EQ
E q u i t y
q u a r t E r ly
w i n t E r
2 0 1 2
LET THE SUN SHINE IN
THEATRE FOR THE TWO SOLITUDES
ACTING IN THE ELEMENTS
Performing in the
great outdoors
A little bit of sun
in the dark of winter
this might BE thE
wintEr issuE oF eQ,
But wE arE lEtting
thE sun BrEaK
through thE snow
and icE to cElEBratE
summEr thEatrE. no
longEr thE Frothy,
Frivolous FarE oF
yEstEryEar, summEr
thEatrEs across
canada now showcasE
a rich variEty
oF plays – From
shaKEspEarE and
hard-hitting dramas
to musicals, comEdiEs
and nEw canadian
worKs.
EQ
E q u i t y
q u a r t E r ly
6
8
ExEcutivE Editor Lynn McQueen
Editor Barb Farwell
dEsign & layout Chris Simeon,
September Creative
5
n u m B E r
2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
the allure of
summer theatre
5 EQ MOVES
the elements
wintEr 2012 – volume 5, number 4
v o l u m E
2 0 1 2
One play,
two languages
13 Battling
EQ
w i n t E r
3 NOTES FROM ARDEN R. RYSHPAN
4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
17 EQ BACKSTAGE
18 FONDLY REMEMBERED
20 EQ CLASSIFIEDS
21 EQ FLASHBACK
Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. the deadline for
submissions is monday, February 13, 2012. eQ reserves the right to edit for length, style and content.
coming issue: spring 2012
EQ Equity Quarterly (issn 1913-2190) is a forum to discuss issues of interest to members concerning their
craft, developments in the industry, Equity’s role in the workplace, and the important position live performance
holds in the cultural and social fabric of canada. it is also used as an advocacy tool to educate others about
the industry, promote live performance in canada, and celebrate the achievements of Equity members.
publications mail agreement no. 40038615
EQ is published four times a year by canadian actors’ Equity association.
Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) is the voice of professional artists working in live
performance in English canada. we represent more than 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers,
fight directors and stage managers working in theatre, opera and dance, and support their creative efforts
by seeking to improve their working conditions and opportunities by negotiating and administering
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National Office
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FRONT COVER: (L to R) Lois Anderson, Kayvon Khoshkam, John Murphy, Lindsey Angell and Amber Lewis in the 2011 production of The Merchant of Venice at
Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
ABOVE: Caravan Farm Theatre’s 2011 production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
4
President’s message
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2 Equity quartErly
wintEr 2012
Notes from
Arden r. ryshpan
It will be well into winter when you read this – past the pleasure of the holidays and the
feasting – facing a long, cold stretch of time before there is any glimpse of a world without snow
and cold. This is Canada, after all and we are a winter country. “Quelques arpents de neige” (“a few
acres of snow”) was how Voltaire sneeringly referred to New France, back in 1758. Despite the many
effects of climate change, it still seems an apt description of much of our land.
It is this relationship to our geography and, by extension, our weather that so
defines our country. There are few other places on the planet where the most
important piece of information we need to structure our day is what the heck
the temperature will be.
This is probably one of the reasons why we embrace the warm months with
such enthusiasm, bursting onto the sidewalk cafes and shedding our outer
clothes at the first hint of spring. This is also one of the reasons why we enjoy
summer theatre, particularly theatre that takes place outdoors. On those rare,
perfect summer evenings, no one wants to be inside and so outdoor theatre
offers us the dual pleasures of being entertained and not having to sit in an
artificial environment.
For our members, summer theatre often means lighter fare and the opportunity to work on some
of the funnier, sillier, less emotionally taxing works. Note that I didn’t use the word “easier” in that
list of adjectives, for comedy and farce are no less demanding than tragedy – only perhaps slightly
more suited to the summer season.
Working outside also presents a whole litany of issues that are not faced in a traditional theatre –
bugs, birds and babies, to name only a few that happen to begin with “B.” You need to be pretty
adaptable and unshakeable to do theatre in the great outdoors as the stories in this issue will tell you.
So, as you read this winter issue of the magazine (with a cup of hot chocolate, perhaps?) we
encourage you to look forward to the pleasures awaiting us all when the weather changes and communities all over Canada provide a delectable selection of works of all kinds for us to enjoy in our
shirtsleeves.
“When lonely feelings chill the meadows of your mind,
Just think, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”
— From “You Must Believe in Spring” written by Alan and
Marilyn Bergman, Jacques Demy and Michel Legrand
arden r. ryshpan
Executive Director
wintEr 2012
Equity quartErly 3
Letters to the editor
ADs speak out
We have been getting great
feedback on the fall issue of EQ.
Thanks for providing a forum for
such a balanced discussion about
Canadian theatre. The artistic
directors who participated in
Geoff Pevere’s interview brought
a candid, yet thoughtful, energy
to the table. As I continue to
develop in my own career, I
A delicate balance
am constantly reminded of the
frustrations that artists experience when they are trying to establish
communication with artistic directors. But it is also important that
Equity’s membership has the opportunity to gain insight to the life
of the artistic director. Thank you for providing that opportunity, and
thank you to all of the ADs who took part.
— Eric Coates, Artistic Director, Blyth Festival
CAEA Member, President, PACT
EQ
E q u i t y
q u a r t E r ly
F a l l
2 0 1 1
PROGRAmmiNG cHAlleNGeS
SUmmeRwORkS liVeS ON
ARTiSTic DiRecTORS SPeAk
Notice of National Annual General Meeting
Equity’s 2011-2012 National Annual General Meeting
will be held in Toronto, Ontario.
Date: February 27, 2012
Time: 7:00-10:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Venue: Gladstone Hotel (Ballroom)
Location: 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
All Equity members in good
standing are encouraged
to attend. Apprentice, provisional and probationary
members are also welcome
and encouraged to attend.
Please bring your current
membership/apprentice card
to show at the door.
The NAGM will be divided
into two segments. The first
portion will take care of
necessary business items and
be kept as concise as we can
reasonably manage. It will
include:
8
reports from the
President and Executive
Director, with updates
on current initiatives
4 Equity Quarterly
8
8
receipt of the audited
financial statements and
appointment of the auditor for the coming year
member resolutions*
The second half of the
evening will be an informal
networking mixer, with
guests from Equity’s fraternal
associations, arts and culture
service organizations, funding
bodies and artistic directors
from across the GTA. Details
will be announced early in
the new year.
* For information about
introducing a resolution, please
contact President Allan Teichman
at [email protected], or by
mail to Equity’s National Office.
Letters on subjects of concern to Equity members will be considered for
publication. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request for those letters
that may affect members’ employment. Letters that include artistic criticism of Equity
members or letters that are antagonistic or accusatory, either implied or expressed, may
be withheld or edited at the discretion of the editor. Opinions expressed in Letters to the
Editor are not necessarily those of the Association.
PHOTO AND PRODUCTION CREDITS
Cover: Photo: David Blue. The Merchant of Venice (2011) by W. Shakespeare produced
by Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Rachel Ditor with fight direction by
Nicholas Harrison. Cast: Lois Anderson, Lindsey Angell, Ryan Beil, Duncan Fraser, Charlie
Gallant, Luisa Jojic, Kayvon Khoshkam, Sebastian Kroon, Amber Lewis, Shawn Macdonald,
David Marr, John Murphy, Richard Newman, Luc Roderique and Todd Thomson. Production
stage managed by Stephen Courtenay assisted by Kelly Barker and Susan Miyagishima.
