Podcasts about dora awards

What does it take to script an audio drama that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats? What goes into creating compelling characters and casting the perfect voice actors? Join us as we unravel these fascinating aspects of audio drama with our guests Kevin Shea and Jill Harper, creators of the successful project, Feedback. They share with us not just their creative process and the challenges they face, but also their dislikes and likes about traditional radio dramas. Have you ever wondered how the world of customer service operates or what causes customer rage? We're diving into these topics too, unearthing the tactics deployed by call centers to hinder customer goals and sharing personal anecdotes about our own experiences. Plus, we'll be talking about our audio drama project, from its inception in a humble basement to a full-fledged production. Our conversation with Kevin and Jill continues as they share their journey of creating the character Akbar and the nuances of casting for an audio drama. Finally, we delve into our guests' personal journeys and their love for theatre and filmmaking. Kevin and Jill share their childhood experiences that shaped their passion for storytelling and discuss the role of imagination in their work. They reflect on making audiences laugh and the joy that brings them. If you've ever been curious about the world of audio dramas or the joy of creating something that truly engages and entertains - this episode is for you. Tune in and take a peek behind the scenes of this exciting medium. Bio Kevin Shea wrote the fiction podcast "Feedback: a comedy of impeccable service," the experimental play "Consumption Patterns," and, with Wade Bogert-O'Brien and Scott Christian, the musicals "Hero & Leander," "A Misfortune," and "Teresa." He is Editor-in-Chief of The Kevin, which publishes sporadic essays on arts and culture. thekevin.substack.com Twitter: @sheakm Instagram: @sheakm Read Kevin's essay about writing Feedback: https://thekevin.substack.com/p/on-feedback Jill Harper is an award-winning theatre director and dramaturg, and the co-founder of Cue6 Theatre. Selected directing credits: Cue6 Theatre's "Dry Land" (Globe and Mail's Top 10 Theatre shows of 2018); "pool (no water)" (Dora Awards for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Performance – Ensemble); and "Byhalia, Mississippi" (as a part of a 7 city World Premiere Conversation); "Detroit" (Coal Mine Theatre) "White Heat" (English Theatre Berlin); "Consumption Patterns" (Next Stage Theatre Festival); "Meet Cute" (Roseneath Theatre) – Dora nomination for Outstanding Direction; "Hazardous Materials" (Equity Library Theatre Chicago); In fall 2023 Jill and Cue6 released the narrative podcast "Feedback" by Kevin Shea which reached #5 on Apple podcasts' Fiction podcasts chart www.cue6.ca Instagram: @cue6theatre Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Hey Kits! Weekdays at 7-ish Eastern, we livestream a (sometimes) quick take on the news, in addition to our usual formats. When we have the privilege of welcoming a guest to The Beaver Lodge, we offer them an opportunity for an extended chat, to get to know a bit more about that which makes them tick. When they agree, we present the discussion to you. Our guest today describes himself as a Saskatchewan boy, and has had a most impressive, multi-decade career in the entertainment industry as an actor, writer, producer and director. He is a four-time nominee and a recipient of a Writer's Guild of Canada Award, a Dora Awards nominee, multiple Genie and Gemini Award nominee, a Trillium award winner, and a recipient of the Governor General's medal for Saskatchewan. He has well over 100 acting credits to his name including the roles of Mr. Mehta on 'Kim's Convenience' and Dr. Singh on 'Transplant'. And as if that wasn't enough he was a writer for the beloved show 'Fraggle Rock'. TODAY WE TALK WITH LEGENDARY CANADIAN ACTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER, AND DIRECTOR SUGITH VARUGHESE, AND WE TALK ABOUT: The SAG-ACTRA Strike Making History Screenwriting 'Fraggle Rock' No "gotcha" questions. Culture in full sentences. Our morning show is the purrr-fect thing for busy Kits who are on-the-go, but still want to stay engaged. This is episode 36 of The True North Eager Beaver Interview Project and Episode 264 of the Daily Beaver Morning Show. ___________________________________________________ If you wish to encourage us to do more, leave us a positive review and stars on Apple Podcasts and/or buy us a cup of coffee. Just go to [https://ko-fi.com/eagerbeaver] to find your way to our tip jar. ____________________________________________________ Not everyone can do everything. But everyone can do something. Because #DemocracyIsSomethingYouDo... Write to your MP, MPP, MLA, MNA, Senator, or preferred local media outlet to tell them you expect them to dig deep into the Doug Ford corruption story as well as indicted-in-the-USA-for-trying-to-steal-an-election Mike Roman's links to Stephen Harper and Andrew Scheer.  