in the mid-nineties, Diana Uribe has selected appropriate contemporary clothing of the time period. Playwright Rahul Varma has written a highly charged edge-of-the-seat drama that kept me focused to the end. Murdoch Schon’s direction remains assuredly clear throughout. The tight-knit ensemble cast offers uniformly solid and believable performances. The topic of racism not only in Québec but in any province is a complex and troubling one for other underlying associated issues. Schon points this out in the Director’s Note when Schon stated: “Counter Offence is not a single-issue play [as it cannot be reduced]…to shrink the enormity of what [the play] grapples with. Varma writes in his Programme Note the play: “addresses the struggle for justice at the intersection of race, gender and culture simultaneously.” Indeed, with this background, it becomes extremely important to keep our eyes and ears always open and try to get as clear of a picture as we can. It’s not easy to always do this during the performance because the language gets nasty and hurtful. Arash Ebrahimi is a tortured Shapoor who credibly showed he wants to make amends with Shazia, but can he be trusted? Amanda Silveira’s performance singlehandedly made that clear to me he can’t, and I bought it. Anytime a man raises his hand to a woman is the last time he will raise a hand to her, and I was pleased both Andrew Joseph Richardson and Ambica Sharma supported this in their performances as the parents. Sophie-Thérèse Stone-Richards quietly assumes her strength of character as Clarinda in her interactions with Shazia and Guy Galliard. Oliver Price’s Guy is a hard-hitting and in-your-face brutal police officer. Yes, Guy’s heart is in the right place when he believes violence against any woman is wrong; however, to hear the language he uses when speaking to someone from another race is difficult and awful to hear. I persevered nevertheless and let him tell me what he wanted to say. Howard Rosenstein is a tough-as-nails Gilles Prougault who does his best to ensure he can keep Guy from losing his job. Aladeeen Tawfeek delivers a trustworthy performance as Moolchand. I truly believed he wants to help Shapoor at all costs. Even when Shapoor declares he shouldn’t have behaved as he did with Shazia, Tawfeek’s Moolchand becomes that strong parental figure Shapoor so desperately craves that is lacking from his own life. The surprise at the end of the play certainly made me do a double-take. That’s why I wanted to stay and hear what Rahul Varma had to say. Final Comments: The production closes on April 2. Go see it for the strong ensemble work. Running time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. The production runs until April 2 in the Studio Theatre at Montréal’s Segal Centre for the Performing Arts, 5170 de la cote Ste. Catherine, Montréal, Québec. For tickets, call (514) 739-7944. TEESRI DUNIYA THEATRE presents COUNTER OFFENCE by Rahul Varma Director: Murdoch Schon Stage Manager: Ava Bishop, Set Designer: Marie-Ève Fortier Costume Designer: Diana Uribe Lighting Designer: Aurora Torok Sound Designer: Violette Kay Performers: Arash Ebrahimi, Oliver Price, AndrewJoseph Richardson, Howard Rosenstein, Ambica Sharma, Amanda Silveira Sophie-Thérèse Stone-Richards, Aladeen Tawfeek Previous Next

Back 'Sizwe Banzi Is Dead' by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona Presented by Soulpepper and now onstage in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District Dahlia Katz. Tawiah M'Carthy (kneeling) and Amaka Umeh (standing on chair) Joe Szekeres An emotionally gut-wrenching production that hits the core of my being. The beauty of Amaka Umeh and Tawiah M’Carthy’s gifted performances shamefully reminds me I still have a long way to go in learning more. ‘Sizwe Banzi Is Dead’ opens in Styles’ (Amaka Umeh) photography studio in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He reads a newspaper and has finished an article about an automobile plant and then, in a fascinating monologue delivery, begins to tell the audience a funny story about the time he worked at the Ford Motor Company. The audience also learns that Styles had a former job before becoming a photographer. Sizwe Banzi (Tawiah M’Carthy) enters and would like to have his picture taken. When Styles asks his customer’s name, Sizwe hesitates momentarily and then uses the fictitious name of Robert Zwelinzima. Sizwe confidently addresses the audience, delivering a monologue in the form of a letter to his wife. He reveals that he will inform her of his death upon arriving in King William’s Town, where he plans to search for employment with the assistance of his friend, Zola. Despite facing difficulty finding work, Sizwe persists and stays with Buntu (Amaka Umeh), a friend of Zola’s, in order to continue his job search. One evening, Sizwe and Buntu visit a local bar, during which Sizwe steps outside to relieve himself and discovers the deceased body of Robert Zwelinzima. Upon noticing the man's passbook, which grants permission to work, both Sizwe and Buntu decide to take it, with Sizwe now assuming the identity of the deceased man. At this part of the play, an intriguing question is raised: What motivates someone to take on the identity of a deceased individual? According to Assistant Director Tsholo Khalema's I never thought about “the proverbial deaths of Black persons who were forced to modify their behaviour in order to avoid being perceived as aggressive or threatening.” I never knew they were required to carry a passbook dictated by the Dutch colonial government indicating the individual’s right to work or reside in a specific town. To assume the identity of a deceased individual with the proper passbook would be the only option for safety. And that’s exactly what happens when Buntu removes the photo on Robert's passbook and replaces it with Sizwe's. Buntu convinces Sizwe to burn his passbook and adopt Robert Zwelinzima's identity. He assures Sizwe that he can always remarry his wife. Do I blame either of these individuals for doing what they did? Absolutely not. That’s why the play resonates with me emotionally as I was not fully and compassionately aware of what was transpiring overseas. Seeing ‘Sizwe Banzi’ makes me deeply regret my lack of knowledge about this dark period in history and wish I had taken more initiative to educate myself. Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu clearly focuses her inspired direction on the value of all black human lives. A story like this requires two gifted performers who tell with the utmost grace, keen humour, frank observation, and candid reactions. Amaka Umeh and Tawiah M’Carthy magnificently do just this. As Styles, Umeh’s recounting of the photos she has taken of individuals over the years is riveting to watch. There is such happiness and confidence in the way she speaks about those whom Styles has photographed. As Sizwe, M’Carthy is the exact opposite of Umeh’s Styles. Sizwe appears initially hesitant and nervous when he enters the shop. Much-needed humour occurs as Styles poses Sizwe in some unnatural stances for the camera. But Amaka and Tawiah also do more for me. Their impactful performances continue to remind me I still have a long way to go in learning more about “how we can learn from our past to move forward” as Director Tindyebwa Otu writes in her programme note. Ken Mackenzie's set design effectively immerses the audience in a different era and location. Raha Javanfar's enigmatic lighting design establishes a foreboding tone. Richard Feren's sound design serves as a stark reminder that we are not in North America. I particularly admired Ming Wong's costume design for Tawiah M'Carthy, as his suit's pinstripes and pristine appearance conceal the true identity of Sizwe from the audience initially. Final Comments: Although I remember during high school and completing my undergraduate degree that the situation in South Africa was bad, I never fully understood the immense human suffering caused by apartheid. Tindyebwa Otu’s Director Notes reveal South Africa’s apartheid laws were inspired by Canada’s own policies towards Indigenous people. I felt tremendous anger at this realization and sadness in recognition I didn’t learn more. ‘Sizwe Banzi is Dead’ is one very important theatrical work to see. I hope there might be some audience talkbacks before the show concludes its run. Continued work and guidance need to be evident after the performance. Running time: approximately one hour and 45 minutes with no intermission. ‘Sizwe Banzi is Dead’ runs until June 18 in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane in Toronto’s Distillery District. To purchase tickets: visit soulpepper.ca, youngcentre.ca or call 1-416-866-6666. Soulpepper Presents: ‘Sizwe Banzi Is Dead’ by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona Director: Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu Set Designer: Ken Mackenzie Costume Designer: Ming Wong Lighting Designer: Raha Javanfar Sound Design and Composition: Richard Feren Stage Manager: Sarah Miller Performers: Tawiah M’Carthy, Amaka Umeh Previous Next