Page 1 & 9: Photos: Tim Matheson. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011) by W. Shakespeare
produced by Caravan Farm Theatre. Directed by Jennifer Brewin with music by Courtenay
Dobbie. Cast: Georgina Beaty, Manon Beaudoin, Kevin Corey, Josh Drebit, Haysam Kadri,
Daryl King, Jennifer Paterson, Dawn Petten, Michael Bruno Rinaldi, Juno Ruddell, Mikael
Wasko, Kim White and Rylan Wilkie. Stage managed by Jan Hodgson.
Page 5: Photo: Jeremy Mimnagh. Brothel # 9 (2011) by Anusree Roy produced by Factory
Theatre. Directed by Nigel Shawn Williams with fight direction by James Binkley. Cast: Ash
Knight, Anusree Roy, Pamela Sinha and Sanjay Talwar. Stage managed by Joanna Barrotta
assisted by Neha Ross.
Page 6: Photos: Jean-François Hamelin. Old Wicked Songs/Une musique inquiétante
(2009-10) by Jon Marans co-produced by the Segal Centre for Performing Arts and le
Théâtre du Rideau Vert. Directed by Martin Faucher. Cast: Émile Proulx-Cloutier and Jean
Marchand. Production stage managed by Elaine Normandeau.
Page 8: Photo: Andrew Paul, courtesy of Freewill Shakespeare Festival.
Page 10 & middle page 12: Photos: Antoine Yared. Macbeth (2011) by W. Shakespeare
produced by Repercussion Theatre. Directed by Arianna Bardesono with choreography by
Amy Shulman. Cast: Nathan Barrett, Attila Clemann, Dustin Kagan-Fleming, Karl Graboshas,
Tim Hine, Paul Hopkins, Chala Hunter, Samantha Megarry, Anana Rydvald and Adrian
Shepherd-Gawinski. Production stage managed by Chris Hidalgo. Stage managed by
Michael Panich assisted by Eric Savory and Claire Holden Rothman.
Page 11: Photo: Tim Matheson. Everyone (2010) by C. Dobbie, S. Drover, K. Fanconi, A.
Ferguson, L. Haegert, R. Jenkins, J. Long, A. McNee, E. Mathews, M. Rinaldi, J. Ruddell, M.
Scholar Jr., E. Shook, P. Ternes, A. Wong, M. B. Yamamoto, J. Young and M. Youssef, produced
by Caravan Farm Theatre. Head director Estelle Shook with scene directors Courtenay Dobbie,
Stephen Drover, Kendra Fanconi, James Long, Michael Scholar, Jr., Marcus Youssef with
choreography by C. Dobbie and music direction by David Rhymer. Cast: Paul Braunstein, Kyle
Cameron, Evelyn Chew, C. Dobbie, Martin Julien, Truman Julien, David Petersen, Nicola Protetch
and Deborah Williams. Stage managed by Jan Hodgson assisted by Lysette Stevenson.
Page 12: Left Photo: Ian Jackson/Epic Photography. Othello (2011) by William Shakespeare
produced by Freewill Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Marianne Copithorne with fight
direction by Kevin Corey. Cast: Chris Bullough, Nadien Chu, Belinda Cornish, Nathan Cuckow,
Stuart Fink, John Kirkpatrick, Annette Loiselle, Mark Meer, Troy O’Donnell, John Ullyatt and
John Wright. Stage managed by Dawn Friesen assisted by Candice Charney, Tracey Byrne
and Lisa Dalmazzi (apprentice). Right photo: David Blue. The Taming of the Shrew (2007)
by W. Shakespeare produced by Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Miles
Potter with choreography by Valerie Easton and fight direction by Nicholas Harrison. Cast: Lois
Anderson, Ian Butcher, Duncan Fraser, Bob Frazer, Christopher Gaze, Charlie Gallant, Daryl
King, Ashley Liu, David Marr, Derek Metz, Kyle Rideout, Michael Scholar, Jr., Haig Sutherland,
Taylor Trowbridge, Christopher Weddell, Colleen Wheeler and Naomi Wright. Production stage
managed by Stephen Courtenay assisted by Kelly Barker and Sarah Dawn Pearson.
Page 13: Photo: Tim Matheson. Anything Goes (2011) by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton,
Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse with music by Cole Porter produced by Theatre Under the
Stars. Directed by Sarah Rodgers with choreography by Dayna Tekatch and music direction by
Christopher King. Cast: Lauren Bowler, Jacqueline Breakwell, Dave Campbell, Andrew Cownden,
Fred Galloway, Irene Karas, Todd Talbot and others. Stage managed by Shawn Sorensen.
Page 14: Left photo: David Blue. Richard III (2011) by W. Shakespeare produced by Bard
on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Kathryn Shaw with choreography by
Treena Stubel and fight direction by Nicholas Harrison. Cast: Scott Bellis, Hayden Davies,
Melissa Dionisio, Ben Elliott, Craig Erickson, Jillian Fargey, Bob Frazer, Dustin Freeland, Josue
Laboucane, Nicola Lipman, Gerry MacKay, Allan Morgan, Kyle Rideout, Mike Stack, Linda
Quibell, Joel Wirkkunen and Dante Zago. Production stage managed by Joanne P.B Smith
assisted by Samara Van Nostrand and Rebecca Mulvihill. Right photo: Allen Fraser. The
Taming of the Shrew (2008) by W. Shakespeare produced by Shakespeare in the Ruins.
Directed by Deborah Patterson. Cast: Eric Blais, Michelle Boulet, Andrew Cecon, David Gillis,
A. Alicia Johnston, Christopher Brauer, Stephen Eric McIntyre, Robert McLaughlin and Harry
Nelken. Stage managed by Georgette Nairn assisted by Leslie Sidley.
Page 15: Photo: Nicholas Pynes. Let’s Be Frank (2011) by Rick Blue produced by Theatre Lac
Brome. Directed by Nicholas Pynes. Cast: Danielle Desormeaux, Shayne Devouges, Laura
Teasdale and Brett Watson. Production stage managed by Seamus Ryan.
Page 16: Photo: Unknown. Twelfth Night (1997) by W. Shakespeare produced by
Shakespeare in the Ruins. Directed by Ann Hodges with fight direction by Rick Skene.
Cast: Derek Aasland, Michelle Boulet, Arne MacPherson, Matthew Moreau, Deborah
Patterson, Csilla Przibislawsky, Gene Pyrz, Chris Sigurdson and Lora Schroeder. Stage
managed by K.R. East assisted by Krista MacFarlane.
Page 17: Photo: Domenico Gelermo, iStockphoto.
Page 18: Photo of C. Colvey: Chris Dilworth. Photo of B. Clout courtesy of Patricia Clout.
Page 19: Photo of A. Grant: Ken Bell, courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada Archives.
Photo of B. Garrick courtesy of Jason Knight.
Page 21: Courtesy of Theatre Ontario.
winter 2012
EQ Moves
Onward and upward with the arts
Peter Hinton, the National
Arts Centre’s (NAC’s) artistic director of English
theatre, will be stepping
down after seven seasons
in August 2012. Among
his many initiatives, Peter
spearheaded the reestablishment of NAC’s Resident
English Theatre Company in
2009, which annually brings
more than 30 actors from
across the country together
to work on several productions.
The 2011 Stage West –
Equity Emerging Theatre
Artist
Award
winner
was Judy Wensel from
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
The award and its $2,000
cash prize recognizes an
Equity member of three
years or less who has already
made a significant contribution and impression as an
artist. Judy is a multitalented
director, performer and theatre creator.
After 15 years as managing
director of Canadian Stage,
David Abel joined the Art of
Time Ensemble as executive
director starting in January
2012.