Be a good neighbour: Make sure to get your XBB, flu, pneumonia, and / or RSV shots, to be sure you're ready for both the respiratory virus and holiday gathering seasons. Let's all do our bit to keep our hospitals unclogged Finally, support your fellow Canadians by donating to the Red Cross Wildfire Response. To do some good around the world, the Red Cross also has an appeal to help those devastated by the recent earthquake in Morocco. _________________________________________________ Of course, retweets, shares, gentle corrections, constructive criticism, compliments, tips, requests, bribes to be on the show, and positive reviews (if you think we deserve some stars, please rate us) are always welcome. You can do that via our show's Facebook blog page, via Twitter @TrueEager, or by e-mail at TrueNorthEagerBeaver@gmail.com. And if you really enjoy our podcast, why not subscribe via our Podpage, sponsored by The Rae Girl, [https://www.podpage.com/the-true-north-eager-beaver/], or our True North Eager Beaver Media Inc. YouTube channel, and tell a friend? Until next time, be kind to, and gentle with, yourselves, Your Eager Beaver ____________________________________________________ Thank you to our podcast's founding sponsors: * The Peppermaster * The Miss Vee Mysteries from Corvid Moon Publishing * Canadian Tarot Dot Com Artwork credit: Peter Jarvis [Recording Date: November 16, 2023]

This week Phil Rickaby chats with Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim about asses.masses, a unique theatrical experience that sits at the intersection of video game and theatre. This episode promises to uncover the layers of this innovative game-meets-stage play and will leave you questioning your perceptions of traditional theatrical conventions. Expect to be drawn into a world where the audience becomes the performers, engaging in a live, interactive video game that requires the negotiation of power within the story, all while remaining enjoyable to watch for the non-participants. As we navigate through the mechanics and origin of asses.masses, you will also find yourselves questioning prevalent stereotypes about the humble donkey. Commonly misconceived as stubborn and unsmart, our fascinating exploration of the donkey as a symbol of labor initiates insightful discussions about digital labor and its implications today. Coupled with the intriguing concept of game show mediation and audience involvement, this episode will certainly broaden your understanding of performance art, digital labor, and animal symbolism. Our discussion extends beyond the boundaries of performance, delving into the debate over video games as an art form. You'll be immersed in the collaborative process of game development and storytelling as we dissect the structure of Asses Masses and its influence from other famous titles. We also reflect on the changing attitudes towards art consumption and its impact on the reception of such innovative works. As we conclude, you'll be left with a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of game development, the symbolism of labor, and the power of audience engagement in redefining performance art. Patrick Blenkarn is an artist working at the intersection of performance, game design, and visual art. His research-based practice revolves around the themes of language, labour, and economy, with projects ranging in form from video games and card games to stage plays and books. His work and collaborations have been featured in performance festivals, galleries, museums, and film festivals, including the Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires, the Humboldt Forum (Berlin), Festival of Live Digital Art (Kingston), STAGES Festival (Halifax), Banff Centre for the Arts, Risk/Reward (Portland), SummerWorks (Toronto), rEvolver (Vancouver), RISER Projects (Toronto), and the Festival of Recorded Movement (Vancouver). In 2020, he was nominated for Best Projection Design at Toronto's Dora Awards. In 2022, his work with Milton Lim, asses.masses, received the National Creation Fund from the National Arts Centre of Canada. Patrick has frequently been an artist in residence at galleries and theatres around the world, including The Arctic Circle (Svalbard), the Spitsbergen Artist Center (Svalbard), GlogauAIR (Berlin), Fonderie Darling (Montreal), Malaspina Printmakers (Vancouver), Skaftfell Center for Visual Art (Iceland), VIVO Media Arts (Vancouver), and The Theatre Centre (Toronto). Patrick is also the co-founder of and a key archivist for videocan, Canada's video archive of performance documentation, and one half of Guilty by Association with Cole Lewis. He has a degree in philosophy, theatre, and film from the University of King's College and an MFA from Simon Fraser University. patrickblenkarn.com Instagram: @patrickblenkarn Milton Lim (he/him) is a digital media artist, game designer, and performance creator based in Vancouver, Canada: the traditional, unceded, and occupied territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. His research-based practice entwines publicly available data, interactive digital media, and gameful performance to create speculative visions and candid articulations of social capital. This line of inquiry aims to reconsider our repertoires of knowledge aggregation and political intervention in the contemporary context of big data and algorithmic culture. Often cheeky and audience/participant driven, his work challenges standard performance traditions including duration, linearity, and repeatability. Milton holds a BFA (Hons.) in theatre performance and psychology from Simon Fraser University. He has created works for and performed in various international festivals and venues including PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (Vancouver), CanAsian