Back 'Cockroach' by Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) Now onstage at Tarragon Theatre Anton Ling and Karl Ang. Photo by Joy von Tiedemann Joe Szekeres ‘Cockroach’ becomes a tightly compact emotional script of tremendous sensory highs and lows that rarely allows time to breathe. At times it became intensely riveting while at other moments I went into overload and couldn’t process it as quickly as I could. You’ll have to pay close attention because Ho Ka Kei’s script is jam-packed with layers upon layers of xenophobia, prejudice, and racism. We meet three resolutely focused individuals: Cockroach (Steven Hao), Bard (Karl Ang) and Boy (Anton Ling). That intentional reference to Bard is William Shakespeare. We follow Boy’s story and what happens to him during a traumatic evening. Director Mike Payette never allows the emotional intensity to unravel out of control. Instead, he and Hanna Kiel maintain a clear focus on Ho Ka Kei’s sharp dialogue and reactive, yet carefully choreographed, movement and allow their visceral intensity to speak for themselves. And it spoke to me most certainly as a theatre admirer. However, there were times when I lost focus because so much back story and plot was delivered to me through these (what director Payette calls in his programme note) ‘extreme’ sensory highs and lows that I got tired of watching the production periodically. I really had to study Christine Ting-Huan Urquhart’s set for a few moments during the pre-show and tried to make sense of the playing space. There is an entryway centre stage with two towers the actors will climb on throughout the show. Bard and Boy make their initial entrance through two transparent-looking moving platforms. During the production, Arun Srinivasan’s sharply confined lighting design gorgeously adds to the darkness of Ho Ka Kei’s story. I walked out of the Mainspace theatre opening night strongly affected by two stagecraft elements woven meticulously together that became engrossingly hypnotic for me. The incorporation of silence while intimately linked to dance and movement conveyed a rather grandiose meaning. What might have appeared to look initially as a movement that men may not perform is handled with such grace and ease. There was complete silence in the house as we watched the movement. After a complete blackout, approximately the first ten minutes involve tremendous physical movement where I felt myself holding my breath in awe of what I was witnessing. We are then introduced to Cockroach’s world of how he arrived in North America and what his place is within this society. Steven Hao’s grounded-in-the-moment performance as Cockroach made me fearful of him in the beginning. There are specific times when Hao speaks so quickly that I’m sure I lost a few elements of the plot. Why would a playwright want to call a character ‘Cockroach’? When we, as North Americans, hear this word, all these horrific pictures come to our minds about these insects. Make sure you read the Audience Advisory Guide for background about the word ‘cockroach’ in Asian BIPOC culture and where this term was used derogatorily by the police in Hong Kong. Enlightening indeed, and I do hope this information is also shared in any talkbacks following performances. Karl Ang’s Bard becomes a masterful storyteller of forceful precision who, like Steven Hao’s Cockroach, also commands the stage when required. We do know the Bard is a renowned storyteller who instinctively just writes extremely well. But the caveat –Bard’s stories for some reason are not truly universal. Anton Ling’s Boy and their experiences during this traumatic male sexual assault are heartbreaking to witness. They uses their eyes in conveying a poignant depth of anger, hurt, fear and shame. Their resulting tears I believe have stemmed from Ling digging deep into his very being to convey such power. Final Comments: In his Director’s Note in the programme, Mike Payette writes the following that made me wonder if I should return to see ‘Cockroach’ again: “The extremes [of survival in the world] exist synchronously within us…it is a complex negotiated journey…Sometimes we simply need to be reminded of what we have in order to redeem what was lost.” Perhaps it’s time to return to see ‘Cockroach’ again and attend when there is an Audience talkback to learn more. Running time: approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. ‘Cockroach’ runs to October 9 at Tarragon Theatre, Mainspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto. To purchase tickets and other information call the Box Office (416) 531-1827 or visit tarragontheatre.com. ‘Cockroach’ by Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho) Directed by Mike Payette Choreographed by Hanna Kiel Set and Costume Design: Christine Ting-Huan Urquhart Lighting Design: Arun Srinivasan Sound Design and Original Score: Deanna H. Choi Stage Manager: Emilie Aubin Performers: Karl Ang, Steven Hao, Anton Ling Previous Next

Back 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' by Edward Albee Produced by Zippysaid productions. The show has now closed Courtesy of Zippysaid productions Dave Rabjohn A revival of the classic 1962 play ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ by Edward Albee opened at the Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto on April 24. Fiercely directed by David Agro, the play is a smash up of booze, infidelity, caustic relationships and unrelenting denial of reality and truth. No wonder it won a Tony award! A brilliant cast of four delivers bout after bout of flaming language and emotion. Agro also stars as George, a college history professor who moves around the stage like a wounded cat and thinks he is conducting the games of the evening. George and his wife Martha (Deborah Shaw) stagger home from a party given by the college president – Martha’s father. The air seethes with choler as Martha announces that she has invited a young couple for after party drinks. Nick, a new professor, played by Josh Palmer and his silly wife Honey (Chloe Matamoros) arrive while sobriety leaves. Martha and George strike out at each other, embarrassing the guests. There is a mention of a “son” and Honey admits that Martha alluded to him which infuriates George. During a series of taunting arguments – one being about George’s lack of ambition and ability – Honey (clearly an alcoholic) gets very drunk and leaves to vomit. While George and Nick are alone, George tells a story about a strange friend who killed both his parents apparently by accident. When the girls return, music is played and Martha openly cavorts with Nick and George pretends not to care. George continues to” play games” such as something called “get the guests” where he wickedly describes the young couple and taps into personal difficulties. Martha taunts George to the point where she defiantly takes Nick upstairs - clearly to seduce him. Martha returns, unsatisfied, and the discussion about their son spirals even more furiously. Nick finally realizes that the son is imaginary – a game they play as solace for their infertility. George’s final vile act is to “kill off” the son and Martha swoons to the floor as Nick and Honey stagger