Anusree Roy and Pamela Sinha in the world premiere of Anusree Roy’s Brothel #9 at Toronto’s Factory Theatre, 2011
Charlie Rhindress has
assumed the role of artistic
producer at Eastern Front Theatre in Halifax, taking over from
Victoria-based playwright Joan MacLeod is the recipient
Scott Burke.
of the 2011 Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre,
Dancer Blair Puente has retired after nine seasons with the
the largest theatre award in the country. She won
Alberta Ballet and assumed the responsibility of company man-
$75,000, and selected Toronto-based playwright and
ager as of mid-November 2011, taking over from Paul Chambers.
actor Anusree Roy as her protégé, who received $25,000.
winter 2012
Equity Quarterly 5
Bridging the two solitudes
One production, two languages
6 Equity Quarterly
winter 2012
with one play
We’re a bilingual country – so how
hard can it be to have the same cast and crew present a play in
both of Canada’s official languages?
It turns out that language isn’t the only difference when presenting a production in French and English. Everything from
rehearsal times to the audience itself is different.
Montreal stage manager Elaine Normandeau is a true rarity –
someone who works in both English and French theatre. In 2010,
Normandeau was part of a unique bilingual production of Old
Wicked Songs by Jon Marans. It was performed in French first,
as Une musique inquiétante, at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, and
then performed in English at the Segal Centre for the Performing
Arts. The play had two actors – Jean Marchand, who had experience working in both languages, and Émile Proulx-Cloutier, who
had never acted in English before. Normandeau’s role in each production was very different. The
tasks and duties that are assigned to a stage manager in English
theatre are divided into two separate jobs in French theatre – the
assistant metteur en scène, who handles the rehearsals and is
also much more involved in the creative process than in English
theatre; and the régisseur, who handles the duties during tech
week and performances.
The assistant metteur en scène also does not usually do the same
volume of paperwork as their English counterpart. For example,
the director verbally gives his or her notes directly to the designers, whereas, in English, the stage manager would relay the director’s comments through production notes to all departments.
Nevertheless, Normandeau brought many of her English stage manager’s talents to the French production. “They were astonished that
I was so organized – all I was doing was posting rehearsal schedules
and other information and making sure there was coffee and tea.”
Two different rehearsal schedules
Since French and English productions operate under different
unions there are also differences regarding rehearsal times. Under
Equity, actors work a certain number of weeks and are paid a
weekly salary. Under UdA, actors are hired for a certain number
of hours of rehearsal, which are then scheduled over a number
By Barb Farwell
of agreed upon weeks by the assistant metteur en scène. That
allows the rehearsal hours to be spread out around the actors’
previous commitments – which is important in Quebec as there is
a smaller acting community and most actors are also working in
television and film and doing voice work and dubbing (all feature
films released in Quebec must have a French language version).
Besides rehearsals, the actors also spent time with English language coach Julia Lenardon. Since one of the characters in Old
Wicked Games is American, actor Émile Proulx-Cloutier worked
with Lenardon not only on his English, but to nail down the
American inflections. Normandeau also enjoyed helping the actors
with their English pronunciation. “I was raised in both languages,
so this is something I’m interested in. But I’m careful not to contradict any directions the actors have been given.”
Normandeau noticed that some people came to see the production
in both languages – but she says the audiences are usually quite different, with the French crowd being more demonstrative. “We have
to warn the actors that the audiences won’t react in the same way.”
Normandeau is currently working on another bilingual production for the same two theatre companies – a presentation of Vigil,
by Morris Panych. The play will be performed in French in February
of 2012, and then in English in March. Actors Éric Bernier and Kim
Yaroshevskaya perform in both versions. The turnaround is so tight
that they “will be performing in French in the evening and rehearsing during the day in English,” says Normandeau.
Although a translation may not always be able to capture the
exact rhythm of the dialogue or reveal all the insights you get
from the original language, Normandeau thinks it is valuable to
bring these English plays to a French audience. “In the case of
Vigil, this is the first time one of Morris Panych’s works has been
done in Quebec. There is talk of it going throughout the province,
not just Montreal.”
Old Wicked Songs was also remounted again in French a few
months after the English version and toured the province.
“I love it. It’s the two solitudes coming together,” says
Normandeau. “In production meetings we would ask ‘what
language will we use today?’ And then it goes back and forth
between English and French.” EQ
Top left photo: Jean Marchand played Joseph Mashkan and Émile Proulx-Cloutier played Stephen Hoffman in both the English and French versions of
Une musique inquiétante/Old Wicked Songs by Jon Marans at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert and the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts
Top right photo: Émile Proulx-Cloutier worked with English language coach Julia Lenardon to give his English an American accent
Bottom photo: Some people came to see the production in both languages, but the French crowd was usually more demonstrative. Actors Jean
Marchand and Émile Proulx-Cloutier were warned that the audiences wouldn’t react in the same way
winter 2012
Equity Quarterly 7
T h e
s p e c i a l
a l l u r e
o f
S u m m e r
T h e at r e
Let the sun s
8 Equity Quarterly
winter 2012
shine in!
By Cynthia Macdonald
Every Macbeth
production has
its own curse story, but Marianne Copithorne’s has a decidedly
seasonal flair.
The artistic director of Edmonton’s Free Will Players was working as an actor with the company 12 years ago, playing Lady
Macbeth in the company’s pretty, green park setting. As she and
costar John Wright prepared to dunk their hands in a bowl full of
King Duncan’s “blood” backstage, they saw that another wouldbe murderer had gotten there first.
“There was this squirrel drinking from the bowl, because it was
full of sugar,” she recalls. “And then he ran onstage ahead of
us, complete with a dripping, bloody mouth! There was nothing
we could do. I mean, you can’t stop a squirrel from being part
of a scene.”
Wildlife and bugs, spattering rain and endless light, picnics and
Norm Foster. These are all things that come to mind when you
think of summer theatre in Canada. And yet, it’s a genre that’s
become almost impossible to sum up, since the variety of what’s
on offer is now endless. While small towns still come alive with
frothy comedies during the hot months, some of the country’s
most serious and important productions take place while the sun
burns hottest – at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, of course, but
in an increasing number of other venues too.
Summer theatre can mean a Shakespearean tragedy, a puppet
show or a groundbreaking Canadian drama. It can take place
on a beach, in a field, on a sweltering little Fringe stage or in
a sumptuously renovated 500-seat house. It can be the product of a three-month (or a three-day) rehearsal period. As Bob
Metcalfe, who frequently directs plays at Nova Scotia’s Festival
Antigonish explains, “Saying summer theatre is like saying summer clothes, right? Depending on where you are, you’re wearing
different things.”
Opposite page: A sunset creates a spectacular backdrop for the Freewill
Shakespeare Festival in Edmonton
Left: Kim White with Victor the horse in Caravan Farm Theatre’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream
winter 2012
Equity Quarterly 9
T h e
s p e c i a l
a l l u r e
o f
So true, of course – though one rarely wears shorts to a
Christmas pantomime. That informal feel is the hallmark of so
many summer productions, particularly those that take place outside. And when audiences are free to unwrap sandwiches and
stretch out their sunburnt legs, it can be both a blessing and a
curse for artists.
The nature of the gig
“What I’d like to do with Shakespeare calls for full attention,
and in a park you’ll never have that,” says Montreal’s Arianna
Bardesono, who also directed Macbeth last year for the city’s
Repercussion Theatre company. “But part of me loves it too,
because the audience for these shows is very real. In Montreal,
they’re drinking beer, they’re talking and commenting on what
they see; for me this is actually part of it. And you cannot fight it
too much, because if you do you’re taking something away from
the nature of the gig.”