Dance Festival (Toronto), Carrefour international de théâtre festival (Quebec City), IMPACT Festival (Kitchener), Seattle International Dance Festival, Risk/Reward Festival (Portland), Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires, artsdepot (London), Battersea Arts Centre (London), New Theatre Royal (Portsmouth), Strike a Light Festival (Gloucester), Hong Kong Arts Festival, soft/WALL/studs (Singapore), and Darwin Festival. Performance credits include The Arts Club's The Great Leap, Gateway Theatre's King of the Yees at Canada's National Arts Centre, and Theatre Conspiracy's award-winning immersive show: Foreign Radical at CanadaHub (Edinburgh Fringe). Milton's media artworks have been presented at the Vancouver Art Gallery, San Francisco State University, F-O-R-M, VIVO Media Arts Centre, and The New Gallery. In 2016, he was awarded the Ray Michal Prize for Outstanding Body of Work at the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. He is a co-artistic director of Hong Kong Exile, an artistic associate with Theatre Conspiracy, a co-founder and key archivist with the videocan national archive, an infrequent Sessional Instructor with Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts, one of the co-creators behind culturecapital: the performing arts economy trading card game, and a founding member of Synectic Assembly—an Artificial Intelligence focused art collective. Upcoming: Milton is part of an 18-month Artistic Leadership Residency with the National Theatre School (Canada); his work on the asses.masses video game project recently received the prestigious National Creation Fund and premiered in Buenos Aires in February 2023; along with Patrick Blenkarn, he will be doing a self-directed residency in South America (February-April 2023) as well as continuing work with Darren O'Donnell, Alice Fleming, and a dedicated group of young people at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin over the next few years. www.miltonlim.com Instagram: @miltonlim About asses.masses: Labour, technophobia, donkeys, and sharing the load of revolution: asses.masses is a long form participatory performance that follows the epic journey of unemployed asses as they navigate the perils of a post-Industrial society in which they've been made redundant. At its core, asses.masses is a custom-made video game designed to be played on stage by a live audience. Brave spectators take turns each night stepping forward from the herd to seize the means of production and become the player. There are no instructions. It is up to the audience and their self-elected leaders to make decisions and play out their version of the game. Cheeky, political, and best described as Animal Farm meets Aesop's Fables retold by Franz Kafka, Karl Marx, and Sonic the Hedgehog, asses.masses puts the control(ler) in its audience's hands and asks them to discover the space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us. www.assesmasses.work Tickets to asses.masses at the Theatre Centre: https://theatrecentre.org/event/asses-masses-23/ Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

On this episode I talked with Vanessa about the moment she knew she wanted to be a performer, becoming a well-rounded performer, building a theatre resume in Canada where she grew up, her favorite regional production of a show she's been in and why, the Canadian premiere of Kinky Boots where she starred as Nicola, winning awards for her performances like the Dora Awards and why the awards she's won in Canada are so special to her, auditioning for shows in New York, her audition for New York, New York on Broadway and the process of moving to New York, how she relates to Francine Evans and what made her excited about stepping into the role, her job as a standby, the day she made her Broadway debut, her dream roles, and MORE!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/backstagewithbeccab/support

Matthew Romantini is a multi-disciplinary artist, the artistic director of Omnivore Performance, and works in dance, theatre, and with orchestral ensembles across the continent. He is also teaches and coaches performance, directs and choreographs as part of his performance work. He has been lucky to direct Unity (1918) and Gogol's The Government Inspector at Randolph College, and is gearing up to direct another production at the college in January. He has been nominated for 5 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the CTC Award (winning best production for The Boys In The Band), the KM Hunter Award, the Total Theatre Award, and has received two Chalmers Professional Development Grants. Notable credits include Kokoro Dance's epic Sunyata, Gorey Story (as performer and Artistic Director, nominated for 5 Dora Awards), Theatre Rusticle's signature April 14, 1912, PNME's Just Out of Reach (which toured to the Edinburgh Fringe), co-creating Tomoe Arts' Weaver Woman, and PNME's “heart-rending” Psappho's Sparrows/In The Wake concert cycle. As a creator and artist, I work in dance, theatre, and with orchestral ensembles across the continent. I have been nominated for and won several awards, endowments and grants, and more importantly, I have been fortunate to collaborate with notable artists and audiences across the globe, from Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Edinburgh Sydney, and Tokyo, and continue to bring together