away. Shaw and Agro are brilliant together as his eyes keep popping at her vulgar braying. Their drunkenness accelerates with subtlety. Moments of false tenderness explode into vitriol. Shaw’s brash toughness is belied by Agro’s power to kill the game of the “son.” Shaw’s skill is being drunk, angry, and self-despairing all at once. A highlight of George’s work is a splendid speech about chromosomes. As director, Agro blocks George often with his back to the audience. Cleverly, this suggests George as a conductor, trying to control his “games.” Josh Palmer, as Nick, demonstrates versatility with a range of emotions. He somehow balances his drunken lust for Martha and concern for his infirm wife. Lack of confidence is displayed by moments of staring at nothing and nervous knees chattering back and forth as he sits nervously. Chloe Matamoros, as Honey, hides her fears in austere clothing and wrapped up hair. But she clearly exposes her alcoholism while she stares at a bottle (not the pourer) as it gurgles. Honey is an enigma – a seeming witless minor character, she breaks out into moments of clarity underscoring George and Martha’s evil. She is almost a Greek chorus, hovering above the fray with pitiful commentary. Agro’s direction (and I guess Albee’s writing) allows for wild modulations in voice and volume. In most works the “braying” would be a concern, but here it fits. The tiny Red Sandcastle space could have been a concern for such a wild ride, but it ironically helped to focus the free-wheeling action. Albee’s work blurs the distinction between illusion and reality – this talented cast delivered the theme. ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ by Edward Albee Cast – David Agro, Deborah Shaw, Josh Palmer, Chloe Matamoros Director – David Agro Producer – Deborah Shaw Previous Next

Back 'Slava's Snowshow' created and performed by Slava Polunin Now onstage until December 31 at Toronto's Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge Street Vladimir Mushikov Joe Szekeres “A whimsical journey performed with wide-eyed, childlike innocence and a knowing, worldly and wise experience of adulthood. Tremendous joy emanates from the artists. A holiday treat.” I saw ‘Slava’s Snowshow’ in November 2018 at the Bluma Appel. When I heard it was returning for the Christmas/holiday season, I wanted to see it again. This time, I took two friends with me to share the tremendous joy of this story. There were moments from this production of 'Slava's Snowshow' that made my eyes well with tears. I became a young, wide-eyed, innocent child again, watching this absurd and surrealistic dream world. The programme note describes them as ‘idiots on the loose.’ Alright, I’m not sure I’d call them ‘idiots’; nevertheless, they’re adorably dressed foppishly in clown garb with bright red noses and huge feet with what I call winged floppy ears. Alistair Kerslake’s terrific soundscape of a train can be heard upon entering the Elgin Theatre auditorium. (I wish I could have placed the annoying couple sitting in front of me on that train to take them out of the theatre. They were taking pictures when the announcement was made not to do so. My friend and I had to tell them twice to stop taking pictures. That’s another discussion). Alexander Pecherskiy and Rebecca Lore visually set the Elgin stage in shadows. It’s a nice touch when juxtaposing that with the loud, but not deafening, sound of a train transporting us somewhere. Since the title indicates a ‘snowshow’, I assume we are travelling someplace cold. There’s no mention of a set designer but a technical director, so I’ll credit Vanya Yarpolskiy. His setting suggests a bleak and cold environment, making me smile as I write this article. Yesterday's (and today’s) weather is more of an April or November setting. Once again, I’ll credit Kerslake’s impressive selection of music to accompany the artists in telling the story. The music never seemed overpowering to my ears because the Elgin is a large auditorium. The actors want to ensure the audience in the back row of the balcony can also hear the music and songs. Those musical interludes also became earworms for me as I hummed them the next day as I wrote this article. ‘Slava’s Snowshow’ has been poetically created and staged by Slava Polunin, dressed in an oversized yellow onesie. There’s a sad sack quality about his eyes that you can’t help but wish you could go and hug him. He has performed this show for over 30 years in countries worldwide and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He’s still nimble and agile and moves with a bodily dexterity that is fun to watch. I’m still amazed that Polunin can walk on the backs of the seats in the house, and neither he nor any of the artists involved at that point slipped off the chairs with all of the water being splashed about. This return Toronto engagement is not disappointing (again, save for those audience members who felt they were obnoxiously above listening to advisories not to take photographs during the performance). Polunin and his eight ‘on-the-loose idiots’ continue to captivate with charm and charisma. I couldn’t help but smile and laugh out loud. The art of clowning is not an easy one to master. It’s not merely The Three Stooges or Lucille Ball (yes, I’m showing my age here). There’s a reason why clowning is considered an art form. It takes years of study and practice to master its focus of continually remaining in the moment and not being distracted if something goes wrong. At this performance, an audience member sneezed during silence. It didn’t break the concentration of the artists onstage. They went along with the noise and made it part of their shtick, making the audience laugh even harder. In this ‘Snowshow,’ the varied series of moments may look initially unscripted with no apparent connection at all to each other. However, a connecting feature does run through each moment of the show, and you must pay attention to discover what it is. Some amusing and poignant bits that are part of this feature are lovingly captured on stage. That’s part of the magic I don’t want to destroy here. The only hint I will give is that the spider web created on stage plays an integral part in connecting everything. Judging by the response from the audience around me, most notably, the children and young people appear to have understood the connection. They were indeed highly taken with the magic and antics of Polunin and his gang. One girl was pulled from the audience in the second act, and she became part of the storytelling for a few minutes as the audience began to settle in their seats following intermission. There are gigantic helium-filled balloons and large balls that fill the house thoroughly. Everyone has a turn being able to bounce these gigantic monstrosities throughout the auditorium. It is the moment involving a coat rack on a railway platform with the heartbreaking goodbyes where the audience witnesses the knowing the worldly view of adulthood and how goodbyes do become part of our lives. Final Comments: At times, the show is puzzling, while at other times, it is brilliant in its simplistic gestures. ‘Slava’s Snowshow’ is another holiday treat to give yourselves and see the production live. Running time: approximately one hour and 45 minutes with one intermission. ‘Slava’s Snowshow’ runs until December 31 at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge Street. For tickets, https://www.ticketmaster.ca/slavas-snowshow-tickets/artist/907448?venueId=131082&utm_source=SOP&utm_medium=Website&utm_campaign=SlavaTO23 SHOW ONE PRODUCTIONS presents ‘Slava’s Snowshow’ created and performed by Slava Polunin Technical Director: Vanya Yaropolskiy Sound: Alistair Kerslake Lights: Alexander Pecherskiy, Rebecca Lore Company Manager: Eerika Yaropolskiy Ambassador: Gwenael Allan Performers: Slava Polunin, Robert Saralp, Dima Merashchi, Bradford West, Oleg Lugovskoy, Georgiy Deliyev, Nikolai Terentiev, Christopher Lynam, Jaime Rebollo Previous Next