Miles Potter has directed Shakespeare both indoors and out
– at Stratford, as well as Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach and the
Festival of Classics in Oakville, Ontario. He says theatre tends to
draw people who are serious enough to ignore distractions such
as barking dogs and inline skaters; in the end, these don’t matter
to him that much. “Even the simplest of theatre requires something from the audience that television does not,” Potter says. “If
S u m m e r
T h e at r e
you’re going to buy a ticket and sit down – whether in summer
or not – you’re watching live people making an effort in front of
you, and that does require a commitment.”
Still, some intrusions are overwhelming. Most Shakespearesin-the-park are based on one stage, but Bardesono’s Macbeth
moved around Montreal multiple times; the company never knew
what it would face in any given venue. Once, they ended up
performing in a locale perilously close to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau
International Airport.
“There were huge airplanes going overhead,” she sighs. “And the
actors’ mikes were picking up signals from the air traffic control towers, which took them out of the play for short periods.” (Microphones,
which enable actors to be heard over sirens and wind, are especially
helpful outdoors. When they aren’t available, actors with extraordinary vocal projection are usually favoured in the casting process.)
Bright light can be distracting too, in that a northern sun
doesn’t set until late in summer. “When you’re inside a dark theatre, drawing attention to the stage is more easily done,” says
Bardesono. In a park, it can be “like watching from a far distant
screen.”
Copithorne, whose company contends with an extremely latesetting Edmonton sun, says that’s crucial to craft a great beginning. “It’s really important to make our intentions clear in the
prologue, so we can grab people’s interest right away.”
(L to R) Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, Nathan Barrett and Attila Clemann
as the three witches in Repercussion Theatre’s Macbeth, 2011
10 E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y winter 2012
Six Vancouver theatre companies converged on Caravan Farm Theatre’s 80 acres in the Okanagan in 2010 to create Everyone,
a contemporary take on the Medieval morality play
A shared sense of humour
Fortunately, artists and audience members alike tend to see the
humour in distractions. If the ticket price is low, the night is sultry,
and the mosquitoes have retired early, all can generally be forgiven. “The audience is amazing because in a sense they understand,” says Bardesono. “They just go with it.”
Marianne Copithorne, who’s inadvertently shared her al fresco
space with not only squirrels, but rabbits, ducks and geese, agrees.
“When wildlife interacts with you onstage, the audience loves that.”
Summer theatregoers even forgive rain checks, knowing that a
sudden downpour is part of the risk. As a director, “you live by the
Weather Channel,” says Miles Potter.
Lightning could be dangerous, though Copithorne says storms
sometimes help: she remembers thunder providing a magical backdrop to Macbeth’s witches, and to Desdemona’s terror in Othello.
Chancy skies are “something the audience goes through with us,”
she says. “There’s something about surviving, thriving and winning
over the weather.”
There are other dangers too. “In Oakville, our set was inspired by
costumes. Although language can be challenging, much of the
Bard’s canon is already familiar to theatre patrons.
But he hasn’t colonized the parks entirely. Bardesono, a native
of Italy, says that commedia dell’arte is to her country what
Shakespeare is to ours; it’s a tradition she thinks might work outdoors here too. Recently, Repercussion Theatre successfully staged
an outdoor Molière play, to appeal to French-speaking theatregoers.
And in the interior of British Columbia, Caravan Farm Theatre’s
Courtenay Dobbie presides over outdoor theatre of an entirely different kind. Founded in 1978, Caravan productions all take place in
the open air on an 80-acre farm, in winter and on Hallowe’en, as
well as summer. They are most often original Canadian works, rooted
strongly in local experience. Frequently, the plays tackle profound
social and political issues. But they can be playful too – sleigh rides,
bluegrass operas, or a “lumber yard Joan of Arc” are some examples.
“There is no existing stage that we perform on,” says artistic
director Dobbie. “The shows move around the property, and the
audience never knows where they’re going to be. You might be
in a forest for one show, and in the middle of a field for another.
It’s a hands-on, hard work, survival kind of theatre.”
a beautiful weeping willow tree,” says Potter. “But one night – thank
God it wasn’t when the audience was there – that tree gave up the
Stretching the limits
ghost.” The rest of the run took place around a less-dignified... er,
Working outdoors in summer enables Dobbie to stretch the limits of what’s possible theatrically. She usually employs resident
Clydesdale and quarter-horses in her productions, whether as
characters or prop conveyors. Okanagan heat can be a problem –
“we can’t do matinees, because that would just melt everybody”
stump. “Well, it had its own statement to make,” Potter says wryly.
With most major centres boasting a festival, Shakespeare easily
is the playwright of choice for outdoor productions. His plays are
free to produce and require little in the way of elaborate sets or
winter 2012
E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y 11
T h e
s p e c i a l
a l l u r e
o f
S u m m e r
T h e at r e
Left: John Ullyatt as Iago in Freewill Shakespeare Festival’s 2011 production of Othello, directed by Marianne Copithorne
Middle: Paul Hopkins as Macbeth and Anana Rydvald as Lady Macbeth in Repercussion Theatre’s Macbeth, which toured around Montreal to multiple
venues – even playing next to an airport
Right: Michael Scholar Jr. and Christopher Gaze in The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Miles Potter for Bard on the Beach
– but the luxury of the landscape makes it all worthwhile. “As the
director, you’re thinking, how can I use that hill? How can I have
that tree light up with a million fireflies? And how can I capitalize
on the land and the trees and the sky as much as possible?”
An excursion to Caravan isn’t an outing, but an event: you
have to drive there, and plan your day around it. The same can be
said for many other summer theatres, which are located in small
towns. That big-event ethos also holds true for urban Fringe festivals, which invite patrons to sample not one but several plays in
the course of a day. And it’s perhaps most applicable at Stratford
and Shaw, with their plethora of local fine restaurants and hotels.
In the end, the add-ons that enrich summer theatregoing – the
eating, walking, driving, exploring – give it an especially memorable quality. During summer, says Bob Metcalfe, the sheer excitement of planning leads to “a kind of emotional and sensory experience that leads you there, long before you even see the show.”
But after the planning comes... the relaxation. People are in
vacation mode during July and August, and often don’t want
their theatrical experience to resemble work in any way. Hence
the stunning popularity of playwright Norm Foster’s zippy situation comedies, such as The Melville Boys and The Affections of
May, which are regularly produced throughout the country during
cottage season. Mysteries and musicals also rule a great deal of
small-town summer programming, with titles such as Groovin’
Through the 60s and Sexy Laundry being fairly typical.
It’s a good bet that the audience attending these plays won’t
necessarily turn up for Hedda Gabler come February. But Metcalfe
(who directed a very popular rendition of Sexy Laundry at Festival
Antigonish) notes that even festivals known for comedies will try
and factor at least a little bite into their programming. In any case,
he believes the line between light summer fare and heavier “winter”
12 E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y plays is thinner than it seems. “I think that any kind of play that
works, even if it’s a comedy, works because it contains some essential truth about being human. That’s what makes people laugh, and
what makes it popular. So we kind of get a little snobby about shows
that are entertaining, and I don’t think we should.”
Plus, the “hijinks and hilarity” shows all harken back to the good
old-fashioned summer stock idea – to days when North American
barns were re-purposed for comic and musical revues, and town
playhouses featured eager (if green) actors treading the boards in
pre-used costumes. The “straw hat” plays produced during this
era are thought to have enjoyed a 20th-century heyday, which
ended with the advent of blockbuster movies. But, as theatres from
Grand Bend to Grand Bank have proven, the innocent ideals and
enthusiastic fans of summer stock live on in Canada today.