the influences of my wellness and artistic practices to positively affect both. www.matthewromantini.com Support Stageworthy Tip Jar: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Masked and Vax'ed is a new warm up routine for Jenn who joins us ahead of her shows this weekend at The Art House. Get your tickets before they sell out here MARK CORTALE & BROADWAY @ THE ART HOUSE are proud to present the Provincetown debut of Tony Nominee JENN COLELLA (Come From Away), featuring CHRIS RANNEY as pianist. Jenn Colella recently starred in the Tony Award-winning smash hit musical Come From Away as 'Beverley/Annette and others,' in a performance that garnered her 2017 Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards and a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as Craig Noel, Helen Hayes and Dora Awards for pre-Broadway productions of Come From Away. She has been previously seen on Broadway in If/Then, Chaplin, High Fidelity and Urban Cowboy (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), Off-Broadway in Beebo Brinker Chronicles, Lucky Guy, Slut, and Closer Than Ever. Jenn's select regional credits include Come From Away (La Jolla Playhouse, Ford's Theatre, Toronto), Peter Pan (Sacramento Music Circus & PCLO), and Side Show (Kennedy Center). TV credits include "Feed the Beast," "Elementary," "All My Children," "Rescue Me," "The Good Wife," The Code, Madam Secretary, and Evil. She has been seen on film in Uncertainty. Jenn Colella is an MFA Acting graduate of UC Irvine. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stephanie7502/support

Mark and Marichka Marczyk have earned two Dora Awards, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, and an Amnesty International Freedom of Speech Award.  Today on Nasha Kasha, they speak of their music and meeting at an intersection in Ukrainian history.

I knew there were other regional award ceremonies that recognize ensemble work, perhaps most notably, the Dora Awards in Toronto. Ahh…: Finally here I thought I could find a sustainable awards model. Like New York City, Toronto is a national mecca for the performing arts, with a long and esteemed track record of both scrappy small shows and major commercial productions. Certainly here I could find an idea of how to move forward. Only to find out that the Dora Awards have recently scrapped their ensemble awards for musical theatre. What is going on here? Not only was I finding that few theatre communities could figure out how to celebrate ensemble work, but some of them are even getting rid of the recognition they once had? I spoke to Dora Awards Manager Scott Dermody about the history of celebrating ensembles at the Dora and why the recognition for musical theater ensembles was recently scrapped. Here’s our conversation...  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Tolley is a writer, director and producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Expect Theatre. After graduating from York University he teamed up with Laura Mullin, and together they have created award-winning multi-disciplinary productions that have toured across Canada and the US.Chris’ work has been nominated for five Dora Awards in the General Theatre category, and has been shortlisted twice for the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards. In 2006 both Chis and Laura won Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural FreshGround commissioning award.His most notable works include Romeo/Juliet REMIXED (Toronto and Philadelphia), STATIC (World Stage Festival) and AWAKE (Next Stage Festival). Other work with Mullin include the CBC Radio drama, The Tunnel Runners, and the short film, AWAKE.He sits on the Board of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and serves as the Contracts Chair. He is also on a number of other theatre boards.Outside of theatre, Chris is also very active in national politics. In 2015, Chris ran in the federal election as the Green Party’s candidate in Toronto-Danforth, advocating for the cultural issues he is passionate about. His campaign resulted in the best showing for the Green Party in the GTA and surrounding area, and was recognized as one of the strongest campaigns run nationally.Twitter: @christolleyLaura Mullin is a playwright, director and producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Expect Theatre and The Spark Collective. She graduated from York University with a bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre before forming Expect and Spark with Chris Tolley. She has created and produced several highly acclaimed productions with Tolley that have toured nationally and internationally.Selected writing and directing credits: Romeo/Juliet Remixed (5 Dora award nominations, winner of Outstanding Choreography), EXPECT/ Spark; Tunnel Runners, CBC Radio; STATIC, Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage Festival; AWAKE, Next Stage Festival; AWAKE The Short Film; Rapid Eye Movement & To The Kid That I was, Nuit Blanche; One Sleepless Night, International Festival of Authors; Allowance (in development); Burusera, Watermark Theatre (national 21 city tour & to be published in the Playwright’s Guild Short Play Anthology); History of Visual Sources (short story).Awards & Commissions: Toronto Arts Foundation Award (short listed 2009 & 2013); Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural Fresh Ground Commissioning