Back The Rez Sisters The Stratford Festival David Hou David Rabjohn Congratulations to The Stratford Festival for insightful creativity in developing live theatre for a covid world. A soaring brilliant white tent was only a part of the unique outdoor experience that subtlety embraced social restrictions. The Festival could have found simple vehicles that would easily adapt to required new measures. They went the other way. With courage and boldness the festival produced Tomson Highway’s 1986 searing story of ‘The Rez Sisters’, a complex and weighty play concerning the lives of seven sisters on a Manitoulin reserve. Highway’s already distinguished writing is further elevated by an ensemble cast of diverse talent, energy and unremitting power. We first meet Nanabush who stumbles on stage, unkempt and ill, crawling under a tarpaulin and sits, eyes furtive and suspicious with birdlike movement, skillfully played by Zach Running Coyote. Going through wild throes as a sickly patient, he sets the stage for tragedy and suspicion throughout the story. Nanabush develops into a kind of muse or indigenous Greek chorus symbolically reflecting many of the more horrific moments of the sisters’ lives. Running Coyote’s brilliant physicality offers the choreography that punctuates the many struggles on the reserve. Pelajia is the first of the slow train of sisters on stage – some actual sisters, others half sisters or sisters-in-law reflecting the close-knit community. Played with crackling energy by Jani Lauzon, she is a contractor equally comfortable with both hammer and knitting needles. Like many of the sisters, she hates the reserve and longs for a better life, perhaps in Toronto. Her sister, Philomena (Tracey Nepinak) can be both dark and brooding (she longs to know anything about the child she gave up) and equally hilarious as she also longs for the gleaming porcelain toilet bowl that is her holy grail. Annie Cook, played joyfully by Nicole Joy-Fraser enters frantically and is teased for non-stop energy as she yearns for a singing career. The complexities of relationships start to form as we meet Marie-Adele, perhaps the most tragic figure, played by Lisa Comarty, who has fourteen children and is clearly dying of cancer. She stole her sister Annie’s boyfriend and the wounds are still raw. Scenes begin to break down into raucous battles as various tensions are exposed and fight director Anita Nittoly’s remarkable choreography mirrors the many conflicts. The cacophony of anger rises, while lights flash until it is halted by Zhabooningan. Played subtlety and sympathetically by Brefny Cariboo, Zha is intellectually disabled and has been horribly raped by two white men. She is embraced by her sisters and is adopted by the unpopular Veronique (Christine Frederick) who portrays her dark character with both meaness and hope for more understanding. Bingo becomes the epicentre of dreams, hopes, and delusion. Never far from their minds, bingo is not a social occasion. It is the vehicle for moving forward in big or small ways – that shining toilet, a huge new stove, or an entire island of life. Learning of “the biggest bingo in the world” the sisters put their conflicts aside and plan a masterful odyssey to Toronto. A leitmotif of marching, they make their way to Toronto, experiencing obstacles and pain reminiscent of their reservation lives. The bingo day climax ends with an audience participation surprise, the hollowness of smashed dreams and ultimate death. The circle returns to Manitoulin. Some part of this tragedy slightly softens anger and hate. Sophie Tang’s set design offered a thrust stage with multiple surprises. Each of the many chairs was unique – sometimes representing the fourteen children, other times cleverly manifesting a symbolic prison. The translucent tarp diversly served as hospital bedding, a babe in arms, or a funereal shroud. Wayne Kelso’s sound design was delicate and haunting – rash only when it had to be. Director Jessica Carmichael wielded a heroic baton. She found a delicate balance between letting her dynamic ensemble spin and create at will and finding a focus that roots the story. Ms. Carmichael’s own recent pain gives authority and intimacy to this production. Using all the tools offered by Tomson Highway – Cree or Ojibway language and indigenous dance – she made us understand the circles of living. As mentioned in the program, this production properly gives a nod to recent tragic discoveries and young people who now yearn for a better future as the sisters do. Some circles should remain and some circles should be broken. Upon discovering Emily’s pregnancy, Zha creates slivers of mirth as she sneaks up on her friend and says hello to the little unknown. What an honest way to peer into this world – with both unrelenting sadness and with mirthful silliness. ‘The Rez Sisters’ by Tomson Highway Produced by The Stratford Festival Players – Brefny Caribou, Lisa Cromarty, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Irene Poole, Jani Lauzon, Kathleen MacLean, Tracey Nepinak, Zach Running Coyote Director – Jessica Carmichael Sound Director – Wayne Kelso Set and lighting design – Sophie Tang Fight director – Anita Nittoly Stage manager – Bona Duncan Tickets at stratfordfestival.ca Previous Next

Back The Shaw Festival 'The Secret Garden - A Play With Songs' Now on stage at the Royal George Theatre, 85 Queen Street, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario Michael Cooper Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, adjudicator, arts educator "Shaw’s “The Secret Garden” reveals its beauty, charm and whimsy but is genre conflicted." What happens when you take a 112-year-old classic children’s novel, mix in a few dusty old British folk tunes, add some clever puppetry and several inspired performances? You get a delightful world premiere adaptation of a family-friendly show that bogs itself down with songs, providing little support to its narrative of optimism, transformation, relationships and rebirth. Frances Hodgson Burnett was a prolific British-American novelist and playwright whose career flourished throughout the Victorian and Edwardian periods. She’s best known for her three children’s novels, “Little Lord Fauntleroy”, “A Little Princess” and “The Secret Garden”. The latter proved a huge success and saw numerous adaptations; multiple film versions in 1919 and 1949 and a third 1993 film starring Maggie Smith as the housekeeper, Mrs. Medlock. The best-known stage version is the Tony-Award winning Broadway musical written by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon (Carly’s sister). This is where the genre conflict comes in. This current world-premiere production doesn’t really have a “score”. No themes and power ballads so it’s not really a musical, yet there is too much music to call it a play. Thus, director Jay Turvey and musical director Paul Sportelli dub their dubious hybrid a “play with songs”. More on that in a moment. The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox (Gabriella Sundar Singh), a spoiled young English girl being raised in India at the turn of the twentieth century. After the death of her parents, she is sent to live with her haughty and dismissive uncle Archie (David Alan Anderson) at his estate in the Yorkshire moors. Mary is disagreeable and used to being waited on. Her maid Martha (Jacqueline Thair) even needs to show her how to dress herself. Housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Sharry Flett) is cold and unsympathetic with secrets to hide. Mary is mostly ignored and left to wander outside in the gardens, where she meets groundskeeper Ben Weatherstaff (David Adams). The manor is full of secrets as Mary soon discovers she has a cousin in Colin (Gryphyn Karimloo) and friend in Dickon (Drew Plummer). Mary hears rumours of a mysterious garden locked up for over a decade after the death of her uncle’s wife. Together with her two friends, she sets out to discover the secrets of the manor and bring the garden back to life. Director Jay Turvey’s creative direction and clever staging is wondrous. The Royal George is a small theatre but by having actors walk through an ornate door frame rolled about the stage by the ensemble, we are given a sense of moving through vast spaces and locations - from a train station to