Community may be the most important of these ideals. More
than at any other time of year, summer offers people the chance
to really bond as theatre-lovers, whether that be under a shared
umbrella in a park, in line at a festival, or on an expanse of lawn,
laughing together at an errant squirrel. Ontario’s Blyth Festival
produces work that is specifically linked to its Huron County surroundings, just as Caravan seeks to reflect local struggles and
triumphs in the plays it commissions. In a sense, summer theatre
is comparable not only to summer clothes – but to summer food,
too. It’s organic, fresh, and closer to the land.
“One of the great strengths of summer theatre,” says Miles
Potter, “is it can have a direct relationship with the place where
it’s being done. So much entertainment isn’t local anymore. Our
entertainment lives in the cloud! But theatre is one thing that’s
never going to exist in the cloud. It’s on the ground, right where
you live.” EQ
Cynthia Macdonald is a freelance journalist and arts critic in Toronto.
winter 2012
thE trials and triBulations oF worKing outsidE
Todd Talbot and Lauren Bowler dance
on an outdoor stage in Anything Goes
for Vancouver’s Theatre Under the Stars.
Choreographer Dayna Tekatch always has a
contingency plan to make sure performers
are safe dancing in inclement weather
staying cool in a
HOt PerFOrMANCe
By mary amBrosE
sitting outsidE
on a summer’s evening
watching a play is romantic, ephemeral, magical and unexpected.
Ideas, words, costumes, even spare furnishings, are indoor experiences and when we see them outdoors, their fragility – our fragility – is exposed. The line between the audience and the stage
dissolves, reappears and dissolves again. But how magical is it for
the professionals creating the experience?
“It’s very pleasant to be outside, but the details are what make
it uncomfortable,” admits Ingrid Turk, longtime stage manager
and current house manager for Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach.
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Performing outdoors makes her conscious of details that never
arise indoors: How are the actors getting from the dressing rooms
to the stage? When needed, where are the umbrellas for the
actors? Where is the umbrella for the person escorting the actor
back and forth to the dressing rooms, and where are the dressing
rooms anyway?
Often the dressing rooms are “tents or draughty old auditorium rooms” near the city’s public performance areas, says
Turk. Most were built in the 1960s or before, “so the amenities
are few.” That means not designed to check the hem of your
E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y 13
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w o r K i n g
16th-century dress, and full of nasty lighting and inadequate
mirrors. They may also require propane heaters or generators in
early summer. In the full heat of the season, this might be where
Turk stashes the ice pops in coolers she keeps so the actors can
re-hydrate between scenes.
Staying cool(ish) is essential for actors to keep focused and do
their best work. It’s also a health issue. Turk’s seen the stage manager and the Equity deputy onstage half an hour before curtain
taking the temperature to ensure the Equity standard that it is
never more than 30 degrees Celsius, which would mean canceling
the show. Happily Turk’s never had to cancel, but on hot nights
Bob Frazer in Bard on the Beach’s Richard III. Studio stage house
manager Ingrid Turk kept ice pops on hand to help cool down
performers in heavy Shakespearian costumes
she’s conscious of trying to keep the actors as comfortable as possible. Not easy when Shakespeare’s the playwright.
Dressing for the weather
In steamy weather women can wear fewer undergarments. Men’s
costumes are less flexible. When Dean Paul Gibson played Falstaff
at Bard on the Beach, his costume was padded to give him the
weight the character requires, but there were bags sewn into the
arms of the costume to hold ice packs during hot weather.
Performing in many layers of clothes in 30-degree weather,
some lose a lot of weight. Overall it’s more likely that actors’ bod14 E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y
o u t s i d E
ies will change over the summer, rather than the winter. If they’re
sword fighting in leather – a regular occurrence in Shakespeare
– the loss can be dramatic, says fight director Nicholas Harrison,
even if they are very careful to stay hydrated. Conversely he
admits, others gain weight over the summer because “they find
ways that they can celebrate and unwind” between shows and
often they have two performances a day. Either way, costumers
have to be prepared.
The demands on the actors with Shakespeare in the Ruins
(SIR) in Winnipeg go beyond costumes. After all, SIR has played
Romeo and Juliet on the parkade roof of the Dreman Building
(L to R) Robert McLaughlin, Stephen Eric McIntyre and Eric Blais in The Taming of the
“The Globe Theatre didn’t have a roof either,” says artistic co-chair, Michelle Boulet
in the downtown core, As You Like It and King Lear in the
Gaboury-Lagemodiere Park in St. Boniface, and now their home
is Assiniboine Park. SIR actors have had young boys driving by
yelling obscenities out the window while they perform, and when
the play moves around the park, people have wandered into
scenes.
Michelle Boulet, actor and SIR’s artistic co-chair, loves the challenge. “We used to call ourselves warriors of art,” she laughs. She
says that actors working outdoors are “fighting to be heard, to be
more interesting than the soccer game that’s going on over their
shoulder. The stakes are huge and that’s what theatre is all about.”
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Competing for attention
Competition for the audience’s attention means that actors have to
fully commit in their gestures, their actions. They have to work with
– rather than against – the elements. A shift in the wind can render
actors unheard unless they learn to “use the wind to throw it into
the audience or adjust their bodies… and just carry on,” says Boulet.
After all, “the Globe Theatre didn’t have a roof either.”
Outdoors is such a dramatic switch from inside a quiet dark
theatre where “you can hear a candy wrapper,” says Boulet. She
doesn’t know which actors it will throw off, “until you’re in the
show.” Some blossom like summer flowers.
Shrew, 2008, at Winnipeg’s Shakespeare in the Ruins.
Staying flexible
Performers have to be flexible and technical people must carefully anticipate potential problems. Lighting designers, “have to
be aware that they are creating two different circumstances,”
Ingrid Turk explains. As the sun sets they have to know “where
Shayne Devouges and Brett Watson in
Let’s Be Frank at Theatre Lac Brome
Though she was quite young and had worked mostly in film,
Kelci Stephenson understood that she had to project without yelling when cast as Cordelia in SIR’s King Lear. Playing outside “you
need great breath support,” explains Boulet, and that summer
Stephenson “learnt that she has an amazing voice that can fill a
field.” Working outdoors “drew out a great performance from
her,” Boulet notes.
Even for an experienced actor like Brett Watson, playing an outdoor venue like Theatre Lac Brome in beautiful, quiet Knowlton,
Quebec, means being ready to roll with whatever comes up.
Driving the main street for a dress rehearsal of Loot, in 1999, he
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“noticed that trees were down everywhere and part of the roof
had been ripped off the theatre.” The storm had also taken out
the power. The lighting designer went home, but everyone else
went to a local park. People “drove up their cars and left their
headlights on and we did run throughs all night,” he recalls.
darkness falls in the production” and how to light that transition – and of course how the position of the sun changes over
the season. Productions are rarely called because of rain – even
in Vancouver – but one year Turk admits, they “had to pause”
when the actors couldn’t make themselves heard over the racket
of a hailstorm crashing onto the tent.
Fight director Harrison works with the director to realize his
vision, but his first concern he says “is always safety.” He doesn’t
forget what could happen to Bard on the Beach actors “if the deck
is wet. Or there’s a bird in the tent that swoops down and gets in
their way while they are exiting.
E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y 15
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a person with memories of
“I have to minimize the
risks,” he says, “that’s all I
any war seeing actors holdcan do.”
ing machine guns in director
Dayna Tekatch agrees. As
Kathryn Shaw’s All’s Well
a choreographer she always
That Ends Well, which she
has a Plan B. It rained on the
set in Nazi Germany for Bard
opening night of Anything
on the Beach. Or director
Goes in Vancouver at Theatre
Miles Potter’s version of The
Under the Stars last summer.