Award; Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Production for Romeo / Juliet Remixed (General Theatre category), Ontario Arts Council’s Creator’s Reserve from Nightwood Theatre (2013) and Crow’s Theatre (2015) for Allowance, Watermark Theatre Commission of Burusera for Canada 300’s national tour (2015).Twitter: @expectlauraPlayMEExpect Theatre has created an exciting new initiative that celebrates the best of Canadian Indie Theatre on a national and international scale. The project helps raise the profile of Canadian playwrights by highlighting new works through a series of podcasts, making it accessible to audiences worldwide.PlayME is transforming the way we experience Canadian theatre, by taking a bold and innovative approach to disseminating plays. The podcast features distinguished actors, and focuses on current and relevant scripts geared to the growing “on-demand” audience.Expect’s Artistic Directors, Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley are spearheading this project, in partnership with organizations such as The Toronto Fringe Festival and the Playwrights Guild of Canada.http://www.playmepodcast.com/ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts/arts-culture/playme/ http://expect.org/ Twitter: @expecttheatre

I am elated to bring this episode of Cue To Cue with Founder/ Artistic and Managing Director of The Musical Stage Company, Mitchell Marcus! Mitchell has become an influencer in the Toronto MusicTheatre scene and has been quite successful in a medium where many theatre companies don’t make it past their first season and I have been dying to have a conversation to hear his thoughts on creativity, entrepreneurship and the place of musical theatre in today's ever-shifting arts landscape. WISDOM: When I asked Mitchell what advice he would give someone who is thinking of starting a theatre company he said, “don’t”, with a laugh and continued to say, if you feel you must go through with it then find the Gap. How are you going to differentiate yourself from every theatre company out there? Do you need to do a show or become a theatre company because that is a totally different undertaking. In this Episode: What is missing from the Canadian musical theatre scene How to embrace the art of fundraising and get people to support your idea What he believes holds artists back from creating and how you can overcome it How to discern the right path for yourself A Little about Mitchell: Mitchell is the founder and Artistic & Managing Director of The Musical Stage Company – Canada’s leading and largest not-for-profit musical theatre company. Over fourteen years, The Musical Stage Company (previously Acting Up Stage Company) productions have been recognized with 61 Dora Award nominations, 11 Dora Awards and 12 Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards and programming partnerships have been built with Mirvish, Canadian Stage, AGO, TIFF, Massey Hall, Obsidian Theatre Company, and the Regent Park School of Music amongst others.  Outside of The Musical Stage Company, Mitchell was the Associate Producer for the inaugural six years of Luminato, producing over 100 productions for one-million attendees annually. Mitchell has twice been the Creative Producer for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize as well as the producer of the Dora Awards. He organized four years of It’s Always Something, working with a team that raised over $500,000 annually for Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto. Mitchell is active on committees that serve the arts community. He is an advisor to the Metcalf Foundation for its Creative Strategies Incubator program, a member of Sheridan College’s Performing Arts Committee, a member of the Dora Eligibility Committee, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective. Mitchell has held positions in the arts management departments at University of Toronto and Ryerson University. He is the recipient of a Harold Award and the 2017 The Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration.

My guest today is Dora award nominated actress and singer Erica Peck who got her big break in 2007, when at 19, she won the role of Scaramouche, in the original Canadian production of Queen’s We Will Rock You. She followed that up by working with the legendary** Andrew Lloyd Webber.** Since then she has become the go to performer for rock musicals having performed in* Kinky Boots, Hairspray, Cabaret, Rocky Horror Show, Jukebox Hero *and she is soon to be Rizzo in **Grease. * For detailed show notes and links visit dianefoy.com/007

My guest today is Ashley Botting. Ashley is an alumna of Toronto’s Second City Mainstage, and has starred in The Second City Guide to the Symphony, Cam Baby, and One Night Only. Ashley has been a talking-head on CTV News Channel’s Straight Talk segment with Sandie Rinaldo. She is also a regular panelist, writer, and guest host on CBC Radio One’s quiz show, Because News. As a writer, she has penned episodes for PBS’ Odd Squad, Nickelodeon’s upcoming Zoofari and pieces for NOW Magazine, The Toronto Star, TheLoop.ca, and was shortlisted for The CBC Canada Writes: Bloodlines prize. She’s won three Canadian Comedy Awards and been nominated for three Dora Awards. On this episode, we discuss our similarities: our challenges with faith, our experiences growing up with one Jewish and one non-Jewish parent, and our experiences with improvisation.