the Yorkshire moors, to Misselthwaite Manor and its many bedrooms, studies, and hallways. This is stagecraft of the most illusory kind, and it works beautifully. The same can be said for the various birds and land animals that appear as puppets controlled by the ensemble. In this adaptation, the adult characters are almost incidental. The focus is most certainly on the children, boldly played by young adult actors. I wasn’t sure about this choice at first, but their fine committed performances and diminutive stature of some had me sold on their juvenile portrayals. In his program notes, Turvey confesses, “I love the children in ‘The Secret Garden.’They are imperfect: headstrong, scared, sneaky, adventuresome and full of longing. They learn to parent each other where death hovers over their heads.” His focus on this trio is evident and their chemistry is palpable. I wonder why, with such a clear vision of connecting the audience with the modern relevance of so many of the play’s themes – mental health, resilience, preservation of ecology for future generations – that he chose to collaborate with Sportelli to add obscure traditional British folk tunes to an already provocative script? Whither Must I Wander, I Sowed the Seeds of Love, Sumer is Icumen In, Little Robin Redbreast - Does anyone today know these tunes? Turvey claims they “echo an appreciation of the natural world that runs through the story”. Unfortunately, there’s no echo. There’s nothing. The songs in Act 1 in no way enhance the story. In Act 2 they are so vague and esoteric, with lyrics incomprehensibly sung in the Yorkshire dialect, that the pace faltered, and I found my attention wandering. The cast all have vocal chops and are accompanied by a fine sounding quintet in the pit below. But they aren’t given any real chance to show their vocal range, so it’s not a musical per se BUT there are choral numbers with beautiful harmonies and the cast gesture to the musicians at curtain call so it’s not really a play. Like Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, it just can’t seem to make up its mind. Performances are compelling overall. This is one hardworking company, onstage and off. With one exception, the nine-member cast plays multiple ensemble roles as well as principal parts. It’s more than a challenge to keep the energy and pace quick and bright for this show. Unfortunately, there was a noticeable wane in energy and enthusiasm in the second half. As Mary Lennox, Gabriella Sundar Singh effortlessly exudes the air of a spoiled 10-year-old rich kid who slowly comes to know the power of family and friendships. Her subtle shift in maturity as she realizes nature as a calming and redemptive force is finely nuanced. Gryphyn Karimloo as Colin plays a long-suffering and morose boy, resigned to a life of sickness and confinement, until Mary helps him deal with his melancholy. Dickon, the moor boy with a unique relationship with the land is played adequately by Drew Plummer. Though engaging enough, I was missing a spritelier demeanour, as his character should have an almost ethereal connection to the land and animals. The adult characters serve as supporting roles. As Ben Weatherstaff, David Adams is thoroughly charming as the stodgy but loveable groundskeeper who teaches Mary about gardening. Mrs. Medlock is gloriously played by Shaw veteran Sharry Flett, who seems to delight in her stern, unmoveable portrayal as the housekeeper loyal to the Craven family, intent on keeping its secrets. Jacqueline Thair plays the spunky and spirited maid Martha, whose Yorkshire dialect was so thick as to be mostly incomprehensible. Regarding the accents, they’re mostly consistent. I appreciated that some of the Yorkshire vocal patterns were dialed back for Canadian audiences. Perhaps Thair didn’t get that memo? Note to voice and dialect coach Jeffrey Simlett. Having David Alan Anderson play both the wistful Archibald Craven and his officious doctor brother Neville is a curious and inexplicable choice. Perhaps it’s because the role of Neville is so brief and paltry or perhaps there was no other cast member available. Whatever the reason, Anderson’s portrayals were not different enough in demeanour or appearance, making both characters dull and unconvincing and confusing. Rounding out the cast are Patty Jamieson as Dickon and Martha’s sage and sensible mother, Mrs. Sowerby. Lithe, balletic moves from the exquisite Tama Martin adds mischief and mystery to her ever-present robin and garden nymph. Beyata Hackborn’s minimalist set perfectly places us in the cold, stark hallways of Misselthwaite Manor. Sections of wood panelling seem to be growing shrubs at their bases while large columns flank a large multi-paned window looking out to an abstract landscape of the rolling moor. Garden trellises festooned with vines and leafy branches lean on the left and right edges of the proscenium. Beds, wheelbarrows, suitcases, bookshelves and flower planters are easily slid on and off by the adroit and efficient ensemble. Kudos to the innovative use of full-length panels with the tops cut out revealing ensemble members as creepy portraits of hallowed ancestors. The abstract follows through into the garden with suspended hula-hooped trees while small bushes and flowers are brought on by the cast. Judith Bowden’s costume design nails the Edwardian contrasts of aristocracy and servitude. From crisp suits to nightdresses, capes and top hats to outdoor workwear, her attention to detail is immaculate. The train station scene with everyone clad in black is a powerful opening image. Costuming of the ensemble puppeteers to evoke their animal counterparts is genius! Sharry Flett’s black riding suit with wing swept fascinator as the crow and Patty Jamieson’s red argyle trousers as the fox – marvelous! The lighting for a moody, dark and mysterious show like this one is critical. Kevin Lamotte delivers a superbly atmospheric design. Harsh beams of white light create a shadowy foreboding in the train station and at Misselthwaite. It’s all colourless and cold. Ingenious use of white moving rectangles projected on the stage floor create a labyrinth of corridors as Mary moves throughout the house. I won’t soon forget the powerful image of Mary glaring from a distance at a mysterious door at the end of one of these long corridors. The only thing I was missing was the flicker of a candelabra somewhere – ah well! The garden is starkly contrasted with shades of blue slowly replaced by bright amber as Mary brings her dead aunt’s garden back to life. This new adaptation has moments of sheer creative brilliance. Adding music is not one of them. The main message of healing is something that resonates loudly today. Mary and Colin heal their relationships with themselves and those around them, make their world a better place. It’s all so powerful, so relevant. Why attempt to make it more than it is with folk songs? There’s already a wonderful musical adaptation out there. It’s no secret. This play is moving, Running time: approx. 2 hours 15 minutes including one intermission. Production runs until October 13 at the Royal George Theatre, 85 Queen St, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. For tickets call the Box Office at 1-800-511-7429 or email shawfest.com The Shaw Festival Presents “The Secret Garden – A Play with Songs” Directed by Jay Turvey Music direction by Ryan deSouza Set designed by Beyata Hackborn Costumes designed by Judith Bowden Lighting designed by Kevin Lamotte Movement Direction by Linda Garneau Performers: David Adams, David Alan Anderson, Sharry Flett, Patty Jamieson, Gryphyn Karimloo, Tama Martin, Drew Plummer, Gabriella Sundar Singh, Jacqueline Thair. Previous Next