Taming of the Shrew for the
While the audience wore ponsame theatre, envisioned as
chos provided by the house,
a western with shotguns and
Tekatch saw 27 performers
live gunfire. Harrison warns
“in tap shoes on a wet stage”
the actors that even if it’s a
for the big title number she
wooden prop, “treat it like
designed which runs six to
it’s a real firearm” and never
seven minutes. This “defibrandish it outdoors.
nitely present[ed] enormous
Sometimes the commuamounts of risk” she says, but
nity can enjoy summer theshe had a contingency plan. If
atre without even seeing the
necessary the dancers knew
play. Last summer when Brett
they could take the number
Watson appeared in Let’s Be
farther upstage – where it was
Frank at Theatre Lac Brome, a
drier – cut certain sections and
if was too slippery, use alterplay about an aspiring singer
Winnipeg’s Shakespeare in the Ruins performs Twelfth Night at the
native lifts.
of Frank Sinatra songs, everyTrappist Monastery Provincial Heritage Park. (L to R) Deborah Patterson,
Because of the public nature
one in the cast was a musiLora Schroeder, Matthew Moreau, Gene Pyrz, Arne MacPherson, Derek
of outdoor theatre, fight chocian. Rather than eating after
Aasland, Chris Sigurdson, Michelle Boulet and Csilla Przibislawsky
reography can sometimes be a
the show, Watson, who plays
safety issue as much for the audience as the cast. A production congas, says they “would just hang out in the field next to the
of George F. Walker’s play Zastrozzi, by Victoria’s Theatre SKAM, theatre, get a case of beer, pull out our instruments and start
“was set in an alley,” says Harrison, and the production included playing.” Local musicians heard about it and appeared “out of the
“a whip fight, crowbar fight, and switchblades.” Harrison knew
woods with a fiddle or a guitar,” until some evenings there’d be
that he had to visit the police before the show even began. “If
20-25 people in these impromptu jam sessions. “That was pretty
you’re in a site-specific play where someone is mugged in the alley,
cool,” admits Watson.
all it takes is a passerby who is not involved in the show to call
While it’s a risk for experienced actors like Watson to tie up
911.” The police in many communities are “stretched to the limit,”
the TV production season working in theatre, he commutes from
he says, so if an officer has worked back-to-back shifts and arrives
Montreal to Lac Brome on the weekends to perform, making it
tired and is confused by the scene he walks into, “depending on
the actor’s reaction to what happens, it could be really dangerous.” the best of both worlds. He even prefers the summer audiences.
They can be more relaxed and attentive. As he says, they’re not
Please don’t call the cops
Harrison says advance notice creates a good relationship with
the police. He says he’ll go in and say, “Tonight there’s going
to be a show and there will be a lot of screaming going on and
two women are going to fight and one is going to be stabbed.”
(Unspoken: Please don’t send the squad car.) Even with notice,
sometimes the police call to check. “Just to confirm that I’m telling
the truth,” he says.
It makes sense to recheck, since according to Harrison even
when people know it’s a play, some still alert the police. Imagine
16 E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y
“rushing from their jobs, fighting traffic to get to the theatre
by 8 p.m.,” they’re mostly people who have spent “the day at
the lake and they’re going to the theatre at night.” They arrive
relaxed, wearing their summer finery. “The older guys in white
suits or their long shorts and their long socks… I enjoy it,” he says.
As Ingrid Turk says, “It’s fantastic to be in an outdoor venue
as evening is falling on a beautiful night, the sun setting. There’s
nothing like it.” EQ
Mary Ambrose has written about the arts for newspapers and magazines across
North America and Europe. She lives in Toronto.
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EQ Backstage
Performing while pregnant
You may feel like eating for two when you are pregnant – but how do you safely exercise for two?
There are specific guidelines for the amount of physical activity you can do while protecting the safety and
health of your baby, says Dr. Julia Alleyne of Sport
CARE, a multidisciplinary clinic that specializes in the
area of women and physical activity at the Women’s
College Hospital in Toronto.
If you are a dancer, your level of activity will fall outside of those guidelines, so you need to work with your
doctor to safely modify the amount of activity you do
while pregnant.
Even if you are not a dancer, any performer who uses
full-body motion on stage – enough to break a sweat
– should talk to their doctor about any modifications
needed.
But generally, for most low-risk pregnancies you
shouldn’t take on any new activities in your first trimester, and you should exercise no more than 30 to
40 minutes, four to five times per week. The exercise
should also be low impact and of moderate intensity.
In the second trimester you can increase your amount of exercise and the intensity by about 15%, and in the
third trimester you will need to significantly drop down the amount and intensity.
Besides physical activity, there are also guidelines for how long you should be sitting or standing on stage. For
example, women in their third trimester should limit standing to an hour at a time. Wearing support stockings,
sitting more often, and rehearsing on a stool are some suggestions your doctor might give you to modify your
performing and rehearsal activities.
As for food, you should speak to your doctor to make sure you are getting the appropriate nutrients for your
activity level, as well as the appropriate amount of sleep. Sleep is especially important to help ease aches and pains
related to performing.
When to stop performing
There are no guidelines for how far along you can be in your pregnancy when you should stop performing as it
depends on what type of activity you are doing. Some actors perform until their third trimester, while dancers will
stop performing by the middle of the second trimester as their centre of gravity changes. “They can still train, but
performing becomes more difficult,” says Dr. Alleyne.
As for when you can return to performing, it all depends on your level of fitness. “The higher the level of fitness,
the easier to recover. But it also depends on the type of delivery and if there were any complications,” Alleyne says.
“For a low-risk pregnancy with no complications you could regain your level of fitness in four to five months
and return to performing in six to nine months. But that is under ideal conditions, including a healthy baby, ideal
baby sleeping habits – and no complications in delivery.”
For information on exercising after your baby is born check out the Mothers In Motion website at
www.caaws.ca/mothersinmotion. WebMD also has information on exercising before and after giving birth at
www.webmd.com/baby.
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E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y 17
Fondly Remembered
Catherine Colvey 1951 - 2011
By Emma Tibaldo
I met Catherine through Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and
playwright Greg MacArthur. Greg loved having her in the room
when workshopping his plays. She was the right combination of
quirky, generous, and breathtakingly imaginative in her interpretations of his work. It was easy to fall in love with her enormous
talent, expressive face, and deep intellect.
Catherine Colvey’s passion for telling meaningful and difficult
stories is why, as director, I approached Catherine to play Grace in
Talisman Theatre’s production of The Flood Thereafter by Sarah
Berthiaume.
The role demanded an actor with breadth, passion, and imagination. Catherine was the actor for the role. Catherine was truly
magical on stage. Regal even. She held all the pain of the world
in her hands and you could see the traces of sadness on her face.
I died with her at every performance.
We were all shocked when Catherine passed away. Those of
us who got to work with her will always remember her. I still
feel a great amount of anger when I think of all the other plays I
Catherine Colvey
in The Flood
Thereafter by
Sarah Berthiaume,
translated by
Nadine Desrochers
wanted to take on with her in the coming years. That will never
happen now, and that leaves me feeling sad and angry. There was
so much more of her to see, so many more worlds to explore. I
believe she helped move the world forward, towards a clearer
understanding of what it means to be human. She is missed.
Robert (Bob) Clout 1934-2011
By Ron Payne
I first met Bob in 1970 when
we both became involved in
community theatre in North
Bay. The following years saw
us on stage together with me
having the pleasure of directing him on several occasions.