My guest today is Darren O'Donnell. Darren O’Donnell is a novelist, essayist, playwright, director, designer and performer. His books (published by Coach House Press) include: Haircuts by Children and Other Evidence for a New Social Contract (2017), Social Acupuncture (2006), which argues for aesthetics of civic engagement, and Your Secrets Sleep with Me (2004), a novel about difference, love and the miraculous. His stage-based works include White Mice (1998), [boxhead] (2000), and All the Sex I’ve Ever Had (2012), all produced by Mammalian. Darren was the 2000 winner of the Pauline McGibbon Award for directing and has been nominated for a number of Dora Awards for his writing, directing, and acting, winning (with Naomi Campbell) for their design of White Mice. His play [boxhead] was nominated for a Chalmers Award and he received a Gabriel Award for excellence in broadcasting for his CBC radio piece Like a Fox. Under his directorship, Mammalian won the 2010 Mayor's Arts Award for Youth, and his Mammalian Protocol for Collaborating with Children was awarded the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children Supporter Award in 2012. Darren has an MSc. in urban planning, a BFA in acting and studied shiatsu and traditional Chinese medicine at The Shiatsu School of Canada. Follow Darren on Twitter: @darrenodonnell Instagram: @o.darren Periscope: @darrenodonnell Snapchat: photoshine In this episode, we discuss Darren's work in theatre, his unusual casting choices, and how a psychotic breakdown when he was younger lead to a spiritual awakening.

Chris Tolley is a writer, director and producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Expect Theatre. After graduating from York University he teamed up with Laura Mullin, and together they have created award-winning multi-disciplinary productions that have toured across Canada and the US.Chris’ work has been nominated for five Dora Awards in the General Theatre category, and has been shortlisted twice for the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards. In 2006 both Chis and Laura won Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural FreshGround commissioning award.His most notable works include Romeo/Juliet REMIXED (Toronto and Philadelphia), STATIC (World Stage Festival) and AWAKE (Next Stage Festival). Other work with Mullin include the CBC Radio drama, The Tunnel Runners, and the short film, AWAKE.Most recently, Chris and Laura launched PlayME, a national digital theatre dedicated to producing Canada’s most innovative theatre works distributed globally via podcasts.He sits on the Board of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and serves as the Contracts Chair. He is also on a number of other theatre boards.Outside of theatre, Chris is also very active in national politics. In 2015, Chris ran in the federal election as the Green Party’s candidate in Toronto-Danforth, advocating for the cultural issues he is passionate about. His campaign resulted in the best showing for the Green Party in the GTA and surrounding area, and was recognized as one of the strongest campaigns run nationally.Twitter: @christolleyLaura Mullin is a playwright, director and producer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Expect Theatre and The Spark Collective. She graduated from York University with a bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre before forming Expect and Spark with Chris Tolley. She has created and produced several highly acclaimed productions with Tolley that have toured nationally and internationally.Selected writing and directing credits: Romeo/Juliet Remixed (5 Dora award nominations, winner of Outstanding Choreography), EXPECT/ Spark; Tunnel Runners, CBC Radio; STATIC, Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage Festival; AWAKE, Next Stage Festival; AWAKE The Short Film; Rapid Eye Movement & To The Kid That I was, Nuit Blanche; One Sleepless Night, International Festival of Authors; Allowance (in development); Burusera, Watermark Theatre (national 21 city tour & to be published in the Playwright’s Guild Short Play Anthology); History of Visual Sources (short story).Awards & Commissions: Toronto Arts Foundation Award (short listed 2009 & 2013); Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural Fresh Ground Commissioning Award; Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Production for Romeo / Juliet Remixed (General Theatre category), Ontario Arts Council’s Creator’s Reserve from Nightwood Theatre (2013) and Crow’s Theatre (2015) for Allowance, Watermark Theatre Commission of Burusera for Canada 300’s national tour (2015).Twitter: @expectlauraPlayMEExpect Theatre has created an exciting new initiative that celebrates the best of Canadian Indie Theatre on a national and international