Back 'Spit' by Noelle Brown Presented by Here for Now Theatre at Falstaff Family Centre, Stratford, Ontario Cover artwork by Marion Adler Joe Szekeres An enthralling production of genuine and honest emotions that cut deep to the heart. Only four more productions remain of playwright Noelle Brown’s extraordinary riveting work performed by three tremendously talented artists and directed with uber dignity and compassion by Seana McKenna. I’m still in astonishment at what I’ve just seen. Sisters Nicole (Seána O’Hanlon) and Jessica (Siobhan O’Malley) have just returned from their mother’s funeral. This is Nicole’s home in Cork, Ireland. They are doing their best to keep their emotions in check with each other as it has been an exhausting day. Eldest Nicole starts sweeping the floor to help her pass a few minutes while Jessica removes her black dress to reveal she wears yoga clothes and proceeds to do some yoga to help her relax. Jessica puts on ethereal-sounding music much to Nicole’s chagrin who then brings out a dust buster to drown out the music. We are then introduced to Alannah (Fiona Mongillo) who begins speaking to the audience about some of the discoveries she has made concerning DNA and all it entails. It’s not made clear to me whether Alannah is giving a lecture or a presentation. As the plot unfolds, Nicole and Jessica learn Alannah is their half-sister. Before their mother passed away, she had been communicating via email with Alannah who found her birth mother through one of those DNA test kits where one simply ‘spits’ (thus the name of the title) into a tube and sends it away for analysis. Depending on whether there is a match somewhere and people make the connection, lives can be forever changed depending on the outcome. This performance opened my eyes wide to an important issue to me. Before the performance begins, make sure you read the important historical information in the programme about Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland. I am ashamed to say I had no contextual knowledge of these horrible institutions and the Catholic Church’s involvement in these homes where many young women were horribly mistreated in surrendering their babies for adoption. It is here where Nicole and Jessica learn about their mother giving birth to Alannah in one of these homes. A few telephone voice messages from their Aunt Alice (I thought I recognized Seana McKenna’s voice) concluded all that Nicole and Jessica needed to know about Alannah and why she was at Nicole’s home. Before the production began Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time after Time’ played, and I wondered what the connection between the song is and what I was about to see. Trust me it does make complete sense. I made a few quick notes in my book on Bonnie Deakin’s realistic-looking living room. When O’Hanlon and O’Malley entered the scene and I watched both magnetically capture the tension of the moment at the top of the show, I closed my notebook, put it down and just watched, experienced, and breathed in the very human element of the moment. Absolutely captivating and a joy to watch three skilled actors who were always in complete emotional control. They never ventured into histrionic or uncontrollable weeping or unbearable shouting but simply let the words of the dialogue speak for themselves. And these words cut deep into the heart. The fluid and natural pacing of the scenes are seamless. I cared about these three women, and I listened to and heard their stories told with passionate conviction. Final Comments: I’m staying at an Air BnB here in Stratford and was telling the homeowner about this production. I think I may have encouraged her to see this production. She then proceeded to tell me about the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland that were run by Catholic orders. Again, I am ashamed to say that I had no knowledge about these horrible atrocities and I’m going to have to learn more about them. I’ve been reading some reviews posted that are calling productions CRITIC’S PICK. I’m calling ‘Spit’ one of my picks. See it before it closes. The production runs approximately one hour with no intermission. ‘Spit’ runs to Sunday, September 4 at the Falstaff Family Centre in Stratford, 35 Waterloo Street. For tickets, visit www.herefornowtheatre.com or call 519.272.HFNT(4368). ‘SPIT’ by Noelle Brown Director – Seana McKenna Stage Manager – Patrice Bowler Lighting and Sound Designer – Stephen Degenstein Costume and Set Designer – Bonnie Deakin Cast Nicole – Seána O’Hanlon Jessica – Siobhan O’Malley Alannah – Fiona Mongillo Previous Next

Back 'The Red Priest' (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye) Guild Festival Theatre at the Guild Park, Scarborough Raph Nogal Joe Szekeres A smartly directed production of two distinctly unique individuals from different social standings who movingly connect through music, art, and words. A wonderful musical treat at the end finely provides the proverbial nightcap. Enchanting to watch on a gorgeous opening night summer evening. Fun fact I did not know. I had to look up the meaning of ‘the red priest’ and its connection to the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. He had a crop of red hair inherited from his father. Ah, the things we can still learn in retirement. Mieko Ouchi’s ‘The Red Priest’ (Eight Ways To Say Goodbye) is the story of a fictional relationship between Vivaldi (David Whiteley) and the wife of one of the most powerful noblemen of the French court simply known as The Woman (Sierra Haynes). Her husband has wagered the King of France that Vivaldi can teach the countess to play the violin in six weeks at which time she will then play for the French court. This boorish behaviour by the Woman’s husband to treat her in such a cavalier manner remained unseemly to me, but it’s also the era when everyone had secret lovers while married, and no one batted an eye at this reprehensible behaviour either. Period piece settings always fascinate me and I’m curious to see how a theatre company uses and dresses the space appropriately. I’ll acknowledge Production Designer Wasifa Noshin’s astute work here in creating simple but elegant touches that allowed me to fill in my mind the grandiosity of the French drawing rooms in this outdoor Greek theatre setting. A nice touch was the lighting of the flames over the portcullis entrance centre stage. They didn’t stay lit for too long for the beautiful summer breeze, but no quibble there for me. Costume designs are splendid re-creations of the period. Helen Juvonen’s clear-sighted direction made me care about these two individuals from their appropriately different social strata. What fascinated me about Mieko Ouchi’s script is listening to the highly detailed monologues Whiteley and Haynes deliver to the audience as we see the world from their points of view. It does take time to warm up to Vivaldi and the Woman, and that’s a good thing. David Whiteley becomes a fastidious Antonio Vivaldi who recognizes, at times, an improbable task he has at hand to teach the haughty unfocused countess who initially wants events to unfold the way she desires them. While maintaining that air of superiority of social class structure in Vivaldi’s presence, Sierra Haynes makes an interesting choice in developing the Woman’s character. Haynes affirms a ‘street smart’ sense about the Woman in some of her monologues to us while maintaining her proper place within the French court. She knows she is played by her husband over this wager with the King. To maintain her dignity about learning to play the violin in an unheard-of time allotment over which she ultimately has no control, the Woman does what she can do to maintain control. She goes toe to toe with a man who will either make her look foolish in front of others or make her the envy of others through her musical talents. I don’t believe it’s spoiling the plot to say the latter wins out. One moment that spoke volumes to me was the silent look Vivaldi and the Woman gave to each other during a shared dance. It was that compassionate and caring moment between two individuals who get what the other person is all about. It’s that moment where two individuals allow each other to look into their eyes and their souls of who they are despite the call of fame, fortune or societal duty, as Juvonen stated in her Director’s Note of the programme. Those moments where actors just inherently connect with each other make live performance the extraordinary craft it is. Both Whiteley and Haynes are extraordinary musicians as well, and what a bonus it is they play the