Somewhere in this period,
we both got the idea to
throw off the safe and mundane jobs we were doing
and take the plunge to act full-time and become “professional.”
Two older guys, willing to compete with school-trained actors.
And what a time we have had! Bob continued to be involved in
Equity plays across the province and beyond, both as an actor
and director.
His many roles in movies, television and commercials saw him
play many characters, cameos, and bits – all the standard smaller
18 E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y parts that were and are the bread and butter of the working actor.
Nothing ever huge, but enough to satisfy the urge to keep going
in the “business.” We even wound up on the same set a few
times and even had to audition for the same roles. Along the way,
Bob made many friends in the industry and always had praise and
genuine admiration for his fellow actors.
Off the set, Bob was a great sports fan as he had excelled
in baseball and basketball in his youth. He was also a constant
traveller of the world. I had the greatest pleasure to accompany
him on one of his many journeys to Thailand, Malaysia, and Bali.
Two aging actors in search of adventure! We also enjoyed hunting
and fishing with a retinue of friends for all those years. Some of
those trips would have made a great movie… X-rated of course.
I lost my friend and the industry lost a comrade on September
4, 2011, after a courageous battle with cancer. He lives on in celluloid, through his wife and children, and in our hearts. “Good
night sweet Prince”… and remember, “There are no small actors.
Only small parts.”
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Alexander Grant
1925 – 2011
by Michael Crabb
Who’d have thought that someone as august as the artistic director
of the National Ballet of Canada (from 1976 to 1983) would have
a magic way of transforming brussel sprouts into a gourmet dish?
But then New Zealand-born Alexander Grant, who passed to that
eternally lit dance studio in the sky on September 30, was a master
of transformations. He’d already proved that during 30 years as a
star of Britain’s Royal Ballet. So why not sprouts, too? (His secret
was to steam them briefly and finish them in a sauté pan with a few
chopped strips of bacon.) And that’s only half the story.
On the occasion I was privileged to experience this culinary
trick and while the sprouts were steaming, the radio was tuned to
CBC Radio – in the days it privileged “serious” music: Stravinsky’s
Petrouchka, a ballet in which Alexander had been justly acclaimed.
Suddenly he moved a kitchen stool to the centre of the living
room and slumped onto it in a rag-doll posture. “Here comes my
music,” he murmured; and then he was off!
I, then a young dance critic who’d asked for an interview and
been invited to lunch, sat transfixed as Alexander launched into
the title character’s first solo. Just as he finished an exemplary performance, the phone rang. It was his ballet master, David Scott.
Frank Augustyn, Karen Kain and Alexander Grant in front of the
Bolshoi Theatre (1977)
He must have asked: “Why are you out of breath?” Alexander,
then 52 and with a bad hip, proudly replied: “I just finished a performance of Petrouchka and the music was slower than I’m used
to, so I had to sustain the movement longer.” The next question
from a puzzled David must have been something like: “Who saw
it?” Casting a glance in my direction, Alexander responded: “A
rather small audience, I’m afraid. But I think an appreciative one.”
Looking back, the combination of sprouts and Petrouchka
make total sense. Whatever the performance, it is nothing if not
perfectly seasoned. And it takes a great artist to find the ingredient that transforms routine into something unforgettable.
Bradley Garrick 1969 – 2011
By Michelle Giroux and Graham Abbey
Bradley Paul Boyle Garrick was a dear friend to so many of us in
the Canadian acting community.
Our lives first intersected with Bradley (a.k.a. Heapie) nearly a
decade ago in Stratford. It was love at first laugh and in the years
that followed we spent almost every weekend in his company.
It aches not having him here. We miss his height, those giant
green eyes, his rapier wit, his slip-on shoes, his Canadian theatre
casting updates, his avoidance of the kitchen, his passion for show
tunes, his 576 phone calls in a row without leaving a message…
and his humour. Ohhhh, his humour! Being with Bradley was
heaven. He was the tallest, funniest, smartest, handsomest, kindest, most generous friend anyone could have.
His remarkable capacity for love throughout his life gave birth
to a wonderful family of friends and colleagues who circled
round him as he moved with such unbelievable dignity and grace
through the final weeks of his illness. He accomplished so much in
that time – a pilgrimage to British Columbia, another to Muskoka
and numerous sessions with loved ones perched atop his bedroom
winter 2012
pulpit offering pearls of
wisdom and
life advice
whether it was
solicited or
not. His greatest achievement in that time was his marriage to the love of his life, Philip
Pace, on a beautiful August afternoon in our living room, reminding us all why we are here. Love. Love. Love.
Bradley did not go gently into the night. His star blazed with a
ferocious ember. He was in those last days, hours and moments
as he had been through his life – the petulant child, the passionate lover, the fierce soldier, the wise justice and the lovable
Pantaloon. And then with one final deep inhale he leapt into
oblivion. Confident. Fearless. Peaceful.
We will miss you, Heapie. Everyday.
E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y 19
EQ Classifieds
Friendly Coaching with Barbara Gordon will
help you choose a monologue or gear up for
an audition. With 30 years of experience in
theatres across Canada, film and television,
Barbara can lend an impartial eye and ear to
help you clarify your thinking and boost your
confidence. (416) 535-0058
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+ Need help with an audition piece?
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[email protected]
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Gary Kudlow, Ext. 23
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[email protected]
[email protected]
www.kudlowmccann.com
B.C. / Yukon
Andrew Cownden
Sean Cummings
Jeremy Holmes
Alexander McMorran
Rowan O’Hagan
Eastern Opera
Frederic Beaudoin
Clarence Frazer
Mark Gough
Michael Marino
Jessica Strong
Ian Ronningen
David Ross
Morag “Morrie”
Sinkins
Lana Sugarman
Hani Zakaria
Quebec
Ben Hatcher
Lydia Zadel
Saskatchewan
Ireland Cockwill
Thomas J Korinek
Manitoba / Nunavut Christian McQueen
Stephanie Robinson
Gwendolyn Collins
Lukas Stahl-Cardinal
Derek W. Leenhouts
N Alberta / NWT
Robert Markus
Southern Alberta
Tara Blue
Ontario
Nicola Elson
Emma Burke-Kleinman Melanee Murray
Caitlin Driscoll
Jesse Wheeler
Cara Gee
Stage Management
Riley Gilchrist
Vienna Hehir
Jessica Stinson
Helen Juvonen
Western Opera
Alessia Lupiano
Megan Brown
Alan Norman
Natalie Fagnan
Caleb Olivieri
RJ Parrish
Alison Roberts
Workshops, National and
International Guest Artists,
Partnerships, Master Classes,
Forums, Labs, Unique
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New Projects and Special
Events can all be found at
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Agreement negotiations and policies
under review in 2012
welcome
NEW MEMBERS
Atlantic
Jamie Mac
A variety of Technique
The following agreements will be negotiated or policies will be renewed in 2012.
Negotiations:
The Canadian Theatre Agreement –
expires June 24, 2012 – negotiations
commence in February 2012 –
negotiation suggestions must be
received by January 27, 2012.
8
Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Addendum to the CTA – expires
November 30, 2012 – negotiations
commence early fall 2012 –
negotiation suggestions must be
received by July 30, 2012.
8
National Arts Centre Special Events
Agreement – expires August 31,
2012 – negotiations commence
early summer 2012 – negotiation
suggestions must be received by
May 1, 2012.
8
Pending renewals:
The Independent Theatre
Agreement – minimum fees expire
June 24, 2012 – policy suggestions
must be must be received by
April 1, 2012.