scale. The project helps raise the profile of Canadian playwrights by highlighting new works through a series of podcasts, making it accessible to audiences worldwide.PlayME is transforming the way we experience Canadian theatre, by taking a bold and innovative approach to disseminating plays. The podcast features distinguished actors, and focuses on current and relevant scripts geared to the growing “on-demand” audience.Expect’s Artistic Directors, Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley are spearheading this project, in partnership with organizations such as The Toronto Fringe Festival and the Playwrights Guild of Canada.http://www.playmepodcast.com/http://expect.org/ Twitter: @expecttheatreStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

This special The Bellows episode features carpenter Kevin Hutson, our moderator, joining writer/director Kat Sandler, technical director Dean Johnson, independent producer Aislinn Rose, technician and stage manager Pip Bradford, and designer and technician Rebecca Vandevelde discussing how to work with your friends while remaining professional. It was recorded live at Theatre Passe Muraille on January 18th. The first 10 minutes of the introductions was lost because SOMEone forgot to hit record: it happens. This audio starts with with Rebecca Vandevelde introducing herself. As well, the audio has been panned in order to facilitate the identification of the speaker with the audio field being layed out as they presented: Kevin, Kat (who joins later), Dean, Aislinn, Pip, and Rebecca. KEVIN HUTSON Kevin is the head carpenter at The Tarragon Theatre in Toronto and one of the founders of The Bellows. Kevin has also performed as a production manager, technical director, lighting designer and general technician in Toronto for may years. DEAN JOHNSON A technician and technical director in Toronto. KAT SANDLER Kat is a writer/actor/director working in Toronto. She is the Artistic Director of Theatre Brouhaha, and has staged six or her original plays; LOVESEXMONEY (Next Stage Festival), Help Yourself (Best of Fringe, winner of the Fringe New Play Contest), Delicacy (Summerworks), Rock (Storefront Theatre), We Are the Bomb (Toronto Fringe, Sucker (Storefront Theatre) and directed Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton, and The Unseen Hand (Playwrights Project). As an actor she has appeared onstage with Theatre Gargantua in the world premieres of FiBBer and Imprints. She is a graduate of Queen’s University. Kat will be writing Retreat while in Tarragon’s Playwrights Unit. AISLINN ROSE Aislinn is an independent producer, theatre maker, member of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts’ Board of Directors, and Co-Chair of TAPA’s Indie Caucus. She recently joined the producing team for Luminato’s 2013 festival as Associate Producer, and produced the festival’s L’Allegro by the Mark Morris Dance Group, Feng Yi Ting directed by Atom Egoyan, and Ronnie Burkett’s The Daisy Theatre. This year she will be guest curating Harbourfront Centre’s HATCH 2014 season along with her Praxis Theatre colleague, Michael Wheeler. As the Artistic Producer of Praxis Theatre & Co-Editor of praxistheatre.com, she led the Open Source Theatre Project for Section 98 at Harbourfront Centre, created the experimental Dungeons & Dragons (not) The Musical, was Artistic Producer of You Should Have Stayed Home, and Producer for Jesus Chrysler in Association with Theatre Passe Muraille. She will be producing their upcoming cross Canada tour of You Should Have Stayed Home in Whitehorse, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. She and Michael Wheeler were named Theatre VIPs for 2012 by Toronto paper, The Grid, after having been named “People to watch” that year by Torontoist. Last year she produced Aluna Theatre’s inaugural PANAMERICAN ROUTES Festival of Theatre for Human Rights, and was Co-Producer with Fides Krucker on the electroacoustic opera Julie Sits Waiting (nominated for 5 Dora Awards including Outstanding Production – Opera/Musical). Other recent projects include producing The Lesson For Modern Times Stage Company (nominated for 8 Dora Awards, including Outstanding Production). Social media experiments include working as a consultant & online creator for the sold-out run of Michael Healey’s Proud and developing “The Brain”, the online counterpart for Liza Balkan’s Out The Window for The Theatre Centre’s biennial Free Fall Festival. Aislinn is the recent recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts Professional Development grant as an Independent Theatre Producer. SARAH ‘PIP’ BRADFORD Pip has lived and worked in the Toronto theatre community for the past five years. She freelances as a technician and stage manager for many companies in Toronto, inclu