violin and fiddle. I put my book down at the end where I was making notes and just listened and watched these gifted artists share their talents with us. What a wonderful way to cap off the evening. Where I do feel bad for the company and through no fault of their own is the noise spilling out from the nearby clubhouse on the grounds. On this opening night, a wedding celebration was in full swing with loud tunes blaring for what seemed an eternity. I can’t even begin to imagine the frustration Sound Designer Sean Meldrum experienced as he did his utmost to adjust the levels of the underscoring Vivaldi music when Whiteley and Haynes began speaking. The noise level did abate about fifteen minutes into the performance, but c’mon. It has been an empty two years without live theatre and GFT gives us a welcome back gift of a wonderful show and experience we’ve been sorely missing. Can something be done in future to ensure it’s a win/win situation for all? Final Comments: I’ve heard the judges on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and ‘America’s Got Talent’ say, “It’s a yes from me.” “It’s a yes from me” to see ‘The Red Priest’ (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye). Running time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. The production runs to August 7 on the grounds of Guild Park, 201 Guildwood Parkway, Scarborough. For further information on dates and times, visit www.guildfestivaltheatre.ca . THE RED PRIEST (Eight Ways To Say Goodbye) by Mieko Ouchi Presented by Guild Festival Theatre. Director: Helen Juvonen Stage Manager: Tara Mohan Production Designer: Wasifa Noshin Sound Designer: Sean Meldrum Assistant Director: Alecia Pagnotta Performers: Sierra Haynes, David Whiteley Previous Next

Back 'Infinite Life' by Annie Baker Presented by Coal Mine Theatre and now on stage until September 20 at 2076 Danforth Avenue, Toronto Credit: Elana Emer. Pictured: Christine Horne and Ari Cohen Joe Szekeres “A throbbing and pulsing ache of a play. ‘Infinite Life’ is driven by exceptionally controlled emotional performances of humour one minute and pathos the next. Outstanding.” In Northern California, five women find themselves at a fasting and health resort, each battling their chronic ailments and illnesses. Each of them stays at the resort for a specific allotted time. As they recline on matching chaise lounges, the women engage in deep conversations about their ‘aches and pains’ and life stories. The arrival of an unexpected man with his own health issues disrupts their routine, leading to a shift in the future for everyone involved. Coal Mine takes many risks in showcasing the terrific talent of some of Toronto’s finest actors. From my experience attending and reviewing productions here, I see that these risks have paid off in tremendous artistic talent. In celebration of Coal Mine Theatre’s 10th anniversary, Jackie Maxwell directs the season’s opening night performance of Annie Baker’s ‘Infinite Life’ with astute understanding. The script is demanding, and Maxwell acknowledges that reality in her Director’s Programme Note. Maxwell also states ‘Infinite Life’ is absolutely rewarding. From a male perspective, it certainly is. She casts some of the ‘crème de la crème’ of Ontario’s theatre scene. They deliver outstanding work, sometimes with grace but more often with humour and pathos (and a little dirty talk, too). She knows these women; she gets them. Maxwell clearly understands how important it is to pay close attention to the dialogue and what is implied in the words, especially in playwright Annie Baker's work. In this fine opening-night production, pauses and stillness remain paramount as they add much to what is said and not said. The last few productions I’ve attended at Coal Mine had the audience sitting on opposite sides in the auditorium. This time, designer Joyce Padua blocks one part off where the space becomes a traditional theatre setting. She creates a serene setting of muted bright colours that amply fits the playing space nicely lit by Steve Lucas’s design. The resort's lanai resembles the Greek taverna straight out of ‘Mamma Mia.’ The six matching chaise lounges look comfortable. Padua has also selected individual costumes and prop pieces that reflect the individualities of each woman. Outstanding performance work from all six actors propels the plot’s action forward to its heart-rending final moment between Christine Horne and Nancy Palk, which left me momentarily bereft of words. Why? Physical pain appears to be something none of us will ever be able to avoid in our lives. It will come for us. If we have someone like Eileen to help us, even momentarily, then that makes all the difference. As Sofi, Horne becomes a quiet, trustworthy narrator who breaks the fourth wall to speak to the audience, letting us know how much time has passed, either day by day or hour by hour. Her Sofi finds it challenging to express how her pain feels. Her bits of cell conversation with an unnamed individual on the other end are tell-worthy and often graphic sexually in nature. Sofi’s connection with Ari Cohen’s spaced-out whacko Nelson is bizarre at first glance. Cohen is terrific in the part. He first appears shirtless wearing silk pants. His wide-glazed eyes and slow speech responses probably indicate his Nelson smokes weed to help with his pain. Slowly, Horne and Cohen develop an existential link to each other that Sofi’s rather odd request of him remains shocking even after the curtain comes down. Nancy Palk’s Eileen appears to be the matron of the group. There’s a regal, respectful nature about her, and Palk naturally assumes this persona with defined grace. Yet, Palk’s Eileen is also the one whose pain threshold is most visible among all those present. Her gait gradually slows down. Palk painstakingly shows how much effort it takes for her Eileen to cross the stage and sit on the chaise lounge. Her joints ache constantly, and Eileen is eternally grateful when Sofi helps momentarily to alleviate the pain. It’s a touching scene between the two, and the look of gratitude on Palk’s face, which shows that her pain has subsided, remains noteworthy. Jean Yoon and Kyra Harper respectfully provide a great deal of needed and necessary humour, as Ginnie and Yvette. They’re offbeat and unusual. They sometimes often share a bit too much about themselves. I’ll be honest and say that I am grateful Yoon and Harper allow us those crucial moments to laugh out loud. Brenda Bazinet’s Elaine is sometimes content to sit in the chaise lounge and either draw or colour as she listens and participates in the conversations and vignettes around her. Bazinet’s Elaine becomes that one person we all need– someone to listen. Not offer any advice or comments but merely to listen. A Final Thought: ‘Infinite Life’ struck a chord within my own life at this time. My late brother suffered tremendous pain from his cancer diagnosis in 2009. My late mother, who passed away in May of this year, had her own ailments that left her sometimes in pain. I’m just back up on my feet after having my left thyroid removed, and yes, there was pain in recovery from that. A comment from Virginia Woolf in the house programme resonates with me and my connection to ‘Infinite Life’: “Pain is a part of every human being’s experience. It enhances our perceptions and reduces self-consciousness. It is the great confessional.” I don’t wish for anyone to be in any pain at all. But when we are, we finally get it. We finally are part of the human experience. To be part of the human experience is what we all want. For that reason, go and see ‘Infinite Life.’ Running time: approximately one hour and forty minutes with no interval. ‘Infinite Life’ runs until October 6 at Coal Mine Theatre, 2076 Danforth Avenue, Toronto. For tickets: coalminetheatre.com. THE COAL MINE THEATRE presents ‘Infinite Life’ by Annie Baker Director: Jackie Maxwell Set and Costume Designer: Joyce Padua Lighting Designer: Steve Lucas Sound Designer: Olivia Wheeler Stage Manager: Katie Fitz-Gerald Performers: Brenda Bazinet, Ari Cohen, Kyra Harper, Christine Horne, Nancy Palk, Jean Yoon. Previous Next