8
Industrial Shows Policy – expires
November 1, 2012 – policy
suggestions must be received by
September 15, 2012.
8
Independent Artists Projects Policy
(Indie) – while this policy expires in
November 2012, it will be in effect
until such time as a new policy to
address small scale productions is
introduced.
8
All Equity members are encouraged to contribute to the review and negotiation
of these agreements or the revision of these engagement policies. Suggested
proposals for change or amendment should be sent to [email protected].
Questions regarding the review and negotiation of any agreement or revision
of any engagement policy may be forwarded to agreements@ caea.com by email,
or by phone to 1-800-387-1856 (416-867-9165 in Toronto).
20 E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y W i n t e r 2 0 1 2
EQ Flashback
The idea for Theatre Ontario
actually came from a puppeteer and educator – George
Merton – who was Director
of Community Programming
for the Ontario Department
of Education in the late
1960s. He thought an organization was needed to bring together community, educational
and professional theatre in the province.
In 1971, with funding from the Ontario Department of
Education, 130 theatre leaders attended a conference at Lake
Couchiching and made Merton’s vision a reality with the creation
of Theatre Ontario.
Theatre Ontario immediately filled the gap created by the
demise of the Dominion Drama Festival, and its first employee,
the late Maggie Bassett, started developing dynamic training programs for theatre artists. Since then, this not-for-profit association
has been providing resources, networking, training and advocacy
wintEr 2012
Bringing the community together
for theatre practitioners across the province. Some of the many
highlights over the past 40 years include the Professional Theatre
Training Program (established 1972), the Neil Munro Intern
Directors Project at the Shaw Festival (est. 1988) and the Showcase
of graduating post-secondary theatre students (est. 1995).
“Our amazing programs have helped to launch successful careers
in acting, directing and administration, with a number of our alumni
forming the who’s who of the Canadian theatre scene,” says
Executive Director Carol Beauchamp. “As we move into the next
phase of our exciting history, we are engaging with our wonderful
members as we co-create meaningful leadership and resources that
are relevant in a rapidly changing theatre scene.”
Visit www.theatreontario.org and enter your email in the ‘Stay in Touch with
Theatre Ontario’ section to receive the monthly e-newsletter and find out how you
can share your memories as part of the organization’s 40th anniversary retrospective.
E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y 21
EQ
E QUITY
QUART E RLY
Voluntary
RRSP Contribution
Deadline
It is not too late for an Equity member
to make an RRSP contribution for
deductions from their 2011 income tax.
Voluntary RRSP contributions must be
postmarked on or before
February 29, 2012. Cheques must
be payable to London Life Insurance
Company and mailed to:
Group Retirement Services
330 University Avenue
Toronto, ON M5G 1R8
Please ensure that your name and
certificate number are clearly marked
on the front of the cheque. Questions
regarding voluntary RRSP contributions
may be directed to Colleen Didur,
RRSP Administrator, by email to
[email protected] or by phone at
1-800-387-1856
(416-867-9165 in Toronto).
RRSP FUNDS ON HOLD LIST FINAL NOTICE
ARE YOU ON THIS LIST?
Please take a minute to review the names on the list below. Are you on the
list or do you know someone on it? The following members have not opened
an RRSP and risk losing their money. In accordance with bylaw 66(c), failing
to have a valid RRSP account will result in the assignment of the money to the
Actors’ Fund of Canada. Members must act quickly to avoid losing unallocated
RRSP funds collected in 2010. To open an account contact Colleen Didur, RRSP
Administrator, by email to [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-387-1856
(416-867-9165 in Toronto) before February 17, 2012.
Laura Adamo
Evan Tlesla Adams
Matt Alden
Kate Aldrich
Chris Alexander
Ryan Allen
Jason Allin
Jose Arias
Erin Armstrong
Nina Arsenault
Kaela Aryn
James Baldwin
Joseph Bascetta
Jeffrey Bate Boerop
Pierre Angelo Bayuga
Isaiah Bell
Katie Bennison
Elizabeth Bishop
Michelle Boback
Wes Borg
Dominique Bourassa
Brownes
Cory Bowles
Barry Bowman
Conrad Boyce
Heather Braaten
Emma Brager
Christina Broccolini
James Cade
Tony Calabretta
Esteban Cambre
Aura Carcueva
Nicholas Carella
Catharin Carew
Charlie Carrick
Stephen Cassell
Jesse Catibog
Shannon Chan-Kent
Yogesh Chotalia
Ariana Chris
Andrew Church
Susan Clark
Cherise Clarke
Guido Cocomello
Steven Cole
Christina E. Collins
Lauren Collins
Wesley Connor
Tricia Cooper
Charlotte Corwin
Abby Creek
Eric Cutler
Marc-Antoine d’Aragon
Lucinda Davis
Denise DePass
Tyler Duncan
Rick Duthie
Joyce El-Khoury
Eric Fennell
Matt Fentiman
Erik Fjeldsted
Waawaate Fobister
Robin Follman
Naomi Forman
Andrew Funk
Darrel Gamotin
Vasil Garvanliev
John Gaston
William George
Jennifer Gibson
Tyler Gledhill
Alan Gordon
Ian Morris Grant
William Greenblatt
Donna Greenidge
Paul Groves
Fei Guo
Thomas Hammons
Kristen Harris
Kimberly Harvey
Dustin Hiles
Diane Hill
Adrian Holmes
Paul Brian Imperial
Sharon James
Paul Jeffrey
Alexander Jozefacki
Zain Kassam
Margot Kidder
Nicholas Kilbertus
Sarah Kitz
Mark Lawes
Lester Lee
Kiara Leigh
David Light
Clarence Logan
Kayla Lorette
George Trey Lyford
Lorna MacDonald
Michael MacLean
Ron MacLean
Tom Macleay
Katie Malloch
Brian Markinson
William Matthews
Ken McClure
Jane McLean
Michael McLeod
Alexander McMorran
Kent McQuaid
Wendy Gail Merk
Chimwemwe Miller
John Minagro
Gina Morel
Jorden Morris
Patience Mpumlwana
Annie Murphy
Ron Nash
Jamie Northan
Blair Northwood
Drew O’Hara
Brian Ogilvie
Curtis Olds
Simone Osborne
Christina Parker
Dillon Parmer
Michael Paterson
Donna Peerless
Monice Peter
Gregory Peterson
Rodrigo Pino-Hellman
Frank Porretta III
Ralph Prosper
Sondra Radvanovsky
Matthew Raudsepp
Margo Regan
Reyneris Reyes
Derek Rice
Mike Rigler
Adamo Ruggiero
Kat Sandler
Alex R Scott
Julia Sedwick
Marc Senior
Jeff Seymour
Rinat Shaham
David Shelley
Tetsuro Shigematsu
Jimi Shlag
Kris Siddiqi
Andre Simoneau
Kevin Sinclair
E.B. Smith
Quelemia Sparrow
Bernard Starlight
Vera Stephenson
Daniel Sutin
Leslie Swackhamer
Dione Taylor
Kelsey Ter Kuile
Keith Thomas
Gerald Thompson
Tazewell Thompson
David Tomlinson
Liesl Tommy
Constance Towers
Kyle Toy
Thien-Linh Truong
Frank C. Turner
James Valenti
Taz Van Rassel
Mary Walsh
David Moses
Warburton
Richard Whittall
Edward Wiens
Tyrell Witherspoon
Bill Wood
H John Wright
Antoine Yared
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Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:
EQ
Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
44 Victoria Street, 12th Floor
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[email protected]
22 E q u i t y Q u a r t e r l y EQ is shipped in a biodegradable polybag
winter 2012