Back 'Mamma Mia' presented by Thousand Islands Playhouse Now onstage until August 10 at the Springer Theatre, 185 South Street, Gananoque Credit: Randy deKleine-Stimpson. Pictured: Jessica Sherman & the cast of Mamma Mia! Joe Szekeres ‘Destination Thousand Islands Playhouse has done it right yet again. ‘Mamma Mia’ is a bona fide hit. Silly and absurd? Yes, but who cares? This production is joyously fun-filled. I had a terrific time watching this diverse cast do their thing passionately.” On a beautiful sun-kissed turquoise Greek taverna, Sophie (Annika Tupper) prepares for her wedding to fiancé Sky (Brandon Antonio). After reading her mother Donna’s (Jessica Sherman) diary, Sophie is still unaware of who her real father is. The diary refers to at least three men with whom Donna was intimate. Writing in her mother’s name without letting her know, Sophie invites all three, hoping it will become clear who her real father is. There is Sam (David Leyshon), an American architect and divorced father; Bill (Jeremy Legat), an Australian wandering writer and adventurer; and Harry (Rob Torr), a British banker. Years ago, Donna was the star of a musical trio, Donna and the Dynamos, along with her friends Rosie (Laura Caswell) and Tanya (Louise Camilleri). The latter two have arrived to share in Sophie's joyous day. However, the unexpected arrival of the three potential fathers, much to Donna’s surprise and anger, adds a delightful and unexpected twist to the proceedings, keeping the audience engaged as the plot unfolds toward discovering Sophie’s real father. What is it about this 25-year-old jukebox musical that still transcends generations and draws audiences of all ages in droves? ‘Mamma Mia’ is a product of the twentieth century. At times, the plot becomes silly and absurd. Some twentieth-century references will probably go right over young people's heads in the audience. At times, some of the sexual overtness might not sit well. Let’s face it – many years ago, during my undergraduate years, the term ‘hoe bag’ would aptly fit Donna’s behaviour. Director/Choreographer Stephanie Graham states in her Director’s Note why the show still works: “There are many atrocious events happening on this planet. Sometimes, we need a couple of hours to escape, sing some familiar songs and dance together in a theatre so that we can recharge and face the world again tomorrow.” Graham’s right. We gotta lighten up and take ‘Mamma Mia’ for what it is—celebrating the pull-and-tug relationship between mothers and daughters everywhere while hearing and dancing to some terrific ABBA songs. At the performance I attended, a young girl in front of me put her head on her mother’s shoulder during ‘Slipping Through My Fingers.’ The mother wiped tears from her eyes at the end of the song. That, my friends, is the power of theatre and this Thousand Islands’ production. Brandon Kleiman’s terrific set design spans the entire Springer stage. It’s breathtakingly washed in Amber Hood’s sun-kissed lighting designs of aqua blue. Bex Tralli’s pleasant soundscape of waves lapping against the shore with the echo of gulls flying overhead transported me away. Another note of commendation to Tralli – I heard every single lyric of every song this afternoon. The sound balance between the orchestra and the performers is perfect. Julia Kim’s summer clothing designs and choices appropriately create a colourful visual panorama. To the creative team of director/choreographer Stephanie Graham, music director Nick Burgess, stage manager Dustyn Wales, and all crew members behind the scenes. Thank you all for allowing me to experience vicariously being taken away from our hot summer Gananoque afternoon to the serene heat and serenity of the Greek islands. Graham’s evenly balanced direction never slows the show’s pacing. Set changes with ensemble members remain fluid and seamless. Nick Burgess’s solid music direction allows these nostalgic ABBA songs to soar to the heights of the Springer Theatre thanks to Bex Tralli's fine-tuned sound balancing between the orchestra and performers. Graham’s choreography remains sharply and tightly executed throughout. One moment where it shines is ‘Money, Money, Money.” It’s a hole-in-one shot for this terrific cast. They’re having the time of their lives on the Springer stage. That kinetic energy spills over to the audience, and I’m right there with them. Graham has assembled a diverse, spirited ensemble of young performers who contribute to the piece's whimsical and absurdist fun. With hips swivelling, torsos gyrating, and pulses racing, these ensemble members are ones to watch for in future productions. David Leyshon's robust stature adds strength to his performance as Sam. Jeremy Legat’s Bill is a throwback to Paul Hogan’s Crocodile Dundee from the mid-1980s. Rob Torr’s gentlemanly Harry nicely balances Donna’s, at times, temperamental behaviour. Laura Caswell’s Rosie’s hilarious and flirtatious duet of ‘Take a Chance on Me’ with Jeremy Legat, as they play musical chairs hopping, remains one of the show's highlights. Louise Cammilleri is a sexy and seductive Tanya. Her cougar-like flirting with hotel pool boy/boy toy Pepper (Tyler Pearse) in ‘Does Your Mother Know’ comically addresses the age gap between the two. Annika Tupper offers a unique performance as Sophie that works. I’ve seen other productions of ‘Mamma Mia’ with a sweet and demure young woman. Here, Tupper shows a feisty and sometimes tough-as-nails Sophie. Given her unique life with Donna on the island and the distinct challenges of living with a single parent, Sophie has probably grown up experiencing many hardships and challenges. Brandon Antonio’s young hunk of a Sky offers a dramatic complement to Annika Tupper’s feisty Sophie. When Tupper (as Sophie) finally comes clean about what she has done regarding the three invitations, Antonio’s look at his fiancée clearly shows he has thought through the consequences of Sophie’s actions. Sky is not pleased at all with her. It’s a highly intense dramatic moment that speaks volumes, especially when Sam tells Sophie not to go after Sky because he’s right in what he said. Jessica Sherman is one of the reasons to run and get tickets. Her Donna is grounded in complete emotional intensity. She’s gutsy, spirited, and bold as a single mother. Man, oh, man, Sherman also sings and sells a song with complete conviction. Her ‘Winner Takes It All’ remains sublime. Her anger, hurt and frustration with Sam for leaving her spill out with rage, love and hate. This moment became a masterclass in acting and singing as I heard myself quietly say ‘Wow’ at the conclusion of the number. And Another Thought: The production focuses on women's strength and desire to discover their identity. It’s there if you want to look for that. I’m posting a challenge. I dare anyone who does not have a smile come across his/her/their face at least once during this bona fide hit of a show at the Playhouse. It’s a dare and challenge. I hear tickets are scarce, but I have also heard there is availability for the first week of August. Run, beg, plead to get a ticket. ‘Mamma Mia,’ I’m sure, will be one of the highlights of this 2024 season. Running time: approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one interval/intermission. ‘Mamma Mia’ runs until August 10 on the Springer Stage, 185 South Street, Gananoque. For tickets, www.1000islandsplayhouse.com or call the Box Office at (613) 382-7020. THE THOUSAND ISLANDS PLAYHOUSE presents ‘MAMMA MIA’ Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus and some songs with Stig Anderson’ Book by Catherine Johnson Originally Conceived by Judy Craymer Directed and Choreographed by Stephanie Graham Music Direction by Nick Burgess Stage Manager: Dustyn Wales Set Designed by Brandon Kleiman Costumes Designed by Julia Kim Lighting Designed by Amber Hood Sound Designed by Bex Tralli Performers: Jessica Sherman, Annika Tupper, Laura Caswell, Louise Camilleri, David Leyshon, Rob Torr, Jeremy Legat, Brandon Antonio, Tyler Pearse, Taylor Garwood, Eva Petris, Jen Fong, Marco DeLuca, Ali Hand, Jaden Kim, Ryan MacDougall, Kyla Musselman, Michelle Nash, Demi Oliver, Patrick